#Gotham City war games

[gothamcitywargames]

LIVEWIRE & BANE

GOTHAM CITY WAR GAMES

Just some designs for an aged up Livewire and Bane for my Dcau War Games au. In the fight for dominance in the aftermath of Joker's death, I see these 2 pairing up and becoming thugs for hire. While Bane seeks to control Gothams underbelly, Livewire works as a hitman for him and his allies.

[gamewarsstudios]

Batman GW - Gotham At 4AM

Came up with this idea from a couple of memes about what it must be like being a normal person living in Gotham City, so I did this. It was fun drawing a comic again, it’s been a while. I hope you enjoy and stay safe. Bye!

[nfcomics]

BATMAN WAR GAMES TP VOL 02 • cover art • Jae Lee [May 2016]

Gotham City is in chaos after a string of violence. It's up to Batman-with the help of his allies and the GCPD-to keep the city from plunging into the depths of depravity!

This BATMAN WAR GAMES edition includes DETECTIVE COMICS #798, BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #183, NIGHTWING #97, BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #57, ROBIN #130, BATGIRL #56, CATWOMAN #35-36 and BATMAN #633.

(W) Ed Brubaker, Bill Willingham (A) Pete Woods (CA) Jae Lee

[often-daydreaming]

An Ancient's Game

It started off small at first. A robbery in Metropolis. A missing persons case in Gotham. An 'accident' in Amity Park. None of it connected. Nobody thought to connect them. It was just another case after all. There would always be another case so sometimes things slipped through the cracks. It happened.

Even heroes made mistakes after all.

They overlooked things.

But in the end they messed up and someone had to pay and someone did when Clark Kent heard his wife and son’s heartbeats vanish off the face of the earth during a somewhat quiet afternoon while he was handling a disaster in France.

He was the man of steel though, he could have made it. He should have made it but he was a second too late. His family was gone and Metropolis felt the fury of the old gods as a being made of wind and storms ripped its way free of an unseen portal cackling with mad laughter as it devastated the city.

It was another distraction though.

A massive distraction that drew the Justice League's attention away from the real prize as nightmares descended on Gotham like shadows. They morphed from the darkness slipping out through the cracks like ghosts and only Oracle saw the fight as they swarmed the youngest Robin, the Dark Knight's youngest son vanishing under an endless tide of nightmares as Nocturn took control of Gotham's nightlife.

More distractions followed as more and more of the old gods, Ancient beings long forgotten returned to Earth.

Storms raged.

The ground quaked.

Creatures of myth and legend were free to run wild as reports of everything from dragons to even yetis flooded the Watchtower.

In the end it was Diana who found their first and only clue when one of her mother's messengers appeared warning them of Themyscira's fate when a portal was opened for Undergrowth deep within the island's jungles. They fought. They fell. Then they were turned into mindless puppets bent to the monster's will as the sounds of war subsided into silence within a matter of days.

Her losses gave them a name.

Undergrowth, a creature of the green who cheered the being known as Clockwork while Constantine explained its origin.

He told them of Cronos, of the pieces of him that had formed into a new life deep within the endlessness of Infinity.

And Fate opened the way.

The first thing the gathered heroes saw was a massive clocktower surrounded by gears and pistons twisting in every direction as they spilled out into an endless void. Each tenth of a second, the hands on the clocktower click one step forward.

A single tooth on one of the smaller gears is easily the size of the Watchtower and no matter how far anyone looked there was no beginning or end to the clocktower.

There was nothing except the click, click, click of endless clocks as they stormed the Titan's lair.

Nothing stopped them.

There were no enemies or traps.

In fact the doors were left wide open as if welcoming the Justice League inside and they soon discovered why when Shazam found them. Superboy stood on a scale across from Luthor, the same with Robin and Waller. They were frozen in time, trapped in a single second of a moment while in the very middle of the massive room was a kid, easily Jon's double sleeping on a throne made out of the void of space but that wasn't what had him worried.

What worried him was the silence, the sudden nothingness in his mind as the voices of the gods empowering him faded away in the presence of the cloaked figure of Cronos suddenly standing beside the throne.

Even as the other heroes flooded into the room he couldn't hear anything besides a soft click, click, click as Superman was waved away forced into a loop of repetition that began and ended with his first step forward.

Green Lantern fell next, rapidly aged into an old man unable to match a Titan's will.

Then Constantine collapsed clutching an invisible wound on his chest. It was his contracts forcing him to obey while Fate eventually faded under time's cold embrace.

There were only a few heroes left when Flash made a move blitzing the throne only to suddenly lose his speed. The others simply glitched, like static on an old tv leaving only Shazam, J'onn and surprisingly Lois Lane standing in front of Cronos as he declared a game to decide Earth's continued existence.

'Convince each of them you're worth another chance and I'll restore everything.'

'Who's them?'

I don't really know what I was going with here. I was just listening to some of the songs from Epic and figured why not let an enraged Clockwork have some fun. I'm blaming Vlad for everything cause I can and he's done it before and caused a ton of problems for everyone else so I'm just picturing something he did or tried to do backfiring badly enough that Danny got seriously hurt so now everyone's gotta pay.

[zahri-melitor]

Thinking about the decisions made by Tim and by Dick at the end of Battle for the Cowl again, and I just realised this is one of the few moments when Dick and Tim’s instinctual reaction to a situation flips and they take the route the other usually chooses.

