It's Weird How Jason Todd Is So Frequently Assigned Insecurities That Directly Contradict The Core Of

It's weird how Jason Todd is so frequently assigned insecurities that directly contradict the core of his character.

like, in fanon AND canon.

He only makes sense as a character if he has a very strong sense-of-self and firmly believes that Bruce loved him before he died.

Because Jason came back and not only did he believe that Bruce would love him enough to kill the Joker, he was furious when he found out he didn't! His belief that the little boy he was deserved to be avenged was the driving force of his returning arc, and he believed that Bruce should have loved him enough to do it!!

Only after the completion of Under the Red Hood does self-doubt start to creep in. Not about whether the boy he was deserved love, mind you. That immutable fact sits at the heart of his character, even now.

No, what Jason begins to fear is that there is no love left in the world for the man he has become. That he burned it all up in his return, and none of that love exists for him anymore. Bruce still quietly mourning Jason's death even now that he's back only compounds this.

And it just makes him angrier, it just makes him sick and angry and more determined. It just commits him further to his cause because this PROVES the only thing he ever could depend on was his own heart. His own sense of right and wrong.

He hates Batman so much it makes his chest ache.

So really, Bruce can love and miss baby Jason all he wants, but he's not getting the actual, living Jason back until he can process that grief and love Jason for who he is now.

But Bruce can't let go of his grief because it's the retraumatization of losing his parents all over again. The complete loss of control. The inability to fix it even 30 years and a lifetime of training later. So he just shuts down. Shuts Jason out and weaves that grief into the heart of himself to drive him. And looks through him. Doesn't see him. Doesn't dare love him.

Because look what Bruce's love did to Jason last time?

okay but jason returns from the dead feeling unwanted. he doesn’t know only four people—five if you count the preacher—came to his funeral, but it’s just the feeling of you come back to your old life thinking the world would still have a gaping hole in it where you fit, still raw and bleeding so you could slot right in. but the show’s over, the curtains are drawn, everyone exited stage left. you arrived back to this empty theater to find the props and sets all taken down, lights closed. you sit down in a seat in the front row gripping the seat handle until your knuckles are bone white, but the play is finished. you’re no longer a part of the Narrative and there is no place for you left

GIVE ME A DEATH NOTE MINION AU (not the little yellow fucks)

Like the Death Note just comes with tiny little built in shadow demons that are the ones that actually go out and steal the lifespan of the person whose name was written down

They look like a mix between a cat and a dragon, and are about the size of an eight week old kitten

Light fucking adores them to bits, one always sits and purs on Light's lap while he pets them as he schemes his evil plans, or rides on his shoulder when he goes out, there's always at least one with him

They follow the same rules as Ryuk, they can't be seen by someone unless they touch the Death Note they are bound to

They absolutely love Light as well because he actually gives them jobs!!! They haven't done anything for centuries, and this human guy has taken better care of them than any shinigami

They petition the shinigami king to just serve Light for the rest of his existence, best God of death ever 11/10

They are Light's #1 fans and so cute! They steal Kira merch all the time and wear it on themselves, and when ever Light is mad or frustrated they do the cutest little cheer routine to make him happy again and it always works

Light's trying to find a way to unbind them from the Note so that they will serve him instead of the owner of the book, and that way he can basically point at a criminal he wants dead and they'll know who he's talking about without him having to write the name down

Ryuk is immediately jealous because he was supposed to be Light's cool spooky companion but nooo the annoying little imps have him captivated

When he voices this Light's basically like:

"Will you give me unconditional love and support in my quest to become God of my New World?" Light asks as he idly pets a very happy and purring demon on his lap

"Eh, no—"

"Than shut the fuck up."

It's okay tho Light gives him apples and still bugs him sometimes

OMG MISA

Aaahh she would fucking love them too

SHE DRESSES THEM UP!!! Light and Misa have little demon fashion shows!!!

And who needs Light (the worst bf ever tbh) when she has these adorable little guys!!!

Oh Light is an absolute menace with these guys

They bring chaos where ever they go, and spite whoever Light doesn't like. That one teacher Light hates because he gave him a 99 over an "unclear answer" always finds his chalk broken, his coffee spilt, and continuously loses papers he needs. They can't kill without the Death Note, so they just fuck with whoever Light tells them to (rip L)

They miss Light during the Yotsuba arc so much, they hate Higuchi with a passion and will not listen to him anymore than they have to

OR unlike a shinigami you will always be able to see them after you touch a DN, even if you give it up. So Light just sees them when he's in confinement cause they didn't want to leave him and they try to entertain him while they passive aggressively torture L for doing this to their favorite master

L is IMMEDIATELY sus when Light seems less miserable in confinement, and whenever something goes missing? Kira. He stubs his toe? Obviously Light using his evil telekinesis. He mistypes a letter? Kira is afoot people.

That continues all of confinement lol

L kinda loves them too when he can see them after he touches the DN, cause they are pretty cute. He sneaks them his strawberries so they warm up to him a little, to Light's chargin.

I randomly got this idea and I LOVE IT and I will be drawing this *adds to my mental draw list of 29297r8e2o29 billion

There’s a thing I see in fics sometimes where Talia has authority over Jason and she profits off of it by giving him tasks or missions, which is funny to me because there is not a single moment in Lost Days in which Talia has even the slightest bit of control over what Jason is doing.

Like when she first finds him and he’s catatonic? Yea okay, but he’s catatonic. As soon as he takes a dip in the Lazarus Pit and regains his mental capacities he just takes off like a rocket and everyone else has to scramble after him.

He goes rouge and tries to kill Bruce and Talia is like UHHH and attempts to stall him from trying that again by finding him instructors to hone various skills, and Jason goes along with it but also straight up murders about half of his teachers after he’s done learning from them, while Talia just watches with some pride but also mild concern in the background.

Throughout all of this he’s also leeching off of her bank accounts and contacts. Talia is getting nothing out of this arrangement

athenasolives asked: Do you have any thoughts on meaning behind characters’ Japanese  pronouns (ie. Light using “boku”)? 

Yes!! I think the pronouns characters use are really interesting. As a disclaimer, I’m not a native Japanese speaker and have never lived in Japan myself, so my opinions are largely based on picking the brains of native-speaker friends and research. Unlike English, Japanese tends to omit “I” from sentences. Leaving in personal pronouns comes off as really odd and a sign that whoever is speaking that way is not a native speaker or that they’re on the arrogant/self important side. All of which is to say that personal pronoun choice is important and also interesting because they don’t usually come up in conversation unless for emphasis. As you mentioned Light, I’ll go over my thoughts on him specifically, but the subject of patterns of speech in DN in general could really just be its own tl;dr post, haha.

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Misa may have the best fashion sense in Death Note but people don’t give Mello enough credit. He has a cohesive wardrobe, utilizes the same pieces in different ways, says fuck the weather I’m wearing leather. It’s a bold move to never wear anything but shiny leather and fur coats but he does it with sheer boldness and an absurd level of confidence. He commits to his otherworldly style hard, and he kills it. Who out here is spying on random civilians in all black sweating in the sun as he bakes to death in his jacket and looking this dripped out at the same time? Misa may be your supermodel goth fantasy girl but Mello dresses like an eldritch mercenary creature from hell and he’s so memorable for that. God I can’t tell if he knows what he’s doing and created the futuristic reptile trying to blend in with society look to make a statement or he just throws a bunch of expensive pieces he stole from designer stores and owns it. Everyone knows that to be a fashion icon you need a trademark and he has it in spades with his ever recognizable rosary. Truly the fashionable character of the 2000s. Of all time.