Fanfic Recs To The Max

[bendingwind]

So as probably everyone who has ever spoken to me knows, I like to rec fics a lot and I have a massive, massive archive of over-tagged fanfic bookmarks, and I generally keep up-to-date-ish on stuff that's been posted on AO3

Comments

[ladymercury_10]

Oh, cool, following!

Also, you like Hawkeye? I feel like EVERYONE is reading Hawkeye except me now. And the only reason I haven't started reading it is because I know I would love it and then when would I ever have money again if I was trying to keep up with Hawkeye and feed my Batman obsession at the same time? :P

[bendingwind]

Omg nooo you need to read Hawkeye, it is kind of flawless and incredible. The art put me off at first because it's not a style I generally appreciate, but once I got used to it I really, really enjoyed it?

They've also got Secret Avengers coming out sometime I guess, which will feature the OTP of my heart, Clint and Phil, together in the 616 'verse with mind-control and memory-wipes and darker missions and basically everything that makes me happy and I kind of love Marvel a lot and also everyone should expect a fic explosion?

But yeah, Hawkeye's fab. I'm too pissed at DC over retconning Stephanie out of existence to willingly get back into DC comics again (the same cannot be said of marathoning every DC title on netflix, apparently) so there's that

[ladymercury_10]

Retconning away Steph and Cass and making Babs not Oracle anymore is...yeah. I am still mad. And I thought I wasn't really mad about Batman & Robin, because I could pretend the New 52 didn't happen and Damian just went back to working with Bruce because reasons, but I am really really starting to miss seeing Dick and Damian together even though I really liked the first post-reboot trade. :/

Also reading DC makes me spend a lot of time squinting at the writers and wanted to kidnap the characters and like, rewrite the entire universe more to my liking and it's really very unhealthy
Yep. Luckily for me, I came to DC late enough that there are still a lot of old things with mostly decent characterization that I haven't exhausted yet. And I can get some of them from the library.

Ahhh why can't I ever have normal fandoms that are on, like, broadcast TV? :P

[bendingwind]

God I wish it was even just a problem with the New 52. It's really more of a thing where I look at these characters and they have a lot of potential, but so much of it is just totally wasted and I want to fix that and like omg I am not going to spew all of my head-canon out at you, especially as it relates to Superman, but I could.

(You would not enjoy it it is long and complicated and dark~)

[ladymercury_10]

Oh, I know they were screwing things up before the New 52. I think some of it is a multiple writers thing? And some of it has to do with the editorial staff? And who knows about some of it.

And haha, I think I have heard some of your Superman feelings, about how they should get into more of the heavier stuff because Superman should have a dark side even though he is not a dark character?

[bendingwind]

Yes! Precisely those feels! I also want there to be a lot more hints that Batman is legit insane and like idk crap you've got me started on building my massive headcanon for DC again whyyyy well now you have to hear about it

[ladymercury_10]

Hahaha, see, I think the thing with Batman is that they are trying to write him on the brink of insanity a lot of the time and I am just like Batman what are you doing are you actually crazy? I think you ACTUALLY lost your mind for at least five minutes there. You were legit RUNNING AROUND GOTHAM SCREAMING AT THE VILLAINS THIS IS MY CITY THIS IS MY CITY.

I have not read much of the rest of the DCU, so I don't know very much about the rest of your headcanons vs. canon DC. But from what little I know about Starfire, this seems like a good choice for the Titans. And I finally read some Wonder Woman not that long ago, and YES, Diana is great. :D

[bendingwind]

I'm writing all this out in a notebook now this is all your fault XP

Yeah, Batman is generally written as insane/verging on insane, but I guess I'd like some in-canon acknowledgement of it? Like, rather than the audience going BATMAT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU BATMAN WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING I'd like some characters in canon to be like, uh you know he's crazy right?

