#✶ ch: dick grayson ~ robin

[geneticdriftwood]

persephone's in hell; a rooftop conversation

for @mysterycitrus

persephone's in hell, @mysterycitrus // white winter hymnal, fleet foxes // assorted dc comics

[batfamilycentral]

Superman, Batman and Robin in The Boy Wonder #1 (2024), art by Juni Ba. - requested by anonymous.

[dcmultiverse]

Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown and Carrie Kelley in BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER (2024)

[hanasnx]

do you ever think dick grayson as a young robin used the words “i’m batman” to hype himself up during battle? as if the phrase repeated would empower him to be as brutal, as calculative, as flawless as the mantle he expects to accept one day? and as he grows older, and matures into his independence, he no longer needs to lean on such a childish method? anyways. i think criminals still scratch their heads over an eleven year old in spandex kicking their asses while whispering, “i’m batman, i’m batman, i’m batman.” dick honestly didn’t think they could hear him.

[aenhanse]

Dick Grayson in One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze

[muchimmm]

Happy batman day guys!!

The Sensational character find of 1940..

ROBIN

The BOY WONDER

Look at him!!

[rookiesbookies]

Alright, I’m calling on the powers that be, Im working on a passion project and I want to here from all the Batfam/Robin fans and I want to hear your most important story or dynamic or detail we’ve seen of the relationship between the robins and Bruce

Like is it him cuddling with Jason on the couch when he was sick or was it something totally different

I want to know, so please let me know in tags n shit

If there’s not a dynamic you love, tell me something you’d want to see

[trashytummies]

jason's wild timey wimey ride excerpt (Rebirth!jason ft. NTT Robin!Dick)

Back inside, Jason was sprawled uncomfortably in the pit of Dick’s stomach, the remains of the water still sloshing around him. It was cramped, wet, and oppressive, but he finally had room to breathe. He gave a shudder --gross-- trying to shake off the residual panic.

Just then, he heard Dick’s voice in his head, tentative and awkward, like someone trying out a new speaker system. Jason? You in there?

Jason took a beat before replying. Oh, I’m here, alright. Alive and well, thanks for asking. Real smooth process you got going there, Grayson. Nearly killed us both.

He could almost feel Dick’s eye roll. Maybe if you hadn’t been such a smartass, it would’ve gone smoother.

Jason huffed, shifting to make himself comfortable -- not that there was any real comfort to be found here. Oh, yeah, because swallowing a person is such an easy, everyday thing. Next time, I'm sure you’ll nail it.

Dick’s voice was laced with sarcasm. Glad you’re still keeping the sense of humor intact. Makes all this so much easier.

Jason smirked to himself, though there was an underlying nervousness that he really hoped didn’t come through. Hey, I aim to please. At least you’ve got company in here now, don’t say I never do anything for you.

[kstarlitchaotics]

I wonder if Professor Nicolas gets tired of seeing Bruce and Dick

[wondersinwaynemanor]

here i go again with "big brother dick grayson strikes again" prompts.

thinking of Dick probably helping his siblings on their first dates and offering to take them to the location.

Dick to Jason: Hey, Little Wing. I know you can take one of your motorcycles, but let me take you. You can just focus on being pretty.

Jason: Shut up, Dick. But, are you sure? I don't know why my hands feel a bit numb-

Dick, takes Jason's hands on his to warm them up and untighten the nerves there: It's okay. I got you. You're okay. It's going to be okay. Don't stress yourself out.

Jason: I know I fucked up many times, Dick. I don't want.. I don't know what to do if I fuck this up.

Dick, brings Jason closer: Shh. You won't, Jay. You're very smart and strong, and so so caring and you don't even realize it it. Ask the kids at the Alley, they idolize you. Roy adores you and everything you do. He knows who you are. And trust me, I'm not that bitter anymore of one of my best friends dating my younger brother.

Jason smiles which warms Dick's heart, making him smile too.

Dick: Plus, we wouldn't want Ollie to think that a Wayne cannot dress up and be romantic right?

Jason grins this time.

Dick to Tim: Timmy, I have a great idea! I'll drive you there. I know you're tired from work already. Just let me know which restaurant then you can rest a bit when we travel there.

Tim: It's okay, Dick. You're also tired from your shift. I'll just let Kon know I'll be late for a few-

Dick: No, no. If you want to rest first, let him know, he'll understand. But I'll still take you.

Tim: But, Dick...

Dick: Nah-uh. I didn't drive you to prom, remember? Let me do this, Baby Bird. And for me to also look out for Lex, just in case he bothers Conner again. We don't want that happening in the middle of your date.

Tim, laughs: Well, Kon will just have to drag Lex's ass to space.

