#basically any jason centric ship

[beesbiteandwillowrites]

Prompt:

soulmate au but instead of immediately feeling like they found the person they're supposed to be with, they take one look at each other and just fucking despise each other

[laufire]

For the ship ask meme: Cass having a baby crush on Babs. (I know you've already shared your thoughts about it, but feel free to share any additional bits floating around your head! The idea never appeared on my radar at all until you enlightened me. The missing piece I never knew we needed.)

it just... makes a lot of sense to me (insert shameless self-promotion), in a way that has made it surprising that I never saw anyone else expressing the idea before lol. it's not surprising given what the fandom is like, especially this fandom and especially with these female characters but... yeah, there has to be other people who saw it before me xDD

cass finally arriving at a (slightly, this is still gotham) more stable and safe point in her life, having a safe mentor figure who cares about her and loves her and produces these mix of intense feelings that can't be easily defined (there's something motherly about it, something sisterly, something else), and then adding the mess that could be cass (who to me is a lesbian, no other option lol) finally being at a place where she starts exploring her sexuality (you could also have a lot of fun with the ensuing jealousy, as dickbabs date around this time)... of course her attention would wander towards barbara. of course it would! I just see it so clearly.

also, in my head barbara definitely notices what's going on (bruce does not). she navigates it pretty carefully, but I imagine she does fuck up at some point -I'm picturing something akin to when she screams at cass when she can't read the word necessary to defuse a bomb. something mean, said in the heat of the moment, that makes cass feel like shit.

in general I think of the ship as unrequited; barbara would have cass too stuck in the role of her mentee to really see beyond that (there would be just a hint of infantilisation there imo). BUT there's one scenario where I see them advance towards something mutual, and it's one I want to write someday :P

basically, I'm not a fan of happily-ever-after!dickbabs, I think I've made that clear lol. as a messy relationship and kinda toxic exes they work well for me (sidenote: stephcass is the same lol), but that's it. so knowing their new earth ending is a wedding in convergence (I haven't read it yet but I know that much) irks me, and as a result I've decided I want cassbats to seduce dick's wife xDD

the gist of it would be basically that: future fic, cass is finally batman the way she wanted to, barbara and dick are married and it's a disaster... and cass and barbara have been distant for a long time, for various reasons. barbara misses her terribly, and when the chance to reconnect comes, things might go a little too far.

ps. shoutout to the version of the ship in the young justice cartoon. I have a lot of mixed feelings about the changes in the characters (especially barbara, who is oracle but has babsgirl personality and just doesn't interest me that much tbh). BUT those changes certainly resulted in an even more toxic cassbabs dynamic and I kinda dig that. idk that I'll write actual fic for them, but cass's pov sections in my jason-centric wip certainly hint at it lol. just like every time I write from cass's pov tbh, I can't help myself.

[windona]

are there any YJ fics you might recommend?

Yes!

The Things We Must Do is an excellent Jaime centric fic, centered on him building a rebellion against the Reach in Reach space. Honestly, all of Parvu's fics are excellent. Out of Reach is about Tye and Jaime's friendship, and has an interesting look into what assumptions Tye might have made in canon. The Forgotten Future is an excellent look at Bart's past that I take as canon.

Hedgi compiled a lot of her Damn It Hedgi Day prompt fics on AO3, so it's a variety work. One of my favorite of hers was prompted by me, full disclosure. It has a very atmospheric fairytale feel, and is Tara centric

The King's Red Guard is what made me ship Brion/Jason. It's really well done, and has a good balance of these characters hurts and bite.

At The Gates of Gethsame is a great look at Superman's relationship with Conner. Fair warning, it very much goes into the assault allegory of Lex taking Superman's DNA to make Conner.

With This Ring is a self insert, but it's great with a broad look at the DC universe and incorporating everything. Fair warning, it's over 3 million words.

Prince of Embers is an excellent what-if, focused on Brion joining a rebellion against Bedlam. It's complete, and has an excellent look at the internal politics of Markovia.

If you don't mind some self promotion, I cowrote a fic with Parvumautomaton years back. Publicity is a Beetle-centric, basically alternate s3 fic.

Golden Age is a good Bart-centric one shot.

There's a lot more on LiveJournal from the old anon meme days, but sadly it's hard to go find them and the links. I may be able to dig up more in the future though!

[kbirbpods]

I thought I was not going to need to make major updates to my letter by the time ITPE popped up but I discovered a few changes I'd like to make so here we are.

But! You can always take a peak at my previous letters to see my broader interests: Summer Swap '24 | Purimgifts ‘24 | ITPE '23

ITPE 2024 letter below the cut!

Fandoms & Characters I Would Love to Receive:

I am hoping to have my main gifter make me something from one of the following fandoms!

(1) Star Wars: I love so much Star Wars that to split it into subfandoms would make this post too long. I think it’s easiest to say this: I prefer Clone Wars, Rebels, Rogue One/Andor, anything about Jon Antilles, anything about Hevy & the Domino Squad, anything Ahsoka Tano, Mandalorian culture (including Din & Grogu content!), and Mando'a as a language.

My main ships are: Cody/Obi-Wan, Kallus/Zeb, Hevy/anyone (consensual), Finn/Poe or Finn/Poe/Rey, blackkat rarepairs (mainly Jon Antilles/anyone), Jon Antilles & Fay (platonic), Waxer/Boil, Fives/Echo, Kanan/Hera, Quinlan/Fox(/Jon), Quinlan/Obi-Wan(/Cody), & Fox/Bail/Breha [also Clone OC ships!!] My favorite characters are: Hevy, Fox, Cody, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Leia, Poe, Fives, Luke, Jon Antilles, Fay (Legends)

(2) Batfam/DC: I can be picky and yet not? Basically, I just prefer no inner-Batfam fics of the boys because I truly view them as brothers. Jason is my boy forever & always. My favorite ships are Jason Todd/Roy Harper(/Kori), Dick Grayson/Wally West, Harley/Ivy, Tim Drake/Kon, Tim/Bernard, Tim/Kon/Bernard, and Wally/Artemis from Young Justice. I am pretty knowledgeable about comics, too, and I keep up with the current runs of: Poison Ivy, Gotham City Sirens, & Red Hood: The Hill. This is the fandom that I specifically am obsessed with found family in. – I love exploring Alfred being the boys’ Grandpa and Bruce’s complex dadhood!

Honorable mention here to Bucky Barnes/Clint Barton/Jason Todd as a ship I love.

(3) DPxDC: I have been tentatively eyeing this crossover since last year's Pod-O-Ween but I was fully flung into it during the summer. It got me writing again! This fandom is so rich with potential regarding like... when you fling them into one another's timelines, meaning my ships go EVERYWHERE. Take one of my DC ships and put a character from Danny Phantom in it and you will probably find a ship I like. But I really love: Tim Drake/Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton/Jason Todd(/Roy Harper), Steph Brown/(Cass/)Sam Manson, Cassandra Cain/Sam Manson, Jazz Fenton/Barbara Gordon. I've podficced some Danny/Dick, too!! Like I said, it really depends when you cross the timelines over. As always, I will EAT UP genfic for this fandom!! I REALLY love the "demon twins" AUs, which are Danny & Damian as twins (or Danny as one of the Damian clones). So, yes... I love this so much.

(4) A RARE ASK: I am super into both Dragon Age & Mass Effect. The former is much easier to find fandom for and there are a lot of fics with blanket permission statements. For Dragon Age, DA:O is my favorite (especially Alistair) or any sort of Hawke!centric fics. But in April 2024 I became re-obsessed with Mass Effect & it has continued. My rare ask is for Mass Effect fics - specifically Shep/Garrus or Shep/Liara (or them as a triad). Or gen fic!! But I feel like I am on an island here lol

Other fandoms I like but are not on my "fandoms I prefer to receive this year for a main gift" list are in the linked old letters, if anyone is looking for treat ideas!

Things I Like, Regardless of Fandom:

THEMES: trans/nonbinary characters (extra points for neopronouns); gender exploration in general; found family (genfic or otherwise); angst with a happy ending; polyamory; good asexual or aromantic representation; genfic

TROPES: fix-it fics!! extra points for time travel or time loops in fix its; fake dating/marriage; mutual pining; soulmates (AU or just clearly soulmates); crack treated seriously; rivals-to-friends/lovers; oops only one bed; secret identities; CROSSOVERS!

AUs: soulmates soulmates soulmates; regency era (or any different era); modern AU; crossovers, provided i know the other fandom or the fic doesn’t require knowledge of the other fandom!; college/sport AU; fantasy/fae AUs

Star Wars AUs/Tropes (yes they need their own categories): force sensitive clones; Jon Antilles lives; [insert clone here] lives; Anakin doesn’t fall; Palpatine dies; Domino Squad Lives; "no Order-66"/"Order-66 happens differently"; force sensitive Leia; modern AUs; trans clones

PODFIC SPECIFIC: anything epistolary (texting/chat fics especially but letters and such are also fun to explore); including music / SFX if you’re comfortable; including bloopers if you have them/are comfortable exposing them

RATINGS: Contrary to popular belief I do not hate explicit fics so really any rating but I generally prefer G-M because I can be picky about what explicit content I’m absorbing.

Do Not Wants (triggers, squicks, please no):

major archive warnings (major character death is okay so long as it’s temporary and resolved or implied/referenced)

I really don’t like pregnancy, which includes MPREG (I like omegaverse dynamics minus that aspect) - kidfic is cool I just don’t want pregnancy as a theme & especially not graphic depictions of pregnancy or childbirth

suicide/self-harm “on screen” (mentions of past suicidal ideation/self harm are fine if not a flashback/graphic)

non-/dub-con or any depictions of rape (once again, recovery is okay if done well)

adult/minor relationships or relationships with unaddressed/starkly imbalanced power dynamics

any sort of poorly depicted mental health tropes (no BPD or other personality disorder bashing, no institutionalization, no “split personality” as a trope) - i really like explorations of PTSD/trauma but it has to be handled with fidelity and gentleness

I have a random trigger about cockroaches

as a note: I do not like slave!fic but acknowledge that the situation of the clones is, at it’s core, a form of slavery. so while i ask for slave!fic AUs to be fully avoided, I do appreciate fics that tackle that aspect of the Clone Wars series with tact, fidelity, and honesty.

