#Talia: Bruce I believe I may be pregnant

[puppetmaster13u]

We keep having so long things lol. Thank everything for the Keep Reading lmao.

Oh my god the Bats having an emergency bottle of Gotham water for emergency transformations that’s a wonderful idea. Probably more like a smoke bomb but water that they can smash open. Water balloon/bomb? Idk if it makes sense lol. 

 Gotham definitely has like, crazy skincare stuff for if you’re going Outside. Things to help you not dry out or go crazy because of so much sudden sun. It’s almost always at least partially cloudy in the city after all. Lotions to help combat drying out, extra large water bottles that hold gallons worth of water and keep it chilled. Honestly along with dried skin issues I bet they have some dehydration issues. Gotham is pretty damp and humid being surrounded by water and partially built upon a swamp so they probably blame it on that. Dumping water on themselves is definitely a thing lmao. One of the teen titans have walked into Dick (or any of the Robins really) laying soaking in the bathtub fully clothed so many times they joke about it getting sunny and warm out soon. (Because lets be honest they get dried out more in hotter weather lol) 

 Ras, pointing at the JL: These imbeciles would fall apart without you, and you know it! How can I trust them to guard your back?! How can I trust them to guard my grandchildrens’ backs?! Bruce who has had this argument so many times: *Large sigh around his cup of tea* Dusan & Nyssa: I agree with Father, how did you even find them? Bruce, sighing again and so tempted to say fuck it and let them continue testing the JL but they’re his friends sooo: 

 The poor hero is freaking out about the vampire-thing your so right lmao. Just kind of frozen as Batman uses his teeth (his hands are full with hungry baby) to pull off his glove and take a fleshy bite of his wrist. And then lets the baby gnaw at the wound while he finishes preparing the bottle like what the fuck- Bruce, far too used to Gotham, sees nothing wrong with this. The rule is if you spill blood you clean it up, and he did the same thing with all his kids! It helps build poison resistance! Which a lot of them needed with not all of them exactly being from Gotham. 

 Oh my, Amanda was not expecting the mini batbrats to be so much trouble. They may have been born to someone not from Gotham, but Bruce’s genes run true there. Very uncanny valley horror movie children even as babies. And I bet the very moment they’re anywhere near Gotham again, there’s a loud thump. And something big causing the boat that the Suicide Squad (Why are they transporting a pair of babies huh? One is like, 1 at most and the other is younger than that! Seriously who wants several murderers to do that-) is in to tilt. It’s the first time practically any of them have encountered a Gothamite. And Bruce? He may not have heard those chirps and squeaks before, but he still recognizes them. Talia recognizes them. Selina recognizes them. All of the babies made them when they were hungry. The only reason none of them died is due to Bruce’s own no-killing rule- and a bit of King Shark retreating with a few clinging to him because holy fuck Predator- Predator Following Me! 

 Alina was a one-night stand (hypothetically) in canon and she’s around 6. Though again we never get confirmation on if she’s actually Bruce’s, and the other father option is Joker. But she’s adorable and even got one up on Joker at one point after being kidnapped and it’s great. 

Bruce with his 15+ Children & 2 Wives: I am very happy. Also getting crushed right now, but very happy. 

 You are so right, so many people think he has scars from all his fights and well, it being Gotham. But no, most of them are from his kids. Lots of bite and claw marks that become more visible in his aquatic form (mostly due to how he’s usually wearing full armor or a sweater lol) Ones not from his kids are like, major injuries (like being speared through with rebar) or ones that are huge. There’s definitely debates the first time someone sees a shirtless Batman, probably during training or perhaps after a mission where there’s some sort of spores or something similar that requires stuff to be cleaned. Also staring. Half because Bruce is a fit man, and half because holy fuck it looks like he got mauled multiple times. There’s even a recent wound on his shoulder that he doesn’t seem to notice! 

 Poor Aquaman at the gala is just inwardly nervously laughing as he huddles by the fish tanks. Hilariously I bet he finds comfort in Talia who doesn’t give off the uncanny valley feel yet when she brings him into a discussion with who he’s pretty sure is one of Gotham’s rogues (Ivy) about water conservation. Wonder Woman is having a pleasant discussion with one Al Ghul about history. She’s having quite a bit of fun while everyone else is inwardly screaming and crying. Unknowingly she is the One member of the JL who has gotten his approval. The Wayne children are purposely freaking the JL out. Pulling full horror movie children. Cass and Jason are being horror twins and Tim has pulled his sickly victorian child self to the full. Tiny baby Helena steals the show for the hour or so she’s there. All the other socialites coo over her and how adorably bitey she is. 

Damian (exactly 10 apples tall): These are my younger siblings, if you make them cry I shall cut your tendons and force feed you your own eyes Gothamites: *cooing over adorable older brother* JL & other Guests: *nervous laughter* 

Honestly Bruce wouldn’t have freaked out about the scales on Dick’s arms if the kid hadn’t been freaking out. He was worried about the kid being injured or sick when he came running in clutching his arm and crying. Bruce then had to calm the crying nine year old & had the oh shit we forgot to explain this moment lol. It is a lesson he takes to heart with every future child, even the ones he’s certain come from Gotham lol. 

 I think Alfred and Ras should have a frienemy situation. A friendly rivalry. Would maybe try to poison each other during tea. It is a very petty friendship, though they do enjoy each other’s company. Will they admit that ever? Not even upon the threat of death. They’re friends but tea rivals. 

You know what? Bruce in a dress for most galas. Most of the Gothamites in a dress. Dresses and skirts are definitely seen as very gender neutral in Gotham. To the Outsider reporters confusion because surely someone is reporting on this?? No? O-okay??? No one is talking about the (to the Outsider’s) crazy fashion crimes going on?? Why are those colors going together!? Why the feather boa? Why those shoes? Oh the patterns- isn’t Gotham supposed to be all dark and moody!? (Bruce, wearing what looks like is all black at first snickers at the pained expressions of reporters & turns, revealing that even his clothing is iridescent)

 Oh my god Oliver learning about Bruce being a sea horror but being oblivious to all of Gotham being the same. He came over when it finally reached outside of Gotham that lovable himbo Brucie Wayne has a son now…. Which is about a year after Dick first became his ward and has just officially adopted him lol. Bruce was not expecting Oliver to practically slam the door open and go, “YOU HAVE A KID!?” while holding Dick from the edge of the pool (to help him build up his tail strength, the kid wants to be able to do flips in the water). They both stare at each other for a solid minute with their brains stalling. There is a bit of screaming and Bruce just blurts out an “I CAN EXPLAIN-” He admits about the Curse and Oliver just assumes that it’s like, a Wayne curse and not, say, a Gotham curse. (He does not realize Dick is not a bio kid, or any of the Wayne kids who mostly have black hair, blue eyes, or both, are not bio kids lmao) 

Oh my god, imagine Black Manta having the bright idea to set up in Gotham waters since the atlanteans avoid it. This is a Mistake. A Very Big Mistake with Sharp Teeth- PFFT, oh my god imagine Batman, who has no clue what to do for any sort of gift. And knows any food gifts he could give would be deadly- besides Superman who keeps giving him puppy dog eyes. So he just… gives fish. Everyone now has a pet fish. Or hermit crab. Or a corn snake in one case. His kids do the same thing. M’gann is delighted with her growing amount of tree frogs and Wally has a hermit crab now. Dick gifts him different shells that he’s made to mimic the different hero merch too. 

