#Batman deserves goodness just like everyone else does

[bonefall]

Voted for Bumble bc of course but also if you think Alex would not pspsps Bumble you are wrong. If they could communicate they would go to therapy together /s

If then could communicate they would go to therapy together

/GEN

Kyle/Green Lantern resurrects her but then he becomes convinced that she's not the same person she was before the incident, OR SOMETHING SOMETHING Black Lanterns aren't ACTUALLY bad they're just misunderstood Grim Reaper types, in either case Alex ends up breaking it off with Kyle because they've become very different people.

And then Bumble's there

And then they go to therapy or Alex adopts Bumble, and then uhhh Bumble's like one of the superpets. Like Krypto the Superdog. Free premise go forth and play with it if ur a DC fan

[oatlystrawberryicecream]

the way that some people talk about jason and batman and the joker is so jarring to me because it relies on some unspoken assumptions that i will never buy into

1. the assumption that taking a life inevitably always makes the person who did it worse. killing someone isn’t always this earth shattering thing that harms the person who does it and fundamentally changes their outlook on things. i guess if you have never met a veteran or someone who survived an armed robbery or any number of other things you might make that mistake, but like some of the people who fought in wwii came home and were normal members of the community and the times that their bullets hit the mark were not necessarily the parts of the war that kept them up at night. these assumptions that once you kill you are wicked and have to feel bad and do this whole show of repentance are insidious. if you are gonna look at all this through the lens of christian morality you should at least be aware that that is what you are doing but you cant have just one character be wicked and unclean because of his actions when the bible says that everyone is wicked and unclean by our nature and all sins are equal. a lot of people object to that view but if thats how you see it batman and jason and the joker are all sinners and are all as bad as each other so at least be consistant about how you apply that moral framework.

2. the assumption that being robin or being taken in and trained by bruce means full agreement with and acceptance of every part of bruce’s personal philosophy on justice and morality. jason was a homeless child and even if all this was explicitly laid out for him he could not have agreed since he needed bruce as a matter of survival. bruce’s ideology is extremely important to him and he can teach it to his children all he wants but they are not beholden to it above all else the way he thinks they should be. jason has to live according to his own beliefs regardless of how unacceptable bruce finds it and it is unfair and hypocritical of bruce to get bent out of shape about it.

3. the assumption that killing is always bad. maybe i have listened to too many episodes of behind the bastards but some people will do significant and appalling damage to others no matter what unless they are dead. those people can’t be allowed to keep causing harm. it isn’t glorious and there is no honor about it but it is right and just that they be stopped. there is no reason to strive for purity or ideological high ground when you can provide a measure of safety and justice to victims and prevent future harm instead.

4. the assumption that bruce didn’t have to answer to jason. parents have a duty to their children and it is my opinion that that duty does not end when the child dies. bruce adopted jason and made himself responsible and accountable for everything that happened to jason under his care. that responsibility was ignored over many instances. i am not going to detail the things that led to jason’s death here but it was not good or effective parenting. after jason’s death the disrespect starts pretty immediately with bruce compromising evidence of his murder in order to preserve his ability to continue as batman and continues with bruce getting rid of pretty much all traces of jason’s presence in his life. he is only spoken of as a mistake, a lost cause, or a cautionary tale and is assigned blame for his own death, a death that batman never bothered to fully investigate since he was buried next to the woman who led him into the trap. a new kid is endangered and the joker and batman both continue doing whatever they want as if jason’s life only matters for the way it affects them. bruce needs to answer for all of this, as his son jason has a right to expect more from his father. now the extent to which that extends can be debated but it is clear to me that jason deserved better from bruce.

conclusion: killing is accepted in society in certain circumstances, you may or may not agree with this but self defense laws and even things like jury nullification exist because people knew there should be some wiggle room since no one could have the full context of every situation that would ever arise. ending a life is not normal or ideal but it is not an unfathomably rare experience and it does not always weigh on the person who does it. bruce has never to my knowledge killed someone so he has no idea how he would actually respond but that still isn’t even what jason was asking him to do. all he had to do was be present and not move and he would have been the only parental figure who didn’t let jason down.

[maxwell-grant]

do you have any favorite batman henchmen?

I put a lot of stock into how a Batman work tackles the resident henchmen and assistants and organization surrounding any specific Batrogue and how those intersect with each other so yes, absolutely I have Bat-henchman opinions, and favorites per villain. I'm gonna about pick about one or two among my favorites and name a few honorable mentions, with one exception and that's Rhino, Scarface's muscle. I know he's sort of a package deal with Mugsy, and Mugsy's pretty good too, but Rhino's the one I love.

I have a huge amount of fondness for Rhino and Rhino specifically because of his showing in "Read my Lips", as one of my favorite musical pieces for the series is the leitmotif that plays specifically for Rhino's moments in the opening heist and his brawl with Batman in the climax, and frankly he earns a top spot for me solely on the basis that he has his own theme and it's a banger on top of that. Scarface is exactly the kind of Bat-villain you want funny stereotypical cartoon gangsters attached to, and the big dumb grunt archetype is always more fun when paired with a proportionally much smaller partner or boss. And in Rhino's case, not only is he a titanically strong wall of muscle taking orders from a hand-held puppet dressed like a gangster, but cowering in fear when said puppet gets angry at him and relieved when reminded that he's too stupid to betray da boss. They made a lot with very little out of a bit character and it makes me love the episode so much more, and again, he has his own theme song and it opens the episode even, pretty hard to top that.

Penguin: My favorite overall has usually been Lark, specifically the version of her that was introduced in Tony Daniel's run. Like with Rhino and Scarface, the tiny funny-looking Oswald Cobblepot having a tall, intimidating lady chaffeur following him around makes for good contrast, and although I didn't like "Bullies" much at all, I really liked that scene of them being on friendly terms with each other, how much Penguin trusts her with his life and what he does. I like she is not abiding by any kind of formal dress code, like everyone else who tends to work at the Lounge, she's got almost like a punk thing that really contrasts with Oswald's own outfits and I always liked that, her individuality.

A more recent favorite would be Lili Kwan from Penguin: One Bad Day, someone who is far more marginalized than Oswald, and someone who was marginalized and pushed aside BY Oswald, but who joins up with him because he is the best lesser evil she is going to get and because they have enough in common that he can relate to her and respect her and ensure she is respected, but she pointedly does not mince words around him and does not entertain Oswald's delusions and self-loathing. She kinda demands Oswald to be the better class of criminal he paints himself as, to learn from his mistakes and earn having her by his side because "a king can't have illusions", and that's an incredibly interesting dynamic to me, this person with a vision of what Penguin and his empire should be like and in a position to have Penguin listen to her about it, not just muscle by his side but a voice in his ear pushing him to get his head in the game, be someone who deserves the loyalty he has from the underprivileged and the outcasts he claims to be a part of.

Honorable mentions would be the Red Triangle Gang from Batman Returns. I don't think they would really belong in any other version of the Penguin, and I have some very mixed feelings on Returns still, but I like the history they have with this Oswald and I like them in the movie proper, my favorite is the Poodle Lady for no real reason. I would also name the Kabuki Twins from The Batman cartoon, and Mr Decondor from The Batman Audio Adventures.

Joker: I gotta go with Bob the Goon, the Number One Guy. He is not even called Bob the Goon in the movie, he's just become so emblematic a figure for goons everywhere that he earns that name, Bob the Goon. See, I actually don't think the Joker should employ clowns in his gang, I think if you have more than one clown going around doing crimes, then they're not that special individually, I don't see the Joker surrounding himself with people who look or act even half as outlandish as himself, and that’s part of why Bob works for me, this comically ordinary schlub grunt who nevertheless endears himself to our sympathies for putting up with the Joker, being endlessly loyal to Napier before and after his accident. We like him in no small part because the Joker clearly likes this guy as much as he's capable of liking anyone on the planet, which is why it actually lands when the Joker guns him down just to vent. Rest in peace Bob, an example to low-lives everywhere.

If I had to name another favorite, and one I think works better on a reocurring basis, it would be Charlie Charleyhorse, from The Batman Audio Adventures. Charleyhorse has the mannerisms of a smooth-talking wise guy and is the guy who handles the day-to-day businesses of the Joker, sweet-talking recruits and negotiating deals and convincing rookies to eat poison and even hosting his broadcasts, and in contrast to the other villain sidekicks in the show who provide comedic contrast he is this very efficient, very charming and dangerous man, fully cognizant of the cruelty he's assisting and the man he works for. To me he feels like a very organic way of establishing how much more dangerous the Joker is compared to the other villains, that he runs his disorganized crime with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine, that behind all the chaos and mayhem there is an unfathomably brilliant mind at work and a smart, affable businessman to act as a conduit between that mind and the city, as if the Joker plucked the ghost of Jack Napier from his soul and found a sweet deal that lets them both happily exist.

Honorable mentions would be Prank, from The Batman cartoon. I think Joker gunning for his own Robin is an idea with legs (Harley never really counted in that regard), I really liked his design, a perfect combination of Robin aesthetics with a clown/jester motif, and I thought he had one of the more interesting set-ups for a "Joker corrupts people into extensions of him" story, definitely one of the better Joker episodes in that show. Other honorable mentions would be Jackanapes and Captain Clown from TAS, because the Joker getting unreasonably attached to a horrible giant clown android is a pretty funny concept to me.

Riddler: God, what a perfect character Miss Tuesday is. Pairing up the self-obsessed artist of crime with the harshest critic of all, the disinterested judgemental teenager, is such a perfect combo and it does so much to breathe new life into a very classic take on Riddler. The fact that she regularly stays in touch and coordinates stuff with other villain interns is amazing and part of the incredible worldbuilding The Batman Audio Adventures has in general. Miss Tuesday is this physical embodiment of ennui to deflate his cartwheeling histerics, manifesting every bit of self-awareness that the Riddler completely ignores, annoying him just as much as he annoys everyone else (her included).

It's punctuated by her being casually murderous to an extent that even surprises him, and the fact that she is just as smart as he is, so by the standards he lives his life by, he can't brush her off as another small-minded knuckle-dragging ignoramus like he does with everyone else, no, he can't tell himself that she simply doesn't understand what he is doing. She does understand him, she is just not that impressed by him, and Eddie will simply have to roll with the barbs and work harder if he is to prove himself. She is the closest The Riddler has to a conscience and thus her job is not to push him towards any kind of moral self-improvement or an approach to his work that doesn't involve murder and terrorism, but to dunk cold water on his head and call him cringe when he gets in too deep or for doing this instead of, like, making money off this crap or something.

The other candidate would be the Riddler's Followers from The Batman. They're not a concept I think would work for a more traditional version of The Riddler, but God they work SO well for that movie and that version of him, marking Eddie Nigma's transition from malajusted murderer into not just a supervillain with a city-destroying plot, not just the rise of supervillains as a thing Gotham is gonna have to deal with forever, but as a sickness aimed at the heart of the city, and a sickness that Batman is indirectly responsible for and that he must owe up to. I really like how The Riddler: Year One elaborates on them with "He doesn't trust people. But numbers never lie." His "henchmen" are numbers, numbers on a screen he never has to actually interact with, but can still send on to be proxies of him, embodiments of how much bigger this is than anything Batman could have imagined it being.

Honorable mentions would be the classic duo of Query and Echo, and much like Bob, we gotta bring up his henchgirl Molly from the Batman 66 pilot two-parter, who tragically died by falling into the Batcave's nuclear reactor. "What a way to go-go".

Two-Face: It's common for Two-Face to have twin sets of named thugs but I can't say any of them have ever been particularly memorable to me, but one that does stick out to me is Benny from Long Shadows. I'm of the opinion that if any Batman villain should be establishing a working relationship with a henchman/assistant, if any Batman villain really needs to be depicted putting in the work as far as convincing people to work for him, it should be Two-Face, the former widely-beloved District Attorney/politician turned crimelord who somehow stays a dominant player in the Gotham underworld despite everything stacked against him (his face, his reputation, his past being public record, the coin-based decisions, etc). I think Two-Face needs to be some degree of charismatic and conversational and convincing, he's someone with more tangential history in this world than the other villains and should be willing and able to engage with people at any level, even if, and especially if, he's going to betray or save them at the flip of a coin, and the closest anyone's ever come to capturing that for me has been Benny, this guy who's willing to question Two-Face's decisions and is smart and sensible and generally pleasant enough that Two-Face lets him do it (with some limits, of course) and lets him in on what he's planning. Being drawn by Mark Bagley, who can convey a lot of expression and personality on any character, is definitely a bonus.

Scarecrow: Not so much of a henchmen since this was technically a villain team-up, but Scream Queen as she was featured in that Brave and the Bold segment has literally nothing in common with comics Scream Queen as debuted in Scare Tactics to the point she is a new character in every way. I like comics Scream Queen quite a lot, and I wouldn't want her to be any kind of underling to Scarecrow, but BATB Scream Queen is a very cool design and concept and in general I think Scarecrow could stand to have some cool and inventive henchmen, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing BATB Scream Queen turn up again so long as she had a different name. I'm also extremely partial to the Strawmen and the idea of him employing former students and offering them teaching exercises mid-crime.

Bane: There's really only one form of Bane henchmen that matter and it's Bird, Zombie and Trogg, the Fabulous Five to his Doc Savage (I always felt like there could be two more members to actually make them five, I know it doesn't have to be an exact reference but). I like them as they are in regular canon but my favorite depiction of them so far has been in the Batman 66 comic by Jeff Parker, which retrofits Bane to fit the 66 aesthetic and tone by further emphasizing his lucha motif, and having his Fabulous Three all dress up in distinct masks of their own referencing existing iconic luchadore characters.

Black Mask: I think the False Face Society is one of the more interesting parts of Black Mask's concept and it really doesn't come up enough, and when it does it gets folded into just being a name for his gangster lackeys instead of the weird cult aspect it acquired when it was folded into his character, I'd like to see that stuff get folded back in.

Hugo Strange: Honestly I love all of Hugo's varied forms of henchmen over the years, all of them have their place in the grand tapestry of his designs (I'm not too big on Sanjay from Batman and the Monster Men, there is stuff to like about their dynamic but I don't think the pulp racial manservant is a thing deserving of the charming throwback treatment). The gangsters from his debut, the androids/mannequins, Night Scourge, the TYGER guards/troopers from Arkham City, the mind-controlled villains and inmates from his Deathstroke arc, and of course the Monster Men. I do prefer the horrific body horror kaijus from Night of the Monster Men, but I also like the mutated giants, especially when they dress up in oversized trenchcoats and slouch hats.

