#I missed the batfam rabbit hole

[cristalheart]

I watched a Death of the family motion comic last night and that joker is SCARY. Anyway, I'm wondering: WHAT THE FUCK DOES BRUCE NEED TO KILL THE JOKER? 💀

[like-rain-or-confetti]

could you write more about riddler and scarecrow daughter? It's really cute! I wonder what the batfamily thinks of her, maybe scared of the type of person she'll become considering who her dads are lol

I will give thee Batfam and some bonus characters!

Batman: He understands why Abby was afraid of him. Towering man with massive muscles, dressed as a bat and more often than not having to beat her parents and those around her to a pulp. He often tries to think of a way to show her she has nothing to fear but understands that's very much like the scary monster in the closet trying to reach out. It would just make it worse. He often keeps a distance but looks out for any signs of abuse. Thankfully, it seems both rogues seem to have put their best foot forward. Batman does have a concern that one day both will abandon Abigail for a selfish reason given their records.

Nightwing: He doesn't really know her well as she's not around when her fathers start trouble. However, he's aware of the little girl's existence and her fear of Batman. Naturally, he assumes she'd be afraid of him too by association. However before she knew he was with Batman, she found his acrobatic skills rather entertaining. That's when he found out she really is just the typical little girl. He'll give the Riddler and Scarecrow that much, they've done a good job raising the girl so far. Now he hopes they don't fuck it up.

Robin: So he'd heard rumours of the Riddler and Scarecrow sharing a kid. That threw him into a rabbit hole, wondering if the two rogues were a couple. Not that he was judging! Of course he wasn't! It was just...he didn't see it. Even when he squinted- and believe me he tried. Barbara has to slap him upside the head to snap him out of it when he dared suggested asking Abigail if her dads were a couple. He just didn't know what they had in common beyond the scrawny and nerdy characters. So he didn't actually have any thoughts for the girl but had lots of questions for the two rogues🤔 "But Barb! What's that custody like!? I can't be the only one-OW!"

Jason: Only became aware of her existence when he was working with Scarecrow as the Arkham Knight. He even saw her for himself once or twice but didn't have any desire to meet the girl. She was the typical ordinary girl with a large imagination. She was a little shy and definitely isolated. After all, she didn't have any friends, especially kids her age. He pitied her for that. Seemed like a cruelty in itself to be brought into the world so lonely. Yet she didn't seem to know what she's missing. He keeps an eye on her when she's around. As far as he was concerned, she was innocent and there was still a piece of him that wanted to protect that. No matter how much he tried to ignore the girl and swallow that protective urge back.

Barbara: She thinks Abby might be a future criminal, simply because she noted how Abigail was removed from public school for a very brief time and had been home schooled since. She'd met her once or twice when their respective fathers were in the GCPD. She kept the little girl company a few times. Abigail was surprisingly bright, cheery but quick-witted. She definitely sounded like the Riddler at times when it came to confidence but for her, it was actually cute. For the Riddler...not so much.

Alfred: Never actually met her obviously but from what he hears from the others, he reckons she's a lovely little girl, much to his surprise. He only hopes she doesn't follow in her fathers footsteps and go into a life of crime. Although given her company, it seemed it wouldn't be anything different.

Jim Gordon: He feels bad for the girl. Legally, she's Riddler and Scarecrow's. The certificate was revealed but how they got her or that certificate is very suspicious. But it's so air tight that he literally can't investigate it because there's not cause. He fears the worst for Abigail deeming it only a matter of time before she follows the wrong path like her fathers and is looking for any hints of mistreatment. He doesn't trust the rogues to look after her at all.

As for writing more for Abigail, I encourage everyone to send anything they'd like that they haven't. I have a few in the works and a few on my list, so you will get more 🥰

[prettylittlebutterflie]

It All Started With A Break

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31840603

Okay, so I have fallen down the rabbit hole known as MariBat and I just can't stop all the ideas I have because of this and decided that enough is enough and I am doing it.

This is my very first fanfic - or any fic actually - but I hope you guys like it and be WARNED that some of you may find some part of this story that's similar with another and that may've been because I really liked the idea when I read it and wanna have a kinda similar thing here and the same goes with some trope of this fanfic in the future, but I'll do my best to keep it unique. I am also new to the DCU, but I'm doing research and planning to binge watch stuff and if you could please help this poor soul find a way to navigate and somehow get an idea on how that universe work (especially abt the batfam), I'll be forever grateful to thy savior.

This fic is canon until S4 Ep 1&2 (Truth & Lie) of MLU and as for the rest, I'll let you guys know.

So yeah, that's all. Enjoy and hope you guys like it. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

P.S. Sorry I kinda ranted, this is my first time actually posting smth so bear with me people

SYNOPSIS

It’s been four years ever since Hawkmoth, who now goes by the name Shadow Moth, began his reign of terror in Paris. Four years worth of akumas that have brought pain and suffering. Four years of no rest in controlling their emotions, afraid of what may come if they were controlled.

After four long years, the Miraculous Team can finally see a ray of light. Everything they have sacrificed for that one goal they all share is finally going to be repaid… Not.

Locating Hawkmoth was easier said than done, and the frustration is finally getting to them. With that, it was decided that they need a break from their hero lives — ok, maybe not. After all, Shadow Moth is proving himself to be a workaholic (like dude, don’t you have anything better to do than destroy everyone’s schedule?) — but anyways, it was clear. THEY. NEED. A. BREAK. Away from Paris. Away from Hawkmoth. Away from the frickin akumas.

So yeah, that’s how it was decided (more like forced) that they are going to America to relax, let loose, and have some fun. After all, who knows, maybe a break is all they need to get things to start getting better — or worse.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

PROLOGUE

“Alright. So, we are going to take a break—”

“For two months.”

“For two months. And because it’s supposed to be a break, that means—”

“No thinking of anything Moth related.”

“No thinking of anything Moth rela— Moth related?”

“You know, Hawkmoth, Red Moth, Shadow Moth, those Moths.”

“Right. Moths. Aside from Moths, it also means—’

“No thinking of akumas.”

“No thinking of akumas. For this entire break, we’re not going to think about—”

“Anything Miraculous related.”

“Anything Miraculous related. Alya, do you really need to do that every time I’m about to say it?”

“It’s because she knows you. We know you. It’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous, how you always promise not to worry about something, especially anything Miraculous related, just to break it the moment anything related to it comes up. So, yes. She needs to say it and repeat it as much as possible for it to go through that head of yours.”

“Guys, I swear, I’m really going to follow through with this plan. I did agree that we need to unwind ourselves since we’re getting way too stressed and that won’t help us focus on our job.”

“Only after we bugged you about it. Get it? Bugged. Pfft—”

“Hey! Puns are my thing. And you shouldn’t be saying it like that. You’re making it ape-solutely obvious and that makes it not punny anymore”

“Dude, do you really have to do that? That’s so not paw-some. Pfft—”

“All puns aside, it is true that we had to convince you, Mari-hime, to agree on taking a break. Although I rarely take a break from fencing, my Mother and I are aware of the importance of having one and may I also remind you that you were the one who taught us that.”

“And that’s why I told you guys to go have one.”

“But you plus the kitty are the ones who need it the most. Remember what future-me said? About you two always leading us and how she— or rather I am the last one called upon? That means you guys are always gonna work while the rest of us may or may not be needed in some fights.”

“There is a 97.6% probability of you two showing up in fights.”

“Because we have to. It’s our responsibility as the one leading our team.”

“M’lady’s right. Besides, there were only the two of us in the beginning and with all the akumas, we just got used to it.”

“But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to rest. The music I’m hearing from both of you is filled with the stress you guys have and it doesn’t sound nice. Maybe you two unwinding will help make it more beautiful and even more powerful than before.”

“Fine. We’re all taking a break—”

“Especially you and Adrien.”

“Especially Adrien and I, for a month. Now, does anyone have any ideas on how we're gonna do that?”

“Ooh! Me, me! I have a competition coming up this summer break so I can’t really go anywhere too far since I have some training to do.”

“I’m sticking with the ape. Gotta keep an eye on him if I don’t want him messing up with the timeline. Plus, it’ll be pretty fun beating him up every time he asks for a challenge.”

“Hey!”

