#like I'm dead serious right now

[hundredsspoons]

Do we ever get an explanation for why Midvalley can kill people with his saxophone.... or is that something nobody really questions

[bitegore]

Zionists want you to conflate Judaism and Zionism. Zionists want you to believe that Judaism cannot exist without Zionism and that all Jews are Zionists. Zionism would have Jews believe that a Jewish state is the only way that they can be safe from antisemitism and will point to any instance of antisemitism as proof that Zionism is the solution- so Zionism wants gentiles to be antisemitic in their support of Palestine. They want you to conflate all Jews with Zionism and the state of Israel, and they want you to treat all Jews regardless of political affiliation as the face of Israel. Antizionist Jews exist, and incidences of antisemitism ostensibly acting against Zionism will not help dismantle the forces propping Zionism up.

Don't do their work for them.

[cephalog0d]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And then it did.

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

[klanced]

Keith walking into the holding cell greeting all the regulars by name while Lance is sobbing lamenting that his life is over and his future is ruined (they were like. Trespassing or some shit he’s going to be fine)

lance: (actively dry heaving in the corner, on the verge of a panic attack as he imagines having a permanent record)(actually what does a permanent record even look like?)(omg is he going to have to go to COURT? like in JUDGE JUDY?)

keith: remy, this is lance. lance, this is remy, she’s my favorite alcoholic :)

[kyouka-supremacy]

Failed a social interaction 0 injured 1 killed (me)

[sweet-star-cookie]

so i finished the teal mask dlc

[antisocialxconstruct]

.

[ehlnofay]

aromantics need to take over every industry NOW

[superbpersonpeanut]

I'm in my internship and have to look up obscure sports and I stumbled upon unicycle hockey.

So let me propose this: Andreil AU where everything is the same, except that they play unicycle hockey instead of exy

[cheese-anon-real]

i am clarifying right now that the writing is going to take a while, I'm not gonna get too specific as to *why*, but uh

yeeeaaaah

[non-un-topo]

Lately all I’ve wanted to write is dark stuff, but not in the fun way. I think it’s the mental illness acting up again.

[not-poignant]

I just opened utb to read the latest chapter and saw your notes- before I go any further I wanted to say I’m sorry to hear about your latest medical news. I know you’ve been living with these kind of conditions for a while but I’m sure it’s still difficult and I hope you can find some respite between things. If it’s any comfort, your writing always brings me a lot of joy x

Hi anon,

Thank you so much <3

Unfortunately it never gets easier, and a lot of the time it gets harder. I've gone onto 3 new prescription medications this year, putting me up to about 9-10 daily prescription medicines (not including supplements). They don't always play nice with each other, and it's tough kind of balancing it all.

I'm also just tired of seeing specialists and paying for them. Australia has some socialised welfare, but then otherwise it's all full price and I have no medical insurance (a lot of people here don't, because workplaces don't offer it, and it's not standard). In some cases, I have to choose to see a specialist privately and pay $350 for an appointment, so that I'm not waiting 6-9 months to see a specialist for something urgent, and get the scans publicly, which means the scans and tests are free. And while I'm lucky to have that, I've had to see a lot of specialists this year, and I'm like...the most financially broke I've been in over a decade, and it's not about to end any time soon. :(

Next year, among other things, I'll have to see a pulmonary/lung specialist and attend a respiratory clinic, and I'll be finding out if I have pulmonary hypertension on top of COPD (which I was diagnosed with this week). I need to still get head/neck MRIs for my tumours. Blood tests on a regular basis. I need an iron infusion because I'm anemic again. I need a knee MRI. I need a triphasic hepatic CT scan. My doctor doesn't want to give me many more tests with radiation because I've had 6 weeks of head/neck radiotherapy in the past, as well as multiple PET, CT scans and X-rays, and I'm very much at the 'the tests we're giving you will give you cancer' stage.

But anyway, not only is it difficult, it becomes more and more difficult the more illnesses there are. I've been diagnosed with two more progressive and incurable diseases on top of everything else this week, and have to get a scan to rule out possible liver cancer (I'm hoping it's not that, but my head/neck tumours can metastasise at any point, so it...could be that).

2022 has been an extremely unkind year, and at this rate, 2023 isn't shaping up to be any kinder. :(

I'm glad I can do the writing, but actually, this month I am not really pressuring myself to write at all, and haven't written anything yet. Y'all are just really lucky that I wrote some chapters in advance and can keep up a steady pace for December. But I have nothing for January, lol. x.x

[kittlyns]

Girls I am on the fucking brink for realsies this time.

[srijellyfishtempura]

What am I to you? Am I a joke, a knight, or your brother?

[vulpinesaint]

giving the assignments i need to get done tonight the kubrick stare

[vaguenotions]

Oh, yes, I just love your unannounced sleepover where you both come back from the bar after carefully avoiding telling me that's where you were going, and also neglecting to tell me when you'd be home! I definitely do not want to knock you on your ass and take a bat to your dome! That would be rude and unnecessary :)

Oh yes, please do start talking about shit amongst yourselves and make me feel isolated and othered in ny own room! These moments are what I live for, of course. Naturally. Who would ever have any issues with this arrangement at all?