#pre death jason and danny are so different from post death jason and danny

[bigskydreaming]

The Jason thing also forgets just how different pre-Crisis, post-Crisis, and post-resurrection Jason are. And reminds me of the myth that people voted to kill Jason by a landslide. Dick WAS offended by how Bruce never adopted him, but don't confuse that with hating Jason. And he also went berserk when he learned Jason died. (Besides Bruce, Danny and to a lesser extent Raven were victims of his rage here; Dick only attacked Raven verbally.)

Yeah, I actually have a realllllly old post about how the Jason polls were later found to have been hacked by one guy using an early auto-redial computer program to vote literally hundreds of times, so like......that whole thing was just dumb and a mess. I should see if I can track that post down. It was from like, six years ago probably, lol.

But yeah, Dick and Bruce literally had a talk pre-Crisis where Dick directly asked Bruce why he never adopted him too, and this was the talk Bruce was referencing post-Crisis in NTT #55, when they fought in the cave and Bruce claimed Dick resented Jason when in fact Dick had made a point to make clear he didn’t. 

(And the talk pre-Crisis about Jason’s adoption vs Dick’s lack of one was actually at a time when Dick and Jason got along QUITE well, and were very close, which makes it all the more aggravating that people pull from the fanon well of ‘well of COURSE Dick resented Jason, why wouldn’t he’ - even when referencing pre-Crisis stuff, where even though Dick and Bruce weren’t nearly as tense as they were post-Crisis, the adopted/not-adopted discrepancy in the brothers’ relationships with Bruce was still there, and yet Dick managed to be close with Jason in spite of obviously having a lot of feelings about it. Which as you point out, he brought up with Bruce, rather than take them out on Jason.)

Another thing I tend to point out a lot is the fact that Jason’s retconned origin post Crisis was never meant to wipe out all his pre-Crisis stories......he was only around in like, eleven issues after his retconned reintroduction before he died in Death In the Family....and since obviously his presence in the Batbooks after his death was never confined to referencing JUST the events of those eleven post-Crisis issues (for instance, Jason referencing having been a Titan briefly, when his two missions with the Titans were both pre-Crisis)....

Like, point being, his retconned origin and Death in the Family were essentially just meant to serve as ‘bookends’ to his time as Robin....all his pre-Crisis stories and appearances, except for the ones directly contradicted by the retcon (basically just his very first pre-Crisis appearances and ones that directly referenced him being a circus kid too).....like, all of those were always still in continuity as far as every DC writer and editor was ever concerned. 

LOL just FYI, in case you’re a new follower - I do get a little eye-twitchy about references to Dick’s rage, just because I’m so tired of the fandom inflation of it and how his temper gets singled out as always being unsympathetic when it makes an appearance, like he’s never ever justified for being angry. Unlike other characters who get to be angry 24/7 without even a mention of how it manifests in terrible behavior with them. 

To be clear, I’m not condoning how he reacted with Danny, who was ultimately just a kid who said the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time.....its more just, I feel like the fandom has been steeped in so many bad faith arguments about Dick’s vastly overblown temper that even in instances where I am in full agreement it wasn’t aimed appropriately, like....it still makes me tired to even talk about it, because it just gets turned into ammo for people going “see, gotcha!” all while still willfully ignoring every other point I and others make about Dick’s over-exaggerated rage. 

(The fight with Donna just before the Church of Blood storyline is my go-to pet peeve there.....the fact that people constantly cite instances like that as proof of how volatile Dick can be, without ever acknowledging that he was badgered into a fight he tried to dissuade Donna multiple times from having at that time, and meanwhile, she was literally physically violent with him, and this gets not even a peep, while he’s vilified for....yelling cutting remarks at her in response to her yelling cutting remarks at him - and then punching him through a wall BUT I DIGRESS, lol).

