#Nyssa Raatko

[metis-iphigenia]

AL GHUL FAMILY TEXT POSTS PART FOUR!!

and its over!! im gonna do more later bye i hope you guys enjoy these!!

[fantastic-nonsense]

BEGGING ON MY HANDS AND KNEES FOR THIS MAN TO REVISIT DEATH AND THE MAIDENS SO WE CAN FINALLY GET RID OF MORRISON'S TALIA FOREVER

[earth-1218designate]

[brucestalia]

since al ghul isn't really a surname — it's a title, meaning "of the demon," i started thinking about the different monikers (i.e., organs) that could be attributed to the other members of the family.

ra's is the head, the mind that plots, the will that commands. rúh, the soul, is the unseen force—the essence of the dynasty.

talia al ghul – the heart (qalb) talia is the emotional core of the al ghul family, often torn between loyalty to her father and her love for bruce wayne. her decisions, though calculated, are deeply driven by matters of the heart—love, betrayal, and faith. she embodies passion and connection, making her the family’s qalb.

dusan al ghul – the shadow (dhil) dusan, the "white ghost," operates in the margins of the al ghul legacy. his role is one of quiet devotion, cast aside, yet, always present. his loyalty and sacrifice, earn him the title of the dhil, the shadow that follows without faltering.

nyssa raatko – the spine (amud al-faqr) nyssa is the backbone of resistance and rebellion within the al ghul family. her strength and defiance against her father’s rule position her as the amud al-faqr, the spine, unyielding and essential for standing tall against opposition.

melisande – the blood (dam) melisande represents the lifeline that connects the family to its mortal roots. her role in the al ghul saga may be fleeting, but her influence flows through talia and the family’s lineage, much like blood sustains life. she is the dam, a vital yet often overlooked element.

sora – the lungs (ri'ahtayn) sora, ra’s al ghul’s lost love, is the breath of life that once inspired him. her memory fuels his ambition, and her loss suffocates him. she is the ri'ahtyn, the lungs, symbolising both the life-giving force and the void left behind when it is gone.

damian wayne – the hands (aydi) damian, born of both the waynes and the al ghuls, is the agent of the family’s will. whether building or destroying, his actions carry the burden of legacy. as the aydi, the hands, he represents both creation and conflict, the tangible force that shapes the future.

athanasia al ghul - the pulse (nafas) athanasia is the constant heartbeat that keeps their future alive. she sustains life, binding the waynes and the al ghuls, a reminder that their stength lies not just in their past, but in their ability to endure and evolve. this vitality makes her the nabadh, the pulse, the promise of renewal.

mara al ghul – the eyes (ayn) mara is the family’s watcher, a presence that perceives more than what it reveals. she is a visionary, seeing not just what is before her, but what lies beneath and beyond. she is the ayn, the eyes, ever watchful, attuned to every rhythm and dissonance.

[ we know very little about dusan's wife, but i think that she would be the sawt, the voice, a balance between silence and sound. ]

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[brutaliashipper1]

Nyssa: I can’t believe your getting so worked up about some guy

Talia (talking about Bruce): but this one is different he’s honest and sweet- Talia: And he’d never do anything to hurt me

Nyssa: Oh please, He’s a guy!

[who-let-a-bird-in]

Annual reminder that dc is full of Jewish characters and writers including in their mainstream comics

Batman, Batwoman, Harley Quinn, Hal Jordan, Ray Palmer, Felicity Smoak, and Nyssa Raatko (one of Ra’s Al-Ghul’s daughters)

That isn’t even all of them either, most of them are ethnically Jewish and not religiously but it still makes them Jewish either way

[secretlystephaniebrown]

I Read Nearly Every Appearance of the Lazarus Pit Before Flashpoint and All I Got Was A Headache: A Meta Commentary

So! The Lazarus Pit!

The Lazarus Pit is obviously an iconic part of the Batman Franchise. We encounter it everywhere, from the Under the Red Hood movie, to the Lazarus Planet event which just ended.

