#I can just imagine the writer for teen titans at the time

[oifaaa]

i still think the funniest thing about the titan tower confrontation to me is the idea that it takes place //during// utrh. like what some time during his hostile takeover of the criminal underground in gotham, jason just decides to... sew a fitting robin costume for himself, catch a plane from the east coast to the west, and implement a plan to beat up a kid he didn't even talk about in utrh. jason apparently has great time management.

I only found out about this recently bc I always thought that titan Tower bull took place after bc you also have to remember that Jason wrote Jason was here in Tim's blood on the walls and Tim just accepted it was Jason beating him up so like when exactly during utrh did this happen bc if it happened before Bruce found out it was Jason did Tim just not tell Bruce about what happened or did Bruce just not give a fuck, if it happened after Bruce found out that's a very short time for Jason to fly all the way cross country and back just to beat up tim this time line ain't adding up lads

#Ask #Anon #I can just imagine the writer for teen titans at the time #Being in a meeting #Hearing about how amazing utrh did #And is just like #But what about Tim? #Why isn't Tim involved #Tim should get to be involved #And the people at dc are just like fineee #Have Jason beat up Tim or what ever

[devine-fem]

Why I think Hellbeetle is an adorable ship although it’s so rare and I want more people to see my vision.

I don’t mind it being rare and to be honest it has its perks but this is my manifesto.

1. They hated each other at first.

Rather it was about Eddie feeling replaced or ignored in his friend group, his hatred for Jaime grew slowly and slowly over time. Especially when it came to Rose finding interest in Jaime over Eddie, him having a crush on Rose and it rubbing him the wrong way. Although, people tell him over and over that if he just talked to Jaime then they’re sure they’ll get along and even become close immediately but Eddie refuses to accept this.

2. Scarab bonuses (1)

Because of Eddie’s high body temperature the scarab can find Eddie somewhat easily and track where he is and I think that is so adorable to think about.

3. There is a whole issue entirely about their hate for each other and blooming friendship which is the gayest thing to me.

Throughout the entire issue it talks about how Eddie irrationally hates Jaime when he’s done nothing to him, and it irritates him. They end up finding common ground to be able to track down a bad guy and prove to their teammates they’re more than goofballs and valuable teammates. This also means they have similar struggles which is so cute.

So when everything is said and done, they start over and become friends on a better note.

4. Undiagnosed telepathy. They always weirdly know what each other is thinking and that is so cute to me.

(This is shown more times than just here and throughout their entire relationship they share the same braincell.)

5. They get established as a duo, they are ALWAYS right next to each other constantly in almost every panel where they’re both in it.

6. Scarab bonuses (2).

I imagine that Eddie’s body is extremely hot, especially around his mouth and eyes so if he were to kiss someone, it would probably scorch them. Khaji Da would not like that Jaime would actively be pained when around Eddie if they were to display affection. That is so cute to me.

7. Making up a little nickname for Jaime.

I’m sorry, bug butt is such an adorable pet name for someone, especially Jaime and immediately Eddie starts to call him this and so often that other people like Jaime’s friends seem to catch on and EVEN joke about it’s flirty nature. This is sealed in the bag for me, to be honest.

8. When it comes to Eddie’s bigger secrets, he decides to tell Jaime first before anyone and Jaime tells him that he cares and even takes off his armor so he can be more vulnerable with him because he knows Eddie lost his powers too.

9. They have more content compared to most of their ships.

Jaime’s most popular ship is Bluepulse which doesn’t function outside of the Young Justice universe. Eddie’s most popular ship is JayEddie probably because Jason is a bat boy but they have like two interactions.

Meanwhile these two were big parts of each others lives and established so much chemistry with one another.

Even Eddie’s supposed love interest was not around nearly as much as Jaime.

I also realize that Jaime fans literally don’t have any like ships really so maybe you guys will like this. I wish he had more ships too.

10. They get formatted like the “other couple” and that’s just shipping fodder to me.

They also go on a dinner date. I’m so serious they go on a Dinner date and sit across from each other and chat/have a good time whilst also being formatted like the other couple which is literally just a date to me.

11. When Eddie thinks his life might be over, the last thing he thinks about is Jaime’s laugh. I wish I was kidding.

12. When Eddie passes, it starts to become painful for Jaime to gear up with the scarab and I’m not sure why but it felt like it had something to do with his feelings as a hero and how he was greiving.

13. Beyond Teen Titans Vol.3 Eddie shows up in Blue Beetle (2006) Issue 33 so they writers care enough to add him.

14. They also are together in a holiday special. 15. Aesthetics. They have a red and blue color palate meaning they contrast in a way aesthetically when they are together. Red and Blue has been a cherished duo for years. Red Devil, Blue Beetle. Also, the fact that they are both anthropomorphic based heroes in a way also helps.

In conclusion, I know this was a rare ship once upon a time that people talked about like years ago and no matter how rare it is I refuse to stop talking about them even if I get no interactions because I love Jaime and I love Eddie and I love them together.

#hellbeetle #jaime reyes #blue beetle #eddie bloomberg #red devil #teen titans #kid devil #dc comics #hellbeetle manifesto

[spider-jaysart]

Hi!! Can I ask Damian (and maybe Dick 🙏?) for the character ask game?

Thank you, take care <3

@zephyrwrites2

Damian

Favorite thing about them: I just love his whole personality loll. He's a crazy, funny little guy that I think is really cool

Least favorite thing about them: Nothing. Only when he gets really mischaracterized by official writers who don't understand him, which happens A LOT

Favorite line: "Father, I imagined you taller."

Brotp: Damian and Jon

Otp: Damijon

Notp: Batcest, any of them that have adults paired up with him, including the canon ones Mar'i x Damian, Cassie x Damian, and Cassandra x Damian

Random headcanon: He can do ballet and it's because it's something Talia taught him while he was growing up in the league and being trained to learn many other things. He's a skilled professional at it now because of this and also bonds with his sister Cass over it and will sometimes even join her in her dancing. He also tries teaching Jon too, which can become fun for them both, and his other friends sometimes as well whenever they get curious or don't actually understand it that much like they think they do. Damian also owns a pair of green ballet slippers, but usually keeps them put away in his closet to keep them safe and clean and only takes them out when he really does want to use them.

Unpopular opinion: Okay sooo, a lot of people believe that Talia's character just gets only more ruined because of Damian's existence or whatever, but I don't believe that at all. Damian may be her son and is big part of her life because of it, but his character itself has nothing to do with hers like that at all when it comes to hateful writers choosing to write her horribly and just as another evil, lunatic villain and whatever else. Some people even say that he stole her story, but he did grow up with her during those 10 years of his, so of course he's gonna have the same life she dealt with and is also gonna have to get through certain issues from it now too because of it. But the point is that if anyone's gonna get blamed for Talia's usual trash characterisation, it should be the writers who hate her, NOT Damian who has many writers of his own who don't even treat him that well or like him that much at all either just like with Talia. Trying to pick on him is never going to fix anything about her. If Talia's ever gonna get anything better that she deserves in comics and other things, it needs to be done by writers who actually have care about her character and don't have anything weird against her that just only causes bad intentions of messing her up and then THAT'S what will finally start doing justice for her. And this not meant as an argument towards anyone or whatever btw, this is just me stating my opinion and beliefs about the whole thing

Song I associate with them: Self love by Metro Boomin & Coi Leray (Mostly because even though Damian may always put on a very confident act and always seems so prideful of himself a lot of the times, he actually has a lot of insecurities underneath all of that and doesn't actually always think so great of himself as a person)

Favorite picture of them: Definitely this very beautiful panel of him ofc💖

I just LOVE the way Gleb Melinkov draws him and gives him his Arab features without holding any of it back as well! He even gives him long lashes (longer than Flatline's even, which I noticed while looking at another panel from this series!), which I really love too!!