Because Dick’s maxim since 1980 or so has been that, when situations get bad, you can walk away and leave. Your problems can be left behind. People will cope without you. When things get personally stressful, Dick generally leaves. (Leaving Bruce to become Nightwing after the you’re fired/I quit conversation, walking away from the Titans after his relationship and wedding fell apart with Kory, going to Bludhaven to establish his own separate identity after reuniting with Bruce, wandering in a daze after Blockbuster dies and then running off to join the mob, the manner in which the Dick/Babs breakup(s) are structured, needing the World Trip Cruise after Bludhaven is bombed, etc)

While Tim’s choice in bad situations has generally been to cling, to stay and hold things (hold people) together, because if he doesn’t take on the role, who will. Tim worries that without someone stepping up, things will fall apart. (‘Batman needs a Robin’, staying during Knightfall and Knightquest, coming to No Man’s Land to pull the city back together, returning to Bruce even after his 16th Birthday, returning to Robin during War Games, even going to Bludhaven after War Games is holding Bludhaven together for Dick while he’s not able to do so, to go on the World Trip Cruise to keep an eye on Bruce and Dick, to try and clone people/resurrect people because he’s clinging to their memories).

But then we hit the start of Batman Reborn. And Dick makes the decision to stay, to hold Gotham together, to hold Damian together, a decision that usually you would see Tim make.

And Tim chooses to leave, to believe that Dick and Gotham can cope without him, while he prioritises something else (the search for Bruce).

As characters, Dick and Tim have been arguing over this point for 34 years now, and it’s fascinating to see that on one of the big occasions when the decision flipped, they both ended up on the opposite side to usual.

[bluerosefox]

Ellie "I WILL bite you" and Danny "He's just a baby" Fenton

Deaged Danny and caretaker (and tiny bit feral) Dani (Ellie)!!!! In Gotham!

Basicly Danny gets outed as Phantom and either by his parents or the GIW start doing experiments when he's captured by either of them. Team Phantom (Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Dani, and even Valerie after telling her everything) and even some friendly ghosts all help get Danny back.

Only when they find him the torture and the experiments were to much for him to handle and he retreats into his core. Dani is the only one that can hold his core, due to being his clone and a ghost herself, for a long period of time. Anyone else hands start freezing after a few mins.

The escape is hectic and chaotic and in order to lose the ones that hurt Danny off their trail they have to separate and scatter, each one laying false trails while Dani, whose really good at traveling, flies as far as she can.

She eventually stops in the one place she knows most people will pause and think twice before entering.

Gotham City.

She's okay with hiding there, she knows all the empty places and can just go invisible to steal food if she needs to, she just needs a place to rest for a few days until Danny comes out of his core. Dani's hid from the Bats before, never once getting on their radar, she can do it again even with Danny's core in her care. She keeps in contact with the others on a secure phone network Tucker made and they keep her updated on either the Fentons or the GIW.

During this time of taking care of Danny's core, Dani gets a little more protective over him. She may or may not punched a bunch of goons into unconsciousness when she returned from getting food and found them in her hideout, talking about showing their boss this cold orb thing they found laying around. She packed up and moved locations after that. (This incident got on the Bats radar)

Does she bite the Joker when she gets taken hostage while carrying Danny's core on her person one afternoon? Yes. Did she pick up Riddler's cane and beat him with it when she found him about to use the warehouse she was using to keep Danny's core safe for his next big 'game' for the Bats? Yes. Does she haunt Penguin for two whole days after him and his men woke her up (and woke Danny's core too she felt it (coughtheywokeupthebabycough)) when they held a meeting nearby where she was sleeping and started a small turf war in the area? Yes.

Dani is a little confused, but not complaining, on her new found protectiveness over her brother/original but everything makes sense when Danny finally comes out of his core...

Because he's a baby now, almost a toddler... the damage done to him turned him into a baby and Dani's ghost instincts knew thus prompting her to be very protective over him. And now seeing him tiny makes the feelings even more so.

She can do this. She can take care of Danny while in Gotham, she can keep flying under the Bats, the Fentons, the GIW's, and Vlad's radar while hiding out there. She can do this. She totally can.

And Ancients help anyone who tries to harm or take Danny while he's under her watch.

[chaos0pikachu]

one of my favorite scenes in LITA is from ep06 and not simply b/c Payu and Rain bone like they're single handedly trying to repopulate the moon kingdom okay it's the wild ass escalation that occurs that unlocks Rain's must mate now instincts like first of all Mame said they were gonna get every dollar, nickle, and dime outta that damn drone so Payu's gotta race a background extra from Pit Babe and Payu walks out and Rain is already eying his man up like Survivors on the island be eyeing up cookies after six days at sea and shit like Rain wanted to nomnomnom Payu while Prapai's in the back like "only two more episodes left and it'll be my turn" so obviously Payu wins b/c that ponytail game gives him extra alpha powers - I just KNOW Mame is salty she didn't get the budget for the first omegaverse show - or whatever and Rain LEAPS into Payu's arms like something outta a mid-century European film like Payu's just returned home from war and not an easily winnable race against a Walmat Branded Kinnporsche character

makeout ensues okay okay this is normal and then nah they fucking GO FOR IT literally suddenly we're at Payu's house which is made entirely of floor to ceiling windows indecency laws?? we 👏 don't 👏 know 👏 her 👏 and now they're just stripping down so quick Paul Verhoeven is taking notes for Showgirls 2 they have more bravery than a US Marine making out on an open floor plan steps rushing into the bedroom eating each other up, licking each others tongues, and then Rain's riding Payu as if he took the lyrics to WAP and Girls in the Hood as a challenge he's spelling his whole name out, legal name AND nickname as if he wasn't a virgin literally a month ago but Rain said he's nothing if not a fast learner baby!! meanwhile Payu is fucking WRECKED that man is seeing holy sights, he's seeing the big bang, he knows the secret of the universe via Rain's bussy and Rain is such a fucking brat about it like "you think you're wrecked now wait till I start calling you daddy in a month" and Payu's like "typically I would spank your ass for that but my ponytail is shook out right now"

and then the next day Rain gets kidnapped by a fucking Gotham City villain

[violent138]

