#and then he’s run off to be a vigilante

[isthei]

atla small town modern au

it’s katara & sokka’s hometown in the southern water tribe, which is being taken over by ozai’s industrialist company as a factory town

their dad is the mayor but he’s gone missing so vice mayor bato has been handling the work and sokka is running his and katara’s household

(hakoda’s missing because ozai hated that he was enacting anti-firecorp policies)

bending is still a thing. katara is a starry-eyed soul who wants to leave her small town to learn waterbending in the big city

sokka is a total pragmatist who thinks the town would collapse without them (he MAY be right)

aang is an undocumented immigrant from the air temples who was sent on the run w gyatso towards the nwt with crucial info to bring to journalists to bust open the evils ceo ozai wrought upon the air nation (e.g. labor exploitation, chokehold on clean water sources)

he got this quest cos he’s still the avatar in this au

got waylaid and separated from gyatso (who might be dead?) and ended up in the swt town

now uses his bending in secret to stack shelves in the local supermarket while trying to figure out how to get to nwt

(he may or may not be putting it off because the responsibility terrifies him)

unbeknownst to aang (and most everyone), the situation in the air nation is getting worse—actual violence is starting to happen

the water damage siblings take him in because they figure it’s their responsibility as the mayor’s kids. but over time they find him so endearing he becomes practically family

zuko has been disowned from his father’s giant conglomerate and believes that by catching the runaway avatar he will be brought back into the family

he pushes iroh into moving into town. he thinks iroh doesn’t know it’s to catch the avatar

in the meantime he picks up a job at the local boba shop and accidentally becomes a vigilante

(sokka develops a huge crush on the mysterious blue spirit)

unfortunately for him the description of the runaway has been switched around, and he thinks toph (another runaway in the same town) is the avatar

toph is friends with aang and is gleefully misleading zuko

she and aang are both out of school youth. toph spends most of her time trouncing people in sports at the local courts but her spending money comes from a huge stash of cash she took out of her parents’ safe before running away

aang is a regular at the boba shop and befriends zuko. zuko thinks aang is just the avatar’s friend and aang thinks zuko is neat. they bond over being new to town

azula comes to town at some point and immediately realizes that toph is not the avatar

(iroh knew all along but doesn’t tell zuko because he a. it’s a good lesson for his nephew and b. he finds it funny)

BONUS:

azula enrolls in the local school trying to find the avatar, accidentally develops a homoerotic rivalry with katara instead

iroh takes her in and sets off her redemption arc

#ouuuu the temptation to make this a fic #or a fancomic…. hnggh #zukka #atla #my posts #atla modern au #azutara #txt #isthei’s wolf cove SW au

[yandereteentitans]

Save Your Life

Summary: You save Robin, only because you don't want some lowlife criminals to kill him; That's your job Pairings: Robin x Villain! Reader [You could see this as another part to Don't Let Me Down, but not a direct part 2] [Short again]

You weren't always watching Robin, even though he seemed to think otherwise. No one had time for something stupid like that- At least not with a million other superheroes/vigilantes running around that you had to keep an eye out for. The only person who seemed to always have an eye on Robin was Slade, but that was none of your business.

With that being said, there were times where you did do a little stalking on him. That's what lead to this situation-

---

He was going to die. Alone. Maybe it was how he was supposed to leave the world? He didn't know, but he didn't feel good. Though his life was about to get much worse. Especially when he saw a familiar face looking down at him.

He groaned as you crouched down to his level. His eyes may have been fucked up and bruised, but he could still see you; Annoying, troublesome you.

"Wow, you look like shit."

He huffs, but doesn't respond in any words. He couldn't fall asleep, because he doesn't trust you; Although, he couldn't stop his eyes from slowly falling.

You watch as he closes his eyes, as you examine his body. His clothes were torn and he was covered in cuts and bruises. You hoped you didn't encounter it. Though, it didn't kill him, so it couldn't have been that bad- Unless it was him...

