silverwhittlingknife

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batmobile sketch

#!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #so cute.... sleeepy #thank you artist you are a treasure among us #eli art #dick grayson #tim drake #dick&tim

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#you have captured them perfectly op #star wars

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tim: look i’m sorry i implied everything bad that happened to you was directly your fault, but it wouldn’t have happened to nightwing :/

#tim to jason #jason: are you kidding?? yes it would've. he's not all that. also he literally got blown up in bludhaven #tim: that doesn't count because it wasn't his fault. unlike everything that happened to you. which was. #jason: hello?? i ALSO got blown up??? it's not different?? #tim: is too #jason: ''is too'' is not an ARGUMENT-- #dick: no tim's right. that wouldn't have happened to me. or to tim. because we're better than you. #tim: oh yeah good point. it also wouldn't have happened to me. #jason: i hate you both #anyway dick & tim are truly both so snotty about jason and sometimes with so little provocation sdfdsfdsfs #but in their defense he does try to stab them a lot so. you know. i feel like they should get to call it even

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….sometime later….

Nightwing(1996)#86

Writer: Devin Grayson

Pencils/inks: Rick Leonardi/Jesse Delperdang

Colors: Gregory Wright

#dick grayson #he's so unwell & it's his best quality <3

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(if you don't know the character just go off of vibes)

#i mean it'd be two against one so maybe they could... #... #...well... #truly though i think it'd depend on the fight conditions #like. could she knock them down temporarily and get away? 100%. no question. as part of a montage. #on the other hand if you give them time to plan then they could have one person approach her & the other one do something Tricky #(tim approaches her; dick does the ambush)

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#nooooo ;_;

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i love u characters who are victims who don't show things in a way that's appealing i love u characters whos trauma leaves them with anger issues, with violence issues, with issues with connection and trust and being truthful i love you characters who don't get "better" in a way that's palatable, who don't find growth and meaning in their trauma

#<3 #story talk #true of all the bats but in terms of particular blorbos: #if you have never made yourself a stupid costume and teamed up with some kind of Evil Organization #like a mob or maybe a league of assassins or something it doesn't really matter just make sure they're very evil #anyway if you have never sat lonely and miserable in the midst of this Evil Organization that you don't even like #in a fit of self-hatred as you try to (fail to) cope with your myriad emotional problems #while telling yourself that you're totally gonna take them all down but also not really doing much about that #then what are u even doing with ur life

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NEW 52 TIM DRAKE READING LIST

This is to celebrate me reading every appearance of Tim Drake in New 52 - which, by the way, don't bother!

As someone who's read a lot of New 52 Tim (and New 52 in general) I'll provide a medium-length reading list of key Tim appearances, in rough chronological order. This should be enough to get a fairly complete sense of Tim's character, his background and his character arcs through New 52, while hopefully avoiding some of the especially bad bits of the New 52 (which isn't exactly known for its stellar quality of writing).

Tim is a frequent-ish background character in some of New 52's Batfamily comics - namely Batman Eternal and Batman & Robin Eternal; he doesn't make frequent appearances in Batman or Detective Comics. Tim has main appearances in almost all of Teen Titans (2011 and 2014).

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MY READING LIST (JUST THE COMICS!)

For anyone who likes to get straight to the point.

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MY READING LIST (WITH COMMENTARY!)

Batman 2011 #0/2 (backup). A fairly short appearance, but enough to get some sense of character. New 52 Tim is a super-genius gymnast, but also a cocky little shit with an ego that desperately needs a check. Technically this is the earliest chronological Tim appearance we see in the New 52.

Teen Titans 2011 #0. This is Tim's origin story. I'm not saying it's necessarily good or interesting (especially for anyone who knew or loved postcrisis Tim), but it is key reading. (Extra credit: Secret Origins 2014 #3/3 (backup) is basically the same story, but is interesting for its focus on Tim's connection to Jason when becoming Robin).

Batman & Robin Eternal 2015 #5. So what happens to Tim's parents? This is an interesting look at his feelings towards them (and towards Dick). Chronologically, the main plot of this issue comes much later, but it's interesting character context for Tim so I'd suggest you read it sooner.

