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#them making it canon that he looks exactly like jason was the best thing 2 ever happen to me
ffruug · 11 months
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I need a live action project w/ Johnathon just so I can see Jason with long ass hair🙏🙏
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nabtime · 11 months
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Our Empty Graves III
Fandom: Danny Phantom / Batman: Under the Red Hood
Pairings: Danny Fenton/Jason Todd (Dead on Main)
Rating: Mature
Tags: batfamily, hazmat AU, Nobody Knows AU, Mute!Phantom, potential ghost king danny, slow burn?, DC means Disregard Canon, AU means AU nothing is exactly the same, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, more than canon typical violence, danny is a Halfa and also a Fetch, no beta we die like basically everyone
Summary: They say that Red Hood has a loyal mutt. The man rules his territory in Crime Alley with an iron fist and a guard dog at his side. They say that Hood calls him Fetch, sometimes Fetcher. No one's ever heard him speak. Anyone who's ever seen him says he looks like an experiment gone wrong, that Hood picked him up somewhere unspeakable. They say he'll do anything Red Hood asks of him and he'll do it well. That he's strong and fast and probably inhuman. The girls say he's sweet; quiet but charming in his own way. Rival gangs say he's vicious; that he'd sooner rip your throat out than let you go.
Jason just wants to help him.
Chapter 3: afraid of coming back (to find that everything is the same)
Chapter Summary: Jason questions the scrungly little lab rat he picked up and maybe even makes a friend along the way! The lab rat reject in question seems to be having a good time at least.
Chapter Notes: title from Kingdom of Cards by Bad Omens Links: AO3 // Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 4
“Just who the fuck are you?”
Jason held the gun steadily at the person’s head, waiting for an answer. He’d never seen a rogue like them around, clad head to toe in some altered version of a Level B Hazmat suit- black with white trim, a baggy outline obscuring their form, and glowing. And the blood they were leaking- at least he assumed it was their version of blood seeing as it was seeping from gashes in their suit- was a bright violent green. His grip tightened on the gun, green like Lazarus Water.
The neon green dots that blinked like eyes behind the tinted visor just watched him. He couldn’t say how he knew Walking OSHA Violation looked tired, but they did. Probably all their injuries catching up to them, but Jason had questions he needed answers to. Like why the fuck whatever noise they made in the street had tripped some sort alarm within him. The kind of reaction you’d have to someone crying for help but times a thousand. Jason may not have come back from the dead exactly right in the head but that impulse he’d felt still didn’t sit right with him. He already didn’t feel in control of himself enough, he didn’t need Glow-Stick fucking that up even more.
“C’mon, kid. Need an answer,” he said, waving the gun a bit to hurry them up. The safety was still on but they didn’t need to know that. He had appearances to keep.
They looked offended before silently pointing to themselves and then holding up two fingers and then making a zero. They did it with one hand, the other limp on their chest.
A twenty-year old kid, then. Couldn’t blame him for thinking the guy was younger considering how short they were. Five foot two and a half, three at best and while the suit hid their frame they still seemed small. Thin. It had looked like Batman was beating up a child in the streets. And even if they hadn’t pulled off that weird scream thing Jason still would have gotten them out of there. Their answer brought up another problem though.
“Do you not want your voice recognized or can you just not speak? One finger for the first one and two for the second.”
They tilted their head to the side curiously and something told Jason the kid was also relieved, probably the way they relaxed into the couch a bit. Jason still had the gun on them though, so he didn’t know what the broken night-light was thinking there.
They held up two fingers.
Alright, he could work with that. The Chernobyl Roleplayer could be lying and still not want their voice recognized, meaning that their voice could be recognized and they were someone of note, but Jason doubted that with the way they hadn’t made an actual sound when B had kicked them in the ribs. He was going to kick Bruce’s ass for that, more than he had already. Or better yet, he’d find a way to make sure Alfred found out. Alfie would make sure he learned his lesson.
Next order of business; he was tired of using ‘they’ without knowing if those were the correct pronouns. He fucked up anyone who misgendered the girls and guys under his protection, he knew the rundown. They went by the pronouns they wanted no matter what parts they were working with and anyone who didn’t respect that got a sucker punch from Red Hood.
He held up a finger for each pronoun he listed off, “He, she, they, it, or something else?”
Discount Rave Costume sank further into the couch, getting comfortable. Again, the gun was still there and pointed at them. Had they noticed the safety was off? Whatever. His couch had been a lost cause before all this but it was definitely a bio-hazard now with all the blood the kid smeared on it.
They held up a single finger.
Alright. At least that proved he was cooperative and understood what Jason was asking. He sighed and holstered his gun. No point in using it if it wasn’t even working to intimidate the guy.
“Stay there,” he ordered.
Mister Irradiation Personified looked unimpressed and waved down at his body, which was still bleeding sluggishly and looked battered to all hell. Jason huffed and turned down the hall towards the bathroom. Sassy little shit. Lava lamp lookin’ ass.
This wasn’t one of his more well stocked safe-houses. Not that he had many of those or many supplies in the better stocked ones. He was still building his empire and most of his money and attention went to cleaning up the streets and protecting his own. Stuff for himself was secondary. He crouched down in front of the sink and started rummaging. Thankfully he had a ton of gauze and some saline. No antibiotics though. Probably for the best considered the leaky science experiment on his couch likely wasn’t human anyway; antibiotics might not work or might make it worse. He gathered it all up and then set out for something to write on and to write with. Needed to get a name so he could stop calling him shit like Angler Fish Impersonator. There were only so many nicknames he could come up with.
He dropped off the gauze and saline in front of the Zack from Sky High Kinnie and moved on. Kid gave him a lazy salute and heaved himself up to grab at the gauze. Jason turned and smacked his little irradiated hands away.
“I don’t know if you can even get septic but I ain’t having you die on my couch from an infection, you walking highlighter. Wash your fuckin’ hands first.”
He collapsed back and pouted. At least, Jason thought he was pouting. He couldn’t see it, but that was the general vibe. Fucking “This Is Not A Place Of Honor” type guy could communicate via vibes alone now. Mr. I-Look-Like-The-Thing-That-Crawled-Out-Of-The-Sewer-And-Ate-A-Mini-Van-Last-Week tilted his head back against the couch and gave Jason the wettest most pathetic looking puppy dog eyes he’d ever seen. He didn’t even have actual eyes! They were sparkling and teary like a fucking anime magical girl with slime powers or some shit. Unbelievable.
���Don’t make me bring the gun out again. Lizzie's been itching to let loose and she's got a mean streak in her.”
An incredulous look before Sklodowska-Curie’s poorest little meow meow turned and hunched over, shoulders shaking. Jason was sure if the brat could make noise he’d hear giggling. Broken ass squeaky toy motherfucker. He rolled his eyes, not like the kid could see it under the helmet but he made sure to emulate as much annoyance in his aura or whatever as he could. If jellyfish genes could communicate with vibes alone, so could he.
He stalked off to the kitchen to rummage through the drawers. God help him he did not want to resort to charades. He had a feeling Professor Utonium over there would just use it to mess with him. But, hey, at least the guy was in good spirits.
He found an old newspaper and a red crayon. Good enough. Why either of those things were there in the first place would remain a mystery he did not care enough to solve. He dropped the items on the couch beside the World’s Smallest Nuclear Reactor, who gave him an inquisitive look that he ignored before stalking back over to the sink, removing his gloves, and washing his hands. Like a decent fucking person that knew how to do first aid.
“Alright, scooch,” he grunted, dropping onto the dusty ass cushions and reaching for the gauze and saline. “Let’s get you patched up and you answer my damn questions already. You’re gonna use those,” he said, pointing to the newspaper and crayon, “to tell me what I need to know.”
The blank stare he got in return made him pause. “Wait, shit. Can you even write?”
An exasperated look and a roll of those glowing eyes answered him. Lime-flavored Mr. Mime nodded, gestured to the hand that was limp and likely attached to a broken arm from the weird angle, and then shook his head. Ah.
“I don’t care how messy it is, just figure it out with your other hand. Ambidexterity is a choice. Make it quick.”
Kid slumped his whole body back into the couch, just exuding annoyance before picking up the newspaper and balancing it on his lap and then grabbing the crayon. He tilted his head with a little wave that Jason took to mean to ask his questions.
“First off, Ghostbusters Reject, what are you?”
His eyes squished and Jason could have sworn he was grinning. Something about that last nickname must have really amused him. Jason really didn’t want to know why. He looked away for a long moment before putting crayon to paper and slowly wrote something down.
Fetch said the messy scrawl. Jason hummed, soaked the gauze in saline and pressed it against the biggest gash on the kid’s thigh. Stupid fucking Bat-a-rang. To his credit the James Cameron Movie Extra barely flinched at the touch.
“You gonna tell me what that is?”
A shake of the head. A one-shoulder shrug. Well, whatever. Luminescent Swamp Thing could keep his secrets.
“You got a name at least?”
Another look away. Probably coming up with something on the spot. He focused on the newspaper and wrote as neatly as he could, which still looked like drunk chicken scratch mixed with cursive doctor shorthand. Jason got the feeling that if he had a discernible mouth he’d have his tongue sticking out in concentration. Cute.
He held up the paper. Fetcher.
“Fucking really? That’s like a wolf guy named Wolfer or something. Or a dude named Human. What are you, fucking Moon Moon?”
Fetcher (ugh, could he really not have come up with a better name?) put an offended hand to his chest before tilting his head in a way that distinctly read as sassy and wrote a reply that took almost an eon to write out.
A guy named Guy?
Jason snorted. Guess he had a point there. Whatever. Fetcher it was then. Good. He’d run out of good nicknames. Now he had new material.
“Alright, Fetcher in the Rye, let’s get you patched up so you can get out of my hair. I don’t want any more nuclear waste on my couch.”
Fetcher nodded, shoulders sagging as Jason got to work on setting his arm and wrapping it up. He paused in the movement and looked up, asking something he probably should have before taking his gloves off and getting all up in the kid’s business.
“This shit ain’t gonna kill me, is it?” he asked, gesturing to the green goo all over the place.
A shrug. Fucking fantastic.
Then there was shaking and Fetcher’s eyes were squinted again. Bastard. He was laughing. He saw Jason’s flat look, heaved a sigh with his body, then shook his head. He tilted it, considering, moved his hand in a so-so motion and then shook his head again.
Jason huffed and just took that to mean, probably not but maybe. Great. Well, he’d already taken a dip in a Lazarus Pit, how bad could knock-off ectoplasm be?
He snapped the arm back and Fetcher inhaled a sharp breath, forcing a shuddering exhale as Jason poured saline over exposed skin (it looked white? Like vampire white. Maybe Fetch meant half-vampire?). He secured it with gauze and moved on.
He moved closer to wrap more bandaging around Fetcher’s chest. He smelled like limeade and the moment before lightning struck in a thunderstorm. Like power and death. They made eye-contact and Jason was close enough to the tinted face shield that he could almost make out the features of a face hiding under it. Slender and young, forehead covered in (white?) ragged bangs. He tied the wrap and pulled away. Interesting.
Fetcher shook himself before picking up the newspaper. He pointed to where he’d written his own name, gestured to himself and then pointed at Jason.
“You want my name?”
A nod.
“Red Hood.”
No reaction besides another bobbing nod. Kid didn’t know who he was then. Hm.
“You know where you are, Fetcher?”
A shake.
“You’re in my territory. In Gotham. Crime Alley. It’s not a pleasant place to be, kid. Found Batman beating the shit out of you just on the edge of my turf. What the fuck was up with that, anyway?”
A small shrug answered him. Fetcher looked away and seemed to shrink in on himself. Jason would have none of that now.
“Look. I’ll be the first person to say that Goth Furry Man is an asshole. I’m just trying to figure out what, exactly, crawled up his ass and died, alright? Make sure he doesn’t come after you again.”
Fetcher side-eyed him before moving the newspaper and writing again.
Accident.
Kid dropped the crayon and ran his fingers in the air in an upside down wiggle and then pointed to himself.
“You were running away?”
A nod. He made a circular motion in the air, pointed to himself, and then made a motion like something falling. God, fuck, of course they’d resorted to charades.
“You fell through a hole?”
He got a so-so motion before Fetcher paused and thought better of trying to mime out whatever he was getting at. Good. He picked up the crayon and wrote, handwriting still messy as all hell.
Portal.
“You fell through a portal?” he questioned. How the fuck? You know what, no, actually, he’d seen weirder. Gotham was fucked up, weird glowing radioactive dudes falling through portals was not the worst that’d ever happened.
Mr. Radioactive in question nodded enthusiastically. He went back to miming. He made a rounded motion, like an arch in the air, and then wiggled his fingers in a forward motion out in front of the arch. Jason squinted. What the fuck was he trying to say here. He made the portal motion again above where he’d made the arch and finger-wiggle and dropped his hand down.
“You fell from the portal onto…?”
Kid threw his hand up and tried again. He drew lines in the air, up long slanted left, short to the right, flat across, short to the left, long slanted right down, and flat across again. Then he laid his arm across his chest, closed his eyes, and laid back. Like a corpse. Oh!
“A fucking coffin?”
He pointed excitedly before making the so-so motion again. Then the arch and wiggle motion.
“A grave?”
More enthusiastic pointing and nodding. Fetcher was practically bouncing on the couch, which was probably not good for his wounds, but whatever. He wasn’t his mom.
Damn maybe Jason was good at charades, actually. He wondered if it would ruin his image too much to suggest to his guys to have a game night. Maybe just his closest lieutenants. Who said being a crime lord couldn’t mean kicking someone’s ass at monopoly?
“What about that would piss off Mr. Dark and Stormy Night, though?” he mused. Bats wouldn’t fly off the handle like that just for accidentally trespassing. He had that stupid moral code that Jason hated.
Fetcher gave a shrug, seeming to genuinely not know.
Jason thought back to where he’d found them. Fetcher couldn’t have gone far with his condition and an angry Bat chasing after him. The closest place a grave could be was-
Ah. The cemetery with his empty grave.
He clenched his jaw to control himself. Maybe not. Can’t jump to conclusions.
“Was it the specific grave you were on?” he asked through gritted teeth. Not that the tone translated much through the modulator on his mask.
A thoughtful tilt of the head and a reluctant nod. A hand wave. Maybe, then.
He kept in a sigh. “What were the initials on the headstone?”
Flat line down then curve. Straight line down and then an outward curve at the top. Straight line down and then a flat line across the top. J.P.T. Jason Peter Todd. Of fucking course. Of course that absolute bastard could rage and assault some random kid that’d landed on his grave on accident but would stubbornly refuse to actually avenge him. To do something meaningful about his death and change how he took down his villains. To do something about that fucking clown’s kill count. No. Had to beat some rando within an inch of his life for doing nothing instead. Fucking hypocrite.
He was so going to tip off Alfred later. It was the best he could do with his plans at the moment. But if Bruce came anywhere near his territory again he’d get a bullet to the kneecap for sure. Maybe both for good measure. Couldn’t harm him too much, yet. Jason had plans for the bastard. For now he gathered himself with the placation of later. The Batman would get what was due to him. Shittiest not-dad of the year award included. Brucie would pay for his inaction. For not being there in time. For letting Jason die.
He had hoped. He had hoped so goddamn much that Bruce or Dick had done something about his death. That the clown had been made to pay for what he did. That maybe Bruce had learned his lesson about taking kids that weren’t trained enough out into the field. Letting them into the field at all. But lo and behold not a single fucking thing was different. Bruce had a new Robin. The Joker was still up to no good with nothing more than a slap on the wrist to stop him. Jason had been buried, tucked away in a Park Row two-bit cemetery (out of sight, out of mind) with Wayne stripped from his name. He had never accepted it before he died, but it still hurt. All of it did. He shoved it all deep down, folding that anger down within himself like he’d learned, ready to bring it back out when he needed it. Right now he had other things to focus on.
He dropped his gaze back to Fetcher, who was watching him intently. That bright green gaze was only a little bit disconcerting but whatever, he could deal.
“I won’t let him come after you again. You’re safe here so long as you follow my rules. Comprende?”
A serious nod and then a questioning motion.
“The rules?”
Another nod.
“Everybody looks out for everybody. Don’t mess with kids. Don’t deal to kids. Just don’t touch kids in general. Play nice with the sex workers or get wrecked. No murder or maiming unless its in self-defense or on my orders. Don’t fuck with the homeless or get curb-stomped. If you’re gonna deal it’s gotta be pure and if you’re gonna use do it safely. Snitches get stitches and never talk to cops.”
Fetcher blinked at the long list but nodded along and gave a peppy thumbs up at the end.
“Good. Now get some rest,” he said, swinging himself up from the couch and stretching. He caught the other ogling before Glow-Stick looked away. He’d save that for processing later.“I don’t have any food here so I’m gonna grab some. Do you eat? Got allergies?”
Fetcher shrugged and shook his head.
“What the fuck, little dude,” he asked before shaking his head. “Never mind. Just catch some sleep. If you sleep. Whatever. You can stay here for now. I’ll be back with food in a bit.”
Kid looked at him for a bit, blank green gaze a little unnerving. Jason felt like he was being assessed. Whatever Fetcher was looking for, he seemed to find it. He nodded decisively and then settled back into the couch, relaxing and sinking into the decrepit cushions.
Just what the hell had he gotten himself into now?
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scintillyyy · 1 year
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I don’t know if this counts as a subtype of fanon but with a lot of Tim and Jason fics I see a really weird pattern where Tim is more forgiving of what Jason did to him than what Damian or Dick did. The whole Robin situation with Dick and the Damian situation gets really blown up and make them out to be monsters but Jason gets a pass because they’re best buddies now. It’s really strange because I think Jason in canon treated Tim WAY worse than Dick or even Damian did. I can’t tell if it’s because the writers are Jason fans and want to make him look good or if they haven’t read the source material and just go along with the fanon narrative that Damian still hates Tim and that Dick “stole” Robin from Tim.
yes, i wouldn't say that that's its own subtype of fanon. that is, however, a problem caused by a myriad of factors, of which fanon is a definite part!
eta: sry for length, tumblr is denying me a readmore
it's strange, but not so strange to me, i guess. like, i don't like it, but since i lurked in fandom for a short time during the reborn era/right before flashpoint i kind of formed ideas of exactly...why/how the whole tim&jason thing happened and got pushed.
it's 2009-2011 and it's the heyday of tumblr headcanons. ones created by big name fans have a way of going viral and embedding themselves into the consciousness of the fandom. this is around the time we start to get the proliferation of the headcanon that tim was definitely stalking batman and robin at night and taking a million pictures of them and this basically starts to get considered canon by the fandom at large. there's still discussion of this today.