You shook your head, before raising a hand to his face. A light glow emits from your hand, before it covers his face. You hear him groan again, but you decide to ignore it. His face slowly starts to heal, with the skin quickly healing over the cuts.

He groans again, but his eyes stay close. You stand up, slightly kicking him.

"Okay, buddy. You have to get up, I'm sure your idiot friends are looking for you. So, stop being a baby and get up; you're fine."

He only groans, causing you to roll your eyes. You look around, before clicking your tongue and looking back at him. You sigh, trying to decide what to do. But before you can make a decision, the world decides to make it for you and you hear voices- Their voices.

"I think he's over here, guys!"

You quickly crouch, before flying off, leaving him for his friends to find.

---

Robin awakes with his neck painfully stabbing him. He looks around to find himself in the tower. He didn't remember how he got there, but he did remember that you had helped him. Why did you help him? Maybe you were all that bad- No, he shook his head. You were evil just like the rest and he was sure you were trying to lower his guard. Though, if anything, this just made him more on guard.

There was a part of him though that knew you had caught him at his most vulnerable and instead of killing him you helped him. It was strange and he didn't like it. But maybe you were changing? He doubted it though. He knew you liked causing mischief, it seemed in your nature- So for you to change, it'd have to be a miracle. But, maybe one day you would change, and he could offer you a spot with the Titans. Anything could happened, he supposes, but not any time soon.

#teen titans x reader #teen titans #yandere teen titans #yandere teen titans x reader #yandere robin x reader #yandere robin #robin x reader #robin #dick grayson x reader #dick x reader #dick grayson #richard dick

[ninety-two-bees]

exploding my pc with my brain. also here’s an unedited snippet from the jegulus raising harry vigilante au

Pansy freezes and Harry’s stomach drops as they turn to face the source of the command. Up to this point, they’ve managed to avoid any run-ins with any heroes or police officers, and Harry had desperately wanted to keep it that way. He doesn’t want to find out the level of cruelty they are willing to inflict now that he is not one of them.

There’s a team of six running down the street, four of them heading towards the wreckage while the other two come straight for Harry and Pansy. Pansy takes off running, and Harry knows he should follow her—knows it’s his best shot at getting out of here unscathed—but his body is moving in the other direction before he can stop to think about what he’s doing.

Within seconds, he’s back in front of the little boy, shielding him from these “heroes” with his own body. He survived them once. He can survive them again.

#it’s fighting me #how do harry writers do it #teach me your ways #marauders #harry potter #jegulus #regulus black #james potter

[seagreenstardust]

I can’t believe I never saw this before.

Katsuki remembers his conversation with All Might about penance and atoning right in the middle of Deku’s solo fight against Shiguraki. And it would seem oddly placed if it weren’t for how that conversation ended, with All Might telling him that Izuku doesn’t blame him or think he needs to atone, but that they should talk it out themselves to clear the air.

And right as All Might says “You have plenty of time to talk” we transition back to Katsuki in real time, watching Deku risk everything, and starting to panic.

Yes, that episode is about Katsuki. Yes, we got insight into his head that wasn’t available before. This is the first time I think we understand that not only is he starting to change, he also sincerely regrets how he treated Izuku before. That’s all important and good.

But there’s something about All Might telling Katsuki he has time to fix things if he wants, transitioning directly to Katsuki realizing he might not have any time left at all to do anything right by Izuku, not if he dies fighting Shigaraki before Katsuki can work up the courage to talk to him.

It’s with those words from All Might echoing in his head that Katsuki jumps back into the action, ordering everyone around him, including the Number One hero, to help him execute a plan that would have worked if All For One hadn’t stepped in.

Katsuki is terrified that Izuku is going to die before he gets the chance to fix anything and that, my friends, is Good. Content.