Teen Titans 2011 #1-5. Sorry, but we have to delve into New 52 Teen Titans sooner or later. I won't reccommend you necessarily read the whole series (it has many a dull, cringe or downright bizarre arc) but these first few issues are pretty crucial with Tim forming his team.

Teen Titans 2011 #7. Tim sends himself on a suicide mission. We might start to notice a pattern of him totally ignoring general team opinion when it comes to Superboy.

Red Hood and the Outlaws 2011 #8. Scroll through whatever horny Lobdell dreck is going on in the rest of the issue, and you'll find a few pages of conversation between Tim and Jason. This is an interesting look at their established friendship (notably different from postcrisis).

Batman and Robin (2011) #10. Tim has a nasty rivalry with Damian. Damian points out some of Tim's insecurities - namely that the line in the sand that stops Tim from being a killer is more fragile than Tim would like to admit.

Teen Titans 2011 #10. This is the really gay Teen Titans issue where they're all half naked for some reason. Keep an eye on Tim's developing relationship with Kon (and with Bunker).

Teen Titans 2011 #18. Tim responds with a lot of emotion to Damian's death despite their former difficulties. Also, the Teen Titans have a boat!

Teen Titans 2011 Annual #3. The end of the Teen Titans... well, if they hadn't decided to follow up with a second run. But this is sweet, character-focused writing, showing a more introspective/insecure side of Tim.

Batman Eternal 2014 #36. An interesting look at Tim from Harper's perspective (and Julia Pennyworth's). Nice art, too.

Teen Titans 2014 #1-8. The Teen Titans are back! Overall, I think TT2014 has better quality writing than TT2011, so if you want to read one of the series in full then you'll probably find TT2014 less infuriating. The first few arcs on TT2014 (focusing on Manchester Black and S.T.A.R. Labs, plus Kon's exit) is probably about as good as the series gets. Tim's dynamic with Manchester Black is really interesting.

Teen Titans 2014 Annual #1. Superboy's back! He's accused of mass murder, but Tim decides to veto the team's opinion and invite Kon back to their flat, because he can't seem to ever say no to Kon.

Teen Titans 2014 #9-12. Tim butts heads with the others over what to do with Superboy. This is where it gets REALLY gay. Like, kneeling on the ground beating on Kon's chest begging him to stay kind of gay.

We Are Robin 2015 #7. Beautifully choreographed fight scene between Tim and Jason. Tim appears throughout the Robin War event, but I wouldn't say most of those appearances are particularly interesting from a character perspective.

Teen Titans 2014 #20. Tim is frustrated with his team - as you probably would be, if you'd been "training" these guys for quite a lot of in-world time and they still can't fight their way out of a paper bag. It's an interesting look at Tim as a leader but also an outsider.

Teen Titans 2014 #24. Tim Drake Fucking Dies! (Yeah, this is responding to his death in Rebirth Detective Comics #940. No, it doesn't make sense to me either.) A sweet if somewhat generous look at Tim's character through the eyes of his friends after his funeral.

#excellent summary for people who like to suffer sdfdsfs #anyway i really dislike scott lobdell's writing style but i do have to give him credit for (1) thing #i recently learned that he's the guy who wrote the comic where northstar comes out as gay alllll the way back in 1992 (!!!) #which. like. for context. northstar is the first openly-gay superhero in all of marvel comics ever #so. kudos to you lobdell you were writing gay characters back when most people wouldn't consider it #i still do not like his writing though sfdsfs

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Still can’t believe they Dorian gray’d him that burn should’ve at least left some discoloration

#''they dorian gray'd him'' is such a funny expression & i need to find other things to use it for now dsfdsfds #tim drake

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Bruce going through empty nest syndrome while Dick is literally sitting beside him

#sfdsfds most bruce wayne thing to do ever #bruce wayne

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“You’re my brother, Dick. You’ll always be there for me”

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resurrection 💔

#thank you artist you are a treasure among us #eli art #awwwww ;_; #dick grayson #tim drake #all your art is so cute!!