(now, i personally have mixed feelings on camera!tim. i'm not a fan of has all patrol routes memorized camera!tim, but i do like me a little bit of camera!tim. i tend to see the idea as more like what my husband tells me about people and emergencies. oh, there's something happening like a fire down the street? wow, can't believe it's time to go walk my dog. what do you mean it's 2:30 in the morning and that's weird? this is totally a normal thing to do, look at all these other 20 people who happen to be out walking their dogs at this totally normal time and all our routes happen to take us to the fire? this is a common dog-walking route! so imo, camera!tim as he should be is more--hey, we're at our downtown place and there's a robbery at first national gotham bank, guess i'm going to slip out and see if i can see anything and then take a photo if i do. i also think tim would be much more likely to take a bus to nyc and scope out dick's apartment but i am majorly digressing here-)
anyways, camera!tim and raised alone in drake manor!tim were very much two sides of the same coin and firmly embedded in fandom lore. and camera!tim forms....far more of a parasocial relationship with batman and robin than canon!tim ever did.
so then we have exactly when tim figured out dick was robin: he was nine. this is of course, only about a year/right before dick gets kicked out and jason becomes robin
so we have a tim, who is forming a parasocial relationship with batman and robin, and he only "has" dick as robin for at most a year and then he has jason as robin for three before he dies
so we now have a tim who has objectively "spent more time" with jason. ergo, you start to get headcanons that are like "hey, tim really only had dick as robin for a year. but jason, he spent jason's entire career with him. isn't jason so much more tim's robin on a personal level (because of all the time tim has spent in a parasocial relationship with him compared to dick)". thus, the proliferation of jason was tim's robin embeds itself into fandom lore.
meanwhile, we are also in the reborn era. fans (especially tumblr fans) are getting introduced to batfamily dynamics through the dissemination of comic book panels, rather than starting from the beginning and making their way through the entirety of canon. they are getting introduced to reborn dick and tim dynamics first, which are not good dick and tim dynamics since they are at a rocky-ish point and then they have to make their way backwards from there. so when you start from their absolute lowest point and work your way backwards, you go in with a certain bias and that's going to affect how you conceptualize the relationship. you see tim being treated (seemingly--and not my personal opinion) unfairly and you go back to when he was treated well and that is going to color how you see dick. you are not going to feel like dick deserves tim, if your first exposure to him is tim having robin taken away in favor of damian and then you look back and see the two of them doing so much better without damian. you're going to feel like dick is almost two-faced and was ready to drop tim at the drop of a hat once the "real son" came into the picture (again, i cannot stress how much this is not my personal opinion), rather than be like "wow, this whole era is really out of character for poor dick".
and really not helping the situation is that batman and robin is written by morrison, ergo we get morrison!dick and morrison!dick...doesn't really seem to care about or be very close with tim, sorry, "tim drake". so you get a dick who is very much investing all of his time and effort and love into rehabilitating damian, who only makes flippant comments about "how he could always give the job back to tim" as a gotcha to damian and calls him tim drake like they're acquaintances.
so this idea starts to form that dick no longer loves tim, since he has damian now. and that bias is going to color things like the hit list arc--every move dick makes is going to be microanalyzed to hell to support the idea that he prefers damian, ergo a lot of fuss is made over dick telling tim that maybe it isn't fair that damian is on his hit list and "lecturing" tim that damian bleeds a need to be accepted in the family, even after damian "attacked him", at the same time ignoring the fact that dick is basically telling tim that he completely understands why tim would put damian on the list and that there is an understanable logic to tim's approach, and just reminds him that bruce's secrecy about doing this exact thing bit him in the butt--which is a fair reminder at this point. and that dick does support tim keeping the list, and actively helps him to keep his private files more private away from damian's prying eyes. dick even says he plans on talking to damian (implied to be that dick will be trying to help damian understand that tim wasn't personally attacking damian or not accepting him because of this whole thing). damian, who "stole" robin and therefore dick's love from tim gets similarly microanalyzed--a lot of fuss is made over the "murder attempt" and it basically gets ignored that damian is very, very hurt that tim seemingly doesn't trust him/consider him part of the family despite all the hard work he's doing to be good which would indicate that he maybe actually wants tim's acceptance somewhat.
so we get a negative feedback look of dick+tim+damian dynamics that actively look for the absolute worst possible intention in dick and damian with every interaction they have with tim
and i'm going to tangent here on another thing i personally think comes into play here re: dick "firing" tim, especially in comparison to dick getting fired back in the day and why i think dick basically telling tim that he's ready to move on from robin and do his own thing is taken as dick essentially pushing tim out of the family
(and in no way does i think any of the following absolves terribleness of dick's firing by bruce)
so, when we consider dick's transition to nightwing, we have to consider the year: 1984. things were a lot different culturally, back then. this was still a time where you were getting married younger on average (1980 statistics show median marriage age at 24.7 for males/22 for females), so we're talking fairly soon out of college. once you've left the home of your parents, it's assumed you are gone for good--it's a sign of becoming an adult, starting your own family, creating your own home. culturally, it's not seen as terrible to expect that once your child (most likely male, female tends to have a little more leeway at staying with their parents until they're married) has hit 18 they will either go to work full-time, or go to college and work to pay for college themselves and then leave. so from a cultural perspective, it made sense that when dick "grew up" he had his own thing and he would be out of the family home (even if by force). at the time, a reader might be in the same boat as dick--so there's relatability there, it's not necessarily abnormal that someone dick's age is on their own or taking care of themselves by now, because it's not culturally expected that your parents would have to support you past the age of 18 (though this was far from a universal experience, i know)
but then we get to the year 2009. by now, cultural expectations of family support have changed drastically. if you tell your 18 year old child that they're on their own at 18, you're starting to be considered an unsupportive and "bad" family, because at this point you are willfully throwing your child to thousands of dollars of student debt and unaffordable rent/mortgage and potential homelessness as a result. on the other hand, good and supportive families do not do this. and not that tim would ever have to worry about any of this, but having tim be told that it's time for him to spread his wings at 17/18 might touch a nerve for people who have suffered as a result from being told by their family that at 18 they are now adults, when they have a crashed economy, no job, and potentially nowhere to live and they are being blamed for this and they have no familial safety net to fall back on. whereas it was far more normal for dick to leave to college at his age and then not return to his childhood home, and tim is the same age now as dick was at the time, tim moving out of the family home seems like much more of a punishment and as a loss of the family support structure which is seen as absolutely terrible, the worst thing that could happen, even if dick's firing was arguably much worse. tim's just vaguely *feels* worse (i mean, not to me, but...), because current cultural expectations for for 18 year olds have changed over time which causes them to be interpreted differently, i guess. add a dumb emancipation plotline and one might start to feel like tim is being forced out of the home and family at too young of an age, and that's considered highly cruel and the blame gets put on dick for doing this to tim (and damian, for making tim "so uncomfortable" in his own home so tim "had to leave"-- even though tim is the one who proactively realizes that he is chafing at the inherent constraints of living with dick and damian, not because he feels unsafe, but because he craves independence at this point and wants to do things on his own timetable without interference.)
and there's so much at the same time that clearly happens offscreen, but because there's no on-screen "resolution", it starts to get treated like it never happened. dick and tim clearly cleared the air after tim returned home and forgave each other. tim and damian clearly cleared the air after the hit list arc and settled into slightly snarky, but overall amiable relationship where they do care about the other's wellbeing. but since we don't have a panel we can disseminate that's damian being like "drake...im sorry...i shouldn't have cut ur line...forgive me pls..." (i don't think he needed to say this btw, i think they just needed to have a conversation about how it wasn't personal and yes, tim trusts that damian is improving and good) it gets twisted into, well, damian got to try and murder tim with no consequences and dick let him get away with it. since the resolution happened offscreen, it's treated like it basically didn't happen.
so you mix all of this together, and then everything gets blown up by the nu52, which totally tanks the dick and tim brotherhood into basically nothing while keeping the same pre-52 arguments of tim and damian hating each other, but there's no good reason for them to anymore, except that tim is now being written by lobdell
seriously, there's no real reason why codename:tim drake would not consider or accept damian as robin or a wayne. tim's whole thing here is he was never really robin, so why tf would be be mad about damian replacing him if there's no feasible way that that happened here? nothing makes sense, so it just flares up pre-52 tensions for no reason. oh and tim's apparently closest to jason now. dick only cares about damian because he has no reason to care about nu52 tim drake, there's no personal connection there. now those are acquaintances. and you have fans who are still trying to cling to pre-52 tim, but in this nu52 world and yea. then it really starts to look dick doesn't care about tim, only damian, and then our negative feedback loop of tim+dick+damian dynamics continues to spiral down and down and down whereas at least here in this new continuity, jason and tim seems to like each other best and we start to see a positive feedback loop of all the earlier mention ideas that jason was really tim's favorite/his special robin all along.
but, we still have the problem of jason trying to murder tim a bunch. luckily, lobdell chose to ignore that so we can too
we also have a transition around this time towards the idea that jason is actually justified in his murder/murder attempts because in 2010 the movie Batman: Under The Red Hood comes out and it is much, much easier to watch a 75 minute movie than it is to read 20+ years of comic book canon. and we have jason voiced by jensen ackles and telling bruce that bruce should have killed the joker just because he took jason away from him. which starts to garner a lot more sympathy for jason and jason's position of "actually, revenge murder is an objectively good thing, who wouldn't want their loved ones to revenge murder the person who killed them?". so we start to get those who don't necessarily see jason doing all the horrible things he did post-resurrection as objectively bad things or even meant to be objectively bad things, because jason's anger was righteous and his lashing out was totally justified. so we start to get twists that explain away or lessen the horribleness of his post-resurrection actions. does it matter that he killed drug dealers and ganglords? well, they were criminals anyways and he's protecting the poor people who would be victimized by them far more effectively than batman, at least! so the murder attempts (which i don't consider personal or a huge deal canonically, anyways) of tim start to appear in a not as bad of a light because jason is not a bad person since he is justified emotionally in his actions.
and then we contrast that to dick's perceived larger sin of "booting tim from the family" and feeling like since tim no longer has his family support structure to fall back on (which is not true at all) he gets drawn to jason, who similarly no longer has the social safety net of the batfamily so it's seen as the two of them having this in common. again, this is boosted by the nu52, which also basically ignores any previous bad blood between jason and tim and pushes the idea that they're both black sheep who find a kindred spirit in each other.
so jason's actions toward tim get explained and justified, whereas dick+ damian's actions get flanderized to the point of unrecognition and we end up with a fandom that is largely more forgiving of jason than dick based on severity of perceived slights and whether or not the other was justified in their treatment of tim (jason was, but dick definitely was not since he has no good reason to do what he did--again. not my personal opinion on dick.)
so to me, i think it's definitely a mix. people don't read the full source material because it really is a difficult thing to do and don't have what they consider acceptable on page reconciliation, fanon headcanons have proliferated and burrowed their way deep into fandom consciousness and get passed down and down getting worse along the way (honestly, i s2g i think i remember where the dick wants to throw tim into arkham one came from and i'm pretty sure it was along the lines of someone positing that maybe, do you think that when dick mentioned therapy to tim tim was terrified because the only option in gotham is arkham) (i could be making that up entirely, memory is fallible, but i think i remember seeing something like that along the way) and the perceived slights of dick being considered much more personal and far more cruel and you get a bunch of fans who want tim and jason to be the perfect brother duo/don't want dick to be tim's favorite.
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cross-armageddon · 10 months
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I got too silly (again)
Before I say anything though, I must add something offtopic - this will not be a daily thing
I've uploaded the PJO AU sorta daily until now, because I had thoughts already - the rest of the characters' powers will require more thinking on my part. Also, I'm going to London for a few days soon, which means I won't have access to my tablet.
I MIGHT make an update for Prima Vista though, so when you're lacking in content from me, just head to AO3 to catch up with my prsk OCs
You can also send me asks with ideas for the PJO AU or questions to both the AU and Prima Vista during my vacations (Wednesday till Sunday) and I will reply to all of them as soon as I will have a break from sightseeing and have wifi (I'm silly like that).
Well then.
Leo/need (1/2)
(if you're disappointed it's not niigo or vbs, im disappointed in myself too)
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The Honami Hephaestus is honestly a really cool idea in general, I'm very confident it fits her the most.
You wouldn't expect her to be a fire wielder after how Leo was in the series, but yet - that's exactly what she is to me. She has way more control over it, as she has to focus really hard and be extremely calm to get a spark, so exactly the opposite of Leo, that can straight up blow up if he gets too angry or excited.
As a Hephaestus daughter, she's naturally good with electronics and machinery. Everyone just kinda assumed she learned how everything worked while homekeeping, but in reality she doesn't actually know any theoretical stuff. She just moves something or hits it and the thing is fixed.
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Also, I'm spreading Honami buff agenda. Her training at the camp gave her some muscles and yeah
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yeah
Usually it's not noticeable, so people get shocked if she doesn't cover her arms or stomach, because "wtf where the fuck did she get those??"
Also, I feel like Honami would become a huntress of Artemis. Whether or not the rest of Leo/need would follow her is purely up to interpretation. On one hand I feel like they would, but then again - Saki would get extremely close to pararelling with Thalia and. I d
I don't think Tsukasa wants to follow Jason's footsteps actually.
On another note
Why is Ichika unclaimed?
I could make so many fucking excuses as to why she's unclaimed, but I will actually stay silent about it. Yall can give ideas and your reasoning for certain godparents tho 👀
hmu in my askbox
Anyways, since Ichika is unclaimed, she sometimes gets some weird looks and is a part of the "weirdos" from her Cohort.
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(You WILL get dragged into my OC content, because I cannot shut up about them)
Ichika is a demigod, she has the same ADHD and dyslexia and she can see monsters. It's just that she doesn't know what potential she has, since she doesn't have a godparent. Her story is about finding out which god will claim her and what will make her godparent proud of her.
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(Ichika is Kaii's older cousin in the Prima Vista canon, Kaii's mom is one of her parents' older sister. Which one? I dunno, the one that looks more like Ichika.)
Because Ichika doesn't know her powers, she spends a lot of time fighting, because what else could she focus on?
I must admit, her weapon idea is so fucking badass tho.
Percy had a pen that could transform into his sword and Ichika has something similar, but I kind of went crazy with it
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The hook snaps very easily off her neck and after it snaps, the guitar pick transforms into her longsword. The handle on said longsword has the hook and loop still in tact, for whenever she doesn't need it anymore - it goes back to being a normal guitar pick necklace and she can wear it without unhooking it.
She plays the guitar with it too and finds no issues with it, actually amazing weapon, I'm very in love with that design.
Awawawa that's all I had for now, I'm going to have to actually start thinking of more powers now oh no
I might have to research the gods (aka refresh my memory from 7 years ago) again for inspiration and hope for the best.
Also, I think I should've done it earlier, but this is the list that like, 5 people maybe, worked on
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If you see anything you like and any ideas for their powers, yeah go ahead and hit up the askbox 👀
I'm very interested to keep this AU semi-open - I allow people to engage in it! If you wish to make your own content with my ideas or add something of your own too, you can! If you're still unsure about things, you can also ask for my permission (if that makes you feel better).
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madam-wakefield · 6 months
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Open when...Chapter 5
AO3 Link FF Link
Summary:
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 When a few years into their relationship Bernie is asked to go back to the army and deploy Serena isn't sure how she's going to get through the nine months without her girlfriend. What she doesn't expect is for it to be her girlfriend who has the perfect set of surprises to get her through both the best and the worst days. Canon divergent - Elinor lives (well actually the accident never happens), Raf lives, and Cameron isn't a total ass! The staff of AAU also probably didn't all work on there at the same time in canon but do in this! The fic is already fully written with the first few chapters having already been Beta'd. 27 chapters including the epilogue. Hoping to post every Monday and Friday!
Chapter 5
Open when you have had a good day at work…
Bernie has been gone over a month before she really starts to feel somewhat used to not having her partner around. It isn’t easy, but it’s easier than it was when she first left. She and Jason have slowly fallen into a good routine, and this makes life easier for them both. Serena has also gained more confidence in Raf which means there are times when she lets him handle the red phone on his own, knowing he’ll call her in if she’s needed. 
Today has been one such day: She’d been working alongside Raf when the car accident had been called through, two victims with almost identical injuries. There is no way they could have chosen which one of them to prioritise and they didn’t have to. They’d each taken their own second doctor and taken both patients into surgery at the same time. She and Raf had both encountered different complications in theatre, but the end result is the same for both patients. While recovery will take a while, they should both be fine. 
That isn’t the only positive thing to come out of the day. The new F1s who have been driving her crazy for the past week finally seem to be getting used to how life at the AAU runs. They act professionally and sensibly but also aren’t scared to call on her for help. By the end of the day, she remembers exactly what she loves about her job and why she loves being clinical lead of AAU. Today has been one of those days when what she’s done at work has really made a difference. 
At the end of her shift she decides that today is definitely a day for one of Bernie’s envelopes. It doesn’t take her long to find the right one: “Serena – Open when you’ve had a good day…” 
Just as she’s collecting her bag and coat, Fletcher sticks his head round the office door to tell her they are all off to Albie’s for a drink. Normally she’d accompany them, but this evening she decides she wants to take her letter home and enjoy reading it before taking time to herself write to Bernie. She knows that while her day has been good, Bernie won’t be having the same kind of good days as she is, so she wants to share this with her in the hope it will at least help a little. 
The house is quiet when she gets home, and she can’t say it isn’t welcome. Jason is on a late shift which means he likely won’t be home until she’s already in bed. She heats up some leftover curry that she’d saved for the evening and pours herself a glass of red wine before heading to the table, taking the envelope from Bernie carefully out of her bag. 
She can’t help but smile at Bernie’s messy writing, it’s the epitome of a doctor’s handwriting. She takes the letter out of the envelope and lays it flat on the table so she can eat while she reads. 
My Dearest Serena,
I’m so glad you have had a good day and I hope that reading this will help make it even better. It’s so nice to have a day at the mad house that either runs smoothly or that works out for the best despite the challenges thrown at you. I’m so thankful to have you (and Raf) looking after the trauma unit for me. Please write to me when you can to tell me about your wonderful day but until then, let me pamper you with some of my own words of affirmation. 
I am truly lucky that I get to call you my girlfriend, because you’ve been everything to me these past few years. I value how you’ve always taken care of me, even when you’ve been tired. I love the way your eyes light up when you compliment me. The gentle tone you use when talking to me, the one that shows me that you truly cherish me. I know that this life we have created together is not a temporary thing but a permanent blossoming in our hearts. 
That final thought makes every day I spend deployed just a little bit easier. Knowing that at home is someone who wants to nurture and flourish this relationship as much as I do. That trusts me enough to let me have this time, to find the closure I truly needed. 
When I joined the army, I couldn’t openly be who I was. I would have lost everything. Yet here I am able to openly write that I am so thankful that I met you. Never in my dreams did I ever imagine that I would find anyone as wonderful as you. Here I am closing the army chapter in my life, openly gay and with the most amazing woman that I get to call my girlfriend. 
I hope this letter has helped to make your day even more enjoyable than it already was. 
All My Love, Bernie,
Your Big Macho Army Medic x
By the time she finishes the letter her heart is so full of love for Bernie that she’s surprised it doesn’t burst open. She can’t say this is ever how she imagined her life would be like, since she had never even considered kissing a woman before meeting Bernie. But right here and right now, she knows she wouldn’t have life any other way.
She stands from the table, picking up her half empty glass of wine, and heads towards the living room, grabbing her laptop as she goes. She loads up the INtouch electronic mail service, happy now that she’s gotten adept enough to do it by herself. She takes a long swig of wine before beginning to type.
Dear Bernie,
You, my love, are just incredible. I’ve had a good day at work today and decided it was the perfect day to open the matching envelope. You are truly correct, it has made my day even more enjoyable than it already was. 
I guess I’ll start at the beginning. I woke up having had a full nine hours sleep, I’m sure that’s the first time I’ve managed that since you’ve been gone. As Jason was on the late shift I didn’t want to wake him, so I decided to grab breakfast and coffee at Pulses, and my timing must have just been impeccable as the croissants were freshly baked just as I arrived, and smothered with a big helping of butter and black currant jam. They were just divine. (I’m hoping this isn’t making you too jealous. To help a little, I’ll send you a jar next time I send a care package over.) 
My day just got better from there. All of the F1s who were on shift turned up on time, and not a single one of them was hungover. They acted professionally and were even able to do parts of their jobs without me having to hover over them. Let’s just say my paperwork mountain is slowly looking smaller. 
Of course, the red phone didn’t behave all day, but I’m now at the point where I trusted Raf to take the first call with Jasmine. And I only jumped in on the second one because we had two patients with almost identical injuries that both needed operating on at the same time. Needless to say, both are doing well and will make a full recovery. (Don’t think that means I don’t want you back though – sharing an office with Raf isn’t as fun as sharing it with you.) 
Then I got home, and I read your letter, and if I’m not the luckiest woman alive, I don’t know who is! How fortunate I am that, even from over three thousand miles away, you are looking after me. That you want me to be the best I can be every day. That you want to hear about all the things that are happening to me whilst you are gone. I think the only thing that would make this day better would be hearing your voice, because I do miss that. I know there isn’t as much I can do to make sure your day goes well but what I will do is attach some recent pictures to this letter. 
All my love, darling
Stay safe, soldier.
Serena x
Just as she hits the send button, her phone starts buzzing. She looks down at it to realise her good day is about to become the best day. 
“Hey, you,” she says gently, smiling so wide that it’s threatening to split her face in two. 
“Hey, my love. Sorry I didn’t give you any notice before calling. I just felt like I needed to hear your voice today.” And Serena wants to say she understands but she doesn’t, not totally. Yes, she wants to hear Bernie’s voice, but she isn’t seeing what Bernie is seeing, isn’t going through what Bernie is. 
“That’s okay, I’ve just finished writing you an e-bluey actually.” They both know they aren’t officially called that anymore, but it’s so much easier to call them that when referring to them. 
“Thank you.” It’s said from under Bernie’s fringe. Serena’s fingers twitch with the urge to gently brush it out of her face but she can’t. “So how is everyone, everything?” 
Serena can’t help but study every inch of Bernie’s grainy face as she replies. “Things are good, it’s starting to get cold here now, the weather is feeling much more autumnal than It was. The trees at the spot where we go walking have turned into the most magnificent shades of oranges and reds. Actually, I attached a picture with the bluey I just wrote you.” 
“Oh, I imagine it’s beautiful, I’m glad you’re doing things for yourself while I’m gone,” Bernie says, smiling back at her. She misses seeing that smile in person, but she’ll take what she can get right now. 
“As if you’d have it any other way.” The chuckle she gets out of Bernie at that is music to her ears. “Mrs. Higgs from next door has been back in hospital though she seems to me home and on the mend again now. She told me to pass on her regards next time we spoke.”
“She’s having a poor run of it, isn’t she?” Bernie questions back. 
“She is, thank god for our brilliant NHS.” Bernie chuckles again at that and Serena would do anything to hear it all night, but she knows they don’t have that luxury. 
“What about you?” Bernie questions. “What else have you been up to?” 
Serena had been reserved about sharing this sort of thing during their first few conversations, feeling guilty for being able to talk about so much of the stuff she was doing when Bernie’s circumstances were so very different. But then Bernie had explained that she likes it, that it gives her a way of feeling closer to home. 
“Fleur and I went out for brunch on Friday, we tried a new café in town, and trust me, I’m taking you once you’re home. You’ll just love the French toast they serve. I’ve got a hair appointment booked for Thursday, my next day off. The grey is starting to show a little too much. Then the day after, I’m off to watch Elinor in her show. What about you? How’s the downtime been?
“Good, we played volleyball together earlier, though I’m not sure my back is very thankful for that right now. Oh, and your care package arrived, the sweets lasted all of five minutes, though in my defence I did share them with the rest of the team. Oh, and sorry to be a pain, but the next time you send one I’m almost certainly going to need some more deodorant,” Bernie says before yawning. Serena watches the way the corner of her eyes crinkle.
“Never! You know you can always ask me for the things you need. But now I think you need to go and get some rest, love. Isn’t it almost midnight there?” 
“It is, and you’re right, I probably do. I love you and miss you, remember that.”
“I love and miss you too, stay safe, soldier.”
And that night as she goes to sleep, Serena is the most content she's felt since Bernie went away.
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outoftheframework · 3 years
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my proposal for tropes we as a fandom should adopt in all fanworks going forward: Duke Thomas edition
So every fandom has tropes and characterization quirks that have been generally accepted into fanon and, like, maybe? they were originally based on some obscure comic panel from the 80s or something but it doesn’t really matter because we’re all just,,, cool with it? Like for example- in the dc comics fandom, an art piece could show 3 of the bats that look virtually identical except one of them is holding a box of cereal so that one is obviously Dick Grayson. . . Y’know?
Anyway, these things usually come up naturally I guess but I’ve been here a while and it’s finally time to put my foot down. It’s high time for Duke Thomas to be more in fanon than “the sane one.” Because he might be the relatively new guy but he is certainly fears no gods or laws of the land just as much as the other bats, lemme tell ya. 
