#c: batman: son of the demon

[martyrbat]

batman: son of the demon

[ID: three panels of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul being in love (and horny) for each other. In the first one, Bruce is in their luxurious bedroom for the first time and is awkwardly standing in his costume as Talia is behind a dressing screen and is changing into a white, satin négligée with lace detailing on it. She reminds him that they technically are married (and that she consented readily to it) but Bruce confesses, “I remember. But it's hard for me to consider that marriage real.” Talia emerges from behind the screen, looking as beautiful as ever as she walks up to him and eases his cowl off. She tells him, “Beloved, you give too much thought to what is ‘real,’ and what is not, to what is ‘true,’ and what is ‘false...’ I realize that is your way, but just this once, accept things as they are...” He strips himself of his clothes as they move to the bed—Talia laying on her back as he's between her legs. She continues to speak, “Forego your control, your discipline... just once, let yourself go... and take me with you.” Her arms slip around his neck as they kiss passionately.

The second panel is lineart of them against a white background. They look at each other lovingly, her hands reaching up to be on his shoulders as he holds her waist. The narration boxes read: ‘While still finding time to be a newlywed, a role in which he is quite unskilled... but—to his delight—quickly learns.’

In the third panel, several weeks have past. Bruce and Ra's al Ghul are walking before Talia interrupts and asks her beloved for a word. Bruce starts to ask if it can wait, due to him and Ra's discussing an important mission but she tells him it cannot. Ra's reassures, “Go, detective, we shall speak of this later.” Bruce and Talia pull away to talk in private, the background a beautiful, bright ombré of red and yellows. She has her arms up on his shoulders as he holds her waist and starts to ask, “Now, Talia, what's so impor—” but she quickly shares, “Beloved, I am with child.” Bruce starts to repeat her but Talia already confirms again, “I am pregnant.” She continues to look up at him, patiently waiting for his response as Bruce stares straight ahead, obviously in shock. He slowly repeats the words back to her in an attempt to register them, “You're... pregnant?” Before he suddenly beams! He pulls her into a tight, close embrace as he excitedly announces, “That's wonderful!” Talia smiles at him and says, “Isn't it?” Before her father can shake Bruce's hand with his own warm smile. Bruce still holds Talia's hand as Ra's tells him, “Detective, Dr. Weltmann could not keep this from me. My congratulations.” END ID]

[cannedinternets]

Yanno, a thing i see a LOT in fics is that the Batfam think Danny is a meta, b/c ghosts don't exist. Which is valid, i mean they ARE a team of detectives with a shitton of wacky themed rogues and, at least on batman's part, a noted distaste for and disbelief in magic and the supernatural.

But bruce and tim have both worked with ghosts directly. (Maybe the others too? fuck there's a LOT of comics and animated series and-) So i think it would be much funnier if they think he's not a ghost, b/c Ghosts Don't Work That Way.

In fact, b/c Communication Is Not The Batman's Strong Suit, I think it's funny if all of them are wrong but for different reasons.

Bruce - has worked with Deadman. You can't see or interact with ghosts without magical outside intervention. Thinks Danny is a magic user who transforms a la Shazam/Captain Marvel.

Dick - Clown trauma? Mind control Trauma? One of your rogues tried to brainwash you to be his son/weapon? Damn kid you're like me if i had it even worse. Thinks Danny is a "regular" kid vigilante with a schtick.

Babs - Well the video evidence she can find deffo lines up with him being a super, but there's a hardcore blackout around his town, he doesn't legally exist, AND any outside info she runs into is usually cutoff by someone (tucker or technus depending), AND he's mentioned cloning. So he's probably a designer "cloned" (ugh dc that's not how cloning works) meta kid that's being taken advantage of by the government and/or cadmus.

Cass - Thinks Danny is a terrible liar (true) who is counting on the refuge in audacity to keep people from realizing what he is (also true). Thinks he's someone who got themed meta powers in a lab accident and is playing up the ghost thing b/c he fights ghosts constantly.

Jason - Glowing green eyes? Ability to manifest green constructs that look like they're made of goo? Constant death jokes? Aww, this dude is just another me but he is also a meta/somehow got anime girl powers out of getting dunked in the lazarus pits.

Tim - worked with Secret. Ghosts can fly, shapeshift, go intangible, teleport, posses people. Thinks phantom is an actual ghost that is possessing/overshadowing Danny, possibly consensually? He's looking into it. Ironically, is the closest to the truth.

Steph - Hasn't seen Danny do anything that the other bats can't do, and HAS seen him work on an engineering project for 16 hours straight. Thinks Danny is something like the bats, either under-powered or completely non-powered and makes up for it with tech and mystique. Also thinks Danny is a great ally in gremlinship.

Duke - his Ghost Sight does NOT play well with ghosts, ironically. Thinks Danny is some sort of eldritch horror with a human guise. He seems cool tho, Duke isn't gonna judge someone based on looks even if they do give him migraines.

Damian - thinks that Danny is a Pit Demon and you are all insane.

Jarro - thinks Danny is a Green Martian. Also thinks Danny is awesome.

[tanoraqui]

☔ for the ask game? (idea you're not sure you'll write, if the emoji doesn't come through)

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

I kind of dropped out of the MDZS fandom like a rock after finishing my novel-length longfic, and the fic I most regret leaving unwritten is a bullet-point au in which Jiang Fengmian just cannot find his friends' lost son, he gives up, so Wei Wuxian grows up entirely on the streets, scrounging his way to enough cultivation education to invent demonic cultivation (because that's still the kind of person he is), and JFM assuages his conscience a little by inviting a different random clever basically-an-urchin - Meng Yao - into Jiang Sect.

Highlights include:

Meng Yao: wow the obvious fault lines in this family make everyone so easy to manipulate- wait, am I being offered real affection and trust? That's...fine.

Meng Yao trying desperately to hide his background, but he goes to visit his mother when she's ill. Jiang Cheng follows him, because Meng Yao is his best (only) friend, and Jiang Yanli follows Jiang Cheng to make sure he doesn't get in trouble, and then (JYL steps on JC's foot to stop him from saying the first thing that comes to mind) they both react with compassion and sympathy rather than scorn to Meng Shi and her profession. Meng Yao experiences several more Real Emotions.

Teen rogue cultivator Wei Wuxian just kinda. invites himself. to Lan Summer School, on the strength of Cangse Sanren's name. JFM is delighted when he hears, encourages JC to befriend him (Meng Yao: [jealous cat hisses]) and would have invited him home at the end of the summer...if WWX didn't get himself expelled halfway through for punching Jin Zixuan's smug face.

He also crashes Terrible Wen Summer Camp. Gets stuck in a cave with Lan Wangji, etc.

Wei Wuxian has kinda been a Batman-esque vigilante in Yiling (moody, dramatic, clad in black, fights ghosts and also bad guys). When the Wens move in, he shifts to being a more actively anti-authoritarian Batman-esque vigilante. Wen Qing is annoyed. Wen Ning is enamored.

