do x dc prompt #48
When Jason first found himself dead in the Infinite Realms, he was just about lost without a way to contact his family. He fell into a deep depression and only started crawling out of it when Danny took him under his wing. They found they related to each other a lot and could sympathize with being a teen hero, and soon were practically inseparable.
Then he was resurrected.
Jason was so angry and he had no idea why. Every time something reminded him of what came after death, he would fly into a blind rage because he can’t remember anything. He’s missing something essential in his memories, and he can’t admit that to his family, so he doesn’t.
The second time Jason died, it was only for a few minutes. A quick enough end after hitting the surface of the ocean and inhaling what seemed like gallons of seawater. He woke up in the zone, cradled in the grip of the man who took him in the first time, who his memory of had been blocked. They barely had time to catch up before Jason was hauled back to the land of the living. This time he didn’t forget.
The third time Jason died, They thought that was finally it. There’s not a lot of people that can come back from their upper half and lower half being separated for over an hour after all. He settled in. They watched his family, making sure they were coping alright(they weren’t, and it was so painful to watch-).
On the day of his funeral almost two months later(they wanted to wait as long as possible, he came back once after all, they needed to make sure. They wouldn’t leave him to crawl out of his own grave a second time.) The halfa king and the new(?) ghost watched. Jason committed every word of his eulogy to memory, everything his friends and family said. When the alley kids even stepped up to say their goodbyes, Danny pointedly ignored Jason’s open sobs(he never liked people seeing him vulnerable). The burning grief in his core was becoming unbearable(if he was just a little more open would his family have realized that the mission had gone sideways sooner?). Danny flinched next to him and turned toward Jason just as reality snapped and warped, dragging him back. Away from the Infinite realms(his home-) for a third time.
Dick didn’t know what to think when the motion sensors started going off right before they lowered the coffin. To say he was stunned for a moment was an understatement, He didn’t so much as twitch until a fist broke through the lid of the box.
Once is a coincidence. Twice is an anomaly. Three times is a pattern. Nobody ever told Jason how awkward it could be crashing your own funeral. He’d almost prefer digging out his grave.
Danny isn’t just going to sit quietly this time. Jason is back in the living world, completely defenseless. He needs to protect his ward.
(immortal!Danny? yes. today i present to you the first ever time i’ve seen Immortal!Jason ;).)
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when it comes to explaining gohan's weird quirks in relation to trauma (disclaimer), i think we are sleeping on the most obvious thing to accuse of being a trauma response: becoming an academic.
and i don't mean doing it because trauma made him hate fighting, or like bugs, or even anything about being a Good Son for his mother. i see these readings and i understand them, but i think we're looking at this the wrong way around.
i think we have to ask ourselves: what does becoming an academic mean?
here are just a few things that may have happened to gohan as an academic
comprehensive examination: he is left practically on his own to completely master a field of study in a span of roughly six months to a year. at the end of this period, he is put through an excruciating test of his abilities, with the stakes being that the world ends if he fails (he can't advance in his degree)
thesis writing: he is made to pour blood, sweat, and tears into his work. his supervisor tears the results to pieces and calls this mauling 'feedback.' he thanks his supervisor for this learning experience and rewrites until at last his supervisor begrudgingly admit that his efforts might be passable.
thesis defense: he stands before a group of people who are more experienced and powerful than him. they spend roughly three hours attacking him relentlessly. he has to endure it without flinching, or else the world ends (he doesn't get his degree)
publish or perish: he can never relax or take a break. he has to do research to get grant money. he has to get grant money to do research. he has to publish papers. is the Journal Impact Factor high enough? he has to keep going. he can't relax. if he slacks off, it's all over (he won't be able to get/keep an academic position)
tenure: one day, it'll be over. one day, he can slow down and relax. one day, it won't be life-or-death all the time. right?
goodyear-brown (2009) discusses a phenomenon where children removed from traumatic situations then develop anxiety because they're waiting for the other shoe to drop. they attempt to replicate the cycle of trauma->relief->trauma that they're used to and will drop the other shoe themselves if they can't get it.
so maybe gohan isn't an academic because he wants a peaceful life. maybe he's an academic because it's the best place to get that familiar, toxic combination of prolonged stress, extremely harsh mentorship, and sudden high-stakes trials he's comfortable with from growing up on the battlefield, but this time with no one's life actually on the line.
also because bugs are neat!
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