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Not like super deep into tadc or anything, but I wanted to put in my 2 cents about Jax given the recent episode 4 and how his mask seemed to falter a bit. I do think theres a lot of different reasons for him being an asshole, but he kinda confirmed with how he said to Gangle, "I like you better when you're sad," and how much he antagonizes Ragatha that he hates masks. He derails adventures and social interactions into terror and upset intentionally because it's some of the only tangible emotion that he can recognize is real, and not some facade someones put up to retain their own sanity. The more he gets people to snap, or cry, or argue with him the more human they're being instead of going along with the story that's trying to keep them all complacent. I think hes a dick because he's annoyed by the fact that even when the rules are fake and their lives are over, so many of them are still masking and hiding their personal feelings about the situation they're all stuck in. He noticably picks on pomni, kinger, and zooble less—and out of the group, those 3 are the most honest about their emotions.
That's pretty close to what I think his deal is actually. Though I don't think it's because he wants them to be real, it's because he wants something he KNOWS is real.
Jax is in a world where he has no control and nothing he does matters. He can't even die if he wanted to. The adventures they're forced on are set paths that are designed for them to win. Nothing they do makes any difference because it'll be Cane's outcome, and then it'll all be gone.
And this fakeness extends to his fellow players. Zooble puts up walls and pushes people away. Kinger is barely coherent. Gangle pretends to be feeling positive when she's not. And Ragatha does whatever she can to make people like her regardless of her actual opinion on them. Interacting with them is almost the same as interacting with an NPC. He's not talking to humans, he's talking to fake characters that they made up.
So what does he do? He forces things to be real.
Cane forces them to go be heroes? Then he'll be a huge piece of shit and fuck everything up instead. By doing that, he made decisions for himself, and was in control of himself
Every human hiding behind a facade? Then he'll make them hate him. Because if she hates him, then Jax knows that's actually Ragatha hating him, not the character she pretends to be in order to get people to like her
Not like super deep into tadc or anything, but I wanted to put in my 2 cents about Jax given the recent episode 4 and how his mask seemed to falter a bit. I do think theres a lot of different reasons for him being an asshole, but he kinda confirmed with how he said to Gangle, "I like you better when you're sad," and how much he antagonizes Ragatha that he hates masks. He derails adventures and social interactions into terror and upset intentionally because it's some of the only tangible emotion that he can recognize is real, and not some facade someones put up to retain their own sanity. The more he gets people to snap, or cry, or argue with him the more human they're being instead of going along with the story that's trying to keep them all complacent. I think hes a dick because he's annoyed by the fact that even when the rules are fake and their lives are over, so many of them are still masking and hiding their personal feelings about the situation they're all stuck in. He noticably picks on pomni, kinger, and zooble less—and out of the group, those 3 are the most honest about their emotions.
You know, the way some writers keep fucking up Jason Todd's characterization, especially of him as a kid is so rooted in classism.
They cannot see how Jason was a smart kid who tried to be good even if he could be rough around the edges sometimes.
Because he was the Robin that started in poverty.
Because he was the Robin that started as a "criminal".
The fail to understand that Jason was stealing to be alive and that it was an upbringing in starvation and violence caused by wealth inequality that drove him to theft is what caused many writers that to retcon Jason is an inherently violent and dumb kid. And I think this is problem a reflection on how many people see kids that end up being involved with criminal activities.
In a system where food, water, shelter, health and safety have a price, being alive and poor is the worst crime.
