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How much sympathy do you think Cass extends to her younger self?

INTERESTING QUESTION KOL!!! This is actually a question where canon slightly differs from my own preference, but I'll tackle canon first. In modern day, solidified by Batgirl (2024) #5, Cass feels a great deal of sympathy for her younger self:

The hugging + the line before this panel ("maybe I can save") + the "no control of her life" indicates to me that she sympathises with and pities her younger self, understanding that she was forced to kill and it wasn't really her fault. She still sees her younger self as guilty (she frames it as 'saving' her younger self, not accepting her younger self), but she does show such compassion here to young Cass. This follows on from Batgirl (2008) #6, where she lays the blame squarely on David Cain:

In both this and Batgirl #5, Cass highlights her younger self's lack of agency. I think modern Cass does truly feel sorry for her younger self, in a way she didn't before.

I think this is a sweet and natural progression of her character arc, but gosh if I don't love early Cass and the way she looked at her younger self. Because the Shiva fight solved her death wish, but I personally don't think it resolved the resentment she felt towards her younger self. I think it's very interesting that even in Batgirl #5, her younger self isn't really 'her', but someone external - someone she can 'save' like another criminal. To an extent, Cass has never been able to fully reconcile that younger self with who she is now.

In Batgirl (2000) #25, Shiva kills Cass and fulfils her death wish, so current Cass has 'atoned' (or suffered appropriately) for her murder. She realises that death isn't the solution for any murderer, including herself. But young Cass didn't go through that punishment or redemption. When Babs shows Cass her young self in the holo room, Babs says "that's you, isn't it." Cass doesn't reply until young Cass moves, and then she screams "STOP!". Obviously the 'stop' refers to young Cass killing Faizul, but in light of Babs' question, in a way Cass is begging for that young girl not to be her. She wants to stop her younger self, and she wants to stop being her younger self.

Batgirl Secret Files and Origins

I wonder if part of her also resents her younger self's happiness pre-kill. Just personally, while I like her having evolved past these early days and being able to embrace her younger self like in BG '24 #5, I really do prefer the messier feelings. In Cass' mind her younger self is associated with David Cain, with the "perfect killer", with a happiness built on lies - she definitely feels sympathetic, but that sympathy should be (in my opinion) strained by discomfort and a bit of blame.

My ideal amount of Cass sympathy for her younger self is Batgirl Secret Files and Origins. She tells a boy "you did... one bad thing. But you're... not," and when he asks whether she really believes that, she answers, "I try to." She hasn't fully forgiven her younger self, she might never fully forgive her younger self, but she's trying her best to sympathise with her anyway. It's imperfect, painful, effortful sympathy, and that's what makes it so beautiful!

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somewhere out there right now is a kid with curly hair being raised by people who have wavy hair at best and those people are giving them 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner and telling them to dry brush it. and that kid is gonna spend all of middle school and high school hating their hair and moping over the flat iron. they're being told right now that if they don't dry-brush their curl pattern into oblivion every morning it means they're unkempt and gross even though they naturally have the kind of ringlets that a thousand bridezillas would commit horrible murders for every june. it's happening right now it's an absolute epidemic and a tragedy every time

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dick grayson kicking ass or at least practising his ass kicks for @/jensjendjeendj1 on twt @dcforgaza !!!

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Nightwing (1996) Issue #87.

Imagine thinking that Babs couldn't fight in her wheelchair.

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hey, what, absolutely WILD news

the linked article is a piece from the LA Times:

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I will say, having sorted through a bunch of DC art jigsaw puzzles looking to see if I like any of them, I don’t get why they always licence a bunch of the MOST generic house style artists for this?

Lots of the cast of thousands poster shot art, and then the MOST ‘that sure is DC house style’ stuff straight out of a Justice League title.

(I mean I do actually get it, but also can you imagine if they licensed more interesting art? I would jump so fast for Far Sector splashes getting made into jigsaws, or an iconic covers line of puzzles, or Wonder Woman Historia spreads, etc)

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It really is 2003 again Jesus Tapdancing Christ.

Like, all Republicans did was replace Iraq and gay people with Iran and trans people.

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are you a “mark for later���, bookmarking unread fics on ao3, bookmarking unread fics on ur browser, 25 fic tabs open, or a “i’ll just find this later in my history” gay

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it’s called self love

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Æ

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Tim: When Gotham needed him, he was there. When the Batman needed him, he was there. He was a hero. Tim: But he was nothing special, really. Just a boy, who was taught--trained--brought to his full potential by someone who knew how. Tim: Just a boy…like me. Tim: I can do it. I know I can. One day I'll be as good as Jason. One day I'll wear the suit. One day I'll be a hero. - Detective Comics #618

no, Tim didn't admire Jason's Robin because he was better, warmer, more compassionate, more connected to the little people, more "magic" etc. etc. than Dick's Robin

he admired Jason for being a regular-ass kid who stepped into Dick's shoes and tried to fill them because Gotham and Batman needed Robin - a nigh impossible task because Dick was and is the best, as far as Tim was concerned, but Jason did it anyway.

very relatable! for a normal kid who daydreamed about being Robin! and didn't think he could ever live up to ✨Dick Grayson!✨ but was determined to do it anyway because he felt he had to, and no one else would!

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oh I think it might be time for little Timmy to get the rat plague... this is so exciting for me a person who made a powerpoint two years ago enumerating all of his travails

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best thing dc ever did for kyle rayner was the sins of youth storyline. yeah of course the professional artist whose entire schtick is that he’s the most creative green lantern and gets to turn his huge imagination into reality gets turned back into a kid and has a different supersuit design every time he’s “on screen” because he’s always redesigning and picturing something new. I’m not an artist idk how to put this into words but my god they just don’t make comics like this anymore (pics from the sins of youth comics under cut bc this got long)

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The Bruce/Batman and Barbara dynamic is fascinating to me. This is a man whose signal inspired you. You deny his demands to stop. He knows your father, but respects you enough to let you work. You loved his first son. You won’t know how much until you’re both grown up and hardened by a world that can be cruel as it can be warm. He inspired you to fly.

You two see the deepest parts of each other reflected in mirrors. Stubbornness. Control. A deep love for a city you swear to defend and people you hold close yet keep away from your entirety.

The All seeing Oracle and The Dark Knight. You are both raising the same girl and you both don’t know the right thing but you also know this girl needs something.

When the city is burning and he’s about to kill a monster, you wager your life to save his soul. He will save you. How can he not?

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John Sheppard whether you like him as a character or not Does have the MOST important trait a leading scifi man can have and that is looking Pretty and Handsome while tied up. Thank you for listening

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oh this one is fun... if you see this and want to play, consider yourself tagged! yes, including you 🫵

if you're seeing this pretty please make yourself in this picrew it's really pretty I'm begging you

edit 2: hopefully this doesn't break the post but here's a cooler one I haven't changed more but yeh

just in case the link doesn't work

and tagging: @silly-gizmo @donaviolet @the-deceived-deceiver @in-a-mello-mood @mythicalcoqui @kamelthemammal @katslitterbox and anyone else please

edit lmao I love how this already has 65 notes and mello hasn't even touched it yet

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Proposal for new fandom etiquette:

If you read a fic because it was linked/recced somewhere, you leave a comment saying "came from XXX" and that comment doesn't need to include anything else.

Because when all of a sudden there's a lot of activity on one particular fic I WANNA KNOW WHY!!!!!