Latest Posts by toobytoobs - Page 6

So with Cass going to her happy place (that is, Steph) one more time, and all the analysis around it right now, I thought it might also be good to talk about Steph's vision of Cass.

As far as I recall, it only happened once -- in Batgirl (2000) #26 -- and it was a very mixed portrayal. For context, I think it's important to remember that this is still very early in their relationship -- this is only the fourth interaction we've actually seen on-panel, in fact, and the first was barely an interaction at all.

And yet it seems that Steph has already embraced Cass in a way that Cass has not yet embraced Steph. In their third interaction, Cass has accidentally almost killed Shadow Thief, and Steph helps her resuscitate him and then immediately agrees not to tell Oracle about what happened. No reservation whatsoever -- a crying, guilty, terrified Cass doesn't even manage to find the words to ask exactly what she wants before Steph understands and gives it to her.

And here, in their fourth interaction, Cass doesn't even know it's occurring. She's recovering from her fight to the death with Shiva, and is asleep for the entirely of the issue. But Steph is extremely concerned about her (moreso than Babs, but to be fair to Babs, she has a lot more experience with how Cass is and is probably just relieved that she's actually resting), despite the fact that they really barely know each other at this point.

Steph goes out to fight Shiva's disciple in Cass's stead, because Cass is still indisposed. She's gung-ho at the start, but upon seeing her opponent, gets cold feet and starts to lose faith in herself. Here's where the Cass-vision starts.

Look at Imaginary Cass hyping her up. She's even smiling under the mask, which isn't something Steph has ever seen her do on-panel. Note how articulate Cass is. At this point in her development, Cass didn't communicate this way. She didn't use long sentences, smoothly strung together, with anyone, and she didn't use them with Steph in particular. In fact, here's the extent of what Cass has said to Steph directly on-panel so far, in their entire relationship: Become faster. Read it. (multiple times) No. (multiple times) When? Quiet. (multiple times) Go home. Then we wait. You take the train. I take the car. Kinsey is here. Get down. The money. Trade? Why? Let's go. Help me. And of course, the above interaction about Shadow Thief. Obviously, not only does Actual Cass have very little to say to Steph, she certainly doesn't have anything encouraging to say! She's outright dismissive of her, at best. And that's just how Cass is as this point in her development -- her speech abilities are still limited, her social development is stunted, and she's just not a cuddly person in general. Combat, and getting the job done, are of utmost importance to her. She's not intentionally cruel, she's just very blunt and calls it like she sees it, and she's like that with pretty much everyone. So we have Imaginary Cass, speaking and behaving in a very un-Cass-like manner... and Steph actually having a conversation with this imaginary Cass out loud. It's a little weird, but it's very in-character for Steph, who is extremely talkative and thrives on interaction. Babbling seems to be an anxiety response for her. She already has a tendency to narrate her own experiences via her diary, so I think it's not a stretch to say that she might try to talk through her own anxiety with herself by imagining that self-conversation being with Cass instead. This differs from Cass's hallucinations in that Steph isn't dead, dying, or drugged. She's wide awake, and she seems to know that Cass is imaginary, because she even recognizes the fact that Cass doesn't normally speak this way to her. Imaginary Cass is just a vehicle for expressing what she's trying to tell herself -- much like Steph will later be a vehicle for Cass to express her feelings to herself in Batgirl (2024) #5. But here we are later, when Steph begins to feel like she's failing:

Imaginary Cass turns disparaging, taunting her, saying all the things that Steph clearly feels about herself: she's not good enough, they were wrong to put their faith in her, she's failed, she's going to die, and worse -- other people are going to die because of her failure, too. (It's worth noting that, in retrospect, this ends up sounding like an entirely unintentional foreshadowing of War Games.) This makes Steph mad (seriously, look how angry her silly mask blob eyes are) and motivates her to ultimately win the battle. Steph gets a lot of motivation from spite, and in this case it's probably helpful that the disparagement is seeming to come from "someone else" (namely imaginary Cass) instead of from herself. It's easier to spite other people than to spite yourself. It's easier to be motivated to prove them wrong. Again, Cass is a vehicle for Steph's internal monologue -- it becomes a dialogue instead, in a way that is helpful to her in the end.

