#Talia would never willing sleep with Slade let it go

[arabian-batboy]

People on twitter are bringing some solid reasons as to why Respwan might be Talia’s and Slade’s son, such as the colorist coloring Slade’s and Rose’s eyes icy blue while he has green eyes, how there’s a chance that the plot-line of Talia and Slade possibly having a kid together from Deathstroke: Rebirth (that one were they wanted us to think that Slade was Damian’s dad) could be reused to explain Respawn, how Joshua (Respwan’s creator) teased a major plot-twist in the upcoming Shadow War, which is about Talia going after Deathstroke to seek revenge for killing her father.

And now my stomach is hurting, things have been going so well with Talia lately and this is really the last thing we need when we’re so close to slowly restoring her character to her pre-Morrison self.

[firefrightfic]

i love your take on jason's sexuality (not orientation but him as a sexual being) because he seems so complex as far as his emotions go. so i was wondering, how do you hc his first time, like how much did it take for him to go like alright i want this

Thank you! Jason is a very complicated person, and relationships... oh boy, those are the most complicated of all for him, especially when it’s a relationship that involves romance and/or sex. Too many times he’s dealt with being let down or betrayed by the people in his life, and letting himself become vulnerable in any sense of the word is the hardest thing he can do. Jason is very much always afraid of being hurt again, hence why he’s so very good at deflection and distancing himself from anyone who attempts to get close to him.

So as to your question, that’s a little complicated in terms of my general headcanons for Jason’s first time, since I tend to work with the idea that it was either Talia, or as was hinted in certain comic panels, it was an instance of child abuse before he met Bruce (usually that he was forced into prostitution as a means of survival on the street). Obviously the latter falls firmly into non-consensual, and my feelings around Jason sleeping with Talia is that it was an impulsive “fuck you” to Bruce moment for him that he later regrets. So instead on focusing on the first time he has sex in the technical sense, I’m going to focus on the first time he has sex in a way that is both fully consensual and out of genuine desire instead of a petty way of getting back at someone.

The biggest hurdle in sex for Jason is trust. Trust that person in question isn’t going to hurt him, have any ulterior motive for sleeping with him or, if it’s someone he’s genuinely interested in having a relationship with rather than just a casual tryst, abandon him afterwards. So either someone he’s known a long time to build up that trust, or someone who even if he doesn’t personally know them that well, he at least knows their character well enough that he can trust their words or motives (e.g someone like Slade who even though they’re a amoral bastard, they don’t make any claims to be anything but what they are, so he knows exactly what he’s getting into with them. Or Dick, who has a powerful reputation for trustworthiness amongst everyone there is). It’d either be someone he’s been friends with a while or someone who, after expressing romantic interest, is willing to be patient and deal with Jason’s bullshit and (often subconscious) testing to prove they are genuine. They would also have to be willing to take the first step towards initiating anything between them, because he never will.

Comic-wise, out of all the characters Jason’s interacted with, I think the best candidate for this is Roy (possibly alongside Kory). They worked together a long time, they know each other’s history, their quirks and problems, and whether it’s just a casual thing or the start to a relationship, Jason would feel safe with Roy, and Roy would be patient and respectful of Jason’s boundaries. It’s very easy to imagine them as casual sex buddies or more.

There’s also the canon hinting of his relationship with Rose Wilson, which has the element where I think Rose is a blunt enough person Jason would feel comfortable in believing that she says what she means and he can trust her not to use their relationship to try and fuck him over. I’m of two minds whether they actually did have sex or not myself, but there’s good possibilities to either. And I totally ignore Essence as well as the rest of the All-Caste rubbish.

So yes, patience, understanding and trust most importantly would be the recipe to Jason’s first fully consensual time. I can see it happening in a lot of different ways with a few different characters, but the key ingredients always remain the same.

[screamting]

[@infernal-fox asks: what happened between Slade and Nightwing [in And Monarchs to Behold]?]

It was a favor to Ra’s al Ghul.

Eventually he’d learn that sentence never ended well for him. He told himself that every time he bowed to a whim of his old mentor. Eventually he’d learn, but it still always felt like something small and easy at the time--a dinner meeting to discuss potential future prospects, but with no binding agreement. An exchange of data over a common nuisance with Talia as a go-between.

A request that Deathstroke the Terminator use his house as a way into a brief assassination.

Oh, it wouldn’t take place at his house, no need to worry-- but if Deathstroke could simply use him as a door into a party, well, that would minimize danger, and he knew how Bruce always loved to keep Gotham feeling nice and safe. He’d even ask that Deathstroke make it look like an accident, so that no alarm over more high-profile murders in Gotham could be raised.

Ra’s knew how Bruce felt about that sort of thing.

(Talia knew how Bruce felt about that sort of thing, he thought, and didn’t put it past her to scold her father into some semblance of civility.)

...but all the same, he’d yet to learn his lesson, and decided a debt was a debt, and he’d never been good at paying debts off.

So Deathstroke would have a safehouse and stepping off point in Wayne Manor for one night.

...Deathstroke would not have a safehouse in the Batcave. That was off limits still, and Bruce would stay up all night on vigil if he had to, but aside from the Batcave, Bruce had… recently acquired more to worry about.

...Dick was twelve, now. Starting to want to venture out on his own. Sometimes he did so without permission. All Bruce could do was try and make sure he kept as safe as he could. Was as trained as he could. Gave him a warning, even though the rule was no one out more than an hour from the manor at night--

But it was daytime, and Dick was awake at the breakfast table on the day of the Terminator’s presence, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and pouring milk into his cereal at the big mahogany table. Some splashed out the side of the bowl.

There were bruises under his nightshirt from the days before. They showed whenever he shifted and his neckline fell or his sleeves rode up.