But has the Lazarus Pit always been this way?

It's comics. Of course not.

Very long comic rant with citations below!

The Nu52 and following reboots obviously overhauled Lazarus Lore so completely they're functionally a different thing, so I'm not talking about them. Today, instead, we're talking about post-crisis/pre-Flashpoint Lazarus Pits, their contradictions, and what we can make of them.

The Lazarus Pits have been around nearly as long as Ra's and Talia have been, and even before they appeared, it was clear that Ra's had some method of extending his life.

Batman (1940-2011) #235

The first Lazarus Pit itself seems to be in a chalet in Switzerland, and it's very different than what we will later associate it as. It is instead, a mortuary slab that lowers itself into a pit of "bubbling liquid"

Batman (1940-2011) #243

In these early versions, the Lazarus Pit is portrayed as a medical invention that Ra's has used to extend his life.

It is shown to have consequences, which fandom has, of course, latched onto.

Batman (1940-2011) #244

Here, we see the Lazarus Madness described as including "the strength of ten men", and he is able to be able to resist nearly all attacks from Batman and Lo Ling.

In addition, Ra's claims that he has used the pit too often, which is shown to be the driving force behind his interest in Bruce and his legacy.

Batman (1940-2011) #244

Later appearances of Ra's and the pit throughout this era add a few more interesting tidbits.

He claims that only he can use the Lazarus Pit... but puts Talia in it in that same issue, claiming that it's okay if it's just a quick dip.

Batman (1940-2011) #335

Is Ra's lying about no one else being able to use the pit? Almost certainly. He will start putting anyone he wants into the pit soon enough.

Those with a keen eye might notice that the Lazarus Pit is already going through some aesthetic changes: we're still seeing a slab being lowered into a small pit, but now the liquid within is orange! This will come up a lot!

Next up we have the storyline Grant Morrison refused to read: Son of the Demon.

In Son of the Demon, Ra's claims that there was an earlier version of the Pit, before the final version Bruce has already encountered. In this version, he claims that Mellisande, Talia's mother, was pushed into this proto-pit, and it killed her.

Batman: Son of the Demon (1987)

Denny O'Neil will later retcon this in 1993, claiming that Talia's mother died of a drug overdose, and Ra's refused to bring her back.

But it is consistent in early versions of the story that Lazarus Pits, if not entered with proper care and with the right preparations, can be dangerous.

Bride of the Demon is the next storyline, and Ra's BRINGS the Lazarus Pits in this one. Ra's finds himself a hot MILF girlfriend and puts her in the Pit to make her younger so she can give him kids.

Batman: Bride of the Demon (1990)

This Lazarus Pit is shown to be more experimental than past versions, with Ra's and Dr. Weltmann attempting to prevent the Lazarus Madness factor.

Ra's later puts a child in the pit as a bribe to his father, but the kid had possibly been dead too long, and it was hinted there were going to be long-term consequences for the actions... which were dropped. As was the wife, who was supposedly pregnant at the end of this story. Comics!

This is the first time that limits on the Lazarus Pit are presented, but it is certainly not the last. This idea that there's an upper limit on how long someone can be dead for before a Lazarus Pit doesn't do anything will come back again.

Batman: Birth of the Demon finally brings in a more mystical aspect to the Lazarus Pits, which so far have been vaguely scientific. In this story, we are introduced to the fact that Lazarus Pits are located on the convergence points of leylines (which in-universe have something to do with the electro-magnetic field). Ra's's approximate age is revealed, and it is shown that Bruce and Ra's have been fighting a real-estate battle over sites where Lazarus Pits can be built.

Batman: Birth of the Demon (1992)

In flashbacks, we learn that Ra's figured out how to build a Lazarus Pit, and was not actually the first person to use it. Instead, it was for the son of the Sultan Ra's worked for as a physician.