“The same goes for me. Someone has to make sure the correct time is recorded with not a single millisecond of it missed. Kwami knows how many times he messes it up whenever he does the recording himself.”

“Okay. So Kim, Alix, and Max will be staying in Paris. Are you guys sure that you’ll be able to take a break even if you’re in the city?”

“Yeah, we're fine. And I am totally beating you next time, little bunny.”

“Whatever. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, y’know.”

“Anything else?”

“Oh, I have an internship in America this coming summer. The one at the Daily Planet. I just got the email and I was finally given an invite!”

“Really? Cool! Told you you’ll get it, babe!”

“Yeah! That’s really awesome, Alya! So I’m assuming you'll be accepting that?”

“You got it, girl! I mean, this is the Daily Planet we’re talkin’ about. I’ll learn so much about writing and journalism there, I’ve just got to take it.”

“So Alya’s going to America. Anyone else with plans outside of the country?”

“There will be an upcoming world-class fencing competition this summer and Mother and I have discussed my participation in it. It will be held in the States as well, specifically Gotham, two weeks before the end of the summer break. Maybe you should participate in it as well, Adrien. That way, you’ll have an excuse for your father to leave the country. I’m sure Mother will be happy to convince him as well to let you participate in it. That way, at the very least, I’ll have someone I know who’ll be an actual challenge.”

“Really? That actually sounds great! I’m sure Father would agree if your mother’s the one who suggested it. Thanks Kagami!”

“Okay. Kagami and hopefully Adrien will have a fencing competition in America too.”

“My Dad is having a tour in America right now. He’ll be having the last one at Metropolis during the summer break. He actually wants me to go with him, but I declined. It’ll be great if we all could go there and see it.”

“Dude, that’s so cool! Maybe you’ll even get to perform with your dad on stage. You did make that song with him that reached the record chart’s top. I’ve even made a playlist based on it.”

“Okay then, that makes Alya, Kagami, Adrien, and Luka going to the States. Chloe, do you also have plans to go there this summer? Maman said your mother was thinking of inviting you to be one of the models in an upcoming fashion show there.”

“She did mention something like that, but I wasn’t really paying attention to details once I found out that it’ll be outside of Paris. I’ll discuss it with her again then I can have my much needed vacation in the States.”

“So now that makes five of you going to America. Nino?”

“Well, I don’t really have any plans this summer. Just chill out and relax, y’know, make some playlist, listen to some music.”

“Ooh! How about you come with us, babe? That’ll be so cool and not all of us will be doing something most of the time while we’re there. You can just chill and relax there and maybe you could even study the kind of music they listen to and make a playlist out of it.”

“I would love to go, but I don’t think I really got the money for it. ‘Sides, my parents might not allow me to go out of the country.”

“You’re already 18 and if your parents ever say no, just tell them that you want to really relax, without keeping your emotions in check and have the freedom to let it out. I’m sure they’ll understand and unlike my Father, they actually listen to you.”

“As for the money, I have some savings and if you want I can lend you some-”

“But-”

“Lend. I’m not just giving it to you. You will have to pay me back, alright? And if you try to say no again, I’m going to insist that you don’t pay me anymore.”

“You sure? You're the best! Thanks, Minette.”

“No problem. So now that makes six of them—”

“Seven.”

“What?”

“Seven. We’re including you.”

“Me? But Alya, I already got plans this summer.”

“Plans? What plans?”

“I was planning on working on my commissions this summer an— Guys, can you all stop rolling your eyes on me and no, Chloe. I don’t need you doing it again.”

“Girl! We all agreed that we’re going to take a break this summer. How does doing your commissions sound like a break to you?”

“You all got your own thing to do this summer and mine just happens to be those. Also, the break was for anything Miraculous related. My commissions don't exactly fall under that.”

“Nope. We actually all agreed that for you, commissions should be added to the list of things you get to take a break from.”

“Adrien! I thought you’re supposed to be my partner? So much for the two of us against the world.”

“He is still your partner alright. But also, as someone who truly cares about you, he decided that you really needed a break. And besides girl, this could be your chance!”

“Chance? What chance?”

“Your pen pal! Doesn’t he live in Gotham? You could go and finally meet him. Who knows? Maybe something might happen.”

“Ooh, he’s from there? That’s awesome! You should totally go meet him. Maybe you could even go on a date or two-”

“A date?! Kim, he’s just a frie-”

“You stop right there, Dupain-Cheng! It’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! All of us already had enough with Adrikins always calling you ‘just a friend’ when it’s pretty obvious how totally untrue that statement was. We don’t need you ending up just like him, thank you very much.”

“But he really is-”

“Yeah right. If he really is just a friend, then why do you guys stay up all night talking to each other? You always immediately check your phone whenever a notif comes up and you smile like a love-sick fool whenever you read his messages for you. And don’t get me started on the way you gush about him non-stop.”

“There is something beautiful in your music whenever you talk or even think about him.”

“Your smiles are much brighter compared to before the two of you got to know each other.”

“Markov and I also have a record of your heartbeat and we have observed your heart beating faster whenever we talk about this certain topic.”

“And it's been more than a year since you two have become pen pals. The two of you are now so close that it’s a wonder why you guys still haven’t video-called each other just because you insist for your first time seeing each other to be in person.”

“I think it’s rather romantic. They’ll look into each other’s eyes for the first time then BAM! They’re finally together. But I still plan on giving him a shovel talk the first chance I get. Can’t have him break my twin’s heart without him knowing I have the god of destruction on my side.”

“What do you mean shovel talk- I mean, what even gives you the idea that he thinks of me that way for you guys to assume that we’ll end up in… in that kind of relationship?”

“He’d be an idiot if he still hasn’t fallen in love with you.”

“Literally almost everyone I know had a crush on you or have you forgotten already that my boyfriend’s one of those people?”

“I know for a fact that that’s true since I’ve already admitted that one of my reasons why I began bullying you back then was because I had a crush on you.”

“I must admit, I think I also had the same feeling towards you at the beginning of our friendship until I really got to know Luka and you helped us get together.”

“Oh! There’s also that. Do you actually know just how many people you’ve helped get together, buginette? Alya’s even written an article about it at the Ladyblog of how you are also known as Paris’s own cupid and how all of the couples you’ve paired ended up living a happy life together.”

“Everyone’s been saying how Ladybug’s the next best person they can go to if they ever want to find love after Andre.”

“And yet every time you try to pair yourself with someone, the magic just doesn’t seem to work.”

“So we all decided that we’ll be Ladybug’s cupid and pair her up with the boy she just can’t seem to get off of her head.”

“Now, you coming or what? I won’t be taking the money you’ll be lending me if you say no. I’m only going with these dudes if you also come or else I’ll just end up getting bored when there’s no one who can go around the city with me.”

“...”

“““...”””

“Fine. You guys win—”

“““YES!”””

“So here’s the final plan for the break. Kim, Alix, and Max will be staying in Paris for Kim’s competition, while the rest of us will be going to America doing our own stuff—”

“With you finally meeting your pen pal.”

“Yes. Alright. I’ll go and meet my pen pal. And during the break, no thinking about anything miraculous related. If ever there’s an akuma, only those who’ll be needed will go. Max will bring us to the akuma’s location and if there is anything going on that we can’t be excused of or if the fight goes longer than expected, Alix will bring us back in time making it look like we just went to the toilets, the usuals. Any questions?”

“““Non.”””

“Good. Operation: Taking a Break is good to go.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Yay! Finally got to post it. So comments? What do you guys think and who do you think who is saying what? I know there will be new holders in S4, but I decided I’ll either make them a temp or they still don’t know the other’s identities bc of stuff, so yeah. Still thinking abt it. Adios (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31840603

[babbilon]

This is my second contribution to @batfam-big-bang – for @nycis‘ fic, Time Loops. The fic will be posted on their blog as well as their AO3. It’s a really neat story that features Steph as the heroine, who manages to save the entire bat family from the Cluemaster’s schemes. I had a lot of fun reading it and working on this piece!!

Image ID below the cut.

EDIT: The fic was renamed to Rewind and I didn't realize, I'm very sorry for the mix up!