But yeah, I just mean, I’m not saying you’re wrong about him and Danny and Raven, just that I’m predisposed to be skittish about talk of Dick’s temper, due to an overabundance of bad faith arguments I’ve seen that always come across as aimed at making him come off incredibly poorly in various stories, since they completely ignore contexts that with most other characters, would result in fandom describing as them simply standing up for themselves or being in the right for everything they said or did there. For whatever reason though, its like every time Dick’s anger makes an appearance at all, its deemed headline worthy, and yet that headline somehow in decades of stories barely ever seems to be “And he was right to be angry here.” *Shrugs*

[gossipnetwork-blog]

We Ranked the Top 20 RuPaul's Drag Race Queens: See Who Sashayed Their Way to No. 1!

New Post has been published on http://gossip.network/we-ranked-the-top-20-rupauls-drag-race-queens-see-who-sashayed-their-way-to-no-1/

We Ranked the Top 20 RuPaul's Drag Race Queens: See Who Sashayed Their Way to No. 1!

Nine seasons. Three All-Stars off-shoots. 113 queens. That’s a whole lot of charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent, mama.

But not all RuPaul’s Drag Race queens are created equal. 

With All-Stars 3 currently airing on new network home VH1 and the franchise’s landmark season 10 just around the corner, we thought the timing was right to open the library and read these queens to filth to determine which of Mama Ru’s girls deserved to be in our Top 20. Why? Because reading is fundamental. (And also, because any opportunity we get to talk about Drag Race as “work,” we’ll take it.) 

Which queens made the cut and which had to sashay away? It wasn’t easy narrowing this down. The sheer magnitude of talent among the amazing drag queens that RuPaul has introduced the world to is truly a force to be reckoned with. This show hasn’t spawned an industry unto itself, complete with a yearly weekend-long fan convention, for no reason. And as you take a look at our list, you’ll notice that simply winning a season wasn’t enough for some queens to make the cut. 

As the show has evolved and grown, so too has the talent, making it harder and harder for those early queens to edge their way in. Not that they’re not trailblazing and legendary in their own right. It’s just that, when you’re whittling the list down to 20, you’ve got to make some cuts somewhere.

So without any further ado, it’s time to put your reading glasses on and find out which of Mama Ru’s girls made our Top 20—and which one came out on top. 

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20. Peppermint (Season 9)

Season 9 runner-up Peppermint (real name Agnes Moore) more than lived up to her nick name “Lip Sync Assassin,” honey. She did knock three of her sisters out of the competition in sudden death lip syncs, after all. Thanks to her unwavering positivity, the warmth she brought to the competition, and her place in Drag Race history as the first already out trans woman to fight for the crown, she was the season’s true Miss Congeniality. (Sorry, not sorry, Valentina fans.)

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19. Adore Delano (Season 6 & All-Stars 2)

It’s no secret that season six runner-up Adore Delano (real name Danny Noriega) struggled with her “hog body” on many a runway, but she still proved to be one of the show’s more memorable queens, nearly snatching the crown in what’s unofficially considered the best season of Drag Race ever. Between her sisterly bond with Bianca Del Rio, her delightful sense of humor, and her vocal talent (Noriega competed on season seven of American Idol out of drag), she more than earned her spot in the Top 20. It would’ve been higher, too, if she hadn’t quit All-Stars 2 in the very first episode.

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18. Violet Chachki (Season 7)

There’s no denying that season seven is one of the weaker recent seasons of Drag Race and its winner, Violet Chachki (real name Jason Dardo), proves that. Though she basically snatched the crown in the season’s very first episode with her sickening dual runway outfit reveal, the fashion plate never really proved she was much more than that. If that rumored all-winners season of All-Stars ever comes to fruition, she’d have her work cut out for her.

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17. BenDeLaCreme (Season 6 & All-Stars 3)

Thanks to her unrelenting effervescence and unforgettable performance as Dame Maggie Smith in Snatch Game, BenDeLaCreme (real name Benjamin Putman) had the title of season six’s Miss Congeniality on lock. But she was often too in her own head and proved to be a touch too similar to drag sister (and season five winner) Jinkx Monsoon to really pop. However, the fact that she’s slayed every competition in the currently-airing All-Stars 3 thus far proves that she shouldn’t be counted out just yet.