There wasn’t any butler to make their guest an omelette or benedict, or even to set out the bowl of cereal before Dick awoke alongside orange juice and bacon.

Dick just blinked his bleary eyes at Deathstroke, and passed down the multigrain animal shapes to him, and dug into his breakfast.

….he would still be there, munching away in the room, when he heard Deathstroke speaking to his caretaker.

“I’ve seen what he’s capable of so far; I’m impressed at what you’ve done with him,” the old man said. “How much are you willing to part with him for?”

And then his blood ran cold.

--

Dick Grayson was thirteen, and out for his first night after surviving bruised ribs and a bad sprain. He was allowed to run and stay on the rooftops, but only that. Keep an eye out. A baby stake-out, Robin called it, but at least he was outside and feeling the wind whip around him again.

“Well I was just passing through, but this is a pleasant surprise. Finally let you out of your cage?”

Robin flinched at the voice behind him.

He didn’t move more than that, though. As if there were a knife at his throat.

Maybe a knife at his back. He didn’t know.

He didn’t know why that voice was familiar.

“There’s better teachers,” the voice came again, and something hot and burning tried to come up Robin’s throat. “Ones who wouldn’t let you get that hurt in the first place. And I happen to know a much easier way to heal.”

“No,” Robin mumbled.

Now he felt it. A hand on his shoulder, pulling him backwards, closer, until he thought he could feel Deathstroke behind him, voice near his ear. “He’s really got you good in this, hm?”

The grip tightened.

“I decline your ‘no.’”

...Robin remembered the year before. Talking about cost. Talking about Haly talking about not going to pay the fee, about the price of a life. He thought about hitting the ground, and all his bones popping right back into place, his organs knitting back together, the eye jelly that’d splattered out of his head balling right back up--

There were many horrifying sounds in the Gotham night. Gunshots, or shouts, or sirens.

The worst to hear of all was a dangerous little Robin, calling out to Batman for help.

--

Dick Grayson was fifteen. His name was Nightwing now, and his skin no longer crawled when someone stepped behind him.

...but that hadn’t come fast enough to break Batman of the habit, when his charge would flinch and whip around every time he put a hand on his shoulder, and then wouldn’t stop shaking after stuttering apologies.

But his name was Nightwing now, and the new Robin had never seen Deathstroke or felt his breath on the back of his neck. He’d never seen his predecessor be anything less than ruthless to anyone who dared approach from behind.

Robin no longer had to go out unsupervised sometimes, now that there were two people who could keep up with a younger member. Now that they had a robin that had to be trained from relative scratch.

It was also a Robin who didn’t ask many questions, though, just glad to be involved, and alive, and with a home and family, even if one seemed ready to strangle him half the time--

He’d realize, later, that what he’d seen of Nightwing’s temper was just irritation, and not true killing intent. He’d seen Nightwing kill--he’d seen him kill since the first day they met, when Jason floated down a sewer and found himself fished out by masked men sighing how their traps didn’t work on what seemed so much like dead bodies.

...they were helping him, Batman and Nightwing. They were helping him track down the mob that supplied the drugs that killed his mother. The workers and agents who wouldn’t help his family. The people who preyed on street kids that Jason had known before he was sent stumbling into the rivers on a combination of apathy, sickness, and hunger.

They were helping hunt those people down, making Gotham a better place for kids, and giving the survivors somewhere to go. School, housing, and sanctuary.

...but mob bosses could anger a lot more than simply the children of a city they ruled.

They found that out when their infiltration was interrupted, and they found the man-- Lew Moxon--dead in his chair, a sword still in the process of being pulled out of his neck.

“Oh,” Deathstroke said, “Now this is unexpected.”

Robin thought maybe they could shrug and go, now that their job was done for them, but Nightwing--

Nightwing made a sound like Robin had never heard before, and lunged across the room before Deathstroke could even get another word out.

He was fifteen, and had only barely hit his growth spurt, and stood no chance against him.

Deathstroke laughed, and when Nightwing tried to throw him out a window, just held on and dragged the boy down with him.

It was a week before they found him again, in red armor in a bunker outside Gotham city limits, face bruised and covered with superficial cuts.

--

Rules of the Batcave:

No drugs. No alcohol. Chore list must be upheld. No one allowed outside without warning. No one more than an hour away from each other at any time.

And Nightwing is never to come into contact with the man known as Deathstroke the Terminator.

[bluboothalassophile]

Give Me Back My Mind! I'm

Missing Bats, Dead Bats, New Bats

“You’re really going to break into Shadowcrest?” Constantine asked ludicrously.

“What’s the problem, it’s not like I’m robbing the House of Mystery, and she double crossed me first,” Jason growled lowly as he sipped his beer.

“It’s not that, it’s… I thought you were done with magic,” John sighed.

“I am a thief,” Jason repeated. “I was contracted to steal the book, I did, I even had a pissed off demon after me, and I got paid for stealing the book. However, as in the terms of agreement for acquiring my services, no double crossing or the other Red comes after you.”

“No, I get it, but I just… are you sure Z took the bloody book?” Constantine asked.

“It’s my fucking starting point, and I’m relatively certain she hired me to steal it,” Jason stated flatly.

“Well, I’m always up for a wee bit of mischief, but I’ve got my own problems to handle, I’ll help you with Shadowcrest, but then you’re in my debt,” Constantine warned.

“Fine,” Jason waved off. He didn’t mind owing John a favor, it wasn’t like John’s favors were all that horrible. “Whatever you want pal.”

“You do know my friends die, right?” Constantine said with dark humor lacing his tone.

“You do know I’m allergic to death,” Jason countered. Constantine was laughing then as his head fell back.

“Yeah, here’s the Shadowcrest blueprints, but you did not get them from me. And tell your sorceress that the house doesn’t take too kindly to demons,” Constantine waved his hand and a set of scrolls materialized.

