#oracle anon

[rocksandmirrors]

Darius: You’re a smart kid. You’re great at magic, caring, know a lot the human world, are a teacher at 16, and you learned how to dress yourself.

Gus: Yes?

Darius: So why *him*

Matt: *wearing a literally piece of garbage and talking about how much swag he has*

Gus: Why *him*.

Alador: *arm stuck in a vending machine lecturing his rat palisman eating snacks from inside it*

Darius: Not. A. Word.

-🔮

5 minutes before that Alador and Matt were fighting over the same trashcan

[celaenaeiln]

Ive been reading the older comics (1950s) of World’s Finest, and I just realised Batman is so smiley and full of expression while Superman kind of isn’t. Is there a reason for this change or is it just the authors and time changing haha

YES!! Yes to both but I have so much to say about this because it's not just about time changing, but the way real life changed is intertwined in the comics in their character growths.

Batman

Let's start with the grim avenger. Here's the thing - the grim avenger wasn't grim because he had Dick Grayson by his side and I'll explain how the medal ages and Bruce's happiness is connected to how close Dick was to Bruce and the relationship Dick had with Bruce influences his view later on of his father in comparison to how the rest of the batkids see Bruce.

As you said, Bruce was the happiest he's ever been in the 1950s. He and Dick had the time of their lives, sunshine, glory, joy, adventure - you name it and they had it all. This was the Golden Age.

Batman (1940) Issue #46

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #95

But as time passed, Dick eventually began to grow up. When the Teen Titans first formed, the Golden Age of comics transitioned into the Silver Age as Dick began to work more independently from Bruce but was still close. The Bronze Age was when Dick was on the cusp of leaving and then just left (1970s-1985s).

The reason I'm bringing this up as to why Bruce changed, it has to do with Dick. When Dick went off to college, Bruce actually shut the cave down and moved out of the manor with Alfred because he didn't know how to be Batman without Dick. He said he was going on a little soul-searching to find himself again.

Batman (1940) Issue #217

But real-life readers got really mad this and said, "Bruce was always a grim detective. When he was with Robin, he was too happy! We want to see him angry like he used to be!" So the writers realized that Bruce turning away from Batman was huge mistake so this set forth the grim avenger batman thing again.

Dick also feels the same way, that him moving to college was what changed the dynamics between them.

Secret Origins (1986) Issue #13

Granted Bruce is mad that Dick decided to drop out of college in favor of being Robin but it's also about the fact that Bruce wouldn't have responded like this before. Something's changed. And overall it can be summed up to Bruce being angry, frustrated, upset, and lonely with Dick gone, those emotions compounding into a new or renegaded form of Batman, Dick coming back and realizing - he doesn't want to be controlled and he doesn't want to be this new darker version of Bruce. The change in idealisms were Dick is more light-hearted and Bruce is slowly becoming Darker weighs on Bruce too.

Bruce's pov of the situation -

Batman (1940) Issue #138

Dick's pov -

Secret Origins (1986) Issue #13

Dick didn't want to be like Batman, Bruce was already upset but Dick's gradual distance from who he was turning into combined with his frustration of himself - it led Bruce to become the person he is now, someone he doesn't like and it's this circling self-hatred of what he become that keeps him perpetually angry and moody.

It's so important to talk about this because it's not just a time change, it's actively part of the comics. It's part of who Bruce is and why he is this way now. To explain more on what I said and elaborate further on what you said about Bruce becoming less smile-y :

Batman (1940) Issue #359

He lashes out at Dick, feels bad about it, and grumps over how he can't trust anyone in the world and this just keeps continuing over the years.

Tim and Dick actually talk about this too, the idea that Bruce was different with Dick then he was later on. Going on a slight tangent here but during one time in Gotham Knights Dick gets "dismayed" at Tim because Tim questions Bruce's morality and Dick's like "How dare you! He's a good person, he's amazing." And Tim's just like "No, he's not??"

Batman: Gotham Knights Issue #26

Dick grouches about this with Barbara and she tells him -

Batman: Gotham Knights Issue #26

slayy

Again what she says "First of all, the Bruce who raised you and the Bruce who works with Tim are not exactly the same man. Tim has had a very different experience, and is likely to have very different thoughts and beliefs."

Tim says it too in Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying when he's comparing Dick and Jason's Robin eras -

Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying

And Dick talks about it again with Checkmate in the Checkmate (2006) comic about how he used to make Bruce laugh. He's quiet for a moment and then they talk somberly about how Bruce never laughs anymore.

So to sum it all up, the reason Bruce changed was because Dick drifted apart from him as he aged and he grew more independent, and Bruce as a result felt stifled and upset by this change and grew more independent too but in a darker way, and all these changes between Dick and him as well as within himself led to him being gloomier and grumpier. The authors also played a big part in acknowledging Bruce changing as a result of Dick leaving but also due to the readers' responses of having Batman return to his stern countenance of a time before Dick came along. Hence the decreasing medal ages that went from a happy Bruce Wayne to the sad and waspish one we know now. But maybe it also has to do with the fact that Bruce and Dick stopped getting to ride the backs of dinosaurs, fight pirates, and play prince and the pauper with real princes lol.