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16. Raja (Season 3)

One of the few pre-season four queens to earn a spot in our Top 20, season three winner Raja (real name Sutan Amrull) and her editorial eye for fashion could not be ignored. She helped drive home the idea that drag could be something more than just female impersonation. With Raja, more often than not, it was damn art.

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15. Jinkx Monsoon (Season 5)

Water off a duck’s back, right Jinkx Monsoon? Season five’s narcoleptic (yes, really) winner (real name Jerick Hoffer) managed to overcome the powerful and, at times, cruel Team RoLaskTox to snatch the crown and prove that comedy queens can win this competition. And her Snatch Game performance as Grey Gardens‘ Little Edie is one of the series’ best.

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14. Trixie Mattel (Season 7 & All-Stars 3)

OK, hear us out on this one. Trixie Mattel (real name Brian Firkus) and her nightmarish approximation of a Barbie doll may have left everyone slightly confused during her first season, but in hindsight, we all let that overshadow her fierce wit and intellect. As she rose to fame as one half of the hosting duo for Drag Race production company World of Wonder’s web series UNHhhh, she proved that she’s just flat-out hilarious and her performance thus far on All-Stars 3 has only bolstered her place in the upper echelon of Drag Race queens.

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13. Shangela (Seasons 2, 3 & All-Stars 3)

Halleloo! You didn’t think we’d look over Shangela Laquifa Wadley (real name D.J. Pierce), now did you? The only queen to compete in not one, not two, but three seasons of Drag Race (including the currently airing All-Stars 3), Shangela is undeniably one of the series’ unforgettable legends. Her arrival in season three—jumping out of a giant gift-wrapped box—and the looks on all the other queens’ faces as it happened is a must-see.

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12. Courtney Act (Season 6)

One third of season six’s holy triumvirate (along with Adore Delano and Bianca Del Rio), Courtney Act (real name Shane Jenek) is one of the fishiest queens to ever compete on Drag Race. (For the uninitiated, “fish” is a drag term reserved for those who truly look like biological women. It’s a good thing.) She sometimes stood in the shadows of Adore and Bianca, but Courtney and her singing voice (Jerek competed on the first season of Australian Idol—in drag) are a star in their own right. And hearing her say her name in her Australian accent lets you know that there’s some sly wit hiding underneath all that fishiness.

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11. Shea Couleé (Season 9)

Shea Couleé (real name Jaren Merrell) may have stumbled in the season nine finale, failing to deliver any of the theatrics that her sisters Peppermint and Sasha Velour did, but there’s no denying that she slayed her season. With four challenge wins and an unforgettable performance as Blac Chyna in “Kardashian: The Musical,” it seemed like the season was hers to lose. Ultimately, she did, ensuring she’d never crack the Top 10.

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10. Sasha Velour (Season 9)

Why is season nine winner Sasha Velour (real name Sasha Steinberg) in the Top 10, you ask? We direct you to her not one, but two STUNNING Whitney Houston lip syncs in the season finale. Enough said. We’ll never listen to “So Emotional” or look at rose petals the same way again.

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9. Latrice Royale (Season 4 & All-Stars)

As season four’s Miss Congeniality, plus-size queen Latrice Royale (real name Timothy Wilcots) entered into the competition with over two decades of drag experience under her belt—and it showed. If a bit staid in her artistic ambition, Latrice was never not entertaining, especially when she was taking us to church with her reminder that “Jesus is a biscuit” and to “let him sop you up.” And just try not to laugh while watching her performance during the “Queens Behind Bars” challenge. Say it with us now: “Get those nuts away from my face!”

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8. Detox (Season 5 & All-Stars 2)

Has any queen in Drag Race history ever served up more stunning looks than season five’s Detox (real name Matthew Sanderson)? Her head-to-toe greyscale make-up at her season’s finale, where she upstaged the final three by a long shot, is EVERYTHING. And her performance in All-Stars 2, aside from the unnecessary reemergence of RoLaskaTox, proved even more that she’s a fierce queen.