"#hey I have a serious headcanon that multiple of Gotham's elite were worried about or invested in Bruce's future#not even for court of owl reasons#but because he had the power and wealth to the alter the city the same way his parents did#falcone even tried killing him a bunch"

PLEASE talk more about this i'm begging. I want to hear all about this!!! Go into as much detail as you want but i'd absolutely read a 5k essay on this if you feel up to it

Though this isn't quite a 5K essay, you may come to regret asking lol. But I'm delighted to answer the question (thanks for asking):

Firstly, I guess to set up some Gotham lore, Gotham's a city of seemingly endless opportunity and is subject to constant power grabs. I think Black Mask once listed all the different factions that squabble over Gotham (street gangs, crime families et cetera). One of these groups is the Court of Owls (the society that secretly controls Gotham), made up of Gotham's oldest and wealthiest families.

And Batman comics make a point of repeatedly drawing attention to its key families, Kanes, Waynes, Elliots, Cobblepots (and the Arkhams too should you like to include them). There's an undue influence and importance they wield over the city.

But despite all the different forces that are competing to reshape Gotham in their image, it's the spectre of the Waynes that looms over it all.

This actually makes a lot of sense, since as some of the founders of the city, they were literally involved in creating the city's skyline and appearance. And then past that, there are so many instances and references to how Thomas and Martha (Kane or Arkham) were set on changing the city entirely (possibly a deviation from their more traditional ancestors).

This is the beginning of the loss of control for many others over the city (such as Gotham's wealthy and elite). Even smaller decisions, like Thomas' choice to save Carmine Falcone's life have major repercussions for the city.

The Waynes had a ton of power, buildings and institutions around Gotham hold their name. They were untouched by their potential criminal ties as they reconstructed the city, but it was clear that they were earning the hatred of a lot of powerful players. This includes the Court of Owls (historians still argue)/others, and if you're a fan of the TellTale game, it's clear that Bruce's family may have actually destroyed and usurped power from some of these other powerful families.

Regardless, Thomas and Martha's shocking deaths created a massive power vacuum that everyone would have jumped to take advantage of. And aside from gaining control over the city, all the old-money families would have wanted control over Bruce Wayne.

Because of the deaths of his parents, Bruce becomes a wildcard; he's the sole inheritor of Wayne Enterprises, all the money, power, and prestige his parents wielded. And in a way, it's almost like all the Waynes have some divine right/eldtrichy power over Gotham, by virtue of their fascinating blood line (or just their money).

So everyone would have been trying to control him/adopt him/use his access in the wake of trauma and exploit his age. When it didn't work, they likely all just settled into a stalemate of waiting for him to make moves so they could decide how much of a threat/ally he was.

In a comic I read (I'm sure there are other examples too, can't recall as I answer this), Carmine Falcone tries to kill Bruce Wayne via hired assassin, well after it's been established that nobody's even seen Bruce for a while. Carmine hears that Bruce could be at a party and sends an assassin with both a potent neurotoxin and a sword to ensure the job is done. So long after the deaths of his parents, these concerns of Gotham's warring factions continue.

And once Bruce starts acting on his vision for the city, one that aligns so well with Martha and Thomas' plans for Gotham, he likely cements himself as a threat yet again, and one that hasn't been schooled by his old-money parents in the games and underlying politics of Gotham.

So to continue on the line of thought that the tags came from: Regardless of what choices Bruce eventually makes -> I doubt that the Gotham elite wanted him making them without their influence

As a side note, because I'm kind of obsessed with the lineages that rule Gotham, if you look at Oswald Cobblepot, even as a crime lord descended from the Cobblepots, he's not just a street-level crook, but he also shapes the city.

[somefanficrecomendations]

2023 BEST READS

A few days late but hey, better late than never! This is a non-comprehensive list of my favorite fics that I’ve read in 2023! Criteria for a fic to be included on this list are:

I read the fic in 2023

I reread the fic at least once

I can rate 5/5 stars without hesitation

The fics are organized by fandom but otherwise are in no particular order.

BATMAN

New Wave by yellow_caballero Batman (gen), 103k, Reverse Robins, Stephanie Brown is Robin Some lunatic in a bat costume is running around Gotham clowning on fools, but local delinquent Stephanie Brown has way bigger problems. When her father and friends start joining mob wars Steph knows she has to do something about it before Gotham collapses. If that means joining up with rich dudes playing dress up, pasty nerds with hacking and photography habits, and throwing on a costume herself, then that’s just what she’ll have to do. Even if Batman works alone. She’s convincing. In which Stephanie Brown rocks the radical nineties and becomes the first Robin, ruining Batman’s life and giving Tim Drake a hobby.

birdsong by ScarlettSwordMoon Nightwing (gen), 22k, Dick Grayson-Centric After getting a face full of Scarecrow’s newest toxin, Dick isn’t haunted by his typical nightmares. No. This one has little green pixie boots. AKA Batman: Ego but make it Robin. Nightwing 60th Anniversary Bingo: Drugs & Toxins

Keep Your Head, Your Backbone, and Your Heart by MrMich Batman (gen) 54k, Dimension Travel, Duke Thomas-centric The last thing that Duke expected on what was supposed to be just a regular patrol was being suddenly thrown five years into the past, coming face to face with a darker, more violent Batman than the one he knew, a broken family, and a Tim who was a foot shorter than Duke, and not even Robin yet.

