#Ever think of changing your name to “Flamebird”?

[roma107]

to me, dick and clark had always been red and blue.

it’s just funny how the colors are reversed now from what they started with

[mischiefandspirits]

Oldest and Newest

Damian tugged down his face mask as he looked out over Gotham city. He was finally here.

After two decades of anticipation, after nearly a decade of work, it should have been a happy occasion.

He tugged the mask back up as he heard a scream nearby.

He stopped three muggings, saved a woman from assault, and stopped a robbery by the time a flicker of purple started following him.

He scared off some men that were following a woman then pretended to take off northward before ducking around a water tower and sneaking up on his pursuer as they tried to follow. He took them in before approaching.

They looked about five foot six. The dark body armor and cloak hid their build some, but the way they carried themself proved they were muscular even if not overly broad. As he grew closer, he could see that the armor was primarily black with dark purple detailing that matched the cloak’s color. They also wore a full face mask like his friend Vesper’s, though theirs had white lenses that stood out against the black fabric instead of being completely black like the older vigilante. They were cautious, yet sure-footed as they raced over the rooftops which showed a familiarity with the territory and an understanding of its dangers.

Similarly, their growing annoyance showed they’d realized they’d lost him so Damian swooped in to pin them against an air conditioning unit. They tried to throw him off, but his larger size and superior skills kept them pinned long enough to bind their hands and tie them to the unit.

“Who are you and why are you following me?” he growled, crossing his arms and looming over them.

They stared at him for a moment, head tilting to the side, then snorted. “No wonder he got mistaken for B a few times. Are you seeing this guy?” the young woman -- judging by her voice -- muttered to herself before saying, “I’m Spoiler and I’m following you because you randomly showed up in Gotham and started playing vigilante. Don’t you know Batman doesn’t like that?”

“And yet, here you are doing the same.”

“Excuse you, I’m Batman’s partner. I earned my place on these rooftops.”

“Right.”

She tilted up her chin and crossed her arms. “I am!”

Damian frowned, but didn’t move to redo the ties she’d slipped. Vesper had told him that his father was a solo hero. Batman worked with the Justice League and the Birds of Prey as necessary, but he’d never had a permanent confidant or taken on an apprentice like some of the other heroes. The closest thing he had to partners were the Batgirls. According to Vesper, though, neither ever developed a close bond with the man. The two might be called in as backup or would team up with his father when their paths crossed, but they never depended on one another. His father was more of an inspiration, patron, and occasional teammate than a partner to either woman.

Spoiler didn’t seem to be lying, however, and appeared too forward to be capable of deceiving him. Had something changed in the four years since he’d talked to Vesper? Perhaps he should have gone with his original plan of waiting to go out until after he’d spoken with her the next day after all.

Hindsight and such were not going to change the present, however.

He looked over the woman again. Girl, he realized. Given her proportions, she was likely in her mid-teens though he could be wrong as the armor was rather concealing. An apprentice, then, which explained why she had not fallen beside her supposed partner. The mission his father perished on must have been deemed too dangerous for her to accompany him.

He carefully thought over his next words. He was not ready to announce his presence yet as clearly he had some research to do and he needed to speak with Vesper. He also didn’t know how trustworthy Spoiler was. Even if she was telling the truth about being his father’s partner, that did not tell him just how far his father’s trust in her went and therefore how far he should trust her in turn.

He stepped back from the girl, dropping his arms and attempting to take on a less antagonistic posture. “Then I am sorry for your loss.”

“Loss?” Spoiler questioned.

“Batman’s death,” he answered slowly. Had no one told her?

“What? Batman’s not dead.”

Oh, no, she was simply trying to hide the truth. “My contacts within the Justice League say otherwise.”

Batman's death had left Flamebird uncharacteristically despondent of late, understandably given how close his father and Damian’s were and the fact Flamebird had been on the mission where Batman perished.

“Someone’s going to get an ass beating,” she muttered, storming to her feet. She poked him in the chest. “So what, you find out Batman’s gone and decide that means you have a free pass to just do whatever you want in my city.”

Damian pushed her hand away, fighting down the urge to stab it. “As I think we’ve established, I had no idea you existed. I simply had business in Gotham and thought I’d do some good for a recently undefended city.”

“Yeah, well, now you know the city is being defended.”

“By a child, yes,” Damian scoffed before he could stop himself and the girl bristled.

“Who the fickle frack are you to judge me?”

After being momentarily stunned by her euphemism, he answered, “I am Ẓill.”

She stared at him and slowly shook her head. “Yeah, no offense, it’s def a me problem, but if I try to say that I will totally beat it to hell and back with a tire iron then set it on fire and spit on it just for good measure. Is that an alien language?”

“Arabic.”

“Shit. Yeah, okay, that’s why I’m sticking to the Romance languages for now.” She glanced to the side. “Do you know Arabic?”

“I-” he started, but she waved him quiet.

“I thought you were going to learn after the last run-in with… Okay, yeah, that’s fair. So… Well of course he can, the little polyglot.” She turned back to Damian as he started to wonder if the girl was insane. “So your name translates to Shadow. Mind if I just call you that because, again, I will not be responsible for the atrocity that leaves my mouth if I try to pronounce Arabic without time to practice.”

“Shadow is fine.” She wouldn’t be the first, as it had taken both Flamebird and Beacon awhile to learn how to pronounce his name properly, and the Ismoian still called him that on occasion as a nickname. More accurately she called him Shadow the Hedgehog, but that was a reference he refused to investigate given Flamebird’s reaction to it. “Who are you talking to?”

She gestured to the side of her head. “Augur. He’s our eye-in-the-sky computer guy. Hacking, running comms, information gathering, strategy, all that fun stuff.”

“I thought Oracle worked with Batman when he needed assistance with that.”

“Oracle? I mean, she helped train Augur and helps out when he needs a hand, but she’s got the Birds of Prey and Vesper, not to mention helping out the Justice League sometimes. I think she used to do a lot more for Batman back before Augur, but she’s got her own shit to do now. Augur’s our main man.”

He really should have waited to speak to Vesper. Clearly his information was more out of date than he thought.

“So, Shadow Weaver, what brings you to Gotham then?”

“Shadow Weaver?” He growled when she nodded, radiating amusement. That was clearly another reference he didn’t want to know anything about. “My being here is none of your concern.”

“Random unknown vigilantes being in my city are, like, the definition of my concern,” she said, cocking a hip.

“Your city?”

“Yeah, my city. So either tell me why you’re here or get lost.”

“And if I don’t?”

She shifted into a fighting stance. “I’ll make you.”

Damian snorted at the threat, then was yanked backward by his hood. He brought his hand up to defend, which was knocked aside.

He froze when he recognized the featureless mask staring down at him.

“I told you to keep your head down,” Vesper reprimanded, poking him in the forehead.

“If you had warned me that Batman had picked up a disciple this wouldn’t have happened,” he huffed and Spoiler pretended to gag.

“Ew, gross, don’t call me that. Makes it sound like I worship B or something, which, yeah, no.”

“Stop picking fights with Spoiler,” Vesper said and poked his forehead again. “Batman is already going to be mad enough.”

Damian’s eyes darted away from his friend and, behind Vesper, he saw Spoiler flinch.

Vesper let him back up and shoved him away. She turned to Spoiler. “I’ll deal with him. He’s a friend. Sorry.”

The girl nodded and left.

“Come on.”

The older vigilante led him to the rooftop of a clock tower. She used a biometric scanner to unlock a hidden hatch and they slipped inside, dropping down ropes into a workspace.

There was an elaborate computer setup in one corner, oddly lacking a chair, and a workout space in the other. Mirroring that was a modest medical area in one corner and a kitchenette in the other with seating at the island. Elevator doors stood between the computers and medical area while a couch and some chairs sat at the center of the room.

Pulling off her hood and mask, Cassandra led him to the couch. He removed his own hood and mask then pulled his katana off his back to lean against his leg as he sat next to her on the couch.

“You look good,” she said, glancing over him.

“You too. It’s good to see you again.”

She nodded, then lightly slapped his arm. “What were you thinking, Damian? I know I told you how protective Batman is of his territory.”

Damian’s left hand came up to trace the phoenix engraved onto his right bracer. “When was the last time you spoke to someone in the Justice League?”

She frowned, studying him. “I have been on an Outsiders mission for the past month, and was busy with a show the month before that. If Oracle has worked with them in that time, she hasn’t said anything. Why?”

“A little under a month ago, a JL team went on a mission. I don’t know the full details, but it had something to do with Darkseid and… Batman did not make it back.”

She didn’t react visibly, but her voice was soft when she asked, “You are sure?”

“Jon was on the mission. He said Batman was vaporized right before their eyes. I’m sorry.”

She bowed her head and closed her eyes. After her moment of silence, she looked up at him, face blank. “Why?”

“Why?”

“Why are you here? Why do you care? You’ve always been interested in Batman, but this is… more.”

He sat up straight, hands fisting on his thighs. “I told you my name was Damian Naji, but that was a lie. My name is actually Damian al Ghul. My mother is Talia al Ghul… and my father was Batman.”

She studied him. “Batman… did not know?”

“Not as far as I am aware. Mother told me she told him she miscarried because I would be a distraction to him and the cause. After everything you’ve told me about him, I think she and Grandfather were just worried he’d take me from them. If she told him after I left, I don’t know.”

“Why didn’t you tell him? You could have come to him for help when you ran away from the League.”

“Tt. You know how I was back then. I was everything Father stood against. He wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with me. Not until I could prove I was worthy of him.”

She reached out to take his hand. “That’s not true. He knew my past and he accepted me.”

“You killed one person, instantly regretted it, and never killed again. I spent almost ten years as an assassin. It’s not the same. Besides, you were just an occasional teammate. I’m…”

“His son. Which is exactly why I know he would have loved you. Batman cares deeply for those who he considers his own. Even Oracle and I. He keeps -” She frowned and looked down. “He kept his distance from us, but only because he felt he didn’t have a right to us. Oracle had a parent and was independent, only needing help getting her feet under her. I was an adult, legally, when we met and Oracle took on my training since she was the one who found me and had practice working with younger heroes due to assisting Black Canary with the Justice League’s minor division. Had he found you, though, he wouldn’t have hesitated. You would have been his.

“He would not have been happy about how you were raised, but he still would have loved you. He would not have turned you away, even if you had wanted to continue down the path of an assassin. He would have seen that wasn’t what you wanted, though, and taught you a new way. You would not have had to do it on your own.”

Damian shook his head. “No, I had to prove that I wasn’t what my mother made me. I had to prove I could follow his rules, only then could I present myself as his heir.”

“You wouldn’t have had to prove anything to him.”

He pulled his hand away to trail it against his bracer again. “Perhaps you are right. You knew him better than I. But I did have to prove it to myself.”

She shook her head and wrapped an arm around his shoulders despite him being a head taller and twice as wide. “How?”