Then there's one more vision:

Look at Steph's face. Just for an instant, she's so happy. She clearly admires Cass, and has expressed it on multiple occasions ever since they met. She's in awe. And she desperately needs someone to believe in her, and be proud of her. If Batgirl, the girl who beat Lady Shiva, could be proud of her, then wouldn't that mean the world?

But it's not to be.

At least not yet.

Billy, talking to a war criminal like Mr Mind: “Hey! Can you please stop that?”

Billy, talking to his siblings after they mildly annoyed him: “do that again and I’ll fucking end you and your bloodline”

Let him have that Cain instinct

With the ides of march fast approaching we must be prepared

Please reblog to make sure everyone is equipped!

billy batson and tawky tawny 😭😭😭😭😭

Canonically we know that Cass pictures what Steph would tell her in those dire moments where she needs to make sense of her emotions

But what if she pictures Steph in those not-so-dire moments too. Like Steph is just the stopper in all her impulsive thoughts

Cass: *sniffs a bath bomb*

Cass: Ooh. Smells like cupcakes.

Steph's voice in her head: Don't.

Cass: *lifts it to her mouth*

Steph with a metaphorical spray bottle: No! Bad girl! Put that down!

Cass, pouting: Fine.

see it’s funny because those ‘what if jason or tim were actually biologically related to cass’ AUs are the type of silly fandom cooking that i actually enjoy it’s just i can’t enjoy it in This fandom because every single one of those is just a way to interject tim or jason into cass’s backstory to give them more whumpies and they never like. actually care about cass as a character

Sure, boss, I’d still be ya henchman if you was a woim

i do think it’s funny how cass’s parental issues are so insane that shiva wasn’t even involved in her life until she was an adult and was literally challenging her to death matches and Actually Killed Her Once but david has set the bar so fucking low that shiva still wins the better bio parent award on account of Not Showing Up

reporter: we heard you had a soft spot for tigers, how do you feel about the fact that they're going extinct?

marvel: the day all tigers dies is the the day I'm gonna kill myself.

reporter:

marvel:

the JL concern:

Marvel: “What? It’s true.”

Flash: “But why??”

Supes: “Cap, surely you could find another favorite animal…?”

*silence*

Marvel: *disgust*

Supes: *looks ashamed and floats away*

Marvel: “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Wondy: “Brother, you didn’t answer Flash’s question. Why would you kill yourself over tigers?”

Marvel: “Why wouldn’t I? They’re the bestest animal in the world.” *completely serious*

GL: “Yeah, but does being the bestest animal in the world really warrant that.”

*silence*

Marvel: *disgust again*

GL: *ashamed too*

Marvel: “Anyways… there’s also the fact one of my bestest friends is a tiger too. If they all went extinct, that would include him.”

Reporter: “You have a friend who’s tiger?”

Marvel: “Yes, his name is Tawky Tawny and he’s a gentleman.”

GL and Flash: “Wait, but I thought we were your best friends?”

Marvel: “You guys are. You’re my best human friends. Mary and Junior are my best family friends, and Tawny is my best non-human friend.”

GL and Flash: “Oh. Sweet!” *do little victory dance together*

Marvel: *looks back to the Reporter* “So yeah, if anything were to happen to tigers I would kill myself— actually no I wouldn’t.

Reporter: “Pardon-” *now thinks that everything he said earlier about kms-ing was a joke*

Marvel: “Yeah, no. I would probably die of grief, like an elephant.”

Reporter: “…Oh.”

Marvel: “I would also probably die of grief like an elephant if elephants were to die too. Scratch that, any animal besides wasps.”