Superman

Clark is a very different story and I think it's because of how it's the reverse of Batman. In the beginning Clark was very - stern? He definitely wasn't smiling or laughing or fuzzy feelings but it wasn't the author's intention for him to be any of that. In the beginning, Superman was portrayed be a powerful and virtuous hero, fighting for truth, justice, and the American way. This portrayal was aimed at providing readers an uplifting and optimistic character during hard times because he was created in 1939 and it was the end of the Great Depression (1929 - 1939) and the beginning of WWII (1939 - 1945). The fact that it was the end of the great depression only made it worse because the depression only ended due to millions of men and women going off to fight war. So it was just VERY upsetting times and therefore Superman was a symbol of hope - for the war.

Superman (1939) Issue #12

Superman (1939) Issue #8

Superman (1939) Issue #34

But as soon as the war ended, you see a shift in the way Superman is written.

Superman (1939) Issue #36

Superman (1939) Issue #76

I guess it all comes down to this - Clark's writers were focused on his deeds. It was about solving problems and that's it. Whereas with Bruce, the focus was on solving problems but it was done through his relationships. He relied heavily on Dick as a partner and best friend and they were able to share their difficulties and have fun whereas Clark had no one, except Lois but in civilian identity. Because of this, it wasn't until later comics when writers started introducing new elements, exploring different aspects of his character, and adapting to the changing cultural and social contexts that these interpretations have included moments of joy, personal growth, and triumphs, as well as challenges, conflicts, and moments of introspection.

Superman: Heroes

It was both the ending of the war and gradually interacting with other characters that made his personality lighter and funner to read. You can even think about it this way - as Clark started to rely more on people, he started to open up and become more light hearted as the years passed but as Bruce began to distrust people and rely less on others, his personality grew darker and angrier. Bruce and Clark went through the same personality changes but Bruce started pretty early on with Dick and lost him leading to a downward turn in personality whereas Clark started with no one then gained Lois and Jimmy Olsen causing an upward trend. Two sides of a coin.

Moral of the story folks: learn to rely on others or end up like Batman.

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

athena and apollo headcanons?

also guess who

@txny-dragon IS THAT U (if not i'm sorry txny is the only person i've really screamed about this with - well, and chronic...👀)

jfhxjbj,sx

Athena and Apollo???!!!! hrmmm...

Headcanons

Athena always got annoyed whenever she saw Hermes hanging around Apollo, especially during 'her' time with him. She's a competitive person, after all. Quit eating up her time!

Apollo got Athena to play the flute again - however, she only plays it around him.

He also taught her how to play the harp. Why the harp? idk, Athena would just look very poised playing a harp

Their first argument was over prophecy - Athena was experimenting with some pebbles for prophecy and Apollo got upset about it and complained to Zeus, who told Athena to leave prophecy alone.

Subtle bonding over being Daddy's Favorite and how that isolated Athena immediately and over time with Apollo.

Athena based her own parenting style off of Zeus's - the only parental figure she has. Apollo based his off his mother's.

The ~PARALLELS~

Surprisingly, their conversations can be like:

Apollo: Athena, NO!

Athena: Athena, YES!

Athena quietly felt bad after the Olympian Rebellion when she saw Apollo's mortal punishment - but she was too self-persevering to think on it for long.

she still snuck him extra ambrosia dessert when he returned and listened to him as he told her about how cruel Laomedon had been

They have friendly arguments over who's city is better - Sparta, or Athens. Athena's mood, however, lowers if Ares is within earshot. Then it turns into a yelling match between the two war gods with an awkward Apollo standing Right There.

Arts and crafts sessions - weaving, painting, usually ends with somebody (Athena) covered in paint and somebody (Apollo) tied in thread.

They both have "Can Use The Aegis" Privileges from Zeus - Athena uses them more often, Apollo has used it exactly once during The Trojan War

Apollo gave Athena the cold shoulder after The Trojan War for helping Achilles kill Hector. Athena tried to tell herself that it didn't matter he wasn't speaking to her - she didn't need friends, after all! - but when she saw how he would speak with Dionysus, Hermes, Artemis, and even - bleh! - Ares over her...it made her stomach twist in ways she never thought it could

She used Orestes's trial as a way to get back into Apollo's good graces - she really did believe Orestes valid for killing his mother (it was on Apollo's orders, after all) but if it came with the perk of Apollo's icy-cold shoulder melting? *zips lips*

As Artemis and Apollo slowly drifted apart, Athena gladly stepped in and started taking up more of Apollo's usual Artemis time - something he thought Artemis wouldn't notice, but she did.

(this, of course, leads to some stink-eyes between Athena and Artemis. platonic love triangle beloved)

Athena is the only one who suspects that the "flaying Marsyas alive" thing was a hoax - she was the one who put the curse on the flute, after all. But she never sensed the death of the one who picked it up.

When Rome came around, and Athena morphed into Minerva, it put Apollo off-kilter. He didn't quite know who this was anymore - sure, she was still the craft goddess he messed around with, and was a heck of a lot more interested in poetry, music, and medicine now, but...she just wasn't quite the Athena he knew.

He became more worried when the raging began. Minerva would flicker into Athena, and Apollo's heart would leap - she's back! she's okay! she's still here! - but then drop as all Athena would do is scream bloody vengeance upon Rome, and he realized that he was right.

Minerva wasn't the Athena he knew...but neither was the one before him.