Loading and Aspect Ratio by JUBE514 Batman (Superbat), 45k, Wings AU A world where nobody has wings, but people think they do, and that changes everything.

Our Bodies & Other Fine Machines by SilverSkiesAtMidnight Batman (gen), 13k, Starvation He has never argued with a punishment, not since he was a toddler, if then. Surely she’ll listen, surely she’ll see this is too harsh, that he wouldn’t be disrespecting her like this if he was simply sulking over not getting his way. He needs that food, needs to be able to eat enough if he wants to be Robin. He’s been hungry before, but back then, it never mattered if he was a little weak or dizzy. It never risked his life or the life of his partner when he was a kid. She turns, sighing softly and pursing her lips. She reaches out to pat his cheek, and for a moment his heart soars hopefully, and he barely restrains himself from leaning into the rare bit of contact and soaking up his mother’s touch. “Oh, Timothy,” she tuts. “This is for the best. And honestly, I think it’s wise for you to cut down a bit on the snacks. I’d hate to have to listen to anyone tittering at the next gala that you’re getting chubby.” And without another backwards glance, she turns and heads upstairs, leaving Tim alone and frozen at the bottom of the steps.

You, Me, and the Humanity in Between by JUBE514 Batman (gen), 65k, Non-Human Robins Bruce is trying his best to protect the city that he loves. He doesn't know how exactly his Robins came to be- they're not fully human, not even at all. All he knows is that he wants to keep them safe.

Little Red by destiny919 Batman: Under the Red Hood (gen), 39k, Series, Jason is Tim’s Parent AU where Tim is younger and has been illegally adopted by his hero, the Red Hood.

A Different Game by Hinn_Raven Batman (multi), 62k, Red Hood!Stephanie Brown, Role Reversal Stephanie Brown died with a mouth full of blood and her eyes wide open, staring at the locked door, hoping still for a miracle, for a rescue. She died in a hidden place, still hanging from the ceiling by her wrists, bleeding out from a wound in her stomach, and no one was with her when her heart gave its last beat. AU where Stephanie Brown dies as Robin and becomes the Red Hood.

bad news, this place is magic as fuck by mikkal Batman (gen), 28k, All-Caste Jason Todd, Magic Jason Jason's on the trail of a killer who's targeting kids in Crime Alley for an unknown magical ritual. Between that and his family who insists on butting in, he's got his work cut out for him. But, as they say, nothing is as it seems.

Wings over Gotham by icarus_chained Batman, DC (gen), 190k, No Man’s Land, Independent Gotham An AU where an altered version of No Man’s Land happened while Bruce was in his late teens/early twenties, and Batman was born in the hellish crucible of a trapped city that was left for dead and then violently retaken. Gotham may pretend to run by mainlander rules for the sake of those who would have died otherwise, but under the surface, Bruce, Jim, Leslie, Ivy and Oswald and their pack keep their own council, and look with jaundiced eyes on the mainland.

A Meditation on Railroading by eggmacguffin Batman (gen), 24k, Hurt/Comfort When he ends up ditched in Atlanta after a fight with his dad, Tim decides to do the only sensible thing: Tell no one and make the 800 mile journey back to Gotham on his own. Because the "call Batman when you're in trouble" rule only applies when he's Robin, right?

THE BATMAN (2022)

I’m a Good Pretender by shipNslash The Batman (2022) (gen), 40k, Dick Grayson-Centric Dick’s mother raised her son to be a star. Dick’s father raised his son to be an athlete. Bruce's new ward is charming (manipulative), dedicated (obsessive), and way, way too smart for either of their own good.

In This or Any Other Universe by wildsofmarch The Batman (2022) (gen), 33k, Dimension Travel There was a new vigilante in his city: a man who smiled too much and talked too loud and knew his way around a fight a little too well. Bruce wasn't bothered by his antics. Except the man also seemed to know a little too much about him. Who was this Nightwing, anyway? OR: Dick Grayson (DCU) accidentally lands himself in Battinson’s Gotham.

DC LEGENDS OF TOMORRW

Countless Roads by nirejseki Arrowverse, DC Legends of Tomorrow (Mick Rory/Leonard Snart), 231k, Medium Leonard Snart, AU-Ghosts Due to a family curse (which some call a gift), Leonard Snart has more life than he knows what to do with – and that gives him the ability to see, speak to, and even share with the various ghosts that are always surrounding him. Sure, said curse also means he’s going to die sooner rather than later, just like his mother, but in the meantime Len has no intention of letting superheroes, time travelers, a surprisingly charming pyromaniac, and a lot of ghosts get in the way of him having a nice, successful career as a professional thief.

Straight On Till Morning by nirejeski Arrowverse, DC Legends of Tomorrow (Sara Lance/Mick Rory/Leonard Snart), 17k, Time Pirates Left alone in the Refuge, Mick and Sara decide they're going to be proactive about their fate. They end up becoming time pirates. Because of course they do.