Authors with BP that I love, as a starting point:

Flowerparrish, trixree, wanderingjedihistorian, hoebiwan, blackkat, cac0daemonia, elismor_aswell, SunsetsOverLA, friendoftheJabberwock, ziazippy5379, Rivulet027

Offering the following fandoms & ships:

Anything I listed above with any of the caveats! This would get really long if I repeated those again. THAT BEING SAID: I will create content for those fandoms even if it’s not one of my listed ships.

However I will not create podfic for the following ships: STAR WARS: Rey/Kylo, Leia/Luke, Rex/Ahsoka, Cody/Rex, any Master/Padawan relationship, or Palpatine/Anakin. BATFAM: inner!Batboys as mentioned, Joker/Harley, Bruce/any of the kids (including Dick, yes)

Other fandoms I will create content for:

(1) Ted Lasso: Roy/Keeley/Jamie, Ted/Trent, Roy/Keeley, and Jamie/Dani. Ted & Rebecca as platonic soulmates/besties in general. (2) The Locked Tomb: Gideon/Harrow, Cam & Pal, Gideon & Cam. + I really like fics where one or both of them are trans/nonbinary. Nona is my favorite character. Modern AUs. (3) ATLA: Zuko/Sokka, found family, gen fic. (4) All for the Game: Jean/Jeremy, Andrew/Neil, Renee/Allison, Andrew/Neil/Kevin. Gen fics around the Foxes or Trojans, too! (5) Marvel/MCU: Steve/Bucky, Clint/Bucky, Kate Bishop/America Chavez, and Spideypool (as long as they’re both adults). (6) Stranger Things: Steve & Robin, Steve/Eddie, Robin/Chrissy, Chrissy & Eddie, Chrissy/Eddie

[river-bottom-nightmare]

hi, I was wondering if you had any fic recs for dc? i dont mind what ship/character they might include so you can just go wild. also, I love your blog and writing!! thanks in advance if you answer this <3

oh but of course, babe! i’ve got so many fic recs dear lord. hopefully the ones on here will be ones that i haven’t already recced before. and also ahhhh thank you so so much!! 

a heart just cant contain all of this empty space by TheMermaidLord (if anyone knows their tumblr, please let me know!) ~27k. the young justice universe, except after season 1, the canon events of the batfamily get woven in. you get to see dick leaving robin, jason joining then dying, how tim first meets the team, how they react to learning jason’s alive again all through the eyes of the yj team (mainly artemis, wally, and dick, but there are others.) this fic is beautiful and heartbreaking and oh so satisfying.

Candle Light and Plastic Bats by @jackdaw-kraai 10k. you know all those hc and concept fics about the relationship batman has with the city of gotham? well this fic is an absolutely gorgeous homage to that. told from the pov of the people of lower gotham, it goes through their relationship with this demon that seemed to haunt their city, going from mistrust and fear to acceptance and kinship. just a really really beautiful fic. 

Detective Work by @bekkoni ~8k. i don’t actually ship superbat for a multitude of reasons, but this fic was so goddamn hilarious and cute that i can’t not love it. set in the jlu universe, wally discovers that superman and batman are acting a little ~odd.~ then he does a little more snooping and dear god the consequences are hilarious. featuring identity porn by the bucket-load. 

It’s Your Right to Hurt Me Baby (If You Wanted To) by @pluckyredhead  8k. granted, jayroy doesn’t make much sense outside of specific rhato runs, but inside those runs its an actually beautiful ship, and this fic is just one of many testaments to that. smut with feelings, and jason gets the love and affection he sorely needs. 

Little Talks by @theo-ography 26k. who here doesn’t love dumb boys in love finally talking about their feelings?? because i love it more than words, but this author somehow did the impossible and managed to put it in words. in this series, dick and wally have some important conversations, do some cuddling, and finally get together. gosh, i love birdflash so. fucking. much. 

The Maybe Man by @dustorange ~48k. this is me, screaming about dustorange’s works again because i am such a fangirl for her writing oh my god. after dick leaves bruce and while jason is robin, dick gets abducted and tortured by the court of owls, and then is sent to kill bruce. and bruce fights with every fiber of his being to get his son back. also, jason and bruce’s relationship is so good in this jesus christ. i love reading fics that show just how close jason and bruce were before jason was killed, and this fic had that and more. 

Those Who Wait by @last01standing 11k. in a reverse robins fic done beautifully well, this entire fic is written from jon’s pov, and explores damian and jon’s relationship over the years. (basically, jon just falling more and more hopelessly in love with damian.) also, everyone ships it because jon is basically all of the kids’ “uncle jon” and it’s hilarious and i love it. one of my favourite damijon fics, and the p i n i n g is just AHHHH.

un haeng il chi by @danishsweethearts 17k. i can’t actually put into words how much i love this fic, so everyone needs to just go and read it right now so you feel what i feel when finishing this fic. a cass centric fic, this piece of art has the literal best characterizations and metaphors for those characterizations i’ve ever read in my entire life. cass’ relationship with each member of the batfam is unique and beautiful and dear god i could reread this fic a thousand times over without ever getting tired of it. 

Watch This by snackbaskets (again, if anyone knows their tumblr, please let me know!) ~2k. this fic is just a oneshot of pure adorableness. the league meets little baby robin!dick for the first time. hal and barry are, at first, terrified for the kid’s life, and then terrified of the devious little mastermind in bright green hotpants. this is just humor and fluff and i love it. 

Yesterday’s Voices by @lemonadegarden 49k. oh god i cannot scream my love for this fic enough. bruce, in a time with most of the batfam (including up to steph, damian, cass), gets de-aged to a time where jason was robin and dick was barely speaking to him. and it’s absolutely heartbreaking, because the rest of the batfam get to see how open, kind, and less jaded bruce used to be. if you want a good cry but a happy ending, this fic is wonderful.

if it were deemed socially acceptable, i would build a shrine to all of these wonderful authors in the middle of the street, but unfortunately i have neither the time nor the resources to do that, so i guess screaming about how talented and brilliant they are will have to do instead. hope you enjoy reading these babe!

[stxleslyds]

I try not to let the fandom ruin a character for me but it's becoming really hard to appreciate C*ss (censoring her name to avoid getting this being in her main tags) as a character when (some) of her fans are annoying as hell, I sometimes really can't stand them and honestly I'm sorry if I come off as rude, that really wasn't my intention. I've been in this fandom for a while now and while I mostly only really care about Talia and Damian, it seems like I can't avoid seeing C*ss stans being really annoying.

I know it's not all of them, certain character stans are always gonna have bad apples but damn they get on my nerves.

Hi Anon! I have to say, I completely understand where you are coming from. It happens in all fandoms from whatever piece of entertainment. Every time we join a new fandom, we are always going to find people that are really mean and gatekeep-y or people who we just cannot see eye to eye with.

It doesn’t make you rude, at least I don’t think so. One can easily get fed up with people’s narratives when they revolve around bringing other characters down.

I joined this fandom quite late and even though I have been a Dick Grayson and Jason Todd stan for a very long time. Dick was the one that I met first and then Jason. When I found the fandom side of comics, we were already a bit into the Rebirth era of DC, and the fandom was wild.

It was like nothing I have ever seen; it was like the Jason and Dick that I knew didn’t exist, and it was really difficult for me to like any Jason Todd centric blog because they usually came with a horrendous amount of Dick Grayson hate.

I even had a really bad experience with a Dick stan, who acted like Dick’s most distinguishable trait was having a bad temper. It was true that person probably had read more comics than me but them using out of context panels to prove Dick’s bad temper kinda put me off.

I understand now, that they probably were trying to fight the “sunshine and happiness” characterization of Dick, but they still were extremely rude to me and it made me feel bad.

It took me some time to find blogs that made me feel welcome to the fandom and that felt were willing to educate the newies without treating us like we were less.

My advice to you? Mute and block every tag that you feel makes you have a bad time in fandom. And don’t feel bad about muting tags, sometimes it is the best thing that could happen to you.

I grow attached to characters and pieces of media a lot so when something bothers me a lot it can make me anxious. A long time ago I was part of the Supernatural fandom, it is basically my second favourite show, and one ship destroyed my experience of it, whenever I looked it was all about that ship, the show seemed to come second to it. It really made me separate myself from all that and I decided to not only enjoy the show on my own but also, I muted tags and everything involving that ship.

This fandom is the same, granted it doesn’t reach Supernatural Fandom levels of toxic but it does have its moments.

In a way or another fandom is the reason that I kinda hate Tim Drake but I am also not interested in him that much, but I have gotten tired of him and some of his stans in the past quite easily.

I know it is frustrating, but what we have to do is make ourselves look the other way, sometimes all we can do is look away. Maybe some day we will come across a story involving a character that we don’t like (due to fandom) and might find ourselves still enjoying it.

I know there is this ever existing “soft beef” between Jason and Dick stans but I know very little of it because I have taught myself to dodge it.

It is not worth having a bad time here on tumblr (or anywhere else) when we are trying to find people who like the same stories/characters that we do!

I hope your experience in tumblr and fandom in general gets better Anon, I can assure you, once you find bloggers that make you happy even though they might post something you don’t quite agree with, it all gets better!

[jackdaniel69nice]

Ninjago Jay-centric fanseason (no ships)

“change one thing change everything”

Time gets screwed up where Jay never became a ninja and they have to fix it

Jay is worried about his importance to the team and feels left out and ignored, he’s“the expendable one” and doesn’t have any strong skills to add.

Well Clouse screws with time trying to destroy the ninja (go figure) and puts jay back with Cliff Gordon. The ninja find out he’s trying to mess with time and interrupt him so stuff gets screwed up and an alternate timeline is created instead. The ninja are thrown into it.

Jay never becomes a ninja and peruses his career in entertainment. It’s a very dark and negative place (think season 9 but everything’s still functional). the “other ninja” (from this timeline) absolutely do not get along and act more like soldiers. There are no jokes, very serious and unhappy. They wear all black with only colored headbands. They all have secret identity’s and go about their other lives like normal citizens. None of them have reached their full potential or know each other’s identities.