TL;DR here are character quirks (”canon-based” or otherwise) that we should all really latch onto seriously I’m begging y’all to make at least one of these happen-
Duke “Habitually Jumping Out of Moving Vehicles” Thomas
This one’s actually based in canon y’all; Duke did indeed yeet himself out of the back of a cop car and off of a bridge (in We Are... Robin). Normalize Duke’s wearing knee and elbow pads as Signal because jumping out of a car turns out relatively fine once and then suddenly Batman’s rooftop disappearing act seems mellow compared to the amount of times Gordon has whipped his head around to see a now Signal-less backseat. 
Like, he’s going 60 mph?? And he didn’t even hear the door open?? and tHE DOORS ARE STILL LOCKED??
Imagine this leaking into civilian life and Bruce waking up to a blurry photo of Duke mid-escape from a limousine on the front page of the Gotham Gazette.
(more under cut)
Duke “Puzzles are my Passion” Thomas
Duke is ~canonically~ very skilled at both solving and concocting riddles (as a child during that time where The Riddler just,,, controlled Gotham, he worked non-stop on riddles, trying to make the perfect one). Please y’all- let Duke solve puzzles. Have the other bats ask him for help after 36 hours straight of brooding over some brainteaser that Duke works out within the half-hour. He texts a picture of the solution scribbled out on loose leaf in the margins of his pre-calc homework because this boy shows his work. 
My guy is a word-cross FIEND. A mind-sweeper speed-runner. That guy who mails into the Gazette to correct a solution in the “fun & games” section and also ps that photo is not of me I am simply a polite young man who is much too busy writing into the paper in the year 2021 to jump out of limos-
I also would love to see this integrated into the type of cases he investigates / runs into on his daytime patrol. Like, obviously the criminal activity is going to dramatically differ before and after sundown, but that doesn’t make Duke’s work any easier or less important. It’s a different skillset; he has to work differently. Instead of jumping into fights, halting mob meetings, saving civilians in dark allies, etc. Duke has to sort through all of the moving pieces before they all converge into something catastrophic. 
It’s a known fact that criminal organizations in Gotham make and execute a lot of behind-the-scenes plans during the day specifically not to run into the bats. And Duke knows and monitors this shit all by himself; his work is crucial to logistics and information gathering for the bats as a whole. Now criminals have like, a 2 hour gap between bat-shifts to try and get stuff done. But Duke would 100% set traps on timers or lead them on this pre-set convoluted goose chase  to distract them until the night bats come out and to let himself enjoy the whole thing playing out on the news while he finishes homework that’s due at midnight.
Duke “I Know a Guy” Thomas
So in going off of the basic concept for the “We Are. . . Robin” run in combination to his general likability, Duke has a lot of friends all around Gotham. Okay, sure, he doesn’t have a Super best friend or a Speedster on speed dial, but he does know this guy who details cars up on West 35th and will tell them all about the new mods on Black Mask’s transport vans if they come through the third floor window and bring takeout. 
Bruce and Tim will be waiting for the facial recognition software to identify at least a partial match off of security cam footage when Duke pulls into the cave, takes one look at the screen, and says “Oh, that’s <insert name, address, abridged life story, and known associates here>.” This also brings in the opportunity for Duke to have some sort of perfect recall for faces, voices, names, etc. which I think could be a really cool element for his position as the batfamily member who has a lot more personal interaction with the people of Gotham.
I’m also into the idea of a lot of people knowing/telling stories about Duke. Not to reference the Chuck Norris meme but almost like the Chuck Norris meme lmao. Think about Jason mentioning his brother to someone and she replies, “Duke Thomas? Like that Duke Thomas? The one who swam across the harbor because he said it’d be faster than the subway and it actually was?” These stories have varying levels of truth to them but Duke will never confirm nor deny when he gets random calls from family members yelling “you dID WHAT”
So those are my top three, and the following is a little speed-round of headcanons :)
Duke has a super expressive face. Like when he’s relaxed around family, you can tell exactly what he’s thinking and how he’s feeling by his visual reactions to things
Duke rotates through picking up new and revisiting old hobbies at a pretty rapid pace. Some hobbies include: bullet journaling, origami, viola, cello, synth, conversational basics in multiple languages, up-cycling and embroidering clothes
Duke has a really fucking adorable smile. He can’t help it. He’ll try to grin sarcastically or smug to be annoying but his smile just cannot be anything other than endearing. He also has a very specific booming laugh that’s an absolute treasure to hear, because it’s the most genuinely happy thing ever. 
Duke unironically enjoys Signal by Twice even though the first time he heard it was after Steph had set it as his morning alarm.
So.
Come and get your food, I guess.
Feel free to add on if you’d like! I’d love to see anything you guys write/draw/etc. based on anything from here if you feel compelled to do so!
Stay safe and be well :) 
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bigskydreaming · 3 years
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I am looking (disrespectfully) at the trope of Bruce and other family members only seeming to respect Dick’s wishes when doing so aligns with what they already wanted to do.
Let’s go to the examples!
1) Bruce not broaching adoption with Dick because he wants to respect Dick’s first parents and feels like he would be taking their place or overstepping or putting himself in between Dick and his memories of his parents. Sometimes its cited that Dick himself expressed this wish early on after his parents died, sometimes its not and this is still just upheld as Bruce’s reasoning for not adopting Dick before he was already well into adulthood.
THE FATAL FLAW (in mine own personal opinion, natch. Personal mileage may vary, check your speedometer to be safe):
This particular plot point or tangle is in my experience ALWAYS paired with Bruce’s own insecurities about his role in Dick’s life, or not wanting to push that or receive an answer he doesn’t want to or is afraid to hear. Sometimes its about his fears of unworthiness to be Dick’s actual parent, etc, etc. But the bottom line is, there is always the presence of SOME element (and not a small one) in which Bruce’s own self-interest or feelings are protected by him NOT broaching the adoption conversation with Dick and having to confront these fears head on.
This is additionally juxtaposed with the problem that although there’s a lot of variance in regards to stories where Bruce fired Dick versus stories where Dick gave up being Robin and moved on to Nightwing voluntarily....there’s NOT a lot of stories where Dick makes Jason Robin himself or is asked by Bruce first. The part where Bruce takes this initiative on his own, without thinking through its repercussions on Dick emotionally.....this is practically always present.
Now, the problem here is that......Dick became or began becoming Robin well into his time with Bruce. Its frequently cited as the thing that began allowing them to truly connect, their time training and acting as Batman and Robin.
Meaning no matter WHAT interpretation you go with as to why specifically Dick chose the name Robin, whether it was a family nickname or an homage to Robin Hood.....the fact remains, NOTHING of Robin, THEMATICALLY, nothing that spoke to Dick in regards to what he wanted Robin to be - specifically in honor of his parents because avenging his parents and making sure what happened to them didn’t happen to others like, this was literally a key part of what bonded Dick and Bruce, the fact that Bruce was TRYING to help Dick specifically BECAUSE they shared this particular overlap of purpose - like the bottom line is, nothing about Robin CAME from Bruce. Or Dick’s feelings about Bruce. That....didn’t really even exist yet, at the time he created Robin. Everything about Robin, other than the physical costume itself, not even the design just the actual creation of it....all of that came from BEFORE he met Bruce. None of it was thoughts or feelings derived from BRUCE. Its the whole reason Dick was never Batkid or Batlad, or any derivative of Batman.
It all, ALL came from what Dick came to the manor WITH. Remnants of his life with his first family.
So the fatal flaw of Bruce’s reasoning that by not broaching the subject of adoption with Dick before well into adulthood, he was actually just respecting Dick’s relationship with his first parents and not trying to come between them and Dick’s memories and feelings about them....
All of this is inherently undermined by Bruce’s own actions.....when by repurposing Robin to ANY degree, even just to give the mantle to Jason.....this meant that he was inherently viewing Robin as being more about being Batman’s partner, HIS partner....then it was about being Dick’s heritage, his last intangible keepsake of his first family and life BEFORE Bruce.
In effect....Bruce making Jason Robin or firing Dick as Robin, either way....both betray Bruce’s OWN alleged intentions for only wanting to respect Dick’s relationship with his parents, and that being why he didn’t want to overstep by trying to impose or even ask for his own official parent/child relationship with Dick. Because that’s exactly what appropriating the Robin mantle was. It was Bruce ignoring the relationship Dick had with his parents and their memory and the fact that Robin was directly born of that....and making Robin entirely about Bruce’s OWN relationship with Dick, heedless of any other factors.
And the second Bruce did that.....his entire justification for not raising the adoption issue....disappears. It goes away. Because you can’t claim inaction being just a result of not wanting to disrespect something you’ve already voided respect for. No matter whether Bruce INTENDED it or not.....by crossing this boundary, Bruce already acted against Dick’s feelings in this regard and well, disregarded them....which makes claims of Bruce not raising the adoption issue pretty much JUST self-serving at that point. Its an alleged viewpoint of Dick’s that Bruce largely just ASSUMES....and only ultimately respects - in direct contrast to how he didn’t respect the associations Dick had with Robin - because it aligns with something Bruce ALREADY wanted to do, rather than what Dick actually wanted. It provided justification for Bruce to just....not have a conversation he was afraid to have. And that’s about Bruce at that point. Its not about Dick. Its just like...not.
2) Another example of this that is not unique to just Bruce, but recurs frequently in both canon and fanfics in Dick’s dynamics with other characters he’s close with.....is characters not apologizing for things they’ve done to Dick or raising the issue of things they did a long time ago but never apologized for....while claiming to do so because they thought DICK didn’t want to talk about it.
THE FATAL FLAW (in my own personal opinion. Nuances and variations may not be identical at all store locations, please see your local branch for details):
The particular problem I have here is that....Dick never ever ever in the history of ever and also the before ever time.....has EVER expressed a desire to avoid confrontation.
Like. That’s what he DOES. That’s his JAM. That’s literally CITED time and time again as one of the reasons he’s viewed as more of a people person and natural team leader than Bruce and other Batfam members....because he’s not afraid to cut straight (or bi) to the heart of the matter and air out a dispute.
In fact, this very character trait is one of the ones most commonly utilized AGAINST Dick in various depictions of him, as he’s often cited as TOO confrontational, TOO eager for a fight or conflict especially when his temper is engaged, such as when he’s well....personally hurt or offended.
So how does it follow, then, that avoiding tough conversations ONLY when its on the OTHER person to INITIATE, because they were the ones who DID the wrong-doing and Dick the subject of that rather than the instigator....how does it work, exactly, that these are the only times in which we DON’T tend to see a direct conversation about the harms done and the fallout that resulted? With it being claimed that this is solely for Dick’s benefit, out of a desire to avoid pulling him into an allegedly unnecessary (but really just unpleasant) confrontation?
When the concurrent reality is that whether stated or acknowledged or not.....avoiding these specific conversations and ONLY these conversations (as there never seems to be a problem finding canon or fanfic stories in which Dick apologizes for harm HE’S caused to others or is clearly expected to).....this avoidance also carries the side benefit of allowing the character who DID something wrong to Dick to....not ever have to have that super uncomfortable conversation in which they actually verbally acknowledge the thing they did to him and the effects it had on him, and apologize for that.....and then render themselves vulnerable to actually hearing whether or not he accepts their apology or is still upset with them regardless.
While - as long as they DON’T ever have this conversation, for whatever reason - they can look to the clear and consistent precedent of Dick continuing to work with people who have done things like oh, I don’t know....punched him in the face cuz they’re mad at him (and this isn’t a Bruce critical point, this is a whole damn family critical point as the only one who HASN’T actually done this is Duke. Well, Cass technically just threw him out a window, but I mean, tomato toh-mah-to). Writers and characters both can lean on the fact that actually Dick has a pretty clear track record of ultimately giving up a grudge or at least showing a willingness to look past those grudges enough that it doesn’t prevent him from still maintaining or resuming some kind of relationship with the person who hurt him.
And thus, like Example Numero Uno......this ultimately just lets other characters off the hook while claiming to do Dick a favor, but actually Dick receives no real benefit from it and instead now just has another instance of characters saying “see we respect your wishes” when ultimately their inaction is MORE in service to their own wishes and self-interests.
2b) See also the variation of this in which characters such as Bruce, Jason, Tim and assorted others like....are written specifically determining that they’re not going to apologize to Dick or beg his forgiveness because they feel they don’t DESERVE to be forgiven, and once again....its in HIS best interests that they not even give him the opportunity to say he forgives them....because they know Dick Grayson of course, and they know he’s too forgiving for his own good, so its better to like....not make it ever a possibility in this particular instance.
With the problem here being like.....Dick can’t and shouldn’t be expected to KNOW that’s their logic? So....all he’s going to actually SEE is loved ones just....not expressing remorse for hurting him or acknowledgment it even happened? Which....hurts?
So......hurting your loved one MORE after already hurting them....because you don’t feel you deserve to be forgiven for hurting them in the first place and are actually PROTECTING them from being hurt more when mistakenly forgiving you.....by.....hurting and continuing to hurt them with your silence and lack of evident remorse....
Mmmm.....
Its not the best approach, y’know?
Flaws are detected.
3) Dick’s friends and family manipulating situations in order to get the end result THEY desire, while claiming to do so for his benefit only. Dick being willing to manipulate people to achieve his own ends comes up a LOT actually....but there’s relatively little examination of how often people do this to him, claiming his best interests but really just circumventing his clearly stated desires for independence and the right to make his own choices about what HE needs....or when this is brought up, its usually limited to JUST Bruce doing it, but uh....no that ain’t it.
Specific examples of this are like when Wally joins the 1999 version of the Titans specifically to get Dick to join up, because in his estimation Dick needs more of a social life and is drowning himself with his responsibilities....and then quits not long after Dick is finally officially invested in staying with the team. Another example is when Roy gets Dick to join the Outsiders based entirely on his pitch of NOT treating the team like a family, like they did with the Titans, so that Dick could keep emotional distance and not be as worried about losing them like he suffered from losses like Donna....with his claim again being that he worried about Dick in the aftermath of that loss, etc.
And to be clear! Its not that I think Wally and Roy and others who do similar things have NEGATIVE intentions in mind for Dick. That’s the whole point of this post.....like the other examples, I fully believe THEY believe (or writers believe when writing them this way) that they have Dick’s best interests in mind and not their own. I just....disagree.
THE FATAL FLAW (at least as I see it here):
Is that I view this and Batfam members who do similar stuff as like.....falling into the trap of the savior friend complex. Its that thing when you see a friend hurting, and over time get FRUSTRATED by seeing this when a solution seems obvious to you but think they won’t take it because they’re too stubborn or don’t know what’s best for them....with this specifically recurring a LOT with Dick in particular, due to his core characterization of wanting to be the one to make his own choices. The problem here, same as the problem with the savior friend complex....is that it treats the subject of these views as like....incapable of determining what they need. Its a tacit condemnation that they actually don’t know how to cope with things and are doing it wrong - even though the ones making this assessment will never be the ones actually having to LIVE with the outcome of their meddling. Its the conviction that someone like Dick needs to be HANDLED, for his own good....because he can’t be trusted to KNOW what he needs, not as well as them at least.....and so they jump to manipulation rather than just....ASK him what he needs, or HOW they can best support him, or even just WHY he’s making the choices he is.
For instance, the problem with what Wally did was never that Dick wasn’t struggling. He was. He was drowning in his responsibilities, he had very little to no life outside of them.....Wally is not remotely in the wrong for WANTING to do something to change this situation. The problem is Wally basically defaulted to just...HANDLING his friend by restarting the Titans just to give Dick a social life again, which is pretty much a line straight out of the comics...and basically railroaded right over Dick’s initial ‘no’ when he first heard the proposal. And kept pushing things until Dick eventually joined up in order to get Wally to commit to the team too, because Wally spun it as though Dick was helping Wally by getting Wally to commit to the team for the very same reasons Wally wanted Dick to. And then....right after that, Wally quit to go back to just focusing on the Justice League, which was part of what Dick predicted would happen all along.
The thing was.....at no point along the way did Wally actually ask WHY Dick initially said no....he jumped straight to assuming his own view of the problem, that Dick just COULDN’T be made to ever see the reason to take a break occasionally and put his mental and emotional health as a priority. If he’d done this, Wally could have had dozens of other options to achieve his desired end result....he could’ve like....set up regular hangouts with Dick. 
But Wally jumped to assuming he knew the answer, he knew what was best for Dick, and that Dick’s logic was inherently self-destructive and self-flagellating.....and he felt the solution was to bring back the Titans, as he recalled their earlier times as Titans together as a time when Dick was better able to balance his social life and responsibilities.
But by not ever stopping to LISTEN to why Dick felt the way he did and was initially opposed to rejoining the Titans....Wally overlooked one crucial fact: He isn’t Dick.
And more important, his view of the past wasn’t Dick’s view of the past.
Wally was a lot more capable of viewing the Titans as not just a family, but an inherent social life, a hangout, a kind of club....because that’s what it had always been to him.
But he’d never been the leader.
Throughout all their childhoods, the whole time the Titans WERE all of the above, and relatively light-hearted in comparison to their older selves....Dick STILL had the weight of responsibilities that none of the others had by virtue of just...not being the leader. Ultimately, all of their lives were in HIS hands. He was the one calling the shots. The buck stopped with him.
And this is precisely WHY Dick had gotten to the point he had in adulthood. It wasn’t because he’d changed. It wasn’t because he’d stopped figuring out what he needed and how to take care of himself. Its because the position he’d ALWAYS been in as leader....has WEIGHT. That eventually added up more and more and weighed him down. A huge part of the reason Dick had ended up leaving the Titans in the first place, before they disbanded prior to the 1999 revival....is because of the sheer WEIGHT of all the deaths and misfortunes that had befallen the Titans....and how much he and he alone struggled with it in ways the others didn’t....because they didn’t have to. It hadn’t been their plans, their calls, their RESPONSIBILITY to find a way the others could have all made it out alive or at least less traumatized.
So.....of COURSE Dick said no when Wally first proposed restarting the Titans, before Wally defaulted to using his own membership as a lure to get Dick to agree.....because......nothing about the above paragraph had changed, via Wally’s ‘plan.’ It wasn’t because Dick just didn’t KNOW how to be a fully rounded person....it was because nobody was helping him find actual OPTIONS for doing that....that didn’t just double as MORE responsibilities! Because that’s exactly what ended up happening! Dick wound up the leader of the Titans again, just as responsible and just as invested as always.....just like he always knew he would....and also as he knew would happen...Wally ended up quitting not long into it and persuading Jessie Quick to step in as his replacement....aka just one more person for Dick to worry about when it wasn’t like he was going to be worrying any less about Wally, just now he wasn’t going to have Wally there to even POTENTIALLY be able to support him when tragedy inevitably struck because they’re freaking superheroes....and instead he’d just have another person looking to him for the answers but with no reason or chance of being the support Dick could ACTUALLY use at times like that!
Wally’s manipulations circumvented Dick’s opinion that no, actually he knew what was best for him and it wasn’t what Wally was suggesting....without actually accounting for the fact that hey, Dick might actually know that. And in the end, Wally got the result he was after, he got to feel that he’d HELPED his friend....which again, this isn’t WRONG to WANT to....but Dick didn’t...exactly....benefit from this. It wasn’t actually in his best interests ultimately.
I mean...see Donna’s death for details.
And in the aftermath of THAT....Roy essentially did exactly what Wally did....just in REVERSE! Roy got Dick to agree to lead the Outsiders, to shoulder responsibility once again....by promising that Dick WOULDN’T have to view them as family. And did Dick go too far and end up TOO uncaring about their welfare? Yup! No disagreements there! Problem is though....he only ended UP in that situation because yet again a friend thought they KNEW the solution to what Dick needed.....only for Dick to end up essentially punished and further self-blaming....just for doing exactly what Roy had told him TO do, with this particular team. Again - Roy hadn’t EXPECTED Dick to take it this far. But that’s the whole point! Roy had expectations about what Dick would ACTUALLY end up doing, that didn’t match up to the pitch Roy actually gave Dick to GET his agreement.....because Roy all along was of the assumption that by virtue of being Dick Grayson, he wouldn’t be ABLE to avoid connecting with these new teammates and viewing them as family, and thus he’d end up ‘snapping out of it’ with it being the funk he’d been in since Donna’s death.
Roy’s intentions might have been noble, once again.....but his methods stuck to the same pattern of people around Dick believing they knew what he needed or knew who he was or knew what it meant to BE Dick Grayson....better than Dick actually did...particularly when Dick said no, this isn’t what I need or this isn’t a good idea or just...I don’t want to do this.
And in the end....its Dick who ended up paying the price for it, as well as the people who got hurt because of his INTENTIONAL emotional distance.....because the ‘view all surrounding people as new surrogate family’ aspect of the Dick Grayson Experience hadn’t kicked in as Roy thought inevitably would....but the ‘view all this as directly my fault and suffer guilt for it forevermore’ aspect of the Dick Grayson Experience most certainly did! Not at all actually helped along by the fact that like....Roy also expressed frustration with Dick that like.....Dick hadn’t actually responded to Roy’s intended manipulation of his emotions the way Roy had expected him to when he EXPRESSLY TOLD DICK TO BEHAVE THE WAY THAT DICK ULTIMATELY BEHAVED. (Just, he didn’t tell Dick to dial that all the way up to Extra, but given that’s the only setting Dick does ANYTHING at, I feel its a possible outcome Roy should have at least considered. I mean, wasn’t the whole point that you know Dick Grayson better than he knows himself?)
But lo, I am salty.
LMAO, but I mean, you get it right? Obviously, I LIKE Wally and Roy. I LIKE Jason, etc. I’m not saying all of this to be like ugh how dare these characters do all this to Dick....I’m saying it because like.....they all keep falling into the same patterns of making a big fuss and acknowledgment of how much Dick prioritizes being able and free to make his own choices and decide what’s best for him and what HE wants.....