Marvel proceeded to yap for like twenty minutes about which animals he’d die of grief over like an elephant for.

Autistic Saiki headcanon from an autistic

Although it’s not really a headcanon because it does happen in canon

Saikis telepathy is a form of AAC

AAC is augmentative and alternative communication which is communication other than talking

This can include communication cards, devices like tablets with text to speech programs, or body language and gestures

And, if you ask me, telepathically beaming your thoughts directly into others heads fits under that category

We also see him use other forms of AAC in the show, mainly gesturing or facial expressions, instead of talking. It can be seemingly simple things, like when he points at a menu item rather than asking for it aloud

I think it would be cool to see him use other forms of AAC especially in times when he is unable to use his telepathy

Like imagine Kusuke doing his whole big reveal of the device he made that makes him immune to Kusuo’s telepathy and has his whole what are you going to do now attitude

And Kusuo just holds up a hand in the gesture of “one moment please” before going into his pocket or bag and pulling out a small tablet

Kusuke having to stand there semi awkwardly as he waits for Kusuo to get it turned on, opens the program, and types in his message

Then looks directly as Kusuke as he hits the enter button and the text to speech feature reads out: Bitch

And then sibling bickering continues as usual

New gender-neutral bathroom just dropped

Batman dog owner vs Superman cat owner

the neurodivergent experience:

20% of the time: wowwieee!!! i love my passions and interests!!!!! they make me so happy i want to jump up and down!!!!! weee!!!!!!! :3333333333

80% of the time: this mind is a prison

Cass slipping up and initially calling David Cain her father before quickly just using his name instead. Oh you want so badly to be defined solely by the family you have chosen and not your biological parents and yet your instincts will not stop betraying you.

Can we talk about how Cass refers to herself as "manipulative" in Batgirl #5? Like, it struck me as so weird for a second because in my mind it didn't fit how David had trained her. She was a weapon, not an infiltrator... until I remembered how she killed Faizul.

It wasn't just with her superior skills, David dressed her up as a cute and harmless little girl to get close to her target and Cass is putting that act of manipulation on herself.

Billy, whose parents died from being crushed by rocks in a buried tomb, watching as the wizard is killed by a massive rock falling onto him: oh…

Billy, whose parents died from being crushed by rocks in a buried tomb, watching as the wizard is killed by a massive rock falling onto him: oh…

Billy, whose parents died from being crushed by rocks in a buried tomb, watching as the wizard is killed by a massive rock falling onto him: oh…

Clark Kent: *tossing his functionally indestructible baby hundreds of feet up into the air*

BB Jon: higher!!

Clark: okay!! *throws him again*

BB Jon: higher higher!!!

Clark: haha okay! *throws him right up into the stratosphere*

BB Jon: again!!

Clark: you want to go higher?

BB Jon: !!! yes!

Clark: *throws him up even higher*

Clark: *waiting for his baby to come back down*

Clark:

Clark:

Clark:

Clark:

Clark: oh no

Duke Thomas Meta List

Ones without a credited author are from me!

Character

Duke's Resolve by redjaybathood

Duke is Not (Really) Nice by himejoshiangels

Duke and Emotional Repression by 5-7-9

Fanon Extremes by strawberrytalia

Duke and Self-Reliance by himejoshiangels

Personal Responsibility by dukethomas

Relationships

Duke's Views on Jason by batboopp

Duke & Damian

Duke & Tim

Duke is a Dick Hater

Duke is Dick's Successor by mattiebluebird

Duke & Bruce

Is Duke in Bruce's Care? by duketectivecomics

Robin / We Are Robin

Duke & The Robin Mantle

Robin and the Making of American Adolescence by Lauren R. O'Conner; screenshotted by 5-7-9

Thoughts on We Are Robin by millylotus

Meta Powers

Summary of Duke's Abilities by dukes-cassettetape

On Duke Being a Meta by arellas

Elaine Thomas

The Karma Incident by himejoshiangels

Extras

Duke in Wayne Family Adventures

Duke is Shaped By Love by ungodlybliss

How Old is Duke? by duketectivecomics

Not all of these are comprehensive and some slightly contradict others, but I find them all interesting and valuable discussions about Duke. If you don't know Duke at all or haven't read his comics, I recommend starting with the Character section!