Dick

Favorite thing about them: I really always liked his leadership style, especially in the Teen Titans 2003 cartoon, which I grew up with

Least favorite thing about them: Only when he's potrayed as a dumb, clumsy guy in some canon stories just to lift up other characters and put them in a bigger spotlight instead. It makes no sense because he's a professional acrobat and always has been that way since he was a little kid, so how could he ever be so trippy all over the place as if there are invisible banana peels getting in the way everytime?! And he is very smart, especially with all of the important experience he has from his many years of hero work, so he's not dumb either and if he was, he wouldn't have made it so far with this kind of life because of it or ever get much done like he did because he has to overly depend on others knowledge

Favorite line: "Titans Go!"

Brotp: Dick and Starfire, Beast boy, Raven, Cyborg (I know he's friends with many others too, but this is the group I grew up with and am more attached to, so they're my fave to see together)

Otp: Dickkory because they bring the best out in eachother and have so much love for one another too

Notp: DickBabs because I just don't think they really fit that well together at all and most times Barbara just makes Dick feel bad in a lot of ways with how she usually treats him in a romantic relationship, and that's not a healthy thing to deal with at all. And then there's also Batcest and Slade x Dick (which I don't even get at all because Slade is just such a horrible, gross and very toxic guy)

Random headcanon: Years ago, back when he would used to have long hair still, he one time had it tied up in a ponytail and then a villain chopped it off in half while fighting him. Dick was pissed and really kicked their butt for doing that

Unpopular opinion: People always think of Dick as the positive, sunshine guy and then there are the ones who get very mad about it and say that he's actually the angry, tough guy because him being super friendly and happy is just too "ooc". I don't listen to any of that stuff, because I believe that he's actually both. He IS a friendly guy with a warm, charming, humorous attitude that easily attracts others, and is very much an inspiration to many because of his positive, sunshine vibes as a great, hardworking hero, but none of it makes him dumb, weak or gullible, because he IS also the type who can become very serious and gets mad when he needs to be, also doesn't actually take bull from anyone, can be chaotic and crazy, works a LOT, is independent, does have a lot of intelligence and especially experience that should never be forgotten about just because he's nice, and also definitely has the determined mind to take care of things and get them done even though others will sometimes try to tell him what to do, but he doesn't actually listen because he's not the type to easily be controlled that way like a puppy would be and if he believes it's something that needs the attention and it's what should be done and no one else is doing it, then he will do it

Song I associate with them: Annihilate by Metro Bommin, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne & Offset (because it's about being fearless, embracing self strength and individuality, and becoming a much more independent person, and I think that totally fits Dick because he's not the type to fear much and hates being stuck under Batman's shadow and having independence is something that always had an important role in how Dick's life goes)

Favorite picture of them: Well, I just found this pic of him, which was done by Travis Moore

It's very nice and really shows the struggle he goes through as a hero a lot of the times. Also, I really always liked the way he draws Dick, because he doesn't just look like everyone else and isn't sharing same face syndrome with his brothers and Bruce either, it's just a look that's unique to only him and it fits him very well. It's the exact way I always imagine him looking like whenever I envision him in my mind, even the hairstyle that's given to him by this artist too!!!

Thank you for sending this ask, I enjoyed answering it! And you take very good care too!! :)

#damian wayne #dick grayson #spider-jaysart asks

[jackshade21]

Revisiting Transformers Beast Wars

I loved Beast Wars as a kid and after talking with a friend of mine I started a re-watch of the series since I hadn't seen it since I was like 7.

The CG and sets are terrible in that way that only early 90s CG can be, which is to say it was amazing for the time but is put to shame by today's standards but that adds to the charm.

Some of the dialogue is kinda hokey but it was a kid's show and some of it is still pretty great. It can get irritating with a third of Megatron's lines being "YEEESSSSS" at first but then it starts to grow on you and you'll find yourself doing it.

But the writing and character development is great. With a veteran Star Trek writer, veteran Transformers G1 and G2 comic writer, the co-creator of Wolverine and Swamp Thing, and the co-creator of Marvel's Blade and DC's Teen Titans on the writing team it's hardly a surprise. Unlike a lot of other things I loved as a child the writing really holds up and its still incredibly entertaining. I mean Beast Wars isn't called the series that saved the Transformers franchise for nothing.

I love that the Maximals are explorers, that Optimus Primal is first and foremost a researcher and not a military leader. They were each chosen for a set of skills for an exploration mission that happened to also be useful in the impromptu war they find themselves in.

I love that the Predacon crew are essentially space pirates and thieves that just happened to steal the magic golden disks from Cybertron that started the whole thing. They're bumbling and the reason for that is that they're shitty space pirates with delusions of grandeur.

Then there are my favorite characters. Rattrap and Dinobot.

Dinobot, former Predacon turned Maximal, is the veteran warrior with a penchant for spouting Shakespeare-esque monologues who took the form of a velociraptor. He challenges Megatron for leadership like 2 seconds after being introduced cause he thinks Megatron is an idiot. Gets his ass handed to him and then leaves to join the good guys...as leader, gets his ass handed to him again but joins them anyway. He is gruff. He is violent. He is sometimes at odds with the Maximal way of doing things. But he has his honor and you know where he stands.

And of course Rattrap, a sarcastic wise ass talented in espionage, demolitions and marksmanship with a penchant for getting into places he isn't supposed to and huge Little Shit Energy. He chooses a rat as his beast form because they're survivalists, small, sneaky and again can get into places they aren't supposed to be. He has problems with authority. He questions orders. He's irreverent and focuses on survival. He can be self-centered but when the chips are down you can count on him to have your back.

Honestly, rewatching it has led me to discover that I have a type when it comes to favorite characters cause if I were to compare him to any other fictional character it would be Rocket Raccoon. Right down to the New York/Jersey accent.

Side Note: Imagine my absolute delight discovering that Rattrap and Dinobot are shipped together often and in a Enemies to Lovers type way. Plus, guuurrrllll that size difference tho. (Gimme them fanfic suggestions >.>)

#transformers #beastmode #transformers beast wars #beast wars #optimus primal #Rattrap #Megatron #Dinobot #Dinotrap #Maximals #Predacons #long post

[p3ski]

Tag games-Ask a fic writer

Thank you @sunwarmed-ash for the tag! 💖

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

13 on my current account, so not a massive amount 🫣 I'll level with you fine people, I have been guilty of committing the sin of deleting fics (or entire accounts) when I decide I'm no longer proud of them... I've never done it with any of my DBH stuff, but I have done it for basically all other fandoms I've been involved in. I have since learned the error of my ways and to orphan rather than delete after losing some of my all time faves to other writers doing the same 💔

2. What fandoms do you write for?

Active - Detroit: Become Human (also toying with the idea of writing some BG3 fics... 👀 I blame my Neil Newbon fixation)

Former (may return to) - Ace Attorney (AA)

Former (will not be returning to) - MHA, Death Note, Hetalia, Teen Titans.