But without ever like....actively asking him AT THE RELEVANT TIME....what he thinks and feels about all this. What he thinks and feels he needs. What he ACTUALLY wants from them, or why he’s ACTUALLY saying no to something and maybe it being for reasons that aren’t just him inherently being stubborn and self-destructive.
And instead just defaulting to falling back on whatever he might have said or expressed in an entirely different context at an entirely different time.....and saying okay, by doing so, we are abiding by his wishes and thus doing what he wants and respecting his right to make his own choices.....
But ONLY when doing all of the above just so happens to align with these other characters then getting to do the thing or take the approach they’re already predisposed towards wanting to take because of their OWN self-interests at the same time.
With this never actually coming into play when respecting Dick’s wishes aligns with them taking actions they DON’T personally want to undertake, because it makes them uncomfy or they think its a bad call, even if it is something that should be his call to make.
Like....the pattern. It very much exists. And abounds. Like I could cite examples allllllllllll the way up to Ric Grayson, where Bruce respected RIC’S wishes to be left alone and not interfere in his life no matter what.....in ways Bruce almost never respects Dick’s actual expressed wish for Bruce to butt out of matters when Bruce is actually quite keen on meddling and would very much like to....
But notice how the other thing about the Ric Grayson storyline is that Ric’s expressed desire to stay the fuck out of vigilantism and superhero work, like.....just so happens to align with Bruce’s longstanding desire for Dick to like...get out of the vigilantism and superhero work? With butting out of Ric’s life and respecting his privacy in ways Dick has to FIGHT him for, like......absolutely the optimal action to take in order to allow this expressed desire of Ric’s to flourish in the ways Bruce always wished would kick in for Dick?
.....just saying. 
The pattern. It abounds.
And the key to breaking any pattern, of course, is to first recognize....and acknowledge....that it exists.
Otherwise you tend to fall into the trap of repeating and perpetuating it over and over without even realizing it, simply because its what’s familiar.
This has been A Post by Me. Thank you and have a nice day. Or don’t. Idk. I’m not the boss of you. Whatever.
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batarangsoundsdumb · 3 years
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guess fucking what? my inbox is so fucking full right now i'm unloading all of this shit in one post.
For the 11th gotham memes: gothamites react to bruce being jacked in a tiktok he made with kids, like super yoked, ripped as hell
fucking hilarious thanks. i think i did it in one meme post, but i genuinely don't remember which one
i dunno which of the batfam would do this but one time i was sleeping over at a friends house and ended up on the floor bc the bed was so very small and i just stayed there because the rug was soft
that's a drunk jason move i don't know what to tell you
tim and jason are "i listen to pop punk" solidarity. whenever jason highjacks the batmobile theyll go on long ass car rides blaring mcr and paramore and then never talk about it again
as they should!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tim: no jason it's my turn using the aux cord i gotta put on my jams jason: don't you dare put on weird shit tim: don't worry, you're gonna love this *plays fearless (taylor's version)
hear me out hear me out, red hood stans 🤝 nightwing stans t h i g h s
holy shit yes.
SNL au: Bruce breaks character when pretending to superman and says something like "I'm not superman! You've seen his gps!! It's from 2001!!!" @sabeanybabe
superman flies past the snl building the next day just to say 'actually it's from 2005, i'm not a heathen'
does your back hurt from carrying the batfam fandom
it hurts more from the exotic rock collection i keep in my backpack, but thanks for the concern.
I love your posts by why would you always leave the best parts in the tags?
as a treat for the people that check the tags ;) (and also because i'm committed to the short post aesthetic)
somehow your playlist was everything i never knew i needed. i mean it. this is my new favorite playlist.
and don't you dare get a new favourite playlist!
babe ur stoner tim playlist is exactly too perfect, earth is literally blessed by ur existence
babe thanks so much! i love my stoner tim playlist because it's just my usual playlist but people think it's an artistic choice that i put taylor swift and britney spears in there, when it's just what i unironically like listening to
JANDKSKDK BILLY RAY CYRUS ON THE STONER TIM PLAYLIST I LOVE IT IT
again it's not even an ironic choice, i know every single word and i genuinely like the song
The last chapter of Fundamentals of Casework has me crying at work. Thanks I love it @dudelookitsalesbian
oh babe, i'm sorry, but also, not sorry i love chapter 4 so much it's my lovechild with the 'mental illness' tag
soooo....stumbled on your tumblr by some stroke of fate??? read your DC fanfic first. which is PHENOMENAL btw. then found all the batmemes; the funniest thing EVER bc everyone forgets about regular old gothamites. kept scrolling and your blog pops up as recommended. clicked on the ao3 for shits and giggles and waddaya know?!?!? it's YOU!!! you're LEGEND!!!! ever seen that meme? it's a video of a cat that got into a baseball field and the two announcers get really invested in his escape attempt and start giving a play by play of the cat instead of the game. memeable moment: "GREAT stuff from the Cat!!!"
i seriously think about this ask every single day and it's so fucking funny to me that i've never seen the meme you're referencing, but i still find myself going 'GREAT stuff from the Cat!!!' whenever i see something funny. but wow i'm glad you liked this steaming pile of garbage
Fav dc character overall? And fav batfamily character?
don't ask me to pick between the loves of my life, but i can tell you i've cried about every single batfamily member and also wally west (my beloved)
What's your opinion on fans having a problem with batfam being "too big"? And some even claim that batfam is just "Bruce Alfred Dick Damian" and the rest of them are just "friends and allies" (source: reddit) Personally, I like batfam because of this reason but idk
stupid. a family can never be too big. i'm not that big a fan of like huge batfam stuff with everybody from every single universe, because as much as it's funny for bruce to have like 30 kids, it just feels a little too OOC for me.
This is the best tag I've seen involving the batfam, thanks for thinking of it
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This is canon now @nctxrejects
lmao yeah i think at that point alfred has had to sit through like at least a dozen coming out talks and just has a pride flag collection in the attic that he pulls out whenever a kid comes out
idk why batfam hits different as compared to any other superhero family
bc it's found family and usually the other superhero families are almost all genetically related in one way or another
I don't know if you watch the umbrella academy but I saw your last post about batcest and saw the similarities. But the thing is (although I think it's weird) in TUA, they addressed it by saying "they were raised as weapons, not siblings" or something along those lines, which is simply not the case with batfam.
yeah i watched tua but i also thought it was ridiculous and they still treated each other as siblings so i didn't like the luthor/allison thing, and am glad they stopped doing that shit bc it fucking sucked.
Hot take: Batcest shippers are the same people who believe adopted siblings are not actual siblings
smoking hot take: batcest shippers are the people who watch 'my sister got stuck in the washing machine' porn
Duke was adopted by Bruce?
not technically no, but do i, tumblr user batarangsoundsdumb, look like i care?
True story but I had to change my freaking name because it used to be "Damien" and most people would go "OH LIKE DAMIAN WAYNE" like please I'm just tryna live
true story, but i don't actually think of damian when i hear the name damian, literally the first thing that pops up is damian darkh like bruh what?
apparently dc comics company supported comic stores by giving out new titles and stuff during the beginning of the pandemic to help them run and I just think that's wholesome
ah yeah that's so fucking cool, still don't like dc, the company, because this world is a capitalist hellhole and we're all owned by warner brothers or disney with no in between.
ayo looking at tumblr head canons and finding out bruce is actually a terrible father is a punch in the gut
lmao yes, in like 50% of comics bruce is a terrible father and it gives me whiplash
oooh I just saw the jason todd vs winter soldier post and the real question is: batman vs iron man
while iron man has like hundreds of cases of armor, batman could throw out an emp and have the guy dropping out of the sky in 2 seconds.
dickfast = fastdick = quickdick = quickie
magnum hot take
hey bata(?) just thought I'd let you know I have copied the obnoxious emoji and Billy Ray post for use on simping men going forth
thank you 😘🌷 (@spacebarsidecar)
why would you do that to your followers???? i get why i did it, but why would you???
what is scarecrow made the nightwing funko pop himself, like those diy-ers that paint over other ones
oh god no, horrible take, horrible take, that's a disgusting thought oh no
I see your HC that Bruce and Oliver fucked and raise you this: Dick and Roy ALSO fucked
yes they did and it was a horrible moment for jason to find out dick has fucked both of his best friends
"at this rate bruce adds like 1 child to his family every decade or so" Duke is introduced in 2013, Damian as Damian, not as an unnamed child, in 2006. And he is already 14 years old, Robins rarely remain Robins after 16 😬 It looks like a new Robin and Batkid will appear in a couple of years
i mean i can't wait? but somebody will probably die first tho, we're due for another major character death. my money's on either cass or duke this time.
BRO you're so right all of your Bruce's ex headcanons are amazing but they aren't ships, that's kinda wild. Like I don't want any peeks into how their relationship was I just want to see everyone make fun of them
lmao YES it's just i love bruce being a slut, like good for him.
I am in love with your posts your honour thank you
omg thanks are we like,, gonna kiss now?
The justice league needs to have a meeting to discuss how many of their members/partners have slept with bruce. Because through a combination of cannon & fannon (if DC wasn’t homophobic) we have AT LEAST: 1) clark 2) lois 3) oliver 4) dinah 5) john
Thats not counting villains or random civilians @dudelookitsalesbian
yes yes yes, they'll have a yearly meeting about how many of their collective exes could be out for revenge and batman's list just keeps getting longer.
tim was like "i'm drake now" and everyone was like ahh so your fursona is a dragon and tim was like pffffft no. ducks.
and what about it?
when steph's fighting livewire and she zaps her with lighting and nothing happens and then they both just. stand there awkwardly for a second and talk. yeah i couldn't stop laughing at that batgirl steph is the BEST
oh yeah that was fucking hilarious and i think it would be so cool and sexy of dc to give steph a little comic series,,, as a treat
Hi I absolutely adore all of yours "Bruce and Oliver very badly pretending they didn't fuck each other" memes
lmao i do too
I need you to know that “Bruce Wayne had frosted tips” is one of my favorite Bruce takes of all time it’s so galaxy brained. you’re right and you should say it
he also painted his hair blonde once when he was travelling and in conclusion, this is why he's being blackmailed by the gotham gazette.
you know my thing about gordon being branded as the only good cop in gotham is its a load of shit like arguably he's a good person and not working to screw people over or anything but the fact that he also works w. batman makes him a shit cop. like yea batman is better than the mob but its still illegal its still an abuse of power he just not making bank
babe, all cops are bad cops. (but yeah youre absolutely right, working with vigilantes makes you a shit cop, but also working against vigilantes just makes you an asshole cop yanno?)
ruh roh i think i’m about to add “so not yeehaw” every time i don’t like something
that's a very good vocabulary upgrade
somehow i feel like steph already knew. like babs obviously knew but i feel like bruce got high/drunk in front of steph and started telling his boarding school stories and steph was just like “oh you fucked up i’m never gonna forget this”
steph and bruce have weird uncle/rebellious niece dynamic and they just hang out sometimes and bruce will be like 'i once broke my arm when i tripped over a hedge when i was drunk so oliver drove me to the hospital on an electric scooter' and steph will just have to sit there with that knowledge in her head.
Hello I just wanted to tell you you are So right in all your steph opinions bc she is, in fact amazing and I think that's very sexy of you. Ps. Your Bruce/Oliver fic is hilarious
babe, thank you so much and yes steph is amazing and i love her and she deserves the world and she's the best member of the batfam hands down. also thanks
In Supersons we see a couple of kids that are implied to be Damian and Jon's children and the boy has laser eyes and can fly, so I asume he's not adopted. The girl, who calls Bruce grandpa, can also fly, btw. So it's canon (probably by accident) that Jon can have kids and he must have married one of Bruce's kids. (I'm hoping for Damian, mostly because any other of his children would be waaaaaaaaaaaaay too old.) @artemisa97
lmao that was probably an accident seeing as jon is a 17 year old superhero in the year 3000 (by the jonas brothers)
You know, I'm a die hard fan of your memes, but I gotta say one thing: if Gothamites actually took gas mask everywhere with them, then the Scarecrow would just be a weird dude in a weird costume, and not a villain oh so scary. DC really should just takes notes from you.
bold of you to assume there's no gothamite anti-maskers
How does it feel being the funniest person on this app?
horrible, next question.
I can't listen to Green Day or Billy Joel without thinking of your post about how Bruce got arrested at a Billy Joel concert @nightwings-kid
yeah that's your mistake, i on the other hand can't enjoy billy joel without thinking about the glee rendition of 'uptown girl'
I've FINALLY been watching the Batman animated series and I gotta say, after watching "the gray ghost" I am CONVINCED that Batman is a closeted super hero geek who was 100% freaking out the first time he met Superman and is just REALLY good at hiding it.
superman: so what do you do in your free time? batman, thinking about the superman fanfiction he's writing on the batcomputer: i have no free time
bruce and oliver be like boyfriends to co-workers 401k (do the justice leagues get 401ks??? not that bruce and ollie would need them, but-)
lmao yes just 400 thousand words of bruce realising 'oh dip oliver is such a fucking dumbass' (also i don't know what a 401 k is but i assume they don't?)
Gothamites would totally boo superman as he saves Gotham while batman is out. @meenje
he's like 'okay think about that next time you want to be saved from an alien octopus'
I just took long break from dc comics and I come back to see ric grayson ??
i think it's very cool and sexy of dc to see dick and just think 'you know what? let's just give him a traumatic brain injury' and then didn't develop his character in any real way
SPEAKING OF RIC GRAYSON, gothamites making confused memes out of ric grayson is much needed
'dick grayson is my taxi driver? can anyone explain what the fuck happened he looks like an italian plumber?'
i hate to say it but batfam are def "marvel characters" in that sense they are characters who are human but become superheroes unlike most dc characters who are gods trying to be human maybe this is why I like batfam
fair enough
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boldlyvoid · 3 years
Text
Intro to Criminal Minds: Why They Did It
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Criminal Minds x Mindhunter AU
Spencer Reid x Peggy Carr (OC) Part 2: The Case
Summary: Spencer is teaching a 7-week seminar on the most interesting criminal cases, explaining their actions to understand why they took place. Only, not everyone in the audience is a student.
warnings: strangers to lovers, mutual pining, slow burn! flirting, fluff, eventual smut, idiots in love, OC is Wendy Carr and Jason Gideon's biological daughter. mentions of rape and murder (typical canon violence)
word count: 2.2K
ao3
P1
He’s not expecting her to roll out a full map after the waitress clears the food from their table. They’ve been in the booth for barely 20 minutes. Having mindless conversations about their day and small get to know each other questions while they ate.
“So, I brought all this to my dad,” she explained, dropping 33 files on the table as well as 2 spiral notebooks and a handful of pens. “He thinks I have a case, but he’s refusing to look at the evidence because he’s still triggered by it, which I get, but he said you’d be the best at helping me because I really just need a geo-profile consult.”
“How is he doing?”
She’s been waiting for him to ask but she still didn’t know how to answer, no matter how much time she had to prep, “uh, he’s good. He talks about you every time I see him, how often do you talk?”
“We haven’t talked since he almost died, 6 years ago now… yes, it was in 2015,” Spencer says it like it’s nothing serious.
“Oh,” she’s confused about it all. Her father talks about him more than anyone else, always remembering a case or a conversation that he just had to tell her about.
Spencer was his buddy in her eyes. “Here I was thinking he liked you more than me like you’re his favourite kid.”
“I’m not his kid,” his eyes widen at the insinuation that they’re somehow siblings in any sense.
It makes her laugh, she knows he’s interested in her a small amount. She was hoping he would, she’s heard so many wonderful things about him and she remembers just how cute he was back in 2005. Now he’s a man and a mighty fine one at that…
“I take it you’re an only child?” He changes the subject, “you can’t handle the idea of your father having relationships with people your age when you hardly know him?”
“How about you tell me who you think I am and I’ll tell you where you went wrong?” She challenges him rather than answering, she knows he’s good but she wants to see it in action.
Spencer raised his brow, “if I get it right, you’re paying for lunch.”
“Deal.”
He opens her notebook and takes a look at her notes, flipping through the pages reading the words just as fast as her father said he could. It was incomprehensible, but he didn’t read far… he keeps going back to her drawings, studying the pressure and how her mind worked.
“Your mom travelled a lot when you were a kid, and you always went with her. I’m thinking you have a few degrees, at least 3…” he pauses to watch her microexpressions, trailing her skin with his eyes as he looks for anything out of the ordinary. “There’s a doctorate in there but you hate being called Dr. Carr because that’s your mother’s name and it reminds you too much of people asking about her instead of how you’re doing.”
It cuts deep, but he hits the nail on the head and she just blinks. The simplest microexpression that shows him he got it right, his smile is awkward and he’s sorry for it.
“You were homeschooled so you don’t trust people very easily. You have issues with your father that you can’t place because you still don’t think you know him well enough to really have an opinion, and you’re jealous of me because you wish you knew how he brags about you when you’re not around, but he doesn’t talk about you because you told him not to.”
“I specifically told him I wanted to be left out of his life to stay safe, so it’s really my fault that he can’t brag about me. But I still wish someone would,” she admits with a soft smile. “And I think it’s not really jealousy. I’m not jealous of how he brags about his time with you. If anything, I really admire you now.”
He blushes a little, “alright, your turn.”
“You’ve never had a girlfriend before have you?” She calls him out right away. “You can’t take a compliment seriously because no one has loved you deep enough yet for you to believe them. I already know about your parents, I know that you’re scared of forgetting and that’s why you won't stop learning. I think you probably have a bucket list, you’re desperate for something exciting to happen and that’s why you like me already.”
He blinks right back, “touché.”
“I’ll still buy your lunch,” she smiled, and he smiled right back. “And I do have 3 degrees.”
“I do too.”
“I know,” she reminded him. “You’ve been working on that 4th one for the last 16 years.”
“I haven’t had the time.”
She shakes her head as she laughs, teasing him as if she’s better than him because she knows he finds her interesting already, “I had my Ph.D. by 17, as well 2 masters by the time I was 21.”
“3 Ph.D.’s by 22,” he bragged right back.
It had suddenly become a staring contest, “when exactly did your dad walk out on you?”
“I was 10.” Spencer answers. “When was the last time your mom said she was proud of you?”
“Oh, we're going that far, I see,” she laughed, hurt just a little that he dug that deep, “what happened to yours recently?”
“Alzheimer’s.”
“I’m really sorry, I knew about the schizophrenia already because of the fisher king case, that one is the one that still has my dad all fucked up,” she can’t help but rant as she apologizes, placing her hands on his in the centre of the table and he interlocks their fingers like they’ve known each other for years.
“Boston?” He asks her, changing the topic back to getting to know each other without letting go of her hands.
She nods, “Vegas?”
“You knew that already,” he catches her.
“Maybe so,” she blushes at the embarrassment of him picking up on her crush.
“How’d he describe me at chess?” There’s a cockiness behind it that she admires, smiling in response she just shakes her head.
“I don’t play chess, but he says that other than Agent Prentiss, you’re the only person who has come close to beating him.”
“Prentiss?” He looks almost offended at the fact he didn’t know that story.
“You were asleep on the jet, it was right after the trip to Azkaban,” she reminds him.
“Azkaban?” He repeats. “You mean Guantanamo?”
She’s only slightly embarrassed by the slip-up, blushing a deep red as she presses her lips together and squeezes his hand. “My mom calls it Azkaban, she hates it. If it wasn’t for the BAU, she would have never joined the bureau or the government in any way, she’s against the criminal justice system too, so…”
“She’s a woman of science and empathy, I’ve never met her, but I’ve read all her work.”
“So have I,” she’s full of butterflies for some reason as she thinks about him knowing everything that she does, she’s suddenly excited at the prospect of future conversations with him like this isn’t a one-time thing.
He’s still holding her hands over the map, both of them leaning in slightly as they kept talking, it felt overly intimate for a discussion of a case— and they haven’t even started yet.
She takes her hands out of his grip and flattens them over the map, “so I found a pattern, I was asked to look into the rape and murder of a friends sister, and now I’ve found 32 matching cases all over America going in alphabetical order by state, 2 a year since 2005.”
“Are you serious?”
She nods softly, “I’m a private investigator. I hated the academy and simply being in the BAU almost killed both of my parents so I’m not really fond of it, but I need help.”
“How did VICAP not pick this up?” Spencer’s still caught up on the fact this has been happening during his entire career and he had no way of helping. It was very clear by the look on his face.
“Because they’re college-age women getting raped in their dorms, 1 in each state, and men don’t care enough to dig a little deeper when it’s just a little girl who was probably asking for it anyway, right?”
He looks furious, but with her… not at her.
Not like most men, that’s actually exactly what any other guy would have said to her. ‘Not most men,’ they only said that if they were offended; when they knew that they were the exact type of man she was referring to.
He started opening case files then, flipping through everything as she watched carefully, “he always does it the exact same way. It’s every March and November between the 6th and 12th, he’s gotten to the O’s, which means the next hit should be in Oklahoma in exactly 2 months' time.”
“Has there been evidence?” Spencer asks, avoiding eye contact as he both listens and absorbs.
“1 footprint and some random fingerprints at the first few, other than that it’s like he was never there,” she sighs. “This is where I need your help; I’m unsure if he’s attacking randomly or if it’s planned ahead of time, so I brought the map to see if you can make any connection.”
“Alright,” he closes the folder and hands them to her so he can get a better look at everything. “I’m going to need the exact address of each one.”
“I have 32 mini maps,” she says, opening her book bag and handing him yet another folder.
“I’ve noticed they’re in every capital, and it’s always on the east side of the city,” she adds as he spreads them out on the table.
He takes his phone out of his pocket and turns on the flash, turning it face down and holding the sheets of paper over it, “If you look at them over each other, there might be a pattern. We should call my friend Penelope, she’ll be able to digitally do this and find something.”