“I never…” Jason started and John gave him a hard look.

“The Gem of Scath is an elusive demon, and a hell of a sorceress but she’s a demon all the same, Jason, a very powerful one at that,” Constantine said firmly as he sipped his drink. Jason lifted a brow.

“Gem of Scath?”

“She’s the daughter of Trigon, a king of demons, she was born to rule at his side, a Princess of Hell so to speak, no doubt if she were to be in her father’s realm she’d be a Queen. The Azarathians who sheltered her and raised her, they supposedly taught the Gem to control her demon. The Azarathians prophesized her opening the door which would bring Trigon to earth and destroying all worlds mortal. They were right in a manner of speaking, but Azarath will never know that.”

“What is Azarath, I know in the League files it’s listed as a dimension and that book as the last relic of Azarath, but I’ve seen a good portion of the multiverse and never heard or saw it,” Jason said.

“Not surprising, lad. Azarath was sort of behind the veil of all multiverses, all seeing, all knowing behind the veil of the universe. It was said they were a peaceful world, and spiritual, practicing mystic arts we could only dream of, I’m sure if Fate were here he’d have more to say on the Azarathians,” John said as he sipped his beer.

“What happened to them?”

“Azarath was destroyed, by Trigon,” Constantine said indifferently.

“How?”

“The Gem of Scath, she’s a conduit for Trigon, a very powerful one at that, she accidenitally opened a door to Azarath and Trigon came, destroying it all; she was merely a child, and then Trigon stole her away to his realm, after that, somehow, she came to be on earth. I don’t know the whole story, just the whispers and rumors of what I have heard from other demons and sorcerers,” John shrugged. Jason frowned as he stared at his beer.

“’Side’s the silly prophecy came and passed already, she was powerful enough to banish Trigon back to his realm, saving us, can’t be all bad if she banish a demon as strong as Trigon,” Constantine chuckled.

Jason shot him a confused look. “I thought you wouldn’t like demons.”

“They aren’t all evil, a bloke I know is merged with a powerful one and he’s not all bad. Demons are just… dangerous. They’re like a wild animal, impossible to predict, and very dangerous, but dangerous isn’t always bad. The Gem of Scath, from what I’ve heard, is a passive creature, while her nephew, the bloke I was telling you about, he’s aggressive,” Constantine shrugged.

“Passive my ass,” he snorted. “Thanks for the blue prints.”

“Jay, be careful in that house, Z isn’t a weak one, and she hates the Gem of Scath,” Constantine warned.

“Her name is Raven,” Jason warned lowly. “And Zatanna is only on my shit list because she double crossed me. That makes her my enemy, and if Raven’s my ally, I think Zatanna should be the one worrying.”

“Agreed, I won’t be warning her if you’re concerned about that,” Constantine said slowly. “Azarath sorcery belongs to the last Azarathian, not to anyone else.”

“Thanks Constantine, I owe you one,” Jason said as he walked out of the bar then and made his way to his safe house.

He frowned at the paintings on his floor, the wax, the candles, the scent of inscents and the faint scent of blood. However, he ignored it as he carefully moved around all the paintings; not willing to fuck with magic and end up in another dimension or turned into a bat or something.

He made it to his sleeping room and saw Raven sound asleep on a bedroll, Damian claiming the mattress. Sighing he stripped off his clothes and pulled on his pajama pants; snagged a shirt as an after thought and stretched out beside Raven.