Also I feel like 'I saw my parents get shot SO I DECIDED TO BECOME A BAT' is kind of a shit origin story. I mean they at least could have been one of the few uncorrupted families of Gotham and they were tortured and murdered brutally in front of Bruce for their failure to be influence, right? And Bruce just sort of fractured and genuinely suffers from multiple personalities (I have forgotten which term is currently politically correct) and when he reaches majority he leaves rather than face the same fate, only he goes and gets stronger and comes back, vowing to make the city safe for people like his parents or something?

(That is as far as I have gotten in this notebook anyway)

[ladymercury_10]

ike, rather than the audience going BATMAT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU BATMAN WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING
This is...actually how I feel about Bruce a good deal of the time. Which is not, I think, either how DC wants me to feel about Bruce (except when he is ACTUALLY tripping fear gas or whatever) or how I want to feel about him. I read some fanfic where he was characterized as, like, a "stern dad," and I think that would be nicer, and possibly what they are going for, but "stern dad to all superheroes" + "tortured past" + "often near the brink of insanity" + "massively stressed out by his many neurotic children" sort of adds up to, yes, Batman what are you smoking. (Although Dick Grayson doesn't have all of Bruce's problems, and even he got a little twitchy and kind of shouty when he was Batman. But not nearly as bad

[bendingwind]

Exactly! And definitely, yeah, more Bruce than Dick on the "are you actually crazy" thing. Which is where the multiple-personality comes in, because seriously Bruce, how are the Stern Dad With The Tortured Past And Often Near The Brink Of Insanity And Massively Stressed By Neurotic Children I mean c'mon.

I guess it's weird for me to say since DC is already by far the darker of the two major comics verses, but I kind of want it to be darker? Like I want more attention paid to/criticism of Bruce's tendency to drag young children into lives fighting crime, especially because they explicitly address that he GETS THOSE KIDS KILLED.

I mean DC is a pretty dark place, I guess, but it doesn't seem like it's often acknowledge as such in canon outside of the ~ooh la la Gotham is so shaaady~

I am having too many intense DC feels tonight halp.

[ladymercury_10]

Yeah, there were times when Dick was, like, yelling at people a lot, and there were times when he got gassed and THEN he hallucinated, but it was generally on the "being Batman is getting to him" side rather than the "Batman, what the heck are you TALKING ABOUT?" side.

I think part of Bruce's problem might be that he has TOO MANY books right now. Like, there is Batman, and Batman and Robin, and Detective Comics, and Legends of the Dark Knight, and WHO KNOWS how many once you count the Batfamily books. It is not really possible to achieve consistent characterization over that many comics with that many writers, and that alone would give a character split personalities.

I think I have the opposite reaction, and I end up wanting to either read really silly things, like Li'l Gotham, to get a break from all the angst, or to read fanfiction that is, like, more realistic but less grim since a lot of the stuff I have read lately is Grant Morrison which is dark but goofy.

ALL THE COMICS FEELS. I have a lot of them also.

[bendingwind]

I mean I guess I have Marvel to go too when I don't want super dark stuff? Also I usually do want dark stuff re: superheroes, sooooooo...

Okay I'm going to sleep before I give myself brain damage over obsessing about this.

(That is a lie. I am going to make more spreadsheets.)

[ladymercury_10]

Have you read any of the Earth One stuff? I've heard that is darker/more realistic.

Haha, what kind of spreadsheets? Also, when you say spreadsheets, I think of this. :P

[bendingwind]

Oh my gaaaaawd, Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim ahahahaha.

But uh, basically exactly like that? Plus longer and more detailed histories in paragraph form with accompanying timelines because of, uh, reasons.

(I may end up writing an LJ-locked series of this stuff because I'm well aware that I WILL GLEEFULLY REMAKE THIS 'VERSE IN MY OWN IMAGE is less than fandom-kosher and I don't want to offend anyone, but I do want to write stories in this verse Because Of Reasons.)

[ladymercury_10]

Why is it not fandom-kosher?

[bendingwind]

Mostly because I intend to deliberately alter the characterization of a couple of characters in significant ways? Obviously changing history isn't problematic in fandom, though the extent to which I would be doing it would be somewhat unpopular, but... eh. Deliberately re-characterizing, however, would get me some flames.