[IMAGE ID: The image is set in an abstract, geometrical space. A misshapen purple alarm clock with missing hands is stretched from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. Stephanie Brown, the Spoiler, is free-falling through the scene, with her arms outstretched and her purple cape billowing behind her. Coffee is spilling from her floating eggplant mug in the bottom left corner, and a few waffles are scattered in the top right corner of the image. Steph, with determination in her blue eyes, is looking up toward the gothic mirror falling alongside her. In the mirror is her father, the Cluemaster, looking down at her with the same blue eyes, and with his hand clasped at his back. The scene is reminiscent of the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. END ID.]

[littleeyesofpallas]

Batman shenanigans...

So, I’m the type of would-be writer that gets easily bogged down in plotting and planning and researching minutia more than writing actual moment to moment scenes and dialog, and the rabbit hole I’ve found myself tumbling down most recently has been this��

I wanted to rewrite Jason’s Red Hood origin story; from his death and resurrection, up until his big return.  Under the Hood has a great finale and a memorable confrontation scene between Jason and Bruce, but in all honesty, the plot surrounding it is pretty blase.  And granted, that’s mostly because there were no real long term plans for Jason as Red Hood beyond the big twist, so the initial story wasn’t really written with any solid themes, overarching direction, or character integrity in mind.  But then on top of that things attempting to elaborate on the intervening years (Lost Days, and that weird thing they did in the first Red Hood & The Outlaws) also just aren’t especially well handled.  They tend to be narrow in scope, isolated within continuity, and not especially thematically substantive.

But here we are, at a point in Jason’s character and publication history, where I think there’s just a lot that can be done with revisiting the idea of his Red Hood debut, as well as the events leading up to it, that could better incorporate his character’s themes and personal history.  Something that until somewhat recently had all just felt a little too fresh, still, to really warrant any kind of rewrite and retcon.

The first big question I had to ask myself was, “How long was Jason dead/gone?” because to have gone from a somewhat under accomplished Robin to a credible threat to Batman himself, needs time, even with remarkable circumstances surrounding his training.  So, I needed to figure out how long I really needed/had available to work with for his training, as well as what that training would entail; and part of figuring that out also meant taking stock of all the Batfam events Jason missed while gone.  Basically, I had to figure out what Batfam events I wanted to keep in my new continuity, and draw up a timeline to keep track of them all…

So, taking a cue from the old Superman & Batman: Generations elseworlds comic —in which John Byrne re-envisions the World’s Finest’s superhero careers as if they had debuted in the year of their first issues, and aged in sync with the real world ever since— I anchored my timeline around Jason’s death in 1988 and just started working out fixed measurements from there…

For example, When Jason becomes Robin, Dick had recently retired the costume and gone to college, putting something of a finite age range on Dick, which helps orient his and Jason’s relative ages, and in turn lets me pinpoint their years of birth, and by proxy nail down Bruce’s age if we consider he adopts Dick in Year Two as Batman.  And going off Batman: Year One’s premise of Bruce starting his vigilante career at age 25, it gives me a solid grasp of his age as well.

One problem of course came from the early days of The Dynamic Duo; namely Robin’s time between the ages of 8 and ~17(leaving for college) which lasted the awkward 40-odd years of publication.  My solution was to scale the years in publication to his two confirmable ages at the time of The Flying Graysons’ deaths(8yo) and his leave for college(age 17); resulting in a ratio of 1 in-world year:~4.44 publication years.

Applying this to the years before 1980(when Dick leaves for college) in turn pinpoints Babs’ debut as Batgirl, which ironically ends up scaling down to the same year Jason first appears as part of The Flying Todds. (I kept the date of his appearance, but opted to keep his later origin story)

Anyway, while this process was fun and all (and hopefully leads to something a little more productive in the future) the bottom line here is that I just wanted to share the timeline I’ve constructed, because it paints a somewhat jarring picture of everyone’s ages, relative to one another and at the time of certain major events.

Now!  Enjoy this harrowing examination of the relative ages of all your favorite Batfam characters, if they didn’t all just hover around the ages of 18-30!

1970: YEAR ONE 

Bruce Wayne is 25 - becomes Batman (parents died 17y ago)

Barbara Gordon is 15 (just entering High school

Jean-Paul Valley is 1

In 1 year…

8yo Dick Grayson will watch his parents will die

1976: BATMAN & ROBIN - THE DYNAMIC DUO

Bruce is 31, Barbara is 21 (graduating with her Bachelors)

Dick is 13 - becomes Robin

Helena Bertinelli is 8 - watches her parents die

1979: BATGIRL

Bruce is 34, Dick is 16 (has been Robin for 3 years)

Babs is 24 - becomes Batgirl

already completed a PhD in Library Science

Jason Todd is 8 - watches parents die

in 1 year…

35yo Bruce will have been Batman for 10 years

17yo Dick will be shot, fake death, & go to college

join the New Teen Titans(?)

1983:  JUST ANOTHER KID ON CRIME ALLEY

Bruce is 38, Dick is 20, Babs is 28

Jason is 12 - becomes the 2nd Robin 

Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain are both 1yo

In 1 year…

21yo Dick becomes Nightwing

1988: DEATH IN THE FAMILY & KILLING JOKE

Bruce is 43, Dick is 25

Jason is 17 - murdered

Babs is 33 - shot and paralyzed

Lucas Fox is born

In 1 year…

Babs becomes Oracle

21yo Helena becomes Huntress

12yo Kate Kane watches her mother and sister die

1990: A LONELY PLACE OF DYING

Bruce is 45, Dick is 27, Babs is 35

Tim Drake is 13yo - becomes the 3rd Robin

Tim Drake & Kate Kane are the same age

Cassandra Cain is 8yo -  just killed her first man

1992: KNIGHT FALL

Bruce is 47, Dick is 29, Babs is 37, Tim & Kate are 15

Stephanie Brown is 10 - becomes Spoiler

Jean-Paul Valley is 23 - becomes Azrael

Renee Montoya is 21 - joins GCPD, partnered with Harvey Bullock

In 1 year…

48yo Bruce will have back broken by Bane

24yo Jean-Paul will become Batman

1995: LOST DAYS

Bruce is 50, Dick is 32, Helena is 27, Kate is 18, Cass is 13

Babs is 40 - forms Birds of Prey

Tim is 18 - retires as Robin, goes to college

based on Unmasked happening while Tim is in high school, but pushing to senior year to accommodate Spoiler’s age

Steph is 13 - becomes the 4th Robin

keeping War Games in ‘04, Steph gets more time as Robin

Calvin Rose is 8 - locked in kennel by his father

In 1 year…

Jason will rise from the dead (with the body of a 17yo)

33yo Dick will relocate to Bludhaven

51 yo Bruce and ??yo Talia will conceive Damian

1999: NO MAN’S LAND

Bruce is 54, Dick is 36, Babs is 44, Jason is “20,” Kate is 22

Tim is 22 - returns as Robin

Steph is 17 - pregnant

Helena is 31, Cass is 17 - sequence of Batgirls

Duke Thomas and Harper Row are 1 

Steph being 10 when she starts as Spoiler is also a little hard to believe, I know.  And her having a thing with Tim 5 years her senior is pretty squicky. (It’s not a big age gap for adults, but the fact that Tim would be 20 when she’s 15 is pretty, bleugh!)

But the problem is that I anchored her to her teen pregnancy in 1999, and a pregnancy scare at 18 or 19 doesn’t really feel like a big deal, (I mean, it is as a personal thing, but not so much as a publication thing*, if that makes sense?) which made 17 about as old as I could make her at that time.

*Pregnant at 18 or 19 is just, “wow, you’re young, and this was probably a bad idea, and you’re not ready… but you’re also a legal consenting adult and this isn’t some kind of cause for moral panic, just kinda trashy…” territory, and not like a big controversial, 90s-dark-age, comic-selling gimmick, you know?

2001: JOKER’S LAST LAUGH

Joker dies of cancer (not featured on this timeline)

2003: UNDER THE RED HOOD, & WAR GAMES

Bruce is 58, Dick is 40, Babs is 48, Tim is 26

Helena is 35, Steph & Cass are 21

Jason is “24″ - returns in Hush plot

Jean-Paul is 34 - “dies”

Ra’s al Ghul killed by Nyssa ah Ghul (not featured on this timeline)

In 1 year…

22yo Steph will be “murdered”

25yo Jason will return as Red Hood

2006: ROBIN: WANTED

Cass is 24 - begins long process of beating up her family

kills Nyssa al Ghul (not featured on this timeline)

In 1 year...