There are a few others but I'm lastly gonna say Mr.Freeze and his polar bears Notchka and Shaka, from Batman and Mr.Freeze: Subzero. I'm not opposed to Mr.Freeze having regular henchmen, or even ice-themed henchmen like in Batman and Robin, there are ways to have it make sense, but the polar bears I think have this sort of almost innocent fairytale logic to them that just fits Mr.Freeze and his imagery a lot better, abstract guardians of the concept of the arctic that Mr.Freeze claims dominion over. Even at their most benign, you can't extricate human henchmen from the inherent brutality of their profession, but when it's trained animals defending a master, it's easier to find innocence and sympathy, traits that fit well with Mr.Freeze. If there's anything in that movie I remember, it's the bittersweet ending where they walk off into a blizzard together, his sole two companions into this new life he's cursed with.

Does it really make any sense for Mr.Freeze's established skillset and character for him to have a duo of trained polar bears on call to do crimes with, the way Penguin and Catwoman have their own trained animals? No. Is it corny? Arguably yes. Do I think it's cool? Is it a cool image? Very much so, and when it comes to Batman, that tends to be the final word in things.

[incorrectbatfam]

Batfam’s Father’s Day plans

(also on Ao3)

"Morning, Bruce."

The way Stephanie says that instantly makes him look up. She traces her socked toe on the right angles of the tile, looking down. 

"Morning, Steph." Bruce puts his coffee down. "Something wrong?"

"Huh?" She perks up in realization. "No, not at all. I actually just have something for you. I stopped by Walgreens on patrol last night 'cause I ran out of antiseptic, and I saw something that reminded me of you." 

She hands him a dark blue greeting card with a cartoon fruit bat and Comic Sans text reading: You drive me batty, but I love you.

"Get it? 'Cause it's a bat, and you're the Batman." She scratches the back of her neck. "Not trying to make it weird or anything, you're just a cool mentor and whatnot. But also, it's nice to have someone who you can mess around with. My old man was always talking business even when he was at home—you kinda do that too, but in a good way 'cause anything's better than being a D-list villain, y'know. Plus, unlike him, you're working on striking a balance. Sometimes you even have a sense of humor." She chuckles awkwardly. "Anyway, I'm going on a jog. Text me if you need anything." 

Before he processes her rambling, she grabs a granola bar and races out the door. He opens the card and out falls out a handful of purple confetti plus an ever-rare two-dollar bill. Smiling, he brushes the confetti up and puts it in his shirt pocket. 

Bruce checks his watch. Everyone else is already out, except for Cass. She was out late last night on that Clayface mission, but even she should be up by this time. He fixes her a bowl of cereal with the package instructions and brings it upstairs. 

"Cass?" He knocks. "Are you up yet? It's past 9:30."

He hears the duvet crunch like a candy wrapper as she shuffles around. A moment later, the door swings open as a messy-haired Cass yawns. 

"I'll leave this up here for you," he says, putting the bowl on the dresser. "Any big plans today?"

She shakes her head. "Write reports. And relax."

"Well, you deserve a break. Great job on the stakeout, Princess." He plants a quick kiss on her forehead. 

"Love," she says.

"Huh?"

"Favorite thing you do. Love."

He laughs softly. "I try. Now go get dressed."

The rest of the day goes by like any other. Despite it being Sunday, he still has a meeting scheduled with some Singaporean investors on their timezone. By eleven, he and some other executives are gathered around the long conference table as the video call drones on, and it's not until over an hour later that they're finally let out. Bruce loosens his tie and Tim does the same, sighing in relief and exhaustion. 

Bruce asks, "Did you have lunch yet?"

"Oh, I forgot that's a thing," Tim says, stretching. "Hey, remember that ice cream place on 32nd?"

"You want ice cream for lunch?"

"I'd break your no killing rule for their M&M cookie sundae, okay?" he says. "Besides, remember when you took my friends and I there even though we massively bombed our first off-world fight? I might still be a massive perfectionist but that made me get a little more comfortable with failing. Anyway, I thought it'd be cool to stroll down memory lane—and have junk food as a meal without Alfred knowing. Unless you're busy, which I totally get."

"Not at all," Bruce replies, putting an arm around Tim's shoulders. "Duke and Damian will be at the arcade all day and I don't have any urgent side business." 

And so, instead of calling Alfred for a ride, they journey through the Gotham subways with Tim's camera capturing the Grammy-worthy saga of a billionaire CEO battling a common turnstyle. They get a few side-glances in the sparse train car, but besides a teenager asking for Tim's autograph, the civilians leave them alone. Pretty soon, they're at a 1950s-themed ice cream parlor, where the waitress slides their orders down the long chromium bar. 

"Why do they call it a banana split?" Bruce asks, grabbing the cocoa powder shaker. 

Tim pauses mid-bite of his cookie. "...Because they split the banana in half?"

"Really?"

He moves the whipped cream aside to reveal the cut banana in Bruce's dish. 

"How would it sound if I said I never noticed that?"

He smirks. "That's why I'm the brains of this operation."

"Indeed you are." Bruce ruffles his hair. "Though this head of yours could use some shampoo." 

"Will saying I love you get me a free pass out of it?"

"No." He laughs. "But I love you too, son."

Alfred catches on to their little dessert escapade and picks them up from the parlor, though not without commenting on the strawberry stain on Bruce's jacket. As Tim plugs his music into the car, Bruce takes the time to listen to the voicemails he got during their lunch break. 

"Hiya Bruce," Clark's voice plays. "I hope today's going swell for you. I just want you to know that I'm glad I can call you my pard'ner." Bruce snickers at the country twang.

Next is Diana. "Bruce, I apologize if I must keep this brief since I have a curator's convention today. However, I wish to tell you that you are an invaluable teammate and even more remarkable friend."

"Hey Batman, I gave you a shoutout to the Central City press for your help taking down Weather Wizard," Barry says. "Also, thanks for letting me borrow your communicator. I can always count on you to be overprepared. Have a good one!"

"Bats, tell your kid to quit taking my yogurt from the fridge." Ah, good old Hal. "Also, today's all about guys like you, so... yeah. I admit, you could be worse." 

Finally, there's one from Zatanna. "Afternoon, Bruce! I'd tell you in person if I wasn't caught up in Kahndaq, but I hope today is extra special for you. I know how much the birds mean to you, and I know they're gonna treat you well."

(There's also one from Ollie, but he's just asking if he can use the communicator after Barry. In the background, Dinah is is clearly ordering food.) 

After dropping Tim and Alfred home and switching to a more discreet vehicle, Bruce makes his way to pick two of his other kids up from the arcade. 

"Did you guys have fun?" Bruce asks as they climb in.

"We decimated every game," Damian says, "and won you the finest specimen as a trophy."

He plops a five-foot Snorlax into the front seat and buckles the seatbelt.

"This is for me?" Bruce asks. 

"Tt, who else would it be for?"

"I didn't win as many tickets," Duke says, "but I also got you a spider ring and a Chinese finger trap." He puts them in the cupholder.

"Why are you giving me all your prizes?"

"Again, who else would we give them to?" Damian asks.

Duke says, "I think what he means is that you do a lot for us, so this is a thanks from us."

As silly as it might seem, Bruce is genuinely touched. 

Pre-patrol dinner is a quiet affair, with Kate stopping by because she apparently forgot to go grocery shopping. She takes a fingerling potato off his plate. 

"Um, you're welcome?" he says. 

"Bruce, we're family. It's what we do." She takes a bite. 

He takes a piece of asparagus from her. "I wish all of us were here, though. Too bad Dick and Jason have that Penguin stakeout. Hopefully they're being safe."

"Even if things go wrong, they were taught by the best. You should trust them more." Selina gets up and places a peck on his cheek before going to get a drink. 

"I do," he mumbles into his meal. "It's the world I don't trust." 

As he puts on his cowl, he asks Barbara for an update on the evening. So far, Duke is handling a carjacking, the girls are preoccupied with a strip mall hostage situation, Damian is patrolling Metropolis with Jon, and Kate is kicking off her shift with a car chase against Two-Face. Tim and Selina are staying back to catch up on some overdue reports, but other than that, the cave is quiet. 

"Before you go," Barbara says, "my dad was cleaning out the attic and found something you might like."

From her bag, she pulls out a blue mug that says: World's Okayest Dad.

"My brother got it for him a long time ago, but... you know. It's all yours now, if you want it." 

He takes it, running his thumb along the words. 

"It suits you," she says before turning back to relay something to Stephanie. 

The route laid out for him tonight gives him the perfect opportunity to swing by and check on two of his boys. He lands on the rooftop silently, where Nightwing and Red Hood have already set up camp. Evidently, they don't notice him as they keep going with their conversation.

"Did you get dropped on your head as a baby?" Jason asks. "Sour cream and Greek yogurt are not the same thing."

"They totally are, change my mind." Dick glances through his binoculars. "No sign of Cobblepot yet."

A moment goes by as Jason not-so-covertly steals some of his brother's patrol snacks. 

"So how'd family therapy go yesterday?" Jason asks. "Did the old bat finally show an emotion?"

"It was pretty insightful, at least on my part." Dick lowers his binoculars. "I think I realized where Bruce's persistence comes from. It's annoying as hell, but I think that's how he maintains hope. And who knows, maybe it's his love language."

Jason scoffs. 

"I'm serious," he says. "I know none of us are stellar at this family thing, but we care about each other. You can't deny that. We just gotta... refine how we express it." 

"Count me out."

"Jaybird."

"Codenames, Dickhead."

Dick snickers. "You love us, admit it. All of us."

Jason mutters a string of curses under his breath before saying, "If you tell him, I'm filling your mattress with sour cream."

Bruce smiles and leaps to the next building. 

At the end of the night, Bruce finds Alfred brewing tea in the kitchen and takes the kettle from him. 

"I got this," he says. "Why don't you go relax in the living room? I think they added your favorite detective movie to Netflix." 

"This is a pleasant surprise." Alfred raises an eyebrow. "What brought it on?"

"It's Father's Day, of course," he replies, pouring the cups of tea. "You know you've always been a second dad to me."

"You made that clear with last year's breakfast surprise," Alfred says. "Care to join me?"

"Always," Bruce says. "By the way, do the kids seem different to you today?"

[tjlnn22]

An Analyis of the Ending of "The Killing Joke"

This scene is one I've wanted to get my thoughts written out on for a while and one of the most interesting in all of DC comics from how important it is to understanding both the characters of Batman and the Joker.

So, this scene is the finale of the oneshot comic "The Killing Joke" By Alan Moore, and is directly preceeded by Batman once again foiling the Joker's evil plan, beating him both verbally and physically before then kicking him to the ground to seemingly knock him out.

For what then follows, I will post the full comic pages so you can absorb the scene first.

Ah, the infamous cutaway that leaves the ending so open to interpretation. But what exactly does all of this mean? Well, I'll give my interpretation:

The scene starts in the same way as many other fights between Batman and Joker have concluded. Joker gets defeated, Batman saves the day, the clown prince of crime will get chucked back into Arkham until he inevitably breaks out once again, and then they'll do the whole thing over. "You know, I think you and I are destined to do this forever", that's how their story always goes. However, this time things are different.

This time, Batman doesn't beat Joker senseless, even though cosnidering what Joker spent that evening doing to his friends and family, he would richly deserve a good beating by anyone's estimation. Joker expects that of Batman as well, and he accepts the beating and re-imprisonment that he's sure is coming his way, because that's how it's always been. And yet instead, this time Batman chooses to talk with him. He tells Joker the facts of the situation, that despite everything, he actually doesn't WANT to hurt him, and knows that if they keep going down their current path, one of them will eventually kill the other. Batman knows it, and he knows that Joker knows it too, and he doesn't want that to be the case, because above everything else Batman values preserving human life as a goal equal to and often greater than stopping crime. He doesn't want to kill Joker, it would go against everything he stands for, but he knows with every encounter they share that possibiltiy grows more and more likely.

In a similar fashion, the Joker doesn't actually want to kill Batman either. Despite how he may play the part of wanting otherwise, the entire story of the comic up until this point has been about Joker trying to prove a point to Batman. That deep down, everyone can become him, that all it takes is one bad day to turn even the most moral man alive into the Joker. whether this is because Joker genuinely believes this, or it is meant to simply justify and excuse who he himself became from his own tragedy, is never really confirmed, though it is most likely a bit of both.

Either way, we see that Joker is not happy at all by Batman attempting to talk to him instead of beating him. In fact, he's practically sulking. Now, is this due to the fact that his big plan just failed, sure, at least partly. However, there is something else going on as well. All of Joker's plans fail sooner or later, this is no exception. It's something he expects despite coming up with a new one every week. This time though, he genuinely looks depressed, and this is in part due to Batman breaking the magic of their routine. By speaking to him like anyone else, by reaching out to Joker, Batman is attempting to fundamentally change their relationship forever. Batman wants it to end, he doesn't want to keep fighting Joker until it kills one of them, he wants Joker to stop. But Joker doesn't want to stop, he doesn't want Batman to die or stop chasing him because the relationship he has with Batman is all he has left. He has no real friends, no goals outside of plans to mess with Batman more, he has nothing outside of his role as Batman's arch enemy, and he knows it.

And yet, despite all that, when Batman genuinely reaches out to him, appeals to the fact that their lives were both heavily affected by past tragedies and offers Joker help to try and move past that, to be better, even after all the atrocities he's committed, despite all that... Joker actually seems to consider his offer. We can see this by his hesitation, and the fact that he doesn't just laugh it off right away or make fun of Batman as he would any other time.

This time, Joker seems to consider the offer, and turns dead serious in a moment that is probably the most normal display of genuine human emotion we get from him, and he tells Batman that he's sorry. Joker genuinely apologizes for not being able to take Batman up on his offer, looking like he's about to cry as he declares that it's far too late for him to take any offer Batman could give him.

The question is, why? Why is this time so different, why does Joker seem to actually consider Batman's offer and reject it in such a human manner? Well, I truly believe the answer is clearly seen in the joke that the conversation with Batman reminds him of. I will go through it line by line and give my interpretation.

"See, there were these two guys locked in a lunatic asylum" I think this obviously is referring to Batman and Joker. They are the characters of this joke/story, the conversation between them reminded Joker of this joke (or he just came up with it on the spot to suit their situation, but regardless) and they are also the only two characters in the panel where that line is said. In this case, the 'asylum' in question would be their rivalry, their roles as Batman and Joker and everything that comes along with that. Makes sense, none of the things either of them do in those roles are things that normal, sane people do, and both of them were traumatized in their lives by horrible events and spiraled into becoming the Batman and Joker because of it.