After the Sultan's son went mad, killed Sora, and blamed Ra's for it, Ra's had his vengeance... by putting the son in a false Lazarus Pit.

This pit was sabotaged by not being built on a Leyline. So uh... be careful with those, I guess!

So in short: by the end of this era of Denny O'Neil/Mike Barr Lazarus Lore, we know that anyone can use a Lazarus Pit, but Ra's controls them with his knowledge of how to create them. Bruce can find where they should be by tracking leylines, and will pass this knowledge on to others over time.

We then enter a new era! The Chuck Dixon era, to be specific.

Chuck Dixon has surprisingly few retcons for us. We first really encounter his take on Lazarus Lore in his mini series Bane of the Demon, where Bane works with Ra's and co.

We get a brief recap of the lore here:

Batman: Bane of the Demon #3 (1998)

We are now introduced to an interesting new layer: the Lazarus Pits can be predicted, not just detected. Ra's has headquarters set up all over the world, in places where Lazarus Pits not only are, but will be. Some pit locations appear to remain the same throughout the years (Ra's has built numerous pits on the location of the first site: at least three that we know of), but generally, Lazarus Pits seem to be a one-time deal.

Ra's clearly has dedicated most of his life to these pits; to acquiring their locations, to predicting where they will be, experimenting with how to make them better... so obviously, he guards the formula for how to make them extremely closely, right?

Well. Not according to Chuck.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989-2007) #145

And if you've noticed that head of green hair on the ground there, that's right folks! BRUCE WAYNE PUT A DEAD JOKER IN A LAZARUS PIT HE MADE HIMSELF.

Bruce justifies it by telling Alfred that if he does this, it means Ra's can't use it later. However, it does not change the fact that Bruce put the Joker in a Lazarus Pit. No I'm not going to be over this ever. Jason might have a point, actually.

Ra's decides, after this, that he wants another wife. And he picks Dinah Lance! But whoops, as it happens, Dinah was tortured and can't have kids (also lost her Canary Cry), way back in Green Arrow, before Ollie died! So Ra's decides to throw her in a Lazarus Pit. It... doesn't go well. Lazarus Madness + Restored Canary Cry = one destroyed building.

Birds of Prey (1999-2009) #33

Oh look! We've got locations! And of course every other Lazarus Pit we've seen or will see except Birth of the Demon is nowhere near any of these convergence points!

So! To recap the current state of the lore: Lazarus Pits are a combination of science and magic. They are an alchemical creation, built on leyline nodes. Generally, they are one-use only, or at least they require centuries to be re-usable. They can resurrect the newly-dead, but but Ra's is very cautious about letting other people use them, probably because he's a control freak, and he doesn't have too many of them left.

We depart the Dixon era and enter... the Nyssa Raatko era.

Nyssa is introduced in Death and the Maidens, with Greg Rucka, who is a huge fan of Denny O'Neil, still sticking pretty close to the original lore.

Here, we see that Bruce has still been on his kick of preventing Ra's from building more Lazarus Pits by buying up real estate where they could be. This forced Ra's to try to reconcile with his daughter Nyssa, who he gave a Lazarus Pit to sometime in the 1700s.

Batman: Death and the Maidens (2003-2004) #1

"But hey!" I can hear you say. "Isn't part of the thing that you mentioned earlier is that they're one-use?"

Well they are! For Ra's.

Nyssa, however, is a smart lady.

Nyssa, at some point in her life, figured out how to make a Lazarus Pit reusable. So she's been getting a lot of mileage out of this baby, and has been since the 1700s.

This story also presents an explanation for why the Lazarus Pit is sometimes green and sometimes orange: Nyssa's is orange and Ra's has green ones. I guess maybe the earlier orange pits that Ra's had were him trying to make them reusable like Nyssa? Hmm.

Batman: Death and the Maidens (2003-2004) #4

When questioned about it, Nyssa tells Talia that there used to be more pits, so he was less protective of them when he gave her this one.