Nya: takes the place of the “blue ninja” in the prophecy, She wants more out of life than some job and craves adventure

Cole: He still does dance as a cover up for his ninja life, he always argues with his dad because he’s unhappy and closed off from others, ninja-ing is his excape from the real world

Kai: lacking in confidence and angry at the world, he’s just trying to support Nya and himself and get by, thinks Nya’s selfish for wanting to give up everything they’ve built together

Zane: he knows he’s a robot but is super unemotional, was taken in by Borg

There is no green ninja either because after the ninja defeated Lloyd in the treehouse they left him there (due to the bad relationships). Garmadon came for him though and now they have been trying to take over ninjago together for YEARS. Basically a war. Garm is on the dark island with the stone army sending attacks to ninjago and Borg’s nindroid army fights them while the ninja take on garm and Lloyd.

So yeah this world sucks and the ninja need to get back to their timeline but how?

Other jay is named Jason Gordon and Cliff died a number of years ago at this point. Jay lives alone with a cat and his career is well. He’s cheery but unhappy. He still refuses to become a ninja though.

Bad stuff starts happening to jay where he’ll “glitch” this of course causes everyone to freak out. Other Zane figures it’s because of the major difference in the two versions of jay and this timeline sees him as an “error” and is trying to erase him. If they can figure out how to get back to their timeline before that though he’ll be fine but it’s a race against the clock.

Other Kai picks at him though saying it wouldn’t be so awful if he did disappear because he hasn’t been very useful. Jay feels awful but our ninja come to his defense. The other ninja are seeing how they act like a family and are kinda jealous. So slow character development for them where they begin to be nicer to each other.

Garmadon attacks!! They have figured out how to return but need Jason so Lloyd goes to get him. It’s spoiled by other Lloyd who fights him and tries to kidnap og Lloyd for his powers. Jason has been thinking hard about the whole ninja thing and realizes how unhappy he is with what he’s doing. He shows up just as other Lloyd is about to kill og Lloyd and start talking to him about Starfairer (which he still loves). He tricks him or distracts him or something so og Lloyd can get away.

Meanwhile the other ninja are fighting garm and his stone army and are helping the og ninja to get to a new portal at borg tower. Jay’s really not well and keeps disappearing. Other Kai offers to stay and fight as they run but the others won’t leave him behind and refer to each other as brothers. Jason helps og Lloyd to get away with a helicopter (what, he’s rich Ok) and takes him to borg tower. Unknown to them other Lloyd follows them.

So jay’s dieing in front of the portal, garmadons burst through the door, Jason and Lloyd get in through the roof. Everyone’s pretty shocked by their entrance and then other Lloyd reveals himself again meeting up with his father and are ready to fight. Jason starts talking to him and try getting him to rethink this, Lloyd’s just a kid and shouldn’t be doing this. Lloyd is pissed and yells at the other ninja for abandoning him. They have all grown since the beginning and are sincerely sorry and apologize. Lloyd is frustrated and emotionally confused (because he never really has wanted to do this, but his father is the only one who’s ever loved him). Garm sees his indecision and begins to criticize him. They argue before garm gets frustrated and says he’ll dispose of him if he won’t help. Lloyd’s hurt and confused, taken aback. Og Lloyd notices garm looks strange and declares he’s actually the overlord (PLOT TWIST!). other Lloyd is scared and the overlord admits he had been manipulating Lloyd through garm to get the golden power because now he knows he’s supposed to be the green ninja. Lloyd gets angry and begin to fight him demanding he release his father. The ninja (all of them) help and Jason is kinda just there.

Jay asks him if he’ll help and Jason says he doesn’t know how and that he’s useless. Jay realizes his usefulness isn’t in his ability, but in his willingness to keep fighting, he tells luke this. Jason decides to go fight and unlocks his lightning (Woah!) and makes a dumb pun about this “shocking development”, the other ninja laugh. Jay isn’t so glitchy anymore and joins in with the fight too. The overlord, up against two sets of ninja, retreats.

Other Lloyd is worried about his father and tries to follow but og Lloyd tells him to stay and that they will save him eventually. The other ninja (Kai) offer to let him stay with them and make amends for last time. He only agrees so they will help save his father (he’ll certainly warm up to them in time tho).

Jason is just gushing about his new powers and being a goofball the other ninja are much more relaxed and laughing along. Og Cole comes over and points it out to Jay. He kind knew jays struggle the whole time and mentions how vital he is to the team and how the first real victory they had was only when he had helped. Cole points out how they were all so serious as well as their rude behavior towards each other was because they didn’t have him. He calls jay the “glue that keeps them together” and as being crucial to them making a good team, even the most important person on the team. Jays all teary-eyed and hugs him (what a sap). Zane reminds them they need to get home and they open the portal, returning to their timeline.

[cheryls-blossomed]

Yeah I was excited at the beginning of the season because I heard that we would get more focus on Starfire this season but that hasn’t been the case. This season we’re barely getting anything with her story and yes they are nerfing her powers, Dickkory seem to be a figment of my imagination now. Whereas this annoying Red Hood & Scarecrow story keeps going and going. Red Hood story had potential but all they do is show Jason hooked on drugs, whining and basically being a puppet for Scarecrow. I’m so not caring about Dick & Babs, their ship is so dry and forced. They are just all over the place with these stories and there’s only 3 episodes left and I just feel like Titans are doing a whole bunch of nothing. What happened to Dick? What are they doing with his character? Rachel has been pretty much nonexistent this season. Beast Boy powers are still not being explored. Yet we are constantly giving screen time to guest stars or supporting characters. I feel the Connor/Blackfire ship is rushed. They have good chemistry but still rushed

Exactly! I'm so mad that they promoted this season as Starfire-centric and told Kory fans that we were finally going to get the Kory story-line that we deserve, and then they did a complete 360 and did not in fact do what they told us they would. They utterly baited Kory fans, and I've been waiting the entire season for Kory to get the focus that she deserves. I was so excited for Starfire and Blackfire, but we've barely scratched the surface with Kory and Kom's story arc and the season is nearly over. I wanted an exploration of Kory's history and Tamaran and of her powers. Instead, this season was absolutely not Kory-centric, and the show is downplaying her powers. As a Kory fan, I am utterly frustrated with this show. I want her to get the focus that she deserves. Anna is amazing as Kory, and Kory is such a great character and the clear fan favorite, and yet TPTB want to focus on things nobody cares about.

Dick/Babs was boring as hell, but again, this ship was clearly meant to implode. I've always said that the Titans writers seem to operate from the position that Dick needs to be a certain level of miserable, so Dick/Babs was specifically meant add to his misery. I'm so tired of this. The show needs to move on from this version of Dick. Like it gets tiresome to reset every season and obsess about your protagonist being miserable.

Gar has had barely any development. Rachel has been a raven this whole time, apparently, which while cool, I guess, is also a very convenient way to sideline her. I miss Kory and Rachel, and Kory and Gar. I miss the core four together.

The show's fixation on Jason, and also their portrayal of him are two other things I'm tired about. Comics Jason Todd deserves better, and TPTB really have to reassess their priorities, because I don't understand how they keep making the same mistake in season 3.

And yeah, the Kom/Connor ship had no development and was extremely rushed. But that's par for the course: TPTB waste so much time on literally nothing and then rush through other plot points and relationships. The pacing of the story-telling is just terribly constructed.

[jupitermelichios]

2020 Creator Wrap: Favorite Works

I was tagged by the the wonderful @irolltwenties​ (which goves some way to provie my theory that any conversation which starts with someone yelling “motherfucking Lex Luthor” is always going to be a possitive interaction)

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

According to AO3 I published 122,561 words across 15 fics in 2020, which is wild. The only year I’ve published more words that than was 2012, and this year’s words are definitely of a higher quality! I really thought I’d been unproductive this year!

A lot of my very favourite things I’ve written this year are unposted WIPs, and some of them are sadly likely to stay that way - I publish maybe half of what I write, because I have far more ideas than free time - so shout out to ‘I Would Die For You a Thousand Times’, ‘A Boy With a Crooked Shadow’ and ‘let me take you by the hand (and drag you through the streets of london)’, which most of you will probably never have the chance to read, and the fic which definitely isn’t going to be titled ‘Dick Goes Deep on Daddy Issues’ which hopefully you one day will!

Also picking 5 is surprisingly difficult this year. I’m definitely one of the people who writes exactly the fics I want to read, and I do actually reread my own fics fairly often, which makes narrowing down the list really difficult.

Highschool Never Ends - DC Comics, a grab-bag of YJ and Titans ships mixed with a whole lot of found family bonding

I didn’t start this fic with the intention of using it to just fill the DCU with all the representation it’s missing, but it’s kind of turned into that anyway, and I love that about it. Someone reccing it described it as ‘possitive about all sorts of things’, which is pretty much exactly what I aim for. It’s not often you can write a high-school drama club AU that actually helps people, so that’s pretty awsome. It’s also the fic which made me really fall in love with Duke Thomas, who despite being neither female or from anime is still bestgirl.

A Brief History of Gotham - DC comics, gen

This may be the thing I’m most proud of of everything I’ve written because holy shit the research this required. But it was worth it to create probably the single most niche thing I’ve ever written. Also it turns out that thinking up in-world reference books and quotes is basically the most fun you can have as a writer. “In most cities they laugh at clowns and run from guns; in Gotham it’s the other way around” may just be the best line I’ve ever written.

Halogen - Batman, Tim/Jason

I think of everything I’ve ever written, this is the one that turned out the most like I wanted to. My guiding principle for this story was ‘stark’, and I think I achieved exactly that.

Know Me Better - Narnia, gen

Once again this is very niche, but I love it. And it helped someone going through a crisis of faith, and you can’t ask much more than that as a writer or a theology grad. Discovering the Narnia fandom was definitely a highlight of this year - there’s some fantastically tallented writers creating exactly the kind of beautiful thoughtful works you want from a canon like that one.

Human or Something Like It - DC Comics, gen with background Tim/Jason, Jason/Midnighter & Dick/Midnighter

This is entirely self indulgence - it’s outsider POV, which I love, it’s almost all dialogue, which I much prefer writing to any other type of prose, it’s entirely Tim Drake centric. It is, in fact, exactly the fic I wanted to read, so it was delightful to post it and find other people wanted to read it as well.

Honourable mentions (because this really was hard to narrow down): The Anatomy of a Robin, which was pretty successful (if I do say so myself) attempt to channel other writers, and Together, which turned up in my brain fully formed and was written in about a week, which never happens to me. It turned out to be the prequel to the Tim/Bart/Kon fic I actually wanted to write, but I love it anyway.