Cass will take over the League of Assassins

2007: BATMAN AND SON

Bruce is 62, Dick is 44, Babs is 52, Jason is “28,″ Tim & Kate are 30

Damian is 11 - becomes the 5th Robin

Renee is 37 - becomes The Question

In 1 year…

63yo Bruce Wayne will “die”

29yo Jason will don the Red Robin mantle w/Challengers

Kind of like in Arkham Knight, I LOVE the idea of Jason returning to a Gotham where the Joker has been confirmed dead.  So, instead of just going to Arkham and asking Joker what’s up with the new copycat Red Hood, everyone has to legit wonder: Did he just fake his death?/Was he resurrected?  Is Joker back?

I made Jason’s return at age 25 because it mirrored Bruce’s start as Batman. There wasn’t really a good anchor otherwise, but I might nudge that date around, if only because resurrected Jason being “younger” than Tim is super weird.  My other angle here was to determine how long Jason was training for his return, and determine his resurrection that way.  (Comics have made it that he was resurrected within the same year he died, but that feels frivolous to me, so whatever my final version, I’ve opted to let Jason stay dead for at least a full year.)

There’s also the whole 2010s decade, but that’s less relevant to my Jason story’s timeline.  But, yeah... this has highlighted some interesting points for me to play with!  Like that fact that Jason…

…is almost the same age as the Dynamic Duo itself

He’s never known a world without Batman & Robin in it

…is the version of Robin Tim, Kate, Steph & Cass all think of first, since he was Robin when they were kids, not Dick.

And in fact they all would only ever know of Dick as Nightwing.

…got captured and killed by Joker right after Barbara got shot

He DEFINITELY should’ve been motivated to kill Joker by that, instead of the random biological mom smuggling drugs in Iran plot

…was resurrected right around the same time that Damian was conceived, and that Calvin began training as a Talon prospect

makes interesting parallels about different plans to replace Batman all forming right around the same time; with Bruce entering his 50s and having just lost to Bane

…showed back up in the same year that Azrael died

I think it’d be cool if those were more closely linked, instead of Azrael just being shot by a couple of C-listers

…comes back to start a gang war with Blackmask and yell at Bruce about dead Robin issues at the same time Steph gets killed by Blackmask while trying to execute Bruce’s plan to take over the mob.

How can I not take advantage of that for more drama?

Also, not part of my fic, but how cool that Duke and Harper were born in the middle of the Gotham earthquake in Cataclysm?  And with Damian having lost a year to being dead, he’s the same age as Duke, which kinda makes Duke not wanting the Robin mantle a little more interesting.

I find it funny that kids in Gotham are really consistently traumatized at the age of 8 for some reason: Bruce, Dick, Jason, Helena, Cassandra, Calvin...

Half the Batgirls were in fact grown ass women and not “girls,” when they started in on the vigilante racket and I’m tempted to just combine them with the Batwoman legacy a ditch the weird nubile/infantilism fixation comic creators have on forcing them to hover around 18-20 while all the guys hover closer to 30.

And I’m trying will all my might to fight the compulsion to do a timeline for the Teen Titans, because knowing the Robins’ ages puts a pretty narrow frame on the other Teen Titans’ ages at any given time, but by god the fact that they keep reusing the New Teen Titans roster but for EVERY new Robin is a maddening paradox...

Don’t even get me started on that fact that now I get to go map all the Gotham Rogues and figure out just how long they’ve each been up to their bullshit, and who’s still rolling around Gotham in, like, a wheelchair at age 80, menacing the Bat...

[luminescentauthor]

anyway i sorta went down into a rabbit hole with this au so i now a word document of bullet points that is nearly Eight Whole Pages Long

it’s all below the cut, because, yknow, 8 pages.

obligatory forewarning that this AU is literally just "how much fluff can Rin cram into one universe because Damian and Jason have been through enough and deserve love and nice things damn it"

i apologize for the Absolute Disaster That Is The Formatting Of This Post, because holy whoa that’s a lot of text and I’m not sure how best to deal with it. seriously, if you have suggestions, PLEASE let me know. i never know how to format my very-extensive-should-proabably-be-split-into-multiple-posts headcanon posts

ANYWAY.

liberal swearing because... jason todd.

Before Damian and Jason Go To Gotham

One of the ways Talia convinced Jason to stay was by making sure the Joker was dead. The Joker turned up dead in his cell at Arkham shortly after Jason came out of the Pit. Bruce eventually puts those pieces together, and Talia is utterly unapologetic. The Joker's abrupt death shocked Jason enough that his rage dissipated for a short while.

TW: PASSING MENTION OF BRUCE'S BEHAVIOR AFTER JASON'S DEATH. Jason's hatred of Tim is much less of a thing because a) most of his anger is directed at Bruce and b) Talia saw what happened to Bruce, saw that he was nigh-suicidal after Jason's death, and that the new kid helped him. OKAY YOU'RE CLEAR. Talia talks to Jason about how much his death hurt Bruce, and how clear it was to anyone watching. Jason doesn't want to hear it, but Talia says it anyway. And once he's calmed down a little, he's more willing to listen.

Ra’s absolutely hates him. Ra’s absolutely wanted Jason gone when Jason came out of the Pit, and he was furious with Talia for putting Jason in it. Talia literally just slapped him and said “either I get to keep my boy or I take both my boys and I leave.” “He’s not your boy-” *Talia, pulling out adoption papers she finalized two months ago behind Ra’s back* “Oh yes he is." Talia is a badass dragon mom who loves her kids.

Jason is 19 when he returns to Gotham in canon, so in this AU he’s around 20/21 when the Batfam find out he’s alive.

He’s going to university at the time, and he's not doing any League work anymore in favor of focusing on his degree full-time, which is why he isn't around when Damian gets sent to Gotham. He speedran what he missed of high school and enrolled at a university in Asia or Europe. He's currently a freshman or sophomore, probably in English or maybe political science since he’s interested in social reform. Talia was totally supportive of Jason getting a degree, because it meant he was recovering. Ra’s was too, because it meant the menace was out of the house. He lives off-campus even in freshman year because a) Talia is rich they can afford it b) he has knives in his apartment and the last thing he needs is a roommate asking him questions. Dorms were a bad idea for obvious reasons.

The adoption papers are under a false name, as is Jason’s degree. I don’t know what last name he and Talia and Damian would use – I know that in canon she uses Talia Head, but keep in mind that Bruce knows that pseudonym so she wouldn’t use it with Jason so long as Jason didn’t want Bruce to know about him. (I also don’t like the last name Head because DC claims it’s a translation of Talia’s last name al-Ghul, but al-Ghul means “of the demon” – whatever. Also it sounds weird.)

While in university, he visited Damian and Talia regularly. A couple times, Damian would come visit him and they would just get to be stupid brothers together. Since, as I mentioned, Jason has his own place, it was literally just them sparring and arguing and eating junk food for like, a week.

Once or twice a year after Jason came out of the Pit, Talia would take them both on a big trip that was basically just a super sheeshy vacation. She claims it's training for blending in with civilians. Ra's knows it's not training of any kind. One time, they went to Paris and spend a week seeing all the sights and eating an ungodly number of macarons and he knows they did, but all three of them are way too good as losing tails so he can't actually prove it.

Talia has been plotting to overthrow Ra's ever since she put Jason in the Pit, and before he was in college courses, Jason ran missions for Talia. They were mostly top-secret and behind Ra’s back, in the name of overthrowing him. Ra’s has visibility on all of the League’s operatives, but Jason is sort of an exception to that rule because while he was trained by the League, he doesn’t work for them. Note that Jason volunteered for that job, Talia did not throw him into danger. It was also partly that post-pit Jason was very angry, and that anger needed to go somewhere.

Jason calls Talia "Mom" jokingly one (1) time a few years after he comes out of the Pit, and Talia actually has to hide a few tears – Talia, who is normally the absolute picture of composure and elegance. Jason is taken aback but touched, and takes to calling her mom fairly regularly after that. By the time Damian goes to Gotham, Jason refers to her as Mom 90% of the time, though he still occasionally calls her T. Damian usually calls her Mother but sometimes Mom, having picked up the habit from Jason.