People are so busy bashing the lack of content Jason has in The Hill series so far but like, can we acknowledge we're at least getting some domestic knowledge of him? He speaks some spanish, he flirts and has chemistry with a beautiful waitress from his home side of Gotham, he listens to 80s-2000s hip hop and rap.
one of my favorite hc is that whenever jason has control of the aux in the batmobile and he's feeling a lil mischievous, he'll play songs with very specific lyrics just to emotionally torment bruce. one of these songs is definitely should've been me by mitski.
listen to me. listen. sometimes character development is your fav blooming into a well-rounded, emotionally stable badass. and sometimes it's your chillingly rabid dog of a man getting wetter and more pathetic, spiraling out of control, actively trying to sabotage his own life. now just pretend this is all intentional storytelling on dc's part. canon is a guide we just roll with it.
you can only maintain that kind of vicious momentum for so long before you start to fall apart. and i think i would interpret what has been occurring to jason in various titles (like rhato and team z and tmwsl) as 'falling apart'. his decision to try to play by bruce's rules (more or less) has not garnered him any more favor with bruce than he had previously. it cements the notion that he's gone too far to ever be tolerated in batman's eyes, let alone redeemed. bruce doesn't trust him, he doesn't trust bruce. he's aiming for that validation, but it's slapdash, halfhearted. he retreats into his anger, he refuses to communicate openly with bruce or the other bats.
this results in a series of mind-bogglingly self-destructive shenanigans of a somewhat indeterminate timeline. bruce gives him a disproportionately brutal beatdown over a perceived infraction jason does not even bother to clarify. jason goes undercover for bruce on a particularly dangerous mission, refuses orders to pull out, and finds himself coerced and manipulated into making things worse (without his knowledge).
it's alluded to that he's not eating, he's having nightmares, he's slowing down, he's getting sloppy. he's in a t-shirt and a hoodie half the time, for fuck's sake. roy dies, one of the only friends he even has. ALFRED dies, he's lost the one person who's made a point of maintaining a familial relationship with him without judgement. he's drinking more, always depicted at some bar or another. the 5 o'clock shadow of Sorrow. the joker(s) is/are in town and funnels all of this angst in the single-minded pursuit of taking his head. complete tunnel vision. someone's taking the blame for all of this and if it isn't the joker it's him.
he's off the rails, systematically putting every henchman in gotham in the hospital. the moment he thinks he's killed the joker (but not really) he lets himself get arrested without a fuss. doesn't even resist until stephanie (?) barbara (???) and rose help bust him out. he's using selina and her cat burglar students for information. batman, being out of his mind, has a couple more disproportionately violent encounters with him, gives him a fucking lobotomy and tells him it's for his own good. jason overcomes it enough to make Grand Suicide Attempt #1: Save Gotham From A Meteor (by driving a plane into it and making it explode).
later he is kidnapped by the joker feeding pigeons in the park, exposed to joker toxin so he is Violent TM again, and again misled into playing part in Yet Another Plot to Destroy Gotham with the promise of killing one (1) of two jokers. so begins Grand Suicide Attempt #2: Save Gotham From Joker Toxin (by driving a blimp into a train into a bridge and making it explode). has to be resuscitated by rose.
meanwhile batman makes the sage observation to dick that he is kind of shit at this family thing and actually dick it should be your responsibility. then fucks off.
this is not... some kind of face turn moment for jason so much as it is a desperate, unhinged bid for validation. from SOMEONE. or to die trying. the one thing all of his anger and his cleverness can't buy him is undoing the wrongs of his past and by wrongs he means the things that pissed bruce off. he's not quite ready to fully admit that the things he's responsible for ultimately have done more harm than good. he's always got justifications on the tip of his tongue, but they're getting fewer and further between. he confides in tim that he know's he's a failure, and a monster, and thinks he's alone. at this point, the only way out of this from his point of view is to pull some self-sacrificing bullshit and go out in a way batman approves.
do you see. i've put it all together it all makes sense. no no shhhh... no inconsistencies here. he's a messy, awful little man coming to terms with his humanity for the first time in a long time. so you know what. if the dude is a little unhinged. if he's a little feral. i'm here for it.