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Honestly I do think of Cass's reading, and her initial desire and later refusal to try*, has a lot to do with her perfectionism and well... like "sore-loser-ness" (not saying that you're a loser if you can't read, but like. she perceives not being good at something as "losing" and she hates it).

in one of the really early Batgirl issues (#3? I can't remember?) we see Cass tries to save a man who writes a letter to his wife, and she starts trying to read and write after seeing how the man's wife was affected by his letter. Then it's kind of ditched for a while. Later, Cass and Babs have friction because Cass doesn't try to learn how to read and it makes Babs mad, and she belittles Cass in a moment of stress.

And like. For Cass, we see that a lot of fighting stuff (which she perceives as very important) comes naturally to her. Barbara spars with her with escrimas and Cass picks up on it in 5 minutes, just from the body language reading. Cass learns Shadow Thief's techniques while fighting him. She also values being perfect, being great right away. When she temporarily has lost her body-language reading, she asks Bruce how long it takes until she's as good as he is, re-training herself, and he says probably 10 years. She thinks David (her bio father who raised her as an assassin with no language) made her perfect in just 8, and there's the whole repeated quote - Perfect for a year, or mediocre for a lifetime? She chooses perfect for a year - agrees that she will fight Shiva to the death in one year after Shiva restores her skills, and intends that she will die then because she won't kill anyone else (and should note - she never does really doubt that she can beat Shiva, even though other characters do).

Anyway where I'm going with this:

We have Cass, and she's got to be perfect. That's her thing. She's great at picking up new fighting skills, she tries to learn how to talk but because her brain is literally wired differently it doesn't happen until the meta messes with her brain, then it happens overnight. Her re-gaining her skill is not something that emphasized as "she trains a lot" (though we do see her training a lot - it's not what causes it to be re-gained so quickly), it's the deal she makes with Shiva. When it comes to reading, this is probably the only thing that's been that she genuinely struggles with, a lot (due to how her brain was wired), that doesn't have a quick-fix. And Cass is a perfectionist so she is going to feel embarrassed when other people find it easy and she doesn't. the way she protects her feelings is by, once she fails, not trying again. If you don't try, you can't fail and you can't feel bad about it.

*for a while

#yeah!!! #i think my most basic take on cass is that she's a quintessential child prodigy & she has classic child prodigy issues #like. a while back i used to see lots of posts along the lines of ''former gifted kids have xyz issues'' -> that!! that's cass!! #she's super-mega-fantastically good at fighting because she was forced into doing it at an age so young she doesn't remember #and because of this every time she's not instantly good at something her instinct is to give up immediately #and instead do something that she IS good at #which isn't always a bad idea - nothing wrong with sticking to your strengths! - but she does it so consistently #that you do get the feeling that secretly there's an unacknowledged aspect of anxiety #which is why stuff like being snapped at by babs when she's screwing up that one library mission is so crushing to her #she's deeply self-conscious about trying because having to try at all feels like she's failing. she should be the best ALREADY! #so it's so much easier to tell herself she doesn't care about something (even if actually it would be useful to learn) #because it's a defensive mechanism because what if it turns out she CAN'T get good at it & being bad at something is the end of the world #cassandra cain

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note one: this arc has everything. bruce and diana. dick and donna. tim and cassie. artemis and helena, which i didn't know i needed before i started reading this but i definitely do.

note two:

Cassie: The team trusts you with our secrets, but you won't trust us with yours--! You think you're so smart and you deserve to be in charge, but you don't, Robin. I'm smarter than you, and I'm stronger than you too! -- Wonder Woman (1987) #167

(she is being influenced by eris here, but there's clearly some genuine emotion in it, even if she wouldn't normally be beating tim up about it.)

this takes place before our worlds at war, and therefore before the tim/kon apokolips confrontation. i don't think the yj writers had this story in mind necessarily, but i think it does add some context to that fight, and especially to tim's decision to quit the team soon after.