The League (besides Ra's and Talia) only know Jason as Jace, or Jay for short. A couple of the high-ranking members, such as Shiva, probably know enough about Batman and Robin to figure out who he is. Damian only knows his full name is Jason because Talia sometimes uses it in private. Damian calls him Jay, Jace, or occasionally Akhi. He rarely calls him Jason, since he's not used to it.

Talia stopped calling Bruce beloved sometime in here because Jason was like "please stop that's weird that's B you're talking about" and Talia was like "alright, fine."

Jason may be attending university now but he spent three years-ish training with the League and with various masters around the world and possibly with the All-Caste, and he can and will kick your ass.

Note that in this AU it's "Bruce and Talia actually loved each other as in original canon" not "Talia drugged Bruce as in a dumb retcon"

Damian doesn't do his last names/full names thing in this AU because Jason had no patience for it. It basically amounts to Jason snapping and giving him a lecture about deadnames and transgender people one day. Plus Talia was like "well, he shouldn't have snapped at you, but he kind of has a point."

Finding Out Jason is Alive + Afterwards

Note that Damian did not know Jason was Robin before going to Bruce, and you can see how he found out in the original post above.

Damian has a phone to contact Talia in emergencies because Talia is a good mom, and she absolutely freaks out when it rings like, three days after she sent him to Gotham, and then the first thing she hears when she picks up is “JAY WAS ROBIN?!” and she’s like oh yeah, that. By the end of the conversation, Damian has demanded Jason’s phone number and then he immediately calls Jason and the way that conversation goes is basically “JAY COME TO GOTHAM RIGHT NOW” “what” “COME TO GOTHAM RIGHT NOW YOU DIDN’T TELL ME YOU USED TO BE ROBIN OR THAT YOU KNEW FATHER!” “wait – Gotham? Why Gotham?” “Because I’m in Gotham!” “waitwaitwait you’re in Gotham?!” “Mother sent me” “MOM SENT YOU TO GOTHAM?!” “Yes?” “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK”

Jason comes to Gotham because WHAT THE HELL WHY DID YOU SEND DAMIAN TO GOTHAM and then Damian is like great! You’re here! And grabs Jason’s hand and very determinedly drags him into the manor yelling “FATHER! I HAVE SOMETHING TO SHOW YOU!” and Jason goes “WAIT NO THIS WASN’T THE PLAN”

Alfred actually loses his composure when Damian drags Jason through the front door, and he hugs Jason with tears in his eyes once everyone's done flipping out and they're preparing to do DNA tests.

Bruce immediately flips out when he recognizes the man Damian dragged into the Cave. The next day Talia gets her third frantic phone call that month (the second being a panicked Jason wanting to know why Damian was in Gotham) and she just sighs, heavily. Bruce doesn't have her number but apparently, Damian lent him his phone. Sigh.

Dick tackle-hugs Jason the moment he recognizes him, potentially-an-evil-clone be damned. Babs breaks the speed limit getting to the manor and yanks him down into a hug, also taking the potentially an evil clone be damned approach. There are a lot of tears, though Jason will deny it to his dying breath.

Bruce runs DNA tests and they dig up the coffin and Bruce does not let Jason or Damian out of his sight at all while they do that, and when the DNA tests come back positive Bruce clings to Jason like a limpet and Jason is like, oh, okay, this is happening??????

Dick: lmao why are you surprised he just got his Entire Kid back from the dead?

Dick and Barbara both also cling to Jason and refuse to let him out of their sight for a solid week. Jason spends the first day trying to escape their cuddle pile and then gives up. Damian is squashed under there somewhere clinging to his brother. Jason has 100% refused to let go of him because yes he got his family back but he's not letting Damian feel left out dammit.

Dick is so busy freaking out over the fact that Jason is alive that it takes two whole weeks before he goes “hey wait are you taller than me?!” But then he absolutely Hates It. Why is his little brother taller than him. No. Jason is tiny. Jason is baby. Little Wing is supposed to be Little. Jason and Babs think it's hilarious. Dick does not.

Alfred gets rid of the case with Jason’s old Robin uniform the first time Jason sees it and absolutely freaks out, because no. That is my Whole Grandson. That is my Whole Grandson that I have mourned for six years, and that case just made him panic. We are getting rid of it, Master Bruce, whether you Want To Or Not."

Everyone realizes that "holy shit Damian actually LISTENS to Jason" and given that Damian listens to Literally Nobody, they're all immediately willing to get down on his knees to beg Jason to stay (I mean, lbr they were going to do that anyway.)

Damian is also slightly less of a Menace In General because he’s used to having an older sibling. Plus, both he and Jason are mellowed out slightly, as a result of their relationship with each other and Talia Actually Being A Good Mom.

Damian does not try to murder Tim, because this is my AU and I can do what I want. He does still murder criminals. Damian tries to attack Tim a few times but thankfully this is after Jason shows up – since prior to Jason showing up, Damian is incapable of thinking of anything except Jason being Robin – and so Jason just grabs the back of his shirt like he’s an unruly cat and very tiredly says, “No.” Damian immediately hisses and scratches at Jason's arms, again like a cat, and Tim has to clap a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing at that mental image.

Jason was not planning on staying in Gotham for longer than a few days, but the family doesn't let him leave for at least four weeks, which is difficult to explain to his professors.

Talia shows up eventually, and the first time Bruce sees her interact with Jason, the first thing Jason says is "hey Mom" and Bruce actually has a heart attack. Dick and Tim are going "wait WHAT" in the background and Damian is just "I??? Told you??? That he's my brother???"

Bruce: WHY DIDN’T YOU COME TELL ME YOU WERE ALIVE?

Jason: LOOK IDK IT WAS JUST AWKWARD OKAY-

Talia, loves her son but willing to call him out: he was afraid you would kick him out or that you wouldn’t believe it was him or that you’d hate him for being with the League and killing people

Jason: OI

Yes Talia 100% knew that Damian was going to figure out that Jason had been Robin when she sent him to Bruce. She feels no remorse. She knows that Jason wanted to tell the family he was alive but he was also terrified of rejection, and Talia knew that was an irrational fear and went “*sigh* I love you so I’m fixing this.”

For the first few months Jason basically just winds up taking a private jet (having Talia for a parent is fantastic) to Gotham every weekend, and then he hits the end of the semester and he's like fuck it, I give up, and finally admits to himself that this is stupid. He transfers to a university in Gotham or nearby. Yes he grumbles about it.

He doesn't live in the manor, but he does come over for family dinner once a week – Dick and Babs come too. He has an apartment, not far from where Barbara lives, because Babs is cool. He generally also visits Alfred for tea once a week, and he and Damian will hang out either at his place or the manor 2-3 times a week.

Jason doesn’t want to go to the effort of pretending he isn’t related to Bruce, so Bruce and Talia actually put out a press release about how Jason Todd-Wayne survived, amnesiac, and just so happened to be taken in by the mother of Bruce Wayne’s brand-new ten-year-old son. The official story is that the amnesiac Jason didn’t want to associate with his old family, but he got his memories back and has now come home. Yes, the media is insane, but they rapidly discover that Jason is almost impossible to track, because Jason is completely willing to use his Bat/League skills to lose paparazzi.

Damian, as a result of growing up with the League, which places such great emphasis on physical ability, automatically assumes that Barbara, being in a wheelchair, is one of the less valuable members of the family, when in reality Oracle is the backbone and foundation of their operation. He quickly learns his mistake. Also Babs spars with him and she dumps him on his ass from her wheelchair while Jason cackles. Babs raises an eyebrow at Jason and asks “you want to try?” and Jason says, “oh, no no no, I am under no illusions about the fact that you would kick my ass.” Damian has also now learned more about computers and realizes that Barbara Gordon is actually a god. He feels equal parts awe, fear, and utmost respect. The League may be slightly ableist, but Damian Wayne is not.

Cass adopts Damian on the spot when she first meets him because League Of Assassins Child. Damian is like "wait no" and Cass goes "yes.”

Tim is originally very nervous around Jason because "that's Robin" and because he knows Jason is a killer, and he doesn’t know Jason from before. (Tim and Cass may actually be the only people in the family who don't keep forgetting that Jason is a killer now.) Then he actually gets to know Jason and is like oh, you're actually chill.