For such a powerful demon, she was tiny, he thought as she shifted on her stomach and scooted into him on her own. Exhaustion claimed him as he yanked a blanket over him and Raven and he decided he wouldn’t be childish about sleeping with her. It was chilly in the apartment after all.

~~~*~*~*~~~

He was too fucking exhausted after dealing with Superboy the day before and yesterday that he had collapsed in his living quarters on his bed and opted to sleep for a year. Between talking to Superboy the day before, and having Tim sit there and talk to Superboy, Dick had spent most of yesterday trying to figure out how to talk to Superman about the existence of the clone; it was exhausting.

Life was exhausting as of late.

Not in the bad, depressing way, but rather in the ‘there’s one of me, eight of you, a thousand things to do, have patience, I’m working on it’ way. When Damian had shown up earlier this year and they had sorted everything about the League of Assassins, the Pit, Slade Wilson, and where Damian would be staying, Dick had decided he’d have to step up more as a big brother. With both Tim and Damian. And while he and Tim were good; had been since Tim had donned the mantel of Robin, Damian was a different story.

Damian was a handful to say the least, he was so unlike any other child that there was that it was a bit ridiculous to try to treat him as a child. However, Damian was ten, and he needed to be a child. And after all the shit the kid had gone through, both before being dumped on Bruce by Talia al Ghul, and after, the kid needed… family. And the Bat family was perpetually dysfunctional as hell. Also, by taking Damian out of Gotham he was out of the reach of both Talon and Talia, and Dick would do anything to keep his baby brother away from the psychos of Gotham and the League of Assassins.

But aside from Tim and Damian, there was Bruce to worry about; not that he had to worry about Batman, but Bruce he had to worry about. Bruce was the not-great-but-still-trying father who was paranoid that something bad would happen to them, Bruce was the father who had lost his son, and who didn’t know how to be a father but tried all the same.

And to add to his exhaustion of life there was now Barbara and Kori to deal with. He and Kori had a nice thing going, steady for a year, not quite boyfriend and girlfriend, but more than just friends with benefits. Truthfully, until Bruce had insisted on the Titans having technical support and Barbara being said support, he had been planning on taking Kori on an official date and uncomplicating this part of his life. But with Barbara here he wasn’t certain about this, or how to proceed. Dick had loved Barbara, and he still did in a way, for a long time, she’d been a dear friend in a moment of his life where he’d been in hell, and she’d helped save him. But whatever spark, whatever flame had been between them in their youth, it had extinguished when the Joker had broken her and she had shut him out and he’d let her shut him out.

But with his family, and confusing relationships, also came all the work he did as Nightwing, Dick, Richard Grayson, and a member of the Titans and the League. It was exhausting to try to keep up with all that.

And perhaps it was this exhaustion which had made him miss it. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed because he was already stretched so thinly and he had come to rely on Raven to be there to keep him propped up. Raven was good like that, she was like a sister to him and she was his savior where Damian was concerned. Perhaps it was the fact he was so comfortable here in the Tower that he hadn’t noticed it. However it had slipped his notice, even as he cracked his weary eyes open at the sound of his ringing phone and an empty bed.

Yawning he reached for his phone and looked at the caller before sighing, wincing, sitting up and looking around his room for Kori. She wasn’t here, he felt his cold bed and groaned as he fell back; complicated! For about a year, whenever he was in Tower or in San Francisco, he and Kori shared a bed; and right now she wasn’t there.

Groaning he got out of his bed, noted that it was five in the morning, the only two who would be up would be Raven and Damian. Damian got up and four-thirty every morning to train; unless the Titans had had a ridiculously late night mission. And Raven would be getting ready to meditate at five, they always shared a morning cup of tea and coffee at five.

Walking out of his room with his phone in hand he made his way down to the kitchen and noted the absolute silence, not even the hum of the holographs running, which had him sighing as he walked to the coffee. Raven hadn’t made it, frowning he just did it himself as he waited, waited for both the coffee and Raven to materialize from the shadows.

She didn’t show, he just shrugged it off to her being exhausted as he sat at the kitchen table and dialed back Bruce.

“Dick I need you to do me a favor,” Bruce started when he answered the phone on the second ring.

“Morning Dick, how are you? Oh, I’m good, just exhausted, Supes has a clone, I haven’t slept well in four days, and I’m exhausted. Also, my alien girlfriend, the one you’re not overly fond of, is mad at me for letting my childhood sweetheart live here, and I woke up in my bed here, alone for the first time in a year after having a steady thing with Kori going, thanks for asking though,” Dick sarcastically filled in his guardian. As much as he loved Bruce, Bruce wasn’t his father, no one would ever be able to take his father’s place in his heart or mind, and Dick refused to entertain the idea of calling Bruce ‘Dad’. But Bruce was a guardian, and Bruce was alright with that.

“Sorry, Dick,” Bruce sighed.

“It’s alright, we’re still training you,” Dick shrugged; he had Tim in on him with the correcting Bruce on how a father was supposed to be, hopefully Bruce would be a better father for Damian. “Now, what’s so important you’re calling at five in the morning?”

“I have some news,” Bruce started.

“Of course you do, else you wouldn’t have been calling,” Dick stated as he sipped his overly sweetened coffee, it was so warm, and good, it was like coming to life again.

“I’m going to need your help talking to Damian and Tim about this,” Bruce said firmly, but the undercut of uncertainty was what had Dick sitting up straight in his chair.

“What is it Bruce? You’re officially scaring me. You’re not dying are you!?” Dick felt the panic coming at the thought of losing Bruce; he wasn’t ready to be an orphan again, and he was not ready to be shoved into the mantel of Batman; and he didn’t want it. No, Dick was happily waiting for Damian to be all grown up to take the Batman mantle.

“I’m not dying,” Bruce stated firmly.

“Oh thank God,” Dick sighed as he fell back in his seat. “So what’s up?”

“Selina’s pregnant,” Bruce stated and Dick burst into laughter; it couldn’t be helped. From the age of thirteen Bruce had been hounding it into him to use protection, to be safe, to be smart, to accept the consequences of sex if protection failed and to never treat a woman as anything less than a lady; regardless of what she did for a living or how she acted. And now, in the span of a year, Bruce was telling him that he had not only sired one baby, but two; it was priceless!

It also revoked Bruce’s lecturing rights on protection.

“After all the lectures you gave me!” Dick laughed. “You have a ten year old show up on your door step, and now Selina in less than a span of a year! This is great! You can’t lecture me anymore about protection! I’ve never even had a pregnancy scare! This is great!”

“I will still lecture you so you do not get to being my age and have a ten year old showing on a yacht not the doorstep,” Bruce grounded out.

“Nope! I’ve never had a pregnancy scare, and my current girlfriend and I haven’t even had to worry about the possibility. And yacht, doorstep, tomato-tomata,” he shrugged. “Congratulations are in order I take it.”

“Yes,” Bruce said uncertainly.

“Tell Selina I said hi, congrats, and welcome to the family. Oh, and I want a baby brother,” Dick stated happily. “She is going to be a part of the family, right? I like Selina, why better than that manipulative bitch Talia.”

“She’ll be happy to hear that, and we’re working that out,” Bruce sighed. “Also, you know you cannot make requests as to the gender of a baby, right?”

“I know, but face it Bruce, we have no idea what to do with girls, Barbara’s Barbara, and Cass is a former assassin, and Stephanie’s Cluemaster’s daughter, both girls are more of Barbara’s than ours,” Dick pointed out.

“Still can’t will it to be a boy,” Bruce pointed out.

“I can hope, also, is this why it was suddenly imperative that Tim and Stephanie join up with the Titans? I get having Damian here, and I get that those three need to work on being a team, but your push was sudden,” Dick pointed out.

“The reasons of needing them to be a unit are also true. And after Wonder Girl, Supergirl, and Superboy’s near death attempt at a mission is also a true factor in my pushing them to join the Titans. But yes, the pregnancy was a private factor as well, Selina and I will work this out, without interference, but Dick… I’ll be in San Francisco next week, I would like to sit down with all of you and talk about this,” Bruce carefully and the wheels in Dick’s head spun.

Damian wasn’t overly fond of Tim and he barely tolerated the rest of the adopted clan and preened over being Bruce’s only blood son and rightful heir. There could be problems forming with this announcement and Damian’s attitude.

“I’ll talk to Raven, see if she can help me with talking to Damian,” he sighed. Raven was perhaps Damian’s only friend outside of the family, Dick was hoping this would change in time, but it was a good start. Also, Raven was a good role model for Damian, Dick would have sworn she was like a big sister or mother to Damian with how she had taken to treating him.

“Raven?”

“I need reinforcements, and Raven’s good at getting through to Damian, you know this. Besides she’ll keep it all to herself, Raven doesn’t gossip,” Dick pointed out. He was pretty certain that all of Damian’s calls home had elements of Raven in them.

“Just… don’t have the entire Titans know, else the League will know and everyone will know,” Bruce grouched.

“I get it, how far along is she?”

“Ten weeks.”

“Hey, wasn’t that after…” Dick started and frowned. “How long have you two been officially, secretly dating then.”

“Since before Damian came here,” Bruce answered.

“Wow, almost a year then,” Dick said in awe. Brucie tended to be frivolous in his dating life, Bruce Wayne sought to stay single or have a connection, and Batman couldn’t have attachments or love. Dick was impressed. True Bruce and Selina had been dancing around each other since before he’d ever even known Bruce, but to actually hear that they were a couple… it was impressive.

“Congrats, send Selina my love and try to do right by her,” Dick grinned at taking over the father role at the moment.

“Talk to Damian,” Bruce pleaded.

“No worries, baby bird will be ready to be a brother before I’m through with him,” Dick announced. “Call me when you want to arrange that sit down, I’ll make certain Tim and Damian won’t kill each other before then.”

“Thank you, Dick,” Bruce sighed.

“Talk to you later Bruce,” he smiled as he hung up and then stared up at the ceiling.

Another sibling…

Another spawn of Bruce Wayne, with Selina Kyle as the mother, the world wasn’t ready for that but Dick was kind of looking forward to it. If Jason were alive to be here he’d have been excited, Tim was going to be nervous but thrilled, and Damian… Damian was a wild card. Hopefully Dick could coax the youngest Robin around to the idea of being a big brother; this was going to take a lot of help.

Thank God for Raven, demon or not, Raven was an angel for putting up with him and his family being shoved on her. Finishing his coffee he noted the time and decided he’d go find Raven and talk to her about helping him with Damian and getting Damian to like the idea of being a big brother. After making his way back up to the living quarters he walked the hall, pausing outside of Kori’s door he was tempted to walk in and join her in bed for some more sleep, however, he needed to talk to Raven. He’d talk to Kori later. Walking to Raven’s room he lightly knocked, there was no answer. Slowly he walked in, careful of her wards, and left the door open just in case her room decided to pitch him out.

“Raven?” he called out, he stopped at her bed and frowned at the man’s leather jacket on it and the empty bed. Where was she? And who’s jacket was this? Picking up the jacket he slowly walked out of the room; careful not to touch anything. Coming into the hall he quietly shut the door and looked up when Victor emerged from his room.

“Hey, Cy, have you seen Raven?” he asked.

“Who? What!? I don’t know anything! Rae’s out!” Victor scrambled and Dick’s eyes narrowed on his giant friend.

“Victor, where is Raven?” he repeated slowly and clearly.

“Uh… She’s tracking Red X! He broke into her room, stole something and she’s been tracking him down, Damian is with her, I insisted she didn’t do this alone, and obviously, I can’t leave else who’d be in charge of her team!? You’re too busy for the training stuff, and Damian volunteered to go with her! I don’t know anything else! I swear!” Victor balked.

“Raven chasing Red X! And my baby brother is out there without protection!” Dick paled at the thought; Talia wanted Damian back and the League of Assassins would go after him now that he was out of Batman’s protection! Oh shit!

“He’s with Rae,” Victor pointed out.

“That’s not the point! The League of Assassins, Talia al Ghul, wants him back!”

“What!? Does he know!?”

“No! Bruce and I thought it was for the best if he wasn’t tempted to return to them!” Dick snapped.

“Oh shit,” Victor paled more.

“We have to find him before the Assassins find out he’s out there on his own with only Raven to protect him!” Dick shouted.

He also had to find Damian before Bruce found out he was missing; else Dick was dead.