#bkdk #bakudeku #everything about the story telling is so precise #like these are choices hori is making #it’s deliberate #there’s no way we aren’t supposed to figure out that Katsuki really actually cares about Izuku #and on top of THaT #he doesn’t even get a chance to act on the realization that he needs to act #because then Izuku is in a coma #and then he’s run off to be a vigilante #so that means that the first actual time Katsuki Bakugo is given the chance to talk to Izuku is when Class 1A rescues him #and what does he do? #apologize #immediately. #as soon as he knows Izuku will be able to listen #like this moment in the first half of season six #Katsuki on the ground feeling a rare moment of helplessness and Izuku in the air fighting for the entire world more than his own life #is the actual start of the apology that happens later #I’m dying #I fricken love them so much #mha #bnha #izuku midoriya #katsuki bakugo

[thejasontoddarchives]

52/WW III Part One: A Call to Arms #1 (2007)

You know you’ve hit rock bottom when you’re standing naked in front of a monument meant to honor a dead version of yourself while you’re alive, holding the Nightwing suit in one hand and the pill helmet in the other

#peak male form actually #jason todd #dc #I love how nobody but Martian Manhunter really knew the brothers in blood arc had started and even then it was just a side note #because too much shit was happening in this story for that to have any bearing whatsoever at that moment #but also because Jason playing dress up isn't a big league issue it just happened to cross manhunter's radar lol #so Jason makes the decision to dress up as Nightwing and go to ny as black adam is destroying the world and the trinity is gone #he finds a group of criminals about to run off with a suitcase of cash #he gives them a mini lecture about how irresponsible it is for decorated self-important heroes like Bruce to disappear at a time like this #and how it’d also be irresponsible of him if he’d let them get away knowing they’re going to fuck shit up while the world is ending #it’s implied he killed them #then it cuts to a panel of him with the suitcase #saying that’s the easiest money he made and ‘this vigilante thing is a breeze’ #as if he didn’t pretty much do the same thing to the biggest drug lords of Gotham like five minutes ago #giving them a big scare and leaving with 40% of their millions #granted he did have to guillotine a bunch of their lieutenants but he said it himself it was only 2 hrs and he got 40% #also that second part is even funnier because he says it as if vigilantism isn’t *the only thing* he’s done pretty much his whole life #like. you boosted car parts and sold them for money to dodge the foster system. then you were robin. ROBIN. #edit: phrasing

[decarbry]

Playing around a little with my Nomu!Aizawa... scars based on when he gets snatched, hair down to his middle-back, extra extra scruff because of an even more diminished ability to care for himself, a faded mark on his ring finger...

If you thought Aizawa couldn’t get more tired surprise! As a Nomu in my AU his main purpose is Shiggy’s alarm system (I love the head canon that Shigaraki is an Aizawa fan because he’s the kind of selfless hero he wished saved him as a child, so in this AU he gets that wish aaa). It means that even when he does get to sleep his quirk will open an eye automatically anytime something makes a noise near Shigaraki. I also kind of wanted to go with Kurogiri’s naming mechanic and give him a Nomu name that translates, so Yabureme is how he’s known!

#nomu aizawa #boku no hero academia fanart #shouta aizawa #ok so hear me out #I'm a sucker for tragedy so I will be running away with this #Yabureme means to tear or crack which applies to him in multiple ways #could've gone more complicated but I like how Yabureme sounds #in this version he and Oboro are both Nomu! #So coworkers lmao #it only veers off of the canon storyline at the USJ attack #considering AFO has always wanted Erasure and only ever tried once to get it #the fact that Shiggy could've just Grabbed Aizawa when he had him half dead at the USJ has always bugged me #I'll write more about this later but the au definitely comes complete with vigilante Hizashi #please join me on this self-indulgent tragic bnha au #again I am NEW to this school and the last thing I want to do is copy an idea that's already been developed?! so please don't be afraid #to (politely) let me know in messages and I'll be happy to change things so I'm not stepping on toes #Yabureme Aizawa AU