"And one night, one night they decide they don't like living in an asylum anymore, they decide they're going to escape." This is a clear metaphor for ending their roles as Batman and Joker, perhaps just for that particular rivalry or all together. Escaping the asylum means returning to the normal, happy lives they had before their trauma. Batman has already stated he wants to end his fighting with Joker, however the fact that both men in the story wish to leave the asylum together implies that Joker also secretly wants that too, which is very interesting as we go on.

"So like, they get up onto the roof, and there, just across this narrow gap, they see the rooftops of the town, stretching away in the moonlight, stretching to freedom." Given that Joker is looking at the moon shining over Gotham as he says this, I think it's clear that the 'freedom' here is living a normal human life the same way all the civilians of Gotham try to every day. It's about having a chance to be better, to do better and make something of your life everyday beyond the endless cycle that he and Batman are trapped in with each other. As long as that cycle exists, they can never truly be free, even though the Joker can break out of Arkham whenever he wants and do practically whatever he wants until Batman stops him. Their rivalry prevents either of them from ever being free.

"Now the first guy, he jumps right across with no problem. But his friend, his friend daredn't make the leap. Y'see, y'see he's afraid of falling." This is where we see Joker differentiate himself and Batman in the story, and how their situations in life currently exist. Batman is the first guy who is able to escape the asylum and return to the city fairly easily, whenever he desires. This is because that, unlike Joker, Batman has his life as Bruce Wayne to live and fall back onto. He has many friends and a large family both adopted and biological who rely on him and give him something good and happy to live for. He can leave the asylum because he sees the light on the other side, he has hope and knowledge that things will turn out alright if he does. But Joker does not. Joker doesn't have another life to live, no family and no friends to fall back on and lift him up. All his life consists of is the asylum and Batman, the other man right along with him. He knows nothing else, and so it seems impossible for him to ever jump across to the other side and join Batman in freedom.

However, it goes beyond that. Joker isn't scared to leave the asylum because it's all he knows, in fact he's just as eager to leave it with Batman. What he is afraid of though, is FALLING as he jumps across. What does falling mean in this case? Well since escaping the asylum would mean ditching the roles of Batman and Joker and returning to a normal life, falling would be failing to do just that, failing so hard that it sends him plummeting right back down, either to death or to being left alone and away from the safety of the asylum and more importantly the companionship of Batman. if he falls but Batman doesn't, he'll be left lost and alone, pointless and forgotten, and that's what Joker fears by leaving the asylum.

"So then the first guy has an idea. He says 'Hey! I have my flashlight with me! I'll shine it across the gap between the buildings. You can walk across the beam and join me!" This part of the metaphor I believe is meant to represent Batman's offer of help to the Joker, the therapy/rehabilitation that's intended to help him get better. In this case though, the help is being represented by something that has little actual effect. You can't walk across a beam of light to cross over to another building, in the joke it's only meant to stop the second guy's fear of falling. It isn't actually a real bridge to freedom, just an illusion of one that Joker thinks Batman is giving him.

However, than we get to the punchline.

"B-but the second guy shakes his head. He suh-says, he says, 'wh-what do you think I am? Crazy? You'd turn it off when I was halfway across!"

And here we get the real reason why Joker can't take Batman's offer, why he can't join him in freedom outside of the asylum. It isn't because he doesn't think the help Batman is offering him would work. The beam of light not being a real bridge to walk across isn't the problem in his eyes. The problem, is that believes that if he tried to walk across it, Batman would shut it off and let him fall. Because what Joker is truly scared of, isn't that the help Batman's offering him wouldn't work, he's scared that the help might actually have a chance at working, that he may have a way to get out of the asylum for good, but that Batman will give up on him before he reaches the other side.

He's afraid that the only person in the world who genuinely cares about him and wants to help him, will end up giving up on him and forgetting him if he tries to get better. We can see that in the way Joker delivers the punchline, turned around to stare directly into Batman's face with a disturbed, crushing smile of realization on his face while the symbol of freedom that is Gotham, bathed in the light of the moon sits directly behind him, just out of reach. He's accusing/telling Batman of why he's afraid, that he could never trust him enough to actually try and rehabilitate him, and he's laughing because he knows there's no way out of this.

And Batman, once the joke finally hits him, realizes the exact same thing. He knows then that Joker will never actually be able to be helped, there is nothing he can do for him because Joker will never trust him enough to let himself be helped. There is no way out of this for them now that Batman's final appeal to peace has been turned down by a man to broken to realize it was his way to a better life, a free life.

And so, knowing now how their story will end, Batman does the one thing that Joker always wanted from him, and breaks his role as Batman for just a moment. He shares in a final laugh with Joker as he puts his hands on his shoulders, up by Joker's neck, and the two laugh and laugh together until the scene cuts away and their laughter cuts off equally as quick.

Now, did Batman kill Joker here? The single question everyone tends to ask when they read this scene. Now, canonically we know that, no, Batman does not kill him, Joker returns again and again after this, but in this case I do fully believe that the creator of this comic, Alan Moore (the same man who wrote Watchmen), did likely intend for that to be the ending. The fact that the scene opens with Batman acknowledging that their relationship will end in death, and that the only way out of that is for Joker to accept his proposal I think seals the intent of the ending pretty well. Joker Can't accept his proposal, because the trust between them that would be necessary for that is something that could never truly be built up as they exist in their roles as Batman and Joker. They both know this, and so Batman ends their relationship and breaks his one rule by freeing Joker the only way left it is possible to free him, in death.

So, as much as I personally think that having Batman kill at all is a fundamental no no that you just can't do with his character because it goes against everything he stands for, I think this as an intended ending by Alan Moore to the relationship of Batman and Joker works very well. It is one of many endings in across many comics. Is it my favourite? No, though I would put it in my top three. however, I do think that this is the meaning that Moore was trying to convey in this scene, and I truly believe he does a beautiful job at conveying it!

[silamander]

People who hate Joker and want to see him gone for good are so funny to me because they clearly don't understand why Joker is so important to the Batman mythos and why he's Batman's arch nemesis.

It's the duality that makes them interesting. And the fact that Joker is right in the sense that one bad day made the two of them who they are.

Joker is nihilism incarnate, he believes that life is one bad joke and that deep down everyone is capable of being just like him, they just have to be broken down to the point of no return. He believes it's humanity and the corrupt system it created that caused him to become who he is. So he doesn't feel bad about the horrible things he does because in his twisted mind it's all just a game, and it's what they deserve. Joker believes Batman is just as insane as he is, and he's not entirely wrong. To be the living embodiment of a strict form of justice and devoting your life to it is pretty insane. Bruce doesn't HAVE to be Batman, he's a billionaire, he can live his life any way he chooses, but he chooses to dedicate his life to his crusade.

I mean what is he? Stupid? (I'm so sorry)

But that's the thing. While Joker is the embodiment of nihilism and cynicism, Bruce is the exact opposite. Underneath the Batman persona, Bruce is a flawed, broken man who at his core is someone who doesn't want to see anyone suffer the way he's suffered, and doesn't want anyone to die if he can help prevent it. The reason he doesn't kill his worst enemies, as much as he really wants to, as insane as it is considering how it contradicts his goal of keeping Gotham safe when Arkham is quite literally a revolving door, isn't because he'd end up killing non-stop or some bullshit like that. No, the real reason is because of his parents death, Bruce believes in the absolute sacredness of human life. He believes that everyone deserves a chance to live, no matter how wicked. He believes that everyone can become a better person if they're willing to put in the work to do that, and deserves to at least try that and give them the help they need. And no matter how horrible, cursed, or doomed to forever be a city where crime will always run rampant Gotham is, Bruce never backs down on this belief, and will always fight for the people of Gotham. His one true superpower isn't his gadgets, or his money, or his plot armor, it's his empathy.

But Joker can't wrap his head around this. He's so deep into his own belief that everyone is just as insane as him but doesn't want to admit it, that he can't understand why he would save anyone of Gotham's rogues, especially himself, arguably the worst of them all. So Joker makes it his mission to break Batman, and drive him insane, to prove him wrong. To prove that no one is entirely good, and can be driven to the point of no return like he was, to go down a path of anarchy and mayhem. If he can push Gothams hero to insanity, then he can prove once and for all that he is right, and he'll have the last laugh.

The duality between them is one of the most interesting things I've ever seen (when it's written well, that is). Batman and Joker are two people who are so similar, yet they act in the complete opposite way. Joker kills anyone and everyone just for a laugh. He's a sadistic, narcissistic mass murderer who lacks any empathy for anyone and wants to see the world suffer the way he's suffered. Bruce will save anyone no matter how heinous their actions are, because he's a flawed, but well-intended man who believes everyone deserves a shot at redemption. He's a man who wants to prevent the suffering of others because if he couldn't save his parents, then he can at least try and save everyone else.

They're two sides of the same coin, and that's why they need each other.

[starlvst]

and top 5 dick & bruce moments <3

vechh you know me and you know how much i LOVE this question!! i'd take literally any excuse to talk about them.. there's just soo much to choose from so i was dying while doing thiss. the one's id choose are pretty generic but i love them all the same::

that moment from obsidian age when faith tells dick about what bruce said to her. dick being so surprised that she assumed bruce was his father and even more surpised at what made her think that way? u are both freaks. the fact that bruce can so casually say this to anyone else but never actually say it to dick's face.. they r CURSED. also dick's expressions!! genuinely jla obsidian age is such a foundational nightwing comic.

"The only time I ever feel pride is when I look at Nightwing. Sometimes I think he's the only thing I ever did right."

their wholee argument during prodigal. love it when they ream each other out, or more likely, dick reams bruce out while bruce stands there because everything he does has a reason dick, and he has a good explanation!! but also because they are soo unwell. bruce thinking dick would never wanna be batman because he has already built nightwing for himself-- which is so much better! bruce truly believes that nightwing is an essential part of the hero community. he believes in dick's ability to lead and inspire. he also believes he doesn't have any right to be a subject of that ability. he doesn't think he deserves dick's loyalty and he outright says this in gotham knights. dick has already done so much for him, how could bruce call him back, especially for this.

robin 13 u will forever be known for this..

"I didn't have the right to call you back."

"The right? I'd die for you bruce."

obviously, just copy pasting the entire comic of bloodborne here. bruce leaving flowers at the graysons' grave every year.. alfred saying he's never missed the occasion so it's obvious something's gone wrong. the flashback... "i dodged the bullet, robin. i always do. okay?" dick setting off alone to find bruce in the middle of the cold harsh weather with nothing but a heartbeat monitor.. SCREAM.

another over used one but also one that altered my brain chemistry. that one panel from infinite crisis. I KNOW IT'S EVERYWHERE-- but that's because it is one of the most insane and fundamental changes that re-routed comic history! alternate superman telling bruce that everyone on this earth is a worse version of everyone on earth-2. telling batman that they should be overwritten, it's only for the best after all. AND WHAT DOES BRUCE SAY??

"And what about Dick Grayson?"

"Yes?"

"Is he a better man on your Earth than he is on mine?"

yeah. bruce's faith in dick transcends alternate realities. the world could be on fire and the incorruptable could become corrupted but bruce wayne can not doubt dick grayson. bruce just casually judges the potential of an entire world by the standards of dick grayson. if the dick grayson on this earth is still a good person then it is still worth saving.

last but not least, a bit of a controversial one, but that scene in forever evil where dick is strapped to the bomb and it's about to go off and he tells bruce to leave him just like bruce has told him many times before. BUT BRUCE CAN'T. he says that the only way they are getting out of this is together as if there aren't like 3 other people in that room with them lmaoo- if dick grayson dies then bruce might as well die too because there is no reality in which he can live without him. his son, his brother, his best friend, his saving grace, his boy OUGH. and then we get the whole spyral fight scene yada yada and it's like a knife cut clean through your heart. one of the first dick & bruce scenes I read and one that will always hold a lot of weight in how I view them.

please bear with me i cant find the panels rn

bonus:: sooo much good robin dick and bruce content coming out omgg -> batman and robin: year one, world's finest

and then there's year one: batman/scarecrow, batman and robin 2021 and i can not reiterate this enough BLOODBORNE!!!

there r also so many single issues of comics i can name but that's a whole list for another time

[spider-jaysart]

Character ask: Damian Wayne (duh!)

@venetiangoldroz

Lolll

1. How I feel about this character:

Small boy!! Very intelligent, has a good heart that he usually tries not to show off too often but it is always there with him, sweet animal lover, and is a cool, crazy, weird kid that I love so much lmao

2. All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Jon Kent

3. My non romantic otp for this character:

Jon Kent

4. My unpopular opinion for this character:

Some fans don't like that Damian is a fan of Dinah Lance as a singer, but I personally like it lol. I don't like how silly he was made to be about it though, like singing one of the songs out loud in public for example, because he would never actually do that all lmaooo, he would keep that to ONLY himself lol. Also, I'm hearing now that it was actually a crush he was having on her, which I hate. Like, yes, he's an adult in that specific comic, but I'm tired of DC making him fall for almost every female and older woman that he interacts with, like just let him be normal about them already!!! I just like him being a fan of her music and that's it

5. One thing I wish would happen/had happen with this character in canon:

Not just one thing, cause I'mma list them all here

Start getting the respect he deserves after so much😤, cause like he literally changed himself and went through so much development for years now, but it's still not enough for DC writers or even some fans!! Like, just what do you want from him anymore????? He's been trying so much for too long now!!