~~~*~*~*~~

Bruce felt a bit more confident about broaching the whole family thing with his children now that he had talked to Dick and Dick had been excited. Truthfully, though he had suspected Selina was pregnant, he hadn’t officially known until yesterday when he’d met up with her for lunch and he’d never been more scared. Well, except when Talia had shown up and presented Damian as his son, finding out about Damian had scared the shit out of him. But he loved that boy, just as he loved all his sons and he was striving to try to be a father to Damian and to teach his boy that there was more to the world than the Assassins who had brainwashed him and were now seeking him out.

Sighing he leant back in his seat as he contemplated how this could work and tried to predict how Damian would react to the news. Of all his children Damian was the most difficult, and the most like Jason; more serious than Jason, but Damian still possessed the same anger, rage, temper and views on killing and going off alone. Bruce was trying to reign him in, trying to stop his youngest’s reckless behavior, but found it difficult.

At least until Dick had decided to move Damian in with the Titans.

True Damian was still reckless, still violent, still brash, but he was calmer. Bruce figured it was Raven’s doing, all of Damian’s calls home were filled with the demoness’s words, her advice, her help, and just Raven. He’d have found it amusing that his youngest had a crush on the Titan if not for the fact that Raven was a demon. And while he trusted Raven with his family completely, he was also well aware that she had dangerous powers she chose to keep to herself that no one in the League knew about.