3. Top five fics by kudos:

With Love, Signal Red - AA

More Than Our Parts - DBH

With Love, Miles Edgeworth - AA

With Love, Phoenix Wright - AA

Part Of You - DBH

4. What's your total ao3 word count?

234,659 (almost half of that consists of a single story 🙈)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try my very best! Someone it takes me a while though 🙏

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

It's probably a toss up between stay with me. (DBH) or With Love, Phoenix Wright (AA) - although I'd argue that the latter doesn't count because it's a prologue to a longer story, so not really an 'ending'

I also wrote a DBH flavoured retelling of Carrie once—a fic request called GAVIN. For anyone familiar with the story of Carrie...yeah, you already know that doesn't end well. 😬

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

You see I love me some 'angst with a happy ending', so a lot of fics I commit to follow that formula. I'll say that More Than Our Parts has the happiest ending, just because of the sheer scale of Hell everyone went through in order to get there 🥲

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have received criticism on my works before, but nothing I'd say was intentionally hateful.

(Unless you're counting some of the reviews on my ancient FF.net account—but I was 14-15 when I wrote most of those stories, and I'm going to put up my hands and say the hate is 100% valid 🙃)

9. Do you write smut?

Is it even one of my fics if I don't shoehorn some smut into it? 🤷

10. Craziest crossover?

That would be the only (technical?) crossover of Detroit Become Human x Carrie

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope not 😭

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have not—if that ever happened I would probably be so flattered that I'd just keel over and die 💖 (affectionately)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not, although I imagine that would be fun! I'm open to offers if any fellow authors are interested 🫣

14. All time favourite ship?

Ughhh, do not make me choose just one...I'm going to bend the rules and give three different answers according to slightly different criteria 🤏

First Ship I Ever Wrote For/Got Invested In-

Beast Boy / Raven (DC/Teen Titans)

Ship That Got Me Through A Difficult Time/Ultimate Comfort Ship-

Phoenix Wright / Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)

Current Favourite-

Gavin Reed / RK900 (DBH)

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

That knowledge stays between me and the unhinged notes app I keep on my phone

16. What are your writing strengths?

(Self promotion makes me uncomfortable one sec—) I would say my characterisation/dialogue and vocabulary? I have also been informed that I am good at 'setting the scene', creating for immersive backdrops.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Awkward sentence structure, spelling and grammar (I use a checker for that) and both over describing with lots of fluff and under describing with flat descriptions. I can never get the balance right 😭😭😭

I also have a nasty habit of reworking things constantly, as well as being overly ambitious with my ideas and then worrying the pay off is disappointing 🥲 meaning it takes several decades to publish anything.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

When I tell you I was balls deep in the Hetalia fandom during the latter half of my teens— I am extremely familiar with language switches in dialogue, does not bother me in the slightest.

(please add translations at the end though 🙏🙏)

19. First fandom you wrote in?

The OG Teen Titans cartoon from the 2000's 🫡 I embrace my heritage, but also will not be directing anyone to my ancient FF.net account as it makes me want to peel off my skin and jump out the nearest window.

(I have long since forgotten the log in details, so it will exist as an enduring time capsule to the time I was a moody teenager blasting MCR on the playground and complaining that no one understood me.)

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Perhaps it's recency bias, but I am going to say More Than Our Parts. I poured my heart and soul into that story and I'm (mostly) very proud of it.

Tagging my beloved @wedonthaveawhile as I imagine most of my DBH friends have probably already been tagged 💖

#tag game #fic writer

[roobylavender]

do you believe Bruce is emotionally abusive? ik fans prioritise physical abuse and ultimately ignore emotional abuse tactics like parentification etc because it’s not “that bad”. I don’t believe Dick ever resents Bruce for letting him be robin (he’s grateful for it) , but in ntt he mostly resents him for being emotionally closed off, and rejecting him as a partner. Bruce worries for his kids safety so he pushes the whole “if you’re not perfect you’re dead” mentality onto Dick which ultimately is harmful to him. He’ll never regret being a hero but the rift between the two isn’t just a “we want different things” scenario but more that they’re incapable of giving the other what they want.

bruce being emotionally closed off from dick is what’s revisionist about that version of canon though. i think bruce can be bad at communicating sometimes esp when he’s deeply pained (like in knightfall, for example) but for the most part he and dick are shown to have great communication for decades before new teen titans and the adjacent post crisis starlin canon starts to rewrite that dynamic into something else entirely. per that version of canon i do believe he’s emotionally abusive but it’s not a version of canon i particularly appreciate bc it requires overriding the dynamic they had previously where they could certainly be prone to disagree at times but bruce was nonetheless willing to have an open and understanding conversation with dick about whatever the disagreement was. even the whole idea that bruce is responsible for dick believing that he has to be perfect or he has to be dead is one that new teen titans cements (or that issue of batman where bruce makes dick quit and jason is introduced thereafter)

i get that it’s easy to take new teen titans as gospel bc it is in essence the textbook source for dick but i think there should be some awareness too of how it twists that relationship between them and not necessarily for the better. i’m not opposed to bruce having faults he has to answer for. i absolutely agree he’s not cognizant enough of the complexes dick develops as a result of wanting to be seen as an equal, and thereby can’t realize the effect it has on dick for him to still be protective and fearful even if it’s ultimately out of goodwill and love. and there’s also the fact that even if he gives dick the space he desires to lead his own life it doesn’t mean he should be hesitant to reach out bc he’s afraid he’ll overstep by doing so, as a parent he should reaffirm his love for dick regularly regardless of knowing he might get some pushback bc dick is growing into his own (again, knightfall is a really superb example of this). but i also think those are tensions you can wholeheartedly explore without rendering bruce into a controlling and abusive figure, and i’m not sure who it benefits to write bruce as such in the long run

some of dick’s problems have to be his own, and he’ll never escape bruce’s shadow if the only source point of issues in his life is his relationship with bruce. that’s something i would actually apply to the robins at large. hardly any of them are allowed to explore problems entirely unique to themselves and i think that’s in large part bc writers simultaneously portray a mildly to explicitly abusive bruce at their leisure while refusing to ever actually address the elephant in the room that is literally of their own creation. a lot of people believe the bruce shouldn’t be an abuser argument is framed entirely as a resistance to bruce’s character assassination and for me i can admit that’s part of it, but a more pertinent part of it should also be the fact that bruce being written as an abuser is what truly chains his children to him forever to the point that they can never grow beyond that abuse bc writers refuse to allow them to. imagine the problems the robins could be addressing individually in their lives if not everything came down to them being fucked up bc that’s the way bruce raised them or failed to thereby. there’s a lot about the robins as individuals that’s deeply interesting and i think it’s not just a disservice to bruce but to them as well to write the relationships this way bc it obscures their own agency and ability to be explored for more than a haunted legacy narrative