THE WITCHER

A Beginners Guide to Exploiting the Kaedweni Tax Code For Fun and Profit by Heronfem The Witcher (Aiden/Lambert), 190k, WIP, AU-Modern Setting, AU-College/University Aiden Kett and Lambert Wilkson accidentally get married, and this is honestly probably the least of their problems.

By the Broken Lock That Freed Me by inexplicifics The Witcher, (muti), 46k, AU-Daemons, Accidental Warlord Series Aiden takes a contract on the Duke of Velen. He's not expecting the most interesting part of the whole affair to be meeting the duke's betrothed. His daemon thinks they should keep her. Aiden's not sure how that will work, given that he's already got a Wolf and doesn't know how Lambert and his daemon might feel about adding someone else to their little pack, but it's awfully tempting. And Cats aren't very good at resisting temptation.

Intent by tnico The Witcher (Aiden/Lambert), 18k, Non-Traditional A/B/O, 5+1 "You think I don't know what you're after?" Lambert accuses. "Well, I'd certainly hope you do, by this point in the evening," Aiden (so he says) agrees in a convincingly genial tone. It'd probably be enough to fool someone else on the matter of genuine interest.

SPIDERVERSE

gonna crack a rib (when i get home) by eneliii Spiderverse (gen), 40k, Cannon Divergence Miles Morales, recently landed in Earth 42, has had enough of everyone’s shit and he’s going to save his dad or so help him he’ll lose his mind. Miles Morales 42, just wants to know what the /hell/ is up with his doppelgänger.

MCU

The Hero's Journey; or: What Jasper Sitwell Did Last Summer by pagination MCU, Welcome to Night Vale (multi), 23k, Crossover The thing is, when an agent reaches clearance level five, it’s because they’re valuable, capable of something an exponentially diminishing few can offer in the ranks of SHIELD. Clint Barton, his personal issues notwithstanding, is unstoppable behind a scope. Jim Woo is an analyst and extractor par excellence. Melinda May has infiltrated half the presidential offices of Asia, and Phil Coulson has an instinct for the unusual that could be the basis of an entire TV show. Jasper’s less certain what he brings to the party.

If I Knew You Were Coming I'd've Baked a Cake by OddityBoddity MCU, Hawkeye (gen), 27k, Baking They’re the broken ones. That’s what Clint figures the rest think about him and Barnes. Clint with his eardrums trashed, Barnes with a regiment’s worth of trauma and a psychotic cybernetic arm, put in the same room and told to make nice while the others get to go on missions and do important things and save the world. Well they're not broken. So of course they got bored and tired of being sidelined and decided to entertain themselves. And of course they ended up wanted, running through the streets of Paris with bananas down their pants and gendarmes in pursuit. Of course they did.

[kiragecko]

Reached War Games in my Batgirl reread. I'm understanding a lot better why Babs left Gotham. She and Bruce really could NOT keep up that level of jockeying for position any longer. They both needed to be in charge. They had subtle but deeply incompatible ways of doing things. They were both hurting the people around them through their power plays.

Most of it is on Bruce's head - his increasing paranoia and closedness throughout the 2000s left him incapable of working with people in his city as equals. But Babs tendency to get sharp and mean when exhausted, angry, or overwhelmed definitely ate away at Bruce's limited sense of trust.

I can see why she works better with the Birds of Prey - Babs really does need to be working with adults who are capable of telling her she's being a jerk. Instead, in Gotham, she had a bunch of kids who got hurt by her snappishness, and an autistic man who just shut-down.

[mpreg98]

Twisted Fate

Gotham City’s endless war between Batman and the Joker has reached a boiling point. Years of battling have blurred the lines between hatred and obsession. Each encounter becomes more personal, the violence laced with an undeniable tension neither can ignore.

One night, after an intense rooftop confrontation, the fight takes an unexpected turn. The Joker, always one for theatrics, pulls Batman into a reckless kiss. Batman, shocked and furious, struggles against it—but for the first time, something inside him gives in. They part, breathless, both shaken by the moment.

The kiss haunts them both. Batman tries to bury his emotions, but Joker, ever the wild card, begins leaving cryptic messages that suggest their connection is deeper than either of them imagined. Over the next few encounters, they teeter on the edge of attraction and rivalry, their once-clear lines completely blurred.

Then, weeks later, the Joker disappears from Gotham’s streets. Batman investigates, thinking it’s another one of Joker’s sick games. But when he finally tracks him down, the truth is far more shocking than anything he expected—Joker is pregnant, and Batman is the father.

Joker, with his usual mocking grin, relishes in the chaos of the situation. Batman is horrified, torn between his duty and the strange bond he feels growing between them. As the pregnancy progresses, their relationship shifts. The Joker, while still as unpredictable as ever, begins to show vulnerability, forcing Batman to confront his feelings.

In the end, Gotham watches as its two greatest enemies stand united in the most unexpected way—Batman protecting the city from its dangers, and the Joker carrying their child, the product of chaos and darkness intertwined. Their future is uncertain, but the bond between them has changed Gotham forever.

[gamewarsstudios]

idk why but I’ve had crazy Tim Drake brain worms recently. So enjoy him absolutely exhausted about to save a woman on the Gotham subway. I hope you enjoy and stay safe. Bye!

