Hey! Hey you!
Yes, you! The person who thinks too much about comic book characters and deep dives into esoteric subjects in order to create a free work of art?
How's your typing speed? How quickly could you learn a new way to type? Do you like knowing things, often terrible things, that other people don't? Can you bear the weight of both banality and daily tragedy? Does the idea of a stressful job make you bare your teeth in a feral grin, welcoming the challenge?
Do you get fed up with the American court systems? Does the frustration of injustice and the feeling of helplessness choke you out at night?
Now is a fantastic time to look into the field of a Stenographer, or a Court Reporter.
Every court case must be legally and accurately documented and frankly there aren't enough stenographers to go around. Especially since a great number of them will be moving into retirement age in the coming years.
It's a no-breaker that the government is on fire, but we can't just shut it down until a roiling mass of different peoples somehow agree on a better way to get shit done. There are people in the now who need to have their cases heard sooner rather than later and Court Reporters are essential to that happening.
***I'm not claiming that this is or has ever been my job, either! There's like one person on this site who has confirmation of at most which state I lived in years ago and that's because we're personal email-level friends. Please be careful about what info you share on the Internet.
***That being said, I've held some fairly atypical jobs over the years and so have many friends of mine. They can be honestly fun to talk about and it's always fun to make someone realize that yes, that thing would have to be a job, that's an actual job thing to do. And I like to talk up my friends' wild experiences as well!
I HAVE SPENT. TOO LONG. TRYING TO WORD THIS PROMPT PROPERLY.
Seriously, I have three drafts and one of them is basically me just writing the fic myself...
By the time Jason is ready to be legally revived as a Wayne, the world - and Gotham, in particular - is NOT going to accept the excuse of a coma or amnesia. What they ARE going to accept is the excuse:
"Batman's cult-themed enemies used magic and science to raise me from the dead to use me as a way to stop Brucie Wayne from funding him. But I'm a bad Gotham bitch and I escaped my Rogue Origin Story. Also they cloned me, and that's why the Red Hood gets away with so much - Bruce is trying to adopt him, too, but Batman kinda has dibs on morally dubious antiheroes, so there's a custody fight."
"Yeah, they aged Hood up and planted him in Gotham before I made it home. It took me awhile, I was dodging assassins! No, he didn't know he was a clone until we met by accident when he rescued me from a mugging and turning it into a kidnapping. Yeah, the cult messed with his memories; we spent like four days going over everything."
"No, I've never subbed in as his body double, I'm traumatized by my narrow escape from supervillainy. Yes, we keep in touch."
DC world is used to weird shit by now; one guy dipping out of the enforced supervillain arc a cult planned for him would be mildly remarkable. Maybe he'd go on the Daily Show or give a few interviews about the experience.
My immediate reaction was "No, leave that old man alone; he is an angry gem who encourages children and has high standards for adults who claim to be professionals" and then I realized how Batman coded that sentence was and needed to sit down.
And then I remembered that he also has an estranged brother who has attacked him, or threatened his family, I think, maybe? And now I'm vibing with the concept of Gordon Ramsay having a vigilante alter-ego in the DC world.
I've given enough angst lately. Have something amusing:
Chef Bernard Dowd on Hell's Kitchen.
Imagine it, please. Imagine Tim gripping with bloody hands to the shreds of his self-control, trying not to physically attack Chef Gordan Ramsey for yelling at Bernard for fucking up the risotto.
Damn, I'm gonna hafta stop joking that Batman's a furry because after some thought, that's a disrespectful joke. Batman is clearly not a fursona and I should know better than to kink shame like that anyway.
For the authors and the curious
LISTEN UP MOTHER FUCKERS
SEE THIS WEBSITE?
ITS CALLED WOLFRAM ALPHA
THIS IS THE BEST GODDAMN WEBSITE FOR ACADEMIC SHIT. FUCK GOOGLE.
THIS MOTHERFUCKER WILL LET YOU SEARCH “HOSPITAL BEDS IN CHAD VS. IRAN”
AND IT GIVES YOU A STRAIGHT GODDAMN ANSWER
MAYBE YOU’RE NOT INTERESTED IN DOCTORNESS OF THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES COOL SHIT
HAVING TROUBLE WITH MATH?
HOLY SHIT
OR MAYBE YOU WANNA DICK AROUND
WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT
Screaming, cackling, joyous!
There's just something enthralling about these two. Especially Tim serving his malicious compliance response to the "Where were you?". It's peak. He loves his family, he doesn't like when they pry into his business, they have all had many conversations about hiding injuries. Now Tim selectively over shares and it's a power trip.