Dick laughs with him.

Dick to Cass: Aww, you look beautiful, Cass. So where you going? Where will you meet Steph?

Cass, fixing her necklace: By her house.

Dick: Great! I already know where that is. I'll drive you there. We don't want to ruin your beauty. I mean, that's totally impossible, but I want you to just relax before the date.

Cass, blushes: I can do it.

Dick: Of course, you can. But I want to. Pretty please, pretty please. I'm a little protective over my sister.

Cass, rolls her eyes fondly but smiles: Of course. Thank you.

Dick: You're most welcome. And tell Steph if she does something extreme like set some fireworks, tell her to lay off with those energy drinks she started on her diet.

Dick to Duke: Little D, Little D! Don't even try to say no cus maybe your brothers and sister have already told you, but this is kinda my tradition now. I'm taking you to your first date.

Duke: They did tell me. But, Dick.. I don't want to be a burden. Weren't you injured-

Dick: No, no. That was like last week. I'm good. As long as you're good with me to take you, right? Now, I don't want to be the burden.

Duke, smiles: Never.

Dick, smiles and gives Duke a side hug: Then you're never a burden too, Little D. A big bro has to look out for the younger ones. Plus, I can say that you dressing up nice comes from my influence.

Duke, chuckles: Who else am I looking up to, right?

Dick to Damian: Shush, Dami. I know you're dating a super, and he can come and get you without a minute to spare, but tell Jon I'll be taking you.

Damian: Richard, please. I'm already at the right age.

Dick, puts a hand on his little (not so anymore) brother's shoulder and he refuses not to tear up (he fails ofc): I know, you've grown up so much, Dami. So much, since I made you Robin. But please, it will make me really happy to do this. It will give me peace, in some way. It sounds ridiculous, but yes.

Damian, doesn't even try to hide the fond he has on his face: Alright, Richard. I'll let Jon know.

Dick: He's not taking you somewhere out of Gotham or Metropolis, right? Cus then we'll have to take the Batplane.

Damian, chuckles: It's in Metropolis, don't worry.

Dick: Phew. I was as nervous as the time I took Tim on his date.

so....

maybe after a few years on Dick and Wally's wedding day, Dick's younger siblings will be walking with him on the aisle by his side and Bruce, their Father, on his other side of course. and they're thankful that the aisle is wide enough to fit the whole Wayne kids. Dick is a crying mess and he hasn't even reached Wally yet by the end of the aisle. because he's genuinely happy to have his siblings take him to the love of his life this time.

[marauderundercover]

Jasonette July ch. 1

AO3

Chapter 1: If I hadn't blown the whole thing years ago, I might be here with you

Glancing at the email again, Marinette can’t help but feel sort of bittersweet. She’d used to think that when she finally went to Gotham, that her best friend would be there waiting for her. She’d thought that by the time she finally was able to visit Gotham, that they would have revealed their actual identities. Instead, she was just past the three year mark of losing her best friend. Taking in a deep breath, she pushes her negative feelings aside. She should be excited for her new opportunity. She should- She sighs as her phone starts blaring. Grabbing it, she glances at the caller ID and smiles before answering.

“Hey,” She says, relieved at the chance to get away from her own thoughts.

“Hey, kiddo! How’re you doing? Hear back from any colleges yet?” Dick Grayson asks. The man had found her back when Robin passed away, but he’d found her as Nightwing. Apparently he’d worked with Batman and Robin before, and had helped Batman go through Robin’s comm logs and history to see if there was anything important. He apparently hadn’t been aiming to actually make contact with her in Paris, but she was really glad that he had. He’d saved her. He’d found her at the darkest time of her life, and been there for her like no one else could. He’d also mentored her as a hero, which was amazing since she hadn’t really had any help on that front since Master Fu had given her the role of Guardian.

“As a matter of fact, I just heard back from Gotham U,” She says, having to yank the phone away from her ear as Dick whoops.

“I knew you could do it!” He cheers, and Marinette snorts.

“I didn’t say yes, yet,” She points out.

“But you didn’t say no, right?” Dick asks, and Marinette sighs. He cheers again, and she can’t help but smile a bit. Dick was a great mentor. He cared about her outside of the mask, which is one of the reasons she’d applied for Gotham U despite not being able to go with her best friend anymore. Dick had insisted that Gotham was still a place she’d enjoy. So she was willing to try.

“Course not. Are you sure it’s safe, though? Weren’t you just complaining about that new Crime Lord like, three months ago?” She asks. Sure, she knew that Gotham had an insane amount of villains (or Rogues, as Dick called them), but apparently Red Hood was different from the rest of them.

