#also I REALLY wanna talk about the development of the superhero thing. i wanna talk about the lighting. i wanna talk about

[wibble-wobbegong]

so fucked up that i can’t lay in bed today and talk about wheelclair and mike’s relationship with el in s1. it’s like god is against me or something

[chainsawcorazon]

didnt wanna hijack someone's post with the Disk Horse, but I just wanna note that bernard being tim's love interest in 2023 is VERY different from him being a side-side-side character in the early 2000s. i think there's definitely a generational divide on how the relationship's perceived bc there's absolutely a difference between how bernard and tim's relationship is portrayed during their time in school versus in adulthood.

part of reading tim's coming out story in the 2020s with relation to bernard is finally acknowledging that we finally broke tim out of his amber glass. this is also, i will note, a SPECIFIC kind of coming-out-story that won't resonate with folks who weren't living through that specific era of homophobia where the fallout of the AIDS crisis overlapped with the rise of mass surveillance and that post-9/11 grimdark take on superheroes across ALL media. it was a weird fucking time. it also won't resonate with anyone who wasn't "growing up" with tim during his time as robin. now, do you HAVE to know every little thing about tim to accept this piece of character development? no, you don't, but you DO have to take into consideration that tim was locked in the time vault for a veryyy long time and a lot of things, including his on-and-off with stephanie, were part of the status quo for his character long before dc decided to pull the trigger with tim's bisexuality.

but what happens when the forever-sixteen isn't sixteen anymore? he grows up! he gets to reflect! he gets to try new things without being held back by the amber glass. time is the key factor here! if you look at tim and bernard's relationship through the eyes of the robin run of that era, of course it's gonna feel weird! that tim could only really take bernard in doses, bc that tim was as much of an asshole teen as bernard was. with the breaking-of-the-amber, we now learn that tim had to do some serious reflection to get to the point where he could say that this guy he used to know COULD be someone special. if you follow tim's story through the lens of a closeted queer raised in the era of when that robin run was being published, tim's just another queer guy who's finally come to terms with the fact that, that dude he went to high school with who he just ran into at the target might not be so bad after all. he's kinda cute, actually. did he think he was cute back in the tenth grade? probably not, but he's not in tenth grade anymore, now is he?

could DC comics have created an entirely new character to serve the narrative purpose of tim's coming out special? sure. then we woulda had ten years worth of criticism from fandom about how tim magically found a guy superhot and thus dumped stephanie over it, and we would circle back to the same argument about whether tim was a douchebag for dumping stephanie for some rando, and that his bisexuality is an asspull versus 'relevant character development'. either way, it would have upset the status quo. now, is that to say timsteph was never real? no! tim and stephanie talking about his erratic behavior and him coming out to her was to SPECIFICALLY address how him being bisexual isn't meant to downgrade their relationship, or that their love wasn't real. for anyone who's still whining about timsteph not being real anymore bc bernbear entered the chat, i've long stopped seeing it as legitimate criticism bc there are YEARS worth of content with them to indulge in. shitting on a coming-out story and a romance that hasn't even had five real-time years to be explored is just straight up crass and highlights much more insidious problems in the fandom aka the rampant homophobia, quick-to-anger behavior of fans who never learned media or litcrit, and motherfuckers who ride or die for status quo like it'll kill them to enjoy something tangential.

long story short, timbern real and so is timsteph, and one of these days, inshallah bartkon will be real too.

[suzukiblu]

may I ask if you have any fic recs handy?? dw if not

Hmmm, well, let's see, what have I read recently that I especially liked . . .

. . . oh okay yeah I got way too into this, lol. wELP, such is life!!

Eyes Like Kryptonite, by dragonez. Supercorp. Lena Luthor gets an either time or dimensionally-displaced Kryptonian on her balcony who inexplicably seems to think a Luthor can help him, and then she has to deal with that. Kara does not love this development (but definitely loves Lena) and Conner just wants to get home to his family.

I Want It That Way, by WynterSky. TimKon. I cannot even explain to you how good this fucking fic is. Just--TimKon, but make it 90's. Why are you still here? Go read it. Go read it NOW.

Catherine/Bruce Medieval AU, by iselsis and PotatoLady. Catherine/Bruce, past Catherine/Willis. What it says on the tin, and also omegaverse. I am WAY too into this fic, hah, "Bruce saves Catherine and takes in her and Jason both" is so, so small a genre but so, so GOOD a genre. [ tw: past rape ]

You and me and them. Let's be pack. Let's show the world we chose each other, by Ace_of_Hearts4444. TimKon. Tim finds out Kon is a newly-presented stray omega in an AU where being packless is a Big Fucking Problem and Young Justice has some fucking FEELINGS about that fact.

The tale of a cat who stole a diamond boy, by Ace_of_Hearts4444. TimKon. I'm not really into "Tim is Stray/Catlad" AUs, but I am VERY into this TimKon concept. Also, like yes, obviously Tim is exactly unhinged enough to do this.

in the shadows, by Kieron_ODuibhir. Batman was Bruce Wayne's imaginary friend, but now he's Dick Grayson's. I could cut a bitch for more of this concept, oh my GOD. 💔

A Hummingbird Suspended, by poisonivory. Thad/Match. Thad gets out of the Speed Force and wants to fuck shit up, but unfortunately Match is very attractive and has even more unfortunately grown some morals.

Gut Feeling, by Ao3time. Lois finds a superclone in a lab and welp he's hers now. No takebacksies.

With Violet Light, by Evilpixie. Jason Todd wants to blow up the Batmobile and ends up a Star Sapphire. There's, uh, an adjustment period.

This isn't how things are supposed to go. But we've always been unorthodox., by RenkonNairu. Superbat, TimKon. Kryptonian omegas are not the same as human ones, and human alphas are not the same as Kryptonian ones. And therefore Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake are having a fucking time of it with Clark Kent and Conner Luthor, and Lex is just doing his damnedest to ruin as much shit as he possibly can. [ tw: rape ]

Talk That Slick Talk, by thebodydies. Kenan/Kon. Kenan meets a weirdly friendly stranger who's apparently trying to pick him up. Kon is literally just wearing fucking glasses, man. Also I desperately need more of this pairing, especially in this interpretation, please and thank you. [ this is just smutty kinky smut and you should immediately go bask in it ]

( annnnnd not-DC-but-still-superheroes bonus round!! )

I wanna be that guy (the girl under you), by Stackthedeck. SpideyTorch. Peter Parker/Johnny Storm + kink = gender?? [ more kinky smut for you to go bask in!! ]

[blackbatcass]

I really really wanna know more about Donna Troyyy, so far I love her so much but I don't wanna be the type of person who claims they love a character then can't name 5 things about them. I wanna do her justice and really understand her character and purpose. I also don't wanna read something that completely mischaracterizes her because I'm aware that there's a LOT of that these days. I was hoping you could give me some recommendations to read after my tests?

Thank you so much if you do, and have a wonderful day! <3

I think I can help with that! Luckily donna's characterization is pretty solid & consistent in any comic up to around 2006. i would be wary of more modern interpretations of her but for most of her older appearances you don't really have to worry about bad writing.

The number 1 rec for donna is always New Teen Titans, that's where pretty much the majority of her appearances and character development take place in the 80s and 90s. The whole series is very long though so if you want more specific recommendations that focus on her I would definitely read ntt vol 1 #38, vol 2 #7-9, #18-21, #47, and #50-55. Issues 18-21 especially are probably my number one rec for donna if you're interested in seeing her flaws and struggles; those four issues took place when the titans were kind of falling apart, donna had to step up and call the shots, and it's a really neat insight into her character that i don't think gets quite as much attention as arcs like her origin stories. You'll probably honestly get a good feel for her if you pick any couple of arcs from NTT and read them through.

Wonder Woman (1987) #126-136 is a very important arc that reiterates donna's borderline horror dimension-bending origin weirdness. Titans '99 is a must-read for her, and jumping off that the Return of Donna Troy miniseries is like... Thee donna comic of all time so i would definitely recommend that. In between ntt and titans 99 she was in things like green lantern and darkstars but honestly the biggest things for her character you have to know from that time are that she and terry got divorced, she was dating kyle rayner, terry tried to take custody away from her, and terry & robbie died in a car accident.