(I also give pics of Terry & Matt (from Batman Beyond) & Alina Shelley)

@puppetmaster13u

It was getting too long so...

Okay this was VERY long but I love it all. So much food, and very much alive when possible. And yeah they're very much venomous.

... oh gods you're making me hungry for food that isn't even safe even if it existed 😂

Also, I feel like Ivy's plants would, ah, sometimes move if they don't like where they're currently planted. If your neighbor is taking better care of your flowers then you might wake up and see them over there, you just learn to deal. 😅

Ooooo I love that. And I feel like, to Aquaman, it would be like speaking in Pig Latin + Esperanto mixed with the heaviest Scottish accent ever. He can tell it's words, but he can't really understand it.

Also, Bruce singing lullabies to the kids, just imagine. Jason or Dick or anyone shows up having a panic attack and Bruce starts calming them down. First in English, then aquatic, and slowly morphing into a lullaby.

Oh definitely, those other heroes will be struggling. Almost feel bad for them.

The medical professionals must be paid well, and Gotham University probably ends up with a very heavy metal degree that most people might assume is for vets not human doctors. 😂

Oh my gods Helena yes. Poor Supes, and I love the JL freaking out. Also, her bottle HAS to be a little pink, because of the blood that's probably in it. Also, I imagine they're born with weak venom, and drinking their parents' blood lets them process and produce stronger toxins.

I bet Dick and the other kids probably have the same weird food habits and their teammates aren't really sure what they're supposed to do. Sometimes Tim will fall asleep in the middle of lunch and whoever is in the same room will get to see his lunch run away. Probably a bit unnerving. ��

I like the idea they might do them for 'major holidays'. Not on the holiday, because Calendar Man (on the holidays is Gotham only, they fully expect him to show up, he's practically invited without saying anything outright), and that's the Outsider Galas. Not just one a year, but not like 20 of em either.

And yeah, aside from runaway food, Tim is pretty good with outsiders. He probably wouldn't eat 'normal' (normal for Gotham anyway) around his team if he didn't trust em or something either. This is probably another reason Bruce made him CEO. 😅

Yesss uncanny valley please. Everyone is freaking out internally, and yet at the same time they can tell they're safe... for now. Servers doing their job, and Gothamites not revealing anything, unless someone does something wrong.

Yesss the rogues. Honestly I just want an AU where the rogues are basically family.

||=====||=====||

"Oh yeah that's aunts Harley and Ivy, they can be fun but don't drink the wine."

Then (controversial I know but also heavily depends on the AU)

"That's Uncle J, we're on tense terms with him but he's got the best drinks if you don't mind letting a bit."

Maybe

"There's not-dad Harv-"

"he's Uncle T right now-"

"-that's Uncle T, don't gamble with him or ask about his coin collection unless you want to stay a while."

Or

"Don't mind Uncle Cobbles, he's a little competitive with B about their family histories, but other than that and birds he's pretty calm."

Even

"Yeah don't mind Uncle John, he's probably more nervous than you are, doing spook him and you'll be fine."

||=====||=====||

Yesss so many photos.

Also, there's two wedding photos. One he shows to outsiders, the other is up at the major as a painting and is the same wedding photo but underwater.

... Ras don't bother your son-in-law's friends please, they have enough on their plate. Seriously, stop. 😂😅

Bruce probably confuses everyone even more by knowing the assassins.

Oooo yes. Sharks, aquariums, oh my. I love all the animals you mentioned too.

... so I randomly looked up 'Victorian modern punk' because why not and...

This was the top result.

[roobylavender]

something tangential to the enforced motherhood post i reblogged but while dc's contention with this concept is pretty horrid and distasteful in general what i find worse is the fan reaction in batman circles, specifically with regards to talia and selina. on one hand, you have the very obvious projection of a racist and xenophobic trope onto talia where she is stripped of any and all personal agency and to the point her character can never be severed of motherhood or even worse only viewed as an abusive party within the concept. fans not only project their own experiences of abuse onto her despite these projections being contrary to her own ambitions and writing prior to her character assassination; they also, in the event they don't want her to be an abusive mother, decide to relegate her to a static concept of motherhood where she has no existence outside of raising damian and where there isn't even a possibility of toying with the idea that she may not have actually acquiesced to the concept of motherhood to begin with. i'm always so surprised by how little people seem to contextualize the life talia led as lex corp ceo with her potential role as a mother. how would she be able to live that kind of isolated, purpose-driven life where she could set every personal desire aside for the sake of her duty to the world if she was expected to parent a child first? this is a rare viewpoint i've never really seen expressed but one reason i find morrison's portrayal of bruce and talia as parents to be really ironic is bc i think the roles are nearly reversed. at that point in her life and with the slew of burdens and responsibilities on her shoulders i honestly think talia (regardless of what immense affection i'm sure she would have for her own child) would be the one who had trouble acclimatizing to her role as a parent, versus bruce who made it his intent for several years to parent various children and when he found out talia was pregnant impliedly committed to shielding that child (and her) from violence and a vigilante life at all costs. it's a narrative thread i really would have loved to see explored but on a practical level would likely be impossible to do not only bc of dc's handling of asian mothers and their racist degradation due to their juxtaposition against white fathers, but also bc of dc and dc fans' constricted view of motherhood to begin with. either you're a good mother or you're a bad mother. there's no room for the in-between nuance of possibly loving your child but not knowing how to balance that responsibility bc of what you view as important responsibilities you have to others

on the other hand, you have dc fans' engagement with selina's relationships with younger orphans and sex workers in her community. this is a really interesting one to dissect in light of ship wars specifically bc while i agree that there isn't any sense in having selina act as a mother-figure to bruce's children i also don't really agree with people's justification that she's not a "motherly" character. it's once again a very striking example of the restricted perception people have of motherhood or of behaviors commonly associated with that role, bc i don't think people who say this are really criticizing her ability to be a mother at all. what they're actually criticizing is her capacity to care. there's oddly all too many people who believe selina's anarchy or more self-serving nature is antithetical to any expression of compassion. so what you end up having is a phenomenon where one group of fans is eager to see her co-parent with bruce and another group of fans is eager to see her severed of any significant connections at all bc it somehow fits her "villainous" nature. and all-in-all, from both sides, her relationships with kids like holly and arizona are completely obscured. there's no room made to discuss how selina can possess deep empathy for young people whose experiences she identifies with and that she can care for them and even take them under her wing without necessarily wanting to adopt them, but that if she wanted, maybe she would adopt them. i honestly feel like that was the direction alan grant and doug moench were going in with arizona in the early 90s had mary jo duffy not abruptly excised arizona bc, like a lot of fans, she thought having significant emotional attachments was antithetical to the catwoman persona albeit there was no actual canon to back that notion on a behavioral level. i don't think selina has to be a mother, but i also don't think it's an infliction of stereotypical gender roles on her to imagine a scenario where she might adopt a stray, esp if that scenario occurs within a context where she is still independent and forging her own way of life and liberty. if anything, taking care of holly and arizona were some of the highest points of her narrative, bc they were a looking glass through which to explore selina's capacity for love and mercy, in spite of all of the trauma and abuse that she had to suffer at the hands of others

to me, the problem with dc's contention with motherhood is not so much that it's attached to these women at all, but that the definition of motherhood used is entirely framed with a heteronormative understanding of the family unit, despite the reams of potential to explore characters like talia and selina as independent figures acting outside of that traditional hierarchy

[zahri-melitor]

Son of the Demon:

I think one of the most interesting aspects here is actually the fact that it’s all about controlling the weather by satellite. Ra's, the ecoterrorist, is very interested in this technology.