The Wens attack Lotus Pier, because they were always going to attack Lotus Pier next. Jiang Cheng does get his golden core torn out. Wen Ning rescues him, because Wen Ning is always a hero even if Wei Wuxian isn't immediately present. Meng Yao decides it's time to do what he does best...so he promised Jiang Cheng that he'll be back, then goes to the Nightless City and says, "oh golly gee, I, second disciple of Jiang Sect, am so defeated and humbled by the mighty Wen! Can I please join, oh magnificent masters?"

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian has rescued Lan Xichen (this is gonna get him so many bonus points with his sexy law-abiding nemesis LWJ) , and then gotten himself thrown into the Burial Mounds for snarking at Wen Chao...which is a lot like throwing Brer Rabbit into the briar patch

Sunshot Campaign! With no golden core, JC can't really rebuild Jiang Sect, but he gets reliable intel from a man on the inside and he humbles himself enough to ask Wei Wuxian for tutelage in talismans, and of course you'd literally need to tie him up to keep him from going out and kicking ass.

Wei Wuxian is peak Yiling Patriarch because it's the right thing to do. (LWJ: Come back to Gusu with me (so I can aggressive cleanse your spirit, then maybe dick you down so hard that neither of us can movie for a week))

AFTER THE WAR: Jin Guangshan dramatically recognizes war hero/Wen Ruohan-slayer Meng Yao as Jin Guangyao, his son and new sect member... and Meng Yao, having grown up with the absolute Ride Or Die nature of Jiang Sect, and with more intimate knowledge (via JYL's engagement and YZY's friendship with Madame Jin) of how much JGS sucks, says, "Thanks but no thanks, I will be staying with my sworn brother and sect leader Jiang Wanyin to rebuild Jiang Sect."

It's just about his ambitions, okay! He'll FUNCTIONALLY be Sect Leader; Jiang Cheng literally doesn't have a golden core! (Though he's still absolutely first-rate in swordwork and his talismans are fucking superb. The thing about Jiang Cheng is that he will rise to the occasion, always.) Also, that 'sworn brother' thing was not agreed upon in advance; Meng Yao totally publicly backed him into that corner - in which he didn't mind being. Jiang Cheng is pretty damn sure he's getting the better of this deal, and he's kinda right.

Between JC's prestigious name and insane levels of personal dedication, MY's people skills and equally insane (but slightly more calculated) levels of personal dedication, and JYL securing a very favorable loan from Madame Jin, they hella get Jiang Sect back on its feet.

Meanwhile, WWX has again refused to go with LWJ to learn "proper" cultivation or anything else...and JGS is seeking power, and abusing Wen prisoners of war...

Wen Qing comes to Lotus Pier, finds Meng Yao, and says, "Please help save my brother. We helped save yours. You owe us this much." Meng Yao, being Meng Yao, thinks, I do rather owe here, but this is politically delicate... Who can I foist this off on whom I don't mind seeing torn apart by every righteous sect... and forwards her to Wei Wuxian.

Who does his righteous Wei Wuxian thing

There's a big dramatic meeting of sect leaders & etc about this, in which JGS beats his war drums, etc. etc. Meng Yao feels slightly bad but not, like, that bad. Wei Wuxian tried to steal his brother when they were teenagers, and again while MY was away during the Sunshot Campaign, so he probably deserves to die.

Afterwards, JYL with her unerring Older Sister senses pulls MY (and JC) aside and hisses, "A-Yao, what did you do?"

Do they end up saving the day? Is Wei Wuxian just destined to doom himself with his particular combination of pride, self-neglect, and blithe refusal to play by everyone else's rules? I never actually decided!

[fancyfade]

NGL I do love pre 2011 batfam all having such different internal motivation around killing (and if they agree it's never OK, the why it is not OK is different for people).

Like Bruce has rules that he tries to follow. these are for many reasons, some to keep himself in check, some because if the entire point of Batman is that no other family is torn apart him killing people is literally defeating that point, it reads as generally ideology based. and I think that Bruce's character traits in the 70s or 80s where even if he doesn't kill people he isn't super distraught if they die is kind of interesting and it's a shame the writers dropped it. tho IG it could also be character development. (should note: he also has accidentally killed people but doesn't blame himself for it in some 80s comics like son of the demon)

Cass's rhetoric is based on her compassion and perfectionism and just. it's wrong period. no one deserves to die, and since she always has to be perfect, she always has to be able to save everyone even people who are trying to kill her. i feel like even if there was a case where someone had to kill someone else in self defense, cass would never view that as acceptable for herself because she should always be able to solve everything perfectly.

babs is sometimes vocally anti-killing people but i think it's fucking fascinating that she is also shown as being willing to potentially kill someone pretty often (at least pre new 52 when they removed 95 percent of her personality). not wanting to be faced with the prospect of being a victim again, she lures thinker into a trap with the intention of killing him. even after she's gotten more solid footing, she still is willing to kill to protect other people (she starts getting ready to snipe black mask when she thinks he will kill someone who was working for her in no man's land, before helena as batman shows up) and she is willing to authorize huntress to use lethal force to protect tim.

and tim's rhetoric for not killing people is very 'becuase bruce said so'. no seriously like (link) his rhetoric for a lot of what he does as robin is based on following The Rules ™. who made the rules? Bruce. and if he breaks the rules he feels unworthy. it would've been cool if the writers had acknowledged this way they wrote him so he could develop his own moral code, but I'm not sure they did in what I read. generally bruce was right because he's batman, so tim following bruce's rules for the most part is tim being right. no need to think of it further

dick is very anti-murder in ntt because heroes don't do that ™ and he seems less so in later comics. like he beats himself up a ton for nearly beating the joker to death but in later nightwing issues he's fine with people getting hit by ricochet when they are shooting at him and it is unclear if he maybe causes this guy to get hit by lightning, which kills him (but he had to do it to save a baby). i guess like with tomasi's run on nightwing and late new earth continuity, he just seems in general unconcerned with the whole debate and like. he doesn't use lethal force b/c that's not what you do, but he also doesn't let himself get too concerned about it, and when he was in NTT it was very much just. those are the rules (like tim)

damian's rhetoric starts out opposite from everyone's because killing your enemies is just what you do. like not even out of malice if writers are keeping anything consistent from the original LoS/LoA goal it should be to save people/the world. and he evolves from there. post R:SoB, fter his character arc, he seems to be one of the more anti-killing members of the batfam, probably behind cass, and a lot of it is based in the belief in people to change and his own feeling of guilt and empathizing with the people they fight because! Why was I any different from them? (he does not accept that he was a kid as a reason for why he should be held less responsible). and it's not just a case of 'not killing people b/c they are like me' he often tries to get them to reform. cass does this too.

