escritorzuela

Challenge #11
When it comes to character relationships, I pay a lot of attention to First Meetings. 

I'm not one for slow burns. I know, I know. They're a deeply beloved trope in fandom, and I've heard all the reasons why. But I have rarely met one that works for me (I've liked pairings *described* as slowurn that I'd never classify as such, but that's another thing). They're simply... too placid. The more intense a dynamic is, the better. Because that means they'll move mountains or, in this case, the narrative, along. And more often than not, this is decided on the very first scene, or the very first scene of a pairing alone together. 

These first meetings don't have to be Good to pack a punch, which is why The Meet Ugly might be my favourite trope in existence. What matters is that they change things around. There's a before and and after. I'd personally find the idea of meeting someone changing me so much terrifying, but it sure works in a story!

I've talked pairing, but I mean platonic dynamics as well. Memorable first meetings carry the narrative on their backs. If two characters don't need to be convinced into caring for one another (or hating the other so much it circles back around), then there's no pussyfooting around and we can get into the interesting things right away.

It's why Love At First Sight works so well, even if we all knowwwwwww things don't really work like that (must we always bring reality into it smh). You believe Romeo and Juliet do All of That Shit because they are In Love. The real story can get started while someone else is on a will-they-won't-they that barely makes me believe they like each other (I just can't believe they'd do *nothing* if it mattered to them that much!). 

And the chemistry!! When two characters instantly click, the entire scene is alight with it in all the best ways. I wouldn't trade that for anything. These guys don't wander; the romantic pairings often kiss and fuck quickly; sexual harmony is usually a big part of their appeal (EVEN when they don't have sex, or they only get to have it one. Sometimes, especially if they only get to have it once LOL).

So, yeah. Intense First Meeting. Meet Ugly. Love At First Sight. They work. They're marvelous narrative devices. I'll take them all.  

I talked a bit about some fandom firsts in a past entry (mainly pertaining to my first active fandom a few years ago, the Shadowhunters tv show), so I wanted to talk about something different.

A few years ago, for Femslash February, I decided to open my inbox to prompts and to write 28 f/f drabbles of 100 words for the month. And I did it! Given how inconsistent I can be in such extended goals, that was a first on its own LOL. It also marked the beginning of my taste for drabble-writing in general. Of 100 fics posted, close to half of them have been drabbles (sometimes double/triple/quintuple/etc.) drabbles, sometimes by entering challenges like Seasons of Drabbles, but mostly by challenging myself, like during that month or with last year's Three Sentences Ficathon.

(Today I finally got time to go over this year's posts to identify tropes that catch my eye... soon I'll be at it again. And writing more drabbles for other challenges, too).

Another fun first was in 2022, where I got two one-shots (sfw and nsfw) published in a Black Sails fanzine, which I was pretty proud of. You can find the downloable versions in the ao3 collection, if you're interested.

Anyone else got an odd fandom first they want to share?

Challenge #8Chrisjen Avasarala, a powerful high member of Earth's government, and her elegance, her ruthlessness, her arrogance, her competence. Camina Drummer, a freedom fighter from the downthrodden people in the asteroid belt, and her righteousness, her yearning, her dignity, her creativity. Bobbie Draper, a Martian marine, and her defiance, her adaptability, her dutifulness. Clarissa Mao, a former socialite, and the quiet desperation and assertivitity of her journey. Julie Mao and her tragedy. And other, maybe less central ones but each with a key part to play. Like Monica Stuart, sharp and full of integrity and a worthy heir of Lois Lane herself; Elvi Okoye representing the best face of scientific curiosity; Anna Volovodov's rectitude and eagerness to explore. And on and on and on.

But the one that will remain with me for the longest time will be Naomi Nagata. 

It's difficult to talk about her, because the part I appreciate the most pertains the last couple of seasons, and the culmination of her journey in them. And I think those are best to watch unspoiled, as I did. I have never seen motherhood been treated the way that part of her character was; the choices taking, the framing of them never losing its compassion, and I doubt I ever will again. 

It's a slow show. The plot takes its time to build up, the subgenres it uses make it a bit of a niche interest (sci-fi in space, but quite grounded and confined; pseudo-dystopian, but in a too-close-to-home way). I know all the reasons why, good or not, it could not be Someone's Thing and I could list them all, but if any of the above sounds interesting, I recommend giving it a try. 