#sry this is so very long. please know it is not me venting at you i simply have many thoughts 😭 #but yeah like i think something that gets lost in translation is like. i absolutely do think those portrayals of bruce are abusive #i simply don’t think he should have been portrayed as such to begin with #starlin era bruce is very bewildering for me in all honesty i dislike it deeply #the issue where dick meets jason is one of my least favorite for the way it portrays bruce it feels so out of character for me #considering bruce was more than happy for dick to go off to college or to find his own place with the titans #and even with that famous issue where dick meets bruce after learning jason has died the writing is quite odd to me #i think bruce is very much someone who directs blame and frustration inward as opposed to outward #he’ll let himself get dog walked if he thinks he deserves it. which i think knightfall illustrates fabulously #the beginning of no man’s land as well #what i don’t think he would ever do is lash out at others when he knows the blame lies with himself. bruce is very self critical #so honestly that whole scene in the cave with him and dick. doesn’t exist to me i would literally rewrite it 😭 #and i think it is very significant that wolfman chose to recreate that slap three times if memory serves while every other write in bat #editorial at the time straight up ignored it and acted like it never happened. like idk that plus the way bruce was characterized during #knightfall to me says a lot about how that was not supposed to be the status quo at all #anyway. sorry this has devolved into a whole other rant please do not mind me 😔 #outbox

[kelyon]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @abovethemists. Thank you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

24

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

787,481

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Once Upon a Time

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Golden Cuffs

Golden Rings

Dark Mistress

Nephila

Hot Cocoa and Stolen Kisses

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Always, even if it's just to say "Thank You!" I regard responding to comments as a way to remind people that there is a person behind the fics, that I read the comments, and that they really do brighten my day.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

My motto is "angst with a happy ending," so most of the sadness comes before the final resolution. Technically speaking, I guess Golden Cuffs has the saddest ending, since Belle and Rumple know that all the happiness they've worked for in the Enchanted Forest will be taken away from them once Regina casts the curse.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I'm gonna say Dark Mistress. That's the one where the happy ending strains credulity the most, in my opinion. You just kinda have to go along with the fact that all of Rumple's social stigma is gone and they never have any problems on the farm and both of the new marriages go well and none of them ever get sick or hurt in what I've taken a long time to establish as a pretty bleak world. Nope! Once they get married and become a family, no one ever has problems again.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

The reaction to a plot twist in Golden Cuffs haunts me to this day. Though I would never call that hate. They didn't hate the story, they hated me for doing bad things to characters they loved. I get it. For me, it was a valuable lesson on the distinction between kinkfic and darkfic and how swapping genres in the middle of a work can upset people.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Tee hee. Yeah, I'm all about smut, particularly kink. As a real-life BDSM enthusiast, I take it as my responsibility to convey these experiences as accurately as possible, both physically and emotionally.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I have one crossover to my name, and it is very crazy. Storybrooke Marblelympics is the one where I re-imagine the people of Storybrooke as athletes in a version of Jelle's Marble Runs. @wayamy27narf made some great art of everybody as marbles.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No? No one's told me about it, at least.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

The aforementioned Storybrooke Marblelympics was a co-creation with my wife. We also have an idea for a fic we want to write together someday.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Rumbelle!

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I mean, I'm gonna finish Nephila someday. I just have no idea how.

16. What are your writing strengths?

People tell me I get the characters right, which is really important in fanfic.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions and exposition. At least, this is where I most often wonder what the heck I'm doing, if I'm telling too much or not enough. I don't know how to introduce the audience to something that is so normal for the characters that it would be weird if they spent time thinking about it. (Like, if I'm sitting in my living room, I'm not looking at it like I've never seen it before.)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

In my perfect version of On the House, Belle's dialogue with Gaston would be in flawless, period-accurate French, with witty wordplay and innuendo. Alas, it has been a very long time since my last French class.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Digimon, though Teen Titans (the old/good one) was my gateway into real internet fandom.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I feel like Golden Cuffs is the most complete. Like, it tells the story it wants to tell and doesn't get hung up on other things. But I also love Golden Rings for trying to fit in the Season One canon. It's hard for me to judge WIPs because I don't know how they'll turn out, but I really do love thinking about On The House.

Tagging @deliriumsdelight7, @comradegiddybiscuit, @eirian-houpe, and anyone else who wants to do it.

#this was fun!

[nobodycallsmerae]

First of all, big fan of your blog and your vibe! 🤎 I really don't want to be a hater but I feel like gabriel's art is deteriorating with every graphic novel smh. I'm usually a big fan of his art but i feel like graphic novel is just not living up to it. And the Robin graphic novels was just 📉📉📉 what were your thoughts on robin's story? I just wish I hadn't read it 🤡 I'm sorry for the rant but i just needed to vent and you just seemed like someone kind with whom I could share this with ☺️❤

i think that one of the major reasons for you to be feeling that way is because i feel like the vibrant and dynamic colours in gabriel picolo's works is what makes his art stand out, and so the muted colour scheme of the graphic novels don't seem "as good as" his other artworks. but another thing that you should keep in mind is that working on a personal project is VERY different than working on a comic/gn that is going to be published (in any form).

so like if an artist starts a project today, it doesn't matter when they'll finish it. they can take as much time as they want for the colouring, rendering, whatever and work at their own pace and so whatever they want. but when you're working on projects like this, you have certain guidelines, deadlines and the artist is not doing it just for his audience but for a bigger range of people; the fact that as far as i know ofc the artist also has to live up to and deliver what the author and other people on board want.

and fun fact, picolo was not alone in this project, working alongside artists jon sommariva and emma kubert and the colourist david calderon. (i added this cuz i feel like these people are not talked about much but they also contribute to the work and more people need to know and appreciate them.)

as a learning artist myself, i appreciate art in every form and for me, personally, picolo SLAYS every time.

now, about the robin graphic novel. sigh. (this is all spoiler free btw)

okay for once, i want to give my honest opinion on this. i genuinely enjoyed the first two books in the series. i won't say it was the best interpretation of their story, but it was one of my favourites, and i vibed with the characters and like i said, the art style was GIVING so i enjoyed it very much. and then with bblr, i was kind of thinking, like, hold up, this is okay? 