and you have helena who is portrayed in batfam comics as like. having a super high body count but its fucking hilarious if you read her solo b/c she really doesn't. and she does kill 2 people in her solo, a lot of the time it seems to be based on even if they are a bad person and by her rhetoric they deserve to die, how she is feeling when it is going down. like she was going to rescue one of the guys responsible for killing her parents before he said something indicating he was intending on using her or something that triggered her (I can't remember the exact dialogue) which like what an IDIOT. and she also killed a serial killer, but i believe she felt personally responsible for the serial killer since she had inadvertently provided him with the means to escape from prison and failed to stop him before. i feel like even if she goes in a situation thinking "I am definitely going to kill this guy" she does not always do it, and frequently she can lean to leniency barring external circumstances. but she doesn't consider herself as someone who considers killing automatically wrong, even though there isn't a ton of things different from her situation than from dick or babs's, both of whom who have either been ready to kill people or been unconcerned if people they were fighting died or both.

and then obviously you have jason who is very pro-murder (i'm only going w/ pre flashpoint continuity b/c that's the one i've read more of), who does not care if people who aren't 100% deserving to die by his standards are killed by him (he kills drug dealers w/o giving them a chance to follow his rules to intimidate people or b/c he has no need of them after consolidating his power, he poisons people he can't control who he is poisoning in prison, causing many people to die -- both of these written by winick, generally regarded as the 'good' pre FP jason writer), because he is acting from a place of trauma and pain but believes that if he can control crime correctly he can 'fix' things -- but his reasoning is very based on his own personal experiences and not in compassion for others, or at least the people he allegedly is helping are very abstract and not real for him. and like. it's an interesting character trait because LOTS of batfam members' motives aren't really even tied into compassion when talking about not killing (dick's aren't, tim's aren't, babs's aren't), and some also have their personal experiences highly motivating them (babs, cass, damian).

i realize that steph is not on here but she is also like. really changing based on the writer (so do the others, but her evolution felt harder to track). i feel like pre batgirl-ing, she definitely feels some people deserve to die and might kill someone in anger if they reminded her of her dad and no one stopped her. batgirling, her writing is different, the writer wants to portray her as a little 'softer', more based on hope, but the writer does not actually show us how she changed, which is frustrating.

anyway i just think they're all so interesting and i love them

[genderenvyelimination]

First Round Masterlist Part 2:

3/20/2023:

Johnny C. | Johnny The Homicidal Maniac vs. Kurapika | Hunter x Hunter

Tangerine | Bullet Train vs. Double Trouble | She-ra

Grell Sutcliff | Black Butler vs. Snufkin | Moomin

Roronoa Zoro | One Piece vs. Korra | Legend of Korra

Kusuriuri | Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales vs. Smaug | The Hobbit

Gabrielle De Lioncourt | The Vampire Chronicles vs. Jiraya | Naruto

Hikaru Hoshina | Star Twinkle Precure vs. Koki Kariya | The World Ends With You

Duncan | Total Drama Island vs. Gerard Keay | The Magnus Archives

Sceptile | Pokemon vs. SMT Demons | Shin Megami Tensei

The Onceler | The Lorax vs. Ferris Argyle | Re: Zero

Jim Starling | Ducktales 2017 vs. Grusha | Pokemon

Mabel | Gravity Falls vs. Maleficient | Maleficient

3/21/2023:

Juo | High Rise Invasion vs. JD | Heathers

Red Son | Lego Monkie Kid vs. Jean Descole | Professor Layton

Donatello Hamato | ROTTMNT vs. Larry Johnson | Sally Face

Ellie Sattler | Jurrassic Park vs. Monster Belos | The Owl House

Casey Jones | TMNT 2012 vs. Kimiko Ross | Dresden Codak

Neteyam | Avatar: The Way of Water vs. Dean Winchester | Supernatural

Marty McFly | Back to the Future vs. Takumi Usui | Maid-sama

Mischa Bachinski | Ride the Cyclone vs. Jinx | Arcane

N | Pokemon vs. Floofty Fizzlebean | Bugsnax

Calcifer | Howl's Moving Castle vs. Young Nihil | Ghost BC

Envy | Full Metal Alchemist vs. Mae | Night in the Woods

The Cat | The Cat Returns vs. Joker | The Lego Batman

3/22/2023:

Vinny Folson | Lego Ninjago vs. Blue Spirit | Avatar: The Last Airbender

Deidara | Naruto vs. Blahaj | IKEA

Viktor | Arcane vs. Haruka Tenou | Sailor Moon

Human Bill Cipher | Gravity Falls vs. Spectra | Bakugan

Seteth | Fire Emblem 3 Houses vs. Rouxls | Deltarune

Guybrush Threepwood | Monkey Island Series vs. Alex Fierro | Magnus Chase

Joker | Persona 5 / Royale vs. Dottore | Genshin Impact

Nausicaa | Nausicaa of the Wind vs. Macaque | Lego Monkie Kid

Phone Guy | FNAF vs. Candace Flynn | Phineas and Ferb

Anthony J. Crowley | Good Omens vs. Link | Breath of the Wild

Maisie Lockwood | Jurassic World Dominion vs. Zasp | Bug Fables

Nagito Komaeda | Danganronpa vs. Kurotowa | Nausicaa Manga

3/23/2023:

Dave Strider | Homestuck vs. Eda Clawthorne | The Owl House

Super Star Rockin' Jay | Ninjago vs. Ladybug | Bullet Train

Marcy Wu | Amphibia vs. Willem Dafoe | Spiderman/Wes Anderson Films

Noah | Total Drama Island vs. Jack Sparrow | Pirates of the Carribean

Distortion! Micheal Shelley | The Magnus Archives vs. Ralsei | Deltarune

Crona | Soul Eater vs. Lucilius | Gran Blue Fantasy

Papa Emeritus III | Ghost Bc vs. Augustus Sinclair | Bioshock 2

Luka Couffaine | Miraculous Ladybug vs. Ryan Akagi | Infinity Train

Gonzo | Muppets vs. Gunpowder Tim | The Mechanisms

Teruki Hanazawa | Mob Psycho 100 vs. Columbo | Columbo

Nahobino | Shin Megami Tensei V vs. Kuvira | Legend of Korra

Legolas | Lord of the Rings vs. William Afton | Five Nights at Freddy's

3/24/2023:

Victor Frankenstein | Frankenstein vs. Klavier Gavin | Ace Attorney

Eric Draven | The Crow vs. Medic | Team Fortress 2

Alador Blight | The Owl House vs. Vlad Plasmius | Danny Phantom

Vash the Stampede | Trigun vs. Juno Steel | Penumbra Podcast

Desire | The Sandman vs. Bipper | Gravity Falls

[johnvenus]

RIP Alan Grant

9th Feb 1949 -  20th July 2022  

Meant to post this on the day he passed but it gets exhausting repeatedly writing tributes for creators who made an impact on you. But lets cut to the chase:  

Alan Grant was a prolific writer who was part of the British Invasion of comics talent in the 80′s and 90′s. He has worked on multiple titles ranging from 2000 AD, Judge Dredd, the Demon, Shadow of the Bat and Detective Comics.    What I remember him the the most for though, is his work on the Batman comics.    