He and Jason have a pretty good relationship. They eventually have an in-depth heart-to-heart about how Jason originally resented Tim for "taking his place," but came to realize that wasn't what happened at all. Now they mostly just wind up casually chatting over Damian's head when he lunges for Tim and Jason grabs the scruff of his neck because Damian is actually An Entire Feral Cat.

Honestly at this point Damian means no harm and is just doing it to try and prove he can reach Tim before Jason grabs him. But Jason can be on the opposite side of the room or in another room entirely and still grab Damian in time, because Jason has a) fast reflexes b) very long legs c) very long arms and d) inhuman big brother reflex. Tim notices that Damian is only doing it when Jason is there and is like "ahhhhh okay I'm safe." The one time Jason is actually distracted enough for Damian to pull it off, he literally just wraps his arms and legs around Tim's torso and goes "HA! I DID IT!" and Tim's like, "alright I guess this is happening" and hugs Damian and Damian is like oh. From then on Damian lunging at Tim to cling to him like a koala becomes a thing. However, anyone who tries to get a picture (read: Dick) will get bitten.

When Damian gets really really homesick, he tries to hide it, but Jason always drags him to his apartment and wraps him up in blankets and makes all of Damian's favorite dishes, and then they videochat with Talia.

After Jason gets more comfortable with the family, he and Alfred start making dishes that he and Damian like for the whole family.

Damian sort of knows how to have fun thanks to Talia vacations + Jason's influence (Ra's entirely blames Jason for corrupting his daughter and grandson and hates it and Jason thinks it’s hilarious) but Steph still takes one look at him and goes "THIS IS A TRAGEDY" and she is right. Unfortunately – or fortunately – for Damian literally all of his siblings are on Steph's side. This results in Damian (and also Cass and Jason) getting roped into Normal Kid Things: water parks, snowball fights, ruining Wayne galas, pumpkin carving, Star Wars marathon, and Avatar the Last Airbender marathon to name a few.

They have really, really intense snowball fights and it becomes an annual thing. They also start having an annual 4th-of-July water fight that is always an absolute disaster.

They have a paintball fight once in the gardens. For the record, everyone knew going in that it was an absolutely horrible idea. They knew exactly how bad it was going to be. They did it anyway. That was how the batfam found out just how good Jason is with a gun, actually, since he hadn't previously used one in front of them.

Battle for the Cowl + Everything Afterwards

Battle for the Cowl? Yeah, it doesn't happen.

Bruce’s “death” goes very differently. Jason is there to support the family instead of being Murder Batman. Talia comes to Gotham for an extended period to support her sons and leaves her League business in the hands of a capable second. Because Damian just met his dad and then he died, and Jason just got his dad back and then lost him. Like, Jason just moved to Gotham, is in the middle of transferring to a new university, and then Bruce dies -- probably about 4 to 6 months after Jason and Damian first come to Gotham. (I don't have the energy to do that timeline math I'm sorry. I am also aware that Damian actually doesn't move in with Bruce upon their first meeting... and I'm ignoring that.)

Talia does exactly one (1) thing wrong in this AU and it's not letting Bruce know about their kids earlier and other than that she's literally perfect.

I honestly don't know how Damian becomes Robin because I feel like the odds of that happening with Jason around are Very Close to Zero but I'm having it happen anyway.

Jason moves into the Penthouse with Dick and Damian and Alfred, just to be there for Damian. He and Dick are very awkward at first and then the four of them fall into a routine and the two of them grow closer for it.

Tim runs off and falls in with the League and Jason’s like, “oh, fuck me – Dick, don’t let Damian die” and then goes after Tim. Talia comes with him. This is when Talia finally goes oh my god, fuck it and just offs Ra’s and takes over the League. Does Talia want to be the head of the League? Not really. Would she rather become the head than let Ra’s be in charge? Definitely.

I don't really think Jason fully goes back into vigilante work. If you wanted, you can have him go back into it while Bruce is gone, since he's worried about Damian being Robin and Tim being with the League, but he's also still in college. He definitely comes up with an identity to use occasionally at that point, so he can help out Dick and Damian. He goes by "Phoenix" – came back from the dead, bird theme, all that. Mostly hand-to-hand, not many weapons. His uniform is basically like uh…. League of Shadows ninja gear, but he also has some high-tech Bat stuff. But he mostly fights crime with social reform – drug clinics, homeless shelters, gun control, and prison reform. Talia is totally down to help with the politics. It's definitely possible that he does more vigilante work after he graduates. I just don't see him doing it full-time. Killing people isn't a problem just because Jason is more focused on Having A Life than murdering criminals. Like, he was getting a degree before Damian interrupted things, and he wasn’t doing any League stuff on the side of that. However, he would kill without hesitation to protect his family, if he thought it was the only way to save them.

While Jason is gone, Damian and Dick bond a la canon. I'm not going to take away their relationship just because Damian has another brother. Dick and Damian's relationship is wonderful and just because it's not the focus of this AU doesn't mean it's not happening.

Damian, Jason, and Cass team up to get gear for more League-style training. Yes, Cass has bad memories associated with some of it, but she wants to use some of it. Cass helps Damian adapt his League training routines to be less harsh on him, like she had to do when she joined Bruce. They also show the rest of the family some training routines and (non-lethal) moves that they didn’t know.

Damian learns a lot of stuff from different people! Dick teaches him acrobatics. Damian mostly learns detective work from him as well, but he also learns some from Tim, who's the best detective in the family. Barbara teaches him all about hacking and security system tricks.

Everyone moves into the manor shortly before Bruce comes back. The Bunker just isn’t big enough to accommodate all of them plus Steph and Babs, they kind of need the Cave, and if they’re using the Cave they may as well live there. Dick is insisting on “family bonding and living together instead of scattered across the city” or something. So Dick, Tim, Damian, Alfred, Cass, and Jason all basically just move in. Steph and Babs are around often enough that they have their own rooms.

Oracle becomes the main coordinator and head of the Batfam As She Should Be while Bruce is gone. He does Not get his authority back from her when he returns, because the family has discovered that with Babs in charge, there are much fewer “local idiot kept harmful secrets” incidents and they’ve found it overwhelmingly preferable. Dick and Jason are laughing their asses off watching Bruce trying to be in charge and Babs just being like “hm, no.”

Bruce is dead for a year and comes back to discover that his kids (Dick, specifically) invited Talia Head-Of-The-League-Of-Assassins al-Ghul over for Christmas and are planning to do it again this year. He's like "wait what" and everyone collectively goes "Bruce, shut up." It's also not uncommon to walk into Jason's apartment or even the manor’s kitchen to find Talia there drinking tea. Jason's spare bedroom is Basically Talia's, since she visits Gotham fairly regularly. Yes, she's head of the league, but she mostly delegates. Bruce grumbles but is like fine since Talia’s League Isn't Actually Doing Anything Terrible.

Dick and Jason moved into the manor while Bruce was dead and then Bruce comes back and neither of them can be bothered to move out because hey, they like living with their siblings, and Alfred’s cooking is fantastic. Do they get around to it at some point? Yeah – I mean, they both have their own places in the city. Soon? ...meh. They probably spend the night wherever is most convenient. For Jason, his apartment is a shorter commute to university, but if he comes over for dinner or to hang out, he’ll just stay the night. For Dick, he’s basically claimed the penthouse and bunker as Permanently His, but if he comes back to the Cave after patrol, he’ll just spend the night instead of going back to the city. (Note that this AU is mostly based on preboot continuity, meaning Dick is in Gotham since Blüdhaven got nuked by the Society – which Talia was probably not part of? Idk.)

It's entirely plausible that Talia eventually gets sick of running the League because it's time-consuming and annoying, and for that reason and no other she helps take them down. It's also entirely possible that she doesn't; I just love the idea of “Talia just wants to spend time with her kids and travel the world in her spare time and the League is cutting into that and Jason is going to give her A Disappointed Look if she just leaves the League unchecked with someone else in charge or commits mass indiscriminate murder of its members, so she just walks into the manor one day and goes ‘hey Bruce do you want to help me imprison my employees’”

Leviathan does not happen. Fight me. Talia is a good mom. She doesn’t Clone Her Kid, What The Hell?