“Okay,” Peggy nods along, “I really need to know within the week because I’m moving to Oklahoma.”
“What?” He looks overly worried.
“He’s interested in college-age brunettes,” she points at herself. “I’m going to rent an apartment with a sliding door in the kill zone, and I’m going to wait it out. I’ll make sure everyone knows I live alone, I won't make friends, I’ll keep the windows open when I go to the store, I’ll make myself a victim.”
“No, we can get the bureau to send in a team, you don’t need to be in harm's way,” he protests, “I won’t help if I know you’re throwing yourself in the middle of all this. I refuse.”
There’s an underlying panic that she doesn’t quite understand. He’s almost shaking as he thinks about her playing the victim, they stare back and forth at each other softly, eyes flickering over the other’s expression as he also reads her.
“Fine,” she agrees, finally. “But if you’re getting the team involved, I want to be able to have some say in the investigation. I don’t want to be kicked out for just being a PI.”
“On one condition,” Spencer smirks. “You have to teach the BTK seminar with me.”
“Deal,” she smiled. “But I have some conditions too.”
“Anything?”
He was going to regret that.
“We can’t sleep together until we catch the guy— don’t look at me like that!” she catches the way his jaw drops and his eyes glisten.
He’s in complete shock, trying to say words and failing miserably as she stares at him knowingly. “I only said that because I need rules for myself too. We can’t care more about each other than the victims. Solve the case with me and then I’ll have a crush on you, okay?”
“Okay,” he finally finds the words to agree. “Was it that obvious?”
“We held hands for 5 minutes, I’ve thought you were cute since you were 23 and that seminar was a; 'my horse is bigger than your horse' flirting match,” she calls it all out, “I’m just as into you as you are into me already, if not more so because I know way too much about you thanks to my dad and uncle Rossi.”
“Dave knew about you too?” He’s more upset than she expected.
She nods, “yeah, so that I’d be taken care of if anything happened to my dad.”
He is a little upset and she can’t figure out why from what she knows already, “why?���
“You’re so interesting, you and I could have been friends for the last 15 years and things could have been so interesting but you were a secret,” he whispers.
“I was right wasn’t I?”
He nods again, “Gideon doesn’t know about Maeve, but I had a girlfriend who died in front of me before I could tell her I loved her and it broke me.”
Everything makes sense now. The stares, the stuttering, the defensiveness at the idea of her being in harm's way after only knowing her for a few hours. He was desperately looking for someone like himself to prove that he wasn’t going to be alone forever, and he wanted that to be found in her.
“Solve the case with me, then you can learn what it’s like to love someone who loves you back.”
taglist:
@g0lden-cth @doctorspenceryeet @samuel-de-champagne-problems @reiding-recs @ssavanessa22 @spookyspence @shemarmooresfedora @spencers-dria@reidsfish @manuosorioh @mochionly @jswessie187 @k-k0129 @calm-and-doctor @blanchardsbk
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stxleslyds · 3 years
Text
MY TOUGHTS ON PART THREE OF RED HOOD BY CHIP ZDARSKY :)
A DC RENDITION OF THE SONG “MOTHER KNOWS BEST” FROM TANGLED.
Here I will leave the links to my reviews of Part 1 and Part 2
Well, here we are, three issues in this story of only six parts and i still cant tell if i like it or not. What i know for sure tho is that Zdarsky never read any Red Hood books, i had my suspicions but now i am at least 95% sure.
This Jason has been nerfed. We had a perfectly balanced Jason back in 2005 he was smart, skilled, confident and strategic. Then from 2011 to 2020 (let’s put the fact that Lobdell is trash aside for a moment) Jason was skilled, he had the whole “chosen one” thing going on with the all-castle, and in some moments you could even see him being quick witted and confident. But now in this first half of this story he is extremely insecure, his skill set and expertise is barely there and is presented as just reckless. 
The other day i was talking about how DC treats Jason, how they just can’t decide on who he is, what motivates him or what he wants. His personality is a whole ass mess, it was fine in 2005 and 2010 when Winick wrote him but then Lobdell from years 2011 to 2020 just couldn't decide what he wanted to do with Jason or his relationship with Batman and his rules. After Lobdell finally left Jason was passed around people who either only read Lobdell's work, or didn't read anything from him or didn't take into account Jason's life because their book was set in a future that may never happen. 
What i am trying to say is that Jason doesn't have a personality, and writers don't really add things to the Jason that we “know”, what they do is start his story from zero over and over again. There is no consistency to Jason's character and while you could argue that maybe this new start could be the definite version of Jason Todd/Red Hood i will point out that this nerfed version of him is a major disservice to the character that he was when he was brought back to DC.
It’s simply not nice. 
And in this particular issue the “Jason isn't that good at this whole vigilante gig” is even more pushed because of the whole “batman knows best” bullshit. I am not getting this (anthologies) book with a Red Hood story just for Batman to come in and be like “I am actually good at this job, you know nothing AND i have the moral high-ground”, this is NOT it.
If you are reading a Red Hood story chances are that you will be interested in Red Hood not Batman. 
Oh one more thing, Jason was an excellent Robin. He was kind, smart and skilled. I liked the flashbacks in UtRH because it showed Jason being all that but he also understood a couple of things about the kind of criminals that Gotham had, your common thug is easily scared of the concept of Batman but the dress-ups knew that no matter what they did the Bat would never kill them, that’s what Jason thought about criminals there.
This Robin Jason is treated rather poorly by Zdarsky at times, he feels insecure and inferior to Dick but he is also dismissive of him and the Robin mantle in the first issue, now in this one he is shown as way too reckless (which is kinda bad because it feeds into DCs favorite trope of “Jason’s death was Jason’s fault”) and his stance on “low level” criminals is weird, like it was made clear that drug related criminals are Jason’s biggest issue, thieves were not. 
Those are my general thoughts on this issue and the current state of Jason’s characterization. I have some panels from this issue that i want to talk about in more depth tho, so here we go. 
The issue stars were we left off once more, Tyler defends Jason and when Batman asks who he is Tyler says that he is the Blue Hood, that was really sweet of him, that child is adorable and he needs to be protected. 
Once the Bat distracts Tyler Jason tells the Bat that the man he killed was Tyler’s dad. 
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There are a couple of things i want to point out from these panels, Jason feels incredibly guilty, not about killing Andy but about leaving Tyler in a situation that is similar to the one he was left in when his own mother died. He still believes that Andy was not a good man and deserved to be dead, after all he was drugging his own son and was the reason Tyler’s mom overdosed and is now in the hospital. It just hits incredibly close to home for Jason and i understand completely. 
The other thing i want to point out is that Jason says “I know your rules. No killing in Gotham” so, this is (to me) confirmation that Jason hasn’t killed in a long time and that he has been sticking to the Bat's rules (at least in Gotham). Andy (a drug-dealer) is the only person that Jason has killed since the events of UtRH (that are apparently canon in this story because it was mentioned in the first issue). 
Following this conversation the Bat says that he will take care of Tyler’s mother (yikes, i really thought in my last post that Jason was the one who would have tried to get her the help she needed, to me it seems more appropriate if Jason does it given that this is his story but what do I know) 
This is where this Red Hood story transforms into the Batman show.
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Not only will Bruce take care of Tyler's mom but he will clean up the mess and shut down the making of the drug all by himself. Jason tells him that he will do it but the Bat tells Jason that if he wants to do it they will have to do it together because there is no way he is letting Jason out of his sight, he made a mess!
Yes, nothing like making the lead character look incompetent at his job. Love that for Jason.
Before the team up starts Batman and Red Hood go to Leslie's place to leave Tyler with her. This is a good moment only because there is a dog involved, well…Tyler, Jason and a dog are involved, best panel in the whole issue? I think yes.
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Maybe I have a couple more panels that are my favs in this issue, here they are, a lil bit of positivity in this extra bitter post.
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Now I will be honest, I hate Batman (Bruce’s Batman, love Dick Bats he was the MVP) so him saying that he is helping a Robin makes me want to shoot him. You are not helping; you are overtaking, as you do. Never a team player, the Batgod must always be the center of the show.
Back in the new cave Bruce talks to Jason about the drug and who he thinks might be behind it's production. He also makes sure to let Jason know that he is very smart and might be the only person outside of Crane's circle that knows how analyze a very unstable compound…weird flex but okay. He also teases Jason about his detective skills. Yay.
Flashback time! Get ready!
Robin Jason and Batman are at a crime scene and Jason doesn’t seem to be in the mood to play CSI: Gotham with Bruce.
At one moment Jason says “and then we will stomp the guy who did this” (“this” being murder), which makes Jim Gordon (who came to see if batman was done playing Sherlock Holmes) uncomfortable, so Batman tells Jason to wait for him. As Jason is going he sees someone acting suspicious.
Back to present day Batman and Red Hood are visiting the woman that created the compound that makes Fear Gas, the interrogation starts well but because this is the Batman show and Jason is bad at reading people and asking questions we have a scene that shows Jason being a bit too much.
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I honestly thought that the first question was fair, but then after they leave the office they were in Batman basically goes on a rant about the things that Jason missed.
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Ok, I get it Batman = good vigilante. Red Hood = Incompetent.
Zdarsky is honestly trying to make us believe that Jason hasn’t picked up any of those things, in his years as Robin with Batman AND Nightwing? They both taught him, there is no way Jason doesn’t know the basics of how to read people. Also do you guys remember Jason in UtRH and Lost Days? That guy read people perfectly, how is UtRH canon in this story, did Jason lose his skills in the explosion when he blew up the Joker?
As if that wasn’t enough Batman calls Red Hood reckless after they don’t agree on what to do next.
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To this I say the following: Never again make me believe that Jason will willingly work with Batman. They don’t work together and neither are willing to meet each other halfway, even less let the other lead. This makes the idea of Jason following the Bat’s rules and him being part of the “Batfamily” the joke that it actually is.
They don’t work well together anymore; bring duality back to Gotham 2021.
Back in the past where the previous flashback is resumed we have Jim telling Batman that the new Robin seems a bit too rough around the edges. Did Jim ever meet Dick as Robin? I mean, don’t get me wrong, Dick was a sweetheart but he also beat criminals alongside batman every night. It just doesn’t feel like what Jason said was that much of a violent statement or anything, maybe I just don’t get it.
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But don’t worry if you don’t get it, because we are shown Robin Jason going after that suspicious man, he is beating him asking if he knows anything about the murder or what exactly he was doing so close to the crime scene when Batman arrives. Through Batman we are told that that man was no longer a criminal, to which Jason says this, “…The guy is a jewel thief! He will always be a thief” and Batman responds “I refuse to believe that. Didn’t I meet you in the middle of stealing the Batmobile’s tires?”
I can’t believe Bruce went full “It’s over Jason. I have the moral high ground” on Robin Jason.
I mean Jason is OOC, we know this, but he has to be that way in order to make Batman look better when compared to a child. DC hates Jason Todd #Confirmed.
It kinda reminds me of that thing DC does with Dick and Barbara, Dick is skilled and smart as long as Barbara isn’t in the room, if she is then Dick will forget to check if there is someone inside his apartment and then be thrown across the room by her and then be told that he sucks at putting security in his living space.
Moving on...back to the present one last time Jason is interrogating a man while he dangles him from the edge of a building (did Dick teach him that? I bet he did.) After getting some information he calls Oracle so he can make sure that the place he is going to is safe. Oracle tells him the she will help him but she did not like the fact that the last time she helped him someone ended up dead.
Now, fair warning, Barbara and Jason big NO for me and after Geoff Johns and his antics in Three Jokers I have zero love for their “team-ups”.
Jason says this, 
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Believing in him? Excuse me? Chonky, baby, she only helped you find a building.
All I can do at this point is pray to whichever god or whoever hears that this does not lead to Jason pinning for Barbara. We don’t need it (Barbara doesnt need it), I might be overreacting, I hope I am, but nobody wants that kind of drama right now, thanks.
When he arrives to the place he was looking for I think everyone can tell that it’s a trap, everyone but Jason apparently. 
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How on earth does Jason not realize it’s a trap up until it’s too late? Are you joking? Is this a Red Hood story? Are we really doing this? Just how incompetent is Jason in Zdarsky’s eyes?
Freeze…is it Freeze? I don’t care but he is there, he freezes Jason and that’s the end of the issue.
Listen, I wish I could say that this is the worst Jason has been treated and that this book is horrible, I wish but I can’t. I can’t do it because this isn’t the worst characterization or book of Jason, this is still a pretty good story, could it be better? Yes.
I mean this story is written by someone who obviously doesn’t know Jason and that sucks but it still isnt the worst characterization and it messes me up. Three Jokers was worse than this, certain plot decisions in Future State: Red Hood were worse than this (in my opinion) and Lobdell’s New52 RHatO was pure trash (that is the worst book, just horrible please dont read it). 
I am saying this only to make it clear that even tho this issue was painful (mostly if you don’t like Batman) I still have hope that it can turn out to be good. I cant help it, i want and need this story to be good and there is still time for it to get better. 
Alright thats all i have to say, let me know what you thought about this issue and my review, bye!
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Text
Extreme Aggressor: Part Two
Pairing: Eventual Spencer Reid x Reader
Word Count: 2.1k
Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill, and angst
Summary: Jason Gideon is called back from a six-month leave from the Behavioral Analysis Unit to profile a killer. Meanwhile, the team flies across the country to Seattle when another young woman goes missing at the hands of "The Seattle Strangler," another serial killer.
Author’s Note: Here is it finally! After hard work, it is finally ready for your viewing pleasure! Please, feedback is always appreciated so let me know what you like about it and what you didn’t!
I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there is any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them. If you’ve seen the show, then it’s the same level of angst unless otherwise stated.
So without further ado, please enjoy!
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After arriving at the police headquarters, you followed Gideon and the rest of the team inside the building. It still felt awkward between you and the rest of the team which is why you stuck to Gideon’s side the whole time. He walked fast throughout the building, and you did your best to keep up.
“He never stands with his back to a window. When I was between him and a doorway, he asked me to move,” Derek gossiped about your friend.
“That's hypervigilance. It's not uncommon in post-traumatic stress disorder.”
“Just how much disorder are we talking about?”
“Morgan, it's been six months. Everything's okay,” Hotchner calmed him down.
“And he brings along a woman we don’t even know? How do we know we can trust her? I’m sorry, but she doesn’t mean anything to me yet,” Derek asked just as you passed them.
Looking at them over your shoulder, you caught Spencer’s eyes before moving on.
“Give her time. You gave me time,” he said, catching up to you. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. He’s right. I’m a stranger to you guys.”
“Hopefully by the end of this, you won’t be,” he smiled, walking into the main room with you that was crowded with uniforms.
“This is special agent Gideon, special agent Morgan, our expert on obsessional crimes, special agent Reid—”
“Dr. Reid,” Gideon interrupted.
“Dr. Reid, our expert on well, everything, and the newest member of our team, Y/N Y/L/N. And after two years busting my ass in this office, I hope you all remember me,” Hotchner smiled with the laughter that ensured throughout the room.
“He's willing to travel with the body,” Gideon speaks, looking at the map.
“Then he drives a vehicle capable of concealing one,” Hotchner added.
“1 in 7.4 drivers in Seattle owns an SUV,” Spencer spat out.
“But how do we know it's his car? Ted Bundy drove a VW Bug. What about a Jeep Cherokee? Jeeps are more masculine,” Derek voiced his thoughts.
“We all know how an unsub feels about asserting his masculinity,” Gideon chuckled.
“When did the bureau become involved in the case?” Hotchner asked the lead police officer.
“After the fourth body. He dumped that one out of state.”
While everyone was conversing and talking, you walked up the board with the recent pictures of the latest kidnapped victim, Heather. She went missing about a day ago which means she has about 24 hours left until she is dead—and the clock is ticking. Her image and the photos of the abduction site certainly does something for you, but it’s not enough. Reaching up to touch the image of her, you closed your eyes to see if you can get anything from a picture.
A flash of an orange car here, her heart rate increasing while inside the car, but other than that, you got nothing. It would be better if you were touching some of her things since the human body leaves traces wherever they go, whatever they touch. Since she wasn’t murdered, there isn’t a dump site that would give you even more clues and answers.
“What are you doing?” Spencer asked when he saw you.
Opening your eyes, you lowered your hand before looking at him.
“I am trying to connect myself with her through a photograph. It’s not that common to get anything, but it does happen. I see an orange car and her fearful expressions, but that’s about it.”
“What do you need in order to get a clearer picture?”
“Her belongings. Every human leaves a spiritual trace wherever they go. It’s stronger with personal items.”
“Agent Gideon, where would you like to start?” one of the policemen asked.
“Let's start at the site of the last murder. Y/N, you coming?”
“I think I’ll get a better read on Heather and whether she’s alive or not if I’m with her things. I’ll go to her house.”
“Reid and I will go with you,” Hotchner announced.
Knowing you wouldn’t go alone, you bit your own tongue and followed the two men out the door. The fact that the Bureau provided government standard SUVs were pretty cool. It didn’t take long to go to Heather’s house, and when you arrived, you met her brother and the dog she owned.
“Sandy, no, no, no. I'm so sorry,” Heather’s brother, David, apologized when the big dog started barking and trying to playfully attack you three. However, when it came to you, the dog just stared at you silently.
“No, it's okay. It's what we call the Reid effect,” Hotchner stated, causing the young doctor to be confused. “I'm agent Hotchner. This is special agent Dr. Reid and Dr. Y/N Y/L/N.”
“Y/N is fine,” you quickly added.
“You two look too young to have gone to medical school,” the man observed.
“They're PhD's. 3 of them. She has two.”
“Spencer,” you whispered softly to get him to shut up about it.
It’s not like you don’t want people to know you have 2 PhDs, but you just didn’t want the attention. Plus, if your dad knew you went to school to be a profiler in the FBI, he’d have your head.
“Are you a genius or something?”
“I don't believe that intelligence can be accurately quantified, but I do have an IQ of 187 and an eidetic memory and can read 20,000 words per minute,” he gushed. The man stared at him like he was crazy, so the young doctor just agreed. “Yes, I'm a genius.”
“Sandy, you get a lot of attention, don't you?” Hotchner asked the dog who just panted.
Instead of being with them, you took a look around the room to see if you can get a feel to the place. Heather’s spirit was here through certain items, but because there are more than one, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where it’s coming from. The conversation went on about her dog until it got back on track.
“David, does your sister drive a Datsun Z?” Spencer asked when he picked up a magazine.
“No, but she's in the market for one. How'd you know?” he asked, and Spencer held it up. David just shook his head and took his dog outside since she was getting antsy.
“There's an immediate relationship established between a buyer and a seller, a certain level of trust. If I want to coax a young woman into my car, I’d offer her a test drive,” you said, causing the two men to stare at you.
Their bodies were emitting tension, and you knew they didn’t trust you at all. You needed to do something to prove to them that you were worthy enough to be on this team.
“Let me show you what I can do, okay?”
“Alright,” Hotch said.
Taking the magazine from Spencer’s hands, you closed your eyes in concentration. A multitude of pictures flashed through your mind due to the residue that Heather left behind, until those pictures turned into film. Heather was seated on the couch right behind Hotch and Spencer, flipping through the magazine happily. When she got to the page she wanted, she grabbed the red marker on the table next to her and circled the orange car a bunch of times. She then grabbed her money and began counting it to see if she had enough money to buy it.
“Heather is sitting on that couch, super excited to buy the orange car I keep seeing. She circles the one she wants with a red marker, and she starts to count her money,” you open your eyes, and began to flip through the magazine until you found the page you were looking for. “If I’m right, it’s this page she was on. She found someone with this exact car, and whoever took her did it because they got her to test drive it.”
The page you landed on was the same exact page with the red marker.
“Nice job,” Hotch complimented.
“That’s amazing,” Spencer muttered.
“Thank you. I just want to help, Agent Hotchner.”
“Please, call me Hotch.”
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“Okay, then how about the fact that on one hand, we have paranoid psychosis, but the autopsy protocol says what?” Derek asked.
Back at the office, everyone was talking about the case and how the MO of this unsub didn’t make any sense. Derek was the one who was freaking out about everything since apparently not having a profile ready didn't bode well for him.
“Adhesive residue shows he put layer after layer of duct tape over his victims' eyes,” Spencer answered.
“He knows he wants to kill them, but he still covers their eyes. He doesn't want 'em looking at him, apparently. Okay, but then he takes the body and dumps it right out in the open, murder weapon nearby.”
“Not the MO of a paranoid convinced he's being watched or surveilled,” Spencer added.
Gideon stares at the drawing board while the rest talked about the case. Just by the look of his face, he was drowning out whatever they were saying. Even though you can get a read on his spiritual energy, that didn’t mean you could understand what he is thinking.
“Jason? What’s wrong?” you asked quietly, making sure only he could hear you.
However, he didn’t answer you directly.
“Alright, enough,” he interrupted the chatter in the room. “Let's tell them we're ready.”
“We're ready?” Derek gasped as Gideon left the room. The young genius started to write something down on his notepad, but the older agent wasn’t finished. “Reid, you're good with this? We've got a woman who's only got a few hours left to live, an incomplete profile, and a unit chief on the verge of a nervous breakdown.”
“They don't call them nervous breakdowns anymore,” you noted.
“It's called a major depressive episode.”
“I know, Reid,” Derek sighed.
Walking away from the board, you looked at Spencer quickly right before you left the room. Gideon gathered everyone in a conference room to deliver the profile and stood in the middle of the room with the tables blocking him in on three sides like a square. The rest of his team stood off to the side, and while Hotch, Spencer, and Derek were listening, you were watching the reactions of everyone in this room. If your abilities told you anything, it’s how untrustworthy even the most highly respected person could be.