In the 90′s, Alan Grant, Chuck Dixon and Doug Monech were the big three Batman writers and this was the period I got into DC comics. Paired with the immensely talented Norm Breyfogle (who also passed away a few years back), the duo gave us Batman stories that were not only dark, moody and noir-ish but also very human.    

Amongst the duos most well known creation was the villainous duo Ventriloquist and Scarface:   

And despite being a relatively recent villain, the characters became a staple of Batman’s rogues gallery after they were adapted in the seminal Batman: The Animated Series. 

Grant also played a key role in the development of Tim Drake’s character, he wrote the story in which Jack and Mary Drake were poisoned by the Obeah Man resulting in Mary’s death and Jack’s paralysis:  

And the subsequent fallout of Tim dealing with his parent’s death and the Master of Fear story arc that showcased Tim’s early outings as Robin:   

Grant is also responsible for introducing grim and serious slasher villain rouges like Kadaver, Cornelious Stirk and most famously Mr Zsaz:  

And whilst these villains were disturbed individuals who loved to stalk and torture and treated human lives as disposable meat, Grant also used this as an opportunity to flesh out citizens who lived in Gotham. Whether it was a homeless man living on a street corner or an orphan grieving the loss of their parents at a grave yard or a single mom who happens upon a dead body or Jack and Mary Drake reflecting on how they’ve been neglecting their son whilst being held hostage by the Obeah Man, Grant showed the inner lives and humanity of the citizens of Gotham thus Batman’s role as the protector of the city had a deeper meaning, showing that he was making a difference in their individual lives.      

Grant’s Batman was also never stoic in the face of darkness, thanks to Norm’s expressive art style, the full range of Batman’s emotions were on display as he confronted the darkest side of humanity:

  Shock, horror, rage and disgust. These emotions never made Batman seem weak at all. Some, like Bruce Timm seem to prefer a Batman who is an emotionless robot but I like a Batman who is human and can feel emotions besides rage.

On the other side of the coin, Grant also gave us Anarky:   

Contrary to what other writers would tell you, Anarky was never a villain. Antagonist, yes but not a villain.    

Grant also gave us the excellent, ‘Batman of Arkham Asylum’ Elseworlds; set in the 1900′s it’s a more thoughtful exploration of mental illness in Gotham Rogues and gave us a Batman who was a psychologist at Arkham by day and a vigilante by night. It also has the best take on Killer Croc/Waylon Jones in comics and I’m glad sympathetic Croc has crept it’s way to canon:   

Also, I’m probably the only guy who remembers and appreciates the Human Flea and bummed that nobody has brought him back:    

And misses one shot C-list villains like Chancer and Nimrod:  

This was a fun arc that ran from Shadow of the Batman #7-9 drawn by Tim Sale (who sadly also passed away this year) in which D list villains like Killer Moth, Calendar Man, Catman and Chancer kidnap Bruce Wayne, Commissioner Gordon and Mayor Armand Krol and holds them ransom. Now Tim Drake has to rescue them with the help of anti-hero Nimrod:

  It’s a fun Reservior Dogs style heist story but starring Batman villains. Also a rare occasion where Killer Moth isn’t portrayed as the laughing stock of Gotham:   

And sometimes, the characters you thought were going to be villains were never villains at all:   

And to wrap this up, Grant also wrote the Batman/Etrigan the Demon cross over and is responsible for giving us this hilarious panel from Detective Comics #601-603:  

Godspeed, Grant.  

Thanks for all the stories.   

[outoftimewriting]

I have been listening to Welcome to the Black Parade (the album) for like a whole hour inside my head as I read about Jason Todd and it f i t s w a y t o o m u c h

so I'm writing as if this is a jason todd musical mcr style, that little emo (maybe the tracks are out of order about events but)

now hear me out

the first track is "The End" and it's serving Ghost!Jason at his own grave/funeral afterward his death

"you might wake up and notice you're someone you're not" = jason waking up in the grave

"another contusion, my funeral jag/here's my resignation, i'll serve it in drag" = his final time as robin ?? his resignation from the role, his fights with bruce, him getting more violent?

"come on, come on, oh, come on, i said save me (get me the hell out of here)" = he dying in the joker's hands

"save me! (too young to die, and my dear)" = do i really need to explain?

also the whole song is about a funeral

the second track is "Dead!" and i could make the same comparison (jason is dead hehe) but this song is actually Jason singing to himself AND joker as the red hood

"and if your heart stops beating, i'll be here wondering: did you get what you deserve? the ending of your life" = the joker dying would be enough to punish him?

"have you heard the news that you're dead? no one ever had much nice to say, i think they never liked you anyway" = so this is jason's dramatic ass bitch comeback singing to the joker and HIMSELF about how no one really mourned him

"wouldn't it be grand to take a pistol by the hand" = definitely red hood

"oh motherfucker, if life ain't just a joke, then why are we laughing?" = this is the joker's answer. or maybe is jason being extra dramatic because there's also a line "then why am i dead?"

then it comes the "This is How I Disappear" track, which is basically Jason and Bruce talking

"to un-explain the unforgivable, drain all the blood and give the kids a show" = the confrontation in the tower with tim

"there's things that i have done, you never should ever know" = this is about jason's breaking the "rule"

"and live my life alone, forever now / who walks among the famous living dead" = jason talking about him going solo and being dead

"you wanna see how far down i can sink? let me go fuck" = jason screaming at bruce

The next track, "The Sharpest Lives", it's really all about The Outlaws

"a light to burn all the empires, so bright the sun is ashamed to rise and be" = Starfire? Artemis?

"give me a shot to remember, and you can take all the pain away from me" = this is Jason

"the sharpest lives are the deadliest to lead" = roy? jay? all of them really

i could continue and show were each point is but the whole vibe of the song fits the messy lives of the outlaws and the whole "forsaken heroes" they have going on

The title track, "Welcome to the Black Parade", is all about Jason's relationship with Bruce

"When I was a young boy/My father took me into the city to see a marching band / He said, "Son, when you grow up would you be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned?" / He said, "Will you defeat them? Your demons, and all the non-believers, the plans that they have made?""

IS THERE ANYTHING MORE ROBIN AND BATMAN THAN THIS???

"And through it all, the rise and fall / The bodies in the streets / And when you're gone, we want you all to know / We'll carry on, we'll carry on / And though you're dead and gone, believe me / Your memory will carry on" = this is about either Jason being "replaced" or Bruce being "dead"

"I won't explain or say I'm sorry/ I'm unashamed, I'm gonna show my scars / Give a cheer for all the broken / Listen here, because it's who we are / Just a man, I'm not a hero." = this is Jason refusing to apologize for being who he is

the next track is actually "I Don't Love You" and it's ALSO about Bruce, perhaps Dick?