For writers to stop treating him like he's nothing but evil, because he's not!! He's just a kid who grew up with a kind of life that's VERY different from everyone else's and was just taught ever since from a really young age to see things in other ways because of that. He does have a heart, it's the reason why he's made so much effort to become the person and hero he is today now and has left the whole League life behind. And about him being a tough person, that's just literally his dang personality, it's not something that adds to him being "evil" at all either

For DC to also just let him choose and make his own path as a hero when he grows up. He shouldn't become the next Batman by force or go through with becoming head of the Loa either, one of the big parts about his character is about discovering who HE actually is and figuring out what he really wants for himself instead, so he deserves to make his own choices by his own will. He should also become a vetinarian when it comes to getting a career

Stop with the white washing and start consistently representing his Arab side more, just like how the artist Gleb Melnikov did very boldly and also wonderfully in Robin 2021 when drawing him

And another one for the writers is to also stop making him crush on older woman!!!! PLEASE!! Just cut it out already!!! This entire thing has been going on ever since he was just 10 years old and nothing about it has ever been "cute!" or whatever they think of it as! It's just freaking weird and I don't understand why DC writers keep doing that to him! He's just a kid, not a grown man, so treat him like it!!! And stop deaging woman who were also already much older just to be with him and stop setting him up with his own female family members too! That one's already happened twice now (Mar'i and Cassandra) and now I'm scared that the writers of the second Supersons movie are gonna push that into there too with Cassandra AGAIN and ruin the film that way, which I really HOPE that doesn't happen AT ALL!😖

Let him have an actual relationship with his Mother instead of keeping them distant so much! Damian deserves to have her in his life too, not just Bruce as his Father, and she also deserves to have him in hers as well. Despite how things may be, they really love eachother a lot and it's not fair that they don't get to be as close as they were before, which is also really heartbreaking to think about honestly

Damian should also get to have a relationship with Respawn too that can develop into a sibling one at some point if ever he ever does appear again in the future

Never let him act like a normal person, let him forever be his weird, strange self, because that's literally one of the biggest things that MAKES HIM DAMIAN and I love him for it lol. Batman and Robin 2023 tried to change this about him in it's protayal and I hated it, it felt like some imposter, which just frustrated me a lot and made some things boring too. This goes for other kinds of mischaracterizations that were done to him too, like Gotham War as the most recent example, which was a big time failure at doing it well in a different way. Writers need to learn how to get to know him better first before actually writing him in their stories, deciding how he will react and treat things that happen in said story and it's plot. Here's something else much better too, he needs to start getting writers who actually like/love, respect, and actually understand him!

I think that's all for now loll but Thank you for the ask, @venetiangoldroz !! Sorry about the little delay btw, but I enjoyed answering this!!!

[yourmomxx]

Jason Todd / Red Hood anxious to get you under the mistletoe cause he is in love with you so bad and doesn't know what to do because he is afraid to scare you away if he confess

loving this request right now - I hope you like how it turned out!

Word Count: 2,2k

Warnings: none, 13+

A/N: author was stuck deep in a writer’s block while doing this, so if you don’t like it lmk and I’ll redo it for you <3

You loved Christmas. Even more than every other holiday. That was a fact that everyone knew, because every year you made it everyone’s problem.

Not that they minded, you were sweet about it. Like when you started singing Christmas songs in mid November.

Or when you took Tim to a Christmas market to help him get his mind off his exams.

Yes, christmas was your favorite time of the year. And gift giving was your specialty.

Though, this year you had decided you needed to be extra careful with gift shopping than usual. Because you had a plan.

See, there was this guy you had a crush on, his name was Jason Todd.

You and him had been friends for a long time, you were even good with his family and invited to all their gatherings. So, naturally, you spent Christmas with them, too.

And this year, you had told yourself, you were going to tell Jason how you really felt about him. What better reason than the most romantic time of the year?

You were going to pull him aside while everyone was busy with the presents, you were going to give him his and then you were going to tell him you loved him.

And nothing could go wrong. Unless he rejected you. But you were secure that your friendship would survive it if your feelings were unrequited. Until then you could just hope they were not.

You took a deep breath and stepped outside into the snowy landscape to go for a walk. There were still some things to do before you had to be at Wayne Manor.

Back in an upstairs apartment in Gotham City, shielded from the snow and cold temperatures, Jason Todd was standing in the kitchen and stuffing a turkey for the upcoming Christmas dinner, while his brothers Tim Drake and Duke Thomas were draped across the sofa, taunting him.

Because they didn’t have much better to do.

Duke had his legs crossed and batted his eyelashes as he spoke in an over dramatic female voice: “Oh, Jason, you have such beautiful and strong arms I’m sure they would be great at picking me up and carrying me into the sunset!”

Cue Tim in a deep voice: “Oh now but Y/N, I can’t do that, because I’m way too scared that you’ll reject me when I tell you my real feelings!”

“I don’t sound like that,” Jason grumbled.

Tim scoffed. “You wish.”

“I’m gonna get my gun.”

“Relax Jay were just teasing you.” Tim lifted up his hands in surrender.

“Seriously it’s mistletoe-time, man,” Duke said, “They’re everywhere. Just … take them under one and kiss them. It ain’t that hard.”

“I will in fact not do that.”

“Why not?”

Jason put some spices away and wiped his hands at the dish towel hanging at his waist. “Because. It could ruin the entire friendship we have if they don’t like it, and even if, just kissing someone like that is super unromantic.”

But the truth was that Jason was scared. Yes, him, Jason Todd, and in his mind it was absolutely ridiculous. He had died and come back to life, he was a vigilante at night, he had fought the Batman himself.

And yet, what made his hands shake and heart beat faster was the thought of kissing you under a mistletoe. What made his jaw clench was the thought of someone else getting to you before he did.

And that, in his mind, was ridiculous.

Duke threw his head back and groaned. “Oh come on, you big baby. You don’t have much of a choice here anymore. I want a mom, and Bruce sure as hell isn’t gonna get on with Selina soon, so you and Y/N are my next best choice.”

“Y/N does make amazing PB&J’s,” Tim agreed.

“Silence, both of you. Or I will tell Santa that you don’t deserve your presents.”

Tim grinned. “Ha, nice try, asshole. I stopped believing in Santa when I was six.”

“That’s when everyone starts believing in Santa,” Duke said.

“Yes because you all fall victim to parent’s mind control and illusion. Couldn’t be me, suckers.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “How mature you are.” He opened the oven and carefully put the roaster inside. ”Well then, come on, you two heroes of Gotham. This turkey needs some time in the oven and I-“ He picked up his keys “-still need a few presents.”

Duke jumped up and rubbed his hands together in excitement. “Ooh, last-minute Christmas shopping. This is a Hallmark movie.”

“Shut up and put on some shoes.”

—

That night, at Wayne Manor, Christmas was in full swing.

From ornate chandeliers (thanks in no small part to you) to landscape art made out of fake snow on the huge windows.

The entire building smelled of cinnamon and tangerines, and small loudspeakers in the corners softly played Silent Night.

It was shortly after the huge feast together, the whole family and unofficial family members were invited.

Jason had brought his ready-made turkey, Steph brought hilariously decorated Christmas cookies, Dick and Barbara brought the appetizers.

Now everyone had gathered in the living room, in which stood the huge Christmas tree (and I mean massive, department store size), decorated in dark red and gold.

Bruce, wearing an elegant black tux, stood up, holding a glass in his hand and carefully clinking a spoon against it to get everyone's attention.

When silence fell, he raised the glass.

"My dear friends, relatives," he said, "It is my pleasure to welcome you here today. Christmas is the festival of joy, love and gratitude, and I want to thank you. For the good times we have spent together - day and night - and for always being able to count on your support when I need it." He held up his glass solemnly. "I wish Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you!"

"Merry Christmas!" It rang out in several voices, and glasses were raised and toasted everywhere.

Jason pushed past Stephanie and stood next to you.

"Merry Christmas," he said in your ear. His breath tickled your neck.

"Merry Christmas," you said back.

He looked up and down at you and you felt your heart start beating faster.

Then he grinned and leaned closer to you. "You look amazing today. Red really is your color."

Your breath caught in your throat and you looked up at him.

“Thanks,” you breathed out. You didn’t trust your voice to do much more.

He stayed focused on you for a second, dark blue eyes reflecting the light of the Christmas tree, when suddenly, the door bell rang and you winced, startled.

“That has to be the carol singers, Master Wayne,” you heard Alfred say and Bruce nodded.

“Well then, we’ll greet them. In the meanwhile, behave until we get back.” He threw a look around until he finally turned and disappeared, Alfred in tow. Cassandra also chose to join them.

Shortly after were previously interrupted conversations resumed until the babble of voices surpassed anyone's senses.

You decided that now was the best time to go through with your plan.

“Jason,” you said, slightly tugging at his jacket to get his attention.

“Hm?” “Can we talk for a second?” You asked him. “We are talking.” “You know what I mean.”

He raised his eyebrows in confusion, but gave in. A hand resting on your upper back, he guided you through the crowd until you found a small corner where no one was standing. Carefully, you put your glass down and Jason did the same. Then he raised his arms in defense.

“Look, whatever I did, I deeply apologize for it, but first of all, I didn’t suggest to cook Damian’s turkey, that was Tim.”

Now it was on you to be confused. “Jason, this is not this kind of talk.”

He visibly relaxed. “Oh.” He pursed his lips and chuckled awkwardly. “For a second there you had me worried.”

You smiled softly at him. “No, I just- I wanted to give you your present. You know, in private, so it’s more… private.”

Your heart was almost jumping out of your chest at this point. You were blabbering and stuttering before him as if you hadn’t gone through this monologue at least three times alone at home.

So get it together.

You took a deep breath and pulled out a small, wrapped present, handing it to Jason.

“Merry Christmas, Jay.”

He glanced first at the package in his hands, then at you, before slowly pulling the wrapping paper off and revealing an oblong black box.

You watched him as he pulled off the lid and took out what was laying on a red fabric pillow.

It was a quill, polished black with subtle gold decorations twining around the handle.

Jason wide-eyed the object in his grasp.

“I know you like to write,” you said. “I mean, you don’t have much time to do it, of course, but I know you like it. So, I thought you would like this. I know it’s not much and it’s actually pretty small now that I think about it-”

“I love it.” He interrupted you and looked into your eyes. “Thank you.” Jason quickly put the quill aside and swiftly pulled you into a warm hug.

You wrapped your arms around his broad shoulders and breathed in his scent of old cedar wood and whiskey and gunpowder.

“You’re welcome,” you murmured when you pulled apart. Jason’s armes remained wrapped around your waist and he was still remarkably close to you.

You could’ve counted the small freckles littered across his face. Just like before, his eyes went up and down your body. You felt your cheeks grow hot.

“Did I tell you that you look absolutely beautiful tonight?” He asked in a low voice.

You but your lip and nodded. “Yes you did,” you whispered.

His eyes were staring deeply into yours and for a moment, you felt you forgot what breathing was like.

Suddenly, the two of you heard a rustle above you and Jason looked up, coming face to face with something green.

He pointed above him. “Mistletoe.”

“But we’re not under any- “Jason cut you off by pulling you towards him and clashing your lips together with his. You let out a surprised noise but quickly wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him back.

And it felt good. You felt excitement in your stomach, spreading through your entire body at the feeling of Jason’s warm, soft lips moving slowly against your own.

When you pulled apart, Jason leaned his forehead carefully against yours.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi,” you whispered back, biting back a smile.

From above you, you heard slow clapping. Holding the mistletoe, sitting on Dick’s shoulders was Tim, with a grin on his face.

“They did it, people!” Dick yelled. “Only took them a reason to make out.” He leaned a bit closer to Jason. “You know we have like three guest rooms, so this is now an official invitation to- ow!”

Jason shoved him away and he tumbled back, making Tim almost crash into the Christmas decoration hanging from a chandelier.

“Just gonna have to hang a mistletoe over a bed, too.”

When the man in your arms turned back at you, you were still smiling at him from ear to ear.

“I apologize for this,” he said. “You know how they can be-”

This time, he was cut off by you kissing him and was more than happy to oblige. You felt his shoulders relax as his lips moved against yours slowly.

He bit at your lower lip and slid his tongue into your mouth. You pulled him closer by his neck and tangled your hands into his hair, softly pulling at the black strands-

“Excuse me!” The distinct voice of Duke Thomas interrupted your kiss. “There are children present.” As if to make a point, he took his hand off the eyes of a scolding Damian who was sitting on the floor.

“Animals,” he whispered. Duke nodded.

“So are you guys like together now?” Steph asked and collected a punch to the arm from Duke.

“Ow! What? It’s the question we all want to know!”

“Look at them!” Duke’s eyes were wide as he gestured in your direction. “They just made out under a mistletoe in the middle of our living room, the poor guys don’t even know their own names, how can they know if they are in an established. Relationship?”

Jason pulled his eyes away from his siblings and locked them on you. “I don’t know. Are we together now?” He asked. You smiled.

“Yes I think we are.”

“Like, with hand holding and going on dates and all?” Damian didn’t seem all too excited.

“Are we together with hand holding and going on dates and all?”

Jason grabbed your hand and squeezed it. “I’d love that.”

“I’d love that, too.”

Squeezing into the room and coming to a halt in front of you, Dick clasped his hands together and wiped a fake tear. “Oh, young love.”

You two ignored him and Jason pulled you swiftly into his warm side. “Best Christmas present ever,” he mumbled into your hair.

“Wait until you get to unwrap it,” you murmured to him.

“Children, people!” Duke screeched, “Children!”

[somefanficrecomendations]

April Monthly Recap

I’m back! I took some time off to finish out the semester and get my life back in order and I’m finally able to post again. I’ve barely had time to post about fics, let alone read them, so this month’s recap is a month late. But hey, better late than never?

BATMAN

Plato's Allegory of the Batcave by hppjmxrgosg (gen), 2k, Dick Grayson Character Study “So who do you think was the angstiest Robin?” Stephanie asked. In which Dick Grayson contemplates what Robin meant to him, what it means to everyone else, and how he has to reconcile the two. OR I get my filthy hands on one (1) Dick Grayson and shake him until a character analysis falls out.

Hat Off to the Bats by dietpudding (gen), 6k, Crack Treated Seriously "I've identified a pattern in the frequency of Mad Hatter's previous breakouts. Data shows he's more likely to stay put after he scores a new hat." "Go on." Steph perks up in her seat. Now that she knows to look for it, she can easily spot the manic twink to his eye that Tim gets whenever he's about to act a little unhinged. "I like where this is going." Tim's lips twist into a mischievous grin. "How comfortable are we with ghostwriting a heist?" "Extremely comfortable," Steph replies with an equally roguish smirk.

Ad Infinitum; Modified by familiarities (twistsandturns) (gen), 8k, Time Loop Tim is hunched over his computer, bouncing between a report for B (Batman, not Bruce) and a spreadsheet for B (Bruce, not Batman) when Jason stumbles into the cave. If it weren’t for the fact that Jason had been in a somewhat good mood lately, Tim probably would have been a little more concerned about this fact. Still, it’s weird when, instead of ignoring Tim’s existence like he usually does, Jason walks over to him directly and says, “I'm in a time loop and I don't know why. Fix it."

IRIS Log #1548 by deadchannelradio (gen), 8k, Paperwork, Humor (01:25) Red Hood: (Mild static) (Out of breath, slurred) You motherfuckers. Put some fuckin- (01:25) Batman: (Shaking) Red Hood- (01:25) Red Hood: Shut up. Put some fucking respect. On my name. Start fucking copying me. I just got thrown fucking. Um. 40 feet. Into a fucking uh. What's it. Ditch. I'm still fucking conscious. (01:25) Batman: Red Hood, do not move, we're en route- (01:25) Red Hood: What'll I win if I stand up. (01:25) Batman: (Loud) Do not stand up.