When his fellow gods' Greek/Rome halves melded together after the fall of the Roman Empire, he was particularly worried about how that would affect Athena - and for a while, it seemed like nothing had.

(Though strangely she was suddenly interested in having kids. Not that there's anything wrong with that, he just never thought Athena would want to be a mom. She never said anything of the sort to him before...)

Then she sent her first child to retrieve the Athena Parthenos. They didn't return. She sent another. Same story. Over and over. Over and over. Apollo watched as Athena kept sacrificing her children for that damn statue the Romans stole.

Apollo tried to talk to her, to knock some sense into her, but nothing worked. Not until they moved all across Europe, and she finally stopped (for now).

In the modern day, they like to visit museums, art galleries, and theaters. Dionysus used to join them up until his punishment.

Athena attends every concert/party Apollo puts on. Partly because she wants to, and partly to flip the bird at Artemis, who rarely shows up.

(i swear i love artemis athena just isn't that fond of her. platonic love triangle beloved)

(txny if the anon is you...you'd get this next one)

Manwhore Manipulate Manslaughter. That's it that's the post.

While it's widely believed that Artemis does a lot of damage control for Apollo when their father cracks down on him - and she does - Athena is another major player in the game. (see: the Parthenon in Blood of Olympus - Athena being the only one to (covertly) defend Apollo, while Jason is the only one to openly defend him. Two underrated people, these two are.)

Why she can't openly defend him? It's because she knows Zeus sweats in his shoes ahem. becomes...concerned when his two favorite, and Very Powerful children form an alliance.

While she was unable to prevent Apollo's third mortality punishment, Athena believed whole-heartedly the entire time that he would return. He had to. He was Apollo, he was her friend, her brother, and he couldn't just leave her by herself die. So when Hermes made that betting pool? She betted on Apollo's success. Partly to gloat to the Council about being right, partly to throw the failed bet into Hermes's face, and partly because she liked winding Ares up.

I also firmly believe Athena was doing some deux ex machina on Apollo's behalf throughout the series. Artemis couldn't get away with it, sure, she had Zeus's eagle eye on her - but Athena? Why would Zeus ever consider her as a possible person to disobey him? Why I never-

The nod she gave him in The Tower of Nero is her equivalent of a bone-crushing hug.

Athena helped Apollo write his story with Calliope's help - they made two versions: the heavily censored version they gave to Zeus for him to parade around, and another, secret version - the one Apollo has in his library, the one Athena has in hers.

The one we have read.

[slythereen]

hot take: charles in vegas > carlos in singapore. carlos never actually had to fight the weakened red bulls and only won bc of charles’ teamwork and managing tires the entire way. charles in vegas was genuinely up there on pace on a weekend when red bull were still super strong, and brought the fight to them all the way!

you say hot take, but i see nothing but the truth!! rbr wasn’t there to fight in singapore, it really was not the same even without taking into consideration charles changing his whole strategy to defend for carlos. charles had to do it alone because carlos didn’t even slightly attempt to defend for him and he had to fight both bulls (since checo decided to show up as well, naturally). like… listen, i know i’m horribly biased, but carlos got so much hype for singapore literally just because of the “glory” of breaking the rbr streak. the drive itself wasn’t all that ground breaking (not even his drs trick imo… like, he’s not the first to play games with drs?).

[ghastlytofu]

Has anyone pointed out yet that Astarion consistently refers to Wyll as "sweet" or "too sweet" etc. and that the secret Origin Astarion can share with Halsin when he asks for a secret from the PC is that he may have a sweet tooth

it's giving "bitches about the dessert spread, shoves a whole-ass cupcake in his mouth anyway. glares viciously as he grabs another-"

[fancyfade]

if you had to describe babs, cass, dick and damian to people who knew nothing about them, what would you say?

hmmm you didn't put a word/sentence count limit that is gonna make this long :P

Babs: Babs establishes the legacy of Batgirl as an equal who works independently and does not receive training from Batman, but what is truly important about her character is the way she re-invents herself after being seriously injured in the Killing Joke. Babs becomes Oracle, the information nexus of the superhero world, and does far more than she ever could when she was able bodied. She's an incredibly important character for this, and DC universe feels her absence when she is changed to be able bodied. She clearly articulates the value of a disabled life. The way that she handles and deals with trauma (through a nexus of control) is fun to read about. She also deeply believes in second chances and wants to help other people recover from terrible situations like she was in.

One sentence summary for Babs: Batgirl becomes informational center of superhero world after disabling injury, starts her own superhero team, is awesome.

Cass: Cass is the Batgirl after Babs. She is a perfectionist. She's extremely compassionate, she's one of the best if not the best martial artists in the world, and she is (at least at first) suicidal. Her arc is important and about her dealing with the crushing guilt she feels about having killed someone at eight years of age after being raised in an isolated environment and taught only how to fight. She was treated as a weapon. We see how she reaches to understand people and fight for her own agency against those who have different visions for her. Like Babs, Cass believes in second chances, and when she can she will reach out and try to get people who are against her to change their ways (though she needs a reason to believe they will change - she's not gonna say "hey joker let's redeem you", but she will reach out to her assassin fanboys or to Alpha)

One sentence summary for Cass: Child raised as killer doesn't want to kill and feels so guilty about it she's suicidal, becomes a superhero and one of the world's premiere martial artists and wants to save everyone.