There are way more detailed and comprehensive rec lists you can find in my donna tag if you're interested- I left out arcs like total chaos which are narratively very important for her but i don't think are quite as good a showcase for her as a character- but I think if you just want to get a feel for her character these are a good place to start. if you want like a primer on some of her major character traits i can definitely provide that lol:

donna is an incredibly emotionally intelligent and kind person who is a very good listener and always ready to help, which is why she's pretty much the #1 trusted person every single titan goes to when they need to vent. unfortunately being the appointed Fixer of All Problems Mom Friend when you're like barely an adult gets pretty overwhelming and is a very unfair weight to put a person; you can see this start to grate on her in titans 99 especially. something I like about donna is how open and honest she is with people about her struggles. most characters in the superhero genre would rather die than admit they need help and will never ever talk about their problems without being forced to, but donna isn't like that. if you ask her what's wrong she's going to be honest and tell you what's bothering her. she struggles a LOT with trying to appear 'perfect' in everyone else's eyes, and is really motivated by seeming to have it all together even when she doesn't. this is fueled a lot by her not being born an amazon and not knowing where she came from; the fact that for a lot of ntt she doesn't know her own history really gets under her skin. donna's identity issues are a HUGE part of her character especially later on as retcons and reboots get folded into her story. her past doesn't make sense. she has like nine competing backstories. she's one of the only people to remember the world pre-crisis on infinite earths and has literally been been forced out of existence and remade through pure memories, not to mention all the times dark angel forced her to live different lives until she reached rock bottom as a punishment for diana lol. in one origin she literally is not a real person and was just a mirror twin of diana. the main tagline associated with her is 'who is donna troy?' lol. which i think is fascinating and a very fucked up existence.

Anyway! I can talk about my girl all day. I hope this was at least a little bit helpful!

[incorrect-spideytorch]

Hey I’ve had a bad day :(

here’s a free invitation to rant about anything Spideytorch —> 💌

I’m sorry you had a bad day but I am very excited about this invitation!

~

I have decided to rant about this panel and the trauma our boys got from it

so Red Skull is out here being a villain and uses mind control to f**k with the heroes and we get to this moment where Red Skull is like wow you two are super close gay for each other so I’m gonna make one of you watch the other die and I’m going to use mind control to do it which is so incredibly twisted

like Peter is hearing his best friend the love of his life say (against his will) that he is going to make Peter watch as he end his life. I cannot imagine how terrifying it is to hear the voice of the man you love say that and to know that neither of you have any control

then we get to the Johnny side of things. Johnny had had his free will taken away from him and Red Skull is trying to use that to not only end his life but do so to hurt Peter by making him watch! I am also a winterhawk shipper (Clint Barton x Bucky Barnes) and a lot of fics for that ship talk about their shared trauma of losing free will and not having control over yourself (Loki and Hydra for them) and how much that messes you up, Johnny is dealing with this!! sure it’s not lasting as long and it’s a different situation but my boy is still going through that and he is being used as a weapon to his lover and himself it makes me wanna scream

obviously they’re superheroes and all of this shit with Red Skulk gets resolved but the trauma of this situation I don’t think gets talked about enough in the fandom, specifically spideytorch shippers like this is great angsty fic fodder,

so here’s some of my angsty thoughts about what happens after

Johnny wakes up panicked and holding his head every night for weeks convinced Red Skull is still in there

when the nightmares got really bad Peter had to hold Johnny down so he didn’t try to harm himself in an attempt to get Red Skull out of his head

neither of them feel safe when Johnny has anything that could even remotely be used as a weapon

Johnny avoids the kitchen cause all he sees is ways that Red Skulk can kill him in front of Peter

Peter had an anxiety attack when Johnny was sitting on the roof with him because he could only hear mind controlled Johnny saying he would make Peter watch him die and pictured Johnny falling

they develop code phrases and questions to ask to reassure each other that the other isn’t mind controlled

for at least a year after anytime Johnnys voice sounds different, even if it’s just cause of a cold Peter gets nervous and demands a code phrase

to be honest they spend a lot of days right after the Red Skull incident together on the couch eating takeout and cuddling with minimal conversation

it takes a while for Johnny to trust his own mind and body again afterwards and Peter doesn’t know how to fix that which is really frustrating for him

when Johnny feels out of control he doesn’t want Peter nearby because he doesn’t want Peter to have to watch whatever might happen next

of course Peter can’t bare to leave Johnny so they had to develop a solution for that

Peter will sit around the corner or on the other side of a door so he can still be there but not see Johnny, it’s a weird loophole but it works for them

they do a lot of forehead touches after this

so many forehead touches

thank you again anon for your ask and for permission to rant! I hope this made your day better, even though it was a bit on the angstier side. if you want something fluffier just send another ask my way

EDIT: someone in the tags mentioned that Peter’s spidey senses are going off even though he’s not the one in physical danger and I will be screaming for the next 8 years

[captainimfangirling]

The Boys Season 4 Episodes 1-3

Warning: Spoilers

To be honest I'm glad they're showing the bad side of Frenchie and Starlight. Like I said since the beginning all of them are not innocent. They made mistakes in the past and will in the future. The show isn't about who is innocent and who is not. It's showing that everyone and everything has issues. Nobody is innocent.

Frenchie & Kimiko

I ship them so I'm pissed at them giving Frenchie a lover, I don't give a sh*t if it's a man. But you know what it's a good story line to show that Frenchie has done really f*cked up sh*t and he needs to sort out his issues and save himself before he tries saving Kimiko. Kimiko also has to save herself before she can be with Frenchie.

Starlight

I love the actress but she messed up her face. She looks older. Anyway I don't think there's not that much interesting about her so far besides her and her followers. She's just the opposite of Homelander and Hughie is her non supe boyfriend. Also I like that she was a bully as a child because it shows that she isn't perfect.

Mother's Milk

I honestly thought they changed actors but yeah it's the same guy only he's very skinny. Anyway it's interesting that M.M. is taking more of a leadership role. I can't wait to see how that plays out the rest of the season. Also I love how they didn't sh*t on Todd making him the worst person ever like I expected. Janine loved him and Monique loved the D. Basically it shows that even a good person that everyone loves can fall into all that political bullsh*t.

Hughie

Poor baby I just wanna hug him. He's very loyal to Butcher because he feels Butcher was loyal to him (I mean Butcher considers not being loyal but he does the right thing at the end). I'm glad they brought in his mother because it really shows why he gets attached to people very fast and how he tried to keep Starlight safe even though it was unwillingly. He doesn't want to lose anyone.

Butcher

Like I've always said he is an ahole but he always does the right thing at the end. Yes he has done a lot of bad things but he's not an evil person. I think he sees Becca in Ryan and that's why he wants to save him. Plus he made a promise to Becca.

Ryan

Poor little guy not only is he being manipulated by Homelander but Homelander is basically becoming co-dependent on him. Homelander is more concerned about being good enough for Ryan so that he doesn't get abandoned than he is about giving Ryan what he needs. Ryan of course is attached to Butcher because Butcher is his mothers husband plus I think he sees good in Butcher even though Butcher doesn't see it in himself. Good thing that he's slowly starting to see Homelander for what he is. Not all hope is lost.

A-Train

As you know I never liked A-Train but I'm starting to now. I love that it took the 4th season to get him on The Boys side and they didn't do it the 2nd season because now he has so much character development. Now he understands how f*cked up the things he did and how he can make it right becoming a true superhero turning into something his family can be proud of. I also hope he gives a sincere apologize not only Hughie but to Robin's family.

Black Noir= Original & Noir= fake one

Does this guy have any powers? Anyway, I'm not sure how I feel. I mean I love that we got to hear the actor talk but I'm disappointed they didn't go the evil clone route. I hope that Noir becomes so obsessed with becoming Black Noir that he basically becomes evil because that's what he saw Black Noir as (a ruthless killing machine) and he never learns the other side of him (Black Noir being a sensitive and scared man). Basically in his head Noir becomes the real Black Noir because he's so obsessed and forgets his true identity. Actually if learns about what Solider Boy did to Black Noir I think it would be so cool if he tries to kill Solider Boy for what he did to Black Noir (aka him).

The Deep

Remember when I said they need to kill his character off? I kind of still feel this way but I do appreciate we actually go to hear the octopus talk. I wonder if the octopus will get upset he cheated on her with Sage but she probably wont because I think I remember last season Deep said she was poly.

Homelander

OMG he's going back to the "bad room"?! I wonder who was that lady in the flashback. Maybe just a worker or maybe someone his considered his mother for a little while (until he accidentally killed her). Like I've said before Homelander has abandonment issues so anything he likes or love he holds onto it. Like Sage. He likes her deep down so he chaining her to him by forcing her to be in The Seven. I would even say he likes Butcher because he's the only one who stood up to him and that's why he kept him alive for so long.

Firecracker

She for sure is a parody of those female right wing YouTubers and Rob Benedict is a parody of her followers. lmao I honestly still cannot unsee Rob Benedict's dick and him eating out his own ass. I'm just glad I didn't recognize him at first because I don't think I would unsee it when I watch Supernatural.

Neuman

At first I didn't care much about her but I'm starting to think she not only wants to make Stan proud but deep down also create a safe world for her daughter. I love that even she cannot kill Hughie because she cares for him too much.

Rob Singer

It's really cool seeing another Supernatural actor Jim Beaver as Robert Singer. Not sure how I feel like his character yet but I'm on his side over Neuman.

Kessler

I love seeing Jeffery Dean Morgan I'm not just a fan of him from Supernatural but I'm not sure how I feel about his character yet. He is close friends with Butcher which doesn't necessarily mean a good thing.

Also I'm shocked (but not really) that the Almond Joy girl was killed.