Batman: Death and the Maidens (2003-2004) #6

At the end of this storyline, Ra's is dead, Nyssa is the new Ra's al Ghul, and according to Bruce, she has the only Lazarus Pit left.

Batman: Death and the Maidens (2003-2004) #9

Nyssa pops up again in Batgirl, facing off against Cass, and brags about her special pit again. Cass and Shiva both get dips in it. Fun times!

Batgirl (2000-2006) #69

Yes, the torture hooks are a reoccurring feature of Nyssa's pit. I don't know why.

But wait! A brief interlude!

Jason Todd came back to comics in a storyline: Under the Hood, in 2005, which wrapped up in 2006. We weren't told how Jason came back in the story itself, but a few months after Under the Hood ended, we get Batman Annual #25, which shows Talia shoving Jason into a Lazarus Pit while Ra's was using it.

Batman Annual #25 (2006)

There's no discussion about if this is a weird dip. He's got brain activity again though!

This is revisited again in Red Hood: The Lost Days, but it doesn't really add anything from the point of Lazarus Lore, except that Ra's posits that Jason, having already been resurrected, could have suffered some long-term consequences, unlike literally anyone else who had a dip.

Red Hood: The Lost Days (2010-2011) #2

Anyways, enough Jason! Nyssa gets killed off-page in OYL, so she's gone now, Talia's running the show and oh fuck it's Morrison-era. And Morrison never bothered to read any other Ra's or Talia story because it wasn't Silver Age or something. So... retcon time!

The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul attempts to retell Birth of the Demon, but with a few retcons. The pits were discovered, not made, being the official point in which the Lazarus Pits become purely magical phenomena, rather than a work of alchemy.

Batman Annual #26 (2007)

Bruce also mentions that the Pits are connected to actual waterways, which is a massive difference from the shallow pits from earlier eras.

This era does however confirm the concept that older bodies, further along in the decay process, probably shouldn't be dipped in the Lazarus Pit. At least, Dick convinced Tim of this fact after a little while.

(Also White Ghost wants a perfectly healthy, alive Tim to bathe in the Lazarus Pit, and this is never explained. Maybe it was a distraction?)

Nightwing (1996-2009) #139

In this era, and the Batman: Reborn era following it, the Lazarus Pits are pretty absent, but the few references we do get from this point forward (including in Red Hood: The Lost Days, which are published in 2010-2011), tend to use the Morrison-era canon that the pits are natural. And also we're back to having a lot of them, instead of just Nyssa's singular one in the Balkans, and, since Ra's has a new young(er) body, there's no sense of urgency to buy up/prevent him from making new pits. Potentially, Dusan/White Ghost took advantage of the fact that the Bats thought Ra's was dead to buy back the real-estate and make new pits, but that's using the pre-Morrison lore. I guess in Morrison era, the Bats just... don't know where Pits are until they find one, and then they blow it up.

We also no longer see any one-time-use limitations. One could assume that Talia figured out the formula Nyssa used to keep the pits reusable and told Ra's, if we're trying to merge the canons.

And that's not even counting whatever is happening in the post-Flashpoint era. Lazarus Planet gives me a headache. Let's not talk about it just now.

Anyways, in short: I think the artificial, single-use Lazarus Pits are way more fun. But anyways, here's the citations to help you decide what YOU think Lazarus Lore should be!

[fluffykitty149]

The batfam thinking the League was transphobic towards transfem Dami. Meanwhile Dami was raised by an openly bi mom, a lesbian aunt Nyssa, a pansexual uncle Dusan, a trans Ra's and grew up with her asexual cousin Mara. Damian didn't even need to come out, she just woke up, told her servants to dress her like they dressed her mother and everyone was like "Oh okay, the heir to the League is a girl" and that's it.

Okay yes this is hilarious and also sorry for the late response! I was thinking of how Bruce got set up with Talia in this because Ras is pretty sexist (immortals am I right?) so I needed a work around but I found one!