Dick: first robin, then nightwing, occassional batman. Dick is a perfectionist, though I'd argue not in the same vein cass is, because Dick (when confronted with extremely high expectations) will get mad if he feels they are unfair and Cass just tries to reach them (Dick does too, but he like. feels like he shouldn't have to). He's competent in a wide variety of subject areas (like many batfam members). He's generally nice and social, but in no way the paragon of goodness - he's just some guy. If anything I'd say his morals in general seem a bit looser than Bruce's (and Cass's), he's definitely willing to give up on some people as lost, and he is kind of bitchy -- sometimes in a fun way, sometimes just in an 'asshole you would see on the internet' way, often going for low blows. However he does always try.

One sentence summary for Dick: He's just some guy but he's very talented and has friends.

Damian: youngest robin. Like Cass, Damian was raised to fight, but that's where their similarities end. Damian was raised as the heir to Ra's al Ghul, the leader of a cult dedicated to preserving the earth (sometimes via greatly reducing the human population). He received training in many areas including fighting, sciences, arts -- like pretty much an everything prodigy. When he gets to the Batfam, he has pretty much the rockiest intro possible (tries to kill/seriously attacks depending on your reading of it the previous robin). What's important about Damian is that he's prickly on the outside, and he acts in a way that makes sense for how he was raised. He beat up Tim because that's how you handle having a rival in the League. He's generally outwardly rude and unimpressed with people at first, and people are at first outwardly rude and annoyed by him. He also has a very slow, gradual arc about unlearning assassin-stuff. However, despite his prickly exterior he is very compassionate and cares a lot about people. Post Robin: Son of Batman, Damian will try to empathize with and get villain kids to change their ways, and he views the villains he did kill as not fundamentally different from himself.

one sentence summary for damian: baby raised as assassin sasses batman while saving people, sometimes complaining about it.

[emelinstriker]

eternal champions au <33 i wanna know more about the oracle, whats his deal? What are 'masters' opinion on him, whats HIS opinion on 'master', what do the champions think of him, what are his opinions on champions. Also, he has an extraordinary design, I just wanna compliment him TvT

First off before the lore crumbs, his reaction about that compliment since he never gets compliments... c:

(Even though he's one of my absolute fave OC's despite being one of the actually very recent one's from only early this year-)

Oh boy, lots of lore crumbs, here we go-

I can't really say much about what the Master's opinion is on the Oracle since the Master is the Reader, and the Reader always changes depending on the person behind the screen. But in the case of the Reader's personality I use in my ESAU one-shots, their opinion on him is... well, quite tolerant. They're aware of the Oracle's presence. They have a hunch of what he, and especially his colleagues, are capable of. So the Master is quite glad this ominous cloaked fella and his colleagues are rarely ever seen directly.

But they know they're watching.

Wukong feels very uncomfortable around him. Usually he doesn't feel anything whenever someone with a concerning energy is around. But it's like his forgotten memory is trying to warn him. As if he's met this guy before, despite having only met him after waking up to seeing First Master.

Macaque is also uncomfortable around him, but also feels somewhat terrified and he can't explain why. It's like a sudden instinct to keep away from the Oracle whenever Master isn't around to support him with their presence. He can't even hear this masked guy's heart or breath.

Mink hates him. Well, he hates this entity's colleagues as well. He's also a bit paranoid whenever the Oracle is around. Not necessarily scared of how he blankly stares at him, he's seen worse than that. But just... The fact that he was one of the ones who forced him to be like this makes him fear that he might do more.

Nezha also hates him, but it's more like unspoken, silent hatred. But it's unsure whether or not it's the Oracle's cryptic demeanor that's making him angry or maybe something he can't remember.

MK feels rather conflicted. On one side, he feels like he can trust him since this ominous fella has done nothing but help his Master and the palace... But there's also something off about him. Like, he knows about things the champions don't.

Red Son feels safe and calm with the Oracle. As in, whenever he does encounter him on rare occasions, it's more of a silence of understanding around them. He describes it like it being a strange way of comfort.

Azure is intrigued by him. There's just something about him that makes him raise an eyebrow. He knows the Oracle is hiding himself very well. But the language he speaks sounds familiar. It's like he's heard it before he woke up with his servant mindset.

Meanwhile the Oracle doesn't hold much of an opinion on the Master or their champions. After all, they're nothing but figurines you can play with in his eyes. Nothing more, nothing less...

Well, besides maybe Red Son. But it's more of a mutual understanding and respect they have going on. However, that's simply a mirror-bias take.