[theinfinitedivides]

k so just found out they're all married? like this is their ceremony they're signing the documents? congratulations to the polycule ig can i get you any rings or something like that any honeymoon funds

#tv: vigilante #vigilante #vigilante kdrama #nam joo hyuk #yoo ji tae #kim so jin #lee joon hyuk #kdrama #local gay watches Vigilante.txt #local gay watches k-dramas.txt #rn we have: Mi Ryeo livestreaming the brawl and using herself to lure the gang members away from Ji Yong so they won't kill him #Ji Yong saving her by placing her inside an empty bus and then heading out to kick more ass Kang Ok defending them both #by holding the rest of the f*ckers back when Ji Yong is shoved into a corner again and he's in danger and last but not least Heon #showing tf up with his police truck running over a man sending him flying off the windshield and then sighing before putting #the f*cking vehicle in park and getting out. to also kick more ass. till death do us part

[magneticflower]

I dunno man, the fact that it seems to some that Kanej isn't endgame at the end of Crooked Kingdom is wild to me

#kanej #crooked kingdom spoilers #he sneaks into her room to leave her a note to meet ; he awaits her without gloves ; he gives her a boat and a place to dock it ; #they hold HANDS #he asks her to come back ; 'I'm not done with Ketterdam yet. ' ; they basically become PARTNERS in crime (hers more vigilante in nature but #i stiLL) ; He reveals he found her parents and he is worried he overstepped but shes sp grateful #he is NERVOUS meeting her parents enough to be like ' Is my tie straight?' #'/That's it. That's the laugh.'/ as he watches her run off ahead #like-- they're basically on the way to engagement #pleaSe

[un-pearable]

i have mixed opinions on the tim adoption (esp bc of how overplayed it is in fic) but my one firm belief is that making tim work an office job, much less a managerial one, is incredibly stupid. this kid is a teenage dirtbag let him follow in dick’s footsteps and spider-man it up in a city of his own

#cmon let him do some stupid overfunded baby’s first business venture like a PI or something #or go literal stealing spidey schtick. anything but making him a NEPO BABY CORPORATE OFFICIAL???? #i am talking to fandom btw the way they handle it in the actual red robin run was a) understandable given the themes. b) handled well and c) #NOT WHAT MOST PEOPLE THINK IT WAS. DUDE WAS *NEVER* CEO HE WAS A MAJORITY SHAREHOLDER #ugh. either way it’s boring ✨ make him do weird odd jobs. experience mundanity tim drake #actually considering he’s notorious now for staying robin long after he (actually did just got retconned) SHOULD HAVE moved on. #he should have a recurring bit of getting fired/having to leave/having a new job everytime he shows up or cameos #the only job security he knows is in vigilantism #edit: HI. GUESS WHO HAS TERRIBLE SIGNAL AND KEEPS GETTING CUT OFF

[welcometogrouchland]

Also in the replies of the Steph concept art on twitter announcing she was gonna be in a new project at DC (posted by Travis Mercer), there were at least 3 comments saying "will Tim be there?" I don't care how hard you ship timsteph I'm exploding you with my eyeballs if you do that on my girls post again