[buckevantommy]

Rating these tropes from fave to least fave for bucktommy: omegaverse, modern magic, sentinel-guide, soulmates, alternate universe - different jobs, alt universe - different first meeting, super powers, werewolf, vampire, fairytale retelling.

1 - alt universe - different first meeting

my fave!! tommy never leaves the 118 OR they meet on a call before season 7 because tommy is flying the chopper - he's been around so much already - or one of them is injured or trapped/stranded. i just really love them both being firefighters but meeting at an earlier point in canon.

2 - alternate universe - different jobs

not a big fan of their jobs being completely different - like actors, doctors, athletes, ceos etc. (although i have seen a few tumblr ficlets that have me wanting to read 50k of a particular dynamic) but i do love when their jobs are different threads taken from canon (or related media) so: swat!tommy (thankyou swat!lou), mercenary!tommy (thankyou Outer Banks lou), 118!tommy, seal!buck, armypilot!tommy, mechanic!tommy, chef!buck, ranchhand!buck, bartender!buck..

BTW: going to add Royal AUs in here because holyshit i love the potential (and oliver being in Into The Badlands makes me wanna watch) whether set in medieval times or modern times gimme arranged marriage or forbidden love or anything i just need some royal boys or one royal boy and one civilian or soldier or something i need them all.

3 - vampire

i have envisioned a few vampire au ideas sparked by some of lou's photoshoots and an audition video he did for a vamp role? but i haven't found any vamp fics yet. i love the idea of older vampire!tommy with human buck. a simple yet delicious concept.

4 - super powers

maybe i'm a little swayed by the fact lou has played a superhero, and also there's a Percy Jackson AU going around that i was surprised by how much i enjoyed it, but yeah gimme superpowers: either one or both of them have powers, could be an X-Men type thing or The Boys or something. i'm very much into the whole antihero and vigilante thing so gimme some angst, maybe some Daredevil or Jessica Jones vibes. i'm also a fan of the clark/superman secret identity thing and the two-person love triangle thing.

5 - sentinel guide

this is the first i'm hearing of this trope but i googled it and i like the sound of it: it would have elements of a Fantasy or Superpowers AU but with the specific dynamic of buck having a power or purpose and either not feeling up to the task or going overboard or needing help and tommy being his guardian or guide, and for their relationship to shift into something romantic even though it's not supposed to, i love that.

6 - modern magic

i don't really like modern magic - i'm more into fantasy worlds and pre-modern magic. something about mixing magic with the digital technology era just doesn't spark joy in me. HOWEVER: i would be into witchy stuff set in the 90s or earlier (i've seen talk of a Practical Magic AU on the dash and i would be all over that even though i haven't watched the movie yet i know enough about it to want it).

7 - soulmates

being a Supernatural fan meant developing a loathing for soulmates and fate because in canon they're tied to a controlling asshole god, so i'm sort of conditioned to evil-eye soulmate tropes. HOWEVER: i absolutely adore the invisible string theory for buck and tommy, but i don't think there's much there to focus on fic-wise. it works as a satisfying narrative thing in the show, but idk.. i'm open to good fic recs for this trope if anyone has them?

8 - fairytale retelling

i confess i don't really understand this trope? i tried googling it and i kinda get it, but i think it would be a struggle to make it bucktommy without getting too ooc? idk. if anyone can give me an example with our boys that'd be great because right now i'm just confused and don't see it.

9 - werewolf

despite being an og Teen Wolf fan, i don't like werewolf AUs for other shows. outside of Teen Wolf i'm just not into it, which is odd i think.

10 - omegaverse

i'm not into a/b/o at all, so.

[lollytea]

any huntlow miraculous au ideas ??

Disclaimer: I have not watched miraculous in nearly four years. I do not know what is going on in that show anymore and at this point I'm too afraid to ask.

However the reason I did start watching it for a time was because I was intrigued by the concept. I liked this idea of different facets of your personality only on display depending on the identity you're presenting and how mixed up that can get when it's a romance between two people who know each other with and without the mask and how the relationships shift depending on that. It's very basic superhero trope stuff but idk it scratches the little part of my brain that's obsessed with psychology and messy convoluted character dynamics. So the idea of doing something like that with huntlow DOES sound cool. But I have no concrete ideas.

Me personally I don't like doing AUs with huntlow unless it keeps them in the Boiling Isles setting and it keeps their respective backgrounds as GG and half-a-witch Willow. So I'm not big on Human AUs. So I wouldn't think too much about a typical miraculous AU myself. I'll leave that to other people to have their fun with. I love the miraculous AU art they do 💕

But WHAT IF. WHAT IF WHAT IF

Okay okay okay. So what if we start off with the idea of Willow having a celebrity crush on the Golden Guard. Remember that AU? So lets say its pre-season 1. So Willow is still in the abomination track and is kinda a shrinking violet. So the Golden Guard happened to rescue her once and now she's all smitten over how cool and confident he is.

Anyway, Willow is forbidden from doing plant magic. However Willow loves to do plant magic. So her solution to this is to do plant magic in secret. One thing leads to another and now she sneaks out of the house every night and uses her magic to assist civilians in need. She's never really had a chance to let loose with her powers before. It makes her feel so cool and strong. Plus she really does empathize with how it feels to be vulnerable so she likes to help when she can. So she's developed a little bit of a superhero-ish alter ego.

The aesthetic of this is just making me go insane. Like the plant based superhero costume Willow would fashion for herself. It'd be so dorky and over-the-top. Im seeing shit like a poofy little dress, a skirt made out of giant flower petals, boots made of leaves, vines snaking all over her limbs. Fairycore vibes. I also really like the idea of using her magic to spread a cluster of tiny flowers around her eyes in the shape of a domino mask.

She calls herself "Force of Nature" (or "Force" for short.) And honestly, the name suits the person she becomes. When she's taking on this identity, Willow's full chaotic side comes out. She's got a big personality. She's ruthless, she's talkative, she's mischievous, she's everything that's always been bubbling under her surface. I wanna say she even takes a little inspiration from the trademark Golden Guard dazzle.

Now Hunter is the Golden Guard and he believes it's his duty to help and protect people of the Boiling Isles. However, he begins to notice that Belos is constantly preventing him from doing so. Hunter keeps getting sent on tedious tasks to collect ingredients for his uncle's experiments or deal with business matters or WHATEVER. There is a distinct lack of helping going on here. And everytime he tries to respectfully point it out, Belos insists that the work Hunter does is important. Admittedly, Hunter is beginning to get a little frustrated. He certainly doesn't want to believe that his uncle is wrong (His uncle is never wrong.) Buuuuut maybe his uncle just isn't seeing the big picture correctly. Maybe he just needs a little convincing.

So this is when Hunter commits himself to sneaking out of the castle at night and helping all the people that the Golden Guard was too busy to help. If he used his GG persona, word would get around and he'd be in trouble for disobeying. So Hunter opts to carry out these deeds unmasked. He might have a special outfit for the occasion but his full face is on display. Doing these things has nothing to do with building Hunter's confidence, it's just to do what's right.

He keeps a journal where he documents all the good he's done while carrying out this secret job and intends to hand it over to Belos once it's full so his uncle will finally understand. The mental gymnastics are insane here. Deep down, Hunter knows Belos would kill him if he ever found out and he's taking this secret to his grave. But the journal helps him feel less disobedient so we'll let him have this.

Anyway of course Willow and Hunter eventually cross paths and decide to work together for the greater good. A friendship is formed and it does not take long before Hunter falls head over heels for Force of Nature. And because he's so transparently himself with none of his Golden Guard swag, he's a shy blushy mess around her. It doesn't help that she's one of the only people besides Belos to call him by name.

(He didn't tell her his name at first. It only slipped out after he developed a crush and he found that he had a really hard time saying no to her.)

Meanwhile Willow is very fond of Hunter. However, I feel like she's kinda blocked herself off from entertaining the idea that she might have feelings for him because of her crush on the Golden Guard. It's a very idealized crush and she's built it up so much in her head that it subconsciously prevents her from even thinking about anyone else in a romantic light. But I think some feelings for Hunter might be sneaking up on her without her noticing.

Anyway Willow has hung around Bonesborough often enough that she knows the exact times the Golden Guard shows up for patrol. She slinks around the areas where he's known to meet with people and discuss business. She'll wander around town on weekends just for the off chance of spotting him. However, though she's brave enough to march right up and say hello, she really hasn't a clue how to talk to him like a normal person so all that comes out is word vomit. (Again, this is pre-season 1 Willow. A bit of a nervous wreck.) Anyway she's stopped to "talk" with him enough times that he remembers who she is now. So that's a start!

On Hunter's end, there's this one schoolgirl who he usually meets in town and she's a massive stroke to his ego. She's clearly starstruck with him and he's eating it up. He's constantly playing up the GG persona for her to the point that it's almost flirtatious. He doesn't really notice that he's doing this and doesn't understand that she might take that the wrong way. Hunter doesn't have any strong opinions about Willow Park. She's sweet, she's a little awkward and he humors her whenever they meet. But he doesn't really form a deep friendship with her for quite a while because it can be very difficult to make connections when you're playing a character.