“I actually don’t think I’ve complained about Hood for like six months,” Dick corrects her. “Besides, he’s…well, he’s not as bad as we’d originally thought.” Marinette chokes on the coffee she had tried to sip, eyebrows raised.

“I’m sorry, Mr. ‘heads in a duffle bag’ isn’t as bad as you originally thought?” She asks. Dick’s silent for a minute.

“Yeah, yeah he’s not as bad as we thought, kid.”

It had been a couple months since Marinette had been accepted into Gotham U, and she was finally moving into an apartment in Gotham. Dick had originally said that he would help her, but something had come up and he’d had to go do Nightwing stuff. Which was fine. She was just in a city she didn’t know in a country she hadn’t grown up in. Everything was fine. Walking out of her building, she starts heading towards the convenience store that she’d seen on her way to her building earlier. She figured she’d go shopping for actual groceries later, and just grab something quick for tonight and tomorrow morning now. Before she can make it to the store, something grabs her wrist and she inhales sharply. She tries to tug back, but whoever had her wrist yanked her into the alleway.

“Just gimme your wallet,” A gruff voice demands. Marinette tries to pull her wrist away, but the man’s grip just tightens.

“Let go,” She says, unable to stop her voice from shaking. She was cursing herself internally for leaving after dark. Robin had told her so many stories of Gotham, so many different ways it wasn’t safe, and yet she hadn’t listened. And now she was being mugged on her first night. Joy. The man tugs her closer, and Marinette feels her heart stop as he looks down at her.

“C’mon, Sugar, just gimme the wallet and then you and I can have a little fun,” He says, and her stomach drops.

“Please, just let go,” She pleads, pulling harder to try and get out of his grip. The man snarls at her, but before he can do anything an unfamiliar voice rings throughout the alley.

“I believe the lady asked you to let go,” The voice calls. Marinette twists as much as she can, eyes widening as Red Hood stalks further into the alley. Almost immediately, the mugger lets go of her and pushes her away from him. She stumbles as he runs, obviously scared of the (former?) crime lord.

“You’re not gonna stick my head in a duffle bag, right?” She asks instantly. Red Hood snorts, shaking his helmet-covered head.

“Uh, no. That’s uh, I’m not-” He stops, letting out a long exhale. “I don’t do that anymore. I was just making sure you were okay.” Marinette nods, giving him a half hearted smile.

“Yeah, I know, sorry. I don’t always have the best filter,” She apologizes, laughing awkwardly.

“Do you need an escort home?” Red Hood asks. Marinette shakes her head.

“No, thanks. I’ve got to stop by the store-”

“Seriously? You were just almost mugged and you’re going to the store?” Red Hood asks incredulously. Marinette raises an eyebrow.

“Well, what am I supposed to do? I just moved in,” She says simply. Red Hood crosses his arms.

“I’ll walk you to the store and then home,” He says. Marinette snorts, but Red Hood doesn’t move.

“Oh, you’re serious?” She asks. He nods. “Mon dieu. Okay, let’s uh, let’s go, I guess.” Gotham was sure to be interesting.

Jason sighs as he drops onto his couch. It’d been a long week. Somehow, Dick had managed to convince him to sign up for classes at Gotham U. He wasn’t exactly sure how it worked, especially given the fact that he’d been dead for the last two years of high school, but it was done. So on top of keeping Crime Alley running smoothly and going on his normal patrols, he’d spent the days this week going through registration and getting his school supplies. Stuff he hadn’t expected to ever really matter for him again. Just as his eyes start to flutter close, his front door is thrown open. He immediately jumps, one hand on his holster.

“Chill out Jay, it’s just me,” Dickhead says, walking in with a bag of takeout. Jason huffs, flopping back down onto the couch.

“Why the hell are you here?” He asks, eyes narrowed. Dick just grins.

“I brought food,” He says. Jason just blinks. “Okay, fine. I just wanted to see how you are. I know this has been a hard week for you.” Jason snorts, shaking his head.

“Definitely not the worst I’ve ever had,” He points out, feeling a little bad when he sees Dick wince. “I’m fine, Dick. The most interesting part of the week was when I helped some French girl who was getting mugged.” Dick’s eyes widen a fraction before he frowns.

“A French girl?” He asks. Jason nods.

“Yeah, said she came for Gotham U. Though why anyone would come to Gotham just for college, I’ll never understand.” Dick laughs nervously, and Jason raises an eyebrow. “Is she some secret girlfriend of yours or something?”

“Of course not,” Dick scowls. Jason just laughs, grabbing the food Dick holds out for him.

“Don’t suppose you’re gonna tell me why you reacted that way?” He asks, and Dick shakes his head.