"And after all this time that you still owe, you're still the good-for-nothing, I don't know / So take your gloves and get out / Better get out, while you can" = pick up your shit and leave me alone, jason style

"When you go, would you have the guts to say: 'I don't love you, like I loved you yesterday'" = this is about him being "replaced" by tim again, and also bc bruce didn't unalive the joker

maybe this is more a dick song than a bruce song bc of the drama, and also the little quote about "knock you down and out is where you oughta stay" feels more like he's talking to dick? idk

The "House of Wolves" track is just a big ass mess, and it's jason's joker/bruce confrontation where bruce again don't unalive this fucking clown

"And I'll be grantin' your permission / 'Cause you haven't got a prayer" = this is about him going to unalive the joker

Well, I think I'm gonna burn in Hell / Everybody burn the house right down / And say what I wanna say / Tell me I'm an angel, take this to my grave / Tell me I'm a bad man, kick me like a stray / Tell me I'm an angel, take this to my grave" = this is about bruce glorifying his death and treating Robin!Jason as an angel and red hood as the "bad man", that he is going to hell, blablabla

"So get the choir boys around you / It's a compliment, I swear" = this is about Tim/Dick and their "perfection" as "obedient robins"

"You better run like the devil / 'Cause they're never gonna leave you alone / You better hide up in the alley / 'Cause they're never gonna find you a home" = joker won't have anywhere to hide where Jason won't find him and unalive him

"And as the blood runs down the walls / You see me creepin' up these halls / I've been a bad motherfucker" = Jason about himself to Bruce

The next track is "Cancer" and I'm uncertain yet but PERHAPS this is a mix of Jason's dying on the warehouse and flashbacks about his mom (not she*la this bitch) dying

but there's a lot of mentions to actual cancer so perhaps it's the least well-suited song to jason

i do like this line a lotttt though

"Help her gather all my things / And bury me in all my favorite colors / My sisters and my brothers, still"

Then there's "Mama" and this is Jason in the warehouse with Sheila in his last moments and oooooh it's the full song

"Oh well now, Mama, we're all gonna die / Mama, we're all gonna die / Stop asking me questions, I hate to see you cry / Mama, we're all gonna die" = i don't even

"We'll let the fires just bathe us, yeah / You made us oh so famous; / We'll never let you go / And when you go don't return to me my love" = THE FIRES OF THE EXPLOSION

"Mama, we're all full of lies / Mama, we're meant for the flies / And right now they're building a coffin your size / Mama, we're all full of lies" = The lies of SERVING THE FUCKING JOKER

"She said, "You ain't no son of mine!" / For what you've done they're / Gonna find a place for you" = he is saying she's going to hell for being a bitch

If you want me to explain my thoughts about the last five songs of the album comment and all cause I'm a lil tired now

gimme thoughts about it all bc this feels like a jason todd musical

[jenelle-annalee]

Books Read in 2022

1. A Court of Silver Flames- Sarah J. Maas

2. Told After Supper- Jerome K. Jerome

3. The Crazy Ladies of Pearl Street- Trevanian

4. To Kill a Kingdom- Alexandra Christo

5. The Father Christmas Letter- J.R.R. Tolkien

6. The Book of Doing and Being- Barnett Bain

7. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August- Claire North

8. Northern Lights (Golden Compass)- Philip Pullman

9. The Subtle Knife- Phillip Pullman

10. The Amber Spyglass-Phillip Pullman

11. The Skincare Bible- Anjali Mahto

12. The Popular Culture Reader- John L. Nachbar Wright Jack, & Deborah Weiser

13. Another Roadside Attraction- Tom Robbins

14. Angels and Demons- Dan Brown

15. The Da Vinci Code- Dan Brown

16. The Vintage Tea Cup Club- Vanessa Greene

17. A Woman of Independent Means- Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey

18. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart- Holly Ringland

19. Humankind: A Hopeful History- Rutger Bergman

20. Goddess- Kelly Gardi

21. Wild Animals I Have Known- Ernest Thompson Seton

22. Femme Fatale: Cinema’s Most Unforgettable Lethal Ladies- Dominique Manon and James Ursini

23. Crazy for the Storm- Norman Ollestad

24. The Power of Body Language: How to Succeed in Every Business and Social Encounter- Tonya Reiman

25. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan Aiken

26. Coffee, Tea, or Me? - "Trudy Baker" aka Donald Bain

27. Fifth Avenue, 5 AM: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman- Sam Wasson

28. Audrey: Her Story- Alexander Walker

29. The Complete Films of Audrey Hepburn - Jerry Vermiyle

30. Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit, a Son Remembers- Sean Hepburn Ferrer

31. Gigi- Collette

32. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes- Anita Loos

33. Chalice- Robin McKinley

34. Dragon's Bane - Patricia Wrede

35. The Golem and the Jinni- Helene Wecker

36. The Prince and the Dressmaker- Jen Wang

37. The Path Made Clear- Oprah Winfrey

38. Lumberjanes- Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Gus Allen, and ND Stevenson

39. The Hidden Palace - Helene Wecker

40. Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World- Penelope Bagieu

41. Strange Practice- Vivian Shaw

42. Dreadful Company- Vivian Shaw

43. All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories Of Queer Teens Throughout The Ages- edited by Saundra Mitchell

44. The Library at Mount Char- Scott Hawkins

45. Grave Importance- Vivian Shaw

46. Verity- Colleen Hoover

47. Bravely- Maggie Stiefvater

48. 1602- Neil Gaiman

49. She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs- Sarah Smarsh

50. Gallant- V.E. Schwab

51. Lore Olympus Vol. 1- Rachel Smythe

52. I'll Have What She's Having: My Adventures in Celebrity Dieting- Rebecca Harrington

53. Lore Olympus Vol. 2- Rachel Smythe

54. Moon Cakes- Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu

55. The Tea Dragon Society- Katie O'Neill

56. The Tea Dragon Festival- Katie O'Neill

57. Travels with Foxfire: Stories of People, Passions, and Practices from Southern Appalachia- Foxfire Fund Inc.

58. My Year of Rest and Relaxation - Ottessa Moshfegh

59. Seance Tea Party- Reimenga Yee

60. Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics- Dolly Parton and Robert K. Oermann

61. Lightfall: The Girl and the Galdurian

62. Tidesong- Wendy Xu

63. Name of the Wind- Patrick Rothfuss

64. The Girl from the Sea- Molly Knox Ostertag

65. Lightfall: The Shadow of the Bird

66. Neon Gods- Katee Robert

67. The Lighthouse Witches- C. J. Cooke

68. Six Crimson Cranes- Elizabeth Lim

69. I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life- Anne Bogel

70. The Secret History- Donna Tartt

71. The Near Witch- V. E. Schwab

72. The Good Demon- Jimmy Cajole

73. The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury

74. Nettle & Bone- T. Kingfisher

75. Dracula- Bram Stoker

76. My Best Friend's Exorcism- Grady Hendrix

77. Batman: The Ultimate Evil- Andrew Vachss

78. World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments- Aimee Nezhukumatathil

79. Odd and the Frost Giants- Neil Gaiman

80. How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life- Signe Johansen

[subbyenbywitch]