“My first kill was on my sixth birthday. I was fifteen when we met and I decided to leave behind the League’s ways in favor of Father’s. It… took me longer than I liked to push through the instincts to kill so on my sixteenth birthday I made an oath. Ten years of saving lives to atone for ten years of taking them. Only if I reached my twenty-sixth birthday without taking another life would I come to Gotham.”

“That is why you’ve come.”

“No, my birthday is still a few months away, but… Jon told me what happened. I realized I was too late so I am here to… I thought if I could never present myself to Father absolved of guilt, I could at least protect the city he devoted himself to since I believed it was now undefended.”

“You did not know about the others,” she chuckled.

“You told me he worked alone,” he growled.

“He did when we last spoke.” She pulled away, tilting her head. “Am I your only source for information?”

“Yes. I did not know if I could trust any other source given his reclusiveness.”

“But I only told you about Batman. What about behind the man under the cowl?”

He slumped back against the couch.

“You do not know who he is,” she said, amusement in her voice.

“Mother always told me I would learn who he was when I’d earned it. The only things I know are that I am his only family and heir. That’s why I asked you to meet me. I wanted to do this properly and cover his responsibilities in and out of the mask, but I can’t do that without knowing who he is. I’d hoped that either you would know or you could help me figure it out.”

She hummed and glanced to the side.

He followed her gaze to see a clock on the wall. It was nearing two in the morning.

Suddenly she hopped to her feet and dragged him up. “You said you are staying at Hotel Belle Monico?”

“Yes, room 3215.”

“Go straight back there and get changed.”

He nodded, figuring she wanted to get some rest. “Alright. I’ll see you later then.”

After getting her confirmation, he climbed up the ropes and did as told. It only took him fifteen minutes to get back to his room and another twenty to change out of his vigilante attire, lock all his gear away, shower, and put on his sleeping clothes. Once that was done he started to debate whether or not to get some sleep or do a bit of research first.

A knock came at his door.

He grabbed the small dagger he kept on him at all times and palmed one of the knives he’d hidden around the room as he approached the door. He peeked through the peephole, then tucked both weapons into his waistband and opened the door.

Cassandra had lost her own suit in favor of a casual teal dress and gold-brown leggings. She frowned as she took him in and started shoving him further into the room before he could say anything. “Get dressed.”

“What’s going on?”

“Clothes.”

Well aware he wasn’t going to get anything out of her, he slipped into the suite's bedroom and changed into some slacks and a polo.

“Good,” she said when he came out, then turned on her heel and left.

He quickly followed after grabbing his wallet and one of the room’s keycards.

“Where are we going?” he asked once they were in the elevator, but she just smiled at him.

The silence continued as they climbed into her car and she drove them through the city. He tried to ask again when they crossed a bridge out of the main city and into a neighborhood filled with mansions and old manors, but she remained tight-lipped until they pulled up to the gate of a larger manor.

She rolled down the window and hit the call button, which was soon answered over the video screen by an older gentleman in a butler’s uniform.

“Ah, hello, Ms. Cain,” the man said in a warm, British accent. “I was told you might make an appearance, but I didn’t think it would be so soon.”

“Hello, Alfred. Should this wait?”

“No, you might as well come in now. They’re all still awake after tonight’s events,” he sighed and the gates began to creak open.

“Sorry,” she said and he waved her off before the screen went dark.

Curiosity itched at Damian, but he stayed quiet as Cassandra drove up to the front door and they climbed out.

Alfred met them at the door. He gave Cassandra a kind smile then turned it to Damian. “Always a pleasure, Ms. Cain. And who is this?”

She looped her arm around one of Damian’s. “An old friend. Alfred, this is Damian Wayne. Damian, this is Alfred Pennyworth.”

He didn’t react to the name, assuming she’d just given him an alias, but the calculating expression on Alfred’s face as he stared at Damian’s had him second-guessing the assumption.

The expression was quickly replaced by a sad smile, however, as the man stepped back to allow them into the manor. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Master Damian.”

“You as well, Mr. Pennyworth.”

“Just Alfred, my boy. Please come in. The others are winding down in the family room.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” Cassandra said, then led Damian into the house by his arm. They went up the main staircase in the entrance hall and into the first door on the left where they found a room inhabited by a group of children.

The oldest were a pair of teenagers sitting on the couch.

The girl was white, but tanned with long blonde hair pulled into a messy braid and dark green eyes. She was thin but muscular and he could see her arms were covered in small scars thanks to her Gotham Sirens tank top. She was cradling a sleeping infant who was wrapped in a Wonder Woman blanket and clutching a stuffed Batman.

The other teen was more androgynous, body hidden under an overly large White Arrow hoodie and Supergirl sweat pants. They were Latine with their skin a pale brown and their eyes a silvery blue. Their hair was black and chin-length. They had a video game controller on their lap and a tablet in their hands.

The next oldest was a preteen boy with a book sitting sideways in an armchair, back against one arm and legs draped over the other. He was fair with freckles speckling his face around his navy eyes. His hair was short and a dark red, almost black color. He was thin and muscular like the girl, but there was a touch of broadness to his shoulders that spoke of a bulkiness to come with puberty. A German Shepherd was squeezed onto the chair with him, half-tucked under the boy's legs with his head on the boy's stomach for pets.

The last child was a few years younger than the preteen. He both had the most conditioned and the least combative build of the children, having more of a gymnast's figure. His skin was of a similar olive tone to Damian’s, though a few shades lighter, and his curly hair was brown-black. Damian couldn’t see his eyes as he was dozing on a rug in front of the tv with a three-legged pitbull puppy, both curled around a large stuffed elephant. A video game controller was abandoned behind the boy.

The three awake children turned to Damian and Cassandra when they entered. They all greeted her warmly, but the girl and boy eyed him warily while the androgynous teen studied him with sharp curiosity.

“Who’s your friend, Cassie?” the boy asked.

Cassandra shoved Damian further into the room. “Your brother.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So last month I made a post asking if anyone had written a story where the Robins' ages were reversed as is the trope, but they still got taken in by Bruce in the same order as well as giving some ideas for how that could work. No one ever got back to me on if that was already a thing so I figured I might as well write out one of the scenes that really caught my interest when brainstorming.

[wellthatjusthappend]

So ive had this in my head for a while, but what if Dick wad the one to find and adopt Jason?

Oh yes, please.

****

The thing was- the very pointy painful thing- that Dick wasn’t technically allowed to patrol in Gotham since Bruce threw him out. 

But Dick had never really been much of a rule follower, so here he was. 

The bastard wasn’t taking his calls, and he conveniently was never at the Cave when Dick went to try and force the issue. So now Dick planned to fucking it on the Batmobile until Bruce had no choice but to talk to him if he wanted to continue with his night. 

Dick would wait as long as it took. Bruce didn’t get to take away his family like that. 

The only problem was that when he got to the Batmobile, someone was already there. Some scrawny little kid was methodically boosting the tires off of the Batmobile and sticking it up on bricks. The damn Batmobile.

Dick started cracking up so hard he accidentally gave away his position. 

A quick flash of blue eyes and the kid bolted. 

Dick didn’t even think, he just gave chase. And boy what a chase it was; Dick thought he knew Gotham, but the kid was proving that he only really knew Gotham’s rooftops. Over and under and threw alleyways and fences, and tiny holes in walls and paths that Dick didn’t even know existed. Dick hadn’t had this much fun in- well, he didn’t even know how long.

Just for the heck of it, Dick did a showy flip over the kid’s head, making him gasp in breathless shock for a moment before remembering himself and continuing to run.

Dick loved it. 

Eventually though, the chase had to come to an end. Dick let the kid think he lost him and watched as he returned home to a truly miserable hovel in an abandoned building. 

It was no place for a kid to live. 

Soundlessly, Dick dropped inside. 

The kid froze up the moment he saw him.

“Wait! Don’t run, you’re not in trouble, I promise,” Dick said, holding up his hands to show they were empty. 

“Like I’d believe that,” the kid muttered, accent thick and eyes wary, but he stayed put. 

“It’s true,” Dick assured him, plopping down on an empty crate, trying to look as harmless as he could being a fully armed masked vigilante. After a moment's hesitation, he flipped his lenses and smiled as well. 

The boy reared back, looking even more freaked, but also flushed to the tips of his ears. 

“Hi, I’m Nightwing,” Dick said holding out his hand, “I used to be Batman’s partner and I wanted to meet the person ballsy enough to pop off the tires of the Batmobile in the middle of patrol. You’ve got spunk, kid.”

“Ah, thanks?” the kid shifted uncertainly. 

“Really, I mean it. As the person formally most likely to prank Batman in harmless ways, I’m officially impressed,” Dick said, “what’s your name?”

“...Jason,” the kid said, very pointedly not giving his last name. 

“Nice to meet you, Jason,” Dick said warmly. Jason searched his face, as if waiting for the trick, before looking away shyly. 

“...it wasn’t really a prank, y’know,” he admitted, “I don’ really like makin’ trouble for good people and Batman does alright by Gotham. But… money is a bit, y’know, and I saw those tires and I just knew I could get enough from them to keep me fed for the next bit, I just-”

“I get it,” Dick said gently, “I assumed it was something like that. Like I said, you’re not in trouble.”

“...’kay,”

“But... “ Dick glanced around at the place with a frown, “I’m pretty sure this place is scheduled for demolition in not too long.”

“I’ll find somewhere else, I always do,” Jason shrugged.

“Yeah, but I was wondering if instead you wanted to come live with me?”

Dick wasn't sure who was more surprised by the offer, Jason or himself. But the moment he said it, he knew it was true; Jason reminded him so much of himself. Dick was lonely and if he could offer this kid a second chance the way Bruce had offered him…

“You’re not a creep, right?” Jason squinted at him. 

Dick choked.

“Cross my heart, I won’t ever touch you like that,” Dick swore, “The door will always be open, you can leave whenever you like.”

“What’s in it for you?” Jason said suspiciously. 

“Good company?” Dick smiled ruefully, “A chance to help someone a lot like me. I was about your age when my parents died. I went into the foster system and it was hell. I don’t blame you for not wanting in on that. I planned to run off on my own much the way you’re doing. If Batman hadn’t fought to get me out of that place and into a safe home, I don’t know what where I’d be now.”

“Yeah, well, no one is gonna fight for a some fuck-up like me,” Jason grumbled. 

“I would,” Dick promised, “I will, if you let me.”

“And if I don’t?” Jason asked, watching him closely.

“Then I try to help you in some other way. You’re not required to do anything,” Dick shrugged. 

“...ok, but only because winter is coming and I want a heated room.”

“Deal,” Dick smiled. 

“And I want a window where I can get out of if I need to,” Jason said quickly.

“I have an extra room I’ve been using for storage that has one that goes right onto the fire escape,” Dick told him.

