thete1 did a fantastic and wrong and heartbreaking fic entitled, Catch Me Low. In it a fucked up, bitter, multiverse Jay found himself a universe that was, essentially, his own. The only difference was that this universe was aged to just a few months after its own Jay's death. Outsider!Jay proceeded to make himself at home.

I really recommend you read the fic, especially if you like Tim/Jay or Bruce/Jay. I wrote a tiny addendum, which you will find, along with many spoilers, after the cut.

( Catch Me Again )

Now I know that time is not only a forced march into the chasm of death, but can also bring joy and healing. At this time, next week, the election will be over. Thank you, merciful god.

( Spoilers for Superman/Batman #53 )

Te: I read about that Graysons show!!!!
Te: I can't decide how I feel about it at *all*.
mildredmilton: I'm . . . going to go with 'happy' until they force me to be otherwise.
mildredmilton:Smallville Crossover, Y/Y?
Te: *ehehehehe* CLARK/DICK 4EVAH OMG
mildredmilton: Fuck that. LEX/DICK 4EVAH!
Te: *eyes cross*
Te: *goes there*
Te: *really, seriously, completely and utterly goes there*
Te: *melts. in. puddle.*
mildredmilton: Yessssssssssssssssssssssss.
mildredmilton: Oh, I am so glad I have someone to squee to.
mildredmilton: Pixie didn't seem much interested and Kat just flat-out *refused* to cast Jon Glover as Deathstroke.
Te: *BWAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA* OMG
Te: THAT is Slade/Dick I would write
mildredmilton: I KNOW!
mildredmilton: WHY DO YOU THINK I WANT IT? ARTISTRY IN A CW SHOW?
mildredmilton: I WANT THE SWEET, SWEET FIC IT WOULD YIELD!
mildredmilton: I WANT IT LIKE OXYGEN!
Te: GOD. I'm tempted to write it right NOW
Te: FUCK CANON EARLY, says I
mildredmilton: *skreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees*
Te: And fuck it OFTEN
mildredmilton: YES!
mildredmilton: *coughs*
mildredmilton: Start with Jon Glover's hair dyed white. And a rockin' goatee. And muscles like he had in season four. And him sitting in the crowd, motionless as everyone oooooh and ahhhhhhs around him and that small, evil smile on his face as he watches Dick fly.
mildredmilton: *shudders* OH that's good squee.
Te: Oh my GAWD
Te: That's CRACK
Te: AND I HUFF IT WITH JOY
mildredmilton: Maybe Slade starts watching Dick move through the crowd. Maybe Dick is laughing and flirting with girls, boys, and runs right into GloverSlade and pauses, flustered, because his body usually *knows* when someone is there, and then looks at the man's eyes, his mouth . . .
Te: *nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnrrrrrrrrrrrrgh;lsjkd;kls;lks;lkd;lsksd*
Te: OMG I WANT TO GIVE SLOVER (OR GLADE) A DICKIE
mildredmilton: Dick's parents apologizing and Glade smiling, gripping Dick's father's hand and assessing its strength, kissing his mother's hand, putting both hands on Dick's shoulders and just slightly letting his fingers move over the muscles there. Making a *show* of it. "Looks like you could have done a lot a damage, son. Aren't I the lucky one?"
Te: *flibble* I. Oh LORD
Te: You have CREATED GLADE
Te: AND ALL IS WELL IN MY *UNIVERSE*

Every time this particular romance is on scans_daily, it gets an incredibly negative response. I don't get it.

Okay, I don't know anything about Tom Tresser that isn't on his wikipedia entry. His brother was brainwashed into killing his own friends and colleagues. He worked with the Suicide Squad. He's seems to have been killed many times, but he's always popped back to life. Pretty typical DC tortured-hero stuff.

In fact, he seems like a decent match. Okay, he's a little bland, since most of what he's been doing since I've met him is talking about how unworthy he is of Wondy and how much he admires her. And yes, my preferred match for Diana is Arthur. (Shut up. Think of the wedding.) From what I understand he was a bit of an obnoxious horndog pre-Gail, but I don't get what's so bad about him.

Anyone?

It has been a while since a comic book has killed a part of my spirit, so I guess I was due. Just - why did it have to be Batgirl that did it? Why, god? Why?