There's so many lore crumbs in this you could almost make a cookie out of em lmao fhgnfhgfgfg

[malenjoyer]

HI MALENJOYER I JS WANNA SAY I HAVE THE SAME ADAM WEST BATMAN FIGURE U GOT IN UR IG STORY!! (we are meant to be together)

You have to get the other three to complete the pact!!! (JK)

Very nice!! I wanted the Adam west one for a while but I got a duplicate of the Batman on the right here 😡

[icanseethefuture333]

hey, could you do lisa manoban green/red flags? thank uu

Lisa's flags 🏳️‍

Green flags 🟩:

Born prodigy

She has a great appreciation for the arts and was always naturally gifted

Despite her talent, she does not let it get to her head or make her act superficial

Humble

Doesn't let herself do anything impulsive or act out of character

Whenever she gets angry she knows how to calm down and resolve the situation

Doesn't feel the need to control anything in life, she just goes with the flow and takes action on what she can

When faced with a problem, she seeks solitude to find the answer within herself vs constantly asking others for advice and not taking it

Self confident

Independent

Uses her sensual nature and sexual energy for her own pleasures in life

Embodies characteristics of a "Dark feminine" (goes against society's opinion of how a woman should behave)

Open heart and open mind

Takes rejection as redirection

The midas touch (can turn anything into "gold". Has a "rags to riches" mentality. What others see as garbage she sees it as potential)

When it comes to being an entrepreneur, she's highly intelligent

Knowledgeable and holds great information

Similar to a cat, she is observant and attentive

Honest

Red flags 🚩:

Commitment issues

Can be very flighty in regards to her love life or relationships

Fear of being held captive in a unhappy relationship

Self sabotages her romantic unions

"You can tell me, I won't get mad" *gets mad*

Impatient

Insults her partners when she's angry "are you stupid or something?"

Has the wraith and expression of a mother when she's upset (You know that glare your mom gives you when you did something they didn't like or when you misbehaved? "😡" Yeah that.)

"I'm not upset, I'm just disappointed."

"You know better than to do this."

Doesn't understand why some people can't do what she does or when she tries to teach them

Gets frustrated at people when she teaches

"Why do you not know not how to do it? I just showed you!"

Feels that she worked hard to get where she is, so she refuses to cut or give people slack

Unwillingness to translate knowledge into action

[rocksandmirrors]

Darius doesn’t like Matt btw

Why he look like that

WHY HE DRESS LIKE THAT

But also

Gus Darius

🤝🏾

Liking rats bois who haven’t bathed in a decade

-🔮

AHSAJSF NO ONE LIKES HIS PATHETIC ASS FR. also i need Darius to bully Gus over his tastes in men, only for Gus to wordlessly point at Alador

[celaenaeiln]

what do you think about the theory that the dumbification of steph and dick is (occasionally) rooted in ableism?

ok I don't know much about this theory but in the end I don't think the dumbification of these characters have anything to do with ableism. If they were written dumb, it was written that way on purpose as a stand alone.

So let's start with Steph.

There's this overall impression that Stephanie is the dumbest of the bat group and that's really not fair for three reasons. 1 - Her character was handled poorly in the batgirl comic, 2 - Stephanie's debut isn't hers, and 3 - she's unique from the rest.

1 - Her character was handled poorly.

What I mean by this is in her Batgirl comic, the intention of her writer was to purposefully make her dumb.

The very first page, her introduction as Batgirl is this -

Batgirl (2009) Issue #1

Her very opening is Dick noticing she's not as good as Cass through her skill level and then Stephanie being like "Yup! That's me! I'm a nobody and can't do anything!" That's her introduction. And throughout the rest of the comic, she'll just continue putting herself down as someone who isn't capable or exceptional. This is exactly how Roy acts in Red Hood and the Outlaws. He puts himself down, is ashamed and disgusted by himself, and thinks of himself as a failure which is a HUGE mischaracterization by Scott Lobdell because he wanted to boost Jason's character by putting down Roy's. Which is exactly what's happening here. The authors are trying to boost Barbara and somewhat Cassandra's skillset by putting down Stehanie and making it out like she's some kind of massive failure and Barbara is her saving grace without whom she would be pathetic and die a second time.

2 - Stephanie's Batgirl comic wasn't written for her, it was written for Barbara.

The entire time of Steph's defining "who am I and what can I do?" comic that every single character goes through is just a cover up to talk about how good at her work Barbara is. Instead of getting to see the ingenuity, the determination, and the skills Stephanie learned on her own, under Batman, and from her death, the entire time it's just Barbara dictating Stephanie's actions which further leads to the dumbification of her character because the comic begins with Barbara talking about how pathetic and dumb stephanie is-

Batgirl (2009) Issue #2

And it continues with her being in charge the whole time, Stephanie learning nothing, never acting independently, and always being under Barbara's shadow.

Batgirl (2009) Issue #3

So from the beginning to the end, what has changed? How has Steph grown as a person and skill-wise? She's done nothing.

They did Steph so dirty in this comic -

Batgirl (2009) Issue #4

You're telling me someone who was grappling before they even met Batman is fumbling over a safe save??? This comic feels like a Tom Taylorized version of Batgirl.

And this is what happens when they have her act independently, without Barbara's orders -

Batgirl (2009) Issue #5

They refuse to let her even be good at school

Batgirl (2009) Issue #15

And even the one case she does get to solve near the end without Barbara's interference, they only let her do it with the help of another female senior vigilante.

But mainly the dumbification of Stephanie comes from making Barbara look good. And people can say, "She's older, she knows better which is why she's in charge" but I counter with Tim and Bruce's dynamic or Dick and Bruce or Tim and Dick. Just because a partner is younger doesn't mean they're incapable. Writing Stephanie this way was a choice and since this was supposed to be her comic, this characterization for her is what stuck leading to the dumbificaton issue.

Convergence Batgirl Issue #1

They won't give her a freaking break.