I'm absolutely here for all the people putting jealousy, jealousy by Olivia Rodrigo on Jason Todd playlists but I'm fucking begging you guys teenage dream is RIGHT THERE
I have a lot of opinions about Jason Todd but my number #1 (1) ONE thing is that he would genuinely relate to The Black Parade album by MCR and they would be a comfort band for him.
can i request jason todd x reader "someone likes being pinned down" + A flirting with B while sparring to throw them off their tracks
where reader is also a vigilante??
thank you so much 🩷
very sexy prompts thank u 😌
jason todd x gn!reader. r and robin!jay were friends, r doesn't know jason is alive/red hood but jason knows r is a vigilante. r's alias is 'nocturne' (if that's already in use oh well lmao). fighting/sparring, jason is mega in love with you as usual!!
all fics at @sanguinelibrary
****
"Still blindly following the Bat, huh?"
You land in a crouch on the rooftop, just like how Nightwing taught you. The Red Hood doesn't look at you, digging through two duffel bags. He doesn't even draw his gun, like you've seen him do with virtually every other vigilante in Gotham.
You wait, ready to spring into action. But Hood doesn't stop what he's doing. Slowly, you rise.
"What... do you mean?" you ask.
"I mean, why are you traipsing around Gotham as a bat-adjacent? Who are you s'posed to be anyway? Goth Bat? Alternative Scene Bat?"
"I'm Nocturne," you say, shoulders rising to your ears. Rude. You thought the chunky boots and star over your suit's eye mask were inspired.
Red Hood lifts a hand. "Don't get me wrong, I dig the threads. I'm just surprised B didn't have an aneurysm over the sequins. Then again, Discowing did do it first..."
Your first two meetings with the infamous Red Hood have been similar in that he's never very concerned about you stopping him (ouch), but he also isn't callous or cruel with you like he is with the other vigilantes.
Case in point: the last person who cornered Hood on a roof was Red Robin. Hood shot him in the shoulder before he could land.
In short, he's perplexing as hell.
Batman's forbidden the rest of the team to confront Hood without backup. And you're technically not supposed to be on patrol tonight. But if you can intercept Hood, that'll be a huge win.
Hood keeps on packing the duffels. You hesitate, then step forward.
"Get away from the bags," you say. "I won't ask twice."
Hood looks at you. "Nocturne's a pretty cool name, I'll admit. And I like the boots. But I still think you oughta call it quits."
He zips up the bags, stands, and kicks them to the corner of the roof.
"Because you're just that unstoppable?" you ask, hands curling into fists.
"Yeah. But mostly 'cause I know you're made for so much more than this, sweetheart."
And that is the third and perhaps most bewildering thing about your encounters with Red Hood: you've gotten the creeping feeling that he... likes you.
Which is ridiculous, and if you ever breathed a word of that to anybody, Batman would probably check you into Arkham.
You take another careful step forward. Hood leans against the railing and folds his arms.
"This the part where you apprehend and hogtie me for innocently packing a duffel bag?" he asks.
You glare. "Innocent? I know you're making a weapons delivery because I know you've been waiting for Batman to be off-planet to make it."
"Clever. Told ya you're too good for this," Hood says. "Should be in college with those smarts, not playing maid for Batman."
"Are you lecturing me?"
"I'm advising you as your friendly neighborhood drug lord. Lecturing makes me sound like a guy who's got too much money and too big of a savior complex to understand that the way he fights injustice is fundamentally flawed."
"Sounds personal."
Hood laughs. "Honey, you have no idea."
You strike.
Hood parries your first attack easily, which you expect. The truth is that whoever trained Hood cut no corners and you're still relatively new at vigilantism. It's only by the grace of God that Hood hasn't left you to bleed out on a roof.
You kick his shin, but Hood turns on the instep and blocks. You go for his shoulder, where his armor separates to give him more movement. But Hood's ready for that too, and he catches your arm.
"Gotta keep that right arm up," he says. "Surprised no one's trained that outta you yet."
You elbow Hood in the throat. He coughs and lets go.
"Like that?" you ask, muscles tense with adrenaline.
Hood makes a sound that might be a laugh, still choked from your hit. "Just like that, honeylove. Good job."
"I don't need feedback," you snap, immediately going back in for another hit.
"Sorry. I'll make this quick then. I do have a delivery."
On the next strike, you advance, using a technique Nightwing drilled into your head for bigger opponents. Hood goes down and you land atop him.