I don't know why, but at least I know how. I've never seen a comic go so out of its way to follow the letter of continuity but not the spirit. Here's a hint, when there are ten or twenty pages that are near-solid white speech bubbles and black exposition boxes, all to explain a relatively new character's history, it is a sign that that character's story has truly been be-fucked. It's also a sign that this particular contribution to the story is not going to be un-be-fucking it.

But it wasn't just the characterization. Does Dick, the friendliest of all the Batcharacters seem like the kind of guy who would start trying to beat on Cass and hissing about how he can smell her sweat? Does Tim, the analytic Robin, seem like a guy mired in directionless crankiness? And Batman - he's pretty trusting, isn't he?

And Cass - the character who is defined not by her ability or by her speech, but by her first independent moral realization - that killing is never an option - she sounds like she'd make an exception for one last kill, right? How about two last kills?

It was all so *wrong.* It was *so* *wrong.* It was, from beginning to end, so very unfortunate. I can't get the next. I don't have the strength.

So. It is decided. Liz, from For Better or For Worse is ending up with Anthony. I feel a little sick.

For those of you who don't know For Better or For Worse, give up reading, now. You can't possibly understand unless you've read it. Every day. While you were eating your breakfast and reading the funny papers before it was time to go off to school. For those who need their memory jogged it's a daily comic done by Lynn Johnston about a healthy, happy family and their experiences. The major stand-outs are no wacky adventures and the characters age in real time.

And the middle daughter in this family, Liz, after meeting a couple interesting, fun, passionate guys, is settling down with her childhood sweetheart, Anthony. This is such a non-spoiler that I can't even pretend guilt for putting it above the a cut. I knew they'd end up together since Anthony got married to another woman he had knocked up, and this was well over five years ago. I knew because even the wedding seemed to telegraph that things weren't over for Liz and Anthony. I remember because I was dissappointed by that.

It's funny. I haven't read it regularly in at least five years. I never really read it, and yet it was always *there,* reliably steady, just like a real family. A fictional drama that was part of my consciousness.

And Anthony?

I can't rationalize it, but every scene with Anthony and Liz made me feel like there was a spider crawling on me. "Ewwwww! Get it off! Get it away!" The feeling was slight when they were first together as teens, but as he was illuminated more and more by the ugly neon sign that flashed the words, "THEY. BELONG. TOGETHER. IT IS WRITTEN," Anthony became more repellent.

Reading the various links on the internet to people who feel the same way, I'm surprised at how much backlash there is to Liz and Anthony ending up together, even from people like me, who never really paid much attention the to comic. Some people say it's the Anthony character. Some people think it is the obvious manipulation by the writer, of several characters in order to push Liz and Anthony together.

I think it's both. I think people who grew up with Liz identified with her (as they did, mildly, with many characters in the comic). Now the character they identify with is being pushed into being with a character they loathe but whom the author likes.

It's kind of like being forcibly married to your friend's non-specifically-creepy high school friend. He's okay, yeah. But not for me. Not for me!

mildredmilton: Dickie/Timmy does a little dance.
mildredmilton: Bruce does not feel like dancing.
Te: *ahahahahahahaaaa*
Te: *THWACK*
Te: Possibly *WHUDD*
Te: Possibly this is the day when wee Timmy accidentally got a face full of coke.
Te: "I'm NOT PARANOID. He really does WATCH ME SLEEP."
Te: "It doesn't count if you're only pretending to sleep, Tim."

"GAAAAAAAAAH SHUT UP SHUT UP I CUT YOU --"

*WHUDD*

"... I'm fine."
mildredmilton: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
mildredmilton: Or Dickie saw Thriller for the first time.
Te: *ahahahahaa*
mildredmilton: "Cause this is THRILLER! THRILLER night! And no one's gonna save you from the beast about to str-RRK!"
Te: *howl*
mildredmilton: Although, given the tempo, I'm thinking more Smooth Criminal.
mildredmilton: And Batman does not tolerate criminals! Smooth or otherwise!

*time passes*

mildredmilton: I'm watching the icon.
mildredmilton: And listening to Thriller.
Te: *laaaaaughs*
mildredmilton: I'm thinking it's the part where Dick sings, "Now is the tiiiiiiiiiiime, for you and I to cuddle close togetherrrrrrrrrrrMP!"
mildredmilton: Oh, and? It also works for Smooth Criminal.
mildredmilton: Dick: "Annie are you okay? Are you okay AnACK!"

Bruce: "You've been hit by - you've been struck by - A Smooth Criminal."