It also yes is the comic that Grant Morrison failed to read, and I guess I'm going to dig out the aspects of the romance here. It's...fine I guess? Talia and Bruce are pretty clearly on different wavelengths about what actually constitutes a wedding (Bruce is very definite Ra's using old traditions does not count) and the comic wants to insist to me that Bruce has never ever ever had sex before this, which, okay, I don't believe you, but okay.

Let's run through the steps of Damian's putative conception (actually Ibn's conception, as this is not canonical except in the most handwavy of ways)

Talia tells Bruce and Ra's she's pregnant! This whole story takes place in a period where Dick is not around. Of course, the timeline on this does not make sense but we don't need it to, this is explicitly non-canonical according to Denny O'Neil and I listen to Denny on things like timeline matters.

To celebrate Talia getting knocked up, Bruce gives her a Meaningful Necklace.

Then during a raid, Talia miscarries. Or 'miscarries'. Certainly, she thinks she's lost the pregnancy.

Right before Bruce leaves to go back to Gotham (because he finally came to his senses enough to remember he doesn't actually want to be Ra's heir or hang around here) he has this conversation with Talia, who is still in the hospital bed, where she tells Bruce to leave. Talia then starts crying once Bruce has turned away. Over Bruce leaving? Over the situation she's in? Over the fact she may have just lied? It's never made explicit.

But the very next page we get:

Oh look it's our lost heir Ibn, with his Meaningful Necklace accompanying him, being adopted out to a Nice Family (TM).

By implication, presumably Talia had a haemorrhage but didn't lose her pregnancy, or may have miscarried one of twins (hah! don't see anyone playing with THAT idea)

However (going to dip into Bride of the Demon for a moment), Talia clearly has some regrets because near the end of Bride of the Demon Talia pretty clearly is trying to psych herself up to tell Bruce a secret.

Beloved...I never told you...what fully transpired at our last meeting...

Bruce says he's not ready to talk about it, but under the circumstances I am firmly of the view that Bruce would actually very much like to know that Talia did not correct his misapprehension that she miscarried their child. Anyway Talia uses this moment as a get out of free card and does not bring the topic up again, even though this story is hypothetically set goodness knows when after the previous story.

(Also Ra's knocks up his 'Bride' in Bride of the Demon and thankfully as this is non-canonical as far as I know we never hear of the outcome of this pregnancy).

[seacashew]

I just kinda wrote this during a bus ride to Kingston, just fixed up so it’s legible. I have no idea what this is. Nor do I intend on finishing it, as I have no idea on what to write for the end.

-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—

B had gone too far. He threw a bomb at Jason, instead of just letting that psycho Joker die. He chose the person who killed him over him.

The green haze invaded his mind, even more than before.

It whispered to kill, kill, kill, KILL. Revenge, get revenge on those who failed you, who don’t love you enough to murder your murderer. He replaced you, she replaced you. Go get your revenge, take what’s his.

Before he knew it, his mind was filled with rage. His bike was going at speeds that shouldn’t even be possible, zooming towards Bristol.

He parked in front of the manor, knowing the cameras were gonna catch him anyways. May as well be close.

He slipped the nursery window open, not caring about the quiet click of the silent alarm. It should be done in seconds anyways. Marinette. The second replacement. The little brat that his step-mother left him behind for, that Bruce let him die for. The green made the room seem to glow.

He aligned his shot, his finger close around the trigger. He was suddenly hit by a wave of emotions.

Just as he was about to kill the girl, she opened her bluebell eyes, and he saw his mother in her. Shu-yin, the only person who had cared for him like a parent. He broke down and the Lazarus haze broke. He was about to kill a child.

He- he almost- oh my god.

Jason sunk down to his knees, a look of pure horror on his face. The girl was peacefully sleeping, unaware of the horrors that almost took place.

The door slammed open. Jason was still kneeling by the toddlers bed, tears dripping down his face. Rough hands grabbed him and threw him back, another pair of hands locking them behind his back.

He was too lost in thought to even notice. There was crying, a shotgun was pointed at his face. He couldn’t believe it.

She was just a child. An innocent. She couldn’t have done anything to him. He was just going to- going to-

Bile rose in his throat. The grip on his arms slackened slightly. There was someone talking to him.

A hand on his shoulder and lack of pressure on his arms grounded him. He was in a nursery, the walls painted a soft pink with animals and elephants. The bookshelf of books, a framed picture of him and Shu-yin reading when she was pregnant. The literature quotes hand painted on the walls by himself.

Words were being said but he couldn’t hear them, all he could see was him and his mother laughing while painting the walls of this room, after insisting to Alfred that they wouldn’t ruin the floors.

“Jason. Listen to me. You’re safe. You didn’t hurt her. It was just the pits” a voice floated into his mind.

“Talia isn’t here, nobody is going to hurt you little wing” He recognized the voice. It was Dick. He began to lead him out of the room. Jason got three steps before collapsing.

[murasakikagekitsune]

My Problem with the DC Movieverse (and How to Solve It): Lack of Robin Continuity

Most of the time, the DC movies like to pretend that Dick is the only Robin. Yes, he may be the premier Robin, but he’s not the one and only Robin by far.

Only in the Dark Knight Returns (Christian Bale as Batman, Tom Hardy as Bane) do we see any glimmer of hope that the fixation with Dick as Robin is fading. Dick’s character in the film is wearing blue by this point, signifying his graduation from the circus freak Robin to his more mature mantle of Nightwing, because Nightwing’s key colours in his costume are blue and black. Moreover, we see the introduction of R’as Aghul, or most importantly, his daughter, Talia, through the introduction of the “Child in the Pit” storyline. This film alone could have easily paved the way for Damien to be introduced, given how this story could have been readily modified in order to apply to him. It could mirror the harsh conditions and trials he had to go through as the grandson of the head of the League of Assassins. In addition, Talia’s grand desire to continue her father’s legacy should have been an Easter egg to Damien’s conception, especially in light of the fact that the main encounter that Bruce has with Talia is sexual in nature. (Even though there are no clues, verbal or otherwise, that Talia is pregnant during the whole entire film.)

Damien aside, I believe Jason’s (and subsequently Tim Drake’s) joined storylines are an opportunity to explore the grim truths of being human that are closely associated with the DC universe. DC fans who have watched Justice League (both the director’s cut and the original version) will have noticed the pointers that lead us to believe that Jason’s death (but not his consequential resurrection via the Lazarus Pit, or Tim Drake’s request to take up the cowl on account of Bruce’s grief) have already passed. It was Joker who graffitied the Robin suit in the display case, as if it is his way of saying “joke’s on you” for Jason’s death. Furthermore, in the Justice League epilogue, the whole thing surrounding “you know what it’s like to lose a son” (notably said by Joker) and “don’t go there” (said by Bruce) is an overt reference to Death in the Family, because it is said by Joker, and nobody else; the perpetrator Jason’s death. Joker is attempting (and evidently succeeds in) pushing Bruce’s buttons. His abrasive reaction to Joker’s words indicates to us that Bruce knows exactly who Joker is talking about.

So now, we have the perfect (and completely cannon) reason for Tim to come into the picture.