“It was nothing, Jay. Just…interesting that someone would come here for college is all,” He says. And look, Jason is not stupid. He knows that Dick’s lying, but he also knows that if Dick doesn’t want to tell him, he’s not gonna tell him. They’ll just go in circles all night. And honestly, Jason’s too tired for that. So instead, he’ll just eat the food his brother brought, and try to forget all about the French girl and the fact that she’s obviously connected with his brother somehow.

@maribat-calendar-events

[1donoow]

DC REC

PT.2

......

♡ - smut

Most of them are fluff

......

<a/n>i somewhat explain why there's alot in my pin post

batmom

batfam

batsis

bruce wayne

garfield logan

Jason todd

alfred pennyworth

batmom

@batfam-imagines - things batmom has definitely said

@dc-x-readers - open door policy (young justice x batmom)

@morgansunflower - sleep well my precious robin

- busted

@battymommastuff - injury

- hey mom (titan)

- that's my mom (amazonian!reader)

@timetravelassasin - mom us an assassin

@blackcupidangel - motherhood

@bluebellhairpin - video tapes

- what they call batmom

@kimberly-spirits13 - saving the day (scarlet witch!batmom)

@xxgoblin-dumplingxx - batmom cleaning jason up after his first time as robin

@xoxo-mylove - i hate that soothing voice(dick grayson)

- new beginnings (jason todd)

@dragon-chica - batmom

———————————————————————

batfam

@butwhyduh - ___

@riotlain - batboy's s/o giving small gifts to them

@kayadrake123 - batboys x famous reader

———————————————————————

batsis

@current-interest-writings - nicknames a family tradition

@alessabriel - y/n wayne!venom (male reader)

@detectivemarvelingcomics - not your classic vigilante ch.2

@kimberly-spirits13 - batsibling with black panther suit/ persona

@flying-nightwing - life lesson (never kidnap a wayne kid)

———————————————————————

bruce wayne

@catxsnow - let's have a baby

@ellabxrnes - hypnotist

@invisibleanonymousmonsters - trauma (daughter!reader)

@headcans-oneshots-and-stuff - lost,found and consequences (toddler!reader)

@dragon-chica - faithful couple

———————————————————————

garfield logan

@busylickingsatansballs - pretty kitty

@hobiiwan - ___

@gangrenados - ___

- morning hc

@wondergotham - Being Best Friends w/Conner & Gar

@multifandomimaginesworld - dating gar logan would include

@ghostdrafts - gar logan dating headcannon

@kioelo - time

@idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 - you have a connection

@gars-jasons-gf - relationship hc pt.2

———————————————————————

jason todd

@ghost-soap - ___

@nightwings-circus - husband-zoned

@iheartdoll - jason todd hc

@cipheress-to-k-pop - curls

@a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all - perfect

@veronica-17-hood - ___

@s1ater - daddy's girl pt.1 (batsis)

@katsumox - jason todd headcannon

@rekiilysm - adore you

@redhoodedangel - scars that last (scarlet witch!reader)

@book-place - a day with jay (sister!reader)

@thebisexualdogdad - jason todd dating roy harper's brother

@ellana-ravenwood - draw me like one of your french boy

- A baby in the family

@kaleidoscopewritings19 - halloween special (black widow!reader)

@yourlocalcringydaydreamer - jason with autistic reader

@xxgoblin-dumplingxx - Jason resting his head on reader's ass

- jason seeing you in a swimsuit for the first time

- jason with baby fever

- jason todd being soft for his girlfriend

- jason loosing the reader in a store

- jason getting babied

- bruce disapproving of reader and jason's relationship until

- jason's reading glasses

- ___(gentle giant!jason)

>>>>>teddy!verse<<<<<

•teddy referring reader as mother for the first time •protective mama bear •dad!jason meeting his wife for the first time •bruce talking with teddy!verse reader •mother's day lunch •jason calling the reader ridiculous pet names

———————————————————————

alfred pennyworth

@lazydoodlesandfanfic - needing a cheer up (daughter!reader)

[dcmultiverse]

Raven, Robin and Kid Flash in Teen Titans Go!

[luvly-writer]

“But oh..cara mia”

Ch. 2: The Engineer of hearts

———————————————————

Dick Grayson x Latina! Reader

Status: Ongoing

Warnings: Damian alone is a warning in itself

Author’s note: Chapter two! The last chapters of “You are my sunshine” will be posted soon so worry not!  Enjoy!