[comic review] batman: the demon trilogy (1987-92)

this graphic novel collects three one-shot graphic novels about featuring ra’s al ghul. i don’t know if this disclaimer is necessary, but obviously all three of these stories are touched by the usual sometimes light, sometimes not so light touches of racism and (particularly) orientalism that pretty much always accompanies portrayals of this character.

batman: son of the demon (writer: mike w. barr, artist: jerry bingham) is the story of batman accepting the marriage ra’s tried to force between him and talia back in tales of the demon, and the two of them conceiving a son together. it also involves a bunch of extremely james bond-adjacent cold war bullshit that made me roll my eyes, but it’s not like i haven’t ignored that kind of stuff often enough for it to be pretty easy to shrug off at this point. honestly, i didn’t really love this story, especially when batman started getting all weird and chauvinistic in being overprotective of talia and their unborn baby towards the end of the story. it was just kinda awkward and weird. c-rank

batman: bride of the demon (writer: mike w. barr, artist: tom grindberg) sees ra’s get married in an effort to produce an heir, and it’s… i don’t know? evelyn is barely characterized at all. she’s an actress who is upset about losing her youth, and ra’s uses an upgraded lazarus pit to give it back to her. the relationship never really makes any kind of sense in my opinion, and that made a lot of the stuff around it really difficult to invest in much. also batman and talia did their usual “is she on his side or is she on her father’s side and do they love each other etc etc” dance. this part was alright, though. honestly maybe the strongest part of this particular entry in the trilogy? c-rank

the last story is batman: birth of the demon (writer: dennis o’neil, artist: norm breyfogle), which tells ra’s al ghul’s origin story. this is probably the best of the three stories, in my opinion, but it’s not like it stands head and shoulders above the other stories in this volume. this kind of stuff just isn’t what i come to batman for, but i felt like i couldn’t avoid it because it was on so many lists of essential batman reading. c-rank

[fair-sir-goeberth]

Atlanta - Alembic - Chilla -Graves - WeP8nt - (kebojim) - Bow-hnt - Moz cadi - Sea&son - Gamsguy - Momoz - Grateful d - Land art -Diver - Darlyn - Cozy cat - K s3ra - Fght nce - Ka1dbe - Pemetic - Texan 9 - Jmg art - Duntov - WowVT - Luxray - Seaglow - Boomer - Dsney - Cherubs - Dirty Z - Feliz - Ldy Loki - Catwmn - C • Shell - hill - oh Lrd - trlkrew - belt - wood - mt dew - d caf - doula 3 - sign pst - omg fire - s and m - run fast - player 2 - m-m-bbq - I'm crazy - ironman - tinman - pima - ntv prd - golfher - bskt cs - freak - chess - dmp em - psiden - happy be - mine - dytrippn - tink-rn - hrt 2 hrt - my truck - suby do - dct tpe - deezz - luv kidz - pegosus - hav2run - iluv80s - jazzguy - nowpray - 2 Kellys - Wuf wuf - rozebud - dsney - pupe lv - dank art - lov2hnt - livufvr - fmrdtr - hi-ya - l8r dude - nva qit - nmbr 10 - go Bleu - Kiki cub - grumpa - p cock - n2frogs - uniball - lpstk gi - angel cyr - mtlfrgs - 2banana - nscar88 - G monstr - blk dog - osprey - player 2 - ass hat - mermade - sqezem - sketah - 2222 up - Hunter - whl pwr - Tulane - hs farm - growth - he paid - orloff - prl mp - rlstage - crzy frg - hmmm - fsob - my broom - the mop - fox4ce5 - solv 4 x - perrys - chbacca - the mop - bon2run - dtooth - sativa - mmmmmmk - queenvg - xamdam - snowwht - debit - fokker - McLeod - lucidbr - Hobbs - go raw - yeah man - grmlin - dat boi - brazen - Ilv2sk8 - blub3ry - df lprd - Chantal - pumkins - F I T T - beancan - a riot - bigben - Moms no1 - H8U - anchr dn - recuvry - aka dad - - sgr ddy - mxtec - skates - trl2sea - run ran - shotz - k stew - f0st3r - gta clu - bakrboy - buz buz - myrddin - Dr t - diamdog - altlyf - op2mus - herhemi - tea&qi - Z's of me - mmmm4 - drottar - celtz - huntgeo - loafr99 - demon 1 - owl good - lucidbr - my jewl - t taxie - big yeti - scubaru - excl - t taxie - gypzy - mcfalls - koexist - saintz - glayze - hrd2luv - refine - ovr sze - mothy - d baby - triclps - Batman - urwhtu8 - irishc - respek - mamsy - jazzguy - irons - Im Yoda - skiddah - OMG fire - gomogo - nanbump - gburg pa - qwi gon - rip bro - then&nw - be chill - ass hat - chm bckt - Blondie - mprezed - ilv2qlt - oiiiiio - tias-kia - ewe-bet - bam - hwyman - zornhau - wazup - wine dog - budvan - Omar - ayonola - naenae1 - no bugs - tizz - aenergy - dlght - bonney - thecrzy - glacier - hrcne - it's mne - fun 4x4 - act now6 - thnkhvn - Mr Krabs - igloo - rltide - pointe - eye - alembic - 4whldrv - mar316 - gideyup - chkfla - sorry eh - Leia - pony keg - ski east - srsly - bluedha - bootz - go Jo - mrsyork - run - c-shell - kelp - sea haze - hopekh - catpaw - smitten - greatfl - my pod - luv kidz - be chill - prnts4u - t Brady - pet mum - sweet b - coyotee - momof3 - shortbs - sprmom - bg Ed - bat mble - Qatar - tads toy - red Hill - Helio - n8ure - c-kayakn - meme joy - artdash - lv2fsh - XIX - l8r dude - zrgrush - falcor - Saturn v - chicky - pudgey - heimdal - bb-8 - plebboi - fckn ay - skycake - Tin Grin - Les paul - menchie - mombie - Bon Vin - lyd14 - ac8ia - no dea - dct tape - heebgb - agooday - hi lo - lv2bwl - Chk Em - w8n4sno -

A collection of vanity plates

[martyrbat]

batman: son of the demon

[ID: Talia al Ghul and Bruce Wayne sharing a passionate kiss in front of an ombré purple background after Bruce confessed his love for her. Bruce is wearing his cowl but both of their eyes are closed as she has her arms thrown around his neck to embrace him after once again calling him her beloved. END ID]

[tumbling-darkling]

Some Danny Phantom/DC crossover thoughts

So I love these kinds of crossovers, and they vary just because of the different kind of series and canons that exist. And I have very basic knowledge regarding a lot of DC related topics and characters but we all know Batman and usually that’s enough. There’s good Justice League intervening and finding a small ghost child somehow keeping godly creatures of chaos in order with a mere glare, there’s teen titans and Danny interactions, there’s a lot of Danny’s friends and family dying and him getting adopted into these groups, basically you can find so much content.