 Question is, DC movieverse, when is it going to happen? We’ve been waiting a very long time…

[headcans-oneshots-and-stuff]

Pregnant s/o (Preferences)

Requested by the amazing and breathtaking @ravennightingaleandavatempus​: If your asks are still open how would the batboys be around a pregnant S/O.

A/N: Also just wanted to mention that none of these boys would be having gender reveal parties with explosives or anything else dangerous (or in general) because they have brain cells

Dick

Okay so that might be a repetitive motive in this, but he’ll crank up his protectivness by just about 100%

But first things first

When you find out that your pregnant and you tell Dick he’ll be so over the moon

like he’ll want to throw the biggest party to celebrate because HE IS GETTING LITTLE GRAY-SONS OR DAUGHTERS (see what I did there) 

He’ll definitly brag in front of his siblings and everyone else he knows because HE HIT THE JACKPOT

Honestly will definitly read up a lot on how to be a good dad and would go and ask Alfred or Louis for advice (He’ll rather be caught dead than ask Bruce for advice cause he wants a lot for his futre child(ren), but he definitly doesn’t want them to become the way he and his siblings are now)

He would fully induldge in your cravings and other pregnancy things

you want cucumber pizza with nutella instead of tomato scauce? Guess who’ll be down at the cornor store getting the ingredients

You’re feet hurt and you’re cranky?

Dick will move heaven and earth to make you comfortable and give you a massage

He won’t go out on patrol too much during your pregnancy because the thought of you being left behind alone if something happened to him was too much for him to take

And like I said he’ll get very very protective

You won’t go out alone to any dangerous Gotham areas anymore

No more heavy lifting either

Also he might as well pick you up and move to the manor because there Alfred is there to cater to your every need

Let’s just say it will be an interesting 9-10 months....

Jason 

Okay so Jason isn’t quite sure about having kids

He knows that he is a cesspool of trauma and he isn’t sure if he’d be the best choice to raise other human beings

So when you come to him all excited and tell him that you think you’re pregnant he’s torn

He’ll try not to show it, but it’s quite obvious 

It’s not that he’s not happy, but still

After that it will be a bit tense at home until you had a doctors appointment that really confirms that you’re indeed carying a little Todd

Jason was there with you and you were almost scared how he’d react but in a twist of fate when he found out he immediatly started smiling and kissing you

Because that made it real in more ways then one

YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE A LITTLE BABY YOU MIXED WITH A BABY JASON

Jason knows no matter how fucked up he is, you’re going to be the most amazing mom that could ever be and you’d make sure that he’d be the most amazing dad possible too

Now Jason isn’t as quick to adapt to your pregnancy as Dick is

He’d definitly pour you coffee a few too many times before realizing that you weren’t allowed to drink cafeein

But he would manage soon enough

If he’s smoking at that moment he’ll definitly stop

He will not risk your little ones life no matter how much he like to smoke

na-huh no way

Also he is even more protective than Dick

He knows that Gotham is a dark place

so either he’ll too get you to a safe place where he can take care of you and your future pumpkin

Or he’ll just straight up move to canader or something where there’s no Joker who’d be near enough to bomb up a block when you were in it

Again, interesting times are coming

Tim 

Timothy will be - no matter how much Dick reads - the most prepared, hands down

Because let’s not forget he’s one of the smartest Waynes (even though the other’s aren’t far behind)

When he started noticing that you’re acting weird he’ll loook it up and he’ll figure out that you’re pregnant sooner or later

He’s a very attentive s/o and he pays attention to you

So he’d probably actually be the one to tell you that you’re pregnant

But once it’s actually confirmed he’ll also be the chillest one

He looked up everything he has to know and made spreadsheets and lists and documents for what to do in literally all possible situations so he’ll be realitivly relaxed

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t also just a little bit overprotective

But just a little bit

He’ll let you do your thing as long as it isn’t dangerous or medically seen unclever

But he’ll also be there for you to cater your needs and your cravings, etc.

He also tries to stop drinking coffee, but he fails

He tones it down tho, but still you won’t get rid of the smell of coffee in your apartement

Now if you ever even mention wanting a sip he’ll hide every last gram that contains caffein in a place only he will find it

(It’s probably hidden somewhere really obvious where you’ll definitly find it but you’ll let him believe he managed to hide it well) 

Tim will be the one to start falling into the baby fever the most

will go on online shopping sprees for baby clothes and furnitere and baby proof everything five months before the due date would arrive

Will also write very long lists with possible baby names (from which like 1/3 are references but I digress)

All in all this would possible be the most ��normal’ pregnancy

Damian (aged up obviously)

Okay so Damian is definitly a thing

He wasn’t conventionally raised or even anything close to that

I mean we all know how he was concieved soooooo

But - just like with everything else - he’ll want to be the best possible father (and s/o) there could ever be

So be fucking prepared for a wild ride

When you tell him you’re pregnant he is full with pride about his presticious bloodline to be continued with the added advantage of you 

He’ll definitly annoy his siblings more than Dick could ever 

And he’ll start making “jokes” about how he was going to be a better dad than Bruce

He will never mention anything like that to Alfred tho, it’s the opposite actually, he’ll come to him with pen and paper and ask for advice 

Will boast that he had a child first to Jon and that his child will be better than Jon’s if he will ever have one

Also he’ll actually tell Talia about his future offspring and her grandchild, but only to tell her that if she was ever to endanger you or your future little one he’ll not hesitate to end her life

So yep there’s that

He will want you to stay in the manor like Dick would because there you’d be protected by a lot of vigilantes and money

lot’s of money

He’ll also be the one to - while he’ll try to do his best to take care of your need - ask Cassandra to help you

She’ll be overjoyed and (in a not completely hidden quest to become the godmother of the child) will become your shadow

Not in an annoying way 

She’ll be there to help you with everything Damian can’t and she’d definitly organize a girls day where you and all of her other sisters go out and buy baby things

Also Damian may or may not want to name the child Damian Junior, but you’ll definitly keep him from doing so 

All in all he’s actually somewhere in the middle between his other brothers, but it’s a nice balance

[jaydicksummerexchange]

2021 JDSE Release Post: Wed. August 25

[ ❤ Works posted so far! ❤ ]

You’ve made it to the middle of the week, so why not treat yourself with some delicious exchange works?

Here are today’s posted works:

A Little Competition (never hurt nobody) by Anonymous for ballercat [Rating:, No Archive Warnings Apply, 10.3k words]

Tags: Rivals to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Sexual Tension, Training, Light Angst, Dick Grayson is Renegade, Sandra Woosan is Jason Todd's Parent(not by blood), Dick Grayson as Slade Wilson's Apprentice, Found Family, Assassins & Hitmen, Non-Graphic Violence, BAMF Jason Todd, BAMF Dick Grayson, Competence Kink, Making Out

Summary: Dick Grayson is Renegade, the protégé of Slade Wilson. Jason Todd is Shadow, the apprentice of Sandra Wu-San. And much to both of their chagrin, they're being forced to work together.

Rip Yourself Open by Anonymous for Reagy_Jay [Explicit, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, 2.7k words]

Tags: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Post-Arkhamverse Jason Todd, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Hurt Jason Todd, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Dick Grayson, Comfort Sex, Scars, Nipple Piercings, Dick Grayson Loves Jason Todd, Est…(click for more tags)

Summary: "You're doing it on purpose," Dick says flatly, looking Jason in the eye.