Damian adopts BatCow and the first words out of Jason's mouth are "you are not keeping a cow in a cave that's terrible for the cow and also you need to name it something else if you want to introduce it to people.” Damian promptly names her "Bat" and tells people it's because of the bat-like shape on her face and Jason facepalms. (I know Damian adopts BatCow during the Leviathan arc and I am ignoring that. BatCow happens anyway.) So her name is Bat and her "secret identity" is BatCow.

Talia still takes her kids on expensive vacations once a year except now she's not remotely hiding that she's just blatantly spoiling her children. They stay in the best hotels she can find and spend two to three weeks seeing sights and eating expensive food. It’s great.

The Custody Agreement doesn’t get finalized until a few years after Bruce comes back from the dead, but it’s basically this: Talia gets Damian and Jason for two/three weeks in summer for a trip plus they visit for Mother's Day and her birthday – they actually surprise her on her birthday the first year by visiting – and she gets to come over for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the boys' birthdays, and can visit Gotham. Absolutely no League operations in the city. Talia would like to set her people to watch over her kids but is also aware, logically, that Jason and Damian would be Very Annoyed if she did that.

Jason, while Bruce and Talia argue about this: I AM AN ADULT?!

Jason is the one who started inviting Talia for Thanksgiving. She thinks it’s a silly American holiday, but he insists it’s about family and she has to be there and she isn’t going to tell him no after he says that.

I apologize but I don’t know enough about what religion/holidays the League/Talia and Damian are part of/would celebrate BUT if you know!! Please do let me know, point me to where I can learn, or add your own headcanons! Jason joins them. (I’m sorry I just don’t know where to start researching, please PLEASE I would love to add to this though)

Selina and Bruce finally get together just because Talia gets so annoyed that she literally goes to bang on Selina’s door to go "PLEASE come get your man." The three of them actually co-parent pretty well. Damian doesn't like Selina at first and then he meets her dozen-ish cats and promptly changes his mind. Wayne manor is full of cats now. Someone please save Bruce.

Selina buys Alfred a roomba to apologize for the cat fur and then the various Batkids end up tinkering with the roomba and they wind up with an Advanced RoombaTM that picks up all the pet fur/hair. They fight over the roomba enough that they wind up owning roughly five roombas, and given how big the manor is, that's actually a relief. Bruce isn't actually sure how many roombas there are in the house. He thinks it's five, but don't quote him on that. It's not like they're all ever in the same place at once.

Damian stop taping knives to the roombas-

Damian gets in trouble for the knives, but Tim thinks it's absolutely hilarious and declares them all Stabby. He shows up at Damian's door with an armful of rubber knives, and Damian's face lights up with a crazy grin like the gremlin child he is.

Residents of Wayne Manor after Bruce comes back: Damian, Tim, Alfred, Cass, Bruce, eventually Selina, Jason and Dick at least a few nights a week, eventually Duke who I have not mentioned at ALL which is tragic, Steph is around often enough she probably counts, plus Babs is around a lot and Talia pops by sometimes. Oh, and Kate also visits.

It’s a full house. And Bruce will deny it to his dying breath, but every time he sees the crowded dining table or hears the din of laughter and argument, his heart swells. Alfred is smiling proudly over his shoulder.

au where Jason stays with Talia and Damian after being resurrected because he’s gone slightly insane and wants to commit murder and Talia is having none of that, nope, gonna convince child to stay at my side until the Pit wears off, Ra’s be damned.

fast forward a few years, Jason has mostly chilled out, though is still down to murder criminals. He spends most of his time annoying the hell out of Ra’s and sometimes running missions behind Ra’s back for Talia. He’s basically Damian’s older brother. Probably goes by either Jay or Jace, but Damian at least is aware that his full name is Jason since he’s heard Talia use it. Jason has thought about letting the bats know he’s alive, but always backed out.

then Talia sends Damian to live with Bruce. Jason is often away on his own by this point, for missions or just because he wants to travel, and isn’t there when this happens. 

now, Damian is an absolutely brat, and everyone immediately is like “WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS.” they’re going through the house and Damian is making snotty comments about everything when suddenly he freezes, surprising everyone. He squints at a portrait on the wall.

“…who’s that?” he asks slowly.

Bruce stiffens.

“Ah, that’s… Jason. Jason Todd. The second Robin. He… died, a while ago,” Richard explains with a sad, faraway smile.

“…..riiiiiiight,” Damian says slowly. Suddenly a whole lot of things make sense – he knows Jay came back from the dead, but he doesn’t know how Jay and Mother knew each other. “If you’ll excuse me. I need to make a phone call.”

He sprints out of the room.

(Talia, for the record, definitely knew this was going to happen when she sent Damian to Bruce.)

Two weeks later Damian tows a reluctant young man with black hair into the Batcave, trailed by an astonished Alfred.

“Damian!” Bruce says, horrified. “You can’t just bring strangers into the Cave! It’s completely irresponsible, do you have any ideas what the consequences could be for us-”

There’s a crash, and they all turn to stare. Dick is staring at Damian and the newcomer, his chair lying sideways on the ground, stunned. “That’s impossible,” he murmurs, voice shaking. “You’re –”

Damian rolls his eyes. “Jace isn’t a stranger, Father. He’s my brother.”

“Brother-?” Bruce turns to look at the man, and promptly drops the files he’s holding.

Jason Todd smiles nervously at him. “Hey, old man. Long time no see.”

[oh-mother-of-darkness]

asks (40)

Anonymous said: Holy frick that is so encouraging and I needed that so much bc I literally visited my college to measure my dorm room and drove home in tears bc I panicked myself into a frenzy about whether or not everything leading me to this point has been a mistake and what if I fail and ruin my life before it even starts (I have since calmed down a little) so your encouragement was much needed & is much appreciated

I’m glad I could help <3 <3 <3 Good luck at school! I’m sure you’ll kick its ass

areverieofchaosdreams said: It's Fanfiction Writers Appreciation Day. So thank you for all your amazing stories!!!

Oh goodness I’m all a blushin :’)

Anonymous said: *HAPPY WRITER APPRECIATION DAY* Send this to someone whose talent has blown you away, who you'd like to encourage to keep on writing always, and who you'd like to thank for working their butt off to provide fandom members with breathtaking stories to consume! THANK YOU :D

Aw thank you!

Anonymous said: Hi! I Hope you're well! Do you still take fic requests? Because I really miss Colin Wilkes and I'd love to a story of him with your writing!

Unfortunately I don’t often take requests these days, but I’ll definitely keep Colin in mind!

dirtycherrypie said: hey! applying for WE for the R&D department (may or may not be aware of producing bat gadgets)

dirtycherrypie said: SHit forgot my name - Bea, at your service!

[Bruce Wayne voice] hired

tigers-and-weeds said: Literally just fell down the rabbit hole on your tumblr for the last 12-24 hours. I am in love with with you headcannons and fics! The angst feeds my soul... So I figured I would request: anything angsty with Dick and Damian please please please

Okay again I don’t usually take fic requests BUT I like me some angst so the odds that this will eventually happen.... are extremely high. I’ll try to remember to dedicate the next one to you :) And thank you!

math--ew said: I went on a little birthday vacation to california and I've never been to the beach before. I was bending down to grab a pretty shell and this huge wave knocked me face first into the sand. Like, five people saw and laghed but I got the shell so I guess it's a win win.