Anyway. There's a basic premise for your consideration. Hijinks ensue and whatnot.

[fairystarstorm]

Current impressions + ranking of the new teen titans

I recently started reading the New Teen Titans and I am on issue #27. So I decided to do a short analysis of the current main 7 + talking about my impressions of then before I started reading the comics. Most of my knowledge of them is from young justice S1, the dcau, the first episode of teen titans (2003) and the summary videos I watched when I had comics fixation when I was like 16. (And the Kami garcia books but lets not talk about it)

7. Wally West/Kid Flash

So like most of my opinion of Wally came from young justice, the arrowverse and the justice league cartoon. I basically saw him as a jokster. Didn't have too much of a strong opinion of him in the cartoons but I liked him in the flash series.

He's a lot more introspective than I expected him to be. Especially regarding his feelings about being a superhero and his feelings regarding Raven are interesting to grapple with. As well as the volume where we saw his insecurity when it comes to Dick.

The reason why he is low is that the others don't have a issue where I genuinely dislike them as I did during the Maladie saga. Basically it felt like he escalated the situation a lot with his anti-russian sentiment + the general hypocrisy of hating Russia for shit the US was also doing. I kinda hope to see him grow more from that.

I don't currently feel like I have a favourite friendship between him and the other titans. It is mostly because of how little I feel we see him interact much with the rest. Even with Donna and Dick I feel like we don't see much of them with him (especially compared to how much time we see those two spend time together). Which feels odd especially since they are all apart of the original teen titans (which at some point I might read). And because we see little of their friendship, I don't really have a good read of their friendship. We see his relationship with Raven a lot more, but I don't really care for it right now.

Rating 5.5/10 could be way worse but definitely could be better

6. Garfield/Beastboy

Again I saw him as a joker. Like the most I have seen him was in the DC animated movies. He is also usually one of my least favourite characters so that tracks. All though I do feel like the original comics give more insight in his joker personality these few volumes than from the few things I saw him in. I really hope that they will dive more into that in the next volumes.

I still don't have that strong of an opinion of him. His jokes regarding women leave a bad taste in my mouth, even though I get where they come from. I just hope we see him develop a more healthy relationship with himself and his past so they can stop.

The doom patrol arc is my fave story line for him. Wish we got to see more of him dealing with the fact that he killed someone but granted he is not the type right now to handle his issues right on.

I really like his banter with Vic. Especially considering how they are both people that have to grapple with the fact that their difference makes them non-human to other people.

Rating 6/10 same as Wally but there is no issue where I absolutely hate him or am annoyed by him.

5. Victor Stone/Cyborg

The only thing i have seen him are the justice league animated movies and I know he also a founding member in the Zack Snyder movies. So I am genuinely very curious why that got retconned.

So because I only really saw him in that (and the one episode of teen titans I have seen) I didn't really have any strong feelings about him or any thoughts really. In the beginning I was a little afraid they was gonna make him like an Angry Black Man, but I have been pleasantly surprised. I wanna see more of him with the kids (also not them already showing in the 80s how important representation can be for people)

I have so many thought about him and his dad. Like I know how difficult it can be to have a parent that loves you but can't show it. My dad and I's relationship is similar without all the anger on my part. So the issue where he and his dad spend his dad's last days together hit me in the heart. Like crying, pain in my chest and all. It feels so bittersweet to finally connect with your parent when it is almost too late. (I wish we got to know more about his relationship with his mom)

Him grappling with his humanity and his new body is also a highlight of his character. So I hope they keep touching on it for now and that we can also transition to seeing him more comfortable with himself.

As stated with Beast boy section, my favorite friendship for him is with beast boy. We don't get to see much of his relationship with the others as much but I like his friendship with Raven.

Rating: 6.5

4. Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing

Been my fave since young justice. Also I feel like this is the moment to say I rewatch teen titans: the judas contract because him and Koriand'r. Sometimes only their scenes too.

So safe to say that if I made a ranking before I started reading the comics, those two would be top 2. Basically the reason I wanted to read dc comics for the longest time (them and birds of prey).

But moving on to his character in the comics. I really like how they have implemented his character in the theme where he is basically the only one without powers. Like I feel that in a lot of stories, the one without powers is somehow made to still feel overpowered. By being so much smarter than the rest or still having beyond human constitution even though they don't have powers. So I really appreciated during the tamaran arc that we actually saw him physically struggle during the battle.

I feel like we haven't gotten much of a story arc/volume that was really focused on him except for in the beginning and kinda his relationship with kory. I am curious to see what they are going to do with him moving forward. Also I do appreciate the emotional intelligence we got to see from him when he and Kory talked after getting together.

Speaking about Dickkory, I feel like they sre definitely the type of ship I am gonna start liking after they get together. Because si far their relationship in comics is still a little so-so. We don't really get to see that much of them interacting even as friends. It feels like a lot of will they, won't they? mixed with him being like don't kill anyone you're on earth. However every single moment of them together that I have seen over the years is amazing. So I hope they can fully pull me on board soon.

However I am extremely happy that they didn't use kori's relationship with the white man (I can't be bothered to look up his name) as a jumping of point for Dick and kori to get back together. So far he has also been respectful of that relationship. I like a healthy amount of jealousy in romances but I really do loathe it when it is used to spurn one character into action. Like they are finally trying to move on from you, and now your bitch ass comes crawling back. It gives "I don't want this toy, but no one else can play with it either".

Now speaking about my fave Dick relationship is his friendship with Donna. I don't have much to say about them, but I just like all of their interactions.

7/10

2. Donna Troy

I knew nothing about Donna Troy before this. Like the only thing I have seen her in was the last scene of judas contract. I know she is in the titans show, but honestly I didn't watch it because I thought it was connected to the arrowverse.

So I went in completely blind when it came to her. However she got my heart so quickly. She feels so genuine to me. The struggles she is facing with not knowing her background. The way she feels not completely at home with the amazons as a result (this was especially hitting me as a kid from first gen immigrant parents). There is just so much potential in her and I think it is a shame with how little she is adapted.

Side eyeing her 29 year old boyfriend for now tho. It just doesn't sit right with me that this young woman that doesn't know who she is, is in a relationship with a man that has so much more experience on her. Like this man has already been divorced, what is he doing with a 18-19 year old. From what I have heard the unhealthy factor never really gets addressed fully, so praying from good fanfics.

I also love her friendship with koriand'r. She opened her house to someone who was practically a stranger to her. She tries to teach her about earth and be a guide in this unfamiliar world. In a way she paid forward the kindness Diana and the other amazons gave her. I think their relationship is the one I believe the most.

8.5/10

Top 2 will be posted soon but I just wanted to post part of it. Like I have been writing this for over a week and I still have so much to say about Kori and Raven 😭😭😭😭😭

[hanarchy]

Hi, I just wanted to see if you would elaborate on why you think Chans parents are kinda weird? I cant lie, I've thought this too... Sooo many times... so I wanna hear your thoughts if possible! <3

hmm it’s not so much me that said it, the anon was the one to call them weird but i didn’t disagree. personally i dont find his parents that weird per se (or well. not weirder than all our parents like lets be real there is not a normal parent alive in the world) but i do find his relationship to them a little weird for his age.

huge disclaimer here that there may be cultural context and experiences i am just flat out missing because i am not korean and dont know what its like to be a second generation immigrant or east asian or both.

and secondly he talks about his parents VERY LITTLE so what i am basing this on is LESS than crumbs, like this is the equivalent to me making up a song after hearing 1 note of it.

but what strikes me as odd abt chan’s relationship to his parents is what i mentioned in the original post too, he still kind of speaks about them like a shining beacon that he has to live up to.

especially when he talks about his dad and how athletic and strong and amazing he is it seems like he is comparing himself to him. and chan being smaller and less muscular and generally seeing himself as less ‘manly’ seems to be a source of some unhappiness in his self image.

and i think seeing your parents as superheroes and wanting to be like them when you grow up is super normal at a certain age but chan is already grown up.

and i know from many many many different experiences especially with young men, that it may still be common to want to be like your parents in your 20s but it’s bound to lead to a lot of pain and anger. like you have to realise eventually that you are your own person and have to have your own standards and chan seems as of yet unaware of this necessity so he has that development still ahead of him and i think the older you are when this happens, the more it has the potential to really derail your life.

like you gotta realize your parents are human and the earlier you do it, the better for you!

because the problem isnt so much wanting to be like someone you love but rather that putting them on a pedestal like that keeps you from seeing your own relationship with them clearly. like it keeps you from realizing the damage they did to your psyche (and yes, even the best parents damage you in some ways, this is in the nature of being a flawed human raising a child that relies on you to survive) and it also just severely restricts your imagination of who you could be and how you could express yourself.

and i think chan’s parents were quite young when they had him and then waited quite a bit to have more kids, which always leads to a weird dynamic where the eldest child takes on a parental role.

i think thats also kind of the main weirdness i notice… like chans parents seem to like. encourage the competition he has with his dad and sort of act more like his peers than his parents sometimes. at least that would explain to me how they would allow a 13 year old to live in a different continent by himself. they just saw him as grown up very early on.

would also explain a lot about how he tries to recapture his childhood with skz, the way his room at home is only swim trophies and nothing else (or like if it got cleaned out in the meantime its kind of telling that of all his childhood things the only thing he kept are the swim trophies??? idk maybe its just the only thing he chose to share with us)

but yeah like i think he himself does also realise a weirdness to some extent like he goes home so incredibly rarely, once every 2 or 3 years is so little, even felix (who has the same or a busier fixed appearance schedule) makes it to Australia more often.

so in conclusion he was parentified too early and that left him at that stage of development so he has a hard time letting go if his idealized image of his parents but at the same time thinks he has to be like them. but yeah i do think he realizes theres sth he doesnt like about it and keeps a bit of distance on purpose. we all develop differently, sometimes the best way to deal with your parents is to put some distance between you and them.