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7. Bob the Drag Queen (Season 8)

Thorgy Thor may have loved to complain that season eight was “The Bob Show,” but that’s because Bob the Drag Queen (real name Christopher Caldwell) completely outpaced everyone competing against her. Bob was the whole package and her series-first decision to play not one, but two different celebrities in Snatch Game (Carol Channing and Uzo Aduba) all but solidified her win. 

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6. Chad Michaels (Season 4 & All-Stars)

Chad Michaels is a freaking legend and if Sharon Needles hadn’t competed against her in season four, she’d have walked away with the crown easily. Hell, the All-Stars format was essentially invented so that RuPaul could give the expert Cher impersonator a crown of her own. If that’s not Top 10 material, we don’t know what is.

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5. Alyssa Edwards (Season 5 & All-Stars 2)

Alyssa Edwards (real name Justin Johnson) has competed for the crown twice now, and twice she’s come up short. But that hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of the franchise’s most memorable queens. Her rivalry with Coco Montrese lead to some of season five’s juiciest drama and most hilarious one-liners courtesy of the tongue-popping queen. “Girl, look how orange you f–king look, girl,” ranks up there as one of her best. But who can forget her priceless reaction to Jade Jolie‘s insinuation that she’s carrying some back fat? Say it with us now: “Back rolls?!”

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4. Katya (Season 7 & All-Stars 2)

In a perfect world, Katya (real name Brian McCook) would’ve been handed the crown she so clearly deserved in season seven. There are few queens in Drag Race history who’ve displayed as much innovation, wit and talent as Katya. (Like, only the three above her on this list, TBH.) She routinely stole the show during her time on All-Stars 2 and though she didn’t win, her rap during the legendary performance of “Read U Wrote U” will stand the test of time as one of Drag Race‘s best performances. 

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3. Sharon Needles (Season 4)

When Sharon Needles (real name Aaron Coady) arrived on the scene in season four, her “genderf–k” horror-show style of drag completely changed the idea of what was possible and permissible on Drag Race. Though she routinely faced attacks from season villain Phi Phi O’Hara, who told her to go back to Party City “where you belong,” she got the last laugh, thanks to her genuine warmth, wit and artistry. She helped to revolutionize the show, though her performance in the final “Glamazon” music video challenge proved she was also capable of melding her unique vision with Mama Ru’s eleganza approach to drag, elevating her to the crown and her spot on this list.

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2. Alaska (Season 5 & All-Stars 2)

Hieee! In season five, Alaska (real name Justin Honard) proved just how perfect she was for this competition. There was her hilarious fragrance commercial parody for “Red For Filth…” Her wig-snatching performance in the “Reading is Fundamental” challenge. Her creation of Lil Pound Cake. She lost the crown to Jinkx Monsoon, but then she returned for All-Stars 2, newly sober and ready to win. And boy did she. Between her unbelievable Mae West in Snatch Game and her second stand-out commercial parody, she more than proved why she’s one of the all-time greats. Sure, her elimination choices deserve all the side-eye in the world, but none of them take away from her killer performance and her place in the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

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1. Bianca Del Rio (Season 6)

Did you expect anyone else? In the history of Drag Race, there’s no one who even comes close to season six winner Bianca Del Rio (real name Roy Haylock). She is, without a doubt, one of the funniest queens to ever vie for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar, but underneath all that sarcasm and sass, there lies a heart of gold. Not threatened, she took Adore Delano under her wing, mentoring her throughout their season, all the while slaying competition after competition. Her Snatch Game performance as Judge Judy was one of her riskiest moves that paid dividends (Judge Judy is one of RuPaul‘s biggest idols), her rapping in the “Oh No She Betta Don’t” team challenge had us crying tears of laughter, and her work in the final “Sissy That Walk” music video proved this comedy diva is one hell of an eleganza queen as well. If that all-winners season of All-Stars ever does happen, there’s no doubt that she’s the one to beat.

RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars 3 airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on VH1.

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