Taglist: @lorosette @prettyacademia00 @nanas-teatime

Series Masterlist:

———————————————————

A few weeks passed, and Yn’s role in the family was easy to determine. She was the one that designed the majority of their weapons and suits and she would help Alfred with tending to their injuries and wounds. Her presence truly intrigued him. There was a section of the Batcave that was closed off when he got here, yet now it was open and he would see that it was a huge lab. Her lab. She would spend most days tinkering there, checking on the training simulations and equipment, checking everyone’s suits, conducting check-ups on everyone’s health, testing the weapons and tinkering on them, making sure their suits were in optimal condition, and writing all of her observations on her iPad. She was truly intelligent, Damian had deduced and deemed her a little respectable. He hadn’t seen her fight yet, so that’s why it was only a little. She was comforting to be around, making it easy to forget his mission sometimes. He would see the others constantly joke around with her and mess around whenever they were free. Even Todd had started to come more frequently to the manor because of her. And don’t get him started on his father, there were times were any of her smart-ass comments together with the antics of the group would create a small, bearly visible smile on his face. She was always nice to him but never allowed him to step over her. She would gladly put him back in his place if he ever stepped out of line and it was strangely comforting. Unlike the others, even though she recognized he was a child, she would treat him as an equal when it came to Robin, patroling, and anything related to vigilantism. He almost got carried away a few times, but then, he’d see the change both Grayson and her would have any time they were together and he was reminded of what he wanted to do. It was weird between them. He’d notice that her eyes would always search for Grayson first after they came from patrol, almost as if she needed to make sure he came back alive. As for Grayson, sometimes he would go directly toward her so that she would fix his wounds, neither of them speaking. Damian noticed how Grayson’s eyes would soften every time he saw the girl. But what Damian noticed the most was that they never. stopped. bickering. When it began, he noticed the others let out a sigh, of relief, annoyance, and amusement painted on their faces. They would argue over everything and Damian had to admit, it was kind of funny seeing someone actually get on Grayson’s nerves in a way no one else could. Like the rest, sometimes he would revel in their arguments, finding enjoyment, but other times, it was plain annoying. He would hear Brown and Todd make bets on when the next argument would starts and Gordon call them an old married couple. Then, they would go back to absolute coldness and harshness towards the other. Their relationship exasperated Damian to no end. He NEEDED to get to the bottom of this. It was hot and cold, inconsistent at best, and Damian had had it. He began the first phase of his plan, the files. Damian needed access to the personal files at the Batcomputer and he wanted to be alone. No one could know what he was doing because they would tease him mercilessly. The problem was that the Batcave always had someone. Thankfully, one night, after a nasty injury, Yn had recommended Bruce to have Damian benched for a few days. Following her advice, something that surprised Damian seeing as Bruce was as stubborn as a mule when it came to decisions, Bruce benched him. At first he was furious but seeing as he would have the cave to himself he reluctantly agreed. He said he would manage comns for the night and managed to convince everyone. Now, he found himself sitting in front of the Batcomputer, alone in the cave, aside from Yn who was in her lab evaluating her notes with her headphones on. Alfred had gone to the kitchens to prepare something so that they could eat after patrol. He clicked on the files and searched for her name. Soon, he was presented with her entire file and so the search began. 

Full name: Yn Mn LN

Age: 25

Parents:

Full name: F/n Ln

Race:

-Puerto Rican

Status: Deceased

-Died in an accident

Full name: M/n L/n

Race:

-Amazon

Status: Deceased

-Died in a car crash. 

Legal Guardian (s): Diana Prince

Place of residency:

Puerto Rico, until age 9

New York: Ages 9- 18

Gotham: Ages 9 - present

Education: 

Gotham Academy:

elementary to high school

Gotham Univerisity:

Bachelor: Biotechnological Egineering

Masters: Medical Engineer

Vigilante:

-Calvary

Trained under Bruce Wayne alias Batman and Diana Prince Alias Wonder Woman

Common alias: wonderbat

Status: Retired

“Done investigating me?” said Yn, as she walked towards Damian, making him close the tab and turn around. Promising to get back to it later. Damian glared at her and she raised her eyebrow at him and smirked. “You could have asked, Demon brat, I would have answered, you know?” ok, maybe he won’t have to go back to the tab now that he can interrogate her. “How many questions am I allowed?” he said, eyes narrowed at her and she shrugged and gestured for him to follow her to her lab. He got up and followed her as she answered, “As many as you like until I get tired of answering”. She sat on her usual stool and gestured toward the one in front of her. Damian took it and looked at her, she was smirking knowingly at him.

 “You don’t seem uncomfortable or surprised that I was looking at your file, why is that?” 

“Cause I was already expecting it”

  “How so?”