Dragging a hand through his hair he took another steadying breath before standing, buttoning his suit, grabbing his needed files, and walking out of the office to head for a board meeting. Tonight he and Selina would be talking, and Alfred had the night off. It was all quiet in Gotham, and if he hadn’t known where all the lunatic criminals were at this moment, he’d have thought it too quiet. Like the calm before the storm.

Still, Bruce couldn’t shake this uncanny feeling that trouble was coming despite the world all but telling him it was at peace.

Something bad was about to happen, he could feel it in his gut.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Raven was not surprised to wake with Jason again, or to have his heavy arm tossed over her back, or for him to be so close. He was very warm, and she was very comfortable where she was. Turning her head she looked up on the bed to see Damian staring at her with curious, unblinking eyes; a habit from his father and brothers no doubt, Dick and Tim both did this look as well. A low moan escaped her as she stretched out a bit on her stomach, not dislodging Jason, and then she sighed before giving Damian her undivided attention.

“Morning,” she breathed in a hushed tone.

“When are we moving on Shadowcrest?” the boy asked.

“Tonight,” came the mumbled reply from Jason who was sleeping on his stomach, facing away from them. “Go to sleep.”

“I can’t there’s gunshots across the street,” Damian hissed.

“Go to fucking sleep! Cops will take care of it!” Jason hissed.

“This is a very unsafe place to have a safe house, worse than Crime Alley,” Damian wrinkled his nose a bit in disgust and Raven chuckled as Jason came awake then and propped himself up beside her.

“Not all of the world grows up in palaces with guards, tutors, and money Damian. Be grateful, and this is a perfectly safe, safe house!” Jason growled lowly. The sound of sirens blaring had Raven rolling onto her back as she stretched and sat up.

“How about tea and breakfast then we’ll discuss Shadowcrest,” Raven yawned.

“Please don’t cook,” Damian pleaded.

“I’m cooking twerp so shut it, sunshine’ll make the tea,” Jason groaned as he stretched and sat up too.

“You can cook?” Raven and Damian asked at the same time.

“Yes, and I’m an excellent cook,” Jason stated.

“I doubt it,” Damian snorted.

“Just cause you can burn water does not mean the rest of us mortals are inept at cooking,” Jason sighed as he got to his feet and left them in the bedroom. Raven looked at Damian who was now looking a bit more curious than angry.

“Why is he sleeping with you?” Damian asked.

“You mean aside from the fact it’s cold, there’s one mattress with good blankets, and I have the bedroll?” Raven clarified.

“He did it in the hotel too,” Damian pointed out.

“Because he wanted to sleep on a bed, and now, probably because it’s cold,” Raven admitted. She doubted there was another reason she and Jason had taken to being so close so quickly.

“Grayson shares a bed with Kori,” Damian said so innocently Raven felt like she’d been creamed by a linebacker then.

“That’s different,” she assured him.

“I know, but I thought that’s why people shared beds,” Damian snorted.

“Damian, worry about it when you’re older, for now, Red seems intent on sleeping on a bed or with a blanket, though he’s a furnace,” Raven sighed as she dragged her fingers through her hair.

“If he tries anything I will disembowel him,” Damian said firmly.

“Good to know, let’s get breakfast,” Raven decided as she stood up and stretched. She was still in her pajamas as she walked into the living area.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Damian wasn’t a fool, he knew why people slept together and what they wanted; he’d walked in on his grandfather once, and his mother was not shy about the men who came to her bed. Dick and Kori slept together, Damian had snuck in one night before the dawn curious as to what Grayson’s relationship with the alien was and found them sound asleep. And he’d seen his father sleeping in Catwoman’s bed before too. He knew what people wanted when they shared beds, and what that usually meant.

Waking up to Jason and Raven together was different though.

It was comfortable. Damian had waited until they were awake before speaking, he did not want to disturb the peace he felt around them.

And now he was sitting at a battered table as Jason made batter and Raven made tea. Was this what normal felt like? To just sit at a table for breakfast and have people be calm? Damian didn’t know, he didn’t think there’d ever been a calm moment with the Titans or the Wayne family. And despite the obvious chaos outside, it was calm in here.

“Vanilla?” Jason yawned.

“Here,” Raven said as she waved her hand to have a bottle float out of a cabinet.

“Thanks.”

“What’s for breakfast?” Damian asked.

“Waffles for me and little bird, you like pancakes so you’ll be getting those,” Jason informed him.

“That is acceptable,” Damian decided.

“It’s too early for the prince shit,” Jason growled.

“Knock it off Damian,” Raven chided and he just blinked at her as she made him a mug of tea. It was comfortable here, he kind of liked it as he accepted the mug Raven placed before him and she sat, Jason continued to make batter.

[marytagus]

Arrow 5x16 - Checkmate After Thoughts

Main after thought

I loved this episode. My mind was so full so content and with so much to process I logged off and I’m writting this wishing my muse helps me in order not to miss anything.

It was an episode of great performances and a I saw a bit of old dinamic coming back so I’ll structure this by character.

Oliver Queen

Poor Oliver he went from shock to shock on this episode and he feel into every set up. He also got back to being a bit of the Oliver I know and love when he turned to the Team and OTA for support.

- Talia

Prometheus “... he calls himself Adrian Chase.”

On the why he’s after me: “You killed his father”. 

On the why didn’t you tell me  “... you killed my father.” my full name is “Talia al-Ghul”

Poor Oliver. He never saw her coming by the end of the episode.

BTW yeah the T on the spoiler didn’t stand for Talia. It was a missdirect. That’s why the wording sounded off. It makes perfect sense coming from Adrian.