3 - Stephanie is different from the rest of the Robins and Cass

Stephanie started off her vigilante career by herself, unlike the rest. Dick, Jason, Tim, Cass, and Damian all had mentors that raised them in some way shape or form at the beginning but Stephanie literally created her own costume, snuck out, and learned crime fighting by herself. She's like Helena, Bruce, and Barbara and I firmly believe if Bruce had treated her as Robin, genuinely taken her in, she wouldn't have died in the altercation with Black Mask.

But I think it's because of this element and the fact that times have changed, this ingenuity and self-growth is seen as unfeasible which leads to the dumbification of her character. As if she's unable to fight and think for herself without leading to her detriment.

Convergence Batgirl Issue #1

They seriously classified all her hard, independent work as Spoiler into "being young and silly." I can't-

In summary of Steph, I don't believe dumbification has to do with ableism. Stephanie's written that way because the writers don't know how to write her and they don't care enough.

Dick

I don't think the dumbification thing with Dick is anywhere near as bad as it is with Steph. But whereas Stephanie doesn't a single post-og spoiler comic where she's seen as good until the very recent Batgirls comic run and tie ins, Dick has numerous comics where he's pointed out to be amazing or good.

Steph says it

Convergence Batgirl Issue #1

Tim says it

Robin (1993) Issue #32

Bruce, Helena, Damian, and various other heroes to summarize.

However same issue with the stephanie batgirl comic and dick - both characters are dumbed down to highlight Barbara's intelligence. Not even touching Tom Taylor's run, Dick's really only dumbed down when he's paired up with Barbara.

Batgirl (2011) Issue #3

There's no way he can't fight his way out, use a grapple or a device, manipulate someone, or at the very least have an escape plan.

Convergence Nightwing/Oracle Issue #1

He's the leader of the Titans, the Outsiders, been Batman, soloed, been Robin, and he teaches heroes on tactics, strategies, and fighting skills. But she won't even give him the decency of hearing out his plan because she's so incredibly smart that she doesn’t need to listen to anyone but herself.

No, I don't believe Steph and Dick's dumbification is related to ableism but there are other factors that play into it.

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

the pjo tv show is making me have thoughts about hephaestus & apollo’s dynamic, as well as apollo & ares dynamic — so i was wondering if you had any hcs for either duo or both !!

GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE

I do for sure have some Thoughts on Apollo & Ares so I shall start there.

Apollo & Ares

Favorite Son and Least Favorite Son.

After Apollo was born, we all know he went on a mission to avenge his mom. That included killing Python, but I also headcanon this preteen storming up to Ares and demanding a fight for his mom's honor.

This was brought on because in the mythos, Ares actually chased Leto around and drove her from place to place, never letting her rest for long.

Obviously, Apollo isn't too keen on this and demands a duel.

Ares takes one look at this kid and goes you know what? I like his spunk. I'm keeping him. and lo and behold Apollo gets distracted by Ares showing him how to properly grip a sword's blade.

Also fun fact! In Ancient Greece, fathers raised their sons and mothers the daughters. Fathers would teach their sons how to swim and write, so this gets interesting once you put ToA's context with it.

In all honesty, I don't think Zeus was too involved in Apollo's growth. He was still there, of course! Enough to have a hold on him and. well. manipulate/gaslight him/abuse him.

However heartbreaking it would be to think about Zeus teaching Apollo these things (my heart. my poor sobbing heart.), I would also find it heartwarming if Ares did that instead.

Or Poseidon. But I personally think he taught Apollo how to ride horses. Let Ares have his thing :3

Because wouldn't it make sense that if Zeus couldn't find the time teach Apollo, then that responsibility would fall to the eldest son?

Jump to the giant twins now.

Apollo helps Ares recover. That is all.

THEY WERE ON THE SAME SIDE IN THE TROJAN WAR !!!!!!

Okay so. Diomedes tried to stab Apollo a few times when he was rescuing Aeneus, and Apollo CANONICALLY tells Ares about it - and lo and behold, Ares gets into a fight with Diomedes (and gets shish-kabobbed).

SO I CONCLUDE-

Apollo: Diomedes tried to stab me :(

Ares: WHAT.

Apollo: Yeah three times.

Ares: WHY.

Apollo: Aphrodite's kid? Aeneus? I was saving his ass after Diomedes stabbed Aphrodite.

Ares: THAT BITCH.

Apollo: But don't worry I took care of it-

Ares, picking up his spear and sword: HE SHALL TREMBLE BEFORE MY FURY. NOT EVEN HIS ARMOR WILL MARK HIS GRAVE WHEN I FINISH WITH HIM. HE SHALL CHOKE ON THE BLOOD HE HAS SPILT AND I SHALL LAUGH AS HIS CORPSE DECAYS. HE WILL RUE THE DAY HE HARMED EITHER OF YOU-

Apollo: he didn't touch me tho-

Ares: BUT HE TRIED!

Ares, snapping his cape: I shall take my leave. Got a bastard to stab. rides down and fights beside Hector. gets stabbed by Diomedes.

Ares, clutching his stomach: ...this didn't go as planned.

Apollo, patching it up after Zeus yelled at Ares: you don't say?

anyway. Apollo & Ares would also watch battlefields and Ares would basically be like "right. this is how to properly disembowel your enemies!" gruesomely decapitates some poor mortal. "See? Easy!"

also they would sing!!! war hymns and other things. Ares can dance too btw :3

also when Aphrodite and Apollo were polyculing with Adonis, Ares was doublely jealous because Adonis is 1) taking the attention of his girlfriend and 2) banging his favorite brother

Ares also cautioned Apollo about drawing too much attention to himself, especially Zeus's.