“You are part of this insane paranoid family, a new person means research has to be done in order to trust,” she said leaning forward. Damian nodded. She smiled at the kid, his existence was amusing to her. “Have you checked my file?” he asked and she laughed, “Of course! The very same night I met you, had a DNA check-up as well.” Damian nodded, so she was prepared. 

“You are an orphan?” he asked, starting the interrogation, 

“Yes, my parents died on a car crash when I was nine and I was sent to live with my godmother” 

“Diana Prince”

“Yes”

“It says you had lived both in New York and Gotham simultaneously, how so?”

“Diana, at the time, wanted to explore the city and lived there for a while, therefore I stayed with her. But she enrolled me in Gotham Academy. Bruce suggested it, seeing as they offer a good education, I’d be with Barbara and Richard, two kids close to my age that could kind of understand my life, and I would be under his protection as well, she agreed to it. So, I spent a good amount of time exchanging between the two cities via Zeta tubes. Would arrive on the mornings then leave after Alfred would pick us up.”

Damian nodded and asked his next question, “It said you were trained by both Father and Diana, is it true?”

The girl nodded and answered, “Yes. I would train with Bruce when I was in Gotham. Diana trained me, seeing as she would alternate between taking me to see my family from my father’s side in Puerto Rico and going to Themyscira during the summer. The Amazons trained me as one of their own.”

Knowing that she was just as capable of fighting and defending herself as the rest made Damian respect her fully. He asks again, “You were a vigilante?”

To which the girl nodded again, smiling softly remembering her days as a vigilante. “Yes, my name was Calvary. Now, I mostly help behind the scenes, unless it’s an extreme situation where all hands on deck are needed.”

Damian nodded again, interesting. “Why did you quit?” At that, the girl tensed up and her smile softened, eyes looking a little sad

“Um...wow” she breathed out, “various reasons, kid. Next question,” she said and Damian made a mental note of investigating that furthermore. He asks again, “What is your job then?”

She smiled at him and answered, “Well, I do many things.” she laughed. “I started designing the weapons and suits after I retired, which was by the time I was 19, I also design the training areas and simulations many of you use. I make notes and constantly upgrade them so that we stay in optimal condition and shape. Speaking of, I also make sure to check up on all of you, so that your health is at 100%. Which is why you see me making you guys pass by my lab once a week for scanning, I help with injuries and mostly everything medical. I am trying to get you guys on therapy and I will succeed one of these days aaaaaand finally, I am in charge of creating new technological advances so that your lives are easier. That’s about it. Like I said, behind the scenes.”

(Yn is basically Shuri from Black Panther)

 Damian nods, understanding that her position is truly admirable and essential. Finally, he asks the question that has been bothering him the most, “I have one last question,” Yn nods “What is your relationship with Grayson?”

[vermillioncrown]

Hello! Rereading The Pros and Cons of Digging Your Own Grave again, and you can refuse to answer, especially if it's a spoiler or something, but I'm just curious about Tim's whereabouts so far. Barbara mentioned that he's gone for the school year? I know that DC canon timeline is wack, but is Tim perhaps currently out of the country, possibly France, for some Robin training like he did in the comics?

he's 100% doing the out-of-country robin training rn, correct

in fact, that's what dick and bruce allude to in their not-an-argument fight over dinner in ch 4 (second-to-last scene of ch 3 is babs and dick realizing that tim's overcommitment to his extracurricular activities is Not Okay)

dick pointing out that tim is technically truant, so why would he have let bruce anywhere near decision making for his foster if he can't even babysit another pre-teen properly?

bruce pointing out that if korvin's in so much danger that he needs to stay out of blüd, why isn't dick training him or getting him some training?

or they're thinking that very hard at each other

it's tough making people who don't like to fucking talk...to talk with complete sentences containing actual substance.

=

tim will be back post-dick grayson pentology + a korvin interlude, so in two chapters

=

piggybacking off this ask to talk a bit about the timeline--i'm taking general premises and working in what seems narratively logical to make my own timeline lol

yes, i can jokingly bash the canon for being wack, but instead i'm treating it like a skeleton + heisenberg's timeline: upon observation, it needs to be in some fixed state. some things will be familiar, nothing will be 100% exactly how canon happens, changes beget more change, and i'm too pedantic about irl and worldbuilding to abide by comic book suspension of disbelief (when a world is too similar to our own and asks us to treat that as our baseline for their extraordinary, i will do so stringently)

[paragonrobits]

Movie Review - Holy Musical B@man!