I pondered what to post here. As I feel I'm all talked out about my most favourite things, I will go with something new, instead.

I just finished reading "The Refrigerator Monologues", by Catherynne M. Valente. It's a very meta short book inspired by both the Women in Refrigerators term coined by Gail Simone, and "The Vagina Monologues" play by Eve Ensler (which I should pick up someday). It consist in six monologues, with short interludes, by six woman, each directly inspired by a comic book character: Gwen Stacy, Jean Grey, Harley Quinn, Queen Mera, Karen Page, and THEE Alex Dewitt.

I thought I'd share my favourite quotes with you (click on the triangle):

Chapter 2: "Paige Embry is Dead":

Doctor Nocturne was born.

He built his machine, a great, terrible organ buried deep within the city, on which he could play out his symphony of death. With one chord, he proclaimed to every news station, he could electrify the whole of Manhattan. With another, he would bring it crashing down. Tom kept telling me to stay home. After all, I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t help. Just stay home and wait, Paige. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. I understood how hypermercury worked, what Nocturne had done. It was my fault. I had to fix it. The last thing I said to Tom Thatcher was: I am not going to stay home like a good little girl. I am going to beat him.

When Tom says shit like that, the universe rearranges itself to make it true. When I said it, the universe pissed itself laughing.

 

Chapter 4: "The Heat Death of Julia Ash":

Nobody had a problem with the new Julia as long as she did their chores for them. Kept the world nice and tidy, took the rubbish out, dusted off the minimalist black-and-white discussion piece morality had be come.

They turned on me, eventually. Oh, they were so concerned, my boys. Only for my own good, only because they were so worried about my delicate constitution!

“She can’t control it,” Paravox whispered to the Professor.

“No one could,” Bruce hurried to say, so I wouldn’t take it personally.

“The more she uses her powers, the less human she gets,” Hal Cyon sighed, looking so fucking earnest while he called me less than human. So fucking sincere.

“What the fuck, Hal,” I snapped. “You can turn into a time-traveling dragon. How human are you?”

Crucible couldn’t even look at me. “Maybe if you could just . . . hold back a little. Until you can figure out exactly what happened out there and whether it’s hurting her.”

They all stood around Professor Yes’s desk like veterinarians discussing a rowdy horse in need of breaking.

“Since when,” I said softly, “is power a problem for any of you?”

“You don’t understand,” Zigzag pleaded.

I stared them all down. “Sure I do. Hold back. Got it.”

If you could just wait until it’s clear that none of the other children know the answer before raising your hand. Don’t read ahead of the rest of the class. No one likes a know-it-all.

 

Chapter 6: "The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Pauline Ketch":

There was a moment, just before I gave up and breathed in all that dirty, soapy, passion fruit bubble bath–scented death, where I thought I had it wrong. Maybe that day in Sarkomand when Mr. Punch said, I thought you were someone else, he’d meant: I thought you were a crippled baby antelope I could chase down across the veldt and pick the lock to this place with your bones. Maybe I was just a funny little clown in the Punch and Grimdark show. Maybe he never once meant I love you when he called me a cunt, he just meant that I was a stupid, useless, disgusting hole he hated only slightly less than himself. What if we were never any little bit alike, except that we wanted to burn the awful old world down? But it was just barely possible that I was the only one who cared what world we blew up. The world of rich men playing in costumes and electric companies turning on the dark everywhere they went and shithead greaseheart daddies all the way down—that was my tune. Maybe my baby was just trying to fuck his way through me and the bed and the floor and the city to get to him. Maybe Mr. Punch was a Bad Daddy, after all.

NAW.

 

Chapter 8: "The Ballad of Blue Bayou":

God, I made all the Union boys so uncomfortable. I got in between them and the mirror they liked to preen in, the mirror that showed them all as Kings of the Known Universe. They all felt safe with their girlfriends’ ambitions—artists and actresses and scientists. Girls you could brag to the alumni magazine about, but no one they ever had to compete with. They were the sparkly shiny special ones in their houses. After all, science is great, but who can compete with superpowers?

Well, the Queen of Atlantis can.