"Oh, that's a Nightwing takedown if I've ever seen one," Hood says beneath you.
You're close enough that you can hear his breathing through the decoder. Pride swells in you at taking him down. Not even Batman has managed such a thing.
Hood is warm and big. His shoulder span alone dwarfs you. When you'd seen him from afar, fighting Batman or Nightwing, you'd been terrified.
But now, perhaps stupidly, you feel comfortable. Annoyed, but safe. Something about him reminds you of home. Makes your stomach flip in a good way.
Which is terrifying.
"You're coming with me," you say, reaching for your cuffs.
"If only. Unfortunately, you've forgotten a teensy weensy detail, dearest."
Hood bucks you off, legs first. Your feet fly into the air, which allows him to flip your positions. You wince, preparing for a concussion upon impact as you go down. But Hood cushions your fall and neatly rolls you over. Your back is pressed into the concrete, hands locked over your head. Hood's weight holds down your hips and legs.
He looms over you, easily holding you down. Your face grows hot.
"How did—" You squirm in his grip. "I had you!"
"Weight distribution, sweets. Tell Al—one of the Bats to add weight to your boots. They keep you light on your feet, but you were depending on them too much to hold me down, and we ain't evenly matched there."
You thrash in his grip. "Hood, I swear to fucking—"
"Easy. Don't sweat it, sweetheart. You haven't been doing this for very long. That was a good takedown, regardless. I'm impressed."
"Screw you."
He hums. You can tell he's smiling under the helmet. "Sorry, I forgot. You don't like feedback."
Hood strokes the inside of your wrist. You aren't sure he's aware he's doing it. His grip is firm but light. He's not trying to hurt you. Your pulse is in your throat.
For a moment, you're both still. Hood seems caught in a trance, like even Superman couldn't tear him away from this moment. From you. And it's not that you're afraid, you're just... you're...
"How do you know so much about me?" you blurt, because it's puzzled the whole team. "You been spying on me?"
"'Course not. Unlike your boss, I respect privacy. No, I did research. I recognized you from when you'd hang around that second Robin. Shrimpy little guy. What'd ya even see in him?"
The grief overtakes you before you can control your mouth.
"You don't know anything about me or him," you spit. "Don't fucking talk about him. He had more skill and goodness in his pinkie than you'll have in a lifetime. And you could learn a thing from him about changing a city. He'd tell you that fear alone never works."
Hood is quiet for a long moment. Then he speaks.
"Where's your distress signal?"
"Why would I tell—"
Hood shifts over you, cutting off your reply. He pulls a ziptie around your wrists. They're not even a little tight. You could probably slip out of them if you had five minutes.
"I know you're not s'posed to be out tonight," he whispers in your ear. "'S not your patrol night. Good thing you're my favorite."
You nearly swallow your tongue. "How do you—I don't—"
"Uh-huh. So you be good from now on, yeah? Wouldn't wanna have to keep tying you up like this."
You lift your chin. "We'll switch positions soon enough."
Hood snorts. "Okay, I know you heard how that soun—"
"I heard it," you say grumpily. "Just get on with it. Jerk."
"As you wish. Distress signal?"
"Collar."
Hood presses the button under your collar. Your breath hitches as his gloved fingers graze your neck.
"Oh? Does somebody like getting pinned down?"
"In your dreams."
Hood laughs. He zipties your ankles last, then sits you upright against the railing.
"Not too tight, are they?" he asks. "I know you've got a circulation problem."
You squint. "You seem to know a lot about me. Not fair that I don't know much about you, Hood."
"'S just business, honeylove," he says, scooping up his duffel. "Now I don't wanna see you in a suit anymore, comprende?"
"Or you'll what? Shoot me?"
Hood pauses, eerily still. He turns those glowing white eyes upon you. Your heart picks up.
"No," he says, so serious it startles you. "But someone else might. And I don't want you to face the same fate as your good friend Robin."
He vaults over the railing before you can respond. Your head thunks lightly as you lean back and wonder if you're really just business to the Red Hood.
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