#ramblings of a lunatic #taking a step back to acknowledge that my stanning may be getting overzealous #but then again I'm not in ppls quotes or replies I'm vagueing on an entirely different website with no relevant tags. it could be worse #anyway I know tims had it rough these past couple of months ever since zdarsky shifted focus of the batman title to have less tim #but it still feels. idk. just a wee bit uninspired to act like steph can't go two steps without tim being behind her #im ngl i like timsteph when they're cute but timsteph twitter has been. pissing me off a tad lately #the refusal to acknowledge the sexism in dixons robin run and how it impacts stephs writing and their relationships writing #the refusal to acknowledge tims occasional condescension and hypocrisy when it comes to stephs vigilantism #seemingly only wanting her to be spoiler when he wants her around and telling her to give it up most of the time #also the constant disrespect of stephs batgirl era on there weirdly enough? #I've harped on about this on main and in drafts but despite it's flaws it's a good turn for stephs character #she's the focus she gets development (an upward trajectory! which had previously been unheard of for her! bc she did have flaws as spoiler- #-its just that both writers and characters alike seemed to arbitrarily decide she didn't have the capacity to grow past them! but she did!) #hell i saw a BIZARRE take today i just have to bitch about #which was them saying that Batgirl was a ''heteronormative mask'' steph put on #with spoiler being her more authentic self (and this being paralleled to gender expression with stephs isolation from the batfam as spoiler- #-showing how she ''wasnt like them'') #which. I'm not denying you the view that spoiler has a certain genderific swag to her but the needless dragging of her batgirl persona #steph got treated badly as spoiler bc she was A Girl. it's genuinely that simple dixon felt batman and robin would never stand for a girl- #-running around doing the things they did and would need to chivalrously stop her. he's gone on record saying this #she's constantly getting belittled by mostly men (cass also dismisses her but it feels distinctly less gendered) #and in the end it's barbara who learns to give steph a second chance despite her mistakes and they have a positive relationship #something ppl are quick to dismiss as being in and of itself sexist bc they're pairing the two girls off together #as if batgirl isn't a legacy and as if babs and steph don't have parallels in their resilience and refusal to accept when ppl tell them no #for better and for worse!! #like. idk how you took the strongest feminist element in that comic (bc there are elements of sexism here and there! 2009 n all) #and somehow turn it into ''heteronormativity'' YOU PPL ARE JUST SAYING WORDS AT THIS POINT!!! #anyway. someone take away my internet access

[martyrbat]

Embalming: History, Theory, and Practice, Sixth Edition

[TEXT ID: As we yearned for physical connection with the ones we love, we also longed to be present with the ones we had lost.]

#hiii sorry back on my ‘wow ransom cant be normal about death OR studying without thinking of silly little comic characters’ bullshit </33 #bruce & jason #at risk of repeating myself but again !!! bruce isolating and drawing back into himself after his death !! not having that outside #connection! alfred sure but them talking on jason was what led to him running away! he knows alfred would suggest taking time off and the #fear if being told it IS his fault as he blames himself! and alfred is mourning as well ! he has to be the strong one! #how can he be expected to save a city and other men's sons when he couldn't even save his own? #blaming himself and wanting to curl up and die with him! thinking how HE introduced jason to this lifestyle and it should of been him dead #instead of a child ! HIS child!! but knowing theres always more people to save and how youre the only one keeping THEIR world from ending #like how yours feels like it is! that you have to save these people and doing it in his honour when you should be doing it WITH him. #and then that isolation and not even telling dick ! #this is the second time bruce wayne cradled the corpse of his dead family and had to rise up from the ground instead of joining them. #blaming himself (zorro for parents/guilt complex & introducing jason to vigilantism) yet again #brb gotta rb that post lee had about the cycle of being a martyr and understanding his parents decisions in a new haunted way #i love being incoherent about very normal topics i promise guys really #cryptcites