Talia: Baba I don’t want to inherit the league! I want to be a doctor ballerina!

Ras feeling his blood pressure rise: If you keep your grades up and go to a good medical school then fine.

Talia beaming: Thank you!

Later does in fact become a med school ballerina.

Ras: Great another child only sometimes helping me with the league for my sake and not to inherit. (Also pays well) Now what do I do!?

Bruce giving wet cat energy and a hunger for vengeance and peace for all.

Ras: He could work!

Some tests and training later.

Ras: Now Talia you agreed to meet him but I understand that it doesn’t mean you’re interested.

Talia: I came because you said he was a deeply closeted chaotic bisexual that gave wet cat energy now show me.

[galaxymagitech]

I think I might develop an obsession with Nyssa al Ghul. I know she’s evil but…

[metis-iphigenia]

AL GHUL FAMILY TEXT POSTS PART THREE!!!

i got carried away and made too much so im abt to post part 4 in a sec😭😭

[simnationsim]

Batman villains in the sims 4 part 2.

[fantastic-nonsense]

everyone look alive, Nyssa Raatko is back in canon after 19 years

[dykemagik]

[brucestalia]

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The portrait of the Wayne household hangs above the grand, winding staircase looming over the manor’s entrance. It has grown over the years, accommodating the likenesses of the Bat-Prince’s many squires. Yet, despite its embellishments, a vague silhouette endures—untouched and ethereal, a phantom of the portrait’s earliest form.

When young master Tim Drake inquires about it, Bruce finds himself adrift in memories of simpler times.

He has been a Prince, a King—even if only in name—a Knight, and, at his lowest, a Sellsword; a warrior reduced to a weapon for hire. How the mighty fall , he muses.

Each mantle carries its own weight, yet none heavier than the one he bears now. The thought stings like a wound.

The al-Ghul lands stretch endlessly—deserts, jagged peaks, and sprawling plains, vast, untamed. 

Bruce first encounters her there, in a foreign wilderness, bleeding and battered from wounds earned in battle against a chimaera horde. Distrust has long been his armour, even against beauty cloaked in mystery, but he lets her tend his wounds.

Her face remains obscured, veiled beneath layers of silk. She introduces herself as Talia, daughter of he who is called Ra’s al Ghul . 

The name is spoken amongst soldiers and merchants alike in hushed whispers, reverent and wary. The Emperor , some call him, a title carrying as much menace as majesty. That night, Bruce camps near the capital, the stars above dimmed by the brilliance of the city’s lights. It looms on the horizon, a city of impossible grandeur. 

A servant named Ubu ushers him to the bathing house, where the grime of travel is washed away. He’s cloaked in robes—rich and foreign. Alfred’s absence is a thought he quickly buries.

His armour is taken to be polished, leaving him feeling bare – vulnerable, as though the steel had been his skin.

She was there again—Talia—her presence disarming in its constancy. He dines in the Princess’ tent, finding in the warmth of her hospitality, a haven against the desert’s chill.

 Yet, unease coils in his gut like a serpent. It grows sharper within the Palace walls, where her family’s emerald eyes gleam with an unnatural light. It is a quiet tension that swells each time eyes of polished jade seemed to glance into his soul.

Still, he accepts her offer: to become her sworn protector – a knight for the al-Ghul Princess. In return, he gains tutelage under the Emperor and his most skilled generals across the continent. 

But, he draws a line he refuses to cross—he will not kill. Talia understands, though her father does not.

The al-Ghul family defies easy understanding. The Empress – benevolent , poised , graceful, guarding the horrors of ages past. The Prince burns with ambition, bold, to the point of recklessness. The older Princess is an enigma; a riddle he had not yet solved.

Talia was a labyrinth of quiet strength and fleeting softness. She was the one part of their world that made him stay, though he knew he should not.

In time, her presence became a balm for the hurt he did not know he carried.