To tell you the truth, Avast hated Atlantis. Up there, he was a hero. He was totally unique, from New York to New Delhi. Down here, with me, he was just like everyone else. He got so angry at me, over nothing, over everything, over having to spend another second in a place where no one cared that he could tell a whale what to do, where no one knew he was a star. He never touched me anymore. If he came home and saw my chest light up with blue at the sight of him, his lip curled up in disgust and he buried himself in his workouts.

They never once asked me to join their little club. Even after Megalodon opened the floodgates and half a dimension’s worth of our redneck cousins poured through. Even after I defeated Whitewater and the Werekraken in the Battle of the Bermuda Triangle. Megalodon only barely escaped that one. He holed up in Guignol City like a trust fund baby for months after, licking his wounds. Even then, my husband and his friends never said, Hey, you’re pretty handy; wanna learn the secret handshake?

And fucking hell, they hated my crying at night. I hated my crying at night. But I couldn’t help it, could I? John Heron never heard Angus’s little voice in his head. His father was still puttering around, replacing lightbulbs in his cozy little house. Easy come, easy go. They hated hearing the word baby. Child. It messed up the blocking of their play about themselves. Avast could scream, I shall destroy you for the death of my son! and his boys would all cheer. But if I so much as touched my stomach and whispered that I missed my baby, oh, how they’d sneer!

 

Chapter 10: "Daisy Green Says I Love You":

He didn’t mean to. They never mean to do anything in the beginning. But a superhero is like a black hole. They bend everything around them without even thinking about it. And they’d better be lucky as a goddamned leprechaun wearing a rabbit-foot coat on lottery day, or they’ll never get through one single fight with a D-list villain. So, they just . . . suck it up from everyone around them. Trust me, kiss one hero and the coin will never land your way again for the rest of your life. And all that shit, all that horror they can leap in a single bound . . . all that shit has to land somewhere.

Becoming a porn star is pretty much exactly like becoming a superhero. One day, an intrepid, fresh-faced young woman discovers that she has a talent. She chooses a new name—something over the top, flamboyant, a little arrogant, with a tinge of the epic. Somebody makes her a costume—skintight, revealing, a flattering color, nothing much left to the imagination. She explores her power, learns a specialty move or two, sweats her way through a training montage, throwing out punny quips here, there, and everywhere. She inhabits an archetype. She takes every blow that comes her way like she doesn’t even feel it. Then she goes out into the big bad night and saves people from loneliness. From the assorted villainies that plague the common man. From despair and bad dreams. From tedium. Oh, sure, her victories are short-lived. She finishes off her foes in one glorious masterstroke, but the minute she’s gone, all the wickedness and darkness of the scheming, teeming world comes rushing back in. But when you need her, here she comes to save the day, doing it for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

[...]

But becoming a porn star is pretty much exactly like becoming a superhero. You start strong, bursting out of nowhere, a bird, a plane, your name on a million needy lips, your name in the papers, your name up in lights, your greatest hits on constant repeat. You’re the fantasy—someone so strong and beautiful nothing can hurt them, not even the worst shit anyone can imagine. In the first flush of it all, you’re so convinced of the rightness of your mission statement that you practically glow when the bad guy’s final spasm stains your mask. The camera loves you. It just feels good to throw down. You do it for fun, just to feel your own strength. When you’re new, everyone’s so fucking impressed with your skill and style. All these roaring, power-drunk men line up just to go one round with you. You blow them all down like paper dolls to rave reviews and the key to the red-light district. But time passes and it hurts more than you let on. You bandage yourself after hours, alone, in a phone booth with filthy windows, wrapping your wounds tight so you can keep fighting the good fight day after day. You get tired now. You get jaded. You get older. And after a while, they begin to despise you. It’s not interesting for you to come out on top every time. To watch your Saturday night marquee smile pop-flash at the end of every climactic scene. You need to keep up your numbers. You need to keep those eyeballs transfixed, Miss Thing. It’s not enough to just work on your craft. You gotta keep up with the times, appeal to modern sensibilities. You have to do something more extreme. Darker. Grittier. More real. You need to be cut down a little. Let ’em see you vulnerable. Let ’em see you bleed.