“Ok…” Jason took a deep breath, “Ok, let’s do this.”

Dick felt like he was on cloud nine. 

It didn’t take too long to fit all of Jason’s meager belongings- mostly some worn clothes and a few photographs- into a duffle back and get ready to go. In that time, Dick changed out of the Nightwing costume and introduced himself properly. 

Jason knew who he was, not because of Bruce Wayne, but from the circus. His excitement warmed Dick’s heart in ways he couldn’t quite name. He promised to teach Jason how to fly on a trapeze and the boy’s eyes shone. 

It also got him thinking. 

“You know, the name Nightwing comes from this Kryptonian legend,” Dick said thoughtfully. 

“Kryptonian?” Jason frowned. 

“Like Superman?”

Jason wrinkled his nose.

“Hey Superman is pretty- heh- super. You’ll meet him before long if you stick with me,” Dick grinned. 

“...prefer Wonder Woman,” Jason admitted, looking embarrassed again. 

“Don’t we all,” Dick laughed, “She’s even cooler in person, let me tell you that. But Superman was kind of like my second dad after I got taken in by Batman. And anyways, his people have this legend about these beings called Nightwing and Flamebird who were the protectors of Krypton. They were partners- Nightwind coming in high, Flamebird coming in low- destined to find each other no matter how many times they were reborn. I’m Nightwing, of course, but I was wondering-”

Jason’s eyes were already huge, filled with a feverish hunger and excitement Dick knew in his bones. 

“-if you would be my Flamebird?” Dick finished with a warm smile. 

“Yes- fuck, yes,” Jason said.

[zambie-trashart]

Superkids: Prologue

Because of an anon asking me if I had any ideas for some damianette kids or adrijon kids I had to make them. So now I feel like a gotta write a good enough story for them too.

Background info:

Sophia Agreste-Kent: daughter of Jon Agreste-Kent and Adrien Agreste ten years old refers to Jon as ma at home but pop in public and Adrien as father or dad

Luna Wayne: daughter of Marinette Wayne and Damian Wayne 13 years old

Lucas Wayne: son of Marinette Wayne and Damian Wayne 15 years old

Ryan Graham: son of ? 14 years old

.........................................

Sophia pulled her hair back and smiled at herself in the mirror like her father told her to. It was her first photo shoot and she was nervous. She had never considered herself pretty in fact, boys threw dirt at her all the time but ma said that was just something boys did when they wanted attention.

“Pull yourself together, it’s not like he’s going to be there,” Sophia said to herself and looked out her window and saw a girl with short blue tinted hair and crazy eyes.

“What’s up Agreste-Kent?” Luna asked her best friend chilling on her window.

“Getting ready for my first photo shoot dad’s orders,” Sophia said and Luna hopped into the bathroom.

“Uncle Jon always said you’re hair looks better down, why are you wearing it up?” Luna asked grabbing Sophia’s head and carefully slicing the holder and brown locks fell over Sophia’s shoulders.

“Hey!” Another body found it’s way through her window.

“Luna, come on mom says it’s time for school,” Lucas said one leg dangling out the window.

“Whatever, keep your hair down!” Luna yelled front flipping out the second story window and landing on her feet.

“You are crazy Luna Wayne!” Sophia yelled at her friend who stuck her tongue out and Lucas just walked away not saying a word.

Sophia walked down the stairs of the new Agreste Manor. Her grandfather had been imprisoned for being Hawkmoth so her father sold the old one and built a new manor in Gotham six miles down the road from Wayne Manor.

“Sophia! Come on you’re going to be late for school!” Jon yelled up at his daughter grabbing a backpack and stepping out of Adrien’s office. Adrien walked out too chuckling at his husband.

“She has a photo shoot today,” Adrien said and Jon dropped the backpack and sat down. “You seem exhausted darling, you should take a break from patrolling for one night,” Adrien said wrapping his arms around his husband from behind.

“I know, I’m only twenty eight and I’m working myself harder than I ever thought I would in my entire life,” Jon said looking up at Adrien who smiled softly at his husband.

“Maybe it’s time we tell her,” Adrien suggested and their daughter walked down the stairs two seconds later wearing a dress designed by Marinette for MDC + Agreste fashion line. Adrien had decided to combine their fashion lines cause they were friends and Jon didn’t need his husband and cousin bickering back and forth.

“Tell me what?’ Sophia asked eyeing her father and “mother” carefully.

“Later, for now we’re going to be later and that’s your aunt’s thing,” Jon said and the three walked out to the garage.

***

Luna sat in the car with her brother who was looking out the window with his permanent scowl on his face. Their mother often asked herself why she “popped one out that has to be so much like their father”. 

“I said no Luna, you can’t tell Sophia about her powers, they might not even manifest,” Marinette said from the front seat and they arrived at school.

“Uncle Jon and Uncle Adrien are never going to tell her though,” Luna whined wanting a new partner, her brother was smart but he was too grumpy for her.

“Her birthday is tomorrow, she’s turning ten. I’ll talk to Jon about it but if he says no then we wait until next year,” Marinette looked back at Luna’s disappointed face. “I’ll talk to him at the shoot today don’t you worry Luna,” Marinette said and the kids got out of the car.

“We have to tell her,” Luna said to Lucas and rolled his eyes.

“We can’t tell her, she’s not ready yet,” Lucas said echoing his mother’s words.

“Fine, I’ll tell her myself,” Luna said storming off and running into a tall blonde boy who reached out a hand to help her.

“Luna Wayne right?” the boy asked and she nodded. “Ryan Graham.” She smiled at him.

“Thanks for helping me up, what grade are you in?” she asked wondering if he was a freshman like herself.

“Ninth grade, you?” Ryan asked and she gave him a look. “Right, ninth.” They walked down the same hall and into the same class.

***

Sophia stood in white flats and a navy and maroon dress in front of a water fountain. Marinette ran in fashionably late as always. 

“Jon, we need to talk,” Marinette said pulling her cousin away. Adrien set up Sophia for some photos. They got through about two photos when Sophia started hearing something.

“You need to tell her about her powers,” a voice said and a sigh followed.

“I know Mari and I was planning on doing that tomorrow, she might not even have them.” The voices were cutting in and out and there was a loud ringing in her ears. She didn’t even realize that she was screaming until she was being held by her father and ma was running over. 

“Tell her today, but once she gets back to normal, I’ll call Damian to pick up Lucas and Luna,” Marinette ran away with her phone. Adrien held Sophia as she cried. Why was everything so loud all of a sudden? What wasn’t ma telling her?

***

Luna sat in class looking at the boring lessons on the board. The intercom told her she was being dismissed and she was happy but what for? She saw her father standing there and Lucas walked out behind her.

“Father, what’s happening?” Lucas asked getting into the front seat.

“You’ll see.” Luna started bouncing in her seat. “Kent wasn’t this much of a pain when he changed,” Damian whispered to himself driving toward Agreste Manor.

They arrived and stepped inside hearing screaming all the way from downstairs. Adrien and Marinette were wearing soundproof headphones. Adrien pulled his phone out and so did Damian.

She started seeing through walls and hearing voices.

Damian nodded and the screaming died down a little so they took the headphones off. Jon walked down the stairs with his sweater untucked, hair everywhere, and glasses off.

“I’m never having another kid,” Jon said one eye twitching. Sophia walked down the stairs wearing her ma’s glasses and headphones. Jon had curled himself into Adrien’s arms head in his chest and let out a groan.

“You did good babe,” Adrien said patting his husband’s head.

“Really, in front of the kids?” Marinette asked and Adrien just shrugged.

“Sophia?” Adrien asked and she looked over at her father.

“What?” she asked and Adrien gestured to sit down.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but you have powers. See your pop or ma as you call him is half alien. His father is Superman saving people who need help and pop saves people too,” Adrien said to Sophia who looked back and forth from Jon to Adrien.

“So grandpa is...” Sophia started before smiling wider than humanly possible.

“Your pop and grandpa aren’t the only heroes. I was a hero in Paris named Chat Noir in fact everyone in this room is a hero. Aunt Marinette is Lady-Red, Uncle Damian is Batman, Luna is Minibug, and Lucas is Robin. Of course your father is Flamebird and Uncle Connor the new Superman,” Adrien said and Sophia’s eyes lit up.

“But there’s something important about this that you can’t tell anyone. Recently one of the jewels that gives normal people powers has gone missing. It’s called the moth miraculous, I have reason to think that someone stole it from our house, I am giving Luna a chance to be the old me and she’s been training. I was hoping that your pop would tell you tomorrow but your father said that he is willing to give you the miraculous of the black cat so Luna has a partner,” Marinette said and Sophia was freaking out.

“What’s the moth miraculous do?” Sophia asked looking up at Marinette.

“It can create powers beyond imagination, they can be taken at will and controlled. I just hope that we can get it back before anything too bad happens,” Marinette said and the family sat down.

***

Ryan walked home into a dusty large apartment. “Father! Mother! I’m home!” Ryan called out. “I befriended the Wayne girl like you said!” 

“Good job son!” a man yelled from the shadows.

“We’re so proud of you!” a woman cooed. A man in a gray suit and a woman in a red romper and hair in two ponytails in the front of her head stepped out of the shadows.

“You’re becoming a true part of the Graham de Vanily-Rossi family,” the man said hugging his son. His mother held out a broach.

“Let’s get started, shall we?”

..................................................

I can’t even think about who the parents might be? Also family tree time Lois is Sabine’s cousin making Marinette and Jon second cousins making the kids third or fourth cousins which at that point I don’t really think counts. Adrien and Felix are cousins.

Tag list is open

JPS:  @loveswifi @ash-amg @wannajointhecrabcult@mochegato@mochinek0 @toodaloo-kangaroo @thatonecroc@liquid-luck-00@ive-tumbled-down-a-rabbit-hole@moonspiritwolf1

[flamecanary]

Batwoman Season Two: Thoughts & Theories

So, we’ve had a few weeks to sit and ingest all of the news regarding the second season of Batwoman, and I have a lot of Thoughts. 

First off, though, I want to say that I think the casting of Javicia Leslie as the new Batwoman is pretty great! It’s wonderful that we’re seeing a Black woman step into the role, and I think it’s amazing that this whole group of heroes - Batwoman, Luke Fox’s eventual Batwing, Sophie Moore - are people of colour. (Where Nicole Kang’s Mary Hamilton falls into that, I’m not sure. She’s clearly a suspiciously similar canon foreigner substitute for Bette Kane, but with Kate gone, I wonder if she’s ever going to put on a cape and a cowl and become either Bat-Girl, Flamebird, or Hawkfire. Granted, this is a completely different discussion, so moving on…) I bear no ill will towards the actress, and I hope that they write material that does her justice and allows her to shine. 