It's not a question.

Jason doesn't look at Dick long. He hasn't been careful lately. He’s been putting himself in harm's way more often than necessary. Taking stupid risks for no good reason. At least, no reason he feels he can articulate to Dick.

something delicate by Anonymous for mlim8 [General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, 4.6k words]

Tags: Reverse Robins, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Batboys are bad at communication, yet again, Jason is emotionally stable in this one, Dickie has a crush, Damian Wayne is Batman, Dick Grayson is Robin, Jason Todd is Bluejay, I can't believe that last one is an actual tag wow, Hurt Dick Grayson

Summary: In which Dick is benched from Robin for the first time and Jason has to help him and Damian communicate.

Near, Possible, Inevitable by anonymous for lostandlonelybirds (RUNNFROMTHEAK) [Mature , Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, 22.1k]

Tags: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Talia al Ghul, Angst with a Happy Ending, Minor Character Death, Jason Al Ghul, Breaking Up & Making Up, Unreliable Narrator, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Fri…(click for more tags)

Summary: He can feel that Veil holds back with him (less so with Bruce and his teammates), keeping to deflects and the occasional roll on the ground. He’s brought sword and knife - his preferred weapons - upon Dick, but never more than superficial wounds that Dick may have sustained training. It’s not what Dick would call friendly, just not hostile. When his team asks he has no explanation to give. When Bruce grills him, he has even less to say. The glass trinket is less of a souvenir and more of a possessed object haunting him from where it sits at the bottom of his sock drawer.

It’s not like he asked for the assassin to take an interest in him.

He’s never tried to welcome Veil any more than any other assassin he knows.

XX

Dick knows better than to fall in love with an assassin. It's just so hard to resist.

My brother's my baby daddy?! by Anonymous for ManxomeFaux [Mature, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, 5.5k words]

Tags:

Omega Verse, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Non-Linear Narrative, Time Skips, Dysfunctional Family, baby daddy drama, Dick Grayson Has Issues, Fluff and Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Lots of drama due to Jason hiding the baby, He has a good reason aka bruce is a shitty dad, Alpha/Omega, Misogyny, Like alpha beta type beat, Eventual Happy Ending

Summary: Jason has a difficult time adjusting to being a omega with his dysfunctional upbringing and adoptive family. Things only grow drastically worse when he gets pregnant by the golden child, Dick Grayson himself.

Redolence by Anonymous for naol [Explicit, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, 7.6k words]

Tags: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Reverse Robins, Batkids Age Reversal, Alpha Dick Grayson, Omega Jason Todd, Scenting, Nesting, Sleepy Cuddles, Getting Together, Resolved Sexual Tension, Smut, Fluff and Sm…(click for more tags)

Summary: Jason smells good.

Owl Me Once You Graduate by Anonymous for withthekeyisking [Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, 0k words]

Tags: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Wally West, Donna Troy, Roy Harper, Colin Wilkes, Dinah Lance (background), Jonathan Crane (Mentioned), Damian Wayne, Sorting Hat (Harry Potter), Barbara Gordon (Mentioned), Artemis of Bana-Mighdall …(click for more tags)

Summary: At Hogwarts, there's an Unofficial Competition between 7th year Slytherin Dick Grayson and 5th year Ravenclaw Jason Todd.

At least... According to Dick, there is.

[marinamar4]

Emma Swan Wayne

an idea with all those batman and white collar crossover fics is to do the same but batman and once upon a time version

It would be the same, Emma being the sheriff, and some hero, vigilante or civilian appear, can you imagine?

emma swan wayne:

Jason's age, maybe a little older than Jason

they meet on the street shortly before they steal the tires of the batmobile and they get along like a house on fire (or would it be thick as thieves?)

two for one bat

emma turns swan into her middle name and it's crazy at home, to top it off, she manages to be the apple of her dad's eye

When Jason Starts As Robin Babs Decides To Let Him Batgirl

a little upset with dick ... but she puts it aside once they start with the embarrassing stories of bruce

selina is a woman, little emma needs a mom, and if she gives him jewelry on top of it she gives him better jewelry (tell me that selina didn't teach the batkids to use the catwoman whip, I dare you)

while jason was a bit violent robin, emma was a chaotic and cheating batgirl

personally i picture jay and emmy as platonic brothers and soul mates, not romantic

in an attempt to fit in at school, emma follows fashion trends, it doesn't go well ... and she ends up saying "fuck it" (language of the streets)

not impressed at all by the league. except wonder woman, obviously

she doesn't like magic so coming to storybrooke with henry she's more of a "can't you just leave me alone and call zatanna or constantine? wait, no, he's flirting with regina!" that a "magic does not exist", after all, there are aliens

now the sad part (needed to bring henry into the story)

the first strong fight of both (jay and emma) is when jason wants to look for his biological mother and emma does not understand

she is heartbroken when batman informs her of her brother's death

her to superman: fuck it, let my daddy kill the damn clown!

now the good part ... emma escapes and disappears, but before? she leaves a gift: the joker is dead

and she is afraid of what her dad will say, so she keeps to herself, she meets neal cassidy, jail, henry, adoption, etc

now, things may vary:

bruce in my world is a good dad and actively ignores the signs

(Emma: I left you a letter!

bruce: I have it in the top drawer of the nightstand and I read it every day before going to bed, but I don't remember that part)

Does Batman respect her decision and let her go? At least until Red Hood shows up and they bring her back into the family? Or does he just not want to let her go? Is Jason looking for her, in that case, does she know or not that she killed the joker? Or is she so good at erasing her tracks that she is only caught at 28-29?

I like the first one better, she gives him the time to meet neal and have henry and come back

i guess she's mad at jason for the whole hood thing and she quickly takes timmy, steph and cass under her wings

tim is so cute! is neglected. dick is right, he needs a lot of hugs. And don't you want to sleep a little more?

stephanie is totally chaotic. she's great. she makes the best waffles. she wait, you wanna throw a glitter bomb on batman? done deal!

cassandra is cassandra. She is wonderful. That she was raised as a murderer? It's not important

also i imagine emma and steph will be like sisters, always loud, troubled blondes, but who can be in meditative silence when needed

(one mother's day emma asks tim why steph looks like this. he tells her to ask him. steph says

I got pregnant, I gave her up for adoption, I didn't want her to have this life

mine was a boy, I didn't want this life for him either, says emma, and they have something else in common)

Besides, when she comes Damian, Emma is just ecstatic

I already believed things about your strength, b!

how adorable!

oh, we can practice! dad taught me and your mom too when she was here once! and no, b is my dad, learn to wear it

(yes, talia she too she is good here)

headcanons:

for a halloween, emma dressed up as wednesday, and disguised selina as morticia and bruce de gómez. jason flatly refused to be pugsley or fester and ended up being cousin itt

For a costume gala, they were from the aristocats: Selina in a white dress and diamond necklace as Duchess, Emma in a white dress and pink bows as Marie, Jason in a black suit and a red bow tie as Berlioz, even Dick in an orange suit with blue bow tie from toulouse, and bruce they put him in a black suit but with the white shirt and orange tie from o'malley

at a gala, they copied the famous dance of "dirty dancing"

emma didn't like the classics at all until jason told her about them. it was tradition that every night they read a little before going to bed

emma's batgirl costume is black and white, because the swans are mainly black and white (there was no way to put orange, but you can imagine it however you want, I just know it would be a nod to her middle name)

like i said emma swan wayne is her name

dick made her addicted to froot loops and jason to hotdogs but without chili plise, the grilled sandwiches are either hers or damian's when he goes vegetarian

Alfred always made her chocolate with canellas and the cinnamon sticks became her favorite for when they were at her time of the month

Most relationships like Emma Wayne, like her father's, were to show

She just wanted a parrot! Why couldn't she have a parrot or lovebird but damian she can have a zoo!

i imagine emma totally admiring selina and talia both, great women, one with a brassiere and a tight leather suit, and the other a swordswoman princess

Because this girl when she got to Wayne Manor had a princess season, then it was the rude warrior era, she followed the fencing and archery, makeup artist, model, actress, etc.