 

Chapter 12: "Happy Birthday, Samantha Dane":

I can’t bear to think of Jason’s face when he finds me. Us. Simon shoved MacArthur in the crisper drawer. I wish I could feel his fur. It would be comforting. But there’s a sheet of glass between us. How will Jason ever be able to get over it? To forgive Simon? To unsee my blue fucking face smashed up against week-old pizza?

But then I think—and it’s almost the last thing I think—about that avenging thing. Because they will avenge me. I know it. I know it because we’re in a movie now and I know how movies work. This is the second-act break. I’m an accepted part of the structure. Jason Remarque will kill Six Figure because Six Figure killed me. It will be an amazing battle. Really fill the seats. And when it’s over, he’ll move on to bigger and better villains. He’ll be the kind of famous I was gonna be. Eventually, he’ll start dating again. Someone who understands the responsibility. The stakes. Though he’ll probably never get another cat.

I try to cry out. One last effort to be not dead. My lips won’t move.

I belong in the refrigerator. Because the truth is, I’m just food for a superhero. He’ll eat up my death and get the energy he needs to become a legend.

 

And for a less meta, heavy one, behold my new blog description, curtesy of the Harley Quinn expy:

Challenge #5

Talk about what has improved in your life thanks to fandom. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.


For one, fandom has done wonders for my creativity. It constantly inspires me, and although I don't manage to complete even a *tenth* of the ideas I do have, it wouldn't even be half as that if it wasn't for fandom. I wouldn't have written as much without it. I wouldn't have met some of my favourite artists, either through recommendations or because, by pure luck, I got to talk to them! To grow as an artist myself, thanks to them.

And that's the other thing. IRL I'm not bad at talking to people, at establishing a rapport with them, but that's almost a Persona (I call it channeling my father, because he's GREAT at that lol). I can turn it on, especially in situations where it's needed, to network and that shit, but it's not my natural state. I'm a misanthropic loner by nature, because I rarely feel like I connect with the people around me, like I have much in common with them. It's been online that I've really met like-minded people I could talk with, starting with fandom and going beyond that; our values, our goals, or lives.

Fandom has definitely helped me feel less alone, less of a oddity. I've met some of my favourite people there; there's definitely drawbacks to online friendships, of course, but I love having people from all over the globe I can talk with on my little phone.

Challenge #3

In your own space, talk about a fannish opinion you hold that has changed over time. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.


I can't find many examples. I find that my tastes in fandom haven't so much changed as... refined LOL. What I used to love, I continue to love, now with a narrower focus; what I used to hate, now I might hate with even more passion xD. I've come to appreciate new characters, new ships... that I hadn't thought about before, but nothing drastic, I'd say.

I have noticed alterations in my opinions regarding certain canons upon rewatch, but I don't know if that's about changing perspectives so much as changes in the way and the when I watched those shows. Most recently I noticed these past couple of years finally rewatching The Vampire Diaries or The 100 (both "stacked"; aka, instead of watching in order, I watch the episodes on the anniversary of their airing date).

With TVD it was more gradual, but this was the first time I rewatched The 100, this time completely removed from the fandom. In both cases, I enjoyed the lead character's journey a lot more than I did the first time around. My opinions about them as people remain the same: I think Elena Gilbert and Clarke Griffin are both manipulative people who project a false image, sometimes even to themselves, to various degrees of success (Elena is MUCH better at it than Clarke). It's just that now, it's not something that bothers me the way it used to!

Back then, it was less about being bothered by those traits (I have loved my share of manipulative bastards in fiction <3), than about two things: one, in both cases I felt the shows, at least in their beginnings, were trying very, very hard to convince me that I wasn't seeing what I was seeing! That these were totally selfless girls whose Inherent Goodness was just So Special and Unique and The Best of Humanityyyy. Something that got on my nerves; among other reasons, because neither girl needed that to be a good character! But mostly because the cognitive dissonance bothered the hell out of me lol. Especially when this resulted into constant fandom drama. Nonetheless, as I said, this only happened in the beginning of each show, progressively changing later, when the narrative felt more... honest, about who these women were and came to be.

The other reason was more mercenary: in both cases, my favourite characters happened to be people whose narratives found themselves at odds with that of the lead. Characters for whom these was a zero-sum game: the lead could only shine so much because and as long as the others were kept down on their knees. And in both shows, it was the lead's fall that allowed the others, my favourites, the breathing room to ~raise above their assigned stations, so to speak.