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

🪶

#not to be weird on main but jaysteph hallmarkesque fic where it's like. steph has been away at college #and comes back to gotham on holiday break absolutely jonesing to get back into ''the family business'' aka vigilantism #she and jason were childhood acquaintances (schoolbus theory!!!) and worked together a bit before she went to school #steph has an argument with tim about something stupid (no they're not dating at this point they're just besties and both a bit petty) #so they're at odds and the whole family is a bit tense bc there's a Big Case going on and B is away on JL business #(B has promised he'll be back in time for Christmas. he is SCRAMBLING to keep this promise.) #anyway: cue steph deciding to make things a little easier on dick by handling arrangements for The Christmas Eve Gala TM #and recruiting jason (who is honestly just along for the ride/lowkey keeps mom-friending literally everyone in the absense of bruce) #they end up doing Shenanigans while trying to pull this event off and not cause any more trouble for alfred #while also working that Big Case during the nighttime and dealing with regular Family Tensions. #steph is also conflicted about transfering back to gotham u or staying with her current program that isn't really doing it for her #(jason is also considering enrolling in college now that he's legally alive again and is struggling a little with Being Alive) #at some point they end up reminiscing about their shenanigans as kids who rode the same schoolbus #and there's this really emotional moment like ''sometimes i wonder why I'm even allowed to be alive. why did we get to come back'' #and all that. steph has a mild existential crisis brought on by emotions running high and sleep deprivation #thats basically her asking how she's able to go to college. she should have brain damage after being technically dead for minutes like that #and jason is like ''i DID have brain damage'' and they just look at each other and it's like this *zing* moment #like hotel transylvania skkdfnskfnsk #anyway yeah college girl steph home for the holidays falling for the guy she used to sit with on the bus??? i am Thinking #also samsung needs to give me a starling emoji smh

[robocops-a-christ-allegory]

There is something interesting about how often the earlier a deconstruction of a genre that would later get a Whole Ton Of Them is the more likely it is to actually go deep into the Actual Faults of the genre.

Like again Vigilante 1983 is not perfect, constantly back and forths on if Adrians right or wrong, and goes insane in the last set of issues (before the last three which go back to being great) but I still think its a way better deconstruction of the idea of a violent vigilante hero guy then other stuff that claims to do the same thing but is incapable of letting its cool male leads look actually vulnerable or stupid for longer then a panel or two

#Yeah Im vaguing Ennis again #I think it says something about the way people see stuff like that the main thing people talk about with Vigilante is #the ending. I think Ennis fucking destroyed antihero deconstruction comics honestly #made everybody think you have to be extremely gorey and violent and have alot of violence against women to be #Cool and Adult. I fucking hate Ennis dude #alot of these types of comics do get scenes of people calling the main tough guy a dumb idiot but then he always gets #a big splash page of like shooting a whole ton of goons and ripping peoples heads off to compensate #or to show him going DEEPER INTO THE VIOLENCEEEE #Also kind of vaguing the huston moonknight run now too. I hate the Huston run. New take from me Ive never said that before I know #ok done talking about vigilante now. #one more thing: also theres a reason the best mainstream superhero deconstruction was made by a anarchist. #and part of what makes Vigilante good is them acknowledging that these assholes are all rightwing #even if it is obviously way less critical of that then it shouldve been

[sinnbaddie]

Saying Jason needs to be taken down a few pegs because – and let me get this is straight – he was acting like a villain…? Like he was supposed to be…??

yeah y’all lost it I’m genuinely so sick😭

#jason todd #red hood #y’all are so dumb #the dude is WRITTEN as a villain/vigilante #in that run #he’s supposed to be dramatic and shown to be extremely strong #adding cass to ‘beat his ass’ just to show him who’s boss would make no sense to the plot but go off about #your little ‘au’ because girlboss🤩 #like cass doesn’t need to beat someone’s ass in a run she WASNT in just to be cool #lowkey dumb as fuck imo but to each their own ig

[speckeltail]

idk meta about my interps of riddler and aaron and what it means for them and how they treat each other

spinning off in my own little world has yielded what I am absolutely sure to be an only slightly insane interpretation of tb!riddler; this is someone who's been dismissed, belittled, scapegoated, used countless times, whose inflated sense of ego is... yes, an inflated sense of ego, but also a cover for an insanely damaged self-esteem and general inability to connect with other people. he's defensive of his interests because they've always been mocked until they're useful, he's defensive and selfish with his skills because when he works for someone else and does as he's told he's accustomed to taking the fall. he doesn't trust when people are nice to him because he's been primed to see it as an attempt at manipulation... and he worked as an operator for a carnival game in what I see as his late teens + early twenties while he was getting his degree, so he knows full well what it's like to be manipulative. being an operator for a fun little carnival game where the fun of playing is the real prize is different from leading someone on and stealing their work, though. the biggest similarity is that the games are rigged from the start and only an idiot wouldn't see that (he didn't see that, what does that make him).

