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[theycallme-ook]

So much in fandom could be helped if folks would just remember that fictional characters are not people and never will be.

[theycallme-ook]

Complaint I'm sure someone has had before but why the fuck would Diana name her daughter Lizzie

[theycallme-ook]

Ofc the trans queer neurodivergent website loves Kit from Jentry Chau vs the Underworld

[theycallme-ook]

If the world was beautiful karababs would be the more popular superbat ship

[theycallme-ook]

Ok I'll be able to explain this better in a fic than I can via essay but I don't see Cass and Terry's approaches to Batman as, like, analogous if that makes sense?

Like, when I've seen ppl have them interact it's always w Cass bringing her standards and philosophy about Batman to Terry via training or preaching or whatever (not that I'm arguing against that tbc. She would, and should, do exactly that). The symbol means so much to her and she holds others to that just as much as she holds herself to it. But as interesting as that is, I've never seen ppl acknowledge the inverse and I think that means you're missing out on another layer of interest.

The problem as I see it is thus: the symbol of the bat does not mean the same thing to both characters. And both of them being famously stubborn, I don't think they'll suddenly budge on their ideas just bc a stranger tells them to.

What do I mean by this? Well, for Cass the bat, even removed from Bruce, is redemption. It's forgiveness. It's salvation. It's the power to be good enough to save everyone, do anything, fix everything. She holds herself to an impossible standard and refuses grace. No one else dies. Not on her watch. No criminal is irredeemable bc that would mean she is irredeemable. She always sees herself as just as bad, in a way, as the villains she is willing to die to stop every night.

For Terry the bat also means redemption, but not in such a manic way. For him it's a chance to right his wrongs, make a difference and be a force for good in his community. He's not so worried about external validation. He doesn't psychologically need every killer to be redeemed. As the late great Dwayne McDuffy said, "Bruce's goal is to stop crime. Terry's goal is to help people." He and Cass have radically different approaches to the same mantle that aren't going to mesh 1-1 and I think it's unfair to both to hold them to the other's standard. Apples and oranges, yk?

And another major factor is that they come from radically different worlds as well. Cassandra comes from a setting already full of heroes, where there's a hope and lightness to the air. She sees Batman for the first time and feels hope. When they meet in no man's land he's entrenched in his mission and she's excited to join it. She sees him as someone who will never back down from the cause, never waver on his morals, holds himself to the standards she wants and will hold her to it as well. Terry's first experience with Batman is disappointment. He's born after the man already retired. The age of heroes is long over. Bruce is alone. He meets a man who's abandoned his mission and refuses to do anything about the murder of Terry's father. Terry is not saved by the bat, he's saved by a cynical old man who has to be convinced to hope again. They don't know the same Bruce Wayne. They don't know the same Batman. Cassandra's bat would never in a million years ask her to kill one man if it meant saving the world. Terry's bat already pressed a chunk of kryptonite into his hand and did

So idk I just don't think those experiences are neatly comparable

[theycallme-ook]

Ranking of parental trauma among the bats (in terms of how much of the trauma that was influenced by or surrounds their parents has been shown to affect them):

Cassandra

Bruce

Dick

Damian

Stephanie

Duke

Jason

Tim

Barbara

[theycallme-ook]

This bhm I'd like to share w y'all these independent zines, esp the ebony tomatoes collective, which showcases the writing and art of Black queer creatives. You can follow the insta link to their page (and the post you see above shows other great magazines) and find their archive here! I've found some very moving poetry through them and I'd love for y'all to give it a read♥️

[theycallme-ook]

I think many ppl go their entire lives never fully processing the fact that comedy is it's own form of information delivery and being funny is a skill that must be built up through conscious dissection and practice and that jokes don't exist in a vacuum of untouchable singularity which is how we get so many ppl saying "it's just a joke bro" or finding the TV show friends genuinely hilarious on the 5th watch through or repeating "the character love waffles!!!" as if that's funny over and over

Being funny requires effort. It requires an acceptance of feedback. It requires rounds of trial and error to figure out what hits where and when with what audience. It requires a very detailed understanding of the world around you and every interaction therein. It requires awareness of culture. It requires knowing your audience and being able to fine tune your delivery to meet their understanding. To be an effective comic is to be an effective rhetorician. And maybe taking a writing 101 class ffs