Duuuude back at Lake Michigan last month the same thing happened to me. I was taking care of my little sister and her five year old friend, so I was so busy making sure they were okay that the wave plowed me halfway across the beach

babybatbrat said: when i was in ap physics i once spent an entire study period in my physics teacher's room working on one problem. as far as i could tell i was doing all of the work correctly and had all the initial values right so i was racking my brain trying to figure out why i wasn't getting the right answer. the third time i went up to my teacher and asked for help he told me to start at the beginning and walk him through my process bc he couldn't tell why i was getting it wrong either (1)

babybatbrat said: (2) so i start the problem and explain how i got through all the values - "okay so the rod is 5 inches long and half of 5 is 3 and a half -" and i stopped there bc it occurred to me that 3.5 is not half of 5. "it's what?" My teacher asks. i put my head in my hands and stood there for a minute before picking up my work and walking to the back of the classroom while he laughed, bc i had just spent 45 minutes convinced that half of 5 was 3.5 and not, in fact, 2.5, and that was the only thing wrong

Honestly??? Relatable

babybatbrat said: One time i woke up at six in the morning to hear the neighbor's dog barking and instantly realized that meant my dog had jumped the fence, so i went racing outside and sprinted down the street to catch her. when i did i picked her up and turned around to go home and then saw my neighbor standing on their front porch, realized i was in only an oversized spiderman tshirt and snowman pajama shorts, holding a twenty pound labrador and thats how i met my new neighbors

Incredible...... 10/10.....

thrakaboom said: Not a funny story,but two days ago at comic con I met Tom King and he showed me a picture of his kids while he was signing my books

Well hey that’s pretty cool

Anonymous said: I adore your Tumblr. It was a wonderful way to get into the Batfamily fanbase; prior, I thought that there was only one Batman and a single Robin, dearie me was I wrong. And those stories you write, just great. The Headcanons are just as enjoyable. As for Batman, that has come to be a sibling enjoyment. Thank you for your contributions and existence!

!!!!!! Welcome to the crew!

frnkensteingrrrlz said: hey!!! i just went through ur reasons to be happy tag and!! i'm so so happy bc of it (esp the damian hcs, they're spot on imo and he's my favourite) so i hope u have a good day!!!

Thanks! I am having a good day today! Although I’m sure it’s been a long time since you sent this :////

Anonymous said: HELLO I have just discovered and binge-read all of your fics with my homeboy Damian in them, and just wanted to pop by and say that I love you & you are my hero & you write my boy so well so thank u and I hope your life is blessed & you achieve your wildest hopes & dreams

My day is made :D

badfaith00 said: Best batman storyline you've ever read ?

Ooooooh hm I’m mighty attached to n52 Batman and Robin? Particularly the first storyline, but the second is also fantastic

Anonymous said: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHAMELESSLY REBLOGGING YOUR OWN WORK BC I HADNT SEEN IT BEFORE AND ITS HONESTLY SO PHENOMENAL ITS GOING ON MY LIST OF ALL TIME FAVORITES THANK U AND BLESS U

THANK YOU!!! THAT ONE IS MY FAVORITE AND I AM VERY PROUD OF IT

onwardmotley said: In today's Detective Comics someone finally told Bruce and co that Tim's alive. They didn't explain where he is, or how to get him back, but hey. It might've had more impact if anyone was seen actually mourning Tim and it wasn't just played as him being in cosmic time out, but at least it should end soon idk. Hopefully.

Tim Drake? It’s been years since I heard that name.....

Finally. Thank goodness.

Anonymous said: Idk if I prefer your soul crushing angst or your heartwarming fluff... actually I like to suffer so I'll stay with angst lol

Y’all seeing this? Anon gave me permission. Can’t yell at me next time because it won't be my fault (thanks babe :))

Anonymous said: for music, idk what kind of music u like so here is variety: St. Vincent - Paris is Burning, Sea Wolf - Dear Fellow Traveler (tbh everything by Sea Wolf is great), Dirt Poor Robins - Eleanor Rigby, Between Wind and Water- HAEL, Ellem - Kings and Queens and Vagabonds, The Rigs - Rise & Fall, Tally Hall - Light and Night, and Streetlight Manifesto - The Hands that Thieve.

Thank you! I’m excited to listen to these! I’ll start right now!

Anonymous said: 1) What are the good comics to read for Batfamily stuff (from any point in time) and 2) what are the best Jason Todd comics? Thanks!

Okay for Jason I would definitely start with the big ones, which are A Death In the Family and Under the Red Hood. After that you could try Red Hood: the Lost Days and Countdown to Final Crisis. I would avoid the n52 series until you have a good enough grasp of the character to recognize bad writing when you see it. 

For the generalized batfam.... that’s pretty broad. My personal favorites are Red Robin, Batgirl (2009), and both B&R series. If you have more specific questions, you should IM me! I promise I’m better about answering those than asks

yellowwallsbluesky said: Have you heard Swooner by The Zolas? I've really been jamming to it lately

Listening to it right now! Sounds like a bop so far :)

Anonymous said: Hidden citizens paint it black 💜

Much obliged!

Anonymous said: Harry styles "sign of the times".

[adds to list] thank you!

neo669 said: I MISS CASA OLE!! Sorry just read that you lived in Bryan/College Station and I used to live there as well. It's kinda hard to find people that even know that it exists. But I'm sure you can kick law schools butt. You got this!

Yooooooo I miss cstat too :((((

palliddark said: Adalgiza, and I'll be a translator (English to Brazilian Portuguese)

[Bruce Wayne voice] also hired

maeofthedead said: I love your headcannons and now I sort of want to cry thank

Excellent that is the exact target response 

Anonymous said: Love your rant in the tags about the pizza making I'm laughing so hard

Listen..... I have strong feelings

Anonymous said: Did you hear they're making an omnibus of Tomasi's entire run on Batman & Robin?? I just heard and now I kinda want to get this massive book in honor of my favorite batkid and the series that made me love him so much

Man I already have all the individual volumes but if I didn’t......

sonicboom00724601 said: Hi. :) Nice headcanon. :)

I’m not sure which one you’re talking about, but thank you! You're real sweet

Anonymous said: can you maybe write an interaction between Wonder Woman and Captain America? I absolutely adore your style and would love to see your take on it.

Hmmmm I don’t really have a good enough grasp of Captain America’s characterization to try that one :////

Anonymous said: i tried to kill on mosquito that was on my ceiling by slamming it with a book but mosquito was on the move so i bounced swiftly and jammed both my wrist and thumb and now my existence is Pain. also my thumbs swelling and looks purple, so that's nice

Oh shit anon you good???

daziy said: Do we know who Barbara's mother usually is?

Yeah! In her original version, Babs had a birth mom and an adopted mom. She was originally Jim’s niece, so her birth mom’s name was Thelma Gordon. After the adoption, her parents were Jim and Barbara Gordon, with her adopted mother being her namesake. So two Barbara Gordons.

I think for awhile the canon was that her mother died in a car crash, but the current version has her still alive. She left Jim when Babs was young, taking her son (Babs’s brother) with her. James Gordon (the son) turned out to be a serial killer. 

Barbara Gordon Sr. and James Gordon Jr. both appeared in the n52 Batgirl series during the Death of the Family arc. There’s also a very good story about James from the Dickbats period. That one’s called The Black Mirror, if I’m not mistaken?

Anonymous said: Hi! What do you think of the upcoming metal event? Dick and Damian seem to have a big role in it ( I hope Jason is involved too but there's still no sign of it)

Hmmmm I don’t know that I have an opinion just yet, but as always, I hope to be pleasantly surprised 

Anonymous said: bless you are your wonderful tagging system. know that i may have avoided death because of how easy it was to f ind the thing I wanted in your tags. bless

Oh goodness anon I hope you’re not serious about almost dying.... but thanks?

Anonymous said: hi amy! would u say that damians narrative is written as a child abuse one? like there are definitely many allusions to it but its also not as explicit as say, cassandra or rose. like how much of it would u chalk up to comic world dynamics and how much to actual abuse? also would u consider jason to also be a case of this?

Oh I have very strong opinions about the role of abuse in Damian’s narrative. It’s absolutely there, and the effects are staggeringly large. There is no doubt in my mind that the league was an abusive environment, and I can’t justify some of the things Bruce did either.

I think I would say the same thing for Jason, if not quite as strongly. I definitely think that some of the things that happened to Jason as a child shaped his story later on, but less of those were abuse than outside circumstances. The n52 takes a different track on that one, I think, but I don’t put much stock in that characterization. 

Anonymous said: has jason forgiven bruce for not killing joker? if so, what made him?

Unlikely. They get along better these days, but I would argue that comes from poor characterization of Bruce, not an actual resolution process. 

mellenabrave said: My mom accidentlly threw my Damian doll away (╥_╥)

Tossed in the garbage by yet another parent--

Anonymous said: Whoa where'd you get that bat and oracle shirt you're wearing in your necklace pic? It's so cool! (The necklace is also gorgeous!)

Shoot I think it was from Redbubble? But I can’t find it now

Anonymous said: Omg that necklace was so cool!!! Kudos to the maker of it!! Also I really like your top!!

Thank you <3