don't get me wrong; i am forever grateful that bbrae was finally getting the attention it deserved but judging from the previous books, i thought we would get a re-imagined origin story for every titan and i was looking forward to it before they have any sort of meet up. but then ngl i was like who tf even cares, we're getting bbrae and that's all that matters. and when that book released, i was ecstatic. i loved their dynamic, and their chemistry and ate up their interactions (esp the last scene in the lab or whatever thing, that was very heartwarming 🥺)

but when i thought about it, i wasn't as satisfied with the story as i was with the ship. (idek if i'm even making sense at this point)

long story short, after reading robin, i came to the realisation that kami garcia's writing is not for me and i've just been in denial about it for so long 😭

i'm def not saying that she's a bad writer, it's just that i'm not a fan and i don't vibe with her writing (this has me thinking about the whole empath/telepath mix-up fiasco from tt:raven 😭✋)

for robin, i understood that the plot had to continue, but i feel like with robin, we had a lot of potential for a good origin story for damian or dick or even both of them together (let's take a break to appreciate how hot dick is in picolo's art style 🥵👌 okay sorry let's continue) i just feel like we were robbed of a good potential story 😮‍💨 (also random but idk how i feel about damian and max's ship cuz like ajsjsjajahdhs 😬) 

i feel like, for the future books, it's going to be more of a "teen titans" story, rather than a "[insert character name]'s" story. im not saying that's a bad thing, but it's just that the name/cover might  be misleading for someone out of the loop (and also that i wanted sick origin stories for the other titans but that seemed more of a "me" problem so i'll just shut up with that 😭)

but even so, I'm still gonna read and cherish these novels because of picolo's art, the AMAZING bbrae crumbs (finally they're not crumbs but actual bread pieces im so happy 😭😭) and at the end of the day, what matters is that it's the teen titans that i care about and i would eat up any good content on them.

also ahhh thank you sm! and yeah, always feel free to rant, i'm more than happy to respond to your thoughts 🥺💗💗

#ask #teen titans #anonymous #teen titans: robin

[franki-lew-yo]

Any hopes I had for a Super Mario Movie were dead the moment it was announced Illumination was making it, sorry.

Illumination films (and Bluesky before that) are basic and hollow in a way that's just really insulting to me. Keep in mind I do unironic art of cereal mascots. I'm not immune to corporate marketing!! Even the most obscure indie stuff has to sell.

You know how some people rate modern Disney films by the merit of the original concept art because that always looks cooler even if there's no guarantee that the story would be any good or better than the finished product? I hate that so much. Same face syndrome+boring style+so-so writing+whatever you dislike about them aside; you can't ever say the writers behind those films aren't trying (minus Wreck it Ralph 2: I aint watching That. No not even if Comfortable Doug is in it). Hate it all you want for how oversaturated it is by the higher ups, but Frozen did try.

Illumination's films feel like the entire movie is governed by suits. They feel so calculated. So held back. They never push any boundaries not because the writers don't want to, but because the filmmakers can't allow anything too 'edgy'. You can't say the same for the Sony films or for even Dreamworks' 2000s catalogue. Those movies could be trainwrecks but I kinda prefer the edge of something like Bee Movie to the nothingburger of something like Sing. Why this is so sad to me is, simply put, there are writers behind these movies. There's absolutely art and imagination. It's not like working on Illumination makes you some kind of hack.

Secret Life of Pets and Sing feel like cute, safe ideas when you look at them in concept. They wouldn't blow people away ever but they would have been something...and then they were nothing because Chris Meledandri is a hack who thinks jangling keys is the substance of a good movie because he's only ever good at selling movies, not thinking of them. Despicable Me was actually the creation of Sergio Pablos, the guy who directed Klaus. Sergio had ideas and you can really feel in the script and in the concept for everything Despicable Me 1 is. Even the gags are really inspired, I think. I remember this old video that was just "Minions but without Minions" and it was a billion times more watchable than any of the full movies because you could tell where and what comic timing and detail the writers put into their work...and it all feels so wasted on the Minions. I like Illumination's artstyle. I keep seeing other critics of their films call them the most increative, worst designers in the world and I think that's so unfair. The robber family who picks up the minions in Minions have fine, designs, Ralphthemoviemaker. You're just being a pissy pants because you don't like the style.

I've literally never cared for/about Super Mario in any capacity and never care to. Details of what the characters should be matter not if you can make anything out of it. Just seeing some people push this narrative of "you have to like this movie because it's made to make you feel good and be" (no joke, I saw someone on twitter literally preaching that) makes me actively resent this film by association. I'm sorry but no. Don't you dare. Don't you dare wag your finger at me and tell me I'm not allowed to complain about something being subpar and irritating just because it was made to 'entertain' and clearly did that for you.

Am I making entire hate blogs over this that are just an echo chamber for other butthurt fauxcritic-cry babies? Am I posting cringe compilations and laughing at unironic fans? Am I bullying kids for their hyperfixation the way I still see people do with Frozen and Teen Titans Go? If the answer is "no" - cope. I don't like your feel good movie. Get it away from me.

It feels so hyperbolic --like, MysteriousMrEnter level hyperbolic, I mean-- but Chris Miladandri doesn't care about the films he produces and neither do their directors or overseers of story. Every Illumination film and Bluesky property deserved better than what this man expected of and made out of them.

#franki's features #rant #vent #bleh #super mario discourse #super mario bros movie critical #super mario critical #I would love for 'super mario critical' tb a real game title one day also #illumination entertainment critical #illumination critical

[karlyanalora]

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

💖 What made you start writing?

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

Well, this got long. The really long spiel is under the cut.

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

Probably not as much as I should tbh. But I do a fair bit of googling. Too much research sucks the fun out of it for me and leaves me paralyzed.

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

Both. Sometimes I go by the seat of my pants for a long while and then write an outline for the rest. Others have outlines ready to go before I start typing. Some just have random things I know I want to happen at some point. Most of my one-shots are spur-of-the-moment things.

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

Redemption. I’m a sucker for it and I feel fiction is a great place to explore it at its extremes. No one irl has blown up a planet, but what would redemption for Darth Vader look like if he lived? What should his punishment be? What is the balance between mercy and justice? Who will find it within themselves to forgive him? Starscream, Megatron, Loki, so many Decepticons, what would that journey look like?

Of course, this has to be balanced with narrative sense. I might redeem one character in one story but leave them evil in another. That’s just what fit the themes and message of the story. Also, some characters will just always be plain bad in my books: Overlord, Palpatine, Ra’s al Ghul, etc. That doesn’t mean they can’t have moral complexity like Ra’s! But I don’t see them reformed.

It probably goes without saying that the theme of forgiveness shows up a lot. Also what I think true love is: a verb before it is a noun. No one and onlys here folks.

💖 What made you start writing?

This is a fun journey. I can remember my first attempt at fanfic was a fairly dark self-insert involving Robin. I was no older than nine in the back of the car and I can still remember the plot though I maybe got down two pages. Didn’t even know fanfic was a thing but I’d just found a single issue of a comic based on the 2003 Teen Titans cartoon and I was hooked.

I’ve always had a very active imagination. I tried creating original works for NaNoWriMo but I kept writing in loopholes so I could fit in my favorite fandoms.

In 2019 some family friends tried to get us into the YouTuber business. It didn’t last but I wanted to make a crossover cartoon and actually emailed Star Wars, Marvel, and DC for permission. Only Star Wars replied and told me no since I was planning to monetize it. I was going to do it anyway and started writing the scripts.

Sometime before this, my best friend introduced me to fanfiction along with the guidelines for browsing it that I still live by. She sent me “Though She Be But Little” by @theredscreech. Amazing fic. Finished it and didn’t think about fanfiction again.