One of my FAVOURITE concepts is the whole ‘Danny is Batman’s son’, which my favourite execution of it is The Phantom and the Knight by savya398 on Archive of our Own! Why is this my favourite? Why not a ‘Danny is Richard Graysons twin/lost brother? Because Dick is a nice dude, maybe getting serious from time to time but generally? He’s a good bro, makes me think of Jazz and Danny’s relationship.

Now Danny as Batman’s son? Well this has many implications. And my favourite is this makes DAMIEN Danny’s brother. Literal demon spawn finds out he has a brother and it’s DANNY. This child of pure chaos would not be impressed at all with this scrawny, c student mess. How dare this sorry excuse of a teen even be considered in being related to him! Or the great Batman!! The pure feral sibling bonds are to die for.

Even better is that this fic DOESN’T kill everyone off. Which I enjoy very greatly!! So yeah, if you like crossovers between Danny Phantom and Justice league where they don’t kill everyone Danny knows off, this is a good fic!! And while I’m at it, I’m gonna recommend some other really great Danny Phantom/DC fics!

The Meddling Jerkwad League by StrawberryCamel

A series that has the Justice League accidentally medaling while Danny and Tucker slowly finds less reasons not to strangle them all. It’s funny and entertaining!

Ghost Kings and Gotham Bats by BlueGhostCardinal

This is a good one. Phantom gets caught up in Gotham stuff, Danny gets mistaken as Damien, Bruce wants to adopt him naturally, everyone thinks he’s a clone or lost twin or something, and while we are at it, there’s a lot of established ghost lore!! King Danny heck yeah!! As well as the classic batfamily banter!

And so it Ghost by Evandarya

This one has Vlad as Danny’s guardian and Danny looks into getting into collage in Gotham! Of course it goes wrong and attracts the attention of the Batfam as they try to figure out what is going on with this kid that knew a little too much about the villain that attacked.

Operation I’m Totally 300 by I_Am_Toast

This one. Is hilarious I love this fic. It’s just Danny trying to convince the young justice league that he’s an old wise ghost based on the recorded appearances he has of himself in the past. We all know Danny just sucks at improv and so shenanigans are ensued.

Dressed for Death by Nohvarrs

Another great one, Danny ends up in John Constantine’s house and then he can’t seem to stop showing up wherever he goes. Danny’s problems only get more annoying when the Justice League tries to find out who he was before his death.

So yeah! Superheroes and Danny Phantom! I’m a big sucker for Danny Phantom crossovers. Especially since this child is ridiculously OP. He’s like an invasive species. He is a basic teen hero in Amity because he faces people and enemies that have very specialized weapons that can affect him. You drop him anywhere else? Almost nothing can touch him and he’s basically One Punch Man. Amazing.

[daddywarbats]

DC: You know what would be awesome in Batman Beyond?

Me: Damian Wayne having become a cool retired crimefighter as an adult and Terry being like “?????how???”

Me: Damian trolling the heck out of everyone by pretending he has no clue what’s going on? Taking that Wayne Obfuscating Stupidity to new and untold heights of sheer unbelievable trolling?

Me: Just Damian sitting there, sipping his tea, going “oh that’s my clone, don’t worry about him, I have dozens” like that’s perfectly normal, while Terry tries not to twitch and Bruce is just internally screaming?

Me: Damian letting his clones troll everyone, but dropping the act in a hot minute the second Bruce is Too Extra(TM)???

DC: actually we were thinking more along the lines of making him the new demon’s head and evil and crazy after another fall out with his father but you know

Me: LALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF MY NEW HEADCANON, AKA DAMIAN AND HIS CLONES HAVING A GOOD LIFE WITH NICE THINGS AND TERRY HAVING THE WORST/BEST NEW UNCLES EVER WHO TROLL EVERYONE WHILE BRUCE SIGHS A LOT AND DICK TRIES TO KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE BUT THIS IS SOME A+ BATFAM TROLLING GOLD AND JASON IS RIGHT THERE WITH A CAMERA LIKE SURPRISE U GOT CAUGHT.

[wordsfromthesol]

Invisible (2/3)

Author: @wordsfromthesol Pairing: Damian Wayne x Twin!Reader Warnings: Sappiness? Word Count: 736 A/N: The moment you’ve all waited patiently for has finally come! Hope it lives up to its predecessor…or at least is tolerable.  Requested: @soukouloutsouu Taglist: @loxbbg @fandomsaremylifeline @minamisulemisa @annoylinglyaries @greeknerd007

Part One   Part Three

“Bruce Wayne, why is it I got a distraught phone call from your daughter today?”

“Diana.” An aura of confusion donned over him as the Amazonian descended the stairs. “I didn’t know –”

“Yeah there seems to be a lot you don’t know. The world’s greatest detective…can you tell me five things about your daughter?”

“She’s got Y/H/C hair, has a twin brother –”

“Bruce. You know what I mean. She chose a different path from yours. That does not give you the right to pretend she’s invisible. Fix this.” Diana turned to leave, looking back over her shoulder, “Because if I have to come back here, I won’t be so nice.” Bruce immediately made his way upstairs to find you once Diana left.

**

You hear a knock at your door shortly after Diana left. “Uh…Bruce?”

“Y/N. It has come to my attention that I have been quite busy lately. Perhaps we should have a family dinner. To catch up.”

Your words came out short and broken, “Oh, uhm, now? Tonight?” Your gaze shifted to the clock, which read 9:48 pm. Bruce’s eyes followed in suit.

“Right. Of course. It’s…late.” The last word came out almost as a question.

“Yeah I…uh…spend my nights sleeping. Not…patrolling.”

“Tomorrow then. Dinner. I’ll inform the Alfred and the boys.”

Your eyes lit up in shock as he mentioned the rest of the family. You could count on one hand the number of times the entire family has been together. Now, your mind wandered to the Amazonian that had just left. Had she said something?

“Okay…tomorrow.”

Bruce nodded with a fervent demeanor before leaving. You tried your best to ignore the awkward encounter for the rest of the night. Surely, he would forget before tomorrow night.

**

The night had been a quiet one, Batman stood on a rooftop staring down at the city lights. He recollected the past few years and realized that he couldn’t name five things about you. How had he paid so little attention to you? Did his life revolve so completely around his alter ego?

“Can anyone name five things about Y/N?” His voice suddenly boomed over the comms.

“Geez Bats, give a guy a little warning next time.” Jason’s voice called back.

“Poor little wing got woken up from his nap…”

“Boys” The gruff voice stopped his two eldest son’s argument before it began. “I’m serious.”

“She’s the demon’s sister. Ask him.” Jason quipped back.

“She is not just my sister.” Damian attempted to evade Bruce’s question.

“Robin is correct, but also avoiding the question.”

“Well, can you?” Tim’s seemingly innocent words cut through Bruce like a knife.

“No.” The response hung in the air well after the vibrations had dissipated. Finally, Bruce’s voice echoed through the comms once again. “We are having dinner tomorrow. 7pm. You will all be there.” No one dared to defy his orders after the exchange.