“The unidentified subject is white and in his late 20's. He's someone you wouldn't notice at first. He's someone who'd blend into any crowd. The violent nature of the crime suggests a previous criminal record--petty crimes, maybe auto theft,” Gideon began. Running your eyes over every person in this room, you tapped into their energies to see what the normal eye couldn’t.
“We've classified him as an organized killer—psychopathic as opposed to psychotic. He follows the news, has good hygiene, and he's smart. 'Cause he's smart, the only physical evidence you'll find is what he wants you to find,” Gideon continued. The person right in front of you wanted to pay attention, but all of his focus was centered on his phone. He’s got some private issues at home that you rather not delve into right now.
“He's mobile, and his car in good condition. Our guess is a Jeep Cherokee with tinted windows. The murders have all involved rapes, but rape without penetration is a form of piquerism, and that tells us he's sexually inadequate.”
The person to your right is paying very close attention to what Gideon is saying, but she is focused on his lips and the way he talks which says that she’s attracted to him right now. That made you want to laugh because you knew for a fact that Gideon was seeing someone on the down low.
“What is it?” Spencer whispered when he saw the hint of your smile.
“That woman over there wants to bone Gideon,” you whispered back.
“How do you know?”
“I’m psychic, Spencer. I know more about a person than you think. Want me to do you?”
“No, thank you,” he whispered and got back to what Gideon was saying.
“Psychiatric evaluations will show a history of paranoia stemming from a childhood trauma—death of a parent or family member, and now he feels persecuted and watched. Murder gives him a sense of power. Organized killers have a fascination with law enforcement. They will inject themselves into the investigation. They will even come forward as witnesses to see just how much the police really know. That makes them feel powerful, in control. Which is why I also think in fact, I know you have already interviewed him,” Gideon finished, causing the entire room to feel shocked at the news.
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imonthinice · 3 years
Text
The Criminal Psychology Majors, Jason Todd x Fem!Reader Part 12/?
Word Count: 4.4k
Author’s Note: Y/N - Your Name, A/N - Any Name (Your Best friend’s name)
God idk what i’m doing with this but i’m liking it lmao
next one might honestly be smut idk
Warnings: Violence, Swearing, Description of Blood, Gets heated, hints at trauma, no beta bitch we die like Jason Todd
(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7) (Part 8) (Part 9) (Part 10) (Part 11) (Part 12) (Part 13) (Part 14) (Part 15) (Part 16) (Part 17) (Part 18) (Part 19) (Part 20)
Y/N walked through the streets of Gotham, which were once bustling with people, but now were quiet with the occasional hooker, she had caught the city as an unlively hour, where it seemed to sleep the night away while the vigilantes of the area watched it like their lives depended on it. In some ways it did, the stories they would tell when being interviewed were horrific sometimes, but Y/N figured a decent amount of it was for dramatization, to keep the people of Gotham off of the streets to protect them all from it.
The question was always protect them from what, and they never answered. So, it never kept the people of Gotham at bay from the streets at night, and had Y/N’s car not been towed, she would have been driving home in the safe, secluded area of her car, not the vast wilderness of the streets of Gotham.
She looked up at the sky to see one of the virgate boys using a grappling hook to fly to the other building, which was such a sight to behold for someone who never witnessed a superhero beyond Superman at home. She wished and longed to know more about the vigilante, but didn’t dwell or dote on that man, because she didn’t need to.
Something told her that he was watching though, tracing every step she made to make sure she got home in one piece. She thought she was crazy, her life didnt matter more than anyone else in Gotham. He’s not following me, why would he? she thought, Even though I’m dating Jason Todd, they probably don’t know Jason, so my life doesn’t mean much more to them than any one of the hookers along this street. I’m overthinking it.
The walk home took two hours, she left Jason’s at 4am just to find herself back home at 6am, bright and early as the sun rose, ready to greet the day and all it had in store for everyone. But the things it had in store for Y/N was a class and if she was lucky, cuddling with Jason. Nothing more, nothing less.
She would open her front door, unscathed from the journey home, except maybe for a few callouses on her feet, it was the last time she wouldn't pay for more than a day of parking, that’s for sure. Heels were not the shoes you wanted for a two-hour walk home in the Autumn cold, but they were what she had.
She thought about what she was going to do next, and the first thought she had was to shower. Not because she needed to, but because she wanted to nurse the terrible headache she had and to think some things through. What she normally did in the shower.
She wanted so much more from so much of her life. the main offender of seemingly not being enough for her was Jason. Not because she didn’t want more, but because she craved more from him. He was injured, so she wouldn’t get much more rom him for the time being, and it stung a little for her. She just wanted him, maybe sexually, maybe in a more romantic setting or maybe just on her couch on a Thursday afternoon. It was all three of those options and she knew it.
She pulled out of the shower and looked at the time, 6:50am. Okay, she thought, little more time than I wanted to spend in the shower, but I guess the universe had different plans for me today. What else do you have for me, universe? And how much of you plan involves Jason?
She would open her phone after quickly getting dressed. While she still cared for her appearance, she didn’t want to dress like she owned a law firm every day, so she didn’t. Just black jeans and a black top and she felt like a million bucks. 
Just some quick outfit inspo. I like doing these a lot. I think fashion is funky :))
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Artemis had sent her a message asking where she was at around 4am, she wondered why the time, but she then remembered that Artemis’ boyfriend worked with Dick Grayson, who was Jason’s brother, who worked most nights until radical hours of the night. The chances that he saw her on her two-hour walk home was high, but the chances that that had also made it back to Jason was higher. She knew she was in for it.
Hey sorry, I was at Jason’s. Fell asleep in his arms the whole shebang. And yeah, that was me who screamed the yo momma joke at the press. It was super childish, I know, but I don’t care. Those fucks are sucking my life force out of me and harassing my boyfriend, even your boyfriend.
She would then look at the articles calling her a gold digger and worth-nothing childish insulter of the press. She laughed. If the press wanted a fight from her, she was more than willing to oblige and load the canons. 
She didn’t know how to fight back that well, since it was a mainly verbal fight, and she barely even knew how to  fight physically, hence all the running and non-confrontational arguments she had had to the press.
And like fucking clockwork, Jason texted her.
Did you walk home alone or are my brothers lying bastards?
I walked. I knew someone saw me, fuck.
Why did you walk home? I thought you drove here?
I did, but we spent more than 12 hours together Jason. I didn’t buy enough hours, suddenly my car was being towed.
You could have asked for a ride home from Alfred! He would have in a heartbeat.
I was going to! But  I got distracted and it all became a blur and suddenly I was part of the way home in the dark by myself!
What if you had gotten hurt?
Well, I saw one of the vigilantes of the city on the rooftops, I’m sure if I screamed they would have seen me. They always do see that stuff.
So, your car got towed huh?
Yeah, I don’t know when I’ll be able to pay it off. It’s not exactly like money my parents give me should go to my car getting towed because I got fucked over by seeing my boyfriend. 
You’ll figure it out. Sorry about the car, that’s got to suck fucking ass.
You think? I’m stuck taking the fuckin’ subway till I get my car back. I hate the subway, too many people. Far too many people. Too many eyes. It gets stressful really quickly. Might just walk every where honestly, I can’t deal with the eyes of strangers.
But you’re a C-list celebrity.
Internet is different. I can just block the bad eyes and move on with my life, you should see my block list now that some people are connecting my name to the girl who flipped off the press, thank god Twitter has a fuckin block feature.
You should really just meet my family so you don’t have to run away before they get home, would probably cause you a lot less financial stress, Y/N.
I’ll think about it.
You should think a little harder about it. I don’t want you to get your car impounded ‘cause you’re seeing me, why did you even park in pay-to-park?
Did you not see the massive mob trying to get to you? It was impossible for me to even try to pull into the driveway. Hence why I’m being insulted, you know, ‘cause I yelled at the press to get them to leave me alone. I fucking hate the press, you’re stabbed, severely injured last time they got information, and they’re harassing me, asking me what I like to do on the weekends.
Fucking vultures. Yeah, I’ve seen that. I’ve read the articles. But that’s the press for you, absolute trash and spitting bullshit in everyway.
Fucking hate the press, that’s for damn sure. Despise them. I won’t ever change that, even if, knock on wood, we break up.
Praying we don’t break up so I can see you lose your shit at the press when you’re bored.
She would get up to go make some coffee, since it was closer to 7:20am and if her roommate woke up, she could just tell her to get up anyway.
The press can suck my dick. she said.
You have a dick?
Oh yeah. Massive. 20ft long. It probably won’t even fit all the vultures.
Oh my god, that’s not as big as mine.
lmfao is it now?
Oh yeah.
Nice.
Anyway, my brothers are staying home from school today,  I think they’re making me play Resident Evil 8 with them? You know that game?
Of course. Everyone in that game is infinitely hot.
Are you bi? 
I don’t know. Haven't thought that far ahead to actually label myself. I just like people. Sometimes it’s men, sometimes it’s women. But you have to agree when you see them all. That game came out when I was still in  high school, so I’ve played the entire thing. My phone background is actually one of the characters.
Which one?
I’ll show you if I come over tonight.
My brothers might be in my room, though.
Okay, but, RE8 is an amazing game. So, worth it.
You won’t meet them normally but I pull out a game you love and you’re down?
I’m very easy to convince.
You still have notes to write when you come over though.
Oh yeah, I was probably going to have to come over both ways, just because I need those notes and you do too.
Do you not own a printer?
I barely even own a laptop, I’m waiting for my old one to come in the mail. 
How do you even manage?
With a whole lot of will and spite, anything is possible.
And that’s when her discord group chat @’ed her. She was on Do Not Disturb because she was Jason, and apparently they missed her.
Y/N! C’mere. One said.
Yes? Whatduhya want nerds?
We’ve decided to hold a fake internet wedding between you and Christopher. Another said.
A what.
We’re getting married!
Sometimes I wish I never left Metropolis and then I remember you fucks live there. Why are we doing this? You do know I have a boyfriend right? She asked them.
I don’t know, we’re bored and we miss you. We can have a bachelorette party in Gotham, if you want.
I’m this close to going back on DND.
The group chat was made way back when they had all first met in grade 9 and had been active ever since. They all had stayed in the city when they graduated though, but since Y/N received a scholarship, fully paid for, she took the opportunity and jumped.
They were some of her closest friends, even if they lived in a different city to her now, even if they were all busy with school, even if she was busy with school and a boyfriend, A lot of her life wouldn’t be complete without her crack friends in her hometown.
They had all ben partying like crazy while she was gone, and if she wasn’t so hung up in her own life, she’d probably be down there with them. 
Before you do, can you please explain why you’re screaming at the press, lmao.
Because fuck the press, dude. Why else? 
What did they do to you?
Have you seen the recent articles?
That’s true.
She laughed and finished her coffee. Jason had not responded yet, she assumed his brothers were either checking on him or they had started the game. It was around 8am when A/N finally left her room.
“I thought you were staying with Jason?”
“I was, but then I remembered he has like 9 siblings and I’m not about to meet them all. Then I walked home.”
“You walked?”
“Car got towed.”
“Fuck, can you afford the bill? I can’t.”
“Nope.”
“Guess we’re going to take the subway for a while, huh.”
She sighed and put her cup in the sink, “At least you don’t have school to go to and your lover comes to meet you, I have shit to do and places to be,” she frowned, “Inconvenient.”
“Could you borrow money from Jason’s dad?”
“I don’t borrow money from family, it’s hard enough for me to accept the money my parents send me.”
“I know it is, when’s your class?”
“3pm, I’ll be leaving at 12pm though, because the subway is unreliable.”
“This is going to be a hard hit for us.”
“Well, it’s not like it’s fucking your credit. Mine’s tanking.”
“You’ll pull through it.”
-------------------------------------------
She got onto the subway at 12:30pm. She really hated the way it was running. The people, the faces, the staring eyes of unwanted attention. People knew who she was and she hated it. She didn’t like the attention, she just liked the fucking with people. She wanted to get off the subway the minute she got on.
She eventually couldn’t take it and got off a few stops away, there was still a substantial walk towards the college, but she knew it would be. She even brought a leather jacket with her so that she could walk if she couldn’t take it anymore.
And there she was, in the busy streets of Gotham, walking to her college. Barely aware of the people who did stare at her, because she just kept walking, lost in her thought but aware of the people in her trail, the cross walks and the lights she was waiting for occasionally. She just kept walking until Artemis met up with her,
“Hey! I didn’t know you were walking to school today,” Artemis said.
“Oh! I didn’t want to, my car got towed though.”
“Your car got towed? That sucks so much. Well, we’re going the same way, so I’ve decided I’m going to walk with you, you get no say.”
“Of course. I was going to ask if you wanted to,” she laughed, “It’s more fun with a friend anyway, Art.”
“So, how are things with you and Jason, I’m legally obliged to ask as one of his friends.”
“Well, we made it official if that’s the kind of thing you want to hear,” she laughed again, “I’m sure it’s the answer Dick will eat up.”
“You’re right about that one. Dick’s a sucker for a romantic story, you should write one, since you write. He’d probably read it all.”
“Well, that would be fun, but I still don’t have my laptop.”
“You could use Jason’s?” Artemis suggested..
“Nah. It’ll be fine,” she said, “I’ll manage.”
“Aren’t you collecting notes for him for your psychology class?”
“I am, it’s not like he can go anywhere. I actually told him he’d need to walk eventually so that it’s not a learning curve when he’s healed.”
“That’s what all of us are telling him too, he’s a stubborn man, good luck with that one,” Artemis laughed, “He’s always been the stubborn friend. Worse than Will, actually, and Will is really bad with being stubborn.”
“It’s fine,” she laughed, “If you asked any of my Metropolis friends they’d say the same about me.”
“I bet you were quite the wild child in your heyday back in your city,” Artemis laughed, “I hate Metropolis.”
“Who doesn’t? It’s so crowded.”
“Uh, Clark doesn’t. He thrives there, no idea why, he grew up in Smallville. If anyone should be uncomfortable with Metropolis it should be the small-city country boy, but I guess it’s his thing.”
“I forget you know everyone.”
“We know a lot of people, are you’re slowly being let into our massive circle of very well-known people. Welcome to the group, I guess,” she laughed, “You'll either hate or love the fame that comes from this.”
“Well, if its paparazzi and press, I think I’ll hate it.”
“I can promise you right now that it’s not all paparazzi and press, we haven’t been bothered today, probably because we are on the move.”
“You shouldn’t say that, you’ll jinx it.”
“I know a lot about not jinxing it, but that’s a story for another time,” Y/N noticed that when Artemis said this her eyes glazed over and she looked upset.
“You don’t ever have to talk to me about something you’re not ready to talk about,” Y/N reassured her.
“Hey, the trauma makes me funny.”
“Two can play that game.”
They would ramble on for the rest of the walk to their college. Nothing really of substance, just getting to know each other further. She was glad she found a friend in Artemis, it would have sucked if the two of them didn’t get along, but with each word they exchanged, they had so much fun.
She even told Artemis about that time she played Katherine Howard in her school’s budget play of Six - The Musical. She was proud of the riffs she was able to do, but she didn’t talk about it often. She was never the type of brag about her achievements, no matter how amazing they were.
But Artemis and Y/N parted ways and Y/N went to her class and wrote the same, boring, scribbly and barely legible notes. She figured eventually she’d need nicer handwriting, but did she want to work on it? No.
When she finished, she saw Artemis and who she could only assume to be Wally, at Artemis’ class doors. She waved to Artemis, before Artemis called her over.
“Y/N! Hey, I would ask how class is, but this is Wally,” she gestured to the red-head boy beside her, and Y/N held out her hand to shake Wally’s.
“Hi, Wally.”
“Y/N. It’s nice to meet you since Jason can’t shut up about you and my girlfriend likes you a lot.”
“Well that's sweet of you Artemis. You’re just so in love with me,” Y/N joked.
“Girl. You know it,” Artemis joked back.
“You two already have a close bond? That’s impressive,” Wally said, “Never seen anyone win over any of my friends this quickly,” he muttered.
They joked for a little while longer, just getting to know Wally before she had to go, she had to get to Jason’s.
The walk was a while away, so she went and sat on a park bench for a minute to check her phone, Jason had texted her.
Hey baby, are you coming over?
I am, yes. I actually just met Wally.
You met Wally and I wasn’t there to see it? C’mon.
Artemis introduced us! Go yell at her.
Oh. Never mind. I won’t do that.
Ha! Scared of her?
Maybe a little, she can be scary, okay?
You can’t tell but I’m laughing at you.
Dhmu.
That’s fine, I’ll just go hang out with Alfred and not you. He seems like he would be spiteful like me.
That’s unfair.
I thought you said don’t hit me up?
Fuck.
Checkmate.
I am upset.
No you’re not.
No I’m not.
She would walk down the street further, maybe within a couple steps to reach the Manor, when a man dragged her into an alleyway. She yelped.
“Uh, hello? Can I help you?” she asked, pretending she wasn’t terrified.
“How much would Bruce give me for you?” the attacker mumbled before he tried to knock her to the ground, but she had another plan.
He grabbed her, put his face close to hers, and she head-butted him, he would stumble back, and she started running to the Manor.
“Come here you fucking bitch!” he screamed. She could feel her nose bleeding as she ran and ran, the security saw her and pulled her into the gateway before drawing their guns and urging her to run to the steps of the Manor.
And she ran. The security at the door saw her and let her in, and yelled for Alfred.
“What is this nonsense, oh,” Alfred paused when he saw the blood running out of Y/N’s nose, “Miss Y/N, what happened to you?” he asked before grabbing her hand and pulling her into the entry-way bathroom and opening a first-aid kit.
“Okay so, what happened was I was walking to the Manor because my car got towed right? And this fucking bastard dude pops out from an alleyway and pulls me into it, asks some bullshit about how much Bruce would pay for me, when he grabbed me and tried to knock me down, when I head-butted him and started running,” she said, completely unphased.
Alfred didn’t respond to her and started to stop the bleeding when Bruce called for him, “In the entry-way bathroom, Master Wayne!” he answered.
Bruce came around the corner and saw Alfred was already tending to Y/N, “Well, this is the event where I meet my son’s girlfriend, when she is bleeding and running from a strange man in an alleyway.”
“Heh, sorry,” she said and outstretched her hand to shake his, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Bruce.”
“I can tell you’re going to be quite the addition to this household,” he said as he took her hand and shook it, “As long as you’re okay.”
“I’m okay.”
“That’s good. I guess you can’t get mad at Jase for being a reckless man now.”
“I really can’t.”
“Alright, you should be good, Miss Y/N.”
“Thank you, Alfred. But you really didn’t have to.”
“I’ve been taking care of 5 boys and 3 girls since most of them were little, Miss Y/N. A little blood is really no big deal for me to handle.”
“That’s obvious.”
“You can go see the boys now, they’re going to ask you though,” Bruce said.
“I know.”
She walked to Jason’s room, hoping that he wouldn’t have all of his siblings in the room, he did though.
“Hey, Y/N- what the fuck happened to you?” Jason exclaimed when she opened the door.
“Oh great, all your siblings are here. Anyway, I guess,” she paused, taking in a big breath so she could run through the events quickly, “So I was walking here ‘cause my car got towed, right? When some fucking bastard man grabs me and yanks me into an alleyway and starts going off about how much Bruce will pay him to get me back or something,” she paused again, “And when he tried to knock me down by getting really close and personal to my face, like an idiot I should add, I head-butted him.”
“You did what?’
“I’m not done yet, met your dad when I actually had blood running out of my nose because that's just my fucking luck. Okay, now you can be disappointed in me,” she joked.
“I will say again, you did what?”
“Something stupid?” she said.
“You could say that again, my god, what went through your head?”
“Uh, nothing. Just survival. Fight or flight but I head-butted a man, and hi, everyone.”
“Hi, Y/N, I’m Dick,” Dick said, “You clearly are meant for Jason,” he joked, “That's something he would do.”
“Don’t encourage her, Dick!”
Stephanie got up and greeted her, “You know, Y/N, I always wanted a crazy sister,” she joked, “I’m Stephanie, the black-haired girl is Cass, and the red-head is Barbara.”
“Me too,” Cass hopped onto the joke.
“It’s something else when you meet the girl your brother is dating after she head-butted a man, apparently,” Y/N laughed, “I know it’s far-fetched-”
“Not really,” Tim cut her off, “You know Jason protected Will when they were attacked?”
“That’s Tim, by the way,” Dick said.
“So you can’t yell at me for head-butting a man!” Y/N joked at Jason while going to sit beside him, he slinged an arm around her shoulder and leant his head into her head.
“Well, you seem like a nice enough girl,” Barbara said, “Take away the reckless behavior, and you are lovely.”
“That is valid, to be honest. Not exactly the way you want to meet your brother’s girlfriend.”
“You think?” Jason asked, sarcastically.
“Ha ha.”
“See, she thinks I’m funny, why can’t you fucks?”
Y/N laughed and then asked Dick, who was playing RE8 at the time, staring at the photo of Donna Bentiveno, “She’s cute, isn’t she, Dick?”
“Have I been staring?”
“Let’s just say Angie is probably very pissed at you.”
“Oh! Whoops. There’s a point to this, I forgot.”
“I don’t blame you, I remember forgetting there was a point and the little bitch devil doll would attack you.”
“Language.”
“Oh no, you’re lame. Gross.”
“Excuse me?” Dick asked as the rest of the room erupted in laughter.
“Do you guys see why I like her now?” Jason asked.
“Uh no, she’s mean,” Dick said.
“You’re going to die if you don’t start paying attention, Dick,” Y/N said.
“Oh!” and he died.
“And that kids, is why we listen to the person who’s 100%’ed the game.”
------------------------------
Y/N and Jason would spend hours with his brothers and sisters until the sun started to set and they all scattered to their own rooms to  do their own things. you can’t keep a lot of kids in one room for so long.