She never liked Annie, but she was her favorite movie after the adoption

She preferred fantasy and adventure books, but she also started with mystery, she likes Sherlock Holmes a lot (she was introduced to him by her father)

She doesn't believe in Duke's "innocence". The boy jumped off a bridge, led a gang and decided that he could beat the riddle in riddles. it's just as chaotic as the rest, it only hides it better

It was supposed to be short I swear, just the crossover idea, but I got carried away

also my computer decided to restart and I had to look at everything in the translator's history, luckily it is so specific

[evilpixiea]

I don't think Damian was ever mentioned as knowing about the whole rape thing in canon, since I think there were a few comics where he mentions their "romance" in regards to his conception, so do you have any HC abt him finding out? or Bruce's reaction? (also I was obsessed w/your abo au but couldn't remember if it was mentioned and wow, it really has been like 5 years, huh

My headcanon is that Damian doesn’t know and doesn’t find out. Though maybe in adulthood he may come to suspect.

It’s not something that’s ever talked about. Why? Well... I think it would be a really hard thing to come to terms with, knowing one parent raped another and that was how you were conceived, and I don’t see any reason why Bruce would ever want to or need to reveal that information to his son. And, if Damian does come to suspect the truth, I don’t think (an adult) Damian would a) want his father to relive that pain or b) want to have to face that pain directly himself.

All that said, I think it’s important to remember, there was a romance between Bruce and Talia. That doesn’t mitigate what she did to him. Domestic abuse is still abuse. But it does mean Bruce doesn’t need to lie to Damian... he just needs to omit the details of one particular night. And really, who thoroughly questions their parents about the night of their conception?

I believe that Talia drugged and raped Bruce that night not because she wanted to have sex with him, I think he would have had sex with her if she’d asked, but because she wanted power over him. She wanted to get pregnant, she wanted him not to know, she wanted him not to be able to have a say in the matter.

I think she also wanted to punish him for leaving because at that point it was clear he wasn’t going to stay with the League of Assassins. He was Batman and he wasn’t going to give that up for her. And that... that I think made her angry.

[dykerachelsummers]

the heart of happiness

Pairings: Talia al Ghul/Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Talia al Ghul/Selina Kyle, Bruce Wayne/Talia al Ghul, Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle

Characters: Talia Al Ghul, Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, Damian Wayne, Athanasia Wayne, Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas, Ra’s Al Ghul

Warnings: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Twins, Talia is a Good Mom, Bruce is a Good Dad, Selina is a Good Mom, Polyamory, Threesome - F/F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD

Summary: Talia learns she’s pregnant and leaves the League to find Bruce, tell him of his children, and ask to live with him.

What she wasn’t expecting was Selina Kyle.

Notes: happy mother’s day to talia al ghul! i’m not super proud of this chapter, but i’ve had this fic in the works for awhile now, so i hope y’all like it!

You were always

the heart of happiness to me,

Bringing nougats of glee,

Sweets of open laughter.

- Mother: A Cradle To Hold Me Maya Angelou

Talia had the palms of her hands pressed against her still-flat stomach as she stared at the woman before her. “Rana, you truly believe I am…” She found herself incapable of finishing the sentence.

After a moment, Rana nodded. “Yes, My Lady. I think you could be pregnant. It would explain the recent morning sickness and your unusual cravings. May I ask when the last time you had your period was?”

Talia flinched. “I am not regular,” she said. “I believe it is a side-effect of exposure to the Lazarus Pits. What do you know of pregnancy?”

Rana frowned. “Not much,” she admitted. “My mother was a midwife, but I obviously did not follow that path myself. The best advice I can give you is to find a doctor you trust.”

Talia scowled. “I trust no one except - ” she stopped, struck by a thought. She trusted no one except her Beloved. The only man who could possibly be the father of the child that may be growing inside her.

Bruce would have a trustworthy doctor. He may even be willing to share them with her.

read the rest on ao3

[octaviainthewasteland]

Wonder Woman: on female characters in comics PART 2

part 1, 2, 3

Please bear in mind that English is not my first language!

Part 2:  Useless pretty, sexy bad and second-hand skirts

Summary: A classification of female characters in comics.

Before we get going, an important note: this is not character bashing. I may sound extremely critical and snide at times, but it doesn’t mean that I hate these comics or these characters or even these authors! Batman, for instance, is my absolute favorite fictional character. I also have the biggest soft spot for Harley Quinn and Lois Lane. However, it doesn’t mean that it gives them a free pass. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Text under the cut.

In the previous chapter, we’ve touched on ‘fridging’ and why it’s not cool (ha-ha see what I did here). Due to particular conditions, women were pretty much absent from the picture and therefore, could not influence how women were portrayed for a while. Male visualization of women turned out to be quite… limited. Reading comics, I have noted that female characters in the comic books can generally be divided into four categories. There are, of course, some exceptions, but the percentage is far too small. As I thought about these categories, I’ve realized that three out of four are constructed though the sexism of the superhero narratives, while the last one is in a constant struggle against it. There are damsels in distress, femme fatale, gendered spin-offs and the female superheroes. Some characters fluctuate from one category to another, or fit into more than one. Let’s talk a bit more about the first three, so it’ll become clearer, why the female superheroes are so important for representation of women.

 The first category is the damsel in distress: the mother or the aunt, the girlfriend, most often powerless.

It includes such characters as Lois Lane, Vicky Vale and Iris West. Interestingly, all three of them are journalists, which arguably justifies their rash behaviour, which often lands them in trouble. They are nice, generally understanding, but quite often annoying, as they manage to land themselves in trouble yet again. It’s like they don’t understand that they should just sit down, because they either land in villain’s hands or they pressure the hero to quit heroing. With time, they have become snarky and easy-going, and obviously able to take care of themselves (until they aren’t) but the truth is, they are indistinguishable. They are cut out from the same piece of cardboard, as precious time for character development cannot be wasted on them, and they serve as conscience, motivation and ‘someone to come home to’. They are the classic ‘women in the refrigerators’ (Simone, 1999) and their interests and plot arcs rarely transcend the love interest, or in case of Iris and Aunt May, the relative of a superhero.