Until the Winter of 2020 lying in my bed as a college freshman craving Transformers content. All I’d seen was Transformers Animated at this point I think. I’m not sure if I’d even seen Prime yet. But I remembered fanfic was a thing and in a fit of madness hopped on fanfiction.net. I stayed up until 4 am binge-reading “Redeem the Stars” by @megadoomingir. That was the moment I realized I didn’t want to make a cartoon; I wanted to write fanfiction.

The basic storyline and premise of that cartoon has remained the same but has also undergone major changes so it would now be completely unrecognizable. Published works have been scrapped and rewritten. It originally, back when it was going to be a cartoon, had a shameless self-insert and featured my heroic origins as the Foosa and my family too. No first name changes either. My editor and sister @anileahvictoria convinced me to scrap that and eventually also the leftovers from my “original” NaNoWriMo story of which a changed Fiera Adele is the only survivor.

I had and still have big plans for my “Ultimate Universe” series. I sent some messages and ff.net to some lovely Transformers authors for permission to incorporate their stories or versions of those stories into my future writing because they permanently shifted how I viewed Transformers. I got some very lovely responses. I’m honestly not sure if I will end up working with that version of Transformers that continues to live in my head because it feels kind of weird to ask your readers to read homework fics, ya know? But I’m not sure how to separate those stories from the Ultimate Universe if I do include Transformers. Hence why I have started a different au to get the robot feels out. Anyway, it’s probably all a moot point because my editor will quit if I work Transformers into the current version of the Ultimate Universe (which is a pity because how I got it to fit with DC and Star Wars was genius.)

As it stands now, the Ultimate Universe will only eventually include in order, DC, Marvel, and Star Wars and I shall probably never finish writing the adventures that happen therein. Probably more than you ever wanted to know, hehe.

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

The grand spiel above was in part to set the stage for this piece of advice: Nothing is written in stone.

It’s partly why I love writing fanfic. I can change my mind at any time. I have rewritten everything I have published in a story. I have completely changed a story. I have deleted stories and written a new story that resembles it with some very big changes. You learn and grow and change as a writer and so can a story. Warn your readers that major rewrites are coming and go for it. If you feel it will create a better end result, don’t be afraid to start over.

[westofwonder]

Pull List (12/13/2023)

Action Comics #1060 Dark X-Men #5 Detective Comics #1079 Green Lantern #6 The Immortal Thor #5 (Minor Threats): The Alternates #4 Moon Knight #30 Radiant Black #27/27.5 Speed Force #2 Superman: Lost #9 Wesley Dodds: The Sandman #3 World's Finest: Teen Titans #6 Waller Vs. Wildstorm #4

Action Comics - This will be the last issue of this title I'm going to be getting for some time. Not on board with how the Aaron run is looking to be. Again, I wonder how the PKJ run will be remembered after all is said and done.

Dark X-Men - Lot of mixed feelings here. I wish this team had longer time and more issues, but I'm also not really to sad to see this miniseries end. Always fun to see certain characters interact - the X-books are good for that.

Detective Comics - I'm glad DC is letting Ram V. cook. Lot of the things here feel like it would be in the Batman ongoing if it wasn't in TEC, and I mean that as a positive. It's dong more for the Jade and Lian than the current GA book! Not sure if it needed to be a weekly thing, but DC really wants this book to get to 1100! The bat-books are allowed a wider berth - y'know: cause they sell. If you wanted to check out any of those books, this is the one that deserves the most looking at.

Green Lantern - I just really like how this book looks. Skipping ahead Hal turns himself into a giant robot! Fun!

The Immortal Thor - Embarrassingly behind.

The Alternates - Disappointed kinda because I was hoping for more Minor Threats energy, but this is different than that. My own fault.

Moon Knight - Is he dead? I don't know, but that's what I've been told. We'll see how long things stick after this issue. I think MacKay will do a good story nonetheless.

Radiant Black - These double issue are really annoying from a series I am woefully behind in. Luckily, it won't take me too long to catch up when I do - it's not really a high-concept series. It's a superhero story with some toku elements in it - doesn't need to be more than that (for me.)

Speed Force - I love that Michael Holt is a supplemental Flash character right now. Mr. Terrific is one of those characters that should be popping up in other people's books. Wallace and Avery getting a book is still fun and I'm glad DC is doing this book.

Superman: Lost - Seeing Jurgens' name connected to a Supes books is always a treat - a nice familiarity. I'm curious to see what happens here and how Priest wraps this story up.

Wesley Dodds - Wesley has a book - still excited about that. Dian is here! We're having fun with the OG Sandman.

WF: Teen Titans - Always nice to revisit this era of TT history. I imagine Waid will incorporate some elements from this series into the main WF. I didn't mind the modern slang or culture stuff because I'm curious on how an "updated" version of teen sidekicks working together can look like.

Waller Vs. Wildstorm - Looking forward to what the writers here do next. A regular Stormwatch book would be excellent.

This is late because I had a long day today of getting other things accomplished. Hope to say more when I do catch up with these titles. I hope to do that during my time off for the holidays.

Happy readings!

#pull list #comic book pull list

[chiqawithq]

hi. my name's Ashrell but in wattpad i am Q. my old username was quimchuwi but i changed it into qleirdelune which is just a fancy misspelled french word(s) of Clair de Lune that means moonlight. the reason why i change it is because... trip ko lang. char.

i started writing when i was fourteen, the first time i created my own wattpad account. i discovered wattpad when i was twelve. the first wattpad story I've read was a physical book entitled Fan Girl by Dyosa Maldita. i just snucked the book from my tita's bag. the cover was pretty plain and gorgeous but the back part where there was the description written urged me to read the book.

i didn't really understand the depths of the plot of this story (because i was young back then and my vocabulary isn't that wide and my imagination isn't that deep like today) but i admit that reading it amazed me so much. it gives me some new feelings i haven't felt before. like the butterflies in the stomach and anything that relates to kilig. that was the time my inner hopeless romantic self emerged.

i have been a hopeless romantic since i was young. I'm a huge disney fan after all. i grew up watching those disney movies that gives happily ever afters. but the words hopeless romantic? i have no idea about that until i met wattpad.

that time, after reading that wattpad book... a new dream has been born in me. I dreamed to become a writer. especially, after i watched the iconic wattpad movie adaptations (which i found out in the internet). i didn't even know what wattpad is. until i searched it and found the website and i got amazed how i can literally read hundreds of books— but only if you have an account.

during that time, wattpad is still a free reading platform.

but creating an account stopped me when i mentioned wattpad to my mom. she warned me not to make an account or read any "pocketbooks" which what she fondly calls those romance books.

i was obedient so i followed her. besides, i couldn't create an account because i was only twelve. (yeah i don't really love the idea of breaking the rules back then. but right now? pfft you only live once, darling. as long as you know what's good for yoy, then go for it!)

was. take not of that. I'm still a little bit obedient now but not as obedient as i WAS before.

2 years later i joined wattpad. it was summer time.

that time, that moment... i disobeyed my mother. i created an account and faked my birth year. but... BUT!!

i didn't download the app.

I'm a coward, I'm sorry. lol.

so i read wattpad through website and i can only read one chapter a day. (it's because they turn the wifi off every 10pm and turns it on every 6am) so that time, it was my wattpad healthy era. i haven't met sleep deprivation before.

the first books i put in my library were Teen Clash by iDangs, Charm Academy by april_avery, and Special Section by OnneeChan. Gosh, those books were like masterpieces for me!