[mamawasatesttube]

💚 for the ask game

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

.............man what DON'T they 😔 i dont even have to get into headcanon territory here bc everyone gets his CANON wrong 😭

a brief list of corrected popular misconceptions about kon-el:

his original character concept did not have anything to with lex luthor. for the first 10 years of his existence, he was a clone of a cadmus scientist that was genetically engineered to be as similar to superman as possible, then soft retconned into being simply a clone of superman. lex luthor had nothing to do with him whatsoever until a retcon in 2003.

he does not have a bad relationship with superman. he loves superman and superman loves him. superman never rejected him. you are mixing up comics canon with that animated tv show. comics clark and kon adore each other.

he is not banned from gotham city (lol??). there is no such thing as the "no metas in gotham" rule.

he's a huge geek. he loves star trek, star wars, wendy the werewolf stalker (in-universe buffy), plays magic the gathering, has watched akira, has a final fantasy poster in his room...

he and cass cain never were any sort of actual boyfriend/girlfriend. they went on one (1) date, at the end of which they decided they preferred to be friends.

he has had actual relationships with three people ever, two of which were instances of grooming and abuse.

he has strong feelings about clone rights and bodily autonomy. by which i mean no, he would not just be chill and fine with the idea of someone cloning him while he was dead. he would feel violated. please i'm begging you people to read superboy (1994) #87-90

[cazzam]

THE NEW AND IMPROVED CASSANDRA CAIN READING GUIDE

Cassandra Cain is the daughter of assassins David Cain and Sandra Wu-San (better known as Lady Shiva), and was raised by Cain. She is an expert hand-to-hand combatant, and able to read body language to the point of interpreting complex thoughts, but learning to communicate better through speech and text. She has operated as a vigilante under the names of Batgirl, Kasumi, Black Bat, and Orphan, and is currently sharing the title of Batgirl with Stephanie Brown and Barbara Gordon.

Basic Reading

Batgirl (2000)

Batman: Gates of Gotham (2011)

Detective Comics (2016) #934-987

Batman and the Outsiders (2019)

Batgirls (2021)

Spirit World (2023)

Birds of Prey (2023)

Batgirl (2024)

Cassandra's major appearances are listed in chronological order (mostly) under the cut. My favorites are bolded.

No Man's Land

All issues collected in Batman: No Man's Land (2011) vol. 2-4. I recommend reading the entire event.

Batman (1940) #567 [first appearance]

Detective Comics (1937) #734

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120 [Cassandra takes up Batgirl mantle]

Azrael: Agent of the Bat #56-57

Batman (1940) #569

The Batman Chronicles #18

Azrael: Agent of the Bat #60-61

Robin (1993) #73

As Batgirl

Issues that are part of events may be confusing out of context.

Batman: Gotham Knights #2, 5

Batman: Gotham City Secret Files and Origins [first story]

Batgirl (2000) #1-2

Young Justice (1998) #21

Batgirl (2000) #3-11, 12 [Officer Down start]

Birds of Prey (1999) #27

Catwoman (1993) #90 [Officer Down end]

Batgirl (2000) Annual #1, #13-19

Harley Quinn (2000) #10

Robin (1993) #88 [first meeting with Stephanie Brown]

Batgirl (2000) #20, 21 [Joker: Last Laugh start]

Joker: Last Laugh #3

Supergirl (1996) #63 [transphobia cw, Joker: Last Laugh end]

DC First: Batgirl/Joker

Batgirl (2000) #22-23, 24 [Bruce Wayne: Murderer? / Fugitive start]

Robin (1993) #98

Batgirl (2000) #25-29

Batman (1940) #605 [Bruce Wayne: Murderer? / Fugitive end]

Batgirl: Secret Files and Origins

Batgirl (2000) #30-32

Batman: Gotham Knights #33, 35

Batgirl (2000) #33-38

Batman: Family #7

Detective Comics (1937) #782 [backup], 790

Nightwing (1996) #81

Superboy (1994) #85 [first meeting with Kon-El/Conner Kent]

Batgirl (2000) #39-44

Batman: Gotham Knights #42, 45-46, 48-49

Robin (1993) #119

Batgirl (2000) #45-47

Superman/Batman #5

Batgirl (2000) #48-50

Birds of Prey (1999) #61, 63

Batgirl (2000) #51-53

Solo #10 [third story]

Detective Comics (1937) #796 [backup]

Robin (1993) #127-128

Batgirl (2000) #54

War Games

All issues collected in Batman: War Games (2015). I don't recommend reading the entire event.

Detective Comics (1937) #797

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #182

Nightwing (1996) #96

Batgirl (2000) #55

Batman (1940) #631

Batgirl (2000) #56

Nightwing (1996) #98

Batgirl (2000) #57

Batgirl in Bludhaven

Robin (1993) #132 [Fresh Blood start]

Batgirl (2000) #58

Robin (1993) #133

Batgirl (2000) #59 [Fresh Blood end]

Batman Allies: Secret Files and Origins 2005 [third story]

Batgirl (2000) #60-73

With the League of Assassins and Deathstroke

I don't recommend reading anything in this section except Batgirl (2008) #6.

Robin (1993) #148-151, 161-162

Supergirl (2005) #14

World War III #2

Teen Titans (2003) #43-46

Batman and the Outsiders (2007)

Batgirl (2008) [recap of this era. Bruce adopts Cassandra]

As Black Bat

Battle for the Cowl: The Network

Batgirl (2009) #1 [Cassandra gives Batgirl mantle to Stephanie]

Red Robin #17

Batman Incorporated (2011) #6

Red Robin #25

Batman: Gates of Gotham

As Orphan

The New 52 reboot changed Cassandra’s origins, personality, and relationships with other characters. Rebirth was a soft reboot that kept New 52 canon but brought back elements from the previous continuity.