Probably the most notable example will be the Injustice franchise, where Superman becomes a tyrannical dictator, stricken with grief after the death of Lois, who has also been pregnant with his child at the time (Injustice: Gods Among US [I] #1, 2013)*. The comic series depicts the extent of Superman’s psychological trauma, as he is deceived by the villain into killing Lois with his own hands, thus, focusing not on the tragedy itself, but solely on Superman’s reaction to it. By the end of the series, the reader still has no idea, what kind of person was Lois. She is not important, what is important is that now the superheroes have an excuse to fight each other. Nobody in the comics really mentions her. The only time someone does, it is to reprimand Superman for his actions, all while Superman plans kidnapping Lois from another dimension because she’s just replaceable. Of course, this isn’t a story about Lois, but if a main heroine of Superman family cannot get a decent dealing, what’s there to hope for, for a lesser female character? We do not see her family or friends. She doesn’t really have a life outside her husband and it is precisely her connection to Superman that gets her in trouble. I might be picky, but having a joint surname (Lane-Kent, West-Allen, Watson-Parker) isn’t enough of a feminist statement for me.

The second category is the femme fatale or a seductive villainess, such as Talia al Ghul, Poison Ivy and Catwoman.

Most often, she is attracted to the superhero and tries to sway him of his righteous pass with her female charm, while he treats her as a lesser threat than male villains, because he believes she can be ‘good’ again. If she rejects the ‘good side’, she gets further from humanity and, thus, loses her chance for sympathy, absolution and happiness. Seductive villainesses often find themselves in a situation where they have to resort to their sexuality to distract their opponents or to persuade men to work with them. They are reduced to sexual objects for the male characters and by extension for the spectator, meaning the reader of the comics (Mulvey, 1975: 62).

They perform the role of the seductresses, trying to lure the hero from the path of righteousness and virtue. While being positioned as the erotic object, they are at the same time completely dehumanized. Talia turns from a villainess in love, who cannot decide on her loyalties, into a full-fledged assassin, and she is portrayed as a cold-blooded maniac, who drugs and rapes Batman, brainwashes him, clones their son and kills him (Robin: Son of Batman, 2015). In Harley’s absence, Poison Ivy does not value a human life at all, manipulates people and is more plant-like than human (Austin, 2015: 294).

The relationship between female empowerment and male disempowerment can be described as dichotomous. There is a prevailing narrative that a woman with power is a threat (Austin, 2015: 286). She defies male dominance and dares to enforce her own rules and focus on her own desires. The man tries to regain control over the dangerous woman. (Mulvey, 1975: 67) Notice how generally these women have a good cause at heart: Talia’s aim is to preserve the planet from disastrous actions of human kind; similar to Poison Ivy, who is concerned with flora; Catwoman protects felines and girls and women of lower classes and is essentially a version of Robin Hood. Harley Quinn has a mental illness, and copes with it by adopting animals and looking after them. Killer Frost is a heat-vampire and when she finds a cure (Firestorm) she pretty much stops attacking people, because she was doing it only to survive. Another interesting observation: it is their connection to men that pushed them to extremism. Talia is manipulated by her dad (who assures her of his love for her to save him on numerous occasions, but in the end kills her and uses her body to store his consciousness (BTAS)). Pamela Isley is nearly murdered by her male colleague. Selina is sexually abused by men. Killer Frost is locked up in a working reactor. I would assume everyone knows what’s the deal with Harley. Most often it contrasts with the actions of the hero: he tries to help her, make her normal again, fix her. This perpetuates a stereotype of how women are wrong about their prejudice against men, because ‘not all men are like this’. What is also inevitably and unknowingly created is that these women do not need fixing, it would change them at core. They aren’t even evil, as much as they would only help a cause if they believed in it. Even if they try to change for a man, they relapse: but through relationships with women, they are healed and they are able to embrace their power and be good, be evil, be something in the middle – and being true to themselves at the same time.

 Obviously, I am going to talk more about Harley Quinn. In the case of Harley Quinn, Joker physically and psychologically abuses her, manipulates her, makes her lose her job and her degree, drives her mad and so on. When she exercises her agency and comes close to killing Batman, successfully trapping him – something Joker himself had not succeed in – he angrily sets the boundaries between himself and Batman, their relationship, and Harley, who must only follow orders (Mad Love #8-72, 2009). Man games are one thing, and woman must never intrude! Harley learns it the hard way – it costs her almost every bone in her body. Joker ‘owns’ Harley and when she leaves him, he is livid and immediately sets to return her into his possession (Gotham City Sirens #10-26, 2011), exemplifying how Joker is unable to accept Harley’s existence beyond him (Austin, 2015: 285). On the other hand, Batman tries to establish his authority over her by bringing her to justice and rehabilitating her. He perceives her as a victim and someone, who despite being as dangerous and cunning as Joker (Mad Love #8, 2009), still needs saving. Harley is caught between two men, and while Batman is genuine in his desire to get her away from Joker (plus he doesn’t have romantic feelings towards her), it’s a no-win situation for Harley, because she can’t break away from her dependence issues. Enter Poison Ivy. By making Harley immune to all toxins, she both makes Harley stronger and cancels her main advantage over her. Poison Ivy doesn’t see Harley as a sidekick or a child who doesn’t know any better – she makes it possible for Harley to keep up with her. It also transforms Poison Ivy’s character. From then on, writers have abandoned the trope of Poison Ivy’s occasional boring crush on Batman.

 The third category is the ‘spin-off franchise baggage’ (Scott, 2013). It is quite easy to spot this type of characters, as their names are literally the derivative of their male (the original) counterpart: Batgirl, Supergirl and She-Hulk.

She does not have a sound or at least unique backstory, she is essentially the female version of the character, but secondary to him: weaker, less interesting, less popular and less developed (Fretheim, 2017: 32-33). Supergirl is another survivor of Krypton; She-Hulk was created literally by blood transfusion from Bruce Banner to his cousin, Jennifer Walters (they wanted to give her his rib, but it sounded vaguely familiar for some reason).

Sometimes such a character can break out of the limited space, provided by the legacy of the common root of the aliases (Bat-family, Super-family), for example, Barbara changes her line of activity after injury and Batgirl becomes Oracle, a character in her own right, giving voice to a readership with disabilities. It is also an example of how ‘fridging’ can be turned into a positive character development. In the Killing Joke, Barbara is harmed only because of her association with Jim Gordon, and the thematic purpose of her injuries is to provide emotional stakes for Batman. Nevertheless, she doesn’t stop being a hero and doesn’t become a liability. She is unique and interesting to read about. However, while it is possible, it is also reversible, as in 2011 Barbara puts on the Batgirl suit once again (Cocca, 2016: 78). Rarely, she can become more popular than the original hero, like Hawkgirl.

In terms of visual representation, it is quite easy to retrace sexual discrimination in the way that the male and female counterparts are portrayed. Although men with super powers do not need muscles to lift cars, they look jacked, a bit too much really. Hulk is positively ugly. Women, on the other hand, cannot let themselves be caught looking a tad less than ready for a Playboy photo-shoot.

Where male superheroes are embodying the ideal of masculinity, they are fit, muscled, and attractive – they are essentially the asexual subjects, while even their own gender-bent versions are put into suggestive poses and are given revealing outfits and heels (Batman: The Drowned #1, 2017).

Last but not least, the category of the female superhero. She is created as a distinct character, with her individual backstory and a set of powers. She is Wonder Woman, Starfire, Black Canary.

 The female superhero has her own backstory and her own set of powers. This doesn’t mean that they’re saved from the male gaze, unfortunately. The image above is one of the most modest costumes of Starfire I have found. This is particularly Starfire’s curse:

The female superheroes stand seemingly separate from the male superheroes, but men are still the part of the equation. Damsels, seductresses and knockoffs are directly linked to the male superheroes in forms of extensions of the mythos. The female superheroes exist in a state of eternal struggle against the male superheroes, male villains and male readers. According to O’Reilly, the female superheroes are restricted not only by the authorities, but even by their own sex (O’Reilly, 2012).