So basically: the narrative validated my perspective, and the ways in which these leads interfered with my faves became less effective. Which first diminished my hostility towards them as I first watched the shows, and then largely eliminated it on rewatch. Thus leaving me with two flawed female leads whose narratives I have come to appreciate.

I've given a lot of thought before about how an ending can completely alter a story. It's as if once it's written down, all other possibilities as to how it could've ended collapse and you only have one left that will shape how you see the story at large. I'd argue that a lot of endings on TV are very in tune with the show's beginnings, tbh (think How I Met Your Mother, for a really egregious example), but these two, especially TVD, deviated quite strongly. So it makes sense to me that they're the two examples I can think of where I've noticed a drastic change of fannish opinion in myself (usually when I'm a hater, it's forever xD), and others, though I guess that's a different topic.

• First thing first, I'll link to my author's newsletter. I intend to update it about once every two months, or whenever I have important news. In it I also share some personal updates and recommendations.
• Last year, I shared a teaser for a a project of mine, "Underground Elysium", a quite sui generis dystopian novella featuring a misandrist vampire society. I hope to have a polished draft of the real thing in a few months; then, I'll see how I go about sharing feedback.
• My fandom username is laufire; you can find me in tumblr and in ao3. I likely won't be as active on the first in the upcoming year, but I want to continue my writing streak on the latter, where I recently published my 100th fic (!!!), after finally getting rid of all the prompts in my inbox ^^U. You can see them compiled here.

Now, as to my main fandoms; what you'll see around here the most:

• Detective Comics Comics STILL has me in its clutches. It's terminal, I fear. I read mostly (and write exclusively) post-crisis/pre-reboot canon, though I dabbled in others (DCAU, Batman Returns, the Snyderverse, Batwoman s2... to name a few favourites). Jason Todd is the getaway drug into the rest, but my interests are expansive (other Bats, Arrows, Amazons, Suicide Squads, Talia, Catwoman...). Recently I finished reading all of new earth!Cass comics, and now I'm going through the highlights of Lady Shiva's appearances. During this month of January I also plan to do the same with Duke Thomas (about the one (1) thing I consider a vast improvement in the current continuity), and some key issues from Wonder Woman (1987).
• My own original stories. My stories are largely focused on female characters (and if there's romance, it's likely f/f). This year, and in the short and medium-long term, I'll be focused on my standalone ideas, leaving aside more expansive series. Other than Underground Elysium, the list of the most advanced ideas includes "Chasing Fanny" (pseudo noir story about a medium, a femme fatale, and a sob-sister wannabe reporter), "The Leech of Wonderland" (a cynic take on the historical romance genre involving a naïve young woman and a dangerous suitor), "A Child's Covenant" (a dark fairy tale about a survivor trying to find some temporary happiness before it's too late), "One Over Many" (my take on the "what if one day you woke up and all the men were gone" speculative subgenre), and "All About Eves" (magical realism + historical realism + time travel).

Other interests and fandoms you might see around here:

• Authors & Books: Ana María Matute, Angela Carter, "Beauty and the Beast" (Madame de VIlleneuve), Camilla Andrew ("The Essence of the Equinox", "The Sanguine Sorceress"), Catherynne M. Valente, "Carmilla", Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "Dangerous Liaisons", Daphne du Maurier, Devin Grayson, "El cordero carnívoro", Greg Rucka, Hope Mirrlees, "Hymn to Demeter", Judd Winick, Marjorie Liu, Mary Wollstoncraft Shelley, "Medea", Miguel Hernández, Philip Pullman, "Pygmalion", Shirley Jackson.
• Comics: outside of DC, I tend to go for Image Comics (Monstress, Paper Girls, Saga). I want to get more into Marvel, starting with returning to my Iron Man reading, and to begin on Black WIdow.
• Films: the Alien franchise, Black Swan, Blancanieves (2012), Colombiana, El verdugo, Jupiter Ascending, Lust Caution, Pan's Labyrinth, Practical Magic, The Handmaiden, The Lion in Winter, The Mask of Zorro, The Terminator.
• Musical artists: Aaliyah, Amistades Peligrosas, Amy Winehouse, Ani DiFranco, Antonio VIvaldi, Ariana Grande, Bear McCreary, Christopher Beck, Clint Mansell, Dessa, Ennio Morricone, Fiona Apple, FKA twigs, Florence + the Machine, Georges Bizet, Hole, Julie London, Kate Bush, Mariah Carey, Mägo de Oz, Mirel Wagner, Montserrat Caballé, Nancy Sinatra, Nina Simone, Peggy Seeger, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Queen, Richard Wagner, Serguéi Serguéievich Prokófiev, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Pretty Reckless, Tracy Chapman.
• Shows: the Buffyverse, the Plecverse, Black Sails, Desperate Housewives, Dollhouse, Killjoys, Nikita, Person of Interest, Reign, Scandal, Severance, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Good Wife, The Wire, Underground, Veronica Mars.
• Others: art history, creative writing, photography, history & historiography, criminal and international law, orcas, owls...