I feel like this has been a year where I really settled into my niche. My niche has turned out to be found family, happy porn, and as much queer rep as I can physically jam into the plot, and I’m pretty okay with that.

tagging @celestialbisexual​, @kiseiakhun, @kittyaugust, @lex-munro, @teland, @suzukiblu, @phcking-detective  (I’m really bad at remembering what AO3 handle matches what tumblr name, so if you’re a writer and you follow me consider yourself tagged!)

[bigskydreaming]

Hi, I'm not sure how much fanfics you read, seems like you read enough... Do you perhaps know why Tim and Jason get the most intense stories where they go on adventures or are abused by the society so they live in whump central and just generally the most interesting stories, whereas Dick gets the family/ Damian centric stories? His major whump plot is only that Tarantula thing. His role seems to be either the himbo or the happy thot big bro who means well but doesn't get the kid bros' trauma...

LOL aka the eternal source of my frustration in fandom.

*Shrugs* My view is its more than likely a result of how much both canon and fandom have conditioned readers and fans to view Dick as only existing as a supporting character in everyone else’s stories, rather than someone with stories of his own, let alone ones that the others act as his supporting cast. The exceptions, as you noted, are the occasional Court of Owls fic or Tarantula based whump-fest.

But its the whole big brother rides to the rescue thing, dialed up to eleven, and combine that with Dick’s characterization as an empathetic caregiver type personality, and it creates a perfect storm for people to just slot him in the role of designated comfort-giver in any given plot...OR to cite fanon lore and use that to cast him as the antagonistic foil to Jason or Tim

End result is....DC isolates Dick for his own stories, but then only has him interacting with his family when he’s swooping in to either help, support, or make everything all better...a la Robin War, Batman & Robin Eternal, etc...but the second the crisis (always someone else’s) is over, DC sends him back out on his own, because they have this perception that the only way to differentiate him from Batman is to have him completely self-sufficient, as otherwise Bruce would overshadow him when swooping in to save him.

Except, that’s a flawed premise, because you don’t need to send in Bruce to SAVE Dick, even in plots like the Blockbuster arc...its enough to have him show up to comfort and support Dick...but the problem is....DC is unwilling to ever let Bruce take the back seat or support role in even his children’s own stories. Thus he’s largely absent from Dick’s, even when he really SHOULD be there, he’s made into Jason’s antagonistic foil more often than not to keep him from playing the supporting role there, and DC’s take for the last several years has been just to cloud what the hell Bruce’s connection to Tim is even supposed to be. And so on and so on. The closest I’ve seen DC come to letting Bruce play a supporting role is Snyder’s use of him in the limited Batman & The Signal run....but then Duke and Cass both ended up shipped off to the Outsiders book where Jefferson and Katana occupy the role of supportive caregivers. 

All of which sucks.

But that’s DC’s problem. The problem with fanfics, IMO, is they so rarely apply the same transformative energy to Dick and his stories as they do to Jason or Tim’s because....Dick’s USEFUL in the caregiver or antagonist roles. He serves a purpose in being everyone else’s supporting cast, and they’ve got canon as an example for how that works and why, not to mention to point to as an explanation for why they so frequently put Dick and Dick alone in that designated spot.

But Dick being the heart of his own stories and adventures not only ‘takes him away’ from that caregiver slot for Jason, Tim and Damian, which much of fandom has come to see as being so synonymous with him, its like...if he’s NOT there and ready to provide support at any given moment, he’s fundamentally just failing as a brother and a character.....

But also at the same time, with Dick as the protagonist of fanfics rather than the designated supporting caregiver....someone else has to be cast in that role, for HIM. And by and large, most people just...don’t seem to want to do that. 

Typically, when it does happen its for things like Tarantula based fics, where its relatively easy to slot Jason into that role, because of the facts that Jason IS actually a very empathetic character himself, and very passionate about being an advocate for victims, as well as someone with experiences himself....but ironically, even with those fics, Dick’s trauma tends to become just as much about Jason, because of the other appeal for casting Jason in this role....Jason VERY easily fulfills a wish fulfillment role for readers projecting onto Dick and his situation and desiring to see Tarantula and/or Mirage punished in the ways Jason’s best known for.

And the other thing about keeping Dick’s trauma limited to specific instances just like Tarantula and Mirage or the Court of Owls, is there’s no need to reimagine anyone else’s role in the family, in order to take up the caregiver role more fully, at least when Dick is the one in need of comfort. Like, there’s no need to drastically redesign the status quo of the Batfamily, shake it up, or analyze or rebuild or restructure the family dynamics to account for Dick not having to be solely responsible for maintaining that position....

Because when Dick’s trauma is limited to those select story plots, the story already comes with a ticking clock for it. Its framed as a finite thing. There’s a definitive beginning or ending to someone else having to shift over into the caregiver slot in order to support Dick...because if the trauma is framed as a specific isolated or finite thing by the narrative, then Jason or Tim or Bruce’s time in the caregiver role is set up from the get go to only be a temporary thing, like just until the story’s over and Dick’s ‘back on his feet’ and able to take over his old narrative duties, as it were.

All of which...doesn’t work for me for a number of reasons, but like....I don’t think its like, really a mystery why things tend to play out this way with caregiver archetypes....because its pretty basically a reflection of how its very easy for those personality types to be taken for granted and taken advantage of in real life, and that’s like....a huge and constant part of my irritation with this phenomenon. Because ultimately, like all things fiction AND fandom related...its really just an extension and reflection of real life tendencies and behaviors...rather than really ‘just’ being about a fictional character and being frustrated there’s not enough varieties of fic to read about him, lol.

[tsaomengde]

Tiny Viewing Guide to Star Trek: The Next Generation

Just found out one of my oldest friends, a huge sci fi guy, has never actually seen TNG, or indeed any Trek. He asked if I wouldn't mind writing a viewing guide. Not all that tiny, but the blurb for each episode is tiny. YMMV.

S1

Encounter at Farpoint - Goofy but iconic, series premiere

The Naked Now - Bad but hilarious and a little important

Code of Honor - terrible racist horseshit

The Last Outpost - first time we meet the Ferengi, they're not impressive

Where No One Has Gone Before - interesting enough

Lonely Among Us - I have no memory of this place

Justice - terrible outfits, Wesley episode

The Battle - Picard episode, not terrible

Hide and Q - Riker-centric Q episode, not the best Q episode, not the worst

Haven - first time we meet Lwaxana, don't remember anything else

The Big Goodbye - first of many holodeck episodes, pretty good

Datalore - important!!!

Angel One - totally forgettable

11001001 - meh

Too Short a Season - weird, generally meh

When the Bough Breaks - Wesley episode, don't remember it much

Home Soil - no clue

Coming of Age - more Wesley (can you tell Gene Roddenberry liked the character?), but not bad

Heart of Glory - first time the Klingons get real character, important

The Arsenal of Freedom - automated weaponry is bad, mmkay

Symbiosis - nope, no idea

Skin of Evil - dark, nasty, generally unpleasant episode, important for character reasons

We'll Always Have Paris - genuinely do not remember this one but wiki says there's time travel and that's always fun

Conspiracy - real mixed feelings about this one, it's tense and interesting TV but not really good Trek and it has huge implications that are never revisited

The Neutral Zone - Romulans are reintroduced, pretty cool

S2

The Child - pretty decent Troi episode

Where Silence Has Lease - interesting space puzzle episode sprinkled with Picard philosophizing

Elementary, Dear Data - first Sherlock!Data holodeck episode, excellent stuff

The Outrageous Okona - weeeaaaak, but kind of funny

Loud As A Whisper - cool deaf character, cringey late-80s implementation

The Schizoid Man - Data episode, good acting, cringey dialogue

Unnatural Selection - Pulaski-centric, and I dislike Pulaski so this is a pass for me

A Matter Of Honor - Riker serves on a Klingon warship, some good stuff

The Measure of A Man - Easily a top 10 Trek episode of all time

The Dauphin - Wesley has a crush, receives terrible romantic advice from entire crew

Contagion - interesting lethal archaeology

The Royale - love this episode, it's terrible and bad science but I love it

Time Squared - weird time-travel stuff, not one of the best

The Icarus Factor - lot of good character stuff, terrible future martial arts

Pen Pals - excellent Data episode, thoughts about the Prime Directive

Q Who - WATCH THIS ONE

Samaritan Snare - bad episode, funny moments

Up The Long Ladder - holy shit the Irish racism

Manhunt - Lwaxana Troi at her best, love it

The Emissary - Amazing Klingon stuff

Peak Performance - good episode, lots of fun character bits

Shades of Gray - TERRIBLE CLIP SHOW AVOID AVOID AVOID

S3

Evolution - Wesley episode, not bad but not great

The Ensigns of Command - Mediocre Data episode

The Survivors - space puzzle episode, OK

Who Watches the Watchers - more prime directive stuff, mildly interesting

The Bonding - interesting stuff about grief

Booby Trap - another space puzzle, high stakes, cool payoff

The Enemy - Pretty good, Romulans

The Price - fun episode

The Vengeance Factor - ehhhhhhhh

The Defector - More Romulan stuff, is good

The Hunted - will 100% make you scream at how terrible security is in the future, not a bad ep though

The High Ground - ugh, just not great

Deja Q - good Q episode

A Matter of Perspective - let's use the holodeck to prove Riker couldn't have committed this crime!

The Offspring - WATCH THIS BUT BRING TISSUES

Sins of the Father - first of many Klingon Politics episodes, I love these with a fiery passion and my wife is bored to tears by them so YMMV

Allegiance - space puzzle, not a great one but not bad

Captain's Holiday - WATCH THIS, IS AMAZING

Tin Man - literally put me to sleep once

Hollow Pursuits - First of many Barclay episodes, my beautiful autistic space boi

The Most Toys - alright, worth one watch

Sarek - SO IMPORTANT WAAAAAAAAAATCH

Menage a Troi - bad episode, worth it for the payoff

Transfigurations - Jason Ironheart called, he knows he came after this episode chronologically but he was better

The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1 - YAAAS

S4

The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2- YAAAAAAAAAAAAAS

Family - So important

Brothers - Very Important

Suddenly Human - meh

Remember Me - very interesting space puzzle, one of the Crusher episodes where she gets to be awesome

Legacy - not the most jaw-dropping ep but important

Reunion - KLINGON POLITICS YEEES

Future Imperfect - interesting enough

Final Mission - Wesley episode, not bad

The Loss - v. good Troi episode

Data's Day - fun, wholesome Data times

The Wounded - SO GOOD AND SO IMPORTANT

Devil's Due - I love this episode even if it's not that important or good

Clues - Awesome space puzzle

First Contact - eh? okay? sure?