Batman and Robin Eternal #1-9, 11-14, 17-26 [New 52]

Detective Comics (2016) #934-940 [Rebirth]

Batman (2016) #7 [Night of the Monster Men start]

Nightwing (2016) #5

Detective Comics (2016) #941

Batman (2016) #8

Nightwing (2016) #6

Detective Comics (2016) #942 [Night of the Monster Men end], 943-962

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #15

Detective Comics (2016) #963-964

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #15-17

Detective Comics (2016) #965-981, 983-987

Batman and the Outsiders (2019)

DC: The Doomed and the Damned [seventh story]

Batman: The Joker War Zone [second story]

Batman (2016) #104

Return of Batgirl

The Infinite Frontier reboot considers all past continuities canon.

Infinite Frontier #0

Batman Secret Files: The Signal

Batman: Urban Legends #3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14

The Joker (2021) #3-4, 7, 11-12, 15

Detective Comics (2016) #1038 [backup], 1049, 1052, 1057

Batman (2016) #112 [main], 115-116 [backups]

Nightwing (2016) #85-86

Batman (2016) #117 [backup]

Batgirls #1-6

Task Force Z #8

DC Pride: Tim Drake Special

Robin (2021) #15

Detective Comics (2016) #1061

Batgirls #7

Catwoman (2018) #45

Batgirls #8-12

Batman One Bad Day: Two-Face

Tim Drake: Robin #4

Batgirls Annual 2022, #13-19

Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate [fourth story]

Spirit World (2023)

Birds of Prey (2023) #1- [ongoing]

Detective Comics (2016) #1084 [backup]

Other Appearances

Ghost/Batgirl [Dark Horse Comics crossover]

Batman: Outlaws #2

Batman: City of Light [not recommended]

Justice League Elite [as Kasumi]

Wonder Woman (2006) #600 [second story]

Batgirl (2016) #50 [third story]

DC Festival of Heroes [first story]

Truth & Justice #6 [#16-18 digital first]

Alternate Universes

Tiny Titans #33, 39, 43, 45

Batgirl: Futures End

Convergence: Batgirl

Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey (2020)

DCeased: Unkillables / Dead Planet #5 / War of the Undead Gods

Shadow of the Batgirl [YA graphic novel]

Dark Knights: Death Metal Robin King [backup]

Future State: The Next Batman #2, 4 [second stories]

Batman: Wayne Family Adventures [webtoon]

DC vs. Vampires

Dark Knights of Steel #9

Last updated: April 23, 2024

[ectonurites]

Are Tim and Cass Cain actually close in canon? Or is that more of a fanon thing that gained canon status?

Alright, so the tldr answer is that yes pre-reboot they were close—but it wasn't something that happened immediately/right off the bat, it took time, and they didn't always perfectly see eye-to-eye. But like, it's not just some totally fanon thing, they were absolutely close.

I'm using past-tense in the above though because it's like... all the actual content with them becoming/being close is pre-reboot. Anything post-reboot with them either had them back at square one (during N52 stuff) or like, just sort of handwavey 'oh they're close again' without much actual elaboration/explanation. Theoretically nowadays everything's canon again so all the old stuff applies, but as far as I'm aware nothing has really dug all that deep back into the two of them/their dynamic.

Now, to give a brief crash course on Tim & Cass's relationship in canon...

Early on they weren’t all that close because Tim was absolutely intimidated by her & her background and like, in general seemed to just find her kinda off-putting:

(Robin (1993) #73)

However Tim eventually gets over himself & after working side-by-side with her a little bit realizes he shouldn't let being intimidated by her stop them from being friends and working together:

(Batgirl (2000) #18)

After this point they work together on several occasions, definitely communicating much better than in their initial appearances together and clearly getting along well. They're a fun lil duo:

(Superman/Batman Vol. 1 #5, Superboy Vol. 4 #85)

Then… after a while, War Games happens. Gotham goes to shit, Steph dies (well, we nowadays know she didn't really, but they sure were both grieving) and so they both independently move to Blüdhaven, which leads us to the Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood crossover. Which has some fun little moments with them:

(Batgirl (2000) #58)

As well as some on the more tense side, as they both navigate mourning Steph and the clashes in their ideologies/approaches to hero work—the fact that Cass wants to be & be like Batman, and the fact that Tim absolutely does not:

(Batgirl (2000) #59)

After the crossover they mostly do their own thing staying out of each other's ways in Blüdhaven—though they do get another little story together in this timeframe in Batman Allies: Secret Files & Origins that sort of rehashes the above conflict during some training together & a team-up.

And we DO also get the cute (and oft-mentioned by the fandom) moment where Tim mentions she frequently breaks into his house to shower & steal rice krispies (just for clarity sake, while fandom almost exclusively calls her 'Cass' largely to avoid confusion with Cassandra 'Cassie' Sandsmark, within the comics themselves both Cassandras get called 'Cass' and 'Cassie' at various points—considering Cass is the one who lives in the same city as Tim at this point in canon, that's definitely who he's talking about here)

(Robin (1993) #138)

So like, at this point they are absolutely comfortable with one another and pretty close, but just, they don't see eye-to-eye on everything so it's not some flawless friendship (and I say friendship specifically because at this point we're still a few years out from them actually becoming siblings). But it's absolutely an interesting dynamic!