And just. Yes. Tim's laughing hysterically over his boyfriend accidentally shooting him during their kinky sexy times. That is the most true and appropriate response. I kept imagining them on that "Sex Sent Me to the ER" show, retelling this story and breaking down into giggles again.
...Tim is trans masc by default in my head so when Bernard said he'd get him pregnant... I'm just saying, Tim's dealt with a lot of time travel bs. His birth control could fail. He and Steph could have a very funny role reversal, going to the same Lamaze class she took, deciding that the Dead Robins Club is so last year - the Oops Baby Club is now the fun place to be.
I beg you for more Tim and Bernard being chaotic freaks
*Falls down twenty flights of stairs before pushing myself up* This could mean several things, and I will do each one! >:D
Suggestive content below, minors DNI or whatever.
—
Tim, sick, lying in bed: I'm gonna die.
Bernard, sitting next to him, checking his temperature: No, you're not.
Tim: Bet.
Bernard: Please, don't prove me wrong on this one.
Tim: Uuuuuugh...
Bernard: At least you look sexy when you're sick.
Tim: Do I not always look sexy?
Bernard: Oh, you definitely do, always, look sexy. But, I mean like this, your cheeks and thighs all flushed, and all sweaty and helpless and weak in bed...
Tim: Don't get any ideas.
Bernard: To late, I already have several.
Tim: . . . Are you supposed to have sex, when sick?
Bernard: Is that gonna stop us.
Tim: Hmm.. Nope.
—
(inspired by a short story @donkoogrr made for me :3 )
Jason, picking his phone up at two in the morning: Who the fuck is this?
Bernard: Uh, me, so, like, y'know how I asked to borrow a gun for things you did not wanna know about?
Jason: . . . What did you do?
Tim, laughing hysterically in the background:
Bernard: I shot Tim.
Jason: you diD WHAT!?
Bernard: I DIDN'T KNOW THE SAFETY WAS OFF!
Jason: YOU SHOT MY LITTLE BROTHER!? ACCIDENTALLY!?
Tim: IT WAS HOT!
Bernard: He's a bit hysterical?
Jason: Oh my GOD, WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME!?
Bernard: I SHOULDN'T LEGALLY HAVE A GUN AND ALSO THIS WOULD BE SO HARD TO EXPLAIN TO A 911 OPERATOR!
Tim, laughing harder in the background:
Bernard: I have a compression bandage on him..?
Jason: . . . I am on my way, but I swear if he dies from this I'm gonna throw him in a Lazarus pit only to give him an honorable death.
Jason: Oh, also, I'm telling Dick face about this.
Bernard: . . . F#&$.
Tim: Think we can finish up before he gets here and I bleed out?
Bernard, throwing a pillow at him: TIM!
Tim: I've been shot way worse!
—
Ransom girl, flirting with Tim at a gala despite being told several times he has a boyfriend:
Bernard, walking right up to Tim: It's done.
Tim, playing along: It's done?
Bernard: Yup. She's dead.
Tim: Good, good.
Random girl, watching with great confusion and slight fear as Bernard and Tim share a sweet kiss and walk away together:
*The rumors that the Wayne's are some sort of crime family don't get better after this...*
—
Bruce, after calling for an emergency meeting after a massive rogue breakout: I know this is last minute, but— where's Red Robin?
Tim, riding in on his bike:
Jason: Where the f#&$ were you?
Tim, looking around: Are there children present?
Dick: ??? No, Dami is still changing—
Tim: Good, I want you all to know I'm only half coherent, my brain is still fuzzy, and I'm still recovering from being choked out, carved up, humiliated, and defiled in the best ways possible, and I swear one of you better die to make up for what I'm missing out on tonight.
Dick:
Jason:
Bruce:
Tim: None of you wanna see what I look like under this costume right now.
Damian, walking in: Have I missed something? Oh, Timothy, you are here, finally. What took so long?
Tim: Sorry, was hanging out with Bear, y'know how clingy he is.
Damian: Tt, don't forget about your promise to take me to the zoo this weekend.
Tim: Wouldn't dare.
Dick: My baby brother...
—
Stephanie: . . . So, you and Tim are into some freaky stuff?
Bernard: We did not use olive oil, wooden spoon, or the kitchen for their intended purposes last night.
Stephanie: To scared to ask, but also me and Cass have been thinking of experimenting. Any tips?
Bernard: Several.
—
Bernard: You're mad at Bruce again?
Tim: Yeah, but it isn't that big a d—
Bernard, pulling his phone out: Say less.
Bernard, posting anonymously that he'd be getting Red Robin pregnant, one way or another:
Tim: Now what's that gonna do?