Galaxy's Child - fine, whatever

Night Terrors - uuuuugh, no

Identity Crisis - this one scared the fuck out of me as a kid and may be responsible for my deep-seated body-transformation-horror triggers, now it's just kind of weird

The nth Degree - BARCLAY, LOVE HIM AND THIS EP

Qpid - YES SO GOOD

The Drumhead - This is Michael Dorn's favorite episode and it is worthy of the title

Half a Life - Lwaxana is great, the episode not as much

The Host - introduction of the Trill, kind of cringey almost 30 years later

The Mind's Eye - brainwashing stuff, meh

In Theory - Data tries to date, hilarities ensue

Redemption Part 1 - GIVE ME THE KLINGON POLITICS

S5

Redemption Part 2 - MOOOOOOOOOORE

Darmok - One of my top 5 episodes in the series

Ensign Ro - so important, introduces the Bajorans and Ensign Ro

Silicon Avatar - important for Data, not a terribly interesting episode otherwise

Disaster - Troi gets to shine! cool episode

The Game - by far the worst Wesley episode. everyone is seduced into acting like a brainwashed idiot by a terrible space future video game. fuck this episode and everyone who wrote it but especially Brannon Braga.

Unification 1 - WATCH

Unification 2- THESE

A Matter of Time - So good, waaatch

New Ground - I am not a fan of Alexander but he is so important to Worf's growth, so... yeah

Hero Worship - more stuff about grief, eh

Violations - I don't remember this one that much but I do not think I enjoyed it

The Masterpiece Society - read the above description

Conundrum - amazing space puzzle episode. easily one of my favorites in the series

Power Play - meh

Ethics - very important, good Trek

The Outcast - THIS EPISODE COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH BETTER IF THE LOVE INTEREST WAS MALE. JONATHAN FRAKES PUSHED FOR A MALE ACTOR. watch it anyway

Cause and Effect - fun space puzzle, a little repetitive but totally solid

The First Duty - one of the best Picard Speeches ever, watch

Cost of Living - fun Lwaxana episode

The Perfect Mate - pretty meh but Famke Janssen is fun as Kamala

Imaginary Friend - so bored

I, Borg - INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT

The Next Phase - interesting episode about the afterlife

The Inner Light - THIS IS MY FAVORITE EPISODE OF THE ENTIRE SERIES AND I CRY EVERY TIME

Time's Arrow 1 - Such good time travel

S6

Time's Arrow 2 - Such great Mark Twain

Realm of Fear - Yay more Barclay!

Man of the People - bad Troi episode

Relics - WAAAAAAAAAATCH

Schisms - space puzzle, kind of lame payoff due to effects limitations but the journey is worth it

True Q - By far the worst fucking Q episode ever written

Rascals - uuuuuuuugh. half the crew is regressed into children. Ferengi are involved. you are missing nothing.

A Fistful of Datas - amazing dumb holodeck episode, watch

The Quality of Life - boring episode, good message

Chain of Command 1 - So dark, so difficult, so totally riveting and important

Chain of Command 2 - See above

Ship in a Bottle - Sequel to Sherlock!Data, amazing

Aquiel - could have been written much better

Face of the Enemy - by far the best Troi episode, Marina Sirtis was incredibly happy when I told her it was one of my favorites

Tapestry - fantastic Q/Picard episode

Birthright 1 - Basically exists to set up DS9 but is pretty good and has important bits

Birthright 2 - See above

Starship Mine - DIE HARD ON THE ENTERPRISE

Lessons - Very important Picard episode

The Chase - amazing space puzzle episode, has one of my favorite one-off Klingon characters

Frame of Mind - is Riker's entire life a delusion he has created to mentally escape his imprisonment in a mental asylum? spoilers: no

Suspicions - Good mystery episode, Crusher gets to do stuff

Rightful Heir - Very important Worf episode, good Klingon stuff

Second Chances - uh, kind of bad, but it gets referenced later in DS9

Timescape - super interesting space puzzle, amazing character bits

Descent 1 - WAAATCH

S7

Descent 2 - as above

Liaisons - okay. not great. not bad.

Interface - OK Geordi episode

Gambit 1 - Amazing stuff

Gambit 2 - More amazing stuff

Phantasms - Psychological horror? in my Data? it's more likely than you think. watch

Dark Page - one of the few Lwaxana episodes I don't love

Attached - great Picard/Crusher episode

Force of Nature - environmentalism! is! good!

Inheritance - important Data episode

Parallels - SUCH A GOOD WORF EPISODE

The Pegasus - very important Riker episode

Homeward - Interesting Worf and Prime Directive episode

Sub Rosa - so cringey and terrible, oh my God

Lower Decks - a fun change of pace from the main cast

Thine Own Self - I don't love it, but it is good character stuff

Masks - weird space puzzle episode, I love it but I wouldn't call it Great

Eye of the Beholder - space mystery, it's not fantastic

Genesis - look. this episode is not good. but it has amazing costumework by Michael Westmore. and has some great Picard/Data stuff. watch it.

Journey's End - super important stuff. sets up a lot of stuff for DS9 and VOY

Firstborn - Good Worf/Alexander episode

Bloodlines - More Ferengi stuff, kind of lame

Emergence - space puzzle, weird but interesting

Preemptive Strike - So so so so important

All Good Things... - it's the series finale. and some of the best Trek ever. obviously you're going to watch.

[m00nslippers]

Some Jason Todd/Red Hood-centric Fanfic Recs.

Figured I’d throw up some fanfic recs up in here. I read fanfic like it’s crack so I’ve got a few in my pocket here. Probably a lot of people have had these on lists before but what can I say, quality is quality.

Let’s do this in parts. I’ll do Gen Fics here and shipping ones in another post.

Part 1: Gen fics/Low Romance fics. (If there’s a pairing it’s subtle and not explicit at all).

Jason Todd: The Not-So-Outlaw by GoAwayOlivia: One of the best Jason-centric fics ever in my opinion. Is mostly a New 52 version of Jason in which he and the OG Outlaws save the world and in doing so Jason accidentally has his lifetime of traumatic memories shared with Superman and ends up getting a pardon for all his crimes as Red Hood and is convinced to go back to Gotham and take his life back. Queue inevitable meddling from Tim.

Batman: Arkham Compendium by LananiA3O: The definitive Jason Arkham Knight-verse series. There’s a fic for the before, the after, it’s comprehensive and oh so amazing, chronicling Jason’s time as Robin, his captivity with the Joker, his preparations for invading Gotham, his return to the family and his recovery from trauma. The way it handle’s Jason’s relationship with Dick, Tim and Barbara and his mental health and recovery is especially amazing. It’s basically worth watching an Arkham Knight let’s play just to read this fic.

All the Roofs of Uncertainty by Kieron_ODuibhir: Another great Jason reconciliation fic based on the Pre-Crisis Jason. In this one, Dick is critically injured during a world-wide invasion, and the one who finds him happens to be Red Hood. While getting him help from the JLU’s field hospital, he ends up interacting with the batfam and a bit of soul-searching ensues.

Cigarette Smoke and Snark by ScaryScarecrows: Set in the Arkham verse but also fuses a lot of comics Jason. His personality is especially closer to Rebirth Jason. Just a series of one shots, and a few connected arcs, most of them with dark humor and a bit of angst. The real gold in this fic that makes it different and a must read though is the Militia fics, which detail Jason interacting with his Militia in heartfelt and hilarious situations.

Misadventures of the Baby BatBros by PrettyMissKitty: An AU fic where Jason and Dick befriended Tim as a kid before Jason died. This one is ongoing, but it has amazing versions of both Tim and Jason. What I especially love about this fic is that it really takes the time and effort to point out and highlight Jason’s strengths and what made him a great Robin, and also has the most adorable version of baby Tim ever. Jason calls him a ‘a goddamn baby seal’ like come on. There’s also some fics that pick up after Jason comes back including a reconciliation fic and a very interesting body-swapping fic. Has hints of JayTim but it’s very light and wholesome.

show me yesterday, for i can’t find today by redtruthed: Robin Jay and Red Hood Jay time travel and switch places when Jason comes up against screw-up villain the Time-Twizler. Angst, post-reconciliation and a bit of timeline-fixing ensues as the Batfam is confronted with the younger Jason, and the younger Batman helps reaffirm that older Jason is still loved. Really great depiction of past Batman and both Jasons in particular, it’s got the feels.

Jason Todd - Collector of Strays  by whatomen: Also ongoing, this one is a mix of New 52, Rebirth and some hints of Arkham Knight Jason. Basically details Jason coming back to Gotham (pre any reconciliation, the bats still see him as an enemy and he still hates them) and then systematically failing to mind his own business, working his way up from adopting a dog, to a cat, to some kids and then it all starts to crumble around him as Oliver Queen and the bats start to get involved. What makes this fic special, to me, is actually his close relationship with New 52-version Roy and the perfect Oliver Queen, not to mention showing off how put together Jason can actually be while barely holding himself together.

Dark Angels and Demon Brats by RandomReader13: An ongoing AU wherein Jason is still with the League of Assassins and he develops a close relationship to Damian and his cousin Mara as a teacher/bodyguard/champion/brother. What’s particularly great about it is the way it depicts Jason with Damian, Mara and Talia in a way that feels really heartfelt as well as interesting and makes a point of using Arab words and phrases between them all.

Nests and Cages by LanternWisp, A freaking amazing AU that is heavily pre-crisis Jason, that features his fall as Red Hood, his private and public reconciliation with Bruce and the batfam, insight that he is actually Shiva and a certain martial artists’s son and Cass’s half brother, and his reintroduction to Gotham as Red Bat. Aside from the freaking awesome revelation of his parentage in this story, what make sit amazing is the way Jason reconciles with and accepts both Bruce and Talia as his soul-parents, you might say, as well as makes peace with his biological heritage. Not to mention it gives Jason a slick new power and has a hilarious interlude from the perspective of a Gothamite who is so done with the Wayne lovechild cover-up drama.