No beauty compared to her. Not the sands glowing under a silver moon, nor the jewelled skies of the East. Her laughter, soft and unguarded, as she bit into a slice of mango, juice tracing her lips. The mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she fed him a grape remained long after the sweetness faded. The victorious grin after a spar, or how she let frustration darken her features after she faltered – each a thread more vivid than the last, it all etched itself into him.

She would be the eighth Wonder of the World, if there ever was one, he decided.

Most nights, they sat beneath the stars. He wasn’t meant to linger in her chambers so late, but no reprimand came. It reminded the Emperor of a familiar tale–the mercenary and the warlord’s daughter.

A romance doomed to end as swiftly as it began.

The city adored its Princess. Her dark-armored guardian? Less so.

One evening, she donned a maid’s garb, and dragged Bruce to the bustling markets. Without his armour, he felt the land in a way he hadn’t before—the heat of its sun, the press of its life. Spices, songs, and silken scarves weave a reality he might have loved under different circumstances.

She danced with him, her laughter spinning away with the fading music. It is a moment stolen from eternity.

The day of his departure arrives. His refusal to kill has become a wedge between him and the Emperor’s court. But, as he treads the path away from the palace, Talia appears.

“Did you think I’d let you leave alone?” she says, a sly smile curving her lips. That is when her entourage unfurled—camels, a palanquin, soldiers, and servants, the unending desert beyond.

Bruce’s return to his kingdom is met with jubilation – a hero’s welcome that feels hollow at the sight of her beside him –  streets teeming with lords, ladies, and wide-eyed children. News of the Princess spreads quickly, much to one Richard Grayson’s chagrin.

Talia’s charm extends to even Queen Regent Lara Lor-Van and the butler, Pennyworth, with whom she hosts tea parties. Kal-El and Zala are won over in time. She is no longer just a guest; she is his betrothed .

Their peace is short-lived. When a former al-Ghul ally orchestrates an attack on the Empress, Bruce and Talia return to her homeland. 

After they end the threat, their union is sealed in a quiet ceremony, and Ra’s al Ghul himself oversees their vows.

But time, unrelenting, soon conspires against them. War breaks out, dividing kingdoms and hearts. She was with child, and Bruce knew she could not stay.

“Our son will be the next Alexander,” she whispers one moonless night. “He will bridge the West and the East.”

He studies her face as if it were a map of a world he would never know again. Perhaps, the moon hides in envy of her radiance.

And so, the portrait of the Wayne household remains incomplete. Talia left before it could be finished.

She never returned.

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[athanasia-things]

Gone for quite a while

[skylee-spider-lillis]

I have mentioned in my previous post how everyone related to the biological bat family is Jewish, but I need to talk a moment about Damian Wayne's aunts.

Because this boy has 5 Jewish aunts. And not just from Bruce's side.

Let's review them, alright?

1. One of the most famous out of them, Kate Kane aka Batwoman. The Jewish icon and Bruce's cousin. (Once removed or-something still counts!)

2. Beth Kane or Red Alice, Kate's twin. She's his aunt as well, the same as Kate.

3. Bette Kane, aka flamebird, another cousin of Bruce. Also shares the same Jewish blood.

Just wait, now is the more interesting part I've been waiting for:

4. Nyssa Raatco. (Very different from the Arrowverse version).

Talia's older sister. Daughter of Ra's Al Ghul and her Jewish mom. A badass Jewish Arab assassin, and one of my favorite Jewish aunts of Damian.

And the last one might be more controversial, because I know she's *technically* not family but still

Harey Quinn is the 5 Jewish aunt of Damian I'LL DIE DEFENDING IT.

My source?

AUNTIE QUINN!?!!

DC fans don't get mad at me I know Harley is not batfamily I just think she's an aunt figure to Damian. She's not part of the whole batfam, she's his aunt exclusively. She's Damian's fifth Jewish aunt fight me.

Yap I'll see myself out 🚪←🏃