Having said that, though, I still kind of disagree with the showrunners’ plan to write Kate Kane out and bring in a new character. My main issue isn’t that they’re changing who Batwoman is, but their reasons for WHY they’re changing the character. Caroline Dries is on record as saying that they didn’t want fans to “address the elephant in the room” with having a new face portraying the face of Kate Kane. Here’s the thing: A major plot thread of the first season is people getting new faces, from Mouse wearing many identities (and seeking out a permanent new face of his own when he was younger), to August Cartwright wearing a new face and changing his identity, to Alice taking Duela Dent’s face and masquerading as her for a moment, to that final twist with Hush at the premature end of the season. If any audience is ready and primed for the main character to suddenly show up with a brand-new face, it’s the audience for Batwoman. And there are options here too - explanations ranging from not even mentioning the change apart from saying something along the lines of “did you change your hair?” to explaining it away as a delayed aftershock from the Crisis changing Kate’s face so she now resembles the Batwoman of another Earth. It’d be a fairly seamless way of continuing on the world that the showrunners set up in the first season. 

Which brings us to the first big problem of swapping out Kate Kane for a new character. The entire world of Batwoman so far has been created to affect Kate on a number of levels - her sister is her enemy, her father is enemy to her caped and cowled persona, her romantic and social entanglements are related both to Kate herself and to her cousin, Bruce Wayne. It’s not as easy to take Kate out of the equation and drop in this Ryan Wilder character, when Ryan has none of the relations that Kate does. The entire supporting cast is deeply related to both the Kanes and/or the Waynes in one way or another. Now, it’s easy to see how Ryan would be brought into the world of Batwoman. She’s on the run, she’s living out of her van, she’s clearly a little hard-up in life. An easy scenario would be to have Mary chance upon an injured Ryan and bring her into her secret clinic, and from there, it’s easy to see how she could get entangled into the Batwoman persona, especially with the plot thread from last season when there were Batwoman impersonators running around trying to protect Gotham when Kate had given up the cape and cowl for a few weeks. It’s not a perfect solution, especially since Ryan lacks the ties to the Batfamily that Kate had, but it’s also not the first time that someone unrelated to the Batfamily has tried to take on a Batmoniker. (Misfit, what’s good?) 

Honestly, the best way to move forward would be to phase out some of the elements of the first season that are Kate-specific and bring in new elements created to tie specifically to Ryan. The Wonderland Gang and Alice’s motivation don’t make sense anymore, since Kate is gone. Swapping out the Wonderland Gang (as well as the threat of Safiyah Sohail and the rest of Coryana) for something like the Religion of Crime - perhaps led by Whisper A’daire - would work - given that they’re setting up Ryan to have been a drug runner, she could easily have been one with ties to the Religion of Crime. It’d be an easy way to give Ryan foes of her own to fight and establish herself as Batwoman, while using classic Batwoman villains. The show is starting out by tying Ryan’s origin to Scarecrow, and that’s a great place to start out, but Batwoman deserves more than just oft-used Batman villains.

As for Alice herself, well, Rachel Skarsten is a phenomenal actress. For a time in the comics, Alice starts calling herself Red Alice and seeks out redemption. With Kate gone, it’d make sense for this version of Allice to go down a similar path, maybe trying to live up to be the person that Kate believed she could be. Red is an important colour both to Kate and Alice, so it’d be easy to see why Alice would start calling herself Red Alice in an effort to distance herself from her old, villainous persona. (Perhaps it’s also accepting the “red on her ledger” that she’s trying to wipe clean?)

As far as Ryan Wilder’s identity goes, I’m not sure I buy that the character’s name is Alice. The DCTV universe has a habit of using familiar names in new ways - it’s how we got both a Dinah Laurel Lance and a Dinah Drake on Arrow, after all - so it’s not unheard of that Ryan may just be a placeholder name until the character’s true identity is revealed. There are a number of options as to who Ryan Wilder’s actual identity might be, though currently the front runner in my mind is Kathy Duquesne, the Batwoman from Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman. While that version of Batwoman was one of three women using the name, and the wealthy daughter of a gangster, the DCTV shows have never been particularly beholden to other continuities when adapting characters, and out of all of the possible characters that could be adapted, Kathy is a strong contender. (Given that her surname is pronounced Du-Kane, well, she even sounds a bit like Kate Kane.) 

The second option as for who it might be is Onyx Adams, though we have already (briefly) had a version of Onyx Adams appear in the Arrowverse before. Of course, that was pre-Crisis, and who is to say she wasn’t a casualty of continuity resetting itself? Sure, this might be the League of Assassins badass that was present in the comics, but she is a vaguely bat-related character, though never one who wore the mantle of a Bat. (There were rumours for a while, years ago, that she was going to be the next Black Canary in the comics, though that obviously never came to pass.) 

There are many other canon characters who Ryan Wilder could turn out to be, though they all seem very doubtful, such as Katrina Netz/Kathy Webb-Kane of Spyral, Katrina Moldoff from the Brave and the Bold animated series, Elainna Grayson from the current Batman Beyond comics, or even Violet Paige, who is Mother Panic in the comics, but could easily just be Batwoman here. Of course, if it does turn out that her name is just Ryan Wilder, this isn’t the first time that live action DC has created a new civilian identity for a familiar costumed character. Catwoman had her Patience Philips, after all. 

One of the things I’d like to see is Ryan Wilder getting a Batwoman costume of her own. As wonderful as Kate’s Batwoman costume is (though that wig did get a little unwieldy and weirdly styled sometimes), Ryan deserves her own look and her own identity. If Betty Kane, Barbara Gordon, Helena Bertinelli, Cassandra Cain, and Stephanie Brown could all have their own looks as Batgirl, then Ryan deserves her own look as well. I’d earlier posted a John Byrne look from the 90s which would be an interesting place to jump off from, but then there’s also the greyed out version of the costume from Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, as well as the more traditional black and gold look that Cassandra Cain sported as Batwoman in a possible future. Whatever direction they go, Ryan deserves to have her own identity with a familiar codename, and let’s hope that the show does right by her in that regard. 

How well this retooling is going to go is anybody’s guess, but Batwoman is an important character in the DC mythos - both in the comics and the tv universe - and I really hope that they do right by her and by the legacy being left behind by Kate Kane.

[dottie-wan-kenobi]

Kory! And Dick if you want to!!

!!!!!! yes yes I do!

Kory:

1: sexuality headcanon: I think she’s pansexual too!!! idk how it would work on Tamaran but on earth, her feelings/experiences don’t change dependent on gender2: otp: DICKKORY!!! look when I say DickRoy are meant for each other, I mean that, but Kory and Dick are foils!!! she’s the flamebird to his nightwing!!!!! they’re so healthy, sweet, tender, caring, comfortable, just a million other things that make me love them so much. they’re seriously one of DC’s best ships EVER. very few ships can top this one. they’re such good friends and really love and care for each other even when not together, and I adore that. ugh I’m gonna cry kdsjfhdskah3: brotp: DonnaKory, RoyKory, VicKory, JasonKory. All but the last are also ships of hers that I like too, but I prefer them mostly as friends?? she and Donna are just the most badass, cutest ladies in the world. her and Roy tease each other and have such a great sense of respect between them. she and Jason can be really fun together!! Kory and Vic mean the entire fucking world to me tho, listen. LISTEN. I’m going to write a fic of them bc @zitkaplushie and I were talking today abt how Vic has his insecurities about his robot parts, and then there’s Kory who is so obviously Other but so comfortable with herself??? and he’s like, proud of her, but also being around her makes him feel more at ease with himself. Also they’re so fucking sweet I’m going to cry?????? always teasing each other, playing around, sparring bc they (and Donna) are the Strong(tm) ones. plus I think u said it, Tyler, TALL GANG!!!4: notp: Jason/Kory. I like them as friends and that’s IT. any attraction between them in a world where Kory has history with Dick feels icky and weird and like the writer either hates Jason, Kory, or Dick, or all three! 5: first headcanon that pops into my head: she tries to cook and almost burns the house down, so after some experimenting, she learns the best place to cook is on the grill on the edge of her garden. this is esp at first!! eventually I think she gets better, but she still prefers there bc it’s so peaceful and calming and the smell of her flowers helps her focus on not burning everything lmao6: favorite line from this character: “I said I'd never let them beat me. They never did... and they never will!” 7: one way in which I relate to this character: TIRED OF GARFIELD LOGAN’S BULLSHIT8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: this isn’t her fault but I hate how she reacted to the Mirage and Dick thing. like,,,, considering everything she’s been thru, reacting like that is just nonsensical and annoying and insulting9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

Dick:

1: sexuality headcanon: I think he’s bi, so like it does feel kinda different based on the gender of the person, and he’s canon demisexual, Action Comics said so2: otp: I have literally never had so many ships for one character before. DickKory, DickRoy, DickJoey, Dick/Wally/Artemis from yj, Dick/Kory/Roy, ummm I’m forgetting some dsjfshdak I love DickVic and DickGarth and DickShawn is fun, and DickTiger is amazing, and Dick/Bea could be so great if it was Dick, not Ric. but Dick is monogamous??? so almost none of these can exist at once??? do u see my problem dskjfhdshfdkshfskjajh3: brotp: Alfred! I adore their relationship and I think it’s so fun to explore it. they kind of have this father&son relationship, but also grandpa&grandson, and they’re friends too??? and they would kill for each other, I just know it4: notp: b/tc/st but also d/ckb/bs like I cannot even stomach that ship!!! they are so wrong for each other it’s incredible! and Babs is a lesbian!!!!5: first headcanon that pops into my head: he loves his kids so. fucking. much. like he is seriously one of the best dads ever. he draws from Bruce, both what B did and didn’t do, and also esp from Roy and Wally. he tries not to think about his own parents but sometimes he wonders if they would be proud of the way he’s raising his own kids. which also,,,, the Flying Graysons will live again mark my freaking words6: favorite line from this character: oh god there are so many good ones but let’s go w this: “My name's Nightwing! I may not be the gent you were expecting, but let me assure you... like him, I'm the stuff of nightmares. So don't get stupid! If you play it cool, you may walk away from here with all your teeth.”7: one way in which I relate to this character: *slamming the repression button until it jams forever*8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: the mullet. listen. idc, I hate it. it’s ugly, it’s awful. all of his long hair is. I don’t judge others for liking it but I will never ever ever be able to look at his freaking ponytail without cringing9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

[new53]

changes to main canon

a comprehensive list 

last edited on 3/14/18

batfam:

bruce wayne: batman & the patriarch of the family. started this whole bat thing

stephanie wayne: the first batkid. adopted by bruce wayne at age 13 after directly aiding in the arrest of her dad. when steph started her senior year of high school, bruce died, causing her to be batman. she’s been spoiler & batman. 

jason todd: brought in at age 16 (a few months after steph was adopted) and became batboy. after discovering that he was the long-lost twin brother of cassandra cain, immediately started to reconnect & discover the truth of their parents. this crusade, unfortunately, led to the deaths of both jason & cass at the hands of the joker. 