[rezonan]

Red Hood, other Anti-Heroes/Villians and the issue with killing in comics.

First here's the thing before you read this, I just wanna say this isn't a post complaining about if killing is good or not, far from it so don't worry.

I also wanna say really like Jason Todd. One of my favorite Robins though I like him more as Red Hood. My only issue with him is that DC is stuck with his direction as a character(Not as much as Tim at least). For a lot of reasons

One of those things is that anti-Heroes don't work in main superhero universes at least in DC, in Marvel killing isn't looked down on much unless you do it like the Punisher(Consistently, no exceptions and extreme)

When I'm talking about Anti-Heroes I mean who don't hesitate to kill, because the definition of Anti-Heroes even include guys like Batman, Spider-Man, Iron man and Daredevil (Classical Anti-Heroes,Disney Anti Hero,) talking about the types like Huntress and Red Hood(Unscrupulous Hero) and Punisher (Nominal Hero).

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Analysis/AntiHero if you wanna know what I'm talking about.

An issue they have is that they kill criminals consistently, and those criminals include supervillains but in comic books, villians in comics are kinda a commodity. Villians are what makes the heroes. So DC obviously will never let Jason kill the Joker or Riddler or Poison Ivy or Bane, or let Frank Castle kill Green Goblin or Kingpin. That's getting rid of a commodity that writers need for stories.

It's why I laugh when people say why doesn't Batman kill the Joker or something, they won't let him guys. Joker is too popular to kill same with the rest of his rouges, the writers need the villians to continue writing more stories and if time has taught us anything is that new villians don't even catch on most of the time to replenish the old popular ones.

So Frank and Jason and left to keep offing mooks, looking stupid and incompetent for not taking out the actual threats or just offing D-listers, it then brings up the question of why doesn't JASON kill the Joker since he's always talking about how willing to kill he is. yeah sure they'll write Batman like the biggest dick to fight him not too but there has been times when nothing has been stopping Jason to do it, see what I mean?

There's also another thing that DC and Marvel just won't let chracters less popular than the big no kill rule big heroes be more effective (and this is coming from a guy whofor the most part is anti killing). You really think Marvel is gonna let Red Hood have the moral high ground with Batman or Punisher with Spider-Man or Captain America?

But yeah I don't wanna get into the whole 'should heroes kill debate' here just making a point.

This is why they honestly work in outside comic universes like the games or movies. See the 'Superhero Movie Villains Die' trope

Basically they just don't mesh well with the status quo nature of comics.

So now we have heroes/villians(yes I consider frank a borderline villian) who are known for killing but can't kill anyone significant for multiple reasons, like how Red Hood by the New 52 had like 83 kills but no one in there was anyone actually important.

This is why Punishers best run was in an entire different universe where heroes didn't exist so he could kill Kingpin without issues. With Punisher they can always stick with that or just do what they usually do and make him take out mooks and barely developed rouges. They recently made him the head of the hand and gave him superpowers, it's actually interesting in my opinion.

With Jason it's more complicated. There's two sides, he drops guns and killing and joins up with the bat family as a kind of character development or he unrepentantly leaves the bat family behind and starts killing people and using guns then runs into all the issues I mentioned above. The latter side believes that hum dropping killing and guns removes everything that makes him interesting while the former believes it's good character progression for him to drop it. I think both have good points.

Personally I think they should lean into the supernatural side of him, like go all in and make him the dude in the Batfamily that handles supernatural threats, his the only one in the family that has straight up superpowers (Edit: forgot Duke, forgive me but he got them before him so point stands I guess) with his All blades so take those and have him to team up with Zatanna or Constantine, fighting vampires and zombies. (Happy to see they are doing this with Cass kinda I haven't read Spirit World)

Or they lean into the Task Force Z/Outlaws/DCeased aspect of him leading other Mistfits, Anti-Heroes and Villians into becoming better people like with the thunderbolts from Marvel. Maybe hook him up with some kinda of government connection so people he kills aren't illegal during this redemption quests or something.

Well I've got nothing else to ramble about.

[error-dream-was-found]

ooooh okay, for the fic writer thing! 1, 4, 14, 16, 33, 40 and uhhh 56? bonus of 39 (if you want)

Thank you for asking <3

1. "Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?"

I prefer multichaptered fics ... my last attempt to write one-shot turned into 160 000 words long fic (still updating btw)

4. "Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?"

Everywhere ... seriously, it´s a mix of shower thoughts, 3 Am ideas and random things I thought of while reading another fics. For example the 'enderchest torture' idea hit me while I was reading some fic where to get Dream out of Pandora they hide him in an enderchest and my brain just went "wait for how long was he there? What was it like for him? Would it even be possible?" And I moved from there. That one is one of my less developed ideas but it´s a good example of my thought process ig. Or fics like 'monsters don´t deserve hugs but you aren´t a monster' came from that single sentence. I thought about it while reading some fic where Dream went "I´m a monster I don´t deserve nice things and it spiraled from there.

14. "how do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?"

It depends on my mood ig? If that makes sense. Sometimes I really get into it and even make myself cry. But sometimes I'll ruin these characters lives with zero care. I certainly draw from personal experience as much as I can. Although I don't really have much personal experience with the stuff I'm writing about so *shrugs*

16. "How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?"

*counts on fingers* ehm ... well if I count in the half-baked ideas and all that ... I think I could have roughly 15-20? (I wanna talk about them T-T)

You already know about the superhero one (although I have new trauma for blob!), so I'll say a bit about a different idea one of my dremon fics perhaps? I don't have a name yet but the mail story line pretty much goes like this: Dream is a demon - cruel creature feeding off humans emotions, mostly happiness. Demons in common are manipulative, heartless and selfish beings that prey on humans.

The rest of the characters are mostly demon hunters (not sure on all members yet but Sapnap, George, Sam and Quackity are certainly there).

The plot basically begins when the hunters catch Dream. He's not very strong and thus not considered a serious threat. Instead of killing him immediately they decide to experiment on him (to learn more about demons), the problem is - Dream is the sweetest person ever. He's nothing like the other demons they've met and well it's kinda hard to dissect someone alive while they rant about the adorable cat that lives in the backstreet behind the convenience store ... (sry for ranting)

33. "Do you want to be published some day?"

Yes but unfortunately I'm not too good with creating original stories and my writing style isn't really good so .... maybe one day ... (until then the closest I'll get is printing my own stories ... that is also a way to practice book binding lol)

40. "If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?"

Honestly? I have no idea. There're just so many scenes I love and I'd absolutely love to see drawn. But if anyone ever were to make a fanart of my fic I'd be over the roof about it, I wouldn't care what scene it is I'd just be so damn happy that they liked the story enough to go through the trouble of creating the art. And any scene they'd pick would be perfect because then I'd know which scene they liked the most.

56. "What's something about your writing that you pride yourself on?"

... I'll be honest I don't think my writing is anything special, there are a few scenes I'm happy with but overall .... *shrugs*

But if there's something I'm really proud of it's probably the fact that I was able to write a story that many people enjoyed. When I started writing 2 years ago I never thought I'll have this many people not only reading my story but also liking it. Sure, it's not that much but it's a lot more than I ever expected! It blows my mind because I know that there are much better fic out there, yet people still decided to read something I wrote. It´s really crazy

39. "Share a snippet from a WIP"

daamn this is getting too long ... Imma sharing a snipped anyway! But what snipped .... I'm feeling like doing an villain arc today so I´m gonna post something from a story I haven't published yet and probably won´t be able to publish for at least few months:

Note: this story is still sitting in my drafts so the grammar check wasn't done yet, therefore there are extra grammar errors which I apologize for

He tripped over something. The tiny sharp rocks covering the forest floor dug painfully into his palms as he tried to slow down his fall and the pain shooting from his scraped knees pushed a new tears into his eyes. He just wanted to stay there on the floor and cry but hte monsters were getting closer. He can´t let them get him, he can´t! Desperately trying to wipe the tears out of his eyes, Dream stood up, only taking a second to glance back at the thing he tripped over. It looked like a fence … looking forward again, the blonde saw a tall dilapidated building. 