- Adrian Chase / Prometheus

Oliver clearly knows Adrian has him when he pulls that “Sr. Mayor you look tired maybe because you have been sleeping for so long”

And then Oliver goes off and falls for any and every trap Adrian as set for him. The biggest screw up being Green Arrow invading Adrian house. Of course it was a trap, of course Adrian knew Oliver would do that.

Doris Chase witnessed, Doris Chase frail and scared figure makes every sense to show to all Star City has a Green Arrow victim. Star City is now against Green Arrow for real.

Yes Oliver let it out, destroy the Green Arrow suit, destroy the bunker (except Felicity computers), it’s time for you to understand how much you were played.

It was sad to watch Oliver go back to friends and family make me vulnerable... 

But, with Diggle’s help, he got back to what matter friends are also your biggest advantage in this game.

Oliver aknowledges geting involved with Snoozen/EWR was a mistake but not for the right reasons IMO. He’s thinking she would be safe from Prometheus if it weren’t for their involvement, he’s not thinking (yet) that their involvement is wrong because she’s the wrong woman.

Adrian Chase / Prometheus

I can understand Josh Segarra excitement for showing his real work as Adrian / Prometheus now. It was glorious.

The greatest Villain I saw on Arrow since Slade. Sorry Ra’s and Darkh you do not even come close to the wickedness, evil and, let’s face it, BALLS that this guy has.

It’s perfection. He’s a psycopath but so funcional, racional, clever and manipulative

He’s truly very far ahead of Oliver. At the same time watching them face eachother is like looking into mirror images. 

When Diggle brought in Doris and up until the moment when Adrian hugs her I was still not sure if she was innocent or not but I saw it coming with that look Adrian sent Oliver. Doris, to Adrian, is just another Oliver victim. She’s dead because Oliver brought her there. Still

Talia al-Ghul

The great villain that is Talia only got introduced on present time but it was enough for us to know that she is in play, right now in Star City, and backing Adrian against Oliver.

I do share the opinion that she is doing a lot more than just backing up Adrian but we will see.

I’m also on board the Talia was Shado’s mother theory untill I get another explanation for the why she came for Oliver in Russia. As far as I could tell Adrian came to Talia to be trained, I have a feelling Talia has plenty of people wanting to be her students so why hunt playboy millionaire Oliver Queen?

Still I’m pump to see more of Talia, she has so much more to give to the show. For this episode she barely show a tenth of her capabilities: told Oliver enough for him to know how in trouble he really is but nothing that could help him in anyway; and shot Oliver kidnapping him with Adrian.

Felicity Smoak

Our girl is totally behaving acording to her character, thank you writers and EP’s for not only telling but doing.

She helps Helix to get information on EWR/Snoozen location for Oliver. Which, I must add, is just another trap for Team Arrow to fall in (case in fact Dinah and Rene) and trigger the Bombs. Note: I take it as confirmation that Adrian had something to do with the information Helix gave Felicity.

And she hacks Homeland Security drones and messes their GPS’s. Totally illegal, she’s totally in trouble with the law right now. But in grain with what Felicity is she doesn’t do it in Helix (with all the witnesses) but in the bunker with the only witness/aid being Curtis.

Totally in grain with Felicity she does come to the Team when they ask even if she’s late.

Totally in grain with the Felicity she goes all out and hands herself on a plater to Alena to save Oliver.

John Diggle

I’ve missed Diggle so much this Season. That conversation between him and Oliver was all my wishes coming true. The BROTP is back and I’m so happy

Olicity

There was Olicity and then some. I know, I know, it wasn’t much but it was so much at the sametime and totally unexpected.

From the promos and stuff we were expecting Oliver to be running after EWR/Snoozen. Fact his he didn’t abandon EWR but he was more concern about Felicity absence.

When she does arrive the Bunker he FINALLY adresses the elephant that has been filling the room since 5x01.

She’s not sharing something, she’s keeping secrets from the Team and from Oliver. And my heart filled when Oliver adressed the fact that they both knew what lies did to them; and my heart filled again when Felicity agreed.

Felicity was so not expecting to be Oliver’s priority and main concern... I’m sure there are GIF’s being made right now on this.

But Felicity is only willing to compromise herself. She knows Helix is evil, she doesn’t want Oliver involved. The same way Oliver didn’t want Felicity to go with him to Nanda Parbat (so glad she did though).

And when Oliver get’s kidnap there’s no choice to be made...

It’s Oliver...

These two will kill me but I will die happy.

Randoms thoughts

- Pike is in a coma. We know the reason for the attack was Oliver giving him intel on the DA being Prometheus he got from Felicity which in turn got it from Helix. I take this as another confirmation that Adrian and Helix are connected.

- Quentin shielding Snoozen/EWR from “innocent” DA Adrian. 

- Snoozen / EWR scared of Adrian. The Little Snake is affraid of the Big one. Let snakes be snakes. Besides she got her big scoop she should just run with it. Or does she need to sleep with Adrian before printing it?

- That Snoozen / EWR being scared for Oliver was unconvincing

I’m pretty sure she just didn’t want to be alone. Which I totally get but doesn’t give me one inkling of “love” or “real care” vibe.

- Writer’s, EP’s I’m still not sold on Snoozen / EWR I don’t want her dead, mind you, I want her to meet someone like her and be very happy in Hub City or any other city except Star and Central. Carly Pope is a good actress, she’s seelling the Snake like character like many wouldn’t be able to, but I want her far from Oliver, she’s not a good woman, this terrifying experience may change that somewhat but I don’t think it will be enough to flip her character 180 degrees.

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[firefrightfic]

Jaydick for 01 and Jason for 02 because I want to ask about both.