Shark Week by heartslogos  (gen), 2k, AU-Mermaid "Do you have a tail? That'd be cool." Bart says, "If you had a tail. Could we give you a sea-shell bra?"

DCU

myself and this body that they stuck me in by misspickman Superboy, (multi), 14k, Non-Binary Kon-El “Oh,” Bart says with a hint of surprise in his voice. “You look so pretty.” “I look like a girl,” he rebuts. He's not sure why he's even continuing this conversation. Bart, blissfully unaware of Kon's internal crisis, shrugs and says, “Well, I think you'd make a lovely girl.”

The Outlaws’ Guide to Parenting by Flowerparrish Pod Collabs (Flowerparrish), kbirb pods (kbirb), Opalsong (Roy Harper/Koriand'r/Jason Todd), 4k, 40 mins, Podfic, Texting Roy: so you know how I had that fling with Chershire for a month or two a couple years ago? Roy: apparently the condom broke Kori: You have a child! Jason: of fucking course we're keeping her

SHERLOCK

The Least of All Possible Mistakes by rageprufrock (Multi), 118k, Female!Gregory Lestrade If ever a people deserved tasering, it’s Holmeses.

[celtrist]

Hot Take, I don't think some people take some things into consideration for redesigns.

Don't get me wrong, some people just do them for fun and there's a lot of REALLY cool ones out there, some I kind of prefer to the official designs to some degree. And I don't think it's a matter of people NOT doing research on the characters as that's absolutely false. But people just kind of neglect/forget/or don't realize some facts about the characters for one reason or another. A lot of designs don't even work great when you put it in the context that the characters would be animated. This doesn't mean redesigns people have done are lazy or anything, you can see a lot of care put into a lot of them.

I plan on doing a sort of "Batman Animated series next season" sort of redesign at some point, and by no means should MY takes and ideas be meant as superior to others. I also wouldn't say some of the critiques given about the official designs are unwarranted, but I think they DO get dogpiled on more than deserved (I mean, a lot of people do LIKE the designs, so they can't be that awful). Below are some things I think people forget or don't understand (again, this is not anything that should be taken as the bible, just my own thoughts about stuff and elements of characters people don't seem to take into consideration a lot):

Lucifer and Satan aren't the same person, so it makes sense Charlie isn't a goat. According to Viv, no part of her design was based on it, and it would be strange for her to look like the love child between Lucifer and Satin if she were. Though totally understand why people do it, goat Charlie IS adorable and also, where the heck does the hooves come from???

Many of the characters don't live in their time period, especially Vox and Angel Dust. I'll be a bit fair on this one, with characters being from different times, it would be visually more interesting to see those styles clash. But some characters, like Vox especially, wouldn't work with that as they WANT to live in the modern day. Vox's WHOLE THING is about staying with the times, so of course he's not looking like he's from the 50s. I've seen some redesigns revert the man to his box head, and that totally misses the point of his character and how he's opposing Alastor's want to stay with the past. I do think it wouldn't hurt to have some illusions about their time periods, though (whether through their clothes or the rooms they occupy).

Alastor is a cannibal, so it wouldn't make sense for his teeth to be so dull. Maybe they could've sharpened his canines with blunt teeth for the rest, but I think he isn't meant to be an approachable figure or anything, and the sharp teeth read as "dangerous". Also, if the canines are only sharp with the rest blunt, the toothy smile feels a little less iconic. To be fair though, a lot of characters have the sharp-tooth smile and the same smarmy face. I just think it makes more sense for his character with what he eats and the in-universe intimidation he's going for him to have full-on shark teeth. Just anything but only the blunt teeth smile, even if it works better with his smile mantra and is arguably creepier (and give his grin a more distinct feature from literally everyone else in the show.

I think the idea people have for Alastor’s colors being black and white or sepia-focused is both a good idea and a silly idea. On one hand, having his colors be like that out of a photograph would be neat and help aid in the idea of Alastor's ideals with the past always being superior to the future. He would literally look like he's stuck in the past. HOWEVER, there is a slight problem with these ideas. The issue with the black and white scheme is that he'd look like an old cartoon character rather than a man from a photograph. This would be a bit odd of a choice considering he's not associated with TV in general. Sepia is a bit better of a direction, but also a bit odd when you consider Alastor is not the only demon to hold the past on a pedestal. So why would he have the sepia scheme while others like Rosie do not? Again, bit of a double-edged sword. There's also the fact that Alastor is focused on AUDIO mediums, never visuals. So to have his scheme focus in visual mediums like being out of a photograph or old TV would be a bit odd. It would be more accurate to argue that he should look more like the invisible man with maybe only a radio head or something if you wanna make the argument about his colors not reading 1920s.

Making Alastor a full deer anthro, while cool and makes sense in theory, loses a bit of thought when there's a BUNCH of other anthro characters. Don't get me wrong, I think people often come up with some cool designs and, to be honest, look more deer like than Alastor's canon design (like seriously, those ears are not deer ears at all). However, it loses something when anthro sinners are quite common in Hell (Husker, Crymini, literally any crowd shot you see probably has an anthro character in there). So, while this might read as a bit of a personal take, Alastor being a straight up mix (dare I say a Kemnomimi) between a human and deer feels like it reads a bit better into how he died. That being, he was a man mistaken as a deer. So him being very humanoid but having the attributes that may have made the hunter think he was a deer with his silhouette and surroundings, come off as a bit stronger and better related to his death. Again, I don't think I'd call this out if it weren't for the fact we see so many anthro demons and really no kemnomimi-esc demons. Because of that, Alastor being a mix of human and animal comes off as more unique and stronger than if you made him a flat-out demon.

Alastor doesn't show his hooves because he's a gentleman! While I think they could get away with giving Charlie some open-toed shoes, Alastor is a man who wants to be fully dressed, so to have him lack shoes to show off his hooves doesn't really make sense for him. He's actually fully dressed up, no part of him showing skin aside from his head! His hands could be a bit of an argument on that, but they have been described as gloves while official merch would seem to contradict this. My fun theory is that they're gloves, but they look exactly the same as his actual hands. To follow up on the clothing thing, Alastor would never willingly show something like a tail if he has one. I am of the "he does have one" group, but I think it would make sense for him to try to hide any features that would put him as a prey animal. The following are a bit more in designs speculation territory, so take with a grain of salt:

This is a bit of a side thing and could totally be wrong, but I've seen mention that all residents in the pride ring wear/have some color of red on them. I'm not sure how true it is (I mean, when you look at all the characters seen there is some form of red on them even if it's just by eyes). This would honestly be a neat "cartoony logic you just don't question" in theory if it wasn't for the fact only the pride ring residents have this going on. If it is true, they need to have that color thing happen with other rings (so hellhounds have yellow on them, lust have purple, so on and so forth). It would be neat as then we could see where different demons come from just by their color scheme, however, that's not the case. The idea of everyone in the pride ring HAVING a bizarre dress code requiring them to wear red is more distracting and less "just accept the cartoon logic" when they're the only ring that does it. Also, I still agree that characters do not need to be drenched in color if it is a requirement in their design. Again, this is all to say this idea is true, which I cannot verify other than all the demons we see in the pride ring do seem to have some form of red on them.

Red sclera and white-ish irises might help to indicate some demons as hellborn. So this could kinda be seen as a weak argument, but I just thought it was strange how the only other times we've seen this eye trait is with hellborns: Hellhounds, Lucifer, and Charlie. And I think it would make more sense for that to be the case rather than Carmilla and her daughters happen to have fallen into Hell together. I mean it's not IMPOSSIBLE, but meh. Also, would add a bit more interest to Velvette if it was revealed she was hellborn. Thought it was a bit odd for other characters like Vox and Valentino to have confirmed death years but Velvette never got one officially (as far as I'm aware). It also would just be a nice design element that actually sort of means something (that being if you have those eyes, you're more than likely a hellborn). Especially when you take into account characters like Crymini where, if it weren't for that eye-color scheme, you would think she was a normal Hellhound.

This one is 100% headcanon territory, but I'm sharing it again because that's the power I wield. To keep it short, Alastor has high respect for women and tends to prefer their company, so maybe out of that respect/his mother possibly having it, he got himself a bob cut as that was popular with women in the 20s. The hair gets a lot of flack for understandable reasons, but I thought it'd be a bit more fun to give him a reason for having it and I also just don't think it's as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Here's the post getting a bit more into it, but pretty much the same is said just detailed.

Finally, as I've said earlier, these characters need to be animated. And most redesigns don't take that into consideration. To be fair, a lot of people also acknowledge they don't for the designs, which totally valid. It's already tricky to design characters, so to make sure they'd be animatable would be even MORE of a pain.

Again, this is just some small tidbits and by no means is this an attack on anyone or anything, just some of my thoughts and things I think people don't think about when making changes. By no means is canon perfect, I don't even think canon takes some of these considerations in to be quite honest with you and I don't think the designs are made as thoughtfully as the redesigns, but I don't really care for the "my designs are better" mantra.

All in all, just some of my thoughts on things. Lemme know if there's anything you disagree with or have your own ideas people seem to forget/not notice!

[ficforyourart]

superman x batman // regrets

Based on this art by Umikochanart on Instagram.

Umikochanart has a no reposting her art policy, so please go check out the link above, it's SOOOOO delicious 👌

SUMMARY: After years of working side by side and denying their feelings, Clark and Bruce finally get together. Bruce wonders if he should have regrets, and Clark promises that even if Bruce regrets him, after tonight, he sure as hell won't forget him.

READ ON AO3.

Or read below the cut. This fic is explicit.

You’ve made a mistake.

A truth? An accusation?

No, just an errant thought swimming in his mind alongside a hundred other shadows. His thoughts are made of ghosts, most of them unforgiving, and all of them are at war with his heart. His fingers drum lightly against the flesh of his scarred thigh—anything to latch onto. Bruce hones his senses in the present, lest he get lost in all the reasons against this.

The sliver of moonlight through the dark curtains turn his pale flesh silver, he’ll need to fix that before his next appearance. He’s spent too much time on the streets, too much time under the cowl. He hasn’t seen the sun in—

A body stirs beside him, beneath lush blue sheets that still smell of rose, bergamot, lychee and cedarwood. It wasn’t his assessment. Obviously, Clark would—

You know better, Bruce.

His eyes flicker to the sleeping figure.

That man (?) has been by his side for years.

That man (?) has seen everything—every break, every bend, every crack in his pursuit of justice. He has seen Bruce at his worst, and held him on the precipice of his anger.

Bruce’s shrowds himself in darkness. He hides himself from the world for their sake. He stands in the shadow cast by this man; how dare he—how dare he try to eclipse the sun.

You’ll lose focus. You’re worse when you’re happy.

His lip curls, as if trying to bare his teeth against himself. Is that true? At all? Does his brand of justice require pain? But he isn’t in pain. Since the moment he stopped fighting Superman and allowed them to become the World’s Finest, he’s been good. Really good.

You knew he liked you.

And you know he deserves better.

If they pursue this, there is a chance that Clark will put him before everyone else. His idealism and romantic soul will want to keep the love that he found. Bruce already knows Clark confers with his heart, listening to its traitorous confessions even when he schools every other part of himself. They trade secrets against his will, and it is damning.

Leave him, leave him, leave him—

“Bruce.” Clark’s voice cuts through his thoughts. “What’s wrong?”

Bruce prefers keeping his problems to himself, especially when he’s out of the suit. The rules are diferent here. Fuck, there are no rules. He should have thought of that. Clark can tell when he lies, so he settles for a half-truth. “Just… Thinking.”

“About what?”

He doesn’t answer and the silence is long enough for Clark to start worrying. (He always worries after a couple of beats.)

“You’re angry, I can tell…” The drumming of Bruce’s fingers are what woke him. Such an unconscious gesture, such a stupid miscalculation. “You regret it, don’t you? What we did?”

“Clark—” Bruce grips his chair as he’s pulled closer to the bed with ease, unable to come up with another half-lie to placate his decent farmboy.

“Don’t you?”

(Clark had been so happy, smiling into his kisses and holding him tenderly. He’d acted like Bruce had given him the whole world when it was already his. What can he give the man who has everything? Bruce is just… Bruce.

He can give him the truth.)

Clark’s hands slip beneath his silk robe, holding him with so much love, and skirting higher and higher across the flesh of his thigh. His fingers dance across the scripture of his scars, knowing each of their stories. (The good, the bad and the ugly.) His gaze is soft and wistful, but he can see the small glimmer of hurt. The touch cuts through the tangle of Bruce’s thoughts.

“You’re right,” Bruce sighs. “I am angry.” He leans close. “Because I don’t regret it, even though I should. I should be ashamed. I was selfish.”

“Bruce,” Clark breathes.

“And here you are in my bed, and I want you to stay.”

His gray eyes search those bright ones for something that will bring him back to reality, but all he finds are clear skies and sunny days. All he sees are fond memories soaring through clouds as he’d instinctively gripped Clark too hard on their first flight, or that time when he’d saved a shy, young reporter from the grasps of conniving billonaires and their hateful politics.

“And… are you going to let me?”

Bruce huffs softly. Of course, Clark would know the dichotomy of his wants and his actions. He bridges the distance, until only a breath lingers between them. He thumbs Clark’s pink lip, tugging it into a deeper pout.

To give Clark a straight answer would be simple, but Bruce is not a simple man. He is meticulous as he is passionate; he loves as thoroughly as he guards his emotions. He is an embarassing cluster of contradictions, and he would be a fool to push away someone who wants him despite all of this. He devours Clark’s lips with a kiss, like a dying man’s final breath.

Clark’s fingers dig into the flesh of his ass, lifting him from his armchair and onto him where he can feel his erection nestled against his. His tongue slips into Clark’s mouth, drinking in the taste of him. Their relationship is a push and pull, even in bed. Clark doesn’t need to breathe, but Bruce dares to try and keep up with him.

He pulls back with a gasp, grinding his ass against Clark’s hardness to elicit a moan from him. Bruce guides Clark’s hand to his stubbled cheek so that he can nuzzle it affectionately, kissing his smooth palm while never breaking the gaze upon his lover. He kisses up to Clark’s fingertips before taking his index in his mouth, sucking deeply until it hits the back of his throat. He hollows his cheeks, still teasing Clark with the roll of his hips.

Clark smiles—fuck, that beautiful brilliant thing—and Bruce knows he’s made the right decision. The smile is equal parts happy and mischievous, as he takes the lead, finger fucking Bruce’s mouth. He adds two more fingers, toying with Bruce’s tongue in a way that leaves his lips and chin glistening with saliva.