It was looming over him in the dead of night like something right out of a scary story his mom would tell him on these good nights when instead of yelling at him she'd put him to bed and if he was lucky she´d tell him a story. He wanted to ran away from the half collapsed building but as scary as it was the monsters were scarier. That building would provide him at least some cover and he needed that desperately. He won´t be able to run all night and the air was already heavily filled with the smell of rain. It was just a question of time till the storm begins. Encouraged by the hisses and groans from behind Dream ran inside. 

It took his eyes a moment to adjust to darkness that was even more prominent now. Once he did he realized he was in what seems to be an abandoned Prime church. He looked around nervously. The place gave him chills. It was clear that no one worshiped Prime here for years, maybe even decades and the place now had a sinister atmosphere to it. As everything holy did when it was forgotten for too long. The cracked, faded paintings of Prime´s angels looked down on him, it felt as if they were watching him, following his every mood. The wooden floors cracked under his weight and from the altar a soft clinging of chains could be heard as the incense swung in the light breeze. 

But the worst of all was the terrible feeling that he's not alone. That there´s something watching him. Someone. No, no he was just being dumb, this place is clearly abandoned. Maybe it's just an animal that settled here. Or these dumb angles. Yeah it must be the angles. It's dark and he's tired, he's just imagining their eyes moving to follow him. 

The first drops of rain hit the ground and a wind whistles through the abandoned church. Goosebumps raised to the surface and Dream shivered. It's just cold, it's just cold, it's just cold. The rain got heavier in just a few minutes. A lightning flashed through the sky and a thunder shook the whole building, just as a voice from somewhere in the shadows spoke up.

“Won't you look at that … a human. What a treat”

The question of who's there froze on Dream’s tongue as another lighting illuminated the inside of the church and the body less shadow floating in front of him. It had a distinct shape of human but none of its features could be seen other than two glowing eyes. It dived for him.

Dream screamed.

- story name: Sweet Little Nightmares (I'm more than willing to talk about this story :)

Sakra nechala som sa uniesť. Dúfám, že som ťa neunudila k smrti a gratulujem ak si sa dostala až sem ;)

[ectonurites]

No hate meant towards him at all, but ngl I really kinda didn’t think Tim and Bernard would make it this far as a couple or like, last this long? I’m not even sure Meghan Fitzmartin thought they would, because I remember an interview or something where she was asked why she chose Bernard and rather than it being something about his character or relationship with Tim, she said it was because he was from the time period in comics she wanted to evoke, iirc. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Ah yes, so first of all I do know exactly which interview you're talking about, I had gone and transcribed the section you're referencing myself a while back! I'm not gonna copy & paste all of that, but here is a link to the post where I did it so you can see her exact phrasing.

One thing I do want to note is that Bernard's relationship to Tim was at least kind of part of her reasoning—specifically that Bernard was a friend of Tim's who existed outside of the hero life: "[...] it really was important for it to be like, ya know, not in a superhero space but like in a- in a very Tim personal space. Like, this is who Tim Drake is and this is a person who knows Tim Drake."

Also, funnily enough your paraphrasing ("because he was from the time period in comics she wanted to evoke") actually kind of... sounds more like it's based on a line in the commentary I made where I was explaining how I interpreted what she said ("A seemingly big factor in why Bernard was chosen was to evoke feelings of that specific time") rather than her actual words ("I, um, I really sort of wanted to get back to that particular emotional space for Tim.") Maybe we just make similar word choices though lmao.

But anyways: I did specifically link the version of that post where I had made that additional commentary talking through my thoughts on the reasoning behind picking Bernard—tldr being that imo the story of Sum of Our Parts was about 'Tim figuring out his identity' above 'Tim finding the ultimate romance', so picking Bernard as a supporting character from Tim's old solo run to solidify and support the theme [rather than an extensive history with Tim being the deciding factor] made plenty of sense for the story being told and worked effectively.

Now, that post was written in 2021 so obviously things are in a different place now—but I do say something there that I wanna bring up, because I think it captures what my opinion on the future of the relationship had been back when it was new:

"From here on they could either further develop the relationship to be something with a lot of romance, or maybe Bernard just serves his purpose as the guy Tim realizes he likes guys with and they part ways to go on to date other people, either thing could work and make sense depending on what stories future writers (either Fitzmartin if she gets to continue with Tim after Urban Legends #10, or anyone else who picks him up for content focused on him in the future) are trying to tell."

I was always in a 'this could go several different ways' camp! Kept an open mind, lmao. And I do think that like, from the ending point of Sum of Our Parts, that was probably the intent—while having one bit to continue the story in Urban Legends #10 was obviously secured by the time of publication for #6, the vague end note of #10 (which just states the fact that Tim would get content in 2022, not specifying what) definitely implies that beyond that/at that point in time things were less certain about his upcoming direction. Having things end in an open enough way where if Meghan didn't get to continue with Tim there would be a complete story, but that if things did get to continue with her she'd have a plan/path to go down, yk?

And I think it's clear now that they did end up going down the 'further developing it' path since Meghan stayed on as Tim's writer for a while (between Tim Drake: Robin and Dark Crisis: Young Justice). And frankly, despite the reasoning behind Bernard being chosen seeming more theme-related than anything else, I think it's also clear Meghan just had a fondness for him/that timeframe he came from, hence why she took the opportunity to explore things further with them when she was given it. Like, idk maybe this is just based on Vibes™ but I feel like Meghan's intent was always to keep going with the Tim/Bernard thing as long as she was the one writing Tim.

I do feel like if anyone else had ended up as Tim's primary writer after the Urban Legends story, things may have turned out differently and the relationship may not have lasted the way it has—but it's hard to truly say since that's not what happened.

Now that she's not currently slated for anything upcoming with Tim (at least not that I'm aware of, frankly Tim doesn't have much coming up at all aside from a general 'he'll likely be showing up in some capacity in batbooks' sentiment) I think the future of the two of them is a bit less steady. Not that I think they're immediately doomed or anything, but just that next time Tim gets solo content it could easily be from someone who doesn't want to deal with a civilian boyfriend element, who knows. But now that they actually do have some content under their belt in Tim Drake: Robin, it could be something someone else wants to pick up and explore even more, too. It's simply... hard to say!

But basically: I definitely understand being surprised they've lasted this long, because a part of me is surprised about that too/didn't expect it to last this long—but another part of me is less surprised based on some factors of the situation (namely just: who has been doing the majority of writing of Tim).

[staarry-skies]

gonna be insane abt usamamo for a second im so sorry esp to my moots who do not care about sailor moon my heart goes out to you

read more bc this is so much longer than was intended

i see a lot of the same "theyre only in love because of fate/their superhero alter egos/their past" takes A Lot (to be fair its usually directed at the 90s anime, to which i do agree n understand, however ive also seen it directed at the manga which is why im talking abt it) and i just Do Not Agree, so im gonna talk abt it in a twt thread bc im insane and twt is my outlet for my insanity. (this was originally written for twt but got too long oops.)

starting with the whole "theyre only dating because of past lives" because its the easiest to debunk, its just flat out not true. mamoru n usagi never really got the chance to officially get to together pre-past lives reveal in the manga but its pretty damn clear they were going to, probably the next time they met as civilians and swapped their different keepsakes that they have from each other.

theres also the whole "oh well their feelings are remnants of silmil" which i think takes away a lot of their agency as characters and also just isnt true and is also pretty easily disprovable, usagi likes mamoru for being there for her and supporting her when she needs it, and mamoru likes usagi for being this incredibly strong heroine but also being a normal cheery girl all at the same time.

which leads me to the next point! "they only like each other because of their alter egos", two rebuttals here, they dont exactly stop being tuxedo mask/sailor moon just because theyre out of costume that is still them but i do see why this is a popular criticism. my other thing is that its definitely not true for mamoru, whos usually the one criticized for not truly liking the Real Usagi™️ and only liking her for sailor moon (or serenity but we just went over that and funnily enough this criticism should be directed more to usagi but we'll get into that later).

for this lets go back to why mamoru loves usagi, according to earlier in this post i claimed it was because of the dichotomy between her and sailor moon, the crime fighting warrior, and usagi the happy-go-lucky school girl who always brings a smile to everyones face, thus showing that he loves /all/ of her not just one side over the other.

but me saying so isnt really enough so lets hear it from the boy in question: "its true... for a long time the crystal was the only thing i wanted... but now when i see her... angry one moment then laughing the next... the crystal? no thats not what i really want... usako youre what i want" - (crystal ep 7) so... yeah thats pretty cut and dry, oh yeah nows also a good time to mention that ill be pulling stuff from crystal too because of the nature of crystal having been more closely supervised by naoko and being a stricter manga adaptation, any scenes it adds are retroactively canon to the mangaverse (at least to me, but if youre looking for a similar line from the manga: "youre strong today sailor moon, everyday i feel like im seeing a different side to you, is there other versions of you ive yet to meet? i want to know everything, who are you really?" - (chapter 8) same idea as the crystal quote just a lot more vague lol)

also this is reflected in more than just words, its actions too, tuxedo mask is a lot more closed off towards sailor moon earlier on and its not until chapter 4 that he starts being a lot more openly caring and affectionate, and you wanna know what happens in chapter 4? he finds out sailor moon is usagi, and it doesnt take a lot of media literacy to put two and two together to figure out why that shift happens there.