cass cain: discovered a few weeks after jason todd was adopted and brought in, only to discover that she & jason were twins. she became batgirl & along with her brother, aimed to figure out who their parents were. she died before she could discover that it was shiva & cain. lady shiva teamed up with talia al ghul to bring cass back to life so cass could join the league of assassins and/or shadows, as she was the best fighter known to either woman. this backfired on them, and now cass roams gotham as the red hood, seeking revenge for her brother’s death & trying to have a healthy & functional relationship with her siblings & outlaws. 

damian wayne: the son of bruce wayne & talia al ghul. arrived at the manor shortly before the death of bruce. after bruce’s death insisted it was his destiny to be batman, then was given the role of nightwing. he’s been nightwing ever since. 

olive silverlock: brought in after damian started at gotham academy & sybil silverlock died. steph was batman at the time & it was her decision to invite olive to live with them. olive accepted and is now flamebird. 

duke thomas: after the mysterious disappearance of the second batboy, duke started the WE ARE BATBOY movement and was brought in by batman himself. for a while he trained and decided what he wanted to do, and was offered the spoiler mantle after steph took the batman role. after batman came back, steph offered to take batgirl up but duke offered her the spoiler role and he’s now the official batboy. 

superfam:

lois lane: sent to earth from kryton as a child and raised with the lanes, kala jor-el becomes superwoman after learning about her true heritage. kala--lois--is a reporter who turns down opportunities to write about superwoman day after day because she wants to write “real” news. 

kara zor-el: cousin of kala, kara was sent to earth to look after her cousin but knocked off course along the way. she landed when lois had already been superwoman for several years, but was quick to join up as supergirl. kara has been adopted by lois and in her civilian life goes by kara lane. 

conner lane: kon is lois’s clone. he initially started fighting crime as supergirl red, but once figuring out that he was a boy, became superboy instead. he lives with kara & lois in wayne manor, and goes to school with steph at gotham university

flashfam:

iris west-allen: after jumping in front of her friend barry before a bunch of chemicals got stuck on him, she was hit by lighting and granted with superspeed, becoming the flash. since then, she’s married barry, helped found the justice league, and is thinking about settling down (for a little while) to have kids (she knows it’s gonna happen sometime). for now, though, she’s decided to continue to be the flash and resist the urge to ask bart how pregnancies work if you have superspeed and your kids are going to, too. 

barry allen: the regular dude husband of iris. he loves his wife dearly and sometimes wishes he could help out, and has settled in the role of providing food for the speedsters all around him. turns out he makes a pretty good chef!

wally west: the nephew of iris who gained his powers by asking her, repeatedly and excitedly, how she got hers. after obtaining these powers, he proceeded to make himself a costume and go as KID FLASH. he fell ill due to puberty with super speed, but has since recovered and became another flash. barry & iris adopted him when he became kid flash

bart allen: a time traveler from the future, bart’s orgins are pretty much the same. he likes to hang out with the titans and cook with barry and play tag with wally (tag with speedsters is. fun.) he’s impulse.

avery ho: she got superspeed for reasons unknown to anyone just yet and was brought in by iris & wally. since she had perfectly able parents she wasn’t adopted but she was given the role of kid flash. now she helps iris or bart or wally and hangs out with the titans and goes to family dinners at the west-allen house. 

wonderfam:

diana trevor: wonder woman & an amazon warrior who’s hundreds of years old. she’s been on themescyra for years but has recently emerged after a pilot on the way to vietnam crashed landed on her island, leading her out to try and help resolve the conflicts. in doing so, she helped with the situation in the vietnam and helped found the justice league. she’s currently an ambassador who works for peace and tries to spend time with her husband.

steve trevor: the pilot who crash-landed on themescyra. he’s married to diana and has retired from the air force and now helps veterans and people with psd. he has a service dog named willy. 

donna trevor: the daughter of diana & steve & current wonder woman. she was adopted and gained amazonian powers after marching up to olympus and demanding them. she received them after completing some trials and feats, and she now defends the earth from supervillians while her mom defends the earth from the evil in regular people. 

cassie sandsmark: diana worked at a museum as a hobby and picked up cassie as a sidekick. the role was solidified when helena died in an explosion and donna managed to save cassie’s life. she took cassie in after discovering that cassie’s father is zeus and cassie became wonder girl after gaining her powers.   

canaryfam:

dinah lance: the head of the star city vigilantes, who were a ragtag bunch of kids with slingshots when she found them and adopted them and invited them to crash on her couch. 

connor lance: connor & his adopted sister mia were inspired by the crazy guy with the arrows who talked about some island or something, and they started to try and do arrows and whatever themselves. it failed at first, but now they have a cool mom and even more siblings. 

mia lance: she used to be a sex worker but connor & crazy arrow guy helped her get out of it, and then dinah adopted her and connor and they became the arrow canaries. which is kinda a dumb name but also kinda cool. sometimes mia looks out the window and wonders where the heck arrow guy went, but oh well. 

emiko queen-lance: emi escaped from her mom and went to star city hoping to find her brother after rumors of him being alive resurfaced, but instead got brought in by black canary and arrow canaries and red arrow and now she’s red arrow. go figure.

roy harper-lance: roy left the navajo reservation to get his hands on some drugs, but then he was kicked out for good and stuck on the streets, and then black canary showed up and decided to take him in, which is cool, and now he’s red canary and has to manage a bunch of random kids dinah thought it would be a good idea to adopt. which is fine. 

lanterns:

hal jordan: the first green lantern of earth, now a crotchety old man who lives in the city and shakes his fist at the teens and really wants some peace and quiet. the other human lanterns come visit him, at least one visit a week, and they’re saving up to buy him a plane (but shhh, don’t tell him)

alan scott: the second green lantern of earth and hal’s husband. they’re both retired and have both pretty much adopted the other human lanterns & like to ask them when they’re gonna have kids so alan and hal can have grandkids already. 

john stewart: [tbd]

guy gardner: [tbd]

kyle rayner: [tbd]

jessica cruz: she used to be the green lantern of earth, but now she’s the personal-representative/bodyguard of princess koriand’r of tamaran. that’s just how things go sometimes. jess and simon are in love but also great at communicating, so it’s okay if jess flirts back when kori does. 

simon baz: the only green lantern of sector 2814. he likes to defend earth and call jess and flirt with alien girls (or boys, depending) and check on kori’s kid for her. 

aquafam:

mera: the queen of the seas. she rules in atlantis and is much beloved in her kingdom. 

marella: aquawoman & the wife of mera. she does justice league stuff while mera rules over atlantis.

arthur curry: the husband of david hyde, who was devastated after his husband went evil. arthur is a human who lives by the sea in hawaii, and he resides there with his son. he’s a close friend of mera & marella and lets them stay with him if  they need to. 

jackson curry-hyde: when his second dad turned evil and returned to the sea was about when jackson discovered his own powers. turned out he was adopted from atlantis & is atlantean. he’s kind of a part-time aqualad who works with marella sometimes

dolphin: aquagirl! she’s marella & mera’s adopted daughter and she lives in the castle & works as aquagirl ! ! ! she loves her moms & they love her & she’s workin on learnin asl!

garth: he works for mera in the castle & is her apprentice in wizardry

catfam:

kate kane-kyle: after getting kicked out the army for being a big fat lesbian, kate was a little lost until she met selina kyle at an lgbt support fundrasier. it was pretty much love at first sight, and now they’re married and live in bludhaven.

selina kyle-kane: selina was already catwoman when she met kate, but after falling in love decided that maybe being a criminal wasn’t what she wanted to do. she revealed her identity to kate, and they decided to remake catwoman’s image in another town, so they moved to the sister city of budhaven, where both women became catwoman. 

harper row: right before leaving gotham, the kyle-kanes picked up harper & cullen on the streets. they adopted them and took them to bludhaven with them, and now harper is catgirl with her moms. 

cullen row: cullen lives with his moms and sister in bludhaven. he’s catboy and is constantly annoyed with the jokes harper likes to make about their household being split into bis and gays. he does like going to pride as the catfam, though. 

the clovers: claire and her brother hank were inspired by the cats and decided to become heroes themselves, due to a combination of claire’s ballet skills and hank’s wrestling skills. they were quite frankly awful at hero-ing, but selina felt bad for them and decided to train them. hank and claire moved in next door to the kyle-kanes and were all but adopted by selina & kate. claire is night and hank is shadow. 

the gordons:

jim gordon: he’s the comissioner of the gcpd. it’s the same thing as regular

barbara gordon: after babs was shot she became oracle, dragging her brother with her. they live in a crappy apartment in gotham together with babs’s niece, and babs is a librarian by day and oracle by night. she and dick operate outside of the bats’s sphere of vigilantes. 

dick grayson-gordon: gcpd cop under his dad by day, delphi by night and devoted father in the evenings, dick has it all. cute boyfriend, great sister, sweet kid, life couldn’t be better. 

mar’i grason-gordon: the daugher of dick & kori. she loves her dad(s) and she misses her mom, but she’s sure that her mom will come back soon, or they’ll invent intergalactic skype, one or the other. 

james gordon, jr: listen ill b honest idk a thing about him but he’s basically the same except he has an older brother and he resents dick cause he feels like dick took his place in the family that’s all i know 

the outlaws:

red hood needed some magic, so she sought out fellow outcast, raven. this escalated into them moving in together and falling in love. one day they sought out ravager for a laugh. this escalated into the three of them falling in love and causing trouble in gotham together. 

misc:

tim drake: after he quit being batboy and after the death of his father, tim retreated to titans tower to become the gatherer, a self-made hero who’s salty about the bats and in love with superboy. 

courtney whitmore: she discovered she was a she had powers when she moved to keystone. she started sneaking out and practicing with her powers, & when a aestroid almost fell on keystone, courtney slapped on a mask and stopped it with her bare hands. she took the star-gold from within the aestroid and with her beams of light fashioned them into a belt and staff, which helped her harness her powers. since then, she’s become stargirl and nowadays she likes to hang around gotham and flirt with spoiler (the OG one, not the duke one)

koriand’r: starfire crash-landed on earth, kissed the first police officer she saw, fell in love with him, and had a kid. now she’s in space with jessica cruz, negotiating peace on tamaran and flirting with green lantern, waiting to return home to her daughter. 

the kents: after clark & lana got married, they moved to metropolis for a fresh start. lana works at a florist shop & clark’s a reporter--the reporter who gets all the superwoman stories, actually. they have two daughters, carol and mia. mia, the younger of the two, is secretly a meta and she can fly. her dream is to be a superhero one day like her hero, superwoman. carol’s dream is for her sister to stay safe and for carol to grow up to be just as awesome as her hero, lois lane. 

kathy kent: she was sent down to earth after the destruction of her planet. after her grandfather died, she lived with lois for a time but then was adopted by clark & lana, who are normal enough to take proper care of her and loving enough to be good parents for her. she’s around mia’s age and loves her sisters and new parents. 

klarion the witch boy: he was sealed from his own dimension and stuck on earth for the time being. he’s currently rooming with steph and looking for ways to get back home, of course getting into trouble while he waits. 

zatanna and john: a week after zatanna ran away from her father, she ran into john and they started running together. they grew up on the run, weaving in and out of dimensions and trying to master magic. these days they help klarion or the justice league. neither of them are members of the jl but they are the primary resource on magic  (they’re also in love)

[rason-rodd]

Nightwing: The Rise of Flamebird (Chapter 2)

Summary: Nightwing and Flamebird were two ancient Kryptonian gods, yet completely opposite. He was darkness and rebirth, tasked to hunt the evils in the shadows. She was fire and destruction, born to annihilate the creations of her mate, Vohc The Builder. Destined to fall in love and achieve great things but fated to be separated.That’s the story Dick Grayson and Terry Olsen heard. Strange that it is also, somehow, their story

Major Pairing: Nightwing/Dick Grayson x Flamebird/Original Female Character

Chapter Summary: Terry moves in Blüdhaven with her long-time boyfriend, still unsure this was a good idea. In the meantime, Nightwing is meeting Detective Svoboda to talk about some mysterious child disappearance.