“You can regret having me,” Clark looks up to him in the moonlight. “But you’ll never forget me.”

It’s a promise.

Cold, wet fingers nudge Bruce’s furled hole. He leans forward to give Clark more access, but that only encourages him to feign a trust, making the tip of his cock skirt against Bruce. The tease makes him shiver, riddling his skin with gooseflesh and sending sparks of arousal to erection.

“Yeah, you like that?” Clark turns his head so he can kiss Bruce’s graying temple. His voice drops low and sultry, a tone reserved only for him. He pauses, nipping at the lobe of his ear, letting his tongue curl around it before saying, “Daddy.”

‘Daddy’ sends an unexpected bolt of electricity straight through him, all the way down to his toes.

The finger circling his hole pushes past the yielding ring of muscle, pliable from the night’s earlier activities. It sets off an explosion of stars behind Bruce’s eyes, little bursts of unfiltered pleasure. When they had been desperate, passionate and tender before, this is ecstasy in the making.

“You’re still wet in here.” Clark purrs.

The way Clark can switch between the pliable, well-meaning farmboy and whatever this is sets Bruce alight. He’s not one to give up control, but the way Clark holds him, fingers twined in his hair to support him and encourage him to just take what’s being given. This is home, this is safety.

“I shouldn't have let you clean up. I should've left you full of my cum.” Clark hums his laughter as he pushes his finger all the way in, and pulls it all the way back out. Bruce moans, long and drawn out. “But I did like the shower though! It was nice holding you.”

“Clark.”

“I’m just clarifying.”

“Clarify later, fuck now.”

“Hmmm, I never said I’d fuck you.”

The way the curse rolls of Clark’s tongue, no longer a Boy Scout, fills Bruce’s mind with a hundred filthy ideas, and only half of them include any physical touching. Sex, like most things in life, is a mind game. Bruce opens his mouth to argue, but a second finger penetrates him.

“Hnnng, Clark,” Bruce moans. The sound shifts into a wine when the fingers gently scissor his hole, stretching him wider and holding him there until he can feel the cool outside air.

“Clark, Clark,” his hips rock more fervently, seeking friction that Clark won’t allow him. The hand in his hair has long changed guards, kneading the mound of his ass cheek instead and holding Bruce in place when he tries to take control of his own orgasm.

Clark starts moving his fingers again, three inside Bruce this time. “I wonder how much I can fit in here,” he hums, pleasantly, as if he wasn’t trying to stuff half his hand up Bruce’s ass. “A lot, I bet.”

Clark’s musings are equal parts arousing, and equal parts annoying. He balances the fact that he’s fingering Bruce with sweet words, and when he doesn’t have his hands on Bruce, he switches back to that filthy tongue.

“Tell me what you want, Daddy.”

The power play is jarring. Bruce isn’t the one in power, not right now and not this time—a stark contrast to their first time. They’ve had trysts in the back of the Javelin, and stolen kisses on rooftops in moments of fear, desperation and weakness. (It’s the only way Bruce can justify what he took from Clark.) He’d been generous in bed. He was patient and loving. Clark had been sweet. A terrible romantic.

“You,” Bruce grunts, trapped between a rock and a hard (on).

“Hm. Now, beg.”

Bruce glares at Clark. He doesn’t beg. There are personas he has crafted that would beg. Brucie would spread his legs and hold open his own asswhole white inviting Clark to make a meal out of him, but that’s not the game they’re playing tonight. No capes, no cowls—just them.

Their relationship as always been a push and pull.

He moves quickly, and suddenly, hooking his leg behind one of Clark’s knees and shifting his weight in the other direction. Bruce inverses their positions, regaining control despite being beneath the closest thing to a god the world has seen.

“Be a good boy, and fuck me. I want your cock deep inside me.” Bruce takes Clark’s hand, the one that had been groping his ass and presses it against the base of his abdomen. “I want to feel you here.” He hooks his arm around Clark’s neck and pulls him close. “I want you to fill me up until your little heart can’t take it anymore.”

(Clark, as always, exists in two states around Bruce: obviously in love, and concerned for his well-being.)

The Kryptonian considers this proposal. His touch slips from Bruce's stomach to his cock, tracing him from base to tip so lightly Bruce aches for more. He shifts his attention lower, fondling his oft-neglected balls. Clark rolls them between his fingers, until shivers run through Bruce's spine.

Clark finally responds in kind by skirting slowly over his perineum and finally thrusting his fingers roughly into Bruce, drawing a breathless grunt from him once, twice, three more times. He dances the line between pleasure, and just a hint of discomfort, but never pain. Just enough to surprise Bruce and stop his mind from machinating.

It’s not enough, Bruce realizes. Fingers are not the same.

Except, when they crook and press directly against his prostate, milking Bruce for all he's worth. (How much is he worth?)

“Fuck me, please,” Bruce finally yields. “Please, baby. Ah!”

Clark stops. He looks down at Bruce, and Bruce knows it’s not enough.

“That’s not what you said you wanted.”

“I. Want. You. Inside. Me.”

Really, there aren’t that many more ways to put it. Bruce wants to be used, thoroughly, by this beautiful man he has taken too damn long to love. It’s the perfect dichotomy.

“I'm in your bed.” Clark says slowly, his tone reminescent of whenever Bruce needs to be guided through a concussion (or through one of those darker nights when he needs something—anything—to anchor him here). “What do you want from me?”

The answer barrages against Bruce’s mental barriers, the ones that keep his emotions at bay. He searches Clark’s expression in hopes of finding a way out. Another lie slipped in the darkness of tonight? Just a little one for misdirection? Something to buy more time—

Clark withdraws his fingers, and Bruce’s soft moan laments their departure. His cockhead takes their place, kissing Bruce’s hole and nudges its entrance.

“I need you to say it.” Clark bribes Bruce with kisses along his jaw, across his lips towards his ear and back again. He shallowly fucks his lover, just barely entering him and pulling out. “What do you want me to do? Come on, Daddy.”

He can’t—

It’s wrong—

Anger rears its head, baring its teeth against arousal. Bruce wants this, and he wants Clark, but this is too much. His heart, his body and his mind pull in different directions. He has to prioritize—

“Bruce,” Clark coos, stroking his cheek. “Look at me. I mean it.”

The touch helps. Bruce stills, looking at Clark. Adoration and affection colour his handsome features, along with a gentle flush on his cheeks.

“We can just have sex. I was just trying something. Sorry, I should’ve proposed it to you first.”

“If you’re trying to calm me down, talking about proposals is not helping.”

“You know what I mean. Do you want me to stop talking?” The request is so gentle, as if it really doesn’t matter to Clark how they do this. (It doesn’t, as long as Clark gets to be with Bruce.)

“No. It’s good. You’re good. I just—”

“I know.”

Clark always knows.

“I want to try.”

“Then, try,” Clark encourages. He starts kissing Bruce. Little pecks at first, then the kisses bloom into something deeper, more giving. He lavishes Bruce with his mouth, sucking at his bottom lip and nibbling it. He kisses his jaw again, but gets distracted by that favourite spot on Bruce’s neck that makes him cry out just so. There will bruises tomorrow—nothing he can’t cover up.

Clark’s patience is what finally pushes him over the edge, turning trying into doing.

“I want you to stay.”

“What was that?” Clark whispers against his earlobe, as if he didn’t hear.

“I want you to stay.” Bruce says, louder now. “Stay with me. Please,” he begs.

Clark sheaths himself inside Bruce in a single sudden motion. It catches Bruce by surprise, and he cries out. His back arches into the rush of pleasure, and his vision is dotted with a kaleidoscope of colour. He can’t control the way his hips buck, riding the waves of ecstacy that overcome him.

“Ah, ah, Clark, fuck.”

“You’re good, you’re so good.” Gentle fingers card through Bruce’s hair as Clark waits Bruce out. He doesn’t want to overstimulate him. Not now, not yet, and maybe not this time at all. “I’m going to move now,” he promises, but not before placing his hand back over the taut, scarred muscles of Bruce’s abdomen. If he presses just so, he can feel himself inside Bruce. “Come if you need to.”

It's the last warning before Clark withdraws himself and his hips snap against the flesh of Bruce's ass, pounding into him with strength. Bruce's hole swallows Clark's whole.

“Daddy, you feel so fucking good.”

Fuck. Bruce isn't going to last long at all. Not if Clark keeps talking like that. He clenches around Clark, earning him grunts of approval.

“I want to mark your insides. I want to cum so deep inside you, the next time Brucie spreads his legs for anyone else, they'll know you're mine,” Clark growls into Bruce's ear. “What do you think about that?”

“Yes, fuck, yes.”

The pressure inside of him keeps mounting. ‘Making love' had been a slow and steady climb, but being launched ass first into a world of ecstasy. He's there, he's right there, just a little bit more and—

“On second thought, don't come. Wait until I tell you to.”

Bruce's mind scrambles to slide a dam between himself and his mounting orgasm. It's not too late, it's not too late. There has never been a challenge he has not risen to meet, so he fights to hold on. He trashes against Clark, fingers curling against the unyielding and unbruising skin of his shoulder. He needs—he needs Clark to slow down.

Wait, wait, waitwaitwait, his inner thoughts spiral.

Clark is relentless; he is cruel when he wants to be, angling himself so he doesn't quite hit that glorious spot inside Bruce.

His rhythm becomes frayed, the most obvious tell that he's close, and Bruce isn't sure he can hold back. Coming without each other? Preposterous.

Clack bucks into him, and when he finally comes to a slow, heat begins to flood Bruce from the inside.

He came.

The only relief is the momentary stillness so Bruce can gather himself—so he can wrangle his arousal and try to temper it. Except, Clark is still hard.

Clark is still hard, and Bruce hasn't come yet.

“Wait—” Bruce's eyes widen as realization dawns on him.

“Yeah,” is all Clark gives him as he starts fucking him again with equal punishing measure.

“Clark!”

The best Bruce can do is hold on for dear life. Through sheer determination, he manages to hold back. There are moments where bliss overtakes him, and he thinks he's let go, but his cock remains erect, bouncing against his taut abdomen. The only wetness is the glisten of precome, and nothing more.

“Hnng, please. Please, ah,” he begs in clipped grunts and moans. Clark silences him by hooking his thumb in his mouth and pulling on the inside of his cheek. Saliva dribbles down his lip, his chin and his neck as Clark keeps fucking him. Still, permission never comes. Bruce never comes.

Clark releases his mouth and reaches down between them. A clever grin emphasizes his breathtaking features, and reveals his intentions.

“Clark, don't! Clark!”

Clark repeats the motion, sliding his thumb into Bruce alongside his cock. Gently, now, he tugs on that tight ring. He fucks Bruce. He opens Bruce up a little more. It burns, but not in a painful way. The element of surprise is far more dangerous, tearing Bruce's focus away from not coming.

Clark shifts his weight onto Bruce now; Clark thrust directly onto Bruce's prostate, and Bruce moves against him, fucking himself against this monument (perfection) of a man. He swears, he swears Clark is vibrating inside of him, ever so slightly.

He can't take it—He can't take it. It's finally happening, he's going to—

“You're leaking.”

Bruce doesn't hear anything else, except the rush of blood inside his head. His body lights up like fireworks, and his hips trust and thrust in the rhythm of his release. His cock spurts two solid pumps of come, followed by a third and fourth weak dribble drawn out by Clark's still rocking rhythm.

Little by little, he floats back to reality. The burst of stars behind his eyes are replaced by the canopy of his bed, and his limbs that were once taut-bowstrings bracing themselves against the inevitable orgasm are now heavy and languid. Shit, he's sore, he's really sore.

“Clark,” Bruce grunts, pawing at those dark curls. “Enough.”

The thrusts are barely there, a lazy tease from an all-too-playful lover. He didn't feel Clark come inside him a second time, but his erection feels softer inside him.

“I feel full,” Bruce complains and the cock inside him twitches with interest. “Clark.”

“I know,” hums the boy scout as he kisses Bruce's nose.

Clark pulls out. He leans forward, kisses the inside of Bruce's thigh tenderly and gazes into Bruce curiously. He scoops up the excess cum and carefully pushes it back into Bruce.

“Clark,” Bruce warns. “What are you doing?

“What can I say,” the Boy Scout beams. “You're finger lickin' good.”

“I—” Bruce furrows his brows. “I hate you.”

“Mhm. Sure, you do.”

Clark stretches out over Bruce to kiss him quickly on the lips, before settling back between his legs. He mouths at Bruce's soft cock, gently suckling at its tip and tasting the leftover salty-sweet of Bruce's orgasm. He's kinder now. “I know,” he says before Bruce can complain again. “I'm not trying to start anything. Promise.”

Bruce's eyes never leave Clark, not when his exploration moves to the cloudy white splatters across his belly and his chest. Clark kisses him, and he grumbles in turn, half-annoyed and quietly impressed. The image of Clark dipping his tongue into his cum and lapping it up slowly, purposefully is forevermore burned into his memory. He tongues between his own fingers, too, tasting himself and Bruce.

“Stay here. I'll clean you up.” Clark smiles after he's done, innocuous as ever.

“I don't need—”

“I'll pout. I'll follow you around all week pouting until the others start asking questions.”

Bruce groans and lays his head back down. Whatever Clark wants, he can have. That's the rule, isn't it? Anything to preserve that lightness—that joy.

When Clark returns, he starts meticulously and delicately cleaning Bruce up. The moist washcloth is jarring and cool compared to Clark. Bruce flinches when the fabric is pressed against his used hole. He knows he should relax, but the concept is terribly foreign to him.

“Stop, you don't have to do that.”

“I know, but this is for me. Please?” He looks up at Bruce through those thick lashes, using his powers for (no) good.

“Fine.” And Bruce has no choice but to lay there and take it. His mind wanders, as it always does, and he finds himself glaring at the ceiling.

Clark sighs. “What's wrong?”

“What was that?” Bruce says, without missing a beat.

“I said what's—”

“No, I meant,” he stops and props himself up on his shoulders, looking at Clark through the lens of his framed and spread legs. “Earlier. The swearing, the dirty talk, the ‘Daddy' stuff. Where the hell did that come from?”

Clark sits back on his heels. He tilts his head curiously, a golden retriever thinking real hard about something.

“You think too much, so you needed a distraction. I know you like the sound of my voice,” he says, grinning. “I just needed to guide your focus. You're also very controlling. I just thought… maybe if you felt safe enough with me, you might just let go and enjoy the ride. So, thank you.”