Too bad Apollo didn't quite take it to heart...

I think Ares already knows Apollo is being abused by Zeus. He knows the signs. He knows what's happening...because it happened to him first.

He would drop hints. Which...weren't very subtle, and kinda freaked Apollo out a bit because ohmygodsdoesheknow-?

And when Revolution time came around? You bet Ares sensed it coming from a mile away.

And perhaps he did...hmm...like with the master bolt theft...ooo gonna have to marinate that for a bit. see what i can cook up there. or if any of you have theories shoot them at me!

back to the thing. Once Ares catches wind It's A Go...he's gonna be on Apollo's side. Because godsdammit he's sick of Zeus and his horrible parenting a good war would give him a clean slate.

...Even if he has to put up with both Hera and Athena.

Apollo & Hephaestus

okay so. I haven't thought much about them because they are elusive for me BUT-

The show gave me a THOUGHT!

"Some of us don't like being that way either."

HEPHAESTUS DOESN'T LIKE THE SYSTEM. HE DOESN'T! HE HATES GOING ALONG WITH IT!

MY FIRST THOUGHT WHEN I HEARD THOSE WORDS?

APOLLO

he doesn't want to be part of it either. but he buried it inside himself. but post toa...he doesn't want to do that anymore.

and I think Apollo does like Hephaestus! I remember there was a moment where Apollo mentions being in his study or something and missing the entire 40s or whatever staring at Hephaestus's Newton's Cradle.

why was apollo in there. and did hephaestus let him in there?

BECAUSE HEPHAESTUS IS A PRIVATE GUY RIGHT? WHAT'S APOLLO DOING IN A PRIVATE ROOM OF HIS?

...unless he invited him in :D

I need to do a lil' more digging on Hephaestus and Apollo but I hope this was all interesting :3

feel free to add on readers!

[slythereen]

It's 2028, Max and Charles have battled for the championship for the past few years. Max has just won a race and is finally faced with the end of his contract looming in front of him.

He thinks about retirement. Other racing disciplines. Then Charles comes up to him to congratulate him for winning the race. Max thinks about retirement, never seeing Charles again. Never racing in F1 again, driving in WEC alongside amateurs and drivers he's never met. Never racing Charles again.

Immediately after the race, Christian strategically asks him about potentially renewing his contract, and how exciting it was to see Max fight Charles yet again for the win.

Max is high on emotion. He knows Charles has renewed his contract for a few more years. He can't imagine racing without Charles. He can't imagine life without Charles.

He signs the contract.

anon out here dropping Scenes™ into the classifieds section (aka my inbox) like an absolute prophet

lbr i would love to see it !!!

[arcanusarchieves-if]

Can you share a snippet of your writing please? It doesn't have to be from the game but I'm just a bit curious!

Sure! Here's a (very short and completely unedited) flashback scene that I wrote that didn't end up making the final cut. It takes place back when MC was at school so it has a few characters that you won't recognize!

It begins with pain and ends with darkness.

You came back into reality just as you had left it (“Well not exactly as you had left it” the ache in your bones reminds you softly), unsure and exhausted, with the light blinding your unopened eyes. The urge to open them briefly crosses your mind but the thought of having to put actual energy towards anything quickly turned that desire into nothing more than a passing thought.

“You still alive, mate? I don’t have a eulogy written up quite yet so if you could hold out just a bit longer I’d really appreciate it.”

Alistair’s teasing words fall over you like a soothing balm, the familiar sound of his voice sinking into your skin like a long-lost friend. It was admittedly an overdramatic thought if not a ridiculous one - most of the time you and the rest of your friends couldn’t get him to shut the hell up. Still, there was something comforting about the fact that he stayed despite…everything (“despite you” says someone that sounds very much like yourself).

“It happened again, didn’t it?”

A beat passes after your words. Then another one. And one soon after that. Eventually though…

“…yeah, it did. It wasn’t that bad this time though. Nothing got destroyed - nothing that can’t be replaced, that is.”

So you didn’t hurt anyone. That’s always a bonus. Still there were some lingering questions.

“…where’d we end up?”

Another beat, then another voice. Soft and Uncertain. Fearful but Unwaveringly Fond.

“Not too far from the academy, thank the lord. Erm we’ll still need to use a teleportation spell though. One of us can do it for you if you’re not up to it.”

The thought of casting any magicae after what just happened was a (“terrifying” the voice mocks) miserable thought. Still you give a swift shake of your head, forcing your eyes open as you do so. The blue of the sky meets your gaze but a quick series of blinks reveals it to just be Lena's eyes - you knew if you turned to the other side you’d meet the familiar green of Alistair’s. You push yourself up pretending it isn’t odd to think about your friends’ eyes with such intensity.

Lena offers you a shaky but not uncertain (and never ever fearful) hand, and with strength that you’re surprised you still have, you take it gratefully, pulling yourself to your feet - stretching out aching bones and wobbly knees. Alistair grins at you from where he sits nearby, his expression a mix of relief and amusement.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," he says, reaching out to clap you on the shoulder. "Or whatever passes for it, considering the circumstances."