Bernard: Give Bruce a heart attack.
Tim: . . . What?
*Cue that night, Bruce begging Babs to tell him what rogue and or magic user is threatening to get his son pregnant and w h y ? ! *
Babs: Harley Quinn says she'd help plan the baby shower, Poison Ivy asked if they're doing a a gender reveal because she has ideas that were safe for the environment, Cat woman commented that she wanted to be the godmother and is currently fighting Spoiler through text for rights..? Nightwing has stated he's castrating anon, and Red Hood told them to watch out for Batman, he's always looking for new Robin's.
Bruce: I am so confused...
—
Tim, gesturing wildly to an entire wall full of case files and "evidence" while being sleep deprived: I'm connecting the pieces.
Bernard: Love dove, the pieces are not connecting.
Tim: They're connecting...
Bernard: What are you trying to solve exactly?
Tim, blinking slowly: I forgot after my eighteenth cup of coffee, but I'm close!
Bernard: Uh huh... Ready for bed?
Tim, whispering as he sticks a sticky note with a poor drawing of a chicken to the wall: Death before dishonor...
—
Tim: . . . Hey, bear?
Bernard, half awake: Mm?
Tim: I want grilled steak.
Bernard: . . . It's three in the morning, Timboo.
Tim: I know...
Bernard:
Tim:
Bernard, groaning as he gets up:
Tim: I love you.
Bernard: I love you more and this is proof.
—
Bernard: Uh... Tim?
Tim, setting down the twelfth cake: You said to pick up a cake.
Bernard: Yes. A cake. You bought twenty cakes!
Tim: I didn't know what flavor you wanted tonight!
Bernard: So you buy all of them?!
Tim: Except carrot cake! Because you don't like carrot cake.
Bernard: We have... So much cake.
Tim: I also bought brownies—
Bernard: Timothy!?
Tim: They're red velvet..?
—
Bernard: I am staring respectfully.
Tim, changing into his Red Robin uniform: You are not.
Bernard, looking him up and down slowly: So respectfully.
—
High school Bernard: I wear sunglasses so nobody knows where I'm looking.
Darla: . . . Bernard—
Tim, not paying attention as Bernard stares at his biceps:
Bernard: Shh...
Darla: This is not heterosexual behavior.
Bernard: No clue what you're talking about. Hey, Tim?
Tim: Yes, Stephanie is a real person.
Bernard: No, no, not about that.
Tim: No, I don't wanna hear the entire lore of Undertale again. And no, I don't care about your d#&$ size, no, you can't know mine either.
Bernard: . . . I'm gonna kick your a#$.
Tim: I welcome you to try, b#&$%.
Bernard, leaning in: I would have you pinned in seconds.
Tim, dropping his phone onto his desk now: Only if I let you.
Bernard: Would you?
Tim: Would I?
Darla: JUST F#&$ ALREADY!
—
I don't know how to look up the actual Tumblr thread so here's a Reddit screenshot of a Tumblr post. I am so down to see some cryptid batfam, I love seeing those chaotic worlds
BATFAMDON, I NEED ASSISTANCE
Firstly, I’m calling you the BatFamdom now
Secondly, I’m BOORRREEDD and wanna draw some furrified bat people sooo uhhh send me sum memes, art bases or random shit, either through reblogs or my inbox :3 TY <333
Hey, I want to share my brainrot.
Broke: Superman is actually a bad person who doesn't love his bi son Kon because he thinks the kid is going to be a future villain.
Woke: Superman is understandably standoffish to his nonconsensually created clone made to replace him when he was dead. Superman didn't step up when and how he should have - that doesn't mean he didn't have character growth and learn to love Kon, even if he have the kids a name that is a Kryptonian slur.
Bespoke: Superman would LOVE to get to know and mentor this new guy, but whenever he looks at the kid his lizard hindbrain registers DANGER and it freaks him out. He doesn't know why, there's just something intensely Uncanny Valley about Kon. Clark has never understood humans talking about creepy dolls or being afraid of mannequins until now and he doesn't know how to process it? He doesn't even know how to explain it because everyone around him is acting like Kon is perfectly normal and fine and safe and Superman's the asshole for never engaging with him.
Human scientists fucking around with alien DNA made it so that Kon is permanently sending out Aggression in subtle, Kryptonian-only ways. By scent or sub-vocalizations, or posture, or some other alien subconscious way, Kon is both peacefully hanging out with his friends and at the same time indicating that he's about to murder them. Neither Kon or Clark know this! Clark unlearned most of these instincts when he was being raised as human and is used to the people around him not hearing/seeing/tasting/smelling quite right. Until there's this guy here, serving these VIBES.