Piece By Broken Piece by M00n_Slippers: Shameless plug for my own ongoing fic, which is mostly Rebirth-based with references to New 52 and pre-crisis events. It features Dick inviting Jason to the Run-Offs ex-villain support group, and pretty much focuses on Jason’s traumas and psychology. What I think sets this fic apart is the relationship between Dick and Jason and the misconceptions both of them have about each other.

[scottieharveys]

rant lol

it literally can’t be. no matter how much jason, tasya and whoever fucking else tries to force it down our throats, i refuse to believe becho is the way to go/endgame. seriously, how can a ship with absolutely no built up or development end the show together? i mean they literally went from being enemies to puking inside each other’s mouths from one episode to the other. but that’s not even the issue, b/e would’ve been FINE had it just been a shock factor that only lasted a few episodes or just season 5 at least, but they keep dragging it on FOR WHAT? meanwhile, on the other hand, we have bellarke, the centric ship of the show, whose development has been shown and clear since the very start, and each season is more about the lengths they would go for each other. they are the ones who make the hard decisions, the ones who make mistakes, the ones who get separated by literal space and time yet find their way back to each other, they move the story, it’s ALWAYS about them. and don’t even bother to come at me with the “not everything has to be romantic” crap, because if they so wanted a non-romantic relationship to be the center, the heart of the show, why didn’t they choose the blakes, the only siblings on the show, to take that place? why don’t they get the same importance and substance as bellarke? not to mention that NO relationship on this show, no platonic, no friendly, no familial, not even any romantic relationship comes remotely close to what those two have. neither clarke nor bellamy (nor anyone else on the show, basically) have sacrificed or gone down the lengths that they have for each other for anyone else, not even clarke for madi if you ask me. so yes, whether people want to admit it or not, bellarke IS the show, and i hope with every fiber of my being that jason doesn’t let his pride get full of himself and doesn’t throw their colosal and unique potential away.

[mumbal33]

The Warrior Within

Dark, brooding, and burly, one-time badass Ronon Dex has come a long way since he first jumped through the Stargate. Now a trusted member of the Stargate: Atlantis team, Jason Momoa reveals that there’s more to Ronon than just his muscles…

By Byran Cairns, Stargate SG-1/Stargate Atlantis Magazine

Big guy. Big muscles. Big gun. Big attitude. There’s no denying these qualities immediately impressed Stargate: Atlantis viewers about Ronon Dex, a Satedan soldier from the Pegasus Galaxy who was implanted with a tracking device so the life draining Wraith could hunt him down. After easily getting the drop on Lt Col John Sheppard and Teyla Emmagan in the episode Runner, Ronan agreed to help them capture the infected Lt Ford if Dr. Beckett removed the alien mechanism under his skin. Realizing his potential as an ally against the Wraith, Sheppard later invited him to join his team and although they’ve slowly gained his trust and have been a positive influence on him, it has still been a difficult transition.

“To a certain extent, it has,” notes Momoa in his deep, gruff voice. “Ultimately, Ronon is still kind of a loner but has taken direction from Sheppard as long as he thinks it is right. That is the great part about him though. He’s military so he’ll still react and have that instinct within him but at the same time, he’ll still listen to commands.”

Since his inauguration, Ronon has been a key participant on multiple missions and the outings have given him the opportunity to connect with his team mates and adjust to his surroundings.

“Sheppard is Ronon’s commander but to me, he and Teyla are the only ones I can trust,” offers Momoa. “I go to Teyla for everything because Sheppard isn’t big on the emotional things. If I had a problem, I would go to Teyla because we’re both aliens. She’s like my sister. Shep is like my best friend through the whole thing. Weir is just my boss, I don’t know too much about her but at the same time, I respect her. Rodney is the brains and I’m the brawn and it will always be like that between us. I can kick his ass but he’ll outwit me. Beckett saved my life numerous times and in these episodes, you’ll see he’s probably saved me more than anybody. He is someone I trust and Beckett is like a good buddy now.”

The second season concluded with Ronon and McKay captured and cocooned onboard a hive ship awaiting either rescue of imminent doom. Among the Atlantis squad, those two are arguable the most polar opposite as McKay can be annoying and Ronon takes no crap. The unlikely pairing is a guilty pleasure and the new season sees them sharing even more screen time together while engaging in their trademark witty banter and scathing remarks.

“The upcoming Tao of Rodney is really good because there’s stuff where McKay is getting a lot of power and thinks he can beat Ronon,” reveals Momoa. “I’m like ‘Oh yeah? Want to take me on?’ And he’s like ‘Um no.’ It is still very much him eating all the time and me making fat jokes about him, McKay saying I’m not smart enough or I am his big friend with few syllables. He’s been calling me Caveman too and I call him fat ass. He’ll poke jokes at me or I will poke them at him but there’s a mutual respect. When it comes down to it, he’s saved my life and I’ve saved his. I am the Pitt Bull on the show and I can tear anyone apart. If McKay and me are bickering, I would chop somebody’s head off to save him.”

As the muscles on the series, Ronon’s special talent to intimidate, threaten, and kick some serious Wraith butt makes him better suited as a fighter rather than a peacemaker. Unfortunately, such roles can sometimes be limiting to an actor by not providing enough depth and development.

“Well, that is the character and the way he is,” defends Momoa. “You can’t expect him to get real emotional. That’s hard to write for. That is why in Sateda, there is a lot I don’t say but am suffering through. [Robert] Cooper and a lot of the crew guys were coming up and going ‘Wow! That was amazing!’ I don’t necessarily have to say anthing, but that doesn’t mean I’m not acting. As long as there are good things to chew on and you don’t have to ramble off all this mumbo jumbo like McKay. I would never want to say all theat sci fi garbage or Beckett with his doctor terms. I speak through my actions and the way I hold myself. I’m not the way Ronon is in real life so it is still fun to play but it is an an ensemble cast and they write for everyone.”

Luckily, Stargate: Atlantis has no intention of pigeonholing anyone and the talented writing staff has been shattering any preconceived notions by sprinkling juicy nuggets throughout season three for Ronon. The humorous Irresistible was such a case. With Atlantis somehow enthralled by a man named Lucius Lavin, Momoa was thrilled to see his tough guy alterego crack a smile.

“That was great, man,” he enthuses. “The night before, I was talking with my fiance, was a little intoxicated, and she’s making me laugh. I would go ‘Hhon! Hhon! Hhon!’ and it sounds like a motor. I couldn’t stop laughing. It was one of those giggles and the next day, I had to shoot this scene where I’m laughing and we’ve never heard Ronon laugh at all. I thought it would be great to be this big dumb animal and be, ‘‘Hhon! Hhon! Hhon!’. He just has this big, funny, annoying laugh. Irresistible was fun because I got to laugh and be goofy.”

Momoa also appreciated the series shifting from the Wraith-heavy adventures to something more light hearted.

“That is what is great about the show; we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” he admits. “The most serious character on the show is me. In that respect, Joe Flanigan plays the lead so great. He’s this unsung hero. I love the way everyone acts on the show and that it has that comedy element to it.”

However it was the recent Ronon-centric Sateda which truly excited Momoa. Once again, Ronon encounters the Wraith, returns to his home world, exposes his tragic past and vulnerable side while dealing with a dangerous present day threat.

“I had to do so much in Runner and this year, Sateda just blows it all away,” exclaims Momoa. “They finally gave me something to act with. Being an actor, I want dialogue. My guy doesn’t say much, but when he does… Sateda was an amazing episode and worth everything. We shot it as the third episode, it aired as the fourth, and it was like ‘Oh man! Now there’s not going to be anything! The rest of the season is going to suck!’ but it has been really good!”

According to Momoa, Sateda was probably the series’ most ambitious and time consuming production to date.

“Sateda was unreal,” he acknowledges. “I usually do four or five days per episode and if it is every day, it is with the whole group and I have little lines here and there. Sateda was a 12-day shoot when we normally shoot in seven. It was the biggest budget I think we’ve ever had and the most stunts and explosions. We’ve never had that many locations. I was exhausted. We basically shot a full-on movie in 12 days on a movie schedule.”

The experience was further heightened when Executive Producer Robert Copper stepped in to direct the episode.

“Robert was fantastic to work with,” praises Momoa. “I hadn’t talked to much with him before that. He’s a very quiet guy and I never go up to the office unless there is a serious problem. I came with my ideas and when I first met him, they were having a little meeting so I went in and gave him the hugest hug. I had to prove to him that I could act. He was there every scene, if I needed the set to be quiet, he would make sure they were. He gave me my time. Not to float his boat but he is definitely one of the top directors I’ve worked with on the show, let alone my career.”

Not exactly a big talker, Ronon’s right hook or his weapon shoved in your face speaks louder than words. Thankfully, outside of Stargate: Atlantis, Momoa kept in great shape on Baywatch Hawaii and North Shore. Neither series were as physical taxing as playing Ronon yet the gung ho actor immediately embraced that warrior spirit.

“When I was doing Baywatch Hawaii, my cousin was a big toe in surfing and now he’s a full-on stunt coordinator so I’ve done a lot of water stuff that has been pretty heavy in big waves,” says Momoa. “That was the only thing I knew. I had never really been in any fights and my manager is Japanese so I wanted to work with a stick. I basically did that for a bit and watched movies before I got the role. I watched tons of samurai and action movies, studying people’s body movements which is what actors do. I was finding my own way, incorporating them into the role, and listening to Bam Bam who is just a talented artist and can come up with a fight like that [snaps fingers]. We work well together because he’s not, ‘No, do it this way!’ He takes into account what you made for your character and how your body moves.”

For Momoa, that included laying off a previous injury which flared up early.

“I have bad knees, so grappling and going low are very hard for me,” he notes. “Runner just got me because we didn’t have the lighter guns so it was five-plus pounds and it was hammering on my right knee. At the end of the day, you soak in the bath, have some wine, pop some Advil, and you’ll be fine. But we established Ronon isn’t really a kicker and more of a head butt, punch kind of guy. The studio likes it and it is working well. Sateda did rip me apart because I had armor on too.”

Before the SG-1 spin-off geared up, most of the actors reportedly signed a five-year contract. Yet when asked whether he could imagine himself in the series for the long haul, Momoa momentarily pauses.