Bruce withholds his commentary. He hasn't gotten all the answers. “And the daddy stuff?”

“Oh, I dunno. I was just trying stuff. I had a hunch.”

“You had a hunch. You? A guy who says ‘fudge' instead of fuck?”

“There are levels to me, Bruce! I have depth!”

“That's what you say about six layer dip, not double penetrating me with your fingers and your dick.” Bruce rolls his eyes. “What else do you have in mind?”

“I'll make you a list.”

“A list.”

“Mhm, a list and we can talk all about it,” Clark hums and climbs up next to Bruce. He pulls his old man into his arms and kisses his graying temple. “You know, since I'm not going anywhere, we have all the time in the world.”

***

The Manor is vast, but it is a home, filled with sweet scents and the bustle of life. On most days, the liveliness is provided by a single determined butler who wakes at the crack of dawn—so around the time that Bruce slithers into bed, if he makes it out of the cave at all—and cooks the most ridiculous breakfasts. You know the kind: plenty of food stacked on a homely dining table enough to feed an army by a working mother, only for every remember of the family to run out of the house with a single slice of buttered toast and a sip of orange juice. Truly, the pinnacle of all television families. After all, what is Alfred's life if not a sitcom?

Bruce makes his way down the stairs, shuffling into the kitchen, yawing and rubbing his eyes. It's not the smell of food that gets him—Alfred cooks every day and it makes no difference—it's the singing that lured him out of his beauty sleep.

“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,” Clark hums with his embarrassingly old mp3 player in one hand and flipping pancakes with the other. “Seven days a week… Night after night, I'll be loving you right.” He wiggles his bum (in Bruce's silk pyjama pants—the top is an old Gotham University t-shirt), enjoying himself a little too much in someone else's kitchen. He's not being loud at all. It's the strangeness (the joy?) that summoned both of them.

“What is going on?” Bruce asks.

“I haven't quite decided yet,” Alfred answers. The older man has his hands knitted formally behind his back and he stands straight with all the British propriety in the world.

“What does that mean?”

“Either you've stumbled into finally having some sense in your good old age, or something terrible is about to happen. Either way, I'm on Master Clark's side.” Alfred turns and gives Bruce one of those perfunctory smiles, the ones he gives when he's only half-joking. “And I do say, it's so kind of you to give me the day,” he glances at Clark. “Nay, the week off.”

Alfred leaves with a parting, encouraging, squeeze of Bruce's shoulder.

“What is happening?”

Who knew happiness would feel so unfamiliar? Bruce doesn't hate it. Not today, at least.

[adidegmez]

spn s13 spoilers

s13 ep1(lost and found)

if dean thinks cas is really dead then what did they do to his body? did they burn him, bury him or nothing? jack is just a baby right now. winchesters are maybe not superheroes but they are my heroes. dean is just telling the truth?! he is not okay. he lost everyone he cared except sam. sam is calmer than dean. jack is just a sweet little boy. sam is scared. castiel is jacks father(according to jack at least). thats nice. damian as in damian wayne? i dont think i know anyone else named damian. dean'S prayer… he even add crowley he loved him(sometimes). and Chuck he left and he just doesnt care. he left lucifer on earth. everything happened on this Show is because of him. and i still believe if they raise jack right he will be good. no one is born evil. even if lucifer was a bad guy he was an angel he was the angel. jack is half angel and this is not a bad thing. dean said goodbye to everyone cas, kelly, mom and crowley. and crowley i just cant he said his name with the other people he cared about people he respected and its sad that crowley didnt get to see this. Dean accepted the deaths of all of them. How can he do this? They can still return, why not? and mary did return she is not dead.

s13 ep2(the rising son)

im sos sorry dean but sam is right. He is right on every part of this issue. Jack is not bad, your mother is alive, the only way to save her is with Jack's help. i knew jack was watching scooby i thought dean would let him watch. but i think he needs a little time to know jack. sam is nerveous when talking to jack because he never had an experience with kids like dean had. dean would calm jack down he wouldve known what to do but he is mourning the people he lost and he is angry. and that prevents him see the way that sam sees. sam did a good job with jack. i expected dean to say he is batman but i guess its not the time. lucifer is funny sometimes. good job jack. i think dean will understand jack, eventually. i hope that time comes soon.

s13 ep3(patience)

kelly was a great mother. i get deans point of view but he needs to calm down. it's been a long time missouri. she died! jack really cares about deans opinions just like his dad(cas). dean will get over this and he will be nicw to jack eventually, i just hope it wont be late. yes, sam is the best person to understand jack. this is brilliant. i really love how he treats jack. i love sam. i know dean is in pain but sam is right this is resembles to sam's situation. sam deserved to be saved so does jack. and jack didnt do anything wrong yet he has been on earth like a week. and cas mary it wasnt his fault. dean lost them and he is blaming jack. but its lucifers fault. and jack doesnt deserves a this treatment from dean. dean should help sam save jack. i have always been on the same page as dean always but not this time. i hope dean changes his mind soon. because i need both winchesters in the same page. cas! im glad he is back but if he could return does this mean crowley could return too. and i think i finally understand something. Charlie and now rowena are dead and they wont return cause the story doesnt need them anymore. but i need them to return. i always see spoilers but ive never heard rowenas death. and ive never seen anything about charlie's return. but i want them to return. I didn't even like Rowena that much in the beginning but lately I've started to like her. Charlie is a completely different matter, i always loved her, I need her to come back.

s13 ep4(the big empty)

clone wars!!!!!!! i didnt see that coming. clone wars is my favorite star wars Show. i love ahsoka too but anakin is not bad sam. well he turned to vader but he was a good master palpatine manipulated. i hope jack loves clones. they are my favorite thing about star wars. clones are amazing. dean cas sam and crowley closed the door. crowley sacrificed himself. i think i love jack. cas where are you? why does lucifer need mary? Dean needs to pull himself together as soon as possible, he scares Jack, he even upsets Sam. misha is amazing. finally dean complimented jack. i needed that. finally dean is thinking like sam. thank you dean. cas is back.

s13 ep5(advanced thanatology)

yes, something is wrong with sam. dean wears sunglasses indoors. Do the w's represent how many times the winchesters died? did billie become death? she is death thats not good. I wish Dean hadn't killed death. I loved him. thats a good thing afterall. billie let dean live. Dean lost his faith. But when Cas comes, he will be happy. hi cas. welcome back. look in their eyes. team free will together again.

s13 ep6(tombstone)

cas is back. everyone is happy. i missed you cas. and the hugs. jack did it jack brought him back. team free will 2.0 . dean is back. he really missed cas. his eyes are shining. i missed funny dean. Seeing Dean happy makes me happy. cas… all i can think about is his character development. he is an amazing character. he changed so much. his talk with jack was beautiful. hats, dean is really back. dean finally said it, jack is not a monster. i wish he didnt leave. i hope hell come back.

s13 ep7(war of the worlds)

what happened to mary? So will Michael be the villain of this season? i knew it was kevin. hi kevin! i missed you. i think i would prefer lucifer to that Michael. lucifer is so funny. lucifer is back, Mary stayed in the other World. i thought ketch was a clone. I don't remember seeing anything about clones in this series, but for some reason the first thing that comes to my mind is always clones. But it turned out to be an evil twin. i believe that story hes telling the truth. rowena isnt dead right? cas and lucifer, lucifer is so funny. and he is trying to save the World for himself probably. i believed ketch. asmodeus and ketch, they will trouble the Winchesters. If Dean had said yes to Ketch, would Ketch have worked with them instead of Asmodeus?

s13 ep8(the scorpion and the frog)

supernatural really did everything. now there is a heist episode. and it was funny. yes, i missed hopeful dean. it was nice to see that. Didn't Bart say there were copies of the spell? Couldn't they find them? The bus scene reminded me of the scene where they left Charlie on the bus. i missed Charlie.

s13 ep9(the bad place)

i think jack wants to bring mary back not lucifer. Jack gets very happy when he gets a "good job" from Dean. And that makes me happy too. Jack also joined the family. I love him. dean! why did you treat her like that? well at least jack found mary and the winchesters are together. but idk where kaia is.

s13 ep10(wayward sisters)

claire is getting better at hunting. they are on a hunting trip… they said it again. i like it. i love donna and the others, we should see them more. i love jody. Claire's speech was like the beginning of a new series. I researched but they haven't made a mini series, I hope they tell this story here. i love the girls they are amazing.

s13 ep11(breakdown)

the real fbi is here. The beginnings of the episodes always resemble Criminal Minds. but almost the entire episode was really like cm. garcia would find her quickly. i liked doug. i hoped he would become a hunter. doug and donna were good. come on, first dean now sam they lost hope but it was always like this and they believed this job. but now they are in a dark place. i need hopeful winchesters back.

s13 ep12(various & sundry villans)

lucifer is hilarious. omg not the love spell. not dean please. yes sam save dean. hello boys(crowley said it the best). hi rowena. welcome back. how are you alive? they all forgot about adam. cas loves his son. i love how he talks about jack. Rowena asked about Crowley because she wondered if he might pose a risk to her, right? I wish there were nice mother and son scenes. I don't even think Rowena would be upset about Crowley's death, but I wish she would be. she is sad?! rowena is right. when is lucifer ever gone. he always comes back. cas and lucifer made a good team. that was a little brutal. Rowena took the page, didn't she? i thought sam would give her but i didnt think would do it. but he did. lucifer is not dead. We forget the traumas of the Winchesters very quickly, they are not even mentioned. They always show themselves strong, they don't show what's inside them. Dean spent 40 years in hell, Sam was tortured by Lucifer, Dean had to survive in purgatory… I hope Rowena doesn't cause trouble for the boys.

s13 ep13(devil's bargain)

i thought lucifer would let cupid live but he killed him and i suppose he did it just for fun. i forgot about ketch. How did Lucifer not die? i missed kevin. sister jo(daneel ive been waiting for this, i thought we would saw her earlier on the show). Doesn't the prophet know the difference between Cas and Asmodeus? ketch is right. lucifer cant do the things he promised, right? gabriel!!! well, i hope winchesters can save him.

s13 ep14(good intentions)

Dean you are amazing Cas you are amazing too. Mary is not Mary. They're still messing with Jack's head, right? hi bobby! sometimes jack's smiles are sweet but sometimes he scared me he smiles like lucifer sometimes, other than that he is just a sweet boy. and i love him. i love this bobby too but i want old bobby. mary made the deal she brought so much pain to her boys but we saw what the world would be like if she hadn't made that deal, and I think Mary did the right thing. If that deal hadn't happened, we would never have met the boys. cas! i dont like where this is going. i hope cas wont go far. Dean and Sam are Jack's role models, I think he chose very good role models. Whatever it takes… both Dean and Cas go too far. They need to calm down and think a bit. I hope nothing bad happens to them. I'm sorry about Donatello, I didn't like him as much as Kevin, but he was still a good guy. He didn't deserve what happened to him (like all the good characters in the series)

s13 ep15(a most holy man)

While Dean was saying enjoy, he was thinking things like this will be the last time you drive and he was imagining how he would kill that man. yes i totally believe dean would kill for the baby. I heard that that scene was improvised and it's really a perfect scene. I never thought that the blood would come from that man. I thought it would be from someone we knew before or someone very important.

s13 ep16(scoobynatural)

do you know how long i've been waiting for this. I've seen a lot of clips about this episode and I was very curious about it. When I started this season, I was thinking that they were opening a portal to the Scooby universe with Jack. I even thought that they would travel to different universes throughout the season thanks to Jack's portals. just for fun. But when it comes to SPN, sometimes this is only possible for a few episodes. There is a villain in every season and the world is in danger, so team Free Will has to save the World all over again. But did the trickster really die and come back, or was he never dead? i really love when dean is being a fanboy. he genuinely loves them and he shows that he loves them. and i love him for this. i love deans love for scooby-doo. this is one of my favorite episodes now. it was awesome. i love dean. i love sam and cas too but dean has a special place in my heart.

s13 ep17(the thing)

poor gabriel, I hope he can get out of there. Ketch is saving Gabriel right now, even if it's for himself. where is cas? why aent they waiting for him? ketch did some bad things, idk how to feel about him. gabriel is okay for nw with sam. dean really has a death wish. he doesnt care if he dies he only care about the others. yeah this is a nice thing but he would die to protect them and i dont want him to die.

s13 ep18(bring 'em back alive)

Charlie! Until two days ago, I didn't see anything about whether we would see Charlie in this series again but then I learned that we will see the apocalyptic world version of her. I knew she would come but I didn't expect that we would see her now. i missed her. She shouldn't have died. why didnt they wait for cas? i think ketch really cared about mary. gabriel is back! and he left. Asmodeus is dead, right? i hope he wont come back. ketch is complicated. Charlie is acting like our Charlie. i couldnt believe charlie's death and i still cant. she shouldn't have died.

s13 ep19(funeralia)

rowena what are you doing? i thought maybe rowena was trying to get crowley back but then i said she wouldnt do that. is she really trying to get fergus back? if thatsthe truth please let her try. i want crowley back. rowena is kinda right only team free will gets to come back from the dead. naomi is alive. I hope Sam doesn't have to kill Rowena. I started to love Rowena even more. I think there is such a thing as the Winchester Effect. They changed an angel, the king of hell, the most powerful witch and many more people and turned them into better people, and it is great to watch the character development of those characters. They changed Rowena as well as Crowley. I think Rowena loved Crowley. I wish she had the chance to tell Crowley that, or at least show it.

s13 ep20(unfinished business)

Fenrir from Norse mythology, right? I realized the last part was similar to Steve and Tony's argument (Marvel). we'll löse, we'll do that together too… they lost, steve wasn't there. i hope sam could be there when it comes to that. I can't be sure about deaths when it comes to tricksters. I even wondered if Loki replaced Gabriel at the end, but they wouldn't do such a thing because the story would be extended unnecessarily and there is no need for such a thing. i missed our kevin, he wouldnt do that. poor jack. mary sees her as a son:)

s13 ep21(beat the devil)

rowena and gabriel? little awkward but funny. In the beginning ep was hilarious but then it all went dark. rowena didn't run, this time she stayed. she has changed(the winchester effect). lucifer's bar scene was awesome. Sam died and came back, thanks to Lucifer. I'm glad he is back but lucifer brought him. they found jack and mary. dean watched his brother die, again. and the look on his face is telling everything. im glad the brothers are back together.

s13 ep22(exodus)

no, mary. i know you want to help the other World but your boys came for you. you shouldnt do that to them. lucifer is not entirely wrong. yes he does so many bad things but sometimes he does good things. like most of the villains on spn he is complicated. I've seen the scene where Cas and Lucifer drive the bus on the internet before, but I didn't think it was real. I thought it was someone's dream or something. i know lucifer is bad but he tried to do the right thing. he fought Michael, and now he is doing bad things because sam wouldnt let him come with them. sam has hs reasons but now lucifer is going to help Michael nd i think he is not happy about it because h will have brought Michael to the other world, just as his relationship with Jack was getting better. and he knows this will upset his son. Gabriel isn't really dead, right? Otherwise they woudn't have zoomed in on his face. its always good to see bobby but i wish we couldve seen our bobby with the boys and our Charlie.

s13 ep23(let the good times roll)

I would like to see charlie and rowena together. Dean's dream is very beautiful, but with their luck, it is impossible. I wish it could happen, no one deserved retirement more than them. but i dont think they would get a happy ending. This is how I wanted Dean to treat Jack from the beginning. Dean's speech was beautiful. soft dean is my favorite, he is kind and sweet when he needs to be. I love him. I was going to believe in Lucifer because he wanted his son and was doing good things just for him, but in the end he ruined everything again. Dean, you tried so hard to keep Michael from getting to you. I wanna cry. michael has dean, i hope dean can beat him. Is Lucifer really gone? dean… i want to kill Michael. i hope dean will be the one to kill him. The suit and hat suit Dean very well. Just when good things are happening, everything turns bad, and every season, boys cannot find comfort. Can't the kids relax for just one season? There won't be a big bad guy for the end of the season, maybe if they want they can hunt like in the first season or just have a good time together in the

bunker. only 1 season. I wish… but it's impossible. i just want to see them happy.