Once everyone left, Y/N placed her hands on Jason and kissed him, she was actually able to be laid on his pillow, he was able to pin her to the bed. And they did just that. He was on top of her, using his one arm to prop himself up and using his other hand to touch her face.
Her hands found their way into his hair like they always did, she found a lot of joy in playing with his hair. Their tongues danced together, they never fought or anything, they just enjoyed each other when Jason let out a small moan and she let out a small laugh.
“Keep it in your pants, Tiger,” she joked, “You’re not fully healed.”
“You literally smashed your face into another man but I can’t moan when I kiss you?”
“Because I know you want more.”
“Hell yeah I do,” he said as he went back for more, actually using his strength to keep her to the bed, but she didn’t protest this time.
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connabeth · 4 years
Note
I see your hot Roman!Percy and raise you hot Roman!Annabeth.
She and Percy are both switched and end up amnesiac and alone in different camps and Percy’s competency kink kicks in heavy as he learns about the only daughter of Minerva that changed Camp Jupiter and was raised to praetor after single handedly designing the plan to topple Mt Othyrs. And then on the Argo 2 they trauma bond over both getting plucked out of their lives and forced to continue playing at the whims of the gods
Sprinkle in bi Annabeth energy with a Reyna/Percy/Annabeth love triangle..basically did I replace Jason with Annabeth? Yes yes I did
ASJDFGLSKLJ he WOULD simp for her before ever meeting her solely based on the fact that she is one BAMF. also REYNA AND PERCY FIGHTING OVER ANNABETH??? I’M HERE FOR IT!!!
reyna and annabeth were best friends once reyna arrived at CJ and they are the Lethal Duo™️ no one crosses them. they’re fantastic partners on the battlefield and they’re similar in so many ways they just get each other. and there was low key something going on there👀
give me a wlw praetor power couple PLEASE😩
and then annabeth returns from CHB after the swap and reyna has more impulse control than percy did in MoA, so she doesn’t charge into Annabeth’s arms. They exchange a really fierce hug once the crowd dissipates and god, they’re just so glad to see each other again
Percy finally sees the girl he’s been crushing on ever since he arrived at CJ and he’s just. 😳😳🥵
that’s it that’s his entire mood
and she’s also enamored with him because she’s heard loads of Percy Jackson this, Percy Jackson that back at CHB and everyone only had good things to say about him, except Clarisse but Annabeth could tell there wasn’t any heat behind it. she’s been really curious about him this whole time, especially because she’s never met a son of Neptune/Poseidon before. and. it doesn’t help that he looks like a whole ass Greek god
reyna also obviously talked annabeth up (bc she’s in love with her) so percy is a little head over heels
they find that they work together incredibly well bc they end up taking on the tar monsters together on that side quest like they did in the beginning of MoA
he is exactly like canon Percy in the way he sees her fighting and he’s super distracted bc wow, Annabeth fighting is the definition of Hot™️ and he’s seriously impressed by how all her plans, no matter how spur-of-the-moment, work out. and she just finds the way he uses Riptide attractive. they’re both just simps for the other wielding blades ok?
they want to be wary of each other because of their parental rivalry and being the leader of opposing camps but it’s hard to give a shit when a timer is ticking down and fate’s hanging in the balance. besides CJ seemed to love Percy, hell they made him praetor as her replacement and CHB seemed to adore Annabeth. also they’re just very alike
and they bond over their trauma and anger like you said and reflect on how different yet similar their experiences as a demigod have been—everything boils down to being a pawn in a larger game they have little control over, losing their loved ones, the burden and pressure of being a leader etc.
everyone on the Argo 2 is like 👀👀 the entire time cause there’s definitely something going on there it’s so obvious
piper keeps giving unsubtle nudges to Annabeth and tries to charmspeak her into making a move and Annabeth is like girl pls😩 the world is ending here i have priorities smh
one night they both are jolted awake by nightmares she he goes to stand on the deck, just facing the ocean and thinking in silence, trying to clear his head. the scent of seaspray and the gentle crash of the waves always calmed him down
he heard footsteps and he’s immediately on-guard and he stealthily slips Riptide out of his pocket but when he turns around it’s just his hot Roman crush. he thinks he might’ve preferred a monster. he also can’t help but feel pride in how she chose to wear a CHB shirt. only she could pull of bright orange. it’s a little unfair.
turns out she’s been having trouble sleeping too and was walking around the ship trying to get her mind back in order
she offers to let him vent to her and takes him down to the stables so they can just sit and talk
and heart rate is going into overdrive like it was in canon because. well. he’s sitting next to the girl he’s into. alone. at night.
if she notices he’s flustered he doesn’t say anything. they start off with their dreams, discussing what they could mean, and what’s to come. the conversation then shifts to their respective camps and the things they love about each and what their ideal future would be like
he also asks her about reyna and if they’re together. he’s not very subtle about it and while it’s a super awkward, loaded question, she can’t help but let out an amused smile at his dorkiness
they just talk about anything and everything. at this point it’s like 3 am and they need to be well-rested to stay vigilant and prepared for the problems daytime will bring so fatigue just kind of takes over their bodies and before they realize it, they slip into a dreamless sleep next to each other
they wake up the same way they do in canon, bodies pressed up against each other, limbs entangled, one of his hands in her hair and the other around her waist. she’s tucked into his chest and they’re just laying there sharing body heat
frank finds them and percy wakes up and his heart is pounding so hard it feels like he’s about to have a seizure because holy shit he just fell asleep next to The Annabeth Chase. and she cuddled him!!!
she is SUPER embarrassed about it and assures Frank nothing happened and Percy finds her blush adorable but he’s also kind of hurt she won’t look him in the eye
they never really address it, but everyone can tell there’s been a shift in their dynamic—it’s even more charged than it was before because they actually know each other now
piper out here as the Kermit meme sipping her tea like 👀☕️☕️
she knows she’s taking a risk when she throws her blade into the harbor but ofc she can always rely on him and the harbor explodes around them and she throws herself into his arms sans the “I love you” this time
he is extremely flustered and is like “oh ok i guess this is happening now😳😳”
i could go on and on about this and maybe i’ll write something who knows but that’s it for now folks👋🏽
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winryofresembool · 3 years
Text
Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 24
aka Caleo uni au
Fic summary: Calypso starts studying at a new university, but to her annoyance her new flatmate is a loud mouthed mechanic who also likes to sneak his dog in whenever. But as she learns to know him better, she realizes they might have more in common than what she first thought. Eventually, even the darkest secrets come out…
Chapter summary: Halloween chapter, part 2.
A/N: Yay, an update! I think some of you are gonna be happy about the characters that are being introduced in this chapter... Also lots of Caleo dorkiness (and canon references) in it! And you'll get to see if you were right with your costume guesses :D
Also like I already mentioned last week, this is the last chapter that I have written so far (when I started posting this fic I tried to make sure I'd have at least 7 chapters ready so I wouldn't have to stress about deadlines... and here we are now) so it is possible that updates may slow down a bit, at least if the chapter wants to become long. But I am still /trying/ to keep up with the regular updates the best I can :) So worry not!
Now, enjoy and let me know what you think!! Ps. somehow we’ve managed to pass 50k words already :O
Words: 4040
Genre: romance & hurt/comfort
Warnings: none
previous chapter / AO3
“Hi, you guys!” Piper, who was dressed as Wonder Woman, greeted Leo and Calypso first when they arrived, gesturing for them to come in.
“Hello! I was afraid Argo II had decided to stop working because you guys are late,” Jason the Superman noted as he offered to take Calypso’s coat and put it in a hanger by the door.
“I’m not going to lie to you, Jason, that possibility did cross my mind as well,” Calypso said, casting Leo a meaningful look. “But no, not this time.”
“We’re only 10 minutes late!” Leo protested, checking the time from his phone. “I was busy finishing something… and Calypso took her time preparing herself as well. She probably did her wig for like two hours.” He gave her a not so serious side-eye.
“I did not!” Calypso said defensively. “Yeah, I straightened and combed and braided it but that took me maybe 15-20 minutes so he is highly exaggerating.”
“Don’t worry, Calypso, we know he does that a lot.” Piper smiled at her reassuringly. “Speaking of your wig, though, you look very cute! That hair reminds me of the style you had before my makeover. You’re dressed as the mythology Calypso, right?”
“Yes, I am,” Calypso said, pleased that Piper had figured that out so fast. “I thought it would be fun to be a bit self ironic for once. I haven’t really had a good reason to sew recently so this was a nice excuse to do that as well.” She made a small twirl to show the dress better.
“That dress really looks great!” Piper told her. “I would gladly commission you to sew me clothes; it’s so hard to find anything nice from the clothes stores these days. But Leo.” She turned back to him. “I see someone hasn’t bothered to get a costume. I wasn’t expecting that from you because you’re always so excited about them.”
“No, you got it all wrong.” Leo wagged his finger at her. “I do have it here, but as I told Cal, it would have been too difficult to wear in the car.” He dropped his bag on the floor, causing a loud thud as it hit the ground.
“Alright. Care to give us any hint what it is?” Piper asked curiously. “Seems heavy.” Calypso wondered if this was something they did every year.
“I’m just saying that it’s inspired by some movies that united us three,” Leo noted mysteriously. “But that’s all, you’ll see soon!”
“My mind is blank now,” Piper said. “Jason, what movies have we watched with him?”
“The first one that comes to my mind is Star Wars,” Jason reminded her. Suddenly both Jason and Piper’s eyes widened in realization. “Could it be?”
“Oh no, Leo you didn’t!” Piper doubled over in laughter when it occurred to her what Leo’s costume most likely was. “I can’t wait to see this!”
“I hope you took pictures with Festus!” Jason couldn’t keep his poker face either, and Calypso watched their reactions with confusion.
“Don’t worry, I will show them later.” Leo grinned, unperplexed by Jason and Piper’s laughter. “Now, where can I change?”
Piper showed him an empty room where he could get into his costume in peace, while Calypso started looking around the house on her own. Even though the place seemed rather fancy, Jason and Piper had managed to make it cozier with their personal objects. A lot of them had seen life and were worn but somehow they still fit in with the newer decorations.
As Calypso reached the living room, her focus went to the guests who had already arrived at the party. She waved at Annabeth and nodded awkwardly to Percy. Even though she and Annabeth were friends again, she wasn’t quite sure how she should act near Percy so ‘reserved’ felt the most natural reaction. She couldn’t help but smile a bit, though, when she registered their costumes: Annabeth had a Chiton just like her, although grey instead of white, with some silvery accessories and a beautiful owl shaped brooch over her chest. Perhaps the most impressive part of her costume was the Greek styled helmet that was used in battles and that hid most of Annabeth’s curly ponytail. Calypso was quite certain she was dressed as Athena, the Greek goddess that according to her was the one she identified herself the most with. Percy on the other hand was wearing sandals, shorts, a tropical shirt, and a belt with fishing equipment and he was holding a fishing rod in his hand. Calypso couldn’t quite figure out who he was supposed to be, other than some sort of fisherman.
“Hi,” Calypso greeted them as she got to hearing distance with them. “You guys look nice. You’re Athena, right?” She asked Annabeth. “Matches my theme, don’t you think?”
“Sure does,” Annabeth nodded, eyeing Calypso’s costume. “You look pretty much exactly like how I imagine the mythology Calypso.”
“Thank you. Coming from you it’s a big compliment.” She turned Percy. “I can’t figure out who you are, though. You don’t seem like a Greek god?”
“I am, though,” Percy replied. “I’m Poseidon.”
“Ooh, so that’s why the fishing gear!” Calypso realized. “But I don’t think the Greeks had tropical shirts quite yet.”
“No, you’re right in that.” Percy shook his head, smiling a bit. “But I’m basing this on the version in the Peter Johnson series. That’s how he was described in it.”
“I didn’t know you have read that too,” Calypso said, “But makes sense. Um, the Poseidon and Athena of the mythology hated each other, though. Not that it’s really my business, but I hope you two are doing fine…?” She asked a bit nervously, not wanting to be the reason for their issues.
“Oh yeah, we are,” Percy confirmed immediately. “It’s just an old joke – back when Annabeth and I were reading the Peter Johnson books I used to say Poseidon is my godly parent and Athena Annabeth’s, and that just kind of stuck with us.”
“Alright.” Calypso accepted Percy’s answer, turning her attention back to Annabeth. “By the way, where did you get that helmet? It definitely looks fancier than most of the plastic ones you see at costume shops.”
“My father collects these things,” Annabeth answered, lifting the helmet from her head for a moment. “I’ve told you he’s also a historian, right? Well, one of his friends wanted to make a replica of the ancient Greek helmets with some modern machines and dad bought this from him. I’m not saying this is 100 per cent accurate but it looks pretty cool, in my opinion.”
“It does,” Calypso confirmed.
“You came with Leo, right?” Percy asked then, to which Calypso nodded. “Where is he? I can’t wait to see his costume; he usually goes for something that is way over the top. Last year he was Hiccup from How to Train your Dragon and he had made a Toothless costume for his dog. I’ve also seen pics of him as Iron Man. Yes, with a full iron costume.”
“I can believe that of him,” Calypso chuckled, imagining Leo in the said costume. “He just went to change into his costume because apparently he couldn’t drive in it. He didn’t reveal what he was going to be, but it does sound like something extravagant.”
“I missed his costume last year but I’ll be sure to have a camera ready when he shows up this time,” Annabeth said happily. Calypso was relieved that the conversation was going this well; she hadn’t known what to expect beforehand because this was the first time she was in the same room with Percy since the ‘incident’. Talking with him now, though, made her realize that holding a grudge wouldn’t be smart and he seemed to think the same way.
“I just realized,” Calypso decided to change the topic, “that I’ve never heard the story of how you guys know Jason and Piper. So how did that happen?”
“It’s a funny story,” Percy started, smiling at the memory. “Jason and I used to be the captains of rivaling soccer teams when we were around 16. Well, one time Jason’s team was visiting us but we were playing in an arena that had just been renovated so I hadn’t been there before. I may have been a bit late from our team meeting and I was a bit lost so I decided to ask one staff lady where I was supposed to go. Somehow she got our teams mixed up and I ended up in the locker room of Jason’s team. Some of Jason’s teammates said that my expression was worth seeing when I realized the mistake but I dunno about that. The funny thing was that somehow the same thing had happened to Jason; he had also been late for the meeting because of traffic or something and he had gotten into my team’s locker room. Well, after the game we had a good laugh about it together and ended up talking about other stuff as well and noticed we have a lot in common. That’s how we became friends. When we moved into the same town, we started training together at least a few times a week.”
“Piper and I didn’t learn to know each other until Jason and she started dating a couple of years ago and they invited Percy to some party where I went with him. To be honest, I was a bit suspicious about her at first because we seemed very different but eventually we learned to respect each other’s qualities. And here we are,” Annabeth added.
“Those are some cool stories,” Calypso said. “It seems like a funny coincidence that somehow we all ended up in this city even though most of us are from somewhere else. Like Leo is from Texas, I am from Greece…” “Speaking of him,” Annabeth had to muffle his laughter with her hand, “I believe we are finally getting some answers about his costume.”
“Oh… my gods” was all Calypso could say when she turned to the direction Annabeth was looking at. “You’re really something else.”
Leo was completely hidden inside his costume, but Calypso could practically hear him grinning at their reactions. The costume looked very much like in the movies; golden (just painted, not real gold, because there was no way Leo could afford something like that) plating forming a droid with big round eyes and an ability to speak lots and lots of different languages: C-3PO from Star Wars.
“Holy shit, dude, that looks so real.” Percy gaped at Leo. “I’m starting to understand why you spent so much time in your room the past few weeks.”
“Why C-3PO, though?” Calypso asked once she managed to put her poker face back on. “Does that have some story behind it?”
“Because, duh, it looks cool!” Leo exclaimed with a mechanical voice from inside his costume. “I dunno, ever since I first saw C-3PO as a kid I thought it would be cool to be able to build something like that. And hey, his ability to translate like all the possible languages is pretty neat. Me? I just know 3.”
“Isn’t it uncomfortable in there, though?” Calypso asked. “That thing must be heavy.”
“Sunshine, I’m always uncomfortable. But this was a childhood dream of mine so I sure as heck am not backing off now,” Leo said with determination.
“A stubborn one, aren’t you?” Calypso stated. “Even I have to admit, though, that you have certainly done some thorough job with it. Hey, I should take photos before I forget! You don’t get to see this every day.”
The others dug their phones up as well and for a while Leo just made silly poses while they took pictures, clearly enjoying the attention his costume got. Eventually he started demanding that Calypso should join him for the photos but she was a bit hesitant at first.
Leo argued: “Come on. Greek mythology meets Star Wars? You don’t see a crossover like that every day.”
“Can’t argue with that, I suppose,” Calypso said and went next to him. “Well, do we have some kind of story for Calypso and C-3PO’s meeting?” she asked as Percy and Annabeth waved at them to look at the camera.
Leo considered her question for a moment. “Oh, how about this? C-3PO somehow ends up on Calypso’s island - because duh, Calypso is cursed so she can’t leave the island…”
“You seem to know surprisingly much about Greek mythology, just saying…” Calypso noted while trying to smile for the photos, resting her hand on the metallic shoulder.
“I told ya, Sunshine, you can blame tía Callida for that…” Leo reminded her. “Anyway, I imagine those two don’t really like each other at first because they’re so different but eventually they learn to respect each other’s skills; C-3PO can translate basically any language and Calypso is good at all kinds of handiworks, which is hard for a droid.”
“And? What happens after that?” Calypso asked curiously.
Leo considered it for a moment. “C-3PO doesn’t really wanna leave Calypso’s island but he has galaxies to save with his friend R2-D2 so he has to go but he promises to come get her afterwards.”
“Aw, Leo, that is kind of sweet,” Calypso commented, suddenly aware of the metal arm that had snuck around her waist. “Does he… does he ever return, though? Shouldn’t that be impossible?”
“For a human, maybe, but he’s a droid,” Leo noted. “Unfortunately during a big battle he blows up badly but the ever so faithful R2-D2 collects the pieces and finds someone who can rebuild him again. And boom, he makes it back and lives happily ever after with his goddess.”
“What’s the term you use when you enjoy a fictional relationship a lot?” Calypso asked. “Shipping?” Annabeth nodded at her. “I don’t know, Leo, to me it sounds like you ship those two. Isn’t that a bit weird?” “What, why would that be weird? I’ve seen people ship…”
“I see these two have gotten into a full on nerd mode again,” Annabeth said quietly to Percy while they were waiting for the flatmates to stop their bickering so they’d be able to take the photos. “Not projecting themselves into their characters, right?”
“No, definitely not,” Percy agreed.
Eventually Leo and Calypso stopped bickering and Annabeth was able to take the pictures. Even if Leo was mostly hidden by his costume, Calypso felt a bit self conscious about the fact that these were the first photos of them together. They did a few goofy poses because Annabeth and Percy told them to, but Calypso thought she probably looked more embarrassed than funny in them.
Once they were done, Leo went to Annabeth who was going through the photos and bowed his head a bit to see them better. “Hey, these do look pretty cool! It’s probably just the lighting but here you look like you’re blushing to some funny comment C-3PO made.”
“Show me!” Calypso yelped nervously and took the phone from Annabeth. When she saw it, she could immediately tell Leo was not wrong; she really was blushing. “Yeah, it’s definitely those candles in the background that do it… And I think it’s pretty warm in here, maybe all the people here heat this room…”
“OK, if you say so,” Leo said but Calypso imagined that he was looking at her suspiciously through his costume.
Trying to get the others’ attention to something else, she said: “So, who else has arrived so far?”
“Nico and Will. I think they went to get some snacks from the dining room,” Piper, who had just entered the room, answered.
“Leo told me that Nico is Jason’s relative, but what about Will?” Calypso asked her.
“Will is Nico’s boyfriend. This is the first time we’re meeting him but they seem very good together. At least he seems to have a grounding effect on Nico, and he actually listens to him, unlike most of us. Um, sorry, it’s a long story, one that I should probably save for another time. Nico may be a bit hard to approach sometimes but he is a very nice guy when you learn to know him. Just… been through a lot. I guess like many of us here. But he seems way happier now,” Piper said, and as if on cue, they could hear some distant laughter coming from the dining room.
“We should start a traumatized college kids’ club,” Leo attempted to joke, and the others hummed in agreement. Maybe she did belong to this group after all, Calypso thought. If only they knew, though…
“This just got cheerful,” Percy said, interrupting Calypso’s thought process. “Who’s up for blue candies? Get them before Will and Nico eat them all.”
“I heard that, Jackson!” Nico entered the room without a warning. “No offense to you or your mom but blue candies aren’t exactly my thing.”
“Hi, Nico,” Percy greeted him, seeming a bit flustered after Nico’s comment. “You haven’t met Calypso, right?” He pointed at her.
“No, I haven’t,” Nico took a quick look at her and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Alright, in that case, this is Calypso Astal. And Calypso, this is Nico di Angelo,” Percy introduced them to each other.
“Nice to meet you,” Calypso approached him, but he seemed to evaluate her for a moment before he took her hand.
“Likewise,” Nico said finally. “I think Jason has mentioned you a few times.”
“Oh. That’s nice,” Calypso said a bit unsurely, like every time she met a new person. The lonely years still had a toll on her, and even though she liked spending time with her friends, meeting new people was always a bit nerve wracking to her. “You’re his relative, right?”
“A distant cousin,” Nico answered. “Yeah, our fathers are related, but I have my mother’s last name and Jason has his.”
“I take it your mother has roots elsewhere, based on the last name?” Calypso asked.
“She was Italian,” Nico shrugged. “I lived there my first years too. But now I can barely remember those times.”
Calypso noticed the use of past tense, but she thought it was probably better to not ask about that in the middle of a party. “Oh. I’ve been to Italy a few times. I’m originally from Greece.”
“What brought you here, then?” Nico asked.