I even get flustered whenever I read a kissing scene, like in one chapter of Charm Academy where the female lead named Ariela was in the lake or a pond with the drunk Gin or Jett. or was it Titan Academy? DAMNNNN I FORGOT?!! I THINK I MIXED THE TWO.

please forgive me,,, i haven't read that book since i was fourteen lmfao.

anyway, you get the context yeah.

so as i was saying, i was twelve when i first read a wattpad book and fourteen when i created a wattpad account. (technically, i was still thirteen since my birthmonth is around November and summer is around April)

and after a month, i downloaded a lot of pdf wattpad stories i found in the internet ( can't name it all since it's a lot) because at this time, i learned to stay up late at night! from a 9pm bedtime turned 11pm.

and then 2 months later, a lot of thoughts and plot ideas are poking inside my head. it made my head hurts so i decided to jot it down until i created my first story in wattpad. I EVEN GOT GIDDY BECAUSE I GAINED 100 READS! lol. ang babaw ng kaligayahan ko.

and then months later. March 2019. I created a new account. this time, i wanted to make my own universe. my own characters that each has a story to tell. this time, i want it to be fix and clean.

but creating a username for a new account is hard! especially, if your goal is to make something remarkable. i needed my name to be remarkable and unique too!

around that time, i was reading a webtoon called I Love Yoo. and the name of the author was so witty that I based my username off of it. hers was quimchee, while i made mine quimchuwi. which is also inspired by a famous kpop ship name— okay, actually it's kim tzuyu (i was a tzuyu x taehyung shipper back then!) and when you read quim it sounds like kim while chuwi is just how you pronounce tzuyu's name!

delulu moments ugh.

then my first story in this new account is kinda cliche like the most wattpad stories are. i even wrote the title a bit cliché too. even got inspired by the first story I've read in wattpad platform.

this was when Sweet Clash was created.

but months and months after, the plot that once i created got developed and became something else which is what I'm proud to write right now. and even gets prouder because of the amount of readers i gained while making this story. it motivates me to change for something better.

I'm also planning to change the title so that i wouldn't get bullied for it. i feel like if my stories will blew up, a lot of people will come to me to criticize me. so to avoid the flame turn into fire, I'm planning to change the title next month, July 3rd.

that's it. i have to end it here muna and continue it next time. on the next post, i will try to explain my first experiences as quimchuwi and my new experiences and realizations as qleirdelune.

thank you for reading this first chiqa!

[ectonurites]

Imagine if any good writers cared about Miguel? Tim X Miguel could be a fun ship!

PLEASE.... listen. I love Miguel so much. he's basically the only good thing to come out of New 52 Teen Titans.

If for some reason he & his boyfriend broke up (which at this point... I doubt any writers at DC even remember he had a boyfriend :/) and things with Tim & Bernard came to an end (especially if it had to do with hero identity stuff & Tim feeling like he couldn't tell Bernard about all of it) then Tim & Miguel could work SOOOO WELL

(Teen Titans Vol. 4 #3)

honestly it's such a damn shame that we haven't even seen the two of them interact since Tim was revealed to not actually be dead??? Miguel's Tim story during the memorial issue is just so sweet overall (like people normally just post the 'they go to pride' page but I do love the whole thing. also yes this was technically during the New 52 but the issue came out after Rebirth already started)

(Teen Titans Vol. 5 #24)

and honestly now with the context of Tim later realizing he's queer himself a situation like this almost feels... idk how to describe it exactly... but like... the way that queer people are drawn to one another before they even realize they're queer? Like. Tim seeing Miguel, this guy who's confident in being gay and knows who he is, and feeling like he can be open and even a little vulnerable with him, feel seen even if it's in ways he doesn't have the terms to describe for himself quite yet, ya know?

Because like, especially during the New 52 Tim was not very... open about anything with anyone, so him letting Miguel see this side of him here like... there's a reason that it's Miguel's favorite memory with him, it was something different from how Tim acted around everyone else and was really special because of that. And then also the fact we get from the dialogue that it was Tim's idea to actually join the parade. Even though Tim didn't know he was queer yet at this time, being around Miguel and other queer people was something he was just drawn to.

I want them to reunite so bad now AGHhhghh like even just to talk because man Miguel would be SO happy for and supportive of Tim!!!

[fluffykitty149]

I think teen titans 2016 would have been a lot better if DC wasn’t trying to set up a Damian ‘evil’ arc. Like they had a seriously diverse cast of character and it could have focused on getting over trauma because originally, Damian founded the new team with people who he’d think would get him and the only exception would have been roundhouse. The main similarity to the og story being Roundhouse secretly being a traitor as a form of revenge but instead of Dijin’s ring being stolen, Damian finds out and confronts him. 

Imagine if the writer had Damian take it seriously like he did with Maya. Maybe she was an indirect causality but Damian is still willing to empathize with Roundhouse because Dick was just shot and he even apologizes to him. Imagine Damian meeting Billy’s mother to apologize but then she states that she regrets sending her kids out there at the time and it haunts her to this day. 

Instead of it leading to a villain arc. It can be a story about healing from tragedy and moving past self blame and loathing. 

Dijin’s and Damian’s pre relationship could have been surrounded by connecting through Arab culture and the main reason they chose to not go through with a relationship is because they were both a mess and decided it was for the best to stay platonic. Prior to the reveal Damian and Roundhouse could have bonded through being Chinese too and it even could have made Billy hesitate on going through with the betrayal.

sorry for the ramble

#damian wayne #dijin #dijin dc comics #billy wu #xiomara rojas #wally west ii #emiko queen #teen titans 2016 #roundhouse dc comics #crush dc comics #red arrow #kid flash

[danny-chase]

all im getting is that so much of bad fandom is caused by people who only read batfam comics (if they read them at that) and then work around to try to explain why batfam is also the best

see batfam fans who try to explain why batfam is actually the only ones who use tactics and metas are overreliant on their powers or would be helpless if depowered despite practically every powered hero having a non-powered episode

Oh yeah for sure, so many fans reading batfam comics (and in some cases writing them) feel the need to make the batfam character the strongest/smartest person in the room. And that's to some extent not something I can blame the fandom for because batfam writers push this narrative, but I will push back on fandom for taking the more boring/what i think is worse bits of canon and using that as the foundation for the characters. Because I think there's more interesting interpretations out there to explore, and that a lot of fans are missing out by not seeing these sides of the characters.

Anyways, here's a perfect example with Dick of writers pushing the batfam is the best mentality:

Titans: Titans Together #1

Now i would believe that Dick could potentially fool Jason on the street (Jason's character has been in limbo for a bit, Dick's older and more experienced than him). But like taking down Kory, Donna, and Garfield all at once? Yeah no way in hell. Even without "powers" Kory and Donna could kick his ass, and it's not like they're damping their natural strength enhancements here, and they'd already reverted to using powers. Narratively, if it had just been hand to hand Dick vs Jason, they could have made the same point without being all like "Dick's the best and can beat everyone Titan". And perfect Dick Grayson is so... boring to me.