[halfagone]

Is it weird that I’m not a big fan of the whole this hero from this fandom gets adopted by the batfam trope? Like, it’s repetitive, but my main issue is that I feel like it devalues the hero in the process? Like, I’ve read fics about Danny and Spidey being adopted by them , and it’s just weird because they’re both solo heroes who’ve accomplished amazing things by themselves, and I feel them getting adopted and following Batman’s order just makes them another sidekick? Like, Spider man in particular was one of the first teen heroes that wasn’t a sidekick, and Danny falls into that category too. Sorry, does that make sense?

I think I get what you're trying to say here! That part of the reason why teenage heroes like Spider-Man and Danny Phantom are so impressive is because they did the hero thing alone, right? That they were capable of all these feats without a mentor and through their own wits and talents? I believe I'm getting that correctly?

I wouldn't call that weird at all. Everyone has the right to their own opinion, and should be respectful enough not to bash anyone else for theirs.

I will say that half the reason why I adore Danny so much is how passionate his character is. We have evidence that Danny isn't the most fond of the hero gig, but the fact that he keeps at it, keeps putting himself in danger to protect people, proves that for all that he's a little shit that gets on people's nerves, he is genuinely a good kid. He didn't have to do the hero thing, but he did, because someone had to, and he decided it had to be him. And he did it alone, or- mostly alone. Sam and Tucker's help should never be underestimated, but it's no secret that they don't have all the firepower he does.

I do understand why people like the trope where Danny or Peter get adopted, and part of it is for the same reasons I like it too.

When you think about it, teen heroes are targeted for teen audiences. They're fictional characters meant to instill confidence in kids, teach them that they can do good too, help them grow and reflect when they see their favorite heroes going through the same things they do. All sorts of things like that. And when you're a kid, you feel like the world is stacked against you. Hopefully you'll have people in your corner, but not every kid out there does. So these kinds of heroes help them build confidence in their independence, that they can stand up for themselves too, even when no one else will.

But then you grow up, and then you realize you shouldn't have had to do that all by yourself. You should have had a trusting adult to look out for you, you should have had someone to watch your back. I was an anxious 14-15 year old, because I was stupid enough to try to finish high school in 3 years instead of the standard 4.

And that's nothing in comparison to these teen heroes who have people's lives in their hands, fighting every day knowing that one day they might not come back home, getting injuries they can't always hide well. On top of all that, they have to make excuses at school, make excuses at home, try to keep up with their grades so that they can have a future, they have to think about college/university plans.

Sometimes they get grounded or punished, because they're lying to their family's faces, but it's all for a good cause. But they can't explain that either, because they want to protect the people they love. Peter Parker is usually very poor, in some cases he works one or multiple jobs to help Aunt May pay the bills.

The teenage experience is overwhelming enough, they shouldn't have to worry about the hero thing. But they want to help people. And they deserve to get some help of their own.

I know there are probably some people out there that give Danny or Peter a loving family because they see a lot of themselves in these two. They couldn't get that supportive family, so they go in and they give these teen heroes the family they never had, because they know how much good it would have done for them too. And sometimes that blood/biological family isn't the answer, might even be the root problem of it all, so they give them an adopted one.

Obviously it's still not for everyone, especially if you do want to keep that independent aspect that kinda makes the whole teenage hero trope. So the concept might not be for you, and that's okay too! Unfortunately sometimes that means you have to ignore a lot of fics, but hopefully there are plenty other fics that are out there for you.

[im-not-samantha-im-samanta]

{Jervis Tetch having teaparties with an autistic s/o}

___________________________________________

A few words from author: Hello there guys, long time no see! ^^"

I know I've been really inactive lately, but I needed a mental health break, hope you can understand.

Anyways, I got pulled into a new fandom yet again, so here I present you imagines for the Batman franchise, specifically imagines for Gotham!Jervis. ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

Hope y'all will enjoy these, especially my fellow babycakes who are also on the autism spectrum! Tried to include more than just the traits I experience. <3

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Settings: Can be read as both romantic and platonic

Genre: Pure fluff ^^

!TRIGGER WARNING!: Hints of typical Jervis stuff, swear words here and there, and I think that's all ^^

Sidenote: I'm still new to the Batman franchise, and this is my first time writing Gotham Jervis, I'm sorry if he's too ooc (⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠෴⁠ ⁠༎ຶ⁠)

Sidenote: s/o can be interpreted as significant other (as in romantic) or special one (as in platonic)

Sidenote: gender of reader is not specified, but I genuinely apologize if reader description leans more into a feminine sense

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~Jervis is not a good man,

~he's very far from it,

~But he can be a decent person if he wants to be,

~and for you, he'd gladly be more than a decent person, <3

~or more like a decent little lovestruck madman

~But only for you, nobody else,

~And so, despite really needing for his teaparties to be exactly that certain way he likes them,

~he does go out of his way to accommodate to your needs and preferences,

~He really wants for you to enjoy his teaparties and be comfortable, ;^;

~You're his Alice after all, you deserve the best!

~And what all that means?

~Well, glad you asked! :3

~First off, if you don't like the cutlery, cups and dishes he uses, he doesn't get upset,

~he lets you bring your own if you wish and need that,

~he respects that, and doesn't make a fuss about it even if he'd literally never allow for anyone else to refuse to use his treasured beautiful porcelain teaparty set,

~that's how dear you are to him, <3

~On another note, if you're like me and don't necessarily need your own dishes, cups and cutlery BUT you do favour some dishes, cups and cutlery over the others,

~and if you do subconsciously create a routine to use a specific pair of cutlery, cups and dishes,

~then Jervis always makes sure you get to use that specific pair on any of his teaparties,

~and he reserves that specific pair of cutlery, cups and dishes just for you,

~No-one, and I mean no-one is allowed to use that specific pair anymore,

~the moment you show you prefer that pair, everyone else loses their privileges to use that pair,

~Now another thing - Safefood and Samefood,

~Jervis is really good at making various snacks and treats for his teaparties,

~so, each teaparty you'll have wide variety of things to choose from,

~and he tends to come up with something new all the time,

~However, if you show you prefer to eat the same snacks at each teaparty,

~and if you show to be uncomfortable or distressed at not being able to get your usual,

~Jervis will go out of his way to make sure that on each of his teaparties you get to have the same snacks,

~Of course he'll also include some new treats too because he himself can't eat the same thing all the time,

~but you definitely get to have your samefood at each teaparty,

~he always makes sure that you do, <3

~Also, if you have any specific safefood, Jervis always includes it on his teaparties,

~even if the food or drink is not that fit for a teaparty,

~Oh, and if you happen to not like some snack Jervis made because of the texture,

~then you won't see the snack on his teaparties ever again,

~that specific snack will be a taboo, ^^"

~Now another thing!

~Jervis likes to dress up for his teaparties,

~he really likes to look all fancy and wonderland like,

~and he would like that for you too,

~but again, if you have issues with wearing more fancy clothes due to them being uncomfortable or something,

~Jervis will be more understanding, and won't force you to dress up for him,

~he doesn't want you to get exhausted and distressed from wearing something that you do not like, ;^;

~After all, his teaparties are meant to be a pleasant experience for you where you can be yourself and feel happy,

~unlike how his teaparties work for others

~However, if you're willing to dress up for him, Jervis will be ecstatic,

~and if you don't have anything that would be that fit for the specific vibe Jervis craves so much,

~just ask him, cuz Jervis has so many costumes for that purpose,

~But don't worry!

~If you are sensitive to certain materials, and if you wouldn't find any good costume for your liking,

~then Jervis definitely would be up to getting you a custom outfit for his teaparties, only made of materials you can stand, <3

~Aaand here goes another thing!

~If you are sensitive to noise, Jervis makes sure that the teaparties are held in peace,

~he makes sure the place isn't loud, he himself talks gently and at a volume you can tolerate,

~he even controls his reactions a lot to make sure he won't startle you or anything,

~which can sometimes be a little hard for him, but he tries his best for you,

~oh, and his men are usually not allowed to be around either,

~they are usually ordered to be in a different room or something,

~and damn, if they ever disturb or are too loud and make you distressed...

~well, I'm sure you can imagine what happens... (⁠^⁠～⁠^⁠;⁠)⁠ゞ

~However if you are the opposite and you like noise,

~then Jervis goes all out, he doesn't hold back,

~he talks at a slightly louder volume, he's expressive, enthusiastic, impulsive and if wanted, he lets some intense classical music (or maybe a different genre if you ask nice enough) be played in the background,

~and of course he lets you be as loud as you want, <3

~you can talks as loud as you please, you can make noise and stim, no shame, no holding back,

~and if you really are sensory seeking, you're allowed to touch anything that catches your interest,

~sometimes Jervis will even prepare random yet interesting decorations, wanting to see whether or not will that item catch your interest,

~Also if you like crunchy food, then Jervis makes sure you get as much of it as you'd like,

~if your sensory seeking makes you crave physical contact, you get all of it,

~you can sit close and lean on him, you can mess with his hands, trace his face,

~Jervi's favourite form of physical contact is holding your hand and squeezing it, ^^

~and if you like getting your hair brushed and played with, then that also happens a lot because that's the second form of physical contact Jervis simply adores,

~And probably the last thing,

~if you feel like talking, you can talk as much as you'd like,

~you can talk and talk about whatever you want, Jervis will listen intently,

~Jervia adores hearing you talk, especially about your special interest, no matter what it is,

~And just between you and me, Jervis will deliberately ask you questions regarding your special interest to get you to talk,

~and then he just sits back and watches you with a satisfied, loving smile as you go on and ramble his ears off,

~he loves it,

~And well, that's probably all I can say for now, ^^

~Well, how do I end this...

~Jervis really isn't a good man,

~but he tries to be his best self when he's with you,

~you mean so much to him,

~you're his greatest treasure, and he'll do anything to keep you around, ;^;

~I mean, he won't change who he is,

~but he definitely tries to be a slightly better man with you, <3

[dailycass-cain]

Detective Comics #1079 brings a lot of plot points Ram V has been spinning this arc to a head, including the one involving Cass. So here are my thoughts on the penultimate issue.

There's just a fondness I have for this series as THE Batman comic right now. It has an aura of late 90s to early 00s Batman comics spun in a modern angle.

I feel quite at home with this run.

All the protagonists are given their due here. No one is cut short, and we get teased with more entries (because Ram V did say EVERYONE would get their moment and three characters have been quiet until this issue) as the arc reaches its final crossing.

There are a lot of emotional bits here from Lian/Jade's stuff (which feels like we're getting to the final bits for them sadly, which I hope we don't) to the badassery of Azrael (gawd I want more of him in this run).

Then there's Cass's section with Freeze.

It makes complete sense that with Selina's plan in full effect if you haven't figured it out now, that Cass's part was a distraction and an attempt. To get the Orgham distracted so Selina could steal her prize.

It just feels so opposite to what's being presented in Batman and Catwoman comics along with the whole Gotham War debacle, and how rewarding this run is to seeds to prior Ram V runs (Catwoman) and this one.

This is an event done right, with stakes presented as high, villains who are quite imposing, and an emotional rollercoaster ride.

It's said in panels what the Reality Engine does, and we've seen it in action when Bruce tried to stop it. But dammit I SO want to see a story on Cass's struggle against it.

We see it teased in this issue, but a hardened warrior like Cass against this thing? GIMME!

The art here just looks so warped until the predictable occurs. Freeze betrays Cass and Selina's plan. He gets what he wants, and chills out.

Though Selina DID anticipate this, it wasn't her real goal which she does achieve in the issue.

However, I'm curious about what will come with Freeze having access to the Reality Engine and if Cass will have a role in stopping it?

I'm guessing YES.

Though it sort of feels like Cass's role in this arc has come to an end. I mean it feels like it but who knows. That said if it was and this is the final appearance of Cass in 2023.

Dang, I want more Ram V-written Cass goodness, please.

I am curious just how much damage both she and Freeze did as the latter did set off a "freeze bomb" that she escaped from, but there's no telling (until future issues) how the Orgham will recover from this setback.

I'm glad this arc was "bi-weekly". Though, as much kudos I give to the writer, both Jason Shawn Alexander and Liam Sharp deserve so much credit for this arc too. Everything they've drawn in this arc just CLICKS with the writing.

Again, this was another stellar issue, and I can't wait to see where this arc ends. As basically, Selina has won. The question is can she run away with that win or will someone ELSE sneak in? I think the latter might occur.

Look, I know it's highly unlikely but I kind of want a Flamingo vs Cass or Azrael fight. Just two hardened folk going against a foe like Flamingo? Gimme. Let Bruce take on Hurt and finish the Barbatos plot.

Though part of me wonders are Jean Paul and Barbatos linked?

Or even Cass and the Bat Demon?

These just avenues never explored given Jean-Paul did become Batman and is sporting said batty costume in this arc.

This was another fantastic issue on this run and I just wish we'd talk about how AMAZING this series. That and how when this is collected in complete form how KILLER this story will be even more.