“Dad’s work,” Calypso responded in a tone that told everyone she wouldn’t elaborate on that topic more. It seemed to have become a habit to her.
“Anyway,” Leo, who had managed to stay quiet for a surprisingly long amount of time in Calypso’s opinion, stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Nico, a little bird told me,” he looked at Jason, “that your boyfriend is a Star Wars geek. Is that true?”
Nico took one look at Leo’s costume and his mouth twitched when he realized why Leo was asking. “He is, but don’t let him get started on it, or else he will never stop. Besides, he’s not my boyfriend, I prefer calling him…”
“A significant nuisance?” Will showed up from the dining room, carrying a plate full of food. “Don’t mind him, he just warms up a bit slow.”
“Yes, this is Will,” Nico sighed, addressing those who hadn’t met them before. “Sometimes he’s a nuisance, sometimes he can be quite OK. When he’s having a good day.”
“Same back at you, dear,” Will laughed. “Did I hear someone mention Star Wars, though?”
“You did,” Leo said, stepping forward so Will could see his costume better. Needless to say, Will looked beyond thrilled.
“Oh boy, here we go again,” Nico said quietly before Will even had time to comment on the costume.
“Woah, that must be the best C-3PO costume I’ve seen. And yeah, I’ve seen a few so I don’t compliment you for nothing,” Will assured.
“Thanks, man, I did spend quite a while with it,” Leo said, high fiving Will. “Glad someone here appreciates good things.”
“I still hope you’re not one of those fans who have only seen the most recent movies and not the originals,” Will noted.
“Heck, no!” Leo exclaimed immediately. “The original three for the win! Mom and I used to watch them a lot… um, when I was little. She was a big fan. But the newer ones just don’t feel the same.” Calypso had a feeling Leo had almost said something else, but he had changed his phrasing at the last moment.
“You have a pretty good taste,” Will said approvingly. Then he finally realized he hadn’t even asked Leo and Calypso’s names before getting into the geek mode.
“So, who are you two? I already met Percy and Annabeth earlier but I don’t think I know you guys yet.”
“I’m Leo Valdez, and this is my, um, flatmate, Calypso Astal,” Leo introduced. Calypso hoped there was a better word to describe their relationship than a ‘flatmate’ but at the moment it was probably the best and the safest option there was.
“Flatmates, huh?” Will repeated. “How did that happen?”
“I was in a hurry to find a roof over my head so I put in the application that I also accept mixed flats,” Calypso replied. “I didn’t meet Leo beforehand because, um, that would have been a bit difficult to arrange in this case, but it worked out OK.” Calypso noticed Leo was looking at her from the corner of his eye, and she realized she had never even talked about that option before. The truth was that she had had to plan her leaving very thoroughly so her father wouldn’t notice and she had driven to Indianapolis as fast as possible, with no time for second guessing.
“And my flat happened to have a room free because our boy Jason decided to move in with Beauty Queen,” Leo added to that story. “It’s really no stranger than that.”
“Oh, right, someone must have mentioned that you and Jason used to be flatmates,” Will recalled. “I just didn’t connect the dots.”
Jason had apparently finished welcoming the rest of the guests because he joined the group in the living room. “That reminds me, I don’t think I’ve asked you, Calypso, if Leo still leaves his dishes undone and if he has empty milk cartons in the fridge.”
“He used to do that?” Calypso asked with amusement. “After seeing his room that’s not so hard to picture, but no, he’s been pretty tidy in the common area. Although one time he bribed me to do his dishes for him in exchange for some of his food.”
“It was a good deal!” Leo protested. “You didn’t have to cook and you also got to taste some Valdez’ sizzling hot quesadillas so I’d say it was a win-win. Besides, you didn’t seem to have anything against that.”
“Alright, I will admit the quesadillas were pretty good,” Calypso conceded. “But a true gentleman offers them without even asking. Well, other than that he’s been OK,” she told Jason with a playful twinkle in her eye.
“I guess he really is able to change his habits, then,” he replied. “At least when the flatmate is someone he...”
Before Jason had time to finish his sentence, Leo intervened: “Folks, do we really have to be talking about my cleaning habits in front of people I don’t know? The first impressions are important, especially when it comes to Supersized McShizzle!”
“We’re just being honest, Repair Boy.” Calypso couldn’t resist booping his metal covered nose. Apparently she just didn’t know how to not cross the line with this boy, she sighed in her mind.
“Is that all? Where’s the feisty Sunshine I know?,” Leo said in a low tone, so the others could barely hear his comment, coming out almost flirty.
“Shut up,” Calypso answered equally quietly but held her gaze at him.
“Ahem,” they suddenly heard Piper’s voice behind them. “In case you’ve stopped with the flirting, I’d like you to meet a couple of people.”
Calypso turned to see the newcomers and as she recognized the Hunter badges both of them had attached to their shirts, something in her mind just suddenly turned off.
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crowdvscritic · 3 years
Text
round up // MARCH + APRIL 21
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March and April were a whirlwind of vaccines and awards shows! A full year after we starting staying at home, the end of this weird chapter in recent history seems like it might finally be coming to a close, and this pop culture awards season—typically a time full of fun and glamour—captured our moment weirdly well. (Emphasis on the weird.) This month’s recommendations is filled with more Critic Picks than usual, so without further delay, let’s dive right in...
March + April Crowd-Pleasers
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Double Feature — 2018 Action Thrillers: Bad Times at the El Royale + Den of Thieves
In Bad Times at the El Royale (Crowd: 9/10, // Critic: 8/10), Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth, and Dakota Johnson are staying at a motel on the California-Nevada state line full of money, murder, and mystery. In Den of Thieves (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6.5/10), Gerard Butler takes on some of the best bank robbers in the world. Whether you like your action with a dose of mystery or the thrills of plot twists, these will fit the bill.
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Double Feature — ‘80s Comedies: Caddyshack (1980) + Splash (1984)
In the mood for pure silliness? Take your pick between a mermaid and a gopher! Five years before The Little Mermaid, Tom Hanks fell for Daryl Hannah’s blonde hair and scaly tail, and John Candy was his goofy brother in Splash (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10). And four years before Ghostbusters, Bill Murray was the goof on a golf course full of funny people like Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, and Ted Knight in Caddyshack (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10).
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Double Feature — 1980s Coming-of-Age Films Starring Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, and Challenging Brother Relationships That Influenced Stranger Things: Stand by Me (1986) + The Lost Boys (1987)
Believe it or not, I had no idea these two ‘80s classics had so much in common when I chose to watch them back-to-back. In Rob Reiner’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Stand by Me (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10), four kids (Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, River Phoenix, and Wil Wheaton) are following train tracks to find a missing body. In The Lost Boys (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10), Corey Haim and Jason Patric move to a small California town and discover it’s full of ‘80s movie star cameos and…vampires? One is a thoughtful coming-of-age story and one is just bonkers, but both are a great time.
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Spaceman by Nick Jonas (2021)
My love for the Jonas Brothers is well-documented, so instead of going down the rabbit hole I started digging at 15, I’ll talk about how Nick Jonas’s latest solo album will likely appeal to a wider audience than just the fans of the brothers’ bombastic pop records. It’s full of catchy tunes you’ll play on repeat and an R&B-influenced album experience about the loneliness we’ve experienced in the last year and how we try to make long-term relationships work.
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Ted Lasso (2020- )
I love stories about nice people crushing cruelty and cynicism with relentless kindness, and Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is the warmest, most dedicated leader this side of Leslie Knope. Be sure to catch up on these witty and sweet 10 episodes before season 2 drops later this summer.
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Double Feature — Tony Scott Action Flicks: Enemy of the State (1998) + The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
Tony Scott’s movies have got explosions and excitement in spades. I love a good man-on-the-run movie, and in Enemy of the State (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10), Will Smith is running through the streets of D.C. after getting evidence of a politician’s (Jon Voight) part in a murder. I also love a tense story set in a confined space, which is what Denzel Washington is dealing with in The Taking of Pelham 123 (Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 7/10) after a hammy John Travolta takes a New York subway train hostage.
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Double Feature — Baseball Movies: The Natural (1984) + Trouble With the Curve (2012)
Sue me—I love baseball movies. Robert Redford plays a fictional all-time great in the early days of the MLB in The Natural (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10), and Clint Eastwood plays a fictional all-time great scout in his late career in Trouble With the Curve (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7.5/10). If you love baseball or actors like Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, and Justin Timberlake, these movies are just right here waiting for you.
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Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American (2021)
Sue me—I enjoy Netflix standup comedy specials that are safe enough to watch with your whole family. That’s exactly the crowd I laughed with over Easter weekend, and while the trailer captures Bargatze’s relaxed vibe, it doesn’t capture how funny he really is.
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The Mighty Ducks (1992)
I thought somewhere in my childhood I’d seen at least one of The Mighty Ducks movies, but after watching all three, I think my memories must’ve come from previews on the VHS tapes for other Disney movies I watched over and over again. The original still holds up as an grown-ups, which is why even my parents got sucked in to this family movie while just passing through the living room. Bonus for ‘80s movies lovers: Emilio Estevez is basically continuing Andrew Clark’s story from The Breakfast Club as an adult. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10
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Double Feature — New, Dumb Action on Streaming: Godzilla vs. Kong + Thunder Force (2021)
If you want something intelligent, go ahead and skip to the next recommendation, but if you’re looking for something stupid fun, these are ready for you on HBO Max and Netflix. Thunder Force (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6/10) follows Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer as they train to become superheroes who take on superhuman sociopaths wreaking havoc on Chicago, and alongside Jason Bateman, they do it with a lot of laughs. Godzilla vs. Kong (Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 5/10) is, um, exactly what it sounds like, so I’ll skip a plot summary and just say it’s exactly what you want from this kind of movie. #TeamKong
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3:10 to Yuma (2007)
All you need to know is Russell Crowe is an outlaw, and Christian Bale is the guy who’s got to get him on the train to prison. I also watched the 1957 version, which is also a solid watch if you love classic Westerns. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10
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Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
Marvel’s newest series isn’t nearly as inventive as WandaVision, and it may not land every beat, but it’s worth a watch for the fun new gadgets, Sebastian Stan’s dry joke delivery, and its exploration into themes of what makes a hero and what governments owe their citizens. It’s a pretty satisfying entry in the MCU canon, but I’d also recommend re-watching Captain America: Winter Soldier and Civil War—the canon is getting expansive, and it’s getting trickier every year to keep up with all the backstory.
March + April Critic Picks
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Best of 2020 Picks
As per usual, the months leading up to the Oscars becomes a binge period for potential Oscar nominees. In March and April, I watched many of the films that made my Top 20 of 2020, including Boys State, The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Let Them All Talk, Minari, Nomadland, On the Rocks, One Night in Miami…, Promising Young Woman, Soul, and Sound of Metal. You can read how I ranked them on my list for ZekeFilm, plus reviews of The Father, Minari, Promising Young Woman, and Soul.
Bonus: If you loved On the Rocks, don’t miss this feature and beautiful photography starring Sofia Coppola, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, and Rashida Jones for W Magazine. 
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Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
What would you do if you started hearing a voice who narrated your every thought and move? If you’re Will Ferrell, you’ll seek out a literary professor (Dustin Hoffman), fall in love (with Maggie Gyllenhaal), and track down the voice (Emma Thompson) who’s making ominous predictions about your future. Stranger Than Fiction is funny thought-provoking, and an unusual but welcome role for Ferrell. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 9/10
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All the Royal Family News
Speaking of stranger than fiction, it’s been a busy few months for the Royal Family. We’ve celebrated 95th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the 3rd birthday of Prince Louis, and the 10th anniversary of Will and Kate’s marriage. We also lost Prince Philip, and we watched the drama of Harry and Meaghan’s interview with Oprah. No matter what happens to their Crown, I don’t think we’ll ever get over our fascination with the Windsor family. A few pieces worth reading from the last few months:
“In Meghan and Harry’s Interview, Two TV Worlds Collided,” Vulture.com
“The Queen’s Man: Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Dies,” TIME.com
“Obituary: HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” BBC.com
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Goodfellas (1990)
One of my film opinions that makes me feel like a phony is that Martin Scorsese just isn’t my cup of tea. He’s brilliant, but his films tend to be long and dark, two qualities that are never my first choice…and somehow Goodfellas still worked for me? Maybe it was the TV edit graciously toning down the violence or maybe it was that Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci were firing on all cylinders, but for some reason this ‘90s classic didn’t suck the joy out of my evening like Scorsese often does. (Bonus: For a Martin Scorsese/Robert De Niro I don’t really recommend, head to the last section of this Round Up.)
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Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
Her voice has only matured, so Taylor Swift revisiting her old albums is like upgrading a blast to the past. Plus, the six new tracks make me feel like 15 crushing on that boy in Spanish class again, and her Grammys performance (just before her third Album of the Year win) was magical and folklore-tastic.
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Double Feature — ‘60s Action Classics: The Guns of Navarone (1961) + Planet of the Apes (1968)
The Guns of Navarone (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) follows Gregory Peck and David Niven as they destroy Nazi weapons in the Mediterranean. Planet of the Apes (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) follows Charlton Heston as he attempts to escape from, well, a planet full of apes. The pacing of ‘60s films doesn’t always hold up, but that’s not the case with this pair. Both are still full of suspense, and you can’t go wrong hanging with casts like these.
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Let Him Go (2020)
Kevin Costner and Diane Lane play a farming couple who unexpectedly help raise a boy who lost his biological father—sound familiar? But instead of a superhero origin story, they’re part of a thrilling Western with performances nuanced (Costner and Lane) and showy (Lesley Manville). If I’d watched this before completing my Best of 2020 piece, it likely would’ve been on my list. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10
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The Oscars
I’m a ride-or-die fan of the Academy Awards, but I’ll admit even I found this year’s ceremony odd. Instead of focusing on what wasn’t so hot, I’ll recommend a few moments you don’t want to miss:
Emerald Fennell giving a shout-out to Saved by the Bell
Daniel Kaluuya acknowledging his parents’ sex life during his acceptance speech (??)
Yuh-Jung Yoon flirting with Brad Pitt and acknowledging she’s just “luckier” than her fellow nominees
Glenn Close dancing to…”Da Butt”?
You can also read about the historic wins and nominations from this year’s Oscar class and why the Golden Globes were an even stranger production weeks earlier.
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Trailer-palooza!
Movies are on their way back, y’all! I’m counting down the days until I can get back to a theatre, and even if some of these movies are duds, I’m planning to see all of them on a big screen if possible:
Those Who Wish Me Dead (May 14)
Cruella (May 28)
In the Heights (June 11)
Space Jam 2 (July 16)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 3)
West Side Story (December 10)
Also in March + April…
To add to the Oscars love, you can listen to a conversation about what we learn about family, community, and society in some of the year’s biggest nominees on the Uncommon Voices podcast. I join regular hosts Michael and Kenneth in this episode, and I recommend all of their thoughtful discussions on their “What’s Streaming” episodes.
I’ve previously recommended the Do You Like Apples weekly newsletter, so I’m proud to share I contributed twice in March! I wrote about Love and Basketball, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and one of my all-time favorite Julia Roberts rom-coms, Notting Hill. (I also tied to win their Oscars pool, but I suppose that’s less exciting for you than me.)
It was a busy couple of months on SO IT’S A SHOW! New logo, new email list, new Instagram, and a host of new episodes about a flop of a Madonna flick, a Swedish children’s TV show, an urban legend turned into a horror movie, one of the best films about journalism ever, and a Martin Scorsese movie about a real boxer.
Most of what I wrote for ZekeFilm in March and April was mentioned in Best of 2020 recommendations…except for The Nest, a film that couldn’t figure out what genre it wanted to be.
Photo credits: Nick Jonas, Royal Family. All others IMDb.com.
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thejudgingtrash · 4 years
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@aph-usa-is-my-dad​ Thank you, thank you! 🙇🏽‍♀️
Alright lads, looks like it’s time for hot takes part III!
Here’s Part 1//Here‘s Part 2
Apollo won’t get Zeus position. Why is everyone wishing for that? And why should he? All of you really want to romanticize/project yourself onto him, huh?
Casual Reyna >>> praetor Reyna
Grover has the fattest ass in the Riordanverse, I don’t make the rules
People lack of basic reading skills part III
The fact that adults in New Rome let kids rule the fucking place is still mindblowing
Rick apologists are lame. People calling out shit isn’t an attack on you. Stop defending a product‘s/public figure‘s honor. Defending Rick Riordan is the equivalent of you defending the honor of a snickers bar. Dude doesn’t know you and dude doesn’t give a fuck about you. You are a walking dollar bill at best
Romans are still fucking wacky and despite Camp Jupiter being superior allegedly it’s a whole damn chaotic mess. Where are the supposed civilized Romans because I don’t see them?
Camp Half-Blood >>>> Camp Jupiter, especially when Percy trains in his summer vacations and beats praetor Jason’s goddamn ass who’s been training for 12 years
Why did Riordan even try to make Jason appear to come close to Percy’s level? The imbalance of power is so abundantly clear and makes Jason seem even smaller in that regard. Riordan is truly Percy’s biggest hater
The fact that CHB also glamorizes child soldiers in a more fun and relaxed way. Yikes
Nico is a white™ (again, he is European)
Rachel was annoying but didn’t deserve the blatant hate.
Annabeth should’ve had another possible love interest to spark some pissed Percy. Luke doesn’t count. Percy’s jealously revolves around (the possibility of) her not being around him (e.g. the hunters), not him ”losing“ her to someone else romantically speaking
Silena is the OG Aphrodite kid, fuck the rest
Amazons >> hunters by a slight margin. They’re also an awful bunch
The execution of the hunters is so bad omg, just let me revamp them, Ricardo
If a different take on a headcanon/characters really offends you/paint that much of a different picture of op, then I’m not sorry (only exception if the headcanon is based on discriminatory means. Someone saying they don’t like A and someone using slurs and being a douche are two different things)
The entire Aphrodite cabin is pan FYI
Team demigods who receive periods would probably be extra fucked when it comes to monsters and stuff. Let’s address this
Why exactly couldn’t the gods handle their own shit? Hunting monsters in your area makes sense as a demigod job. But stuff like retrieving Hermes‘ staff (especially when the dude is the speedy traveler guy) makes no goddamn sense
Let’s face it: Annabeth is the only good female character that Riordan pulled off. Also wasn’t she based off his wife? If so, that’s why.
The lack of irl examples for his POC and other women is abundantly clear as he can’t lure everyone from his environment into the stories especially because he has no irl connection to minorities. So he fabricated stuff/did his 5 mins of wiki and got it severely wrong. Clock that tea!
Camp Half-Blood t-shirts belong to the trash. Orange is Yellow‘s cousin and both are ugly to the max. Let’s just switch colors of both camps. Let the Romans deal with the hideous shit
Chiron and Paul are Riordan‘s self-inserts
Tbh giving Hazel super mist powers and tying Frank to Poseidon was stupid
Skater!Percy is pretty much canon but I just can’t envision it? The thought of it is cute and so 2000s but my brain goes fjfldlsöwlwbvd (and tbh gymnast!/dancer!/Parcours!Percy >>>>> skater!basketball!Percy)
People are forgetting that Percy is the unpopular kid both in the mortal realm and at camp and partially chose to be so? Let me remind you of the truth real quick
Beckendorf and Silena are the horny bastards of the Camp Half-Blood. Issa fact
The gods not really immortalizing Chiron and simply saying that he’ll live as long as he’s needed turned him into the cryptic fuck we all know. That’s why he barely helps out (On that note a tiny Chiron essay)
A headcanon, regardless of how popular it is, isn’t factual/reality. So fighting over different takes of the exact same issue is rather pointless but you do you. Some popular blog having an opinion with a large following doesn’t automatically negate your sentiment
Piper being ”unconventional“ as in hating make-up and being dressed up is in itself more than fine but the execution was lacking and her coming off as pretentious and annoying was the result
Piper also has no taste in men if she thinks that amnesia brick boy Grace > Percy. Just no. Lesbians claim haaa
If I see another Amandla or Zendaya or another biracial/lightskinned face claim for Hazel I will lose it
Everyone and their mother having a crush on Percy fuels them Gary Stu feelings, just saying
The fact that Riordan casually drops the abuse that Percy has suffered from like some fucking tic tacs just to never be spoken about should be a reason enough to whoop his ass
Not maturing and darkening HOO (there were good thoughts but also many whacky executions) was the biggest mistake Riordan had made. He should’ve went the Rowling route and transitioned from kids books to YA
The whole fire stick thing that Riordan ripped off from Meleager and slapped onto Frank was terribly executed
A lot of you people should open up more to jokes and not take everything all too seriously
The fact that people seriously ship/ped Reyna x Apollo is proof enough that this fandom should burn
Why do Luke discussions at this point still exist? You’re essentially glossing over the same four things
Hyping up fanfics to the max is a terrible idea. Also don’t shy away from giving writers constructive criticism
Stoner headcanons are here to stay and slay!
On one hand seeing discussions from the science side of PJO talking about the biology, physics etc. is super interesting but on the other hand getting heated over the illogical basis of ”magic“ is pretty much a waste of time
Riordan‘s world building is truly awful
Frazel is a crime against humanity
If you don’t get someone‘s post actually look op up and read the tags? No need to spam the exact question to everything
Fat Frank stays. I get it, Greek gods are hot, they are conceited and choose to fuck people that they perceive as attractive, so their offspring also has some higher levels in the beauty realm. But why not explore the opposite? Why does every character need a makeover or a blessing that gives them enhanced looks?
Clarisse‘s thigh can break ya neck
Also Riordan is Annabeth’s biggest hater. Let’s throw all of her most important possessions away to proof that the smart one can survive without any of it. Sure, but the emotional attachment to the stuff still remains especially when everyone else is walking out of Annabeth’s life
Making Leo another horny bastard was an accurate portrayal of your casual 16 year old boy. Annoying, but realistic
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