BOOKS

• The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle. This one introduces Mary. I wish she'd gotten the treasure and become a rich heiress 😢
• Inheritance by Devin Grayson. Loved it. I'm definitely gonna track down her other prose novels. I made a good guess on who [redacted] from very early in the book, practically from the first, and it was still quite gripping. The funniest thing, however, is how unequal each of the former sidekicks' sections are lol. Was she just going through the motions with Garth? Although, by virtue of being the one I know the least about, it did make me want to read his comics. Roy's and Dick's were more even, both with incredibly poignant, poetic flashbacks I adored, but you can tell DickAndBruce is where her heart is and their dynamic was showcased beautifully imo. Her characterization of Ollie is... surely controversial, and doesn't quite match how I see the guy, but it didn't bother me.
• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. This one is a reread, though it's been a decade since I read it for the first time. I've read it even more slowly than the first time around, pondering over practically every passage. Nabokov's prose is simply sublime, and Dolores's character is one of those that stays with you for how much you read into her.

COMICS

• Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees. The first issue enchanted me, and the last one was a very apt ending for the story. The journey to get there let me down.
• FCBD 2024: Barda Special Edition. This is a preview for an upcoming story. A young Barda is charged to break the prisoner Scott Free, as the beginning of their romance. Theirs is a ship I've been curious about for a while, and I really dig the premise, so I can't wait to read it.
• Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper. A short, gritty origin story that builds on the Selina we see in Batman: Year One, written by the same author as Lois Lane (1986). I really wish her sister was more present in Catwoman's story in general, tbh. She was featured in Selina's Knight Terror mini, which I might end up rereading.
• The Bat-Man: First Knight. Three-part run set in the 40s, the original Batman setting. A tale of monsters, human experimentation, and the effects of the second world war. I enjoyed it, though not wildly, but it confirms I'd enjoy more historical settings in my comics.
• War Games. Oh boy. OH BOY. My kill list grew with each page I read. The missed shot at a proper story with robin!Steph, the incredibly uncharitable way she's written... all to end in the grossest example of character assassination I've ever seen with Dr Leslie Thompkins, all to relieve Bruce of his guilt for his part in Steph's demise. I wanted to read the arc because I thought it was important for some Steph-focused storylines I want to write that build up on it (mostly by subverting or contradict him), but with few exceptions (SOME of Steph's Robin arc, the school plot, Tarantula's appearances, and the parts touching on Dick's downward spiral, for example) it was all so hateful and mean-spirited. Even the prelude to the proper arc, starting with Bruce and Cass's visit to Jason grave to use him as a cautionary tale against Steph, or that storyline about the teen mothers... death. Death to Dan DiDio for one thousand years.
• Outsiders (2003). I'm including the Teen Titans crossover arcs (including both Secret Files and Origins issues, both GREAT), and the Outsiders: Five of a Kind arc where Batman is a shit xD (it also did make me wanna read the continuation in the next Batman and the Outsiders run). The art was... Mixed, by which I mean that sometimes it was fuck-ugly lol, but I loved the run. Winick gets me. I have a special place in my heart for Jason's little arc, OBVIOUSLY, but my favourite parts are, second, Dick's arc, and first, ANISSA AND GRACE. I as a lesbian owe Winick much for that one. They're the main attraction for the continuation, ngl. I also loved Shift and Indigo, btw. So damn tragic 🥲