**

Unfortunately, Bruce had not forgotten about dinner. And even worse, all of your supposed brothers were already sitting at the table as you sauntered into the dining room. You sat in the only available seat; all eyes seemed to be studying your every movement. You finally had enough.

“Clearly Diana spoke to you. It’s fine. You don’t need to put on an act for my sake.”

“You had news.” Damian spoke up, attempting to ease the lingering tension in the room.

“Oh…yeah. I…” Your eyes couldn’t figure out where to focus. Everyone’s gaze seemed to drill right through you. “I got into MIT. I, uh, leave in a few months.”

“Wait…” You watched the gears turn in Bruce’s mind as his eyes bounced back and forth between you and Damian. “You should still have another year…” Damian nodded, confirming Bruce’s theory.

“Yeah no. I graduated three weeks ago.” You watched in amusement as discombobulation spread throughout the room.

“You’re leaving?” Damian seemed more hurt than surprised by the news.

“I don’t belong here like you do.”

“You are my sister.”

“Damian. We both know I haven’t been your sister since we were dropped off here.”

“No! We are supposed to be together!”

“Damian.” Bruce’s face fell, looking at his youngest son. “We must let her live her own life.” You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in. “However, I cannot let you leave like this. You deserve a family. I hope you’ll give us the chance to try.”

[fancyfade]

What flaws does Talia have? I’ve only seen the movies and she seems like a badass there and If you want could you also add which racist writers to avoid when I get into the comics - I hear Morrison and Devin Grayson a lot but are there any others

for Talia's flaws, I generally think of the 1 tumblr post that was talking about how character flaws are often virtues, just in the wrong time. like, I know I've done a similar post about Bruce (link) where most of his flaws are related to a deep seated care (which obvs doesn't mean his actions are always justified, just pointing out how they are often "virtues, but not now")

I think Talia's biggest flaw is her loyalty and her general low self worth (OK so loyalty is a virtue just in the wrong place here, low self worth is not a virtue :P)

but like for loyalty: like we do see her often turn against her dad when he is posing a direct danger to Bruce or doing something Talia finds morally objectionable (even if Bruce is not involved). But that doesn't mean that she is not compelled to try to prove her loyalty, we see her doing this in Bride of the Demon, Batman Chronicles #8, and Tower of Babel. in Bride of the Demon she stops before she does something she disagrees with morally, but Batman Chronicles #8 and Tower of babel are triggered by her doing something that she disagrees with, out of loyalty to her father. She helps her father track down people who are going to desert the league in Batman Chronicles #8, when we can see how deeply she empathizes with them and knows it is wrong, and she helps her father in his mission against the justice league in Tower of Babel -- this last one causes her to finally break free from her father because she does not like how she has been used.

Low self worth... this one is a little harder to articulate, and again it's something that varies by writer. i know Denny O'neil wrote Talia as willing to give up on pretty much everything that made her her for Bruce in 1 of this comics (published after Son of the Demon) and it makes me insane when I see people using it as a Brutalia moment b/c i'm like .. that's not sweet? She seems depressed??? anyway I think that moment may be due to writers changing though, so it's hard to tell how 'IC' it is, but in general I do think a lot of her loyalty to her father and Bruce can wind up over-riding what she actually wants for herself (pre-lexcorp, which is why her lexcorp arc is so important).

[hellyeahheroes]

Like seriously, some people will go to such fucking legths to lie. 

An unnamed infant at the end of Son of the Demon is not some sort of “proof” Damian predates Cass. When that infant was put on page there were no grand plans or concept of a character named Damian Wayne showing up with a sword to Batman’s throat saying he expected his father to be taller. The idea of artificially aged boy trained to be an heir to Ras Al’Ghul’s League of Assassins wasn’t on anyone’;s mind when making Son of the Demon. It was merely a sequel hook, a tease of potential continuation. That was an idea that maybe Grant Morrison got after reading that book at earliest.

but even if we accept that infant as Damian’s “first” appearance, then I do not see how in good faith could anyone consider him a part of the Batfamily when he was being hidden from Batman by his mother and grandfather? By the time he joined the Batfam Cass already had a 73 issues series under her belt. Even if he existed in Universe earlier, she was part of the Batfam before him.

But you know what? I’m glad you made this statement. because it proves few things. First one being how double-faced Damian stans are. Through last few days I have been constantly told Cass fans (and I include myself in this group) are lashing out at Damian for no reason and we should “unify” against DC and that it is the only way we can get Cass proper respect. Nevermind we have heard this from various groups within the Batfam for the last 15 years. Nevermind every time whenever we go side with those fans we’re always left in the dirt the moment they get what they want. Nevermind it makes me feel like Cass fandom is treated like, as we would call it in my country, a bald mare for everyone to ride but never feed. But I love how then people like you come in and prove Damian stans cannot even hide their contempt for Cass. Over last few days in response to my criticism of Gotham Screwjob I have been told by Damian fanatics the following lies:

that Cass isn’t Asian because her father is white (somehow this doesn’t seem to apply to Damian whose father is also white, go figure)

that Shiva isn’t Asian and was never intended to be Asian

that Cass isn’t disabled

And now that Damian “predates” Cass so obvious she is stealing from him, not the other way around!

So thank you so much for shoving me, once again, that Damian fans are willing to stop Cass in the dirt and deny and erase everything about her that makes them feel she might threaten Damian’s position! And the fact you try to pretend 2006 came before 1999 only proves you KNOW they have enought similiar elements to invite comparisons. You know they have enough similiar elements to make people feel one is redundant or unoriginal and pass them on in favor of the other. You know this is why it’s such a bad look for Damian to take Cass title and a story her fans have been begging DC to give her for the last 15 fucking years. You know Cass fans have a point that it will now make it impossible to give her this story without inviting unfavorable comparisons, which means something that was a safety net for a lot of her fandom was torn to shreds to push Damian! This is why you’re suddenly desperate todo a fucking historical revisionism and claim Damian was there first! You need to convince yourselves she really is devirerate, a ripoff, of him because you fear it may lessen him othertwise. And in doing so you have proven every Cass fan who already felt Damian is stealing from her right!

And the best part is I don’t actually hate Damian. Fuck I do like him a bit. My dislike was for DC handing him over a story that was always tailor-made for Cass and how it means now she will not be able to get it herself. My rage is already directed entierly at DC. I have stated that if Dick, Jason, Babsgirl or even Tim were ones to get this story I would be equally as pissed. Damian doesn’t matter here, what matters is DC taking something Cass’ fandom loudly begged them to give her for the last 15 years and deciding they’re going to give it to one of characters marketing department approved of because they’re too much of cowards to take a single risk with someone they themselves pushed to fucking C list. But I’m not gonna lie, the toxic behavior of Damian stans have done more than DC since his creation to make me lose sympathy for him. I don’t hate him but I know my enjoyment of his stories has visibly soured after seeing what kind of fandom he invites.

-Admin