Excellent. Both are things I was hoping for XD

Jason Answers:

How I feel about this character:

Jason Todd is my favourite forever and he breaks my heart in too many ways. From the beginning where he was this sweet, homeless, abused kid who wanted to do right even as he was forced to do wrong to survive, to being Robin in the best period of his life. To the fallout where he was this teenage kid trying to process through the trauma of his earlier years and punished for it by the readership at the time, then finally to the jaded, angry, wounded vigilante he is now, who just still wants to do good. To help and protect those who cant’t do it themselves by any means necessary, even if it means he has to sacrifice his own connections and happiness to do so. I love Jason for his protective streak, his inability to stop caring as much as he tries to pretend otherwise. He’s self-destructive and in pain, and he’s done terrible things not because he enjoys it, but because he believes they’re necessary, and just… gah, how can you not love him?

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Dick, Tim, Damian, Bruce, Roy, Starfire (in the Outlaws ot3), Midnighter and most recently Slade which is all Skalidra’s fault.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Rebirth has absolutely made me fall for Artemis and Jason for this. Their whole dynamic is fantastic. I want them to go on road trips and have witty banter together forever.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Again, not sure if this is actually unpopular, but I do not like dude-bro Jason who hangs out in bars and drinks all the time. This is mostly Batman & Robin: Eternal’s fault and it really just grates on me so much. There was this whole effort to characterise Jason as the rebel/bad boy Robin in the most stereotypical way and please no. Luckily Rebirth seems to be backtracking on this approach.

One things I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

Follow up with Bruce and Jason in the pre-52 canon. After all the drama and pain of Under the Hood, they never really met again? Like, ever? I think the closest there was is the message Bruce left for Jason after he died. I really wanted more effort on Bruce’s part to bring Jason home and demonstrate that, contrary to what Jason believes, he really does love him.

Other things include: That the first RHATO had been done better; that Jason had more of a reaction and there were bigger consequences to how far Bruce was willing to go to bring Damian back to life when he didn’t do the same for him; that Talia and Jason’s relationship had continued post-Lost Days.

my OTP:

JayDick, so much. See below XD

my cross over ship:

Bucky Barnes/Jason Todd. Formerly dead sidekicks unite!

a headcanon fact:

Jason donates a lot of money to women’s/homeless shelters and drug rehabilitation programmes for underprivileged kids. Otherwise, other than paying for his own equipment and needs, he actually lives pretty frugally (if comfortably). It’s a knock-on effect of his childhood that he just doesn’t feel comfortable spending excessively on himself when it’s not necessary, and if the money he has can keep others from going through what he and his mother did that’s a much better use for it than luxuries he doesn’t need.

JayDick answers:

when I started shipping it if I did:

Around 2 years ago? After I came back into the Batman feels after a long break, read some fanfiction and fell in love XD

my thoughts:

Stupid pretty boys who can emphasise with each other so much if they just give each other a chance.

What makes me happy about them:

So many things. I like them in a healthy relationship where they’ve slow-built and there’s trust and compassion and understanding on both sides for each others issues. I like how protective they could be over each other. How they both come from poorer backgrounds (though Dick had a much happier childhood than Jason did). I love how they both care about each other even if they’re not always great at showing it (see that punch Jason landed on Dick when they found out he wasn’t actual dead, and also Dick’s breakdown pre-52 on discovering Jason had died).

I enjoy portrayals of them on the unhealthier side too. I mean, when it’s Dick’s frustration over Jason’s behaviour and beliefs combined with Jason’s resentment of Dick for being ‘the favourite’ and the good one, the insurmountable pedestal he was always held up to and could never hope to match, building into sexual tension that eventually explodes is just so enjoyable.

What makes me sad about them:

A lot of things. Mostly that they never really had much of a chance to bond when Jason was Robin, due to Dick being at odds with Bruce at the time and also off with the Titans. I feel like Jason would have had so much of a better chance if Dick had been around for him then like he later was for Tim.

And let’s face it, that there’s a good chance their conflicting beliefs would realistically end up driving them apart if anything did ever happen.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

I’ve seen some portrayals of Jason where he’s this semi-evil dude bro who is borderline abusive, if not outright, and Dick as the submissive uke who just rolls over for him (this is also a trend I’ve seen when Jason’s paired with Tim) and it drives me up the wall. Each to their own, but it’s not for me. Similarly, stories where Jason just gives up on his beliefs for the sake of being with Dick with no conflict or believable development about it. 

things I look for in fanfic:

Oh boy. Stories where Jason has/had a crush on Dick as a kid are my ever loving favourite. I also have a massive thing for sub/bottom!Jay in the relationship (with healthy understandings of each other’s boundaries included). Dick who does grand (even everyday) romantic gestures and Jason who constantly gets embarrassed about them because he just doesn’t know how to handle open expressions of affection. Either of them being protective over the other for whatever reason. And also especially stories where Dick is understanding and patient with Jason for all the traumas and pain he’s been through while also not taking his shit.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

Dick/Starfire and Jason/Roy.

My happily ever after for them:

Something dreadfully normal where they live together and work as partners in their nighttime activities. Dick possibly takes over as Batman again for a while until Damian’s old enough for the role once Bruce retires, then goes back to being Nightwing. They adopt a couple of kids (because Dick definitely wants to dad, and to a lesser extent so does Jason, even though he’s afraid of messing it up), and eventually retire with most of their health, offering advice and a helping hand to the new, younger generations of heroes when they need it.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Dick is the big spoon. At first Jason was actually more comfortable not sleeping in the stranglehold of another person, but Dick’s a cuddlebug in his sleep and he eventually learned to like it (especially when pillow barriers quickly proved to be no deterrent).

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

Patrolling and fighting bad guys is the easy answer XD After that, working out, or racing in a playfully competitive way, either on bikes or foot (Dick almost always wins the latter, and it almost always leads to sex). Also the rare quiet moments at home, where Dick’s got a movie on and Jason’s probably reading, and they’re curled up against each other in comfortable silence