[Previous Chapter] [READ ON AO3]

Readers List: @dcvenomqueen

If you’re interested you can ask me to add you to the list. Also, don’t forget to tell me what you think about the story. Your opinions mean a lot.

A fresh start. He thought that it was what they needed. He thought that it was what could save their couple, what would rekindle the flame, that ‘intense love they had once for each other’. Those were his words. But she was not so sure he was right.     Actually she did not know if they could save anything, if they could forget, if they could move on. Too much had happened lately. She had hurt him, again, this time even more than the one before. She had broken his heart as she would always break everything around her, everything she cared for or everyone that cared for her.             Their couple was like their new apartment. Looking new, willing to be cosy but still smelling like humidity and mould and feeling so cold. The white walls perhaps, or the angular Scandinavian decoration with its sharp triangles patterns. Trendy according to magazines, but she hated it.

Terry was finishing unpacking the dishes, occasionally popping the bubble wrap between her small fingers, when she felt her boyfriend’s arms around her waist and his lips in her neck. “Do you like our new place, baby?” She stiffened lightly. It had become a reflex.     She turned around and smiled to please him. And as usual, he didn’t see how fake it was. “Great. Cause I really want us to feel like home here.” He moved a wavy strand of blond hair away from her face and gazed at her with his deep brown eyes. “I think this is our chance to start from scratch” “So do I” She lied. And he grinned sincerely before catching her by the hips again to kiss her with a burning passion, his hands wandering from her back down her behind. But the only thing he got in return was coldness. His sudden eagerness left her indifferent. Worse, it left her uncomfortable. His thin lips now in her neck, she could only picture him as a leech stuck to her. And she hated herself for that.

Josh was the perfect boyfriend. But he was not made for her. They first met when they were both students at Metropolis University. She was studying Criminology and Psychology. He was in Med School and a Football player, which made him one of the most coveted guys on Campus. But he had only eyes for her, the pencil in her bun when she was studying at the library and the way she was glowering at him when he was bothering her late at night asking if she had Wi-Fi in her room. “Worst way to flirt, ever”. Or not. His persistence bore its fruit and few months later they were moving in together. But the joy, the excitement and the passion didn’t last and soon faded. “It’s not you it’s just … me.” Cliché but true. She left him. He came back. They tried again. She left him. He came back. They tried again. And on. And on. And on.   Josh and Terry’s relationship was based on ups and downs. But as he would see more ups, she would see more downs. Because that was just Terry: realistic and not as in love with him as he was in love with her.

“I don’t want to, Josh. Not today” She said to calm his ardour. He didn’t grumble or sigh but she could see he was frustrated. And she could understand why. Months had passed since the last time they had sex. The two students hooking up among boxes, books and notes were long gone. Today they were just two lonely people, one with his face buried in the sand, thinking that all this was just an umpteenth insignificant ordeal that they’ll eventually go through, the other not really knowing why she was still here and why she was still giving hope to the man who loved her. “ Are you stressed because of tomorrow?” He tried to change the subject as always. She sighed, popping the bubble paper in her hands even quicker. Tomorrow was her first day at Blüdhaven Police Department. “Do you remember that feeling we had when we’re kids and we’re about to enter middle school?” “New class. New teacher. No friends?”           He tried to guess with a wide smile. She nodded. “Yeah. Scary right?” He laughed and grabbed her hands “Everything will be fine. You’ll do fine. Cause you’re the best. Plus, BPD must wait for you like the arrival of the Messiah. ” She chuckled slightly. “Why are you saying this?”   “Don’t you read articles on the net? Journalists are constantly bashing the police saying that they are useless and flawed. Most cases are solved thanks to some masked vigilante.”       “ Nightwing. Yeah I’ve heard of him.” She placed the plates in the cupboard without adding a word. He expected more. He expected something else.         “ Oh come one don’t tell you support that vigilantism crap!”   “As long as criminals are put behind bars, I think that’s all that matters. We had Superman in Metropolis. No one complained. You didn’t complain.”       “ Don’t compare the threats in Metropolis with the threats here. Nightwing would not make it through one day in Metropolis.”

He would not make it through the night. Not at this rate. He was tired, exhausted and his wounds were not fully healed yet. But he couldn’t stop. The city needed him. Blüdhaven needed Nightwing so Dick Grayson would have to wait.       He winced and moaned from the pain when he landed on the rooftop. He approached the Detective Svoboda, limping. She noticed and stared at him from head to toes, genuinely worried but hiding it behind her eternal nonchalance and the smoke of her cigarillo. “Have you thought about seeing a doctor? That gimpy leg looks baaaad.”         “ It’s fine.” He retorted. “What’s happening?”   “ A disappearance. One child missing in Ravenshood Heights” She handed him a picture of a smiling red-haired young boy in his parents’ arms. “His name is Isaac Peterson. 9 years old. Orphan since the age of 4. Adopted two months ago. Missing for 3 days. My colleagues think he ran away.” Nightwing stared at the picture. It was recent. It had been taken in front of a cinema and the movies on the posters were still on the bill. The kid was wearing a brand new Blüdhaven Brawlers football jersey; limited edition, very expensive, as the game console in his pocket. He wasn’t just smiling, he was grinning and so were his adoptive parents. His body language – very close, his arms around their necks – showed he loved them a lot. “He didn’t.”   “ That’s what the adoptive parents said and that’s what I thought as well but thanks for confirming it.” “ Any clues whatsoever?”         “ None. The mother put the kid to sleep and when she entered the room to wake him up in the morning he was gone. Window wide open. No sign of breaking in. No prints. Nothing.” Nightwing frowned, intrigued and disturbed by the report.          A child could not vanish like that. There must be clues somewhere, witnesses, anything. “What about the neighbours?”         “ One is an old man, completely deaf, disgusting cataract. Didn’t hear or see a thing. The others is a couple but they have been in vacation for two weeks.”         “ I’ll do everything I can to help.” He gave back the picture to Elise. “We’ll find him, Detective.” She allowed herself to smile lightly. She knew he was telling the truth. She trusted him. She just hated that the police and the media were that harsh with him. “ Thank you, kid. And again …”     “ Be discreet. I know.” He sighed before jumping from the rooftop and she watched him leave with worry.

There was something wrong with him. She could tell it. Since the day she shot him, since that case with the Judge, she could feel he wasn’t the same anymore. He was morose, almost sullen. His usual bright smile was gone like his traditional wit and his playfulness. And she missed all that. But worse, he didn’t seem like he cared. And his negligence was scaring her. She was scared for him. “I meant ‘take care of yourself, kid’”

She wasn’t the only one worried. Everyone around him was. Bruce, Alfred, Barbara, Wally, even Damian. All had told him to take it easy, to rest, to take some time to heal and for himself, to take care of Dick Grayson a bit. But that was like talking to a brick wall. Pointless and a waste of time. He had decided to devote himself body and soul to this city and there was nothing anyone could do and there was no more going back now, not after all the things he had lost lately. Dick Grayson’s life was a mess. It had slipped away between his fingers. His social life was garbage, his love life no more, and his gym studio almost neglected along with his clients.           So focusing entirely on Nightwing was the best thing, the only thing, he could do right now. And as he was jumping from rooftop to rooftop he knew nothing would stop him. Nothing, not even a cruciate ligament injury. “Damn” He cursed as he fell flat on his face. The pain was stabbing at his knee like hundreds of tiny needles. He stayed down a few seconds before trying to stand up again, in vain. “Oh come on!” He punched the concrete, angry, trying to contain the tears of rage in his eyes. He was exhausted. And so was his body.

He was right. He would not go through the night.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

[richardgraysonquotes]

‘Hey--we make a pretty good team, Man of Steel! Too bad “Nightwing and Superman” doesn’t have a ring to it. Ever think of changing your name to “Flamebird”?’

--Richard Grayson to Superman (World’s Finest Vol.3 #10 – War of the Worlds!)

[batboyblog]

can you do a prompt where kon and jon are arguing because they cant be both superboy and then funny name suggestions from their respective robins ensue?

“Thanks for keeping the name warm for me kid” Kon settled his hand down on Jon’s narrow shoulder. Jon looked up at him in confusion “what?” he asked. Kon looked slightly uncomfortable and looked at Tim for a second. “Uh well I mean you can’t keep being Superboy, I’m back” Jon crossed his arms and puffed up his skinny chest. “Hey! just because you’re back doesn’t mean you get to take my job! I’ve been Superboy for a year and I’m not giving it up just because you decided to be real again!” 

Damian slide up against Jon narrowing his eyes at Kon ready for a fight. “That’s right clone, Jon is a far better Superboy than you ever were” Damian hissed. Tim rolled his eyes. “Aw lay off it D you don’t even care” 

“tt- I care very much Drake, I know what it’s like to have a dishonorable person hold your name” He glared at the double R on Tim’s chest. Tim just rolled his eyes again “come off it guys, one of you just has to come up with a new name, if Dami cares so much Jon can be Flamebird” Jon wrinkled his nose “Flamebird?” 

“No! He is Superboy! yours should change his name!” Damian said aggressively pointing toward Kon. “Oh okay what do you think we should call him?” Tim said sarcastically. Damian smiled in an unkind way “discount Superman” Tim sighed “you’re such a shit you know that?” Damian stuck his tongue out. “No screw this the kid can change his name” Kon said glaring “I was Superboy before I was anybody else” Jon jutted his chin out and looked defiant.