now for usagi, remember when i said the whole "liking the alter-egos" criticism applies to her more but is never directed at her? well heres why, we never really see her civilian relationship with mamoru develop much on her end before the reveal, she is of course attracted to mamoru but on a way more superficial level (usagis pretty notorious for her immediate, but ultimately kinda surface level crushes on people: see rei).

she denies her crush but its pretty obvious she has one, for example when mako points out that usagis blushing after one of their interactions and asks about it and she insists pretty loudly that she "doesnt like him!" but never really explains the blush (earlier in the same scene when she sees mamoru she blushes and b-dmp! is written in the bg, keep in mind he hasnt done or said anything yet so its not embarrassment) and then theres chapter 3 where she recognizes that his profile sorta looks like tuxedo mask which she'd actively try to deny if she didnt like him like she says she does, so its pretty obvious she has a crush on mamoru.

but her relationship with tuxedo mask is what gets more development, she goes from that superficial crush she has on mamoru to liking him for deeper reasons than just: pretty guy! i.e. helping her, being there for her, and grounding her when she needs it. also in the same vein as her recognizing him in chapter 3 the reveal is her just recognizing him as tuxedo mask, which obviously she has to like mamoru quite a bit to do (even if the evidence was quite literally all around her) (in saying all of this i do think pgsm does a much better job at showing her genuinely falling for all of him but pgsm also skews more towards the 90s anime in terms of characterization so i wont be using that).

and finally "usamamo are only together/feel pressured to be together because of fate/chibiusa" short answer: no. long answer: noooooooooo. no but in all seriousness this flat out isnt true, if you'll remember the first 14 chapters of the manga are kinda. yk. dedicated to this. their fate isnt to "be together" their fate is to literally DIE if they dare attempt to be together again, they are together DESPITE fate, like i dont even know how else to put it because multiple characters comment on fate repeating itself when it comes to dooming usamamo, they werent reincarnated to be together they were reincarnated to be happy and live normal peaceful lives.

as for fate as in the future, thats pretty easily disprovable because its ALSO something the manga goes over, during the dream arc when mamorus suffering from nehelennias curse he starts feeling guilty and selfish for constantly being a burden on usagi to the point he asks her if she really does want a future with him, even saying that he feels horrible for potentially tying her down to a future she might not want, which yk would kinda not be a concern he would have if he was only with her for the creation of crystal tokyo (side note: nowhere does it say usamamo NEED to be together for crystal tokyo to exist, usagi could very well rule alone like queen serenity or with any other partner, its just that the current timeline has them together in ct) as for usagis response, mamoru falls asleep before he can hear it, but she says point blank that she can change the future if she wants. So. Yeah. dont really think i need to say much more than that on that front.

And the last part of the "fate saga", "theyre only together to have chibiusa" which is such a crazy and lowkey highkey misogynistic sentiment, but for arguments sake lets take a look at why its completely wrong, first off, again. "i can change the future as much as i want" - (chapter 40) she could have chibiusa by other means (for example the way queen serenity had serenity) but also, the reason they care so much about chibiusa is because she's a product of their love, they obviouly care about her as a person but they wouldnt just force themselves to be together just to have her and her alone (if that makes sense i have no idea how to phrase what im trying to say) in any case its a really gross thing to say because it insinuates a lot of really weird things!

if you made it through all that you deserve like a medal or something but thanks for listening to my silly little thoughts about my favorite couple right now

[madhare0512]

A Comprehensive List of Spideyfist Interactions (pt.1)

hello, and welcome to my latest hyperfixation, Spideyfist (Peter Parker | Spiderman/Danny Rand | Iron Fist). this will be a comprehensive list of proof that Danny and Peter are in love or at the very least, each other’s favorites. we’re gonna go episode by episode, starting with season 1, episode 1. 

so, without further ado, welcome to “reasons Spideyfist is Canon” (featuring random commentary as i go through each episode)

warnings for: episode spoilers, season spoilers, action/injury description, unsolicited commentary, probable cussing, violence, caps lock

this part features episodes 1 through 6 of season 1

~~~

S1E1 Great Power:

- Danny isn’t in this episode and has no interactions with Peter

- but i do need to acknowledge MJ as an icon in this show

- and Harry, who was also an icon in this show

~~~

S1E2 Great Responsibility:

- okay but that course was ridiculous

- the COMPETITION presented

- okay, for serious, the first time Danny talked ABOUT Peter it was “he’s rough around the edges but not without potential” which was in response to Sam’s putting Peter down

- also Danny’s “you know what they say about a book and it’s cover” could be seen as him not wanting be judgemental, but it could also be seen as him protecting the new guy before even having MET HIM

- the BET they made over Peter lasting however long it was (Ava fucking LOST)

- oh my god the Spider-Cycle scenes... that was something else

- god, the way Danny stopped the bike with one foot on the wheel. that just screams “i wanna impress this guy and also be cool”

- he’s also the first to introduce himself and the way he does also screams “i wanna impress this guy and also be cool”

- Peter calls the team, which includes Danny, cool

- oh i forgot the Frightful Four second round fight was a part of this episode

- aww Spidey teaching them is so cute

- Danny stayed behind to help Spiderman with the Frightful Four despite being told to “protect and serve” by the person considered leader at the time

- and again, during the school/civilian introduction, Danny is the first to introduce himself

- Peter wasn’t really on board with the team being at his school until he remembered that they inadvertantly for Flash stuck in a locker and i think that’s hilarious

~~~

S1E3 Doomed: 

- Peter has developed a whole superhero themed heirarchy for his school, which really fits into the “fanboy” thing he seems to have in every adaptation, but also makes a lot of sense because he’s also a hero himself

- i know a lot of people ship Sam/Peter, but their whole rivalry thing eally throws me off. even once they calm down and work together and tease instead of antagonize, it’s always been more “best friend/brother” instead of “boyfriend”

- honorable mention of PowerFist, Luke never seems upset by the sayings/wisdom phrases Danny says

- Sam is also a fucking idiot this episode 

- upon checking in with the rest of the team, Peter checks in with Danny first. also, he seems to be trying to find common ground? “no clue what you’re doing, right?” seems like he’s trying to start a conversation almost

- the little “awesome” before Peter moves on sound equal parts encouraging and confused, like Peter’s happy but also unsure what’s going on

- Peter and Danny seem to be in window seats, which i’m counting because i count it as a parallel

- Danny’s the one to tell Peter when they’re touching down

- Danny calling Peter (and Sam) out on the bs. this is important in relationships, knowing when to call each other out, so doing so this early on counts

- second honorable mention of PowerFist: Danny and Luke run off to fight the Doombots TOGETHER instead of splitting up (i 1000% believe that they’ve been in the program the longest)

- Danny (and Luke) calling Peter (and Sam) out on the bs again, and also taking responsibility for going along with the plot at all

- the fact that Peter TAKES DANNY’S WRIST to catch his attention instead of saying his name. also, he doesn’t have a single doubt that Danny can get them through the floors. he asks if Danny can handle that, he doesn’t know a THING about the Iron Fist except that it cause a MASSIVE explosion when interacting with Klaw’s soundwaves, but he has no doubts that punching through solid steel is something Danny can actually do

- and Danny does it with NO HESITATION. NONE. NONE TO BE FOUND

- Danny doesn’t doubt Peter’s leadership. i don’t think he ever has, even in the beginning. 

- when the battle is over and the team sits down on the floor, Danny settles down right behind Peter

- this one’s more headcanon that actual canon, but i like to believe Danny stepped forward half a second before the rest of the team

- “i’ll get him” “WE will get him”

~~~

S1E4 Venom: 

- no matter what iteration you’re on or what part of the story you’re in, Peter has always, ALWAYS, cared about the lives of innocents and i think that’s fantastic

- he also doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself for the greater good, which is sad, but also admirable in a way

- Harry and Peter have a really good relationship, they love each other like brothers and it’s so cute

- Danny is quick to remind Peter that he isn’t alone anymore, he has a team at his back now. And he looks upset when Peter brushes him off

- Danny is also quick to defend Harry, despite not knowing him. all he knows is that Harry is Peter’s best friend and that’s enough for him

- Norman and Harry have the relationship you always see in the media where the parent is busy with work and the kid just wants the parent to pay attention to THEM instead of the parent’s job

- Danny’s the only one who doesn’t seem upset about going to Harry’s to meet up and hang out

- when Peter is frozen during the Venom!Power Man fight, Danny is the first one to jump in and try to help

- PowerFist honorable mention number three: Danny’s willing to “forget he’s a pacifist” when Luke is taken over

- Peter’s encouragement to Danny while Danny’s jumping around avoiding Venom

- assuming all of them could hear Venom’s thoughts, Danny’s the only one who thinks to deliver the warning that “hey, Spidey, the evil goop thing that’s attacking us is actualy after you” 

- two things about when Danny’s released from Venom’s control: one, holy shit, Danny released HIMSELF from Venom’s control, and two, Peter decides that Venom is done hurting his team after it manages to get ahold of Danny specifically

- Danny doesn’t even TRY to attack Venom after he “reunites” with Peter. he tries to talk first and foremost, uhh protective much? worried much?