I am a simple person, with simple tastes (albeit ones that periodically have me wistfully imagining people incredulously asking me if my brain is broken or if my entire life to date has been an incredibly elaborate bit I am doing), and my tastes in movies are fairly straightforward. Oh, yes there are certainly layers to it; on the proper occasion, perhaps one day my reviews will give me room to ramble on about my undying fixation on ‘robots and nonhumans as personhood’ plot elements, or extensive use of practical effects, and my love of bathos (or, as I always assumed it to be, the dramatic changing of register for comic effect, but apparently that’s a different thing), and it is this last point that I keep thinking about with Holy Musical; namely, ITS REALLY GOSHDARN FUNNY.

I’m not a very emotionally demonstrative person. It’s not that I am consciously detached or try to limit my expressions, but I am NATURALLY not a very emotive person; it’s just not natural or easy for me to express myself with the same extremes as other people do. Sometimes this is a problem; around my family I find myself having to constantly overact because they get upset and take it personally when my normal reactions are subdued. When I find something funny, I usually only have a small response; a small laugh, a little giggle, something like that. And when something gets a big belly-busting ‘oh god someone send help I can’t stop’ laugh, that’s either me making a TRULY HORRIBLE pun so awful I can’t even say it before busting up laughing, or I really was having the time of my life enjoying something.

This movie is the latter; whatever else it has going on, it got me a TON of laughs, over and over, and for that, I really have to appreciate it. Whatever else it has going on, it is genuinely and consistently funny.

On a broad strokes basis, this movie strikes me as being something of a reconstructive parody; specifically of the darker and edgier Batman, with both the first two Nolan Batman movies and Frank Millar’s well known (infamous, in my book, as I REALLY don’t much care for it) The Dark Knight Returns. Early stage Batman of this musical is definitely a comedic depiction of Batman at his most, to quote Overly Sarcastic Production’s take on the matter, ‘Punisher in a silly hat’. I normally DON’T like this take on Batman at all; I can’t stand people who go online and sincerely say that Batman is a billionaire that beats up poor people or reduce a nearly 100 year old running character to some pithy remarks so they can feel like a smart aleck for a few minutes. Yet somehow, this play makes it work for me; it’s probably because its just SO over the top and coming from a place of love that I really don’t mind, say, Batman depicted as an overzealous hunter of criminals that’s willing to pop out PLANE-MOUNTED GUNS on a guy who technically stole from his own till by forgetting to put in some money before he left.

Following a brief falling out with Alfred (who is essentially all of Batman’s friends in disguise, including Lucius Fox, a joke that had me wincing in discomfort the moment it popped up and feeling profoundly relieved when it just moved on, only to be repeated a few more times; frankly, I feel that if this has come out a few years earlier, we would be seeing outright stereotype racism jokes; the corners of the Internet this would have been popular around at the time went nuts for that and I hate that), Batman ultimately turns a new leaf when he meets Dick Grayson, in this portrayal played off more as a brotherly character rather than the more familiar depiction of them as a father and son duo. There is a LOT of Burt Ward’s performance as Robin from the Adam West Batman series, and this brings me to the fundamental point.

I feel that this musical is all about Batman starting out as a dark and edgy jerk-face with an overly zealous approach to crime and playing all the worst borderline fascistic interpretations of the character to comic excess, to gradually mellowing out as he befriends Robin and becoming a much more genuine and humane character, and with the campy tone, by the end of his character arc he resembles nothing less than Adam West’s famous depiction of Batman, played straight and with love, and I HAVE to appreciate that; it's sort of a love letter to camp and not being ashamed of its roots, as a lot of the ‘comics can be SUPER SERIOUS and we don’t have to be gross and campy’ attitude tends to go.

Batman’s villains are similarly extremely campy and they’re an absolute BLAST; virtually every line from them is packed to the brim with thematic puns and in particular I really like this musical’s take on Penguin; less a mob boss guy, and more of a heavily bird-themed crime villain who can’t go more than a few words without working in bird puns, and I LOVE IT. Everyone is like this, from Poison Ivy to Catwoman (And this alone is probably an indicator of this musical’s lean towards the likes of the West Batman show, as Catwoman hasn’t been considered a rogue in QUITE a while and her portrayal here is a dead ringer for that era). Of note, Joker off-handedly dies off screen early on. I say GOOD RIDDANCE. His role is instead filled by Sweet Tooth, an absolutely delightful villain chock full of furiously quick candy puns, genuine menace and a ton of fun pretty much every moment he’s on screen.