“Kon” Tim’s voice was soft “You got to let it go” Kon looked at his boyfriend in shock. “Aw come on you knew he was gonna win this one, think I wanted to give up Robin to the demon brat?” Damian glared “But that’s the way it goes, we have to move on and give it over to the next generation” Kon looked sulky “we’re all the same generation” he muttered “yeah I know” Tim said, “so how about it Power Man?” Kon perked up “Power Man? I like it” 

[book-picks-for-pride]

PRIDE MONTH SUPERHERO PICKS FOR YA

Superior by Jessica Lack

A superhero's intern falls in love with a supervillain's apprentice in this star-crossed LGBT YA story from The Book Smugglers.

Here's the thing about being a superhero intern: there's a lot less crime fighting than you think there will be, what with the whole liability issue and the administrative headache of constantly monitoring the Heroic Help Hotline. The most action that Jamie sees happens when he is kidnapped by the supervillain of the week--and then waits for his boss, Captain Superior, to show up and rescue him. Again.

On his most recent nabbing, Jamie gets to meet Tad, Terrorantula's new villainous apprentice. Even though they are supposed to be on opposite sides (or are they?), sparks fly almost immediately. So, when Tad offers to give Jamie much-needed self-defense classes, how could Jamie pass the opportunity to hang out with the coolest (and hottest) guy he knows?

But Tad has a secret--one that threatens the budding relationship between the two teenage sidekicks, and could destroy Captain Superior forever.

Young Avengers, Volume 1: Sidekicks(Young Avengers #1) by Allan Heinberg (Writer), Jim Cheung

In the wake of Avengers Disassembled, a mysterious new group of teen super heroes appears. But who are they? Where did they come from? And what right do they have to call themselves the Young Avengers?

Hero by Perry Moore

The last thing in the world Thom Creed wants is to add to his father's pain, so he keeps secrets. Like that he has special powers. And that he's been asked to join the League - the very organization of superheroes that spurned his dad. But the most painful secret of all is one Thom can barely face himself: he's gay.

But becoming a member of the League opens up a new world to Thom. There, he connects with a misfit group of aspiring heroes, including Scarlett, who can control fire but not her anger; Typhoid Larry, who can make anyone sick with his touch; and Ruth, a wise old broad who can see the future. Like Thom, these heroes have things to hide; but they will have to learn to trust one another when they uncover a deadly conspiracy within the League.

To survive, Thom will face challenges he never imagined. To find happiness, he'll have to come to terms with his father's past and discover the kind of hero he really wants to be.

Batwoman, Vol. 1: Hydrology (Batwoman #1) by J.H. Williams III (Writer, Illustrator), W. Haden Blackman (Writer), Amy Reeder (Illustrator), Richard Friend (Illustrator), Dave Stewart (Colourist)

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

As a part of the acclaimed DC Comics—The New 52 event of September 2011, Batwoman's new series finally begins! The creative team of J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman launch the ongoing Batwoman series, as Batwoman (a.ka. Kate Kane) faces deadly new challenges in her war against Gotham City's underworld–and new trials in her personal life.Who or what is stealing children from the barrio, and for what vile purpose? Will Kate train her cousin, Bette Kane (a.k.a. Flamebird), as her new sidekick? How will she handle unsettling revelations about her father, Colonel Jacob Kane? And why is a certain government agency suddenly taking an interest in her? These are some of the questions that will be answered in this long-awaited series.

Runaways Deluxe, Vol. 1 (Runaways Deluxe #1) by Brian K. Vaughan, Adrian Alphona (Illustrator), Takeshi Miyazawa(Illustrations)

In Pride & Joy, six young friends discover their parents are all secretly super-powered villains Finding strength in one another, the shocked teens run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives - vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy. In Teenage Wasteland, the Runaways find a kindred spirit in a daring young stranger and welcome him into their fold. But will this dashing young man help the teenagers defeat their villainous parents... or tear them apart? Plus: who do you send to catch a group of missing, runaway teenage super-heroes? Marvel's original teen runaway crimefighters, Cloak and Dagger, make their first major appearance in years In The Good Die Young, the world as we know it is about to end, and the Runaways are the only hope to prevent it Our fledgling teenage heroes have learned how their parents' criminal organization began, and now they must decide how it should end. As the Runaways' epic battle against their evil parents reaches its shocking conclusion, the team's mole stands revealed, and blood must be shed. Which kids will still be standing when the smoke finally clears? Collects Runaways (Vol.1) #1-18.

Not Your Sidekick (Sidekick Squad #1) by C.B. Lee

Welcome to Andover… where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef-up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship—only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, who Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then there’s the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.

Dreadnought (Nemesis #1) by April Daniels

Danny Tozer has a problem: she just inherited the powers of Dreadnought, the world’s greatest superhero.

Until Dreadnought fell out of the sky and died right in front of her, Danny was trying to keep people from finding out she’s transgender. But before he expired, Dreadnought passed his mantle to her, and those secondhand superpowers transformed Danny’s body into what she’s always thought it should be. Now there’s no hiding that she’s a girl.

It should be the happiest time of her life, but Danny’s first weeks finally living in a body that fits her are more difficult and complicated than she could have imagined. Between her father’s dangerous obsession with “curing” her girlhood, her best friend suddenly acting like he’s entitled to date her, and her fellow superheroes arguing over her place in their ranks, Danny feels like she’s in over her head.

She doesn’t have much time to adjust. Dreadnought’s murderer—a cyborg named Utopia—still haunts the streets of New Port City, threatening destruction. If Danny can’t sort through the confusion of coming out, master her powers, and stop Utopia in time, humanity faces extinction.

Junior Hero Blues by J.K. Pendragon

Last year, Javier Medina was your average socially awkward gay high schooler with a chip on his shoulder. This year, he's . . . well, pretty much the same, but with bonus superpowers, a costume with an ab window to show off his new goods, and a secret identity as the high-flying, wise-cracking superhero Blue Spark.

But being a Junior Hero means that Javier gets all the responsibility and none of the cool gadgets. It's hard enough working for the Legion of Liberty and fighting against the evil Organization, all while trying to keep on top of schoolwork and suspicious parents. Add in a hunky boyfriend who's way out of Javier's league, and an even hunkier villain who keeps appearing every time said boyfriend mysteriously disappears, and Blue Spark is in for one big dollop of teenage angst. All while engaging in some epic superhero action and, oh yeah, an all-out battle to protect Liberty City from the forces of evil.

Welcome to the 100% true and totally unbiased account of life as a teenage superhero.

America, Vol. 1 (America (Single Issues) (2017 - ) #1–6) by Gabby Rivera (Writer), Joe Quinones (Illustrator)

At last! Everyone's favorite no-nonsense powerhouse, America Chavez, gets her own series! Critically acclaimed young-adult novelist Gabby Rivera and all-star artist Joe Quinones unite to shine a solo spotlight on America's high-octane and hard-hitting adventures! She was a Young Avenger. She leads the Ultimates. And now she officially claims her place as the preeminent butt-kicker of the entire Marvel Universe! But what's a super-powered teenager to do when she's looking for a little personal fulfi llment? She goes to college! America just has to stop an interdimensional monster or two first and shut down a pesky alien cult that's begun worshipping her exploits before work can begin. Then she can get on with her first assignment: a field trip to the front lines of World War II - with Captain America as her wingman!

Stranger (The Change #1) by Rachel Manija Brown (Goodreads Author), Sherwood Smith

Many generations ago, a mysterious cataclysm struck the world. Governments collapsed and people scattered, to rebuild where they could. A mutation, "the Change,” arose, granting some people unique powers. Though the area once called Los Angeles retains its cultural diversity, its technological marvels have faded into legend. "Las Anclas" now resembles a Wild West frontier town… where the Sheriff possesses superhuman strength, the doctor can warp time to heal his patients, and the distant ruins of an ancient city bristle with deadly crystalline trees that take their jewel-like colors from the clothes of the people they killed.

Teenage prospector Ross Juarez’s best find ever – an ancient book he doesn’t know how to read – nearly costs him his life when a bounty hunter is set on him to kill him and steal the book. Ross barely makes it to Las Anclas, bringing with him a precious artifact, a power no one has ever had before, and a whole lot of trouble.

[elasticrevenge]