You scoff and then snort. A lurking shadow in the background catches your eye and something like amusement and annoyance stumbles into your bones and out of your lips. Some would call it a laugh. You’d call it an experienced reaction to the person in front of you.

“What, you're not happy to see me? Here I am, spending my very precious time making sure you don’t destroy anything during one of your little fits, and you go ahead and laugh at me. Honestly, where’s the appreciation I deserve?”

Caspian’s voice is arrogant. It’s snarky. It’s even cruel in some ways. But it’s also so loyal. So fond. (“Of you” a voice says softly. It’s the same one as before but it’s also so so different).

You try to think of a witty response but eventually give up, deciding to focus your energy on leaning against Lena for support, the memories of the recent blackout begin to flood back. It was a close call this time, with your magicae threatening to spiral out of control once again. The fear of causing irreversible damage always looms over you like a dark cloud, but having your friends by your side eases the burden, if only slightly. (“But how long can this really last?” the thing you're trying to ignore asks).

[fancyfade]

Hi! You always talk a lot about DC’s Ableism with handling Babs, but I never understood why (other than getting her out of the wheelchair for the New 52). Is there maybe any threads/posts/articles you can link that break the ableism with Barbara’s character down even pre-2011? I would really love to understand the problem!

Are you asking why it is ableist? or why I talk about it? Or why DC chose to be ableist?

I'm going to try to be as informative as possible. There will be some italics, but i'm passionate (about the topic), not mad at you.

First just to recap what happens with Babs:

TKJ (the killing joke): Babs is shot and paralyzed to make male characters sad in TKJ.

Suicide Squad + Oracle: Year One: John Ostrander and Kim Yale make an effort to make Barbara's story focus on her, and on how she feels. This addresses how she feels being used as a tool and her recovery, and how she can't talk to her dad about it.

Much of New Earth (1986-2011): Babs acts as Oracle, an indefensible information broker of the superhero world, runs her own team, and is prominently physically disabled (a full-time wheelchair user). The writers sometimes flirt with magicuring her (removing her disability) but it never sticks. There is still ableist writing, there is no denying that. But she is a very important character

New 52: Barbara Gordon is 'magicured' - her disability is removed, and some of this involved retconning previous details (from her spine being severed completely and severely damaged, to something they could fix with a chip). Many disabled people talk about how damaging this is. I'm going to be pretty clear: from my perspective (as a disabled lesbian) changing babs from someone who has ha permanent disability to an able bodied person is similar to changing a gay character to a straight character. (link)

Sometime in Rebirth: DC starts trying to say ~uwu well she's still disabled, she just has an invisible disability, it's not ableist~. Two things must be acknowledged: Yes, invisible disabilities are still disabilities. this is not saying that they are not, my disability was invisible for a long time, and I sitll have some invisible disabilities. but also two: that does not make this writing not ableist, DC does not genuinely want to represent invisibly disabled people, they want to be perceived as not-ableist while being able to use Batgirl Babs in stories.

Ok so to answer the first possible answer of your question:

Why is it ableist?

Changing a character with a disability that is permanent to an able bodied person is ableist. Disabled people deserve to see themselves in stories too, and I'd argue abled people need to see disabled people in stories, because abled people need to understand that a disabled life is not worth than death (I have had people straight up tell me 'oh I'd never be able to do that (exist as a wheelchair user)' to my face. in public).

To answer another question that has been debated somewhat recently: why is it still ableist even when Babs is disabled, just not the way she initially was? I have lots of reblogged links on that:

Babs being invisibly disabled (instead of visibly disabled and a full-time wheelchair user) both erases her previous disability and erases other invisibly disabled characters (link)

The treatment of Babs, in her Rebirth era, is still ableist (link)

Babs, as written as part-time Batgirl part time Oracle, still is written without consideration of her disability (link)

abled people care more about the apperance of able-bodiedness than they do whether someone is disabled (+how that harms disabled people at the bottom w/ my own experiences) (link)

replacing one disability with another and hoping no one notices is still ableist (link)

So for the other option of your question:

why do I talk about it?

I talk about a lot of things in comics, and this is a very important one. Barbara Gordon as Oracle is important to me, because she is a character with an acquired disability (I also have an acquiered disability, not the same one). who still is active in what is important to her and says that her life is better now and that she can do more. That is so important for disabled people (and abled people too) to hear. That your life is not over when you have a disability.

Thirdly, why did DC do it?

Well, the sad answer is really... ableism. I'd argue that a disabled person having a better QOL as a disabled person than they did as an able bodied person, or being able to do more than they could when they were able bodied, is straight up threatening to abled people (link)

More people no doubt know the interior workings of DC at the time, but Didio is not shy about not liking legacy heroes and wanting everything to be back in 'the good old days'. getting rid of batgirls that came after Babs does that (and it gets rid of the uncomfortable fact that she is disabled).

I hope this answers your questions and provides you with reading, and if you have any more feel free to ask

[emelinstriker]

HE WORE THE FLOWER CROWN !! I REPEAT !! HE WORE THE FLOWER CROWN !!!

I NEED TO MAKE HIM A BRACELET NOW

Also, can I offer the phantom a flower crown?

-Oracles number one fan 💪

ESAU lore? What ESAU lore? There is no lore to be revealed. :)