Like i want to be on the edge of my seat reading comics, I want to wonder how on Earth the characters are going to get out of this mess. I want suspense and drama, not just "oh the batfam will win because they have to win." And you don't have to introduce overly dark and gritty plot points to show that or kill off characters to show they're human.

For contrast, I feel like The New Teen Titans power-scaled Dick to the others pretty well. He's clearly the leader, but at the same time, we're reminded that he's human. He doesn't show up and magically save the day. A lot of times he gets caught when he's acting alone (ie Judas Contract) and he gets shown being saved by other characters just as much as he saves them, if not more.

The New Teen Titans #7

There's times when the Titans are like damn if only Dick were here, he'd have this solved in an instant, but there's also times where Dick is very clearly struggling at solving cases and living up to Batman's expectations.

The New Teen Titans #20

There's also times where he just gets completely KO'ed in fights. Which, because it's a team comic is fine because again the other characters can, and usually end up saving him, because he's a human and can't walk off a laser beam (at least, not without Raven).

And because of this, even though I know Dick won't die, putting him in danger (or really any) of the Titans in danger makes for an interesting read because you know they most likely won't get out on their own, and when the odds are really stacked against them, even though you know they'll win, it's usually pretty hard to imagine how (unless like, Arella's there) so it's fun seeing how the story goes. And you know, sometimes I like seeing other characters saving each other because power of friendship never gets old and it's nice to see them care about each other.

So I guess I think, when we just look at the batfamily in a void and say "yeah, they're the best, they could take down anyone if they had enough prep time, or whatever" that just flattens the narrative to me, lowers the stakes, and is just ridiculously unrealistic past the point of suspension of disbelief. Maybe they could win in the right circumstances sure, but it's a more exciting story to me if they get away by the skin of their teeth, exploiting some fluke, or occasionally simply needing to be rescued to remind us they are in fact human.

#sorry this is looong #good power scaling >>> batfamily is the best like no one ever was #i feel like the biggest offender is Bruce 'i can take down the entire jla with my contingency plans' Wayne #Dick's usually fairly good - since he's generally recognized as a good and trusted leader the comics usually don't default to the #oh he's the leader cuz he's the bestest and smartest - Titans: Titans Together is kinda an outlier imo #but it makes for a good example #I hope I'm not being too hard on it because i did actually enjoy reading it - jason mansplaining to kory and getting shown up by her is 👌 #this 100% ended up happening in rhato 2011 though and it was just...blegh #like it's a better show of leadership skills if a leader can lead highly competent individuals rather than whatever new52 roy and kory were #i hope this isn't too convoluted #dick grayson #batfam #dc comics #possibly this counts as character meta idk this is just my opinions #image in alt

[archtroop]

Titan's iteration for Red Hood, for Jason, is not what I was expecting, but damn I like it.

But alao, Curran Walters.

In this type of genre tv/fantasy/comics/sci-fi, more then in other shows, an actor might shine so bright he may literally steal the show. Or rise above and beyond. It's a specific kind of energy. Jensen Ackles did it on the set of Dark Angel. In S1 he was cast to play a side character. He was so, so good, the writers utilized the plot to write him a role in S2. (clones. They cloned him. In a series about clones and test tube baby soldiers, that was on point). Later, as Dean Winchester, he goes on attracting plot and screentime and ATTENTION, even though he was the duoganist to Padalecki's Sam Winchester, the protagonist.

In Teen Wolf, Dylan O'brien, a goofball supporting "best friend" character outshined everyone, got to star in a whole season about Stiles, became the main gravitas point to speculations and meta, and whoa, the half of the most popular ship.

(the shipping in of itself is telling, in regards to all of those characters and the actors playing them. Jensen Ackles & Dean Winchester became a mini black dress cross-fandoms. He was the constant half of the two main and ruling ships on spn. That is A+++ Power over audiences).

Now in Titans... Curran Walters is "it". Some doubted, some are still mean. Some may say he only gains popularity for he was destined to play Red Hood, first time in live action ever. Which is partially true. Yes, he won the lottery (he worked HARD for it, what lottery) with that role, but that was step 0.00001

From here on it was all on him. And boy did he deliver. He has this same energy. On screen charisma, I previously mentioned. He acts with everything that he has, he communicates with his eyes, and in a show centered around the characters, is a character study, a psychological noir of sorts, that is so significant.

Not to diss any of the cast though. Actually I've never been so pleased with a wide cast so much in my life. All so. So good, and engaging. From episode 1.01 I was HOOKED.

I got obsessed with Batman, Robins, DC.

And I was SATISFIED. As it is, I loved it. And then they introduced Jason Todd.

The episodes with him rank higher on viewership, but you can chuck it down to the fact that this was the first time for this source material to ever grace the screens. But I don't think so. Maybe in S1. But not in S2 and most definitely on S3. Jason got his full episode only for himself on S3, episode 5. And HE CAN ACT.

In the next episode, Jason appears for literal moments, and steals the show. The struggle, over control, anti-authority, chaotic nature of an uotlaw are already built in, written in the character. From the cop beat-up, that served as his main "inward" introduction, up to his scuffle with Dick's leadership, and even Scarecrow. The latter scared him a lot. And what he does? Undermines his current "liege", Scarecrow. He does something so chaotic in its nature, that I think, the Joker would have been proud. In the process, he hurts himself, emotionally, deeply, but regaining control over his "destiny", for him, was more crucial.

It's a difficult role to play, a tragic anti hero. It's not just looks. Or the lines. Curran does it with his whole body, with every muscle of his face, with his IRISES. He was looking into the shop as the consequences of his actions took place. He was writing it all down over his bruised, bleeding conscience, sacrificing it to assert dominance over his mind, body and soul.

This is DARK SHIT.

(I was NOT prepared to how DARK this show will get. But from the get go they sank their teeth into the "children in danger" and all kinds of psychological hurt. I'm VERY SATISFIED I EAT WELL ON TITANS.)

He can already carry an episode all by himself. By the end of this season, if he is not spinned-off for an Outlaw something-something, it would be a loss. He can already hold a plot. Imagine him with a partner/team in a series. A season or even two are guaranteed. What a chaos.

A side note. The two previous examples I used were original material. Styles was loosely based of of. But Titans has tons of source material to pull from. Red Hood is a monster of a franchise all on its own but lacks consistency. And stakes are high, but what they are writing for Red Hood in this iteration is unique. It's actually even more grounded, and rounded, than the source material.

Curran Walters playing Red Hood, Outlaw, can be oh so explosive. If they play it right. He has more than enough pull, charisma and on screen beauty. (which entirely different thing for just preety stuff. The camera loves him. It's a huge YES for me.) he works well with other faces on screen. He has the determination and the devotion to the character and to his work. I'm here for all of this.

(but please keep Kory out of it. Just. Please. RHATO Kory was amnesiac at best, high at worst. Unless you have a very good explanation, which, you probably don't, just stick with Arsenal, or Artemis and Bizzaro.)

#titans dc #Titans (2018) #Jason todd #Curran walters #Red hood #Outlaw #My little meta? #Something like that