so it leaves him intensely distrusting, competitive, accustomed to relying on only himself (except for his little nerd armada, god I love the riddlemen they're perfect in every way) and letting himself be the only person to call the shots. at the same time... he is desperately reaching out for connection. he's lonely! he wants to be validated and treated like he has value for being just a person, not for his immense smarts, though he'd appreciate that too.

aaron coming into the picture doesn't necessarily change things so much as it puts a new coat of paint over it, because eddie finds himself in the same position his own father was in (and failed) but also... not at all. not in the slightest. he saw, in aaron, a kindred spirit who was used, who was abandoned, someone who wanted to get back at a system that was rigged from the start. and, I mean, it's not like Batgirl and Robin aren't on the scene. (and prank and scorn, which is its own thing.) the way I see it, eddie didn't intend for aaron to be more comfortable as sphinx. it just... happened. eddie sinks deeply into riddler as a protective layer against the world (prickly intellect and a mean streak that quite frankly dissolves the very second it's not of use?), aaron takes the thing he loved that became a horrible burden and a source of pain and turns it into the weapon he uses to get back at the world as sphinx.

to some degree, eddie is trying to protect and nurture the child in him that loved puzzles and was shot down at every turn. aaron is the opposite; he grew up fast, too fast, was on a global stage at fourteen and acting like an adult (without the adult privilege of making decisions for himself) and being treated like an adult with his area of expertise. eddie trips facefirst into love with someone who is only using him, and pays the price; aaron carefully portrays himself as someone unattainable and undesirable in his relationship with the other villain sidekicks, prank and scorn. (the context for that is sphinx went to them each separately, after their respective disasters, and went; hey. nobody's going to look out for us. people are going to try and use us. people won't take us seriously. we have to look out for each other. and they have a groupchat where aaron talks scorn down from doing dumb violent shit and donnie goes through cycles where he relapses into prank with joker. all very interesting. I should talk about it later. he's very much a mother hen because like eddie, he needs a sense of control and he cares deeply for people).

so... aaron acts like an adult, mainly. eddie helps him make a fake identity and aaron takes over from there. he's trying to be as convenient as possible, and it never comes out but he's afraid that he'll be discarded as soon as he's more trouble than he's worth-- which would distress eddie if he found out. sphinx is useful, and smart, and eager to please, and takes care of himself. sphinx is altogether more comfortable to be than aaron, who is anxious and doesn't know how to ask for help or care and feels ashamed that he wants it. eddie is his superior, not a father figure. neither of them know how to navigate this.

when aaron graduates high school, he goes to college-- this is when he stops being sphinx and starts being tyto, triggered by him investigating the disappearance of a classmate and friend and discovering a seedy underbelly to newark. it's where his and eddie's similarities come to an uncomfortable forefront. aaron, when given the opportunity, is obsessive. he's willing to wait, but only for so long. a few years ago I was pretty adamant about aaron not killing, but over the years I've honestly changed my mind... I think that he doesn't intentionally kill, but it's happened. and with the people he's targeting, he's not especially guilty about it.

anyway, eddie doesn't figure out about tyto for a while, he thinks that aaron's just retired aside from visiting gotham and doing sphinx stuff for him as a favor on long weekends and holidays, and when he does he's surprised at how much he does not like it. he did invite sphinx into the whole business with the promise of getting back at people who hurt them (and the world, in general, and the way things are rigged, and it's fine for them to break the rules because nothing is fair) but that was stealing money. blackmailing people, at most! silly bullshit like jello bombs. people in speeding cars they control so they're not really in any danger. distractions. you know. supervillainy? tyto is not a supervillain. tyto is not even necessarily a vigilante, though that's what he's treated as. tyto is indeed getting back at people with precise and violent intent, much as an unsupervised nineteen year old with extensive training and too much compassion for his own good might.