“Tough call. I don’t know if I would want to play Ronon for five years. Playing a character for four years is a little much for me so I’d like to move on. Ultimately, I’d like to be in movies. It’s kind of up in the air. This was a fantastic role and I’ve never played anything like it but not to expand or try other things would be selling myself short.”

Naturally, Momoa isn’t necessarily vying for those adrenaline charged parts.

“Originally, I did not want to be an action star,” he confirms. “I felt it was a trap I’d get into and it would come easy for me. I’m a pretty coordinated cat. I don’t want to be an action star because I don’t want to limit myself to anything.”

In the meantime, Momoa couldn’t be happier on Stargate: Atlantis. However, with only a handful of episodes to finish, he isn’t prepared to speculate on where Ronon is heading. Yet after adding his two cents on his imposing, dreadlocked character last year, the 27-year-old is hoping to fulfill a growing ambition on the series.

“I’d really like to do a story and have a credit for that,” says Momoa. “If I stay on the show longer, I’d love to do a director’s attachment where you sit down and go through the whole thing with him in post-production. I’d eventually love to be behind the camera, going through the dailies, editing, and enhancing what has been shot. I’d love to do that. Hopefully that may be possible next season.”

[velvet-tread]

Multishipping Bellarke and Becho: a guide

I know I said I wasn’t going to be here, butttttttt things are getting crazy here and apparently I want to cut my followers down to zero so here goes.

Look, guys, ok I know the vast majority of you are on a scale of ambivalent to nuking North Korea when it comes to Becho and *FINE* I understand why. The Bellarke fandom wants Bellarke (not unreasonable!) so one half of your otp in a relationship galls.

But I love Becho even though I am Bellarke af and honestly the view is GREAT from here and I would love to share some of that good feeling around.

Seeing Bellamy and Echo in what is clearly a very happy and content (yet doomed!) relationship, is basically the most beautiful bittersweet thing to happen to me since Jason chose to serve my own heart up to me on a plate  with ai gonplei ste odon atop the satellite tower *sob*.

So I’m going to have a crack at some of the whys and wherefores of Becho and address how it could fit our Bellarke endgame.

My opinions, ok? I’m not trying to convert anyone, just spread some love.

Why put Bellamy in a long-term relationship at all?

Mostly, I think the answer is in the narrative shorthand the show is using to help us navigate the time jump, and the people Bellamy and Clarke are now. And who is that? Well, we don’t know the whole picture yet but one thing is for sure: Bellamy and Clarke have had a relatively content 6 years. They’re OK. Changed, yes, for a variety of reasons, but psychologically sound compared to, say, the people in the bunker.

Sure, there are some things missing from their lives - I’ll get to the nitty gritty of that later on - but I think we’re supposed to believe that they are more or less happy and healthy and whole.

So, I guess the question is, what does happy and whole Bellamy look like? Not only am I Bellarke af, but I am also a Bellamy stan to the core.  In the context of a 6 year time jump, I want nothing for him but contentment, appreciation and nookie on the regular. And it seems that against the odds, this has happened for Bellamy Bradbury Blake.  In the relative safety of space, in the company of his newfound space family, his impulse to slavishly attend to the everyday needs of his sister curtailed, Bellamy has actually, finally, taken 6 years for himself.

At his core Bellamy is an affectionate person, with a deep need for personal connection and intimacy. And, clearly, he’s attracted to girls and sex is high on his list of needs too (do we all need to be reminded of pre-Bree Bellamy and post-Bree Bellamy in s4?) so the idea of him in space for 6 years deprived of that emotional and physical intimacy just makes me sad.  And so, the shot of his and Echo’s quarters with their double bed, the TV in the corner, the punchbag above the bed (*raised eyebrow*) the shelving unit with 68 canteens on (why Becho, why?) is so heartwarming in its mundane domesticity. It shouted to me: BELLAMY IS OKAY.

Indulge my singing emo heart for a hot second. They clearly appreciate each other. He runs his hands up and down her arms.  She strokes his jaw. THEY ARE SO SOFT.  She soothes his Octavia anxiety. His terrible dad jokes make her laugh and ease her tension. These two people who have spent a life time pleasing others are happy making each other happy.

Oh, and he is JAW-DROPPINGLY NAÏVE.

Watching Bellamy in a comfortable space relationship with someone who hurt him so badly in the past deliver this bizarro rose-tinted expectation of his feisty, judgemental sister suggests that in his mind, everything about his life on Earth is hued in gold. This is a Bellamy who, surrounded by his friends and safety, has forgotten the grim realities of survival, of human frailty and human cruelty.

*foghorn* IT DOESN’T MEAN HE’S FORGOTTEN CLARKE OR DOESN’T LOVE HER ANYMORE. *end foghorn*

In fact, Bellamy finding love with Echo is just about the biggest endorsement of everything that Clarke stood for when she gave him her dying words of wisdom.

This Bellamy has absorbed all of Clarke’s glorious idealism, her ability to forgive, her faith in humanity, her faith in her own agency, her faith that whatever the problem is, there’s a solution. This is what head-and-heart Bellamy looks like.

Finally…realtalk time: I may choke on these words as I type them, but the truth about storytelling is that if you have an endgame ship in mind (and I stfg I refuse to be gaslighted on this any longer) and a 6 year time jump in which they believe each other dead, it would be straight up BIZARRE not to have one of them come back in a long-term relationship. No matter what the writers’ room says about Bellarke or love triangles, that is a conflict opportunity that is too delicious to pass up.  It’s what Satan would do.

But whhhhhyyyy does it have to be Echo?

Sidebar - I’m not going to get in too deep with the forgiveness question, because we’ve all been over it many a time. My take on it is that forgiveness is something you do for yourself,  not for someone else and is not the same as justice – especially when both people involved have things to answer for. For what it’s worth, the show’s take on it seems to be similar (hi Jake Griffin), so I see no reason why this is a problem in terms of tone or characterisation.

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I love Echo, and have a gazillion thoughts about what her arc could or should be this season.  But ultimately, this show is about Bellamy and Clarke, so it’s worth looking at this in terms of what this means for Bellamy’s character.

Basically: this is a question of impact. Echo represents the furthest possible point for Bellamy’s character development in the context they’ve given him (7 people in space for 6 years).  Echo hurt him, but she also represents all the terrible things that he has done himself, all of which he’s been grappling with for the past 2 seasons. So for him to be in a place where he forgives her enough to actually like her and then forge an intimate connection with her – that says more about how far he’s come in terms of forgiveness of others and self-forgiveness than, say, a relationship with Raven.

It doesn’t mean he’s ruined (and seriously, is this the 17th century?) or it’s out of character.  It means he’s taken Clarke’s lessons to heart.

How am I supposed to be invested in this relationship if I haven’t seen the start of it?

Well, I’ve been shipping Becho ever since she spat in his face in MW prior to their joint murder so I mayyy be biased but I would say we’ve been watching their relationship evolve for some time. No, we don’t get to see the point where forgiveness tipped into intimacy, but having been watching them forever it’s not a leap for me to headcanon the rest.

I get that it is a stretch for others but here’s the thing: I don’t think the show is asking us to be invested in Bellamy and Echo because they should be together forever.  The show is asking us to be invested in the peace and stability they found in space, literally in a vacuum, of which Becho is a product.

But if they’re going to split up, what’s the point?

Becho is the perfect illustration of the fragility of peace and human co-operation, which is in turn such a core theme of the show imo.  What Bellamy and the rest of the Spacekru achieved was an environment in which even Becho can forgive and flourish, find love and softness. That’s the goal.  But this isn’t that universe.  Bellamy and Echo were at odds on Earth because the reality of life there is messy, complicated and frightening.

Echo, bless her, knows that very few things are permanent, even the love of a good man. She lost Azgeda, why would she trust anything in her life to be constant after that? But this forgiving, idealistic, measured, comfortable, Clarke-like Bellamy is in for a shock.

You’re not expected to be sad about the demise of Becho because Bellamy and Echo lose each other, but because Becho represents an unsustainable level of stability and comfort that just doesn’t play in this universe.  Much like Clarke and Lexa before them, they’ll have to let go of the dream of a world in which their relationship is possible and I for one will ache for them.

I’m going to say here too that I think in contrast to Becho, I think Bellarke could survive in any environment.  It was forged out of crisis – as Eliza says, they’re in each other’s DNA.  They just have to work out what that means.

Why is it good for Bellarke?

Let’s push aside all my Bellarke shipper reasons for wanting a happy and whole Bellarke to be the people they reconnect with and find lasting love. And the fact that Clarke, too, has experienced a doomed love affair and I want my tragedy babies to be on an equal footing and commonality when they finally get their shit together.

Let’s also push aside the angst potential of Bellamy and Clarke reuniting when one of them has a long-term partner, which makes up the tense character-focused storytelling this show is famous for.

Because, narratively speaking, the way this has been set up is just so Bellarke-centric I cannot even. Bellamy’s life – including his relationship with Echo - and Clarke’s life are the missing puzzle pieces for one another. Bellamy is

happy

but there are a few things he misses.  He misses Octavia, who is practically his own child, and he yearns to be back on the ground with her. And like the rest of Spacekru, he misses the variety of living on Earth eating more than just algae. And guess what?  Clarke, who is also

happy

has both of those things.  She has a fulfilling parental relationship with a child.  She has abundance.  But what doesn’t she have? She misses her friends and family, and adult company. I’m going to go ahead and assume she also misses the comfort and intimacy of a physical romantic relationship too, because we’ve seen her enjoy those things before.  Both of which Bellamy has.  When those pieces unite, when Bellarke reunite, the puzzle becomes complete.

[takaraphoenix]

Hellooo I read some posts of yours under the hashtag “Riordan Critical”, and I really liked your opinions. I was curious, what do you think about Magnus Chase’s serie and, more importantly, about representation in his books?

Warning: The following text will contain high levels of salt that will make the dead sea seem sugary.

This turned out longer than intended, so I decided to shorten it here. Klick and read all of it, but seriously, I am overly salty in this, as a heads-up.

Well, what I mainly think about Magnus Chase is that it’s a cash-grab.

Riordan had one really huge hit with Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

He wrote the Kane Chronicles about the Egyptians and they were… not as popular as that. So he decided to crossover and tie-in and essentially try to convert PJatO readers into “Look, here is your Percy! Check those stories out and discover that you might like Carter so you will buy my other books!”.