(about the slur name. Consider that Nightwing is Superman's dear friend and nephew. Consider that he calls himself Dick. Imagine if Clark named Kon "Kon" as a way to honor Dick and like, it's his genuine belief that future Kryptonian speakers will think of Kon as a name first and a slur second, because this person is going to be so amazing)
Comic book history is so much fun and such a fascinating way to measure the changes in society. In fact, it can be super interesting to measure any society by what censorship laws are in place at any point in time!
I'm not sure about OG Joker being gay, but I do know that sexual deviancy was not allowed to be shown, and since we queers are deviant by default, we weren't exactly in the spotlight.
If you're up for a good read, cbldf.org has a great article from 2012 by Joe Sergio. "Tales from the Code: How Much Did Things Change After the Enactment of the Comics Code of 1954?"
And Academia.edu is a fantastic resource for even more reading!
Me, skimming pages of Batman year one and two, with Jaybin: . . . The f#&% you mean Batman has killed before in self defense? •-•
WHAT!!!??? BATMAN HAS KILLED PEOPLE!?!?!? ._.
This... This messed with my character analysis so much.
WHAT. DO. YOU. MEAN?!
"I'm glad they're dead!" Careful, Jason, the writers took that singular comment and haven't let it go since.
Also, just shout out to Jaybin for being all cute and >:/ and :D
(Art is by the amazing @dahtwitchi. This is a freeform collab with no real goal)
Madara snarls, just barely stopping himself from wrenching Tobirama's foot away from his face, still very mindful of how he himself would react if this was his Tobi. What the actual fuck?
"I don't have a goddamn problem with blindness; I have a problem with you hurting yourself, you idiot! We all saw what happened to your arms when you took the seals off, and you said yourself that wounds don't always heal correctly. Being blind doesn't matter!" He grits his teeth and risks a glance at his Tobi, who seems to be coming out of subspace as a result of the wildly flowing chakra.
Madara clamps down on his own, forcing it under his control. The youngest one is still under and that...that's probably for the best right now. His Tobi can keep him safe, using his own chakra to block out the aggression coming from the rest of them. He speaks more carefully, lowering his voice to a more acceptable level.
"Fuck. Just. Fine. If you're into hurting like that...you know your limits. I just didn't expect you to start unsealing old wounds all of a sudden. I didn't even know those were seals; Tobi's are just tattoos."
The youngest Madara seems amazingly uncomfortable, but he nods along. He wonders if this Tobirama had lost his sight to the same people who had scarred his Tobirama's face and the thought makes something burn in his chest.
((Edited content: @dahtwitchi))
[gvTobi realizes there has been a failure to communicate; SugarTobis were not blind from birth like he was.]
[gvMadara changes the subject via felating gvTobi's fingers. It's super effective!]
((Return to: @donkoogrr))
"Nooo?" SugarMadara sits back on his heels. "You are...it doesn't hurt you, then?"
Embarrassment tries to take a hold of him and a red flush makes its way over his face. He isn't sure why; he had had a perfectly logical reason for thinking that this Tobirama had been wounded.
He looks over at his boy apologetically and winces. His Tobi has had a history of subdrop when brought out unexpectedly and...he seems to be holding it together for his younger self's sake. Madara knows that look, though, recognizes the tightness around the eyes and the way he's curling in on himself.
He reaches out to wave him and his other self in closer as the oldest Madara very effectively distracts his Tobirama.
"Hey, Tobi, it's okay now, come a little closer; I Want to give you a good show. I bet that younger you is wanting to watch, too. How about you let him rut against you while we give you something pretty to look at?"
The thing my mind keeps going back to is when Steph is at the very start of her Robin training... And Bruce and Pennyworth just give her one of Tim's uniforms to train in.
And it's fucking uncomfortable for her because she is a physically different person. She can't move in the damn thing without something tearing, her getting a wedgie, or her getting winded because her boobs are so compressed! And yet, Bruce and Pennyworth make such a big deal about how they guess they'll have to get her a uniform that fits.
Even getting part of the cave sectioned off so that she can change in private is shown as something she feels she had to earn.
It was so frustrating to read that whole damn arc.
I'm not going to claim Steph was perfect or that every decision she made was right, but it was so clear that she wasn't being supported like she should have been.
Every so often, DC is reminded by Steph fans that War Games is a thing that happened and that its many injustices against her and her fans still need to be addressed and every so often, DC responds with a comic that says "Bruce was right to manipulate and fire her and she deserved to be tortured and killed"
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