it's not going to end well! it's a hopeless crusade that leaves power vacuums and is endless work, and what's going to happen when aaron graduates? How the hell can Eddie respond to that? he can't tell aaron to stop because he's not in charge of him anymore. he doesn't disagree with what aaron is doing but it might get him killed, and in fact there is a high chance that it might get him killed.

anyway I think that's what makes eddie realize that he cares for aaron a lot more deeply than he ever expected he does, or should. and once again things are spiraling out of his control and the only thing he can do is watch and hope there's enough pieces left to pick up.

#aaron griffin #tb!riddler #the riddler #me post #DRAGGING MY HANDS DOWN MY FACE #sidekick squad is immensely important to me #andy kills william when he gets out of prison => graduates to vigilante (stalker) #RH kills joker and prank eventually goes solo as a tiktok influencer => jester #aaron has a lot of trauma about a lot of things and sees a chance to make a difference by putting his hands around someone's throat => tyto #jester is a batgirl rogue and it's fantastic. they are friends. donnie gets enough tiktok money to move out of his dad's apartment #and buy clothes that FIT #donnie is absolutely being neglected lmao his clothes don't fit his hair is messy he latches immediately without question onto the #first adult to treat him with respect and pay positive attention to him #which contributes to the cycle of... joker approaching him again and again with small; generally harmless pranks #getting him to escalate. keeping him essentially huffing low dosages of joker gas in their little planning warehouse. #pushing him to do more and more dangerous things until donnie pushes back like hey I don't want to actually hurt people #and then joker goes too far and donnie runs away and comes down off of a week-long gas high #and two or three months pass... cycle repeat #for andy william is like 10 years older than him so old enough to step in as a 'parental' figure but with none of the skills #pressure pressure pressure on andy who has trouble adjusting to seeing him as an authority figure #putting on a show of being good brothers and a good team to everybody else while being wildly dysfunctional #living in their parent's apartment while their parents are in prison #william taking his teen brother on jobs to be a thug. more pressure. hatred for people who have better but unable to parse it #as sadness and jealousy #both of them getting gassed; william going to jail; andy is a minor so he's released on probation and goes to live alone #detoxing off of a concentrated dose of joker gas #he's the foil for dick so while dick loses his parents and gains a new support and purpose in being robin #andy is wrapped up in scorn and likely goes right back to being a thug for people when he needs money because #what else can he do? #aaron is both of their lifelines as the closest thing to a functional adult they can trust (while he is actually younger than andy

[age-of-moonknight]

“Slasher,” Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #1.

Writer: Warren Ellis; Penciler and Inker: Declan Shalvey; Colorist: Jordie Bellaire; Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos

#Marvel #Marvel comics #Marvel 616 #Moon Knight vol. 7 #Moon Knight 2014 #Moon Knight comics #Moon Knight #Marc Spector #Mr. Knight #first off: ART !!! #and I’m pretty sure there are some Dante’s Inferno comparisons that can be made here #moving on I find the “becoming sane” statement intriguing #because is Marc “working towards sanity”? #that would be a shift away from past runs where he was mainly working towards redemption #and furthermore /can/ Marc “become sane”? And should he? #this run seems to lean towards Khonshu being a major contributor towards Marc instability so is it possible for Marc to reach stability #while Khonshu’s still hanging around? then there’s the old question of whether Marc can effectively operate as a vigilante without Khonshu #I think the answer is “yes obviously” but that’s just me #oh and then there’s the whole trying to become sane thing juxtaposed against art of descending into some real wild stuff #*chef’s kiss* amazing