He’s very clearly a Joker stand-in, but without the kind of baggage that Joker himself usually brings on board. Its with him that we have a scene taken directly from the iconic ‘choose who dies’ bit from The Dark Knight, but instead voting on whether Robin lives or dies; I was struck at them in the death of Jason Todd, which never fails to impact me. (Perhaps not as much as harshly as Jason Todd outright referencing it in Injustice 2, but this is pretty close.) He adds in a Harley Quinn analogue, who carries both the blatant abusive dynamic and being a legitimate threat in her own right despite her silly demeanor. Interestingly enough, despite my assumptions that he was an original creation of this project, he actually IS a pre existing character, but a very minor one; he apparently has only had a couple of appearances prior to this and was considered forgettable even by the standards of one off gimmick villains. I consider this the equivalent of someone bringing back the Penny Plunderer as a genuine villain without losing a bit of campiness.

I mentioned before that I feel this musical covers elements of the Nolan movies and Millar’s work. From the latter, we have other superheroes periodically making appearances throughout, and here’s where we get SUPERMAN. Now, I’m honestly pretty defensive about works, especially parodies, getting Superman right in any capacity; I get REALLY touchy about it, and honestly, I think this movie does better to give Superman an antagonistic role than The Dark Knight Returns did, even with a similar scene (albeit with Obama rather than Reagan); instead of being a government stooge, this take on Superman is deeply insecure and resentful of Batman’s popularity despite his own vastly greater power and success, which also feels like something of a meta commentary on Batman often being perceived as a better character than Superman. (PErsonally I feel a guy in his 30s who has mastery of ALL the skills and martial arts disciplines, despite individual ones taking a LIFETIME to learn, is even more inherently absurd than a superpowered alien that happens to look exactly like a human, but that’s a whole different rant.) We see a bunch of other heroes throughout, most especially Green Lantern who has a running gag of being late for a Thing with Solomon Grundy (I don’t know if Grundy was picked for specifically starting out as a Golden Age Green Lantern villain, but I’d like to think so), and is portrayed as a shlubby Brooklynite, which is honestly a take that feels… right. Not sure why, but it does!

Ultimately, it comes down to Batman outright just asking Superman for help, because he’s the only one that can do things on that scale; essentially having him drop his ego and pride to sincerely ask for help, which feels like a really nice way to directly address the rivalry that is applied to them in a lot of comedic works and come to terms between them, and Superman doing the famous Reeves Time Warp spin (which was alluded to earlier in the movie) to undo catastrophe.

This in particular cemented a feeling that the movie is essentially about Batman developing from a parody of his darkest and most edgy characterizations set off by people imitating the vibes of the Dark Knight Returns and the Nolan movies, through a storyline that incorporates aspects of both into its plot, and at the end, through his friendship with Robin (a character notably absent from the Nolan movies save for Rise, and honestly I don’t feel that counts), and embracing the most fun and campy aspects through Robin, THE old school campy character, developing into something akin to Adam West’s Batman.

That said, Batman himself is a bit of a hard sell here. He’s a fun character, no question, especially as the movie progresses. But while he IS fun, he generally does work better as a straight man and it’s hard to say he handles that super well, at least to me. I do think Batman being just as quirky and weird as his cast is appropriate, but he’s mostly interesting not on his own but how people react to him. A lot of his best bits here are when he’s part of a larger scene, or people are reacting to him; his manchild mannerisms and demented behavior get a lot funnier then. They’re never bad, but they’re not really GREAT per se.

But all the same, it IS a genuinely fun experience that had me busting out laughing like a self-satisfied hyena, and you know what, I love it just for that alone. A great watch, all around!

Some other things of note:

- I really liked how no one seems to know what a robin is. “What is that, some kind of lizard?” And Robin’s parents being assassinated by one is honestly so bizarre but I can see that being a thing in the DC universe.

- Pour one out for poor old Killer Croc, who died as he lived; poisoning the water supply in the tradition of camp villains of old!

- People just… knowing that Superman is Clark Kent is honestly kind of a gas. Yes, there ARE reasons why he maintains his secret identity, but it's fun for the people involved to play it as a non-issue.

- Not a gag but Plastic Man looks fantastic in his brief appearance.

- Also not a gag but I read Garth Ennis’ Batman Reptilian not too long ago, and I’m struck by how both these works seem to poke at the idea of a much more brutal and callous Batman. Not much of a similarity, true, but it is striking how they go in opposite directions; this one opts for escape into the blessed realms of camp, while the other… well, it’s a Garth Ennis work, its exactly what you’d expect from the person who made the Punisher (and a completely non-ironic take) a signature character. If you HAVE to have Batman being the sort of person who takes glee in plane weaponry, I’d rather it be played for comedy.

- There’s a LOT of similarities between this and the much later Lego Batman. Apparently the people who made this even commented on that!

- Okay, okay, Robin determining his hero identity in a parallel of Batman’s is hysterical. SEARCH YOUR HEART. IT IS TRUE.