- also, Venom ties Danny up and keeps him out of the fight, which can be attributed to Danny being able to knock Venom away from its host, but i fully believe that Venom would’ve just knocked Danny out for that, it’s not really that intelligent, just big and violent. no, Venom SPECIFICALLY uses its weird goppy shit to tie Danny up and bind him to a wall, keeping him out of the fight and away from the action. preventing him from getting hurt when/if he tries to attack

- Luke and Sam insult Peter’s appearance, things that can’t be changed. Ava insults Peter’s intelligence, something Peter works hard to maintain. Danny goes for a safer option and chooses “3-dollar haircut”, which is easily fixed or changed and hardly much of an insult

-~~~

S1E5 Flight of the Iron Spider:

- okay the way they protray Tony here makes me upset because Tony’s not some playboy, it’s the mask he wears to the public, but maybe i’m just biased to MCU!Tony

- Peter brings up Danny on this trip, meaning one of two things: he told Danny he was going and invited him along (declined) or he was just thinking of Danny and either way, that’s GAY

- Danny is also the ONLY one Peter brings up on this trip

- during the argument scene, the camera specifically focuses in on Ava, Luke, and Peter making funny faces. we’ve already established that Peter isn’t Sam’s biggest fan, which is the explanation for him not being focused on, but what’s the excuse for Danny?

- also, during the arguement scene, Danny and Peter are on the same side of the table, implying they’re on the same side of the arguement

- during the training scene, Danny’s the only one who suggests they continue to wait for Peter

- regardless of wha the quote actually means, the fact still remains that Danny took a shot at Sam’s leadership skills when Sam suggested he should be team leader. “a man cannot lead before he’s found himself,” implying that a) Sam doesn’t know the full extent of his power or have any clue who or what he wants to be and b) that Peter knows who and what he is and is the best leader for their team because NONE of them really know the full extent of their powers as evidenced by their training sessions and later episodes showing them discovering new abilities

- Luke and Ava look mildly aggravated by Sam, Danny looks actually distraught at the vote to change the team to “Team Nova”

- Peter points at Danny when saying “our problems” instead of sweeping his hand around to indicate everyone

- “what is he doing here?” well gee Ava, it’s almost like Spiderman is STILL a solo act who goes where he wants and fights who he pleases, just like his deal with Fury agreed to. he probably saw it on the news or something, use that brain of yours, ma’am

- Danny offers sage advice that will make sense to everyone later in effort to help. he’s also the only one who doesn’t make any wisecracks about Peter’s abilities in that suit to anyone. he says everything he needs to right to Peter’s face, not behind his back

- Danny also doesn’t insult Peter for his choices, just gives him a hard truth to chew on while the others insult Peter

- Peter’s retort to what Danny tells him is exactly what you’d expect of someone who doesn’t like what he’s heard, which adds credibility to it

- Danny and Luke glance at each other when Peter says “someone’s gotta save him”, implying they’re going to help in any way they can. also, honorable PowerFist mention number four

- Danny’s the one who sees that Peter has changed and knows that he’s no longer trying to be like Stark. he tells Peter to bring the suit when Ava suggests they leave it behind

- Peter actually listened to Danny, as evidenced by the callback to what Danny told him previously

- i forget sometimes how much i love Danny, but it shows in moments like when Danny busts through a concrete wall and says “knock knock” all calm and serene like he didn’t just BUST THROUGH A CONCRETE WALL

- Danny never doubts that Peter can fire up the dimensional thing in the final fight against Photon /Parks. when Luke protests, asks if Danny really thinks so, Danny doesn’t dignify him with a response

- Peter acknowledges that DANNY was right, and not anyone else. every gets an apology, but Danny gets the special add-ons

- Danny let Peter put his elbow on Danny’s shoulder and KEEP IT THERE until Danny moves

- Danny teases Peter with the same retort Peter gave him in the streets

- the Iron Spider suit makes me nervous, but the backpack part is really cool

~~~

S1E6 Why I Hate Gym Class: 

- this one’s more Ava-and-Peter focused, so you may get more headcanon than canon, but i’m gonna do my best here

- i understand that Ava wants to be the best version of herself, the whole “keep the tiger under control thing”, but her obsession with training doesn’t really apply to the kid who’s been on the streets a year before she even picked up her suit

- Mr. Jager is horrifying

- so, the “finalist” thing is bogus, we all knew this, but the choices where kind of... odd. Flash was chosen because of the potential, specifically, the hurdle jumping part where we see Taskmaster drawing comparisons between Spderman and Flash. Harry could also be easily explained by he and Peter being best friends, they’ve probably seen each other go through gym class a lot, probably picked up thing from each other along the way. Danny, however, doesn’t make much sense. sure, you can account for “build and height”, but a) Peter’s taller than Danny and b) Danny doesn’t fight a thing like Peter nor does he have the experience and close relationship that would allow for Danny and Peter to have similar styles. the only thing that would make sense to me here is the whole martial arts thing, until you take into account that people who are attracted to each other subconsciously mimic each other in order to seem more appealing to their desired person. 

- PowerFist honorable mention number five: the silent communication that happened between Danny and Flash when Ava started in on Peter about the obstical course

- Peter mentions that “at least Flash and Harry have Danny here to protect them”

- after being slammed into a locker and thrown on the ground, it’s perfectly resonable for Danny to pass out, but since when didn’t hear Danny actually hit the ground, it’s my belief that he was sedated, not knocked unconscious

- it’s also my belief that the entire team is protective of Danny as someone who spent almost his entire life up in the mountains with an entirely different social group and very different expectations

- we skip immediately from catching Taskmaster to the news coverage of the rescue, so we don’t know how Danny was found. it’s my belief that Peter’s the one who found him. this is when Peter realizes how much Danny means to him. and yes, Danny was mother-henned into going to medical

[faebriel]

i wanna hear more about superhero niki and supportive civilian puffy

they are so :] for me

okay to set the scene i kind of feel superheroes and supervillains are a thing in this setting but a very high and far off thing. niki spontaneously developed her powers (spider powers.......other powers.............i have some thematic thoughts) and then took up this kind of neighbourhood vigilante role. not really part of the big super scene

also puffy and niki are established dating despite everything else being analogous to l'manberg era bc this is my au i do what i want

okay so at the very start of everything when superniki is starting to get people talking, puffy talks about how she like actually really appreciates superniki? in the community? she kind of idealises the whole saving cats from trees thing in a way. sees superniki as "in touch" with what's actually happening on the streets, even though superniki is rarely an actual combatant

i think puffy would have a role a bit like alya in miraculous ladybug lol. she's not like a journalist or blogger or anything but she's very in-tune with superhero/villain news

niki thinks its cute when puffy "accidentally" compliments her lmao. she's quite secure in how she splits her civilian life and her vigilante life so while she could tell puffy, she doesn't really feel compelled to

(i always kind of imagine cpuffychu in that first-adult-relationship phase where they're very sweet and puffy has memorised niki's favourite flowers and niki has memorised puffy's favourite ice cream flavours and they're the most successful long-term relationship in their respective friend groups which niki is quite pleased with actually. but they haven't really put together that what's happening in their lives independently affects their relationship together too. they process their problems on their own)

after wilbur dies puffy is a big support for niki. obviously niki takes it really hard but after she finds out the whole thing was faked she just goes cold so fast and puffy can't convince her to talk about why.

and at this stage, after proving her superhero-self a total failure, niki avoids telling puffy about her alter ego because she thinks puffy would be ashamed of her

after niki's superhero ego starts sliding further and further into causing damage and destruction as a way to lash out against her unmanaged rage and grief, she continues to not tell puffy because she knows she would be ashamed of her

and puffy is still following the news and asking and commenting: why? why is their local vigilante acting like this? what happened? thirst for power finally fulfilled? some hidden awful side? pure selfishness? she sours on superniki pretty quickly as superniki betrays those heroic ideals that puffy holds dear

superniki's health and publicity decline is a mirror to the decline of niki and puffy's relationship. like, obviously what's happening in the mask affects what happens outside the mask. but niki is more and more defensive and on edge as she's clearly lost puffy's support of her alter ego, and all those casual positive comments have gone critical and negative. and who is puffy to judge, anyway? she wouldn't understand what it's like. the two of them go from poor communication to no communication as niki gets snappier and quicker to anger and puffy gets mad as she can't figure out what the hell niki's sudden problem is. gay divorce forever