Biography

Series name: DC Comics Canon notes: Post Infinite Crisis Species: Metahuman. History: The daughter of the infamous Madame Rouge, Gemini was deliberately kept at arm’s length in American boarding schools as she grew up, so as to avoid her mother’s frequent brushes with insanity, but also to give her daughter a better life away from the Brotherhood of Evil. Gemini therefore grew up mostly in ignorance about her mother’s criminal activities, an ignorance that was shattered by her mother murder at the hands of Beast Boy. Although Gemini hadn’t seen much of her mother, Laura de Mille had always lavished affection whenever she’d visited and the two had always kept in contact. Gemini therefore felt devastated, a feeling that was compounded when the Brain had Madame Rouge’s body delivered to Gemini along with the explanation of who had killed her. The trauma and raw fury that Gemini felt were enough to cause something to snap inside her, and the powers she had inherited from her mother activated in a much more potent form. Reduced to a shapeless puddle of rubbery protoplasm, Gemini’s whole life collapsed and she suffered a psychotic break that she still hasn’t really recovered from. After several weeks spent trapped as a puddle, unable to process what had happened to her, she was visited by the Brain and Monsieur Mallah and was ‘rescued’ and brought under their tutelage. Gemini spent the next few years training with the Brotherhood of Evil and mastering her powers, becoming one of the most deadly weapons in the Brotherhood’s arsenal. However her desire to take revenge on Garfield Logan lead her into attempt to frame him while he was attempting to revive his acting career in Los Angeles, an attempt that failed with the intervention of Nightwing and Flamebird. Following her failure Gemini returned to the Brotherhood, fighting Batgirl in an attempt to smuggle weapons into Bludhaven and later assisting when the Brotherhood dropped Chemo onto the city, destroying it. Since the events of Infinite Crisis, Gemini has been hiding under an alias while accepting occasional contract work. Personality: Have you ever been given the news that your mother, the only family member you have, has been murdered by one of the so-called good guys? While you were crying your eyes out has your body melted into a mass of goo leaving you deaf, blind and screaming in terror without a mouth to vocalise it? All of these things have happened to Gemini. That trauma changed her from being a normal girl living a happy life with friends and a bright future, to a slightly unhinged sociopath, hell bent on gaining revenge for her mother’s murder. Driven by anger and bitterness and so often sadistic and vicious, Gemini is at heart a lonely young woman, desperately trying to live up to the barbed legacy of her mother Madame Rouge. That desire for revenge has led her down a very dark path, becoming a heartless killer who enjoys taking the lives of others if it will help to ease her inner pain and anguish. Her bitterness is ironically fuelled by the very thing that makes her so proud, her powers. While she views her talents as making her a force to be reckoned with, they have also stripped her of her humanity. She can never take pleasure from the attentions of a handsome man no matter how much her mind wants to because her body will never respond and she knows full well that she is incapable of ever having children. It’s a constant source of despair and frustration and makes it hard for her to form a stable relationship. It took Gemini years to train herself to take a fully human form and by the time she had her teenage years were nearly behind her. Her adult appearance therefore is manufactured from a mixture of old photos and guesswork and is a look she’s very proud of. She quite likes enticing good looking men, although she seldom takes things far considering her physiology, preferring to string them along for her own amusement. Mostly when meeting others, particularly people without powers she maintains an air of aloof superiority. She’s often quite solitary, but if she happens upon someone she’ll entertain herself for a bit trying to manipulate them or pry secrets from them. She might possibly pass herself off as someone else so that she can briefly enjoy healthy emotions and gain a kick out of fooling another. Sympathy and empathy are not strong points, but she is loyal to her friends and is very much out for her own survival. If she thinks someone could be useful to that end or a threat to her, then she might try to charm or ingratiate herself, although she often falls back on intimidation…because really she quite enjoys it. Overall Gemini’s a dark character, prepared to kill casually and inflict pain to get what she wants. But what does she want other than to survive and gain revenge? Living in luxury and getting to do whatever she wants are definitely important, but without a Beast Boy to kill and a legacy to live up to is she just a lost soul with a chance of mending her evil ways? Only time will tell. Abilities: Gemini’s body is made up of a rubber-like protoplasm which lets her change shape into any human animal or object that she desires. While she may look and sound exactly like someone, she does not actually become them as her shapeshifting is purely cosmetic. She may liquefy herself if she wishes, but by far her favourite forms are monstrous creatures taken from her imagination or movies she’s seen. It is possible for Gemini to split herself into multiple forms, but this is something she doesn’t often do, being very taxing on her concentration. The other main application of her powers is stretching. She can extend her limbs or any part of her body to great lengths, often using her elasticity to coil around opponents to subdue them or redirect their own attacks against them. She often attacks from metres away, stretching powerful punches at speeds faster than a bullet. An amorphous being, Gemini is very resistant to injury. Bullets simply bounce off her rubbery body, whilst only the very sharpest blades can pierce her and if they do it won’t hurt her; she can be sliced into a thousand pieces and still pull herself back together with ease. Her principal senses can be enhanced by her to a degree, and she is able to see or hear with whatever part of her body she wishes. Electrical attacks are useless considering that she is made of rubber which is an excellent insulator. Her body doesn’t need food or water or even rest, and because she lacks a brain her mind is hard to access via telepathy. Skills-wise Gemini is skilled in hand to hand combat, often using her elasticity to get past an opponent’s guard. She’s several times stronger than a regular human and almost infinitely flexible, and will use her stretching powers and resilience to overwhelm or simply outlast others in combat. She is a trained spy, assassin and saboteur, but has only been active for a few years and can make mistakes. Gemini is a gifted actress and mimic and is always working on honing her observation skills so she can better impersonate others. Weaknesses: Gemini’s powerset comes with a clear Achilles heel. When rubber is heated it melts, and when it’s cooled it becomes brittle. So blast her with intense heat and she’ll melt into a helpless puddle, expose her to extreme cold and she’ll seize up. The attack must be kept up or she will quickly recover. Hit her with a flamethrower or corrosive chemicals on the other hand and she’ll scream what passes for her lungs out. Those with enhanced senses can often detect Gemini, as although she can fake a heartbeat and raise her body temperature, she cannot hide her scent, the subtle odour of rubber. In terms of character weakness Gemini’s powerful abilities have made her arrogant and over-confident and she can sometimes go into a situation without properly assessing the risks.

[jb-blaq]

Ideal Teams: Titans Show

So San Diego Comic-con has passed. There was lots of exciting news and even more exciting trailers, particularly with dc for once. It seems like everyone is a lot more excited than Aquaman and Shazam when they were just the week before. But with all good must come bad and even though DC had a lot of good looking things this SDCC they also had what must have been the biggest blunder. I think it's safe to say that almost nobody is seriously looking forward to they are Titans show anymore. There's a lot of reasons why from being yet another gritty reboot in an era where people are sick of them, to the clunky writing that was presented and from a visual perspective, the show looks awful. It's clear that they're not working with a very high budget and that should be fine Titans shouldn’t require that big a budget depending on which members they choose to use so let's take a look at the lineup.

... Oh. It's the cartoon. Again. Don't get me wrong I love to Teen Titans cartoon and these characters and I understand why they did it the cartoon lineup has become the most recognizable version of this team. Even though the show is technically called The Titans, who do have their own separate identity from the Teen Titans, you do want to peak the interest of people who grew up with the cartoon. My problem is not only are these characters more associated with Teen Titans than just Titans but all these characters require a higher budget than a tv shows going to get especially one that's on an untested streaming platform like this one is. So for this ideal teams, we're going to be making a more faithful and budget-friendly Titans team.

Robin (Dick Grayson) Now fuck  Batmans aside Dick Grayson is a no-brainer. He's the team's original leader the most iconic Robin even though most of the Robin attributes the people associate with him come from other Robins. Having him struggle to form his own identity separate from Batman with it coalescing at the end of the season with him becoming Nightwing is a storyline that everybody's wanted to seeing live action for a long time.

Speedy (Roy Harper) Roy is my pick to be the second-in-command at least at the start of the season. He and Dick Grayson of always had a really fun rivalry very similar to Bruce and Ollie's or what I feel is a more apt comparison Hawkeye and Captain America's. Seems like archers have a knack for bumping heads against leaders. Besides the rivalry, Roy has tons of story potential as you can tackle his infamous battle with heroin, his long unrequited crush for another character on this list, and in later seasons you could adapt his unusual relationship with Cheshire. A note from me I would make a change to Roy's backstory instead of making him the son of a rich white family who was adopted by a Native American tribe I would just make him native American. Roy’s backstory doesn't matter too much any way it would be a good chance to give a young native American actor work, and it allows you to get rid of the bizarre cultural appropriation aspect of the character that Iron Fist had to deal with when it came out.

(Side Note: Yes I know iron fist was originally white in the comics. That's not particularly relevant to the people who are criticizing the choice to make him white in the show. I'm not going to state where I stand on that here, I'm just trying to avoid a bunch of replies trying to fact-check me on something I already know.)

Aqualad (Garth) Now a lot of people would suggest we just replace Garth with Kaldur as he's become the far more popular character but I would argue against that for a couple of reasons. One reason is this hypothetical version of the Titan show would be being released on dc streaming service which when it comes to original programming is airing with The Titans and the third season of Young Justice. The Kaldur version of Aqualad is a main character on that show and well Dick Grayson also is there's a lot of different ways to tackle Dick as a character since he's been around so long. The Kaldur version of Aqualad is pretty much only defined by his appearance on young justice so having him on another team show running on the same platform where one is directly taking inspiration for a character from another would be kind of a mess. Another reason is as you have probably picked up on by now I am going for the original Titans lineup from the 60s which Garth was a founding member of. And another is Garth is a really underrated character often made the butt of jokes for his connection with Aquaman in his admittedly silly name. But the character has a fun and not too expensive power set basically being a Waterbender and you can do a really sweet romance with him and his future wife to be Dolphin. I think it's time for Garth to have his moment in the sun.

Troia (Donna Troy) It's a shame most people don't know about Donna Troy, the original wonder girl has been an absolutely vital member of The Titans over the years. One of the reasons you might not have heard of her is that Donna has a famously confusing origin story with it being retconned numerous times. In my hypothetical version of the show figuring out her origin story would be the main plot of the first season. Not only because that would allow for a lot of great character work to be done but her trying to learn her true origins could contribute to an overall theme of self-discovery that you could play up throughout the whole season. Her powers are very low budget with her basically having the same moveset as Diana. Her aloof nature could lead to comedy when it comes to Roy’s crush on her which is always been cute. She's a fun and confident character who also lens herself too dark and brooding storylines which lead to well-rounded characters. Also, it would be very refreshing to have your team powerhouse be the female.

Kid Flash (Wally West) And finishing the original fab five is wally west. I'd also go with the original version of wally west for similar reasons to why I chose Garth to be our Aqualad. The Flash CW show is already doing the black Wally West and like Kaldur this version of Wally West is so new that the show is really defining just as much of the character as the comics are, so it's best to just let that version of Wally West develop in that show separately and not trying copy of character that's already being worked on elsewhere. And the original version of Wally West is not only one of the most important Titans but one of the most important characters in dc is whole continuity. But for being such an important character he has made shockingly little appearances outside of the comics and even when he has it's either him already as the Flash like in the justice league animated show or he's so minor that it's hard to even remember that he was there like in the Teen Titans cartoon. But to see the full journey from Flash fanboy turns sidekick, too confident superhero in his own right, to having to take the mantle of Flash and balances time between The Titans and the justice league it would be amazing to see the full journey. And like Dick Grayson I don't think it's too much of a problem that Young Justice and the show would be using the same version of Wally cuz there are so many different ways to you handle Wally story.

Okay so we covered the original 5 and that's what I would make the team for the start of the show. Though besides the original team and the cartoon, Titans are actually known for having larger than average team sizes. So I would have members join over the course of the season who would those be? Well, I've come up with a few candidates.

Bumblebee (Karen Beecher) Now while Bumblebee is not an original member she has been with the team since their original run. She was their first tech genius. She has a sharp tongue in a sharper mind. A generally fun character and very progressive for the time that she was created in. I could see her becoming a huge fan favorite if more people were made aware of her. She's also been in a very long-standing relationship with…

Vox/Guardian/Herald (Malcom Duncan) Mal Duncan another long-standing Titans character. Mel's just your average guys smart but not a genius, powerful but not god like I think if he were put on this show it would be a great opportunity to expand his character more. What Mal is most known for is identity swapping he's most commonly remembered as Guardian his original one, but he's had the identities Herald, Hornblower, and my personal favorite Vox. He's had many different powers but in my mind, the one that gives him the most purpose is as a teleporter. Mal certainly isn't the most exciting character to add but I think having a solid normal person who doesn't have that much baggage on the team would provide a nice center for the team.

Flamebird (Bette Kane) Bettie Kane has always been a fun character who hasn't gotten nearly enough love and I think it would be a good opportunity to give it to her here. She was the first Batgirl sidekick to both Batwomen at one point in time cousin to one niece to another, it's slightly confusing. I would forget about her ever being Batgirl in this show and just make her the former sidekick of Kate Kane her cousin. Her biggest inspiration for being a superhero was Robin who she has a crush on even after she becomes a hero. I think adding another non-powered member of the team is a good idea. She can provide a good will they won't they romance element with Robin. Also, her connection to Bruce's family could further influence Dick in his choice to step away from Being Robin. This is just a fun character that I would need to add to a show like this.

Well, that was my pitch for Titans. I hope you enjoyed some of the ideas I threw around. And even though I made fun of it I do sincerely hope that the actual Titans show that they are making is good, I guess we'll find out soon enough. Please favorite and reblog.

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