Then he tackled the Romans, but straight-up went sequel to PJatO with that, because he saw that non-Percy material wasn’t working as well.

And with the Norse he essentially clickbaited.

“Magnus CHASE. Look at that name! What could it mean? Is it perhaps next gen about Percy and Annabeth’s son? But oh why would he have Annabeth’s last name? Oh, I simply NEED to know!”

That… is literally the only purpose that Magnus being Annabeth’s cousin fulfills. To make really-very sure PJatO readers would also read Riordan’s new series.

There is virtually no other reason why those two are cousins. It would have splendidly worked if it was just about Magnus Hunt, or whatever kind of alternative last name you might like. Just something that doesn’t tie it together with PJatO.

So, that was kind of a turn-off for me.

Additionally, as you did notice due to reading my other Riordan Critical posts, I’m not exactly a fan of Heroes of Olympus. It had a lot of potential, but the author didn’t feel the need to explicitely write even half of said potential. It also showed that while Riordan was great at writing kids and dealing with them, he flat-out sucks at teenagers because inexplicably all they seem to care in his mind is romance.

So the idea of a book-series where we right away start off with teenagers already gave me a mighty migraine caused by Riordan’s shipping history.

Another turn-off.

Lastly… please call back your bald eagle and roll up that star-spangled banner, Riordan, America is not the center of the universe.

PJatO was written during a time where yes, America was very centric and even respected. 90s and early 2000s, yes, I agree, America was basically the center of the world. So to have the Greek gods move there, okay. I’m buying it.

But to have the Greek gods live in New York City and then tie the Kane Chronicles also into the same universe and also have the Egyptian gods sit in Brooklyn, New York…

And then add the Romans, who - hey, wow, San Francisco and not New York! What a shock. Such surprise.

Yeah, no, that’s still the US. You could have, at the very least and to make it at least a tiny bit realistic that you’re retconning Romans in, have them be seated in Europe. Instead of also the US. Because sure, totally, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans never-ever run into each other while they all got their home-base in the same damn country.

And now, what a shocker, the Norse gods also moved to the United States of America.

Newsflash: America really actually isn’t the center of the universe and, this might come as a surprise, America is not that popular anymore either.

The sheer egocentrism of having Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Norse gods all abandon their original continents to move to the US kind of makes me nauseous at this point.

No. No, America is not that great. No, not all the gods of the entire world want to move to the country where trans people aren’t allowed to use restrooms anymore, where unarmed black people are shot by the police, where children have to march for the right to not be shot at school, where women have to travel to another state to maybe get an abortion.

No, your country is not that great, Riordan, please stop acting like it.

It’s quite frankly very insulting that Riordan treats Europe like a pesky, underdeveloped little thing that’s not worthy its own gods attention.

I could buy one pantheon moving on the US. I don’t buy four.

If you want to write US centric god stories, how about you give native Americans some rep and start writing about their gods. Who, you know, would thus also just stay in their own country for a change.

I just really can’t accept the fact that he now also moved the Norse gods up to the US and that oh my such coincident, Frey fucked the sister of Annabeth’s dad so now the Chases attracted two different pantheons.

That’s just too much bullshit, click-baiting and things that make me weary from experience with his last series.

So. Yeah. I haven’t read it and nor do I have plans of reading it, because literally not a single thing about it seems worth reading and all the things I just listed make alarm bells go off in my head.

Also, just one more salty add-on: Personally, I think that his representation in Magnus Chase is also click-bait. He realized there is a huge audience for LGBTQ+ characters when he made Nico gay so he is now focusing more on representation for popularity’s sake.

Look, I know that last part in particular is really very bitter and everyone who reads the books and is happy about the representation given in them should. Of course. We don’t get enough rep in YA novels.

Nico di Angelo was handled horrendously. In my opinion.

I loved House of Hades and the plot of Nico coming out to Jason. Don’t get me wrong, not everything Riordan does is awful, obviously I also like a lot of his stuff, otherwise I wouldn’t have read it.

I one hundred percent believe that Nico was intended as gay from the get-go, because the evidence for his canonical love for Percy is all over PJatO. It was good writing. It was a brilliant set-up.

The level of angst Nico dealt with in HoO was good. Realistic, especially for a kid from the 30s.

But then Blood of Olympus ended and Riordan, I don’t know, panicked. He completely rushed and butchered everything that he had been setting up for years now and it is... At its very core, this was the moment where he lost all of my trust, really.

When Nico flippantly confesses to his feelings for Percy in public. A week ago, he couldn’t even admit it in front of Jason and a god, even with high stakes, but all of a sudden he has the confidence to confess not just to being gay but to his feelings for Percy.

And then this utterly rushed job of “Well, he was in love with Percy for years, but over the past five days, he totes 100% got over it and now he has a crush on Only Other Gay, whom he spoke a total of about 5 sentences to”, just because Riordan can’t live without shipping.

Nico had been through so much. Give the boy time. Yes, okay, let him bond with Will, but there was no need to rush the “suddenly over Percy” shit and the coming out of the closet thing.

Riordan’s middle-aged straight man was showing hard there and as a lesbian, who went through the spiel of denial, hiding and coming to terms myself, I felt... I was genuinely emotionally crushed for weeks by what a shitty job he did with Nico’s coming out.

It’s not even about the ship. I never expected Nico and Percy to get together at the end, I’m not an idiot, I know he’d never break his OTP up.

It’s solemnly about the fact that Nico coming out to Percy was handled like a fucking joke. Flippant and fun and “You’re not my type haha now I’m off with Only Other Gay”.

He could have had Nico bonding with Will. He could have had Nico getting over Percy. He could have had Nico confessing to Percy.

But it all needed more time. The book was ending though, so he rushed through it and slapped a shotty, shitty ending to Nico’s coming out arc and it still makes me so intensely angry.

There is just no way that Riordan didn’t know he’d force another sequel outta those books. So there was absolutely no reason to rush it all.

He could have just had it end in the infirmary. Even with Will making his comments and even with Nico being flustered. But end it there.

Give us a Nico who is more settled at Camp Half-Blood and who is more settled with his sexuality and who would have then come out publically and confessed to Percy. Months after that book, in the next series. Time that would have given Nico the chance to fully embrace himself before opening up to others.

But that’s not possible for Riordan. Riordan needs a happy ending and both PJatO as well as HoO proved that happy endings only work with romance. The great happy ending of PJatO was less about the end of the war but had to be celebrated in an overly cheesy underwater kiss between his OTP. The great happy ending for HoO was that Piper and Jason were happy, Frank and Hazel were happy, Percy and Annabeth were planning to go to college together wtf how is that even possible Percy just missed an entire year of school he ain’t graduating high school any time soon, Nico and Will were going off into the sunset together and the grand finale was literally Leo and Calypso flying into the sunset together. Not a single friendship or family based happy ending. It’s all about the romance and everyone has to be in their one true love best by the age of 14 because that is so wildly realistic.

Riordan has so completely lost my trust over the course of Heroes of Olympus that I can’t help but wonder about the actual motivation behind the things he chose to do there, because many of his past decisions really can just be tracked back to money and popularity.

Many of his decisions made in Heroes of Olympus themselves, for example, directly reflect him rolling over onto his back to try and please his readers (-> spoiling the finale of HoO over a year prior to the final book being published by tweeting how none of the Seven will die in the finale. Thanks for taking out all of the suspense). It’s a habit of his and it keeps getting worse and I’m just… not there to stay and witness.

I’m the kind of girl who doesn’t want to continue being dragged down by something when it’s shitty. When something loses quality so drastically, I do the healthy thing - and quit. And I quit after Blood of Olympus and I have absolutely no intention of ever touching another Riordan book again, unless it’s PJatO for rereading purposes - because that was still actual quality.

Now, lastly, on the matter of representation. Well. It’s a bit pathetic?

I mean, PJatO had Charles Beckendorf, who’s black, and Ethan Nakamura, who’s Japanese, and… literally every other character who was in any way or shape important, was white. And the only two POC were killed off during the Titan War.

Then he wrote the sequels. Leo - Latino. Reyna - Latina. Hazel - black. Frank - Asian. Piper - native American.

It was… Let’s be real, it felt like he was trying to cram as much representation in there as humanly possible to make up for how white the first series was. But I wouldn’t particularly call it representation, because aside from stating their ethnical backgrounds, he didn’t really do a lot with it. It had very little effect on the books and on the characters themselves.

There was like one tiny scene of Piper in a flashback with her grandpa and for a second there I thought he was using that to set up the next spin-off books about native American gods, tied in with Piper’s family, but that didn’t happen.

Reyna being Puerto Rican only… came into play when they were in Puerto Rico, but that was also… not really of actual importance. Like, the scenes as they were could have as well happened in Miami with a white girl.

The thing is, I recently watched One Day at a Time and it’s about a family with roots in Cuba and their Cuban heritage is important. They’re by no means reduced to being Cuban, but it’s integrated into the story. It’s important to the plot and it’s important to the characters’ personality. Now that is what I would call representation.

To actually go and do something, work with the ethnical backgrounds you give your characters.

Traditions, language, pride in their heritage. Cultural clashes, maybe.

Like for Hazel, who is a black girl from the 40s and from whom I would have liked to see more wonder or maybe even anger upon what has changed and what hasn’t changed since her childhood. Riordan teased it, a little, in the flashback about Hazel and Sammy, but in the end, that was only mainly for more love-drama too because it wasn’t enough that this 13 year old girl had Frank in love with her and Leo crushing on her, no, it was vital to add some past romantic drama for her.

And that’s just not something Riordan does. He slaps an ethnical background onto the characters and that’s kind of… it. He writes romance novels by now, where everything else has gotten rather secondary.

I can’t speak for Magnus Chase because I haven’t read it. I’m aware there is a Muslima lead, a genderfluid lead and a character who is mute or deaf, I’m unsure about that one I just know ASL is represented in the series in some way.

All of those can be good. If he actually does a good job with it. If it’s just sub-plot stuff that’s tagged on and not worked with, well, that’d be a shame. Personally, I don’t trust him to prioritize any of those things over his shipping, but I’ll hope that it’s good and at the very least, it seems satisfying enough.

Then again... I don’t read too much critical thinking in this fandom and too much blind love for “Uncle Rick” who can’t do no wrong, so... I don’t trust that to reflect how the books really do.