#thank u person who just liked this - i had forgotten about it and it IS great #anyway someday i will actually finish the post about tim + secrets/lying #because it basically plays the same role in his story that anger does for dick #(i.e. it's EVERYWHERE & he's constantly angsting about it) #tim drake

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drew a constant mood on the mind

#the infodumping anxiety is too real #my only two settings are 1) talk too much and 2) barely talk at all #i know other people find the balance but rrrrrgh #anyway this is why we have tumblr i think <3 #infodumping with no consequence. i am the ps5 in inside your brain. look at my posts. look. look.

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Because Vampires can only sleep in sacred earth that has later been rendered unhallowed in some way - that is, specifically desecrated earth - the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII Tudor and the concomitant iconoclasm and destruction of the Abbeys left England uniquely vulnerable to vampiric expansion due to a glut of ruined holy sites. In this essay I will

#GO ON #extremely good ideas / extremely bad ideas

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You have been assigned a four issue mini comic [<100 pages]. It can be about whatever you want. The only restriction is that it has to be about a minor support character [IE character friends, character parents, reoccuring minor villains, reoccuring civilians]. Which character do you choose, and what story would you want to tell in a four issue mini?

For transparency, I'm asking this question to a bunch of people because I want to see all the ideas everyone has. See what everyone would do.

You know what I'd really love? Writing a Lady Shiva mini. I am stretching the definition of 'reoccurring minor villain' but she's never actually had a proper mini in her own right and she's very VERY rarely had viewpoint. I'd want to pick and choose from her various established backstories, and tone down as many of the League of Assassins connections as possible. I think I'd frame it as four pivotal fights (because that's the language of Shiva)

Fight 1: Sandra and David Cain (the 'sort out the backstory' issue/the apprentice) hitting the following:-

Carolyn and Sandra's childhood in Detroit as Chinese-American diaspora, including trips back to China to the family village there for additional martial arts training.

Carolyn encounters Ben Turner and David Cain, both of whom are training under Richard Dragon, with none of this LOA-linked

David Cain murdering Carolyn to motivate Sandra who he sees as a stronger fighter

Recanonise the Batgirl 2000 Cass origin

Sandra giving Cass to David

Fight 2: Lady Shiva and Richard Dragon (the 'birth of Lady Shiva' and her quest to match herself against the best fighters on the planet/the journeywoman)

This would revolve around Shiva's quest to seek training from various sensei.

References to Dinah and Shiva's shared mentor

Shiva and her encounters with Vic Sage and the first signs of her fondness for cases in which she sees the potential for greater violence, just as David Cain saw in her

Maybe recanonise the Paper Monkey stuff? Either way, have her win accolade and acclaim by facing off against the greatest fighters, killing many of them, and gaining her place in the hierarchy

Lots of wandering swordsman journey

Finishing point has this fight ending with Shiva not killing Richard because she can now best him and has found herself alone at the top as the 'best fighter in the world' - but she sees the power he still has above her - his ability to mentor and create the competition she seeks

Fight 3: Lady Shiva and Dinah Lance (Shiva the mentor, training those she most respects the potential in/the master)

I picked Dinah to frame this one for two reasons: she's my fave AND I wanted a fight with a woman for the second set.

We hit backstory with Shiva actively encountering Dinah, Tim, Connor, Cass. 'Her' heroes who she becomes attached to and to pushing them to be better competition for her.

This is the only bit where I might lean towards League of Assassins in terms of probably Nyssa and/or Talia approaching her to ask her to help train their troops, but Shiva finds it dull.

"Go to sleep Westley I might kill you in the morning" attitude emerging as she finds herself weirdly attached to the people she's pushing.

I would love to include a pay off for her fight with Helena Bertinelli in BOPv2 that was put on 'hold' in this fight with Dinah.

Fight 4: Lady Shiva and Cassandra Cain (The inheritance and future issue)

This would be framed around a NEW encounter between Shiva and Cass rather than one of their old ones

Leans into Shiva's death wish and viewing she's already passed on her inheritance, and that she's now defeatable

I would also want to see Sin Lance and Bethany Thorne appear in this issue (also Tim)

Looking at all four of these characters and how they have the potential to surpass and surprise her.

This one WOULD end with Shiva in a position where she's pushing Cass to kill her as she's now the tired one and Cass once again denying it to her

#oooh this sounds like so much fun