Why Jason’s Morality And Ethics Is So Personally Interesting Is Because It’s Established In-universe

I think “Mastermind” could have been a stronger episode if the trial focused on the fact that Stolas’ incompetence has led to humans discovering the existence of Heaven and Hell.

In the past, there have been alluded to consequences about I.M.P creating a commotion up top and not being careful, so why not have that finally come back to bite everyone in “Mastermind”? But, what do I mean by saying it’s the fault of Stolas, you may ask? After all, it was I.M.P who did their business without being properly careful, right?

That’s still technically on Stolas.

Alright, consider the other two times we see Hell-born doing a job up top, that being Barbie-Wire and the succubi. Both parties not only had a way to get there, but a human disguise as well. Presumably, Barbie-Wire and the succubi were given both Asmodean crystals and human disguised by their employers, because you know they’re supposed to be discreet and all. We could also assume they all got some form of training on how to act, too. Why am I bringing this up though?

It’s because Stolas irresponsibly let I.M.P have access to the living world without training or human disguises!

A high-ranking Goetia prince gave access to his grimoire, and that was all he did, presumably with an assumption they would be careful. And then in the D.H.O.R.K.S episode, he just leaves the two head agents alive! Two humans who have knowledge about Hell being a thing are just hand-waved away by him, simply stating that nobody would believe them. No wiping their minds or anything, they’re just left there!

Which comes back to bite everyone because those two had actual evidence that was believed, and now they’re working to open a portal to Hell. Even after that episode and “Seeing Stars”, Stolas doesn’t give them human disguises, even after Blitzø had asked about getting some earlier.

Tl;Dr of it all is that Stolas is responsible for I.M.P’s actions up top and them not being properly careful. Mostly because he didn’t give them the resources needed other than the book.

Ok, but how would Andrealphus know all about this?

That…actually comes with a bit of a rewrite. So imagine if Andrealphus, after Stella won’t get anything from the divorce, sends out an imp to spy and regularly report back to him about Stolas (and eventually I.M.P’s) actions through one of his tail feathers. In this rewrite, Andrealphus has the ability to see things through his tail feathers, making the fact that he’s a peacock matter in the narrative.

So through his spy (sent after the events of “Western Energy”) Andrealphus learns that Stolas gave the grimoire away to be used. But not only that, the spy sees the fight with the cherubs, as well as them leaving via portal that doesn’t look like a standard one used often in Hell, and it doesn’t look like something Heaven would use either. So the spy brings back their findings, which Andrealphus brings to the Sins. An investigation is then launched (presumably during the time period between “Apology Tour” and “Ghostf**kers”), and a lot of damning evidence is found by the agents that were sent (presumably by Satan).

So, that’s when the trial is set up, and both I.M.P and Stolas are brought in. Several things are properly brought to light, Stolas is found guilty (but I.M.P got off scott-free, a rarity in Hell), and he’s striped of his title, legions, everything. Satan states that it’s a fitting punishment, since he can’t be trusted with his former position and the responsibility that vmcomes with it. And Octavia’s still 17, so Andrealphus temporarily serves as a regent until the day of her 18th birthday. Meanwhile, the Sins go to talk about just how bad the damage is, and what they can do to fix it.

Maybe one of them suggests bringing Lucifer in, but that’s shot down by Satan, alluding to how Lucifer hasn’t gotten involved in the state of affairs in Hell for a while now.

…So that’s my vague idea for a rewrite that I think makes a better episode. What do y’all think?

Sorry I had to do this xD Petey with his last opponent: Grampa!

wow. damn. i really cant believe i have to clarify this but godamn

the shit before spyral where bruce forced dick to go to spyral? that was not a spar

the fact that people believe it was a spar is insane to me. pretty sure you agree to fight each other when you have a spar. you want to spar, thats why you spar. thats a spar. a spar definitely doesn't happen right after your heart stopped and you were literally kidnapped by an evil justice league from another universe and 1. you're not in a condition to spar 2. you didn't want to spar in the first place.

and bruce didn't really convince dick to go. he forced him. 'convincing' doesn't involve physical hurt against the person. convincing someone means persuading them, and persuading means using reasoning and arguments. Reasoning does not in fact involve punching someone and throwing them across a room.

And arguably, yes, bruce did use words to tell dick why he had to go, but it was never 'can you go' it was always 'you will go'. and yeah, that's a him problem, and even if we don't touch that right now-

bruce used coercion. you can speak words all you want, but using force immediately made it coercion. that's as simple as that.

yall. yall.

new bill introduced to nulify OSHA. OSHA.

congress.gov

H.R.86 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): NOSHA Act

Summary of H.R.86 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): NOSHA Act

Even the goddamn magats are upset.

Someone PLEASE save the jaykyle tag in ao3 we are so starved im gonna go insane

Anyways so Bruce Wayne is an overgrown manchild with attachment and control issues and hitting your kids, even if they are adults, is fucked up.

The Robins & co are not often possessed in a way that "justifies" beating them.

Just because the "adult batkid" swings first (usually because Bruce is being preemptively shitty, like lying to them and forcing them to the place they died at to re-trigger them about their death, or having secretly faked their death after their real actual temporary death and forcing them to submit to pretending to be dead and going undercover on a mission he wants them to go on, to pick some non-random examples) does not mean subsequently beating them into submission isn't abusive as he has a position of emotional power over them.

Additionally, there are ways to abuse your kids without beating them. Such as Tim's 16th birthday thing. Everything Bruce did to Stephanie pretty much. Isolating them (multiple incidents of this including the 16th birthday thing, the implications that Bruce doesn't want Robin!Jason to work with the Teen Titans, Stephanie again, his general stance that Cass doesn't need to get involved in more civilian things because "she isn't interested" & encouraging her worst habits). Pressuring Duke operate in the suit Bruce gave him despite his personal preferences being something else might not be strictly "abusive" bit it's definitely over-controlling of him.

And look I don't give a fuck what in-universe justifications there are. if the person you have power over, adult or child, stops hitting back, you really don't have any fucking excuse if you keep beating them (RHATOv2 25, I think the dick thing was still in forever evil, right? or was that the beginning of Grayson?). I'm still not over the "I wasn't beating my kids I taught them a coded language that I was sending them messages by hitting them." <- not a normal thing!! No I don't care that they're vigilantes no one else in-universe does that shit!!! FUCKING NO ONE!!!

And! I mean there are instances where that's the case like Dick cussing Bruce out about Jason's death and Bruce punched him. Yeah I'm familiar with visual symbolism and what that was meant to do at the time, that doesn't change the fact that when we get further patterns of the behavior, the context stops fucking mattering. (Uhh, didn't he also hit Tim after Catwoman left him at the altar? I don't really read for him often so idr.)

God, other people probably could go on in more detail and my recollection here might not be perfect bcs for once I'm not just going and pulling up every fucking source like I normally would, sue me I'm sick, but hoooly fucking shit. "Yeah he hit them but it wasn't abuse" that's really the take you're going with here??? That's really the take you're fucking going with here????

Two Goddess OCs I made a couple of years ago that I’m planning to redesign. I have a fondness for them, but there’s a lot I could do to make them better

new ebbits! new site!

Go watch this. NOW.