Then… after Infinite Crisis we get to the One Year Later/OYL era which is... bad for Cass. Terrible horrible character assassination we all refer to as the 'Evil Cass arc' which began in Tim's book. I don't wanna pull panels from it because it's just... it's bad!!!!!!!!!!!! There's a reason it got retconned into Cass having been brainwashed—because it was bad.

I guess the only thing worth bringing up here in relation to Tim & Cass's relationship though (because as mentioned, Cass gets retconned into it having been brainwashing so anything from her in this era is irrelevant/moot) is the fact that Tim was obviously very upset about the whole situation because Cass is someone he cares about and he even says he considers family.

To fast forward through that mess, when we get to the end of it and the 'oh it was brainwashing haha!' retcon, Tim was the one to have on hand a counter-serum that could free her from Deathstroke's control:

(Teen Titans Vol. 3 #44)

Once Cass is no longer forced to be evil and ooc, she gets a little mini at the end of which Bruce formally offers to adopt her (and Tim, who had earlier been adopted by Bruce, is present for this—so from this point on they go from a more general 'we're like family' to actually 'we are adopted siblings').

Buuuut then Final Crisis & Battle for the Cowl both occur and Cass gets extremely pushed aside by DC, giving up the Batgirl mantle to Steph and heading off to Hong Kong.

At which point we find out that Tim & Cass have actually kept in contact (just... off-panel) during this time when she's been out of Gotham and he's been off doing all sorts of stuff:

(Red Robin #17)

When they see each other in person again, Tim urges her to be a Bat again. Maybe not Batgirl if that's not what she wants, but to wear the symbol and be part of the family. (Which she does take him up on, keeping the suit he brought her and becoming Black Bat).

She pops up again at the end of Red Robin to save Tim & also help him pull off a fake assassination attempt on himself—ya know standard stuff.

And then right before the reboot we get to see them working alongside Damian and Dick in Gates of Gotham, and see one final time that yeah—these two have kept in touch after everything, and are definitely far more on one another's wavelength nowadays than they were back in the 'fresh out of War Games' era:

(Batman: Gates of Gotham #2, #5)

So like, does fanon over exaggerate them and their relationship? Aaaaabsolutely—that’s what fanon does. But they did definitely become close after everything they went through and had a fun dynamic together!

Sadly though, as I mentioned at the start of the post, the n52 wiped everything back to a clean slate. And while nowadays post-Infinite Frontier everyone’s histories have been restored their dynamic has never really been the same again.

[zahri-melitor]

Playing with Tim's preboot schooling timeline again:

7th Grade (12): Tim is at an unnamed boarding school. By my own timeline Jason dies in April close to the end of this school year.

(Tim turns 13 and Jason turns 15 over the summer. Fight me on Jason dying at 14 and 9 months, it's the best way to make his listed death date of 27 April work with the rest of the timeline and known birth dates)

8th Grade (13): Tim starts the year at an unnamed boarding school, becomes Robin. At some point after Haiti he is transferred to a local public school for the remainder of the year, while Jack is in hospital.

Note: this ‘year’ covers 1988-1992 in comics, and a good chunk of it is buried in ‘Bruce mourning Jason’ and ‘time Tim spends training’.

9th Grade (14): Tim starts at Gotham Heights High School, which is on the mainland near Bristol not Gotham proper, prior to Robin II. Tim remains at Gotham Heights High for the school year, until early No Man's Land where Jack looks at having Tim study from home in Keystone until they settle in.

Tim then spends the summer holidays and up to Christmas in No Man's Land, turning 15 there.

10th Grade (15): Tim is enrolled at Brentwood Academy from January to close to the end of the school year.

Tim has to take a 10th grade equivalency test over the summer in Robin #107 to prove he's at an educational standard to be enrolled in 11th grade after the holidays. Following this Tim turns 16 over the summer and has moved to live in Gotham proper.

Notes: the real reason Tim probably had to take this test is due to his schooling disruption from No Man's Land, unless Brentwood is not considered to be an accredited school.

11th Grade (16): Tim starts the year at Louis E. Grieve Memorial High School, but within a month War Games happens and he subsequently moves to Bludhaven, where he enrols at John Wayne High School for a couple of days before dropping out completely. Tim spends the rest of this school year living in Bludhaven and then on the world trip with Dick & Bruce.

Tim turns 17.

12th Grade (17): Tim is enrolled in Gotham City High School by Bruce on their return to Gotham. Tim completes part of the school year there, but drops out before graduation.

Noted oddity: Prior to Tim dropping out in the last few issues of Robin, Steph is also at Gotham City High, despite traditionally being considered a year ahead of him, and Steph starting at Gotham University in Reborn.

Way to resolve this: Steph spent at least 6 months studying from home during her pregnancy AND at least 18 months in Africa at Leslie's Aid camp. When she got back to Gotham Crystal enrolled her back in high school while Steph completed applications for university and had whatever schooling she received while in Africa transferred. Steph started at Gotham University as a mid-year entry given the disruption in her education.

Alternately, Tim 'dropping out of school' was him missing the last few weeks of 12th Grade and not officially graduating as he took off to look for Bruce. Steph then proceeded to start university a year 'late' at the start of the academic year in Batgirl 2009. However, this explanation would place Tim at 18 years of age for Red Robin, while we know he was still 17 as of Red Robin #12.