I will be updating this whenever I find another meta so feel free to send any my way :).

Who invented autism?

The famous Italian inventor, Leoneuro di Vergent.

Updated version of Boy Who Cried Wolf but there are actual wolves every single time and no one ever believes the boy - they get closer and closer every time he tries to warn them, until it's too late and the whole town screams at the boy for not warning them "enough", and blame him for the wolves at their door.

worldbuilding: the threequel

one | two

Y’know that TikTok audio of that guy pointing at different people going “Daddy issues. Daddy issues! Chaos junkie, Mommy issues! MORE daddy issues. Obnoxious ASSHOLE issues. And YOU!… you seem kind of weirdly self-actualized as far as I can tell”?

Yeah, all of those apply to Cassandra Cain depending on which character you ask

Not where you grew up. Not where you’ll be living soon. Where you’re living right now.

Zombieworld AU (1)

A/N: As promised! I'm not sure how many people saw the original bit of the game, but shoutout to @monachosis who was the first on interacting with this post!

No one expected Billy to survive, is the thing.

As one of the smaller kids on the street and with little strength to speak of, he'd never gotten to keep the nicer hideaway spots in the city.

He hadn't been able to stay in homeless shelters much either; They'd always ask why he was alone or they'd try and call social services on him.

His odds had been stark, laid out plain like that - small and weak and with no way to find a reliable place to eat or sleep.

Billy wouldn't have bet on himself either when the first wave hit.

But he does.

Survive that is.

Squished under a small pocket in a demolished building, a little lean-to he'd dug out for himself with his ratty backpack hugged to his chest and just about all his clothes on for warmth, he'd been too deep down, too difficult to reach, too insignificant a target when the whole world went to hell.

Billy remembers that first night in flashes. Remembers waking from his uncomfortable dozing to screeching tires and screams.

The bits of the sky he'd seen through the gaps between crumbling concrete and rebar had glowed a dull red, and there'd been an awful, thick stench of burning petrol in the air.

A car accident. He'd thought so simply at first.

But it had kept happening. Louder and louder and all over the place.

Desperate screaming and things breaking and this raw, savage sound in the background accompanying everything - Billy remembers that he'd thought of the dog he'd seen once, with rabies.

All slavering and thoughtless and violent to anything and everything that came close.

Just like that, but everywhere and instead of the way the dog had let him be when Billy had gotten far enough, whatever it was, was attacking everything.

Billy remembers shaking, hands clasped around his nose and mouth, with shallow vents between his fingers for air, lungs heaving rapid and shallow.

Had it been instinct, then? Something prey-like in his hindbrain telling him not to make a sound.

His heart gone rabbit-quick, slamming against his ribcage.

More and more screaming, people begging and a wet tearing all overlayed by that awful, awful savage sound filtered down to Billy.

His mind had gone blank.

How long he'd stayed like that, Billy hadn't known, but eventually the sky brightened - dull red fading to black then purples and then lightening to blue sky and Billy had stayed like that until the bits of the sky through the gaps stung to look at and everything was getting uncomfortably warm.

Billy remembers thinking later or trying to think anyway that he'd made the right choice, so to speak.

Getting out would have taken precious minutes and would have left his back to open air as he leveraged himself out.

Plus, he'd had no idea what was out there. He wouldn't have been able to help anyone.

Hiding had been his best bet.

Like a coward.

Billy had dug himself out of the building's remains, telling himself that and stepped out into a world completely changed.