 To understand the mechanism of gender politics within the comics, let’s examine Wonder Woman against the male superheroes, namely Superman and Batman. While deconstructing their dualistic natures, we encounter a paradox of Otherness (Fretheim, 2017: 10-11). Every superhero has a secret identity. This duality attracts the reader, by making him or her identify through resemblance with the superhero’s disguise as the everyman or everywoman. The comic book promotes the idea of inclusivity, participation. It indulges the fantasy, providing the impression of the activist participation. (Pitkethly, 2012: 216) Superhero defeats the villain and saves America, and the reader feels like he or she has contributed to the victory of ‘truth, justice and the American Way’. It is no coincidence that the popularity of superhero comics correlates to the periods of the high and low threat (Peterson, Gerstein, 2005: 887). In times of the high threat, such as the Second World War, there is a significant increase in interest for ‘powerful’ and ‘tough’ fictional protagonists (889).

 Superman is also a meek reporter Clark Kent. Bruce Wayne is also a caped crusader Batman. As a superhero, Wonder Woman, too, exists as a heroic person and an alter ego of an ordinary woman, Diana Prince. Her otherness is expressed through being an Amazon, a super-powered being and a half-goddess. However, as a woman, she is also forced into position of the Other to Superman and Batman (De Beauvoir, 1949). If you’re unfamiliar with De Beauvoir, she referred to the socially constructed concepts of women and femininity in her Second Sex, written a year after women got the right to vote in France. The standards of the so-called femininity were established by patriarchal society and every woman was obliged to live up to these standards. De Beauvoir described the cultural symbols and social pressures put on girls from the very young age. Girls were taught to be passive and submissive, she did not have a choice as she was defined by the male dominated world to be a mother, a grandmother, a housewife. Men were the one, the neutral, the common, while women were the Other. While a man was the creator and the subject, a woman was an object in his power and always secondary to him. She also talked about the social taboos such as menstruation, criticizing pseudo-science that invented the idea of the biological inferiority of women. Menstruation was not the topic to talk about in public, since the very ancient times girls and women were locked in their houses during the periods. The female body is regarded as the Strange, Different, the Other. There is a cult of appearance; the women learn how to manipulate people with their looks. There are certain norms of how a real woman should look. The praises of female virginity and restrictions of the expose of the female sexuality were listed among the other ways in which the male society discriminated the female accumulation. Wonder Woman is, therefore, pitted as the Other to the male superheroes, while being alienated from other women.

 So we can see that no category of the female characters in comics are any better than another or have it any easier than another. Nonetheless, the figure of the female superhero is important, because it is a definite step away and open resistance to being background or second-hand. Girls couldn’t relate much to Lois, because, honestly, they were not supposed to – she was not their fantasy, she was male fantasy. There were some female superheroes prior to Wonder Woman, but yet again, they were created by men for men, and girls didn’t want anything to do with them. Industry naturally assumed that the reason is girls being generally uninterested in comics. As Dr. Marston noted, ‘not even girls want to be girls’ (Lepore, 2016: 187). He set to change that, and hence Wonder Woman was born.

*it needs another note: Injustice series is actually one of my favourite comic runs ever, and it has great female characters and great character development and is simply amazing. But it’s based of a game, and they had to work with the game premise, and they did a fantastic job doing it. Still, as I love it dearly, I’m allowed to critique it and so I will.

**despite the name, Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane is a wild and fun comic.

Bibliography

Simone, G. (1999). Women in Refrigerators, available at: http://www.lby3.com/wir/

 Austin, S. (2015). Batman's female foes: The gender war in Gotham City. Journal of Popular Culture, 48(2), 285-295.

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[unavenged-robin]

Children of yesterday

Direct sequel of For thine is the kingdom

Read on AO3

The second time Damian wears the Nightwing costume, it’s because he’s angry at Bruce. Not that he’s ever going to say it out loud, but Jason doesn’t need him to. It takes him just one look to understand.

“Hiya, baby Wing”, he greets him when the boy lands right on top of one the thugs currently trying to kill him.

“Don’t call me that”, Damian grumbles under his breath while he moves on to take down the next criminal.

Jason snorts and lands a few punch of his own, having care to never leave Damian out of his peripheral vision.

“Thought you’d like it better than baby Bat, considering the change of theme.”

Damian doesn’t respond to the barb. He just lowers his brow and keeps beating the daylight out of Penguin's’ men. Which, in a way, is exactly the answers Jason knew he was going to get.

But well, beating the lowlife it’s cheaper than actual therapy and provides a useful service to the community, so Jason’s more than okay with it. He still keeps an eye on the kid anyway, because he knows that kind of mindset and the troubles that come with it. He’s never been the family’s favorite babysitter for the kids, but he’s not a bad one, despite what Dick says behind his back.

But fighting side by side with Damian all dressed up in the Nightwing gears is a few degree of weirdness above the usual, and Jason finds himself distracted more than once. He has to put up with a few lame punches that otherwise would’ve never find their target, and yet he still keeps studying the new Nightwing’s performance.

The fighting style is so recklessly Damian it would be impossible to mistake him for anyone else. The cold precision of his movements, the silent and once-upon-a-time lethal fury, they’re all Damian’s traits, but the kid’s making an effort in throwing in a few acrobatics pieces that are unmistakingly Nightwing’s signature. There is so much more, though. The meticulousness of the beating is all Bruce, for example. The controlled sequence of punches in all the right places, the way he uses every surface and every shadows to his advantage. Jason looks at him and sees a much younger version of himself training in the cave, Bruce looming over him, the sweet smell of Alfred’s cooking in the air.

“Hood!”

There’s a knife in Damian’s hand. And there’s a thug with a broken arm at Jason’s feet.

“I had that under control, kiddo”, Jason lies lazily. “But thank you anyway, it’s so sweet to know you care.”

“I’ll stab you myself if you don’t focus on the fight”, Damian promises with a snarl, and Jason laughs because no, he will not, and they both know that.

It’s funny to think that Damian was a lot more of a threat when he was a scrawny ten years old who barely reached Jason’s elbow than he is now, at eighteen, not yet taller or thicker than him, but definitely on his way to (although Jason’s still cradling the hope for Damian to get just a little bit taller than Dick and still be shorter than him, because that would be what perfection looks like in his book).

Anyway, on any other night Jason would’ve replied to the kid’s threat with something along the line of “both of your daddies would be so very upset to hear that”, but obviously tonight’s not the right time to push that issue. Not if Jason wants to avoid a black eye and a long conversation about daddy issues where he has to be the reasonable party and not the angry one.

Besides, he’s not sure he could be of help even if he tried. Jason’s never asked too many question about Dick and Bruce’s arrangement about Damian’s parentage. He never felt the need to, and for the better part of the time, he was also in no position to ask anything.

When Jason died he had a father, a grandfather and an older brother with a pregnant girlfriend. When he came back he had a father, a grandfather, an older brother, a sister in law, a niece and two little brothers, and one of said little brothers was also his older brother’s son. It was ridiculous and borderline shakespearian, and it amused him to no end. Still does, sometimes, especially during Christmas family dinners and such.

Jason takes care of another few thugs, then he leans against a wall and watches the new Nightwing in town doing his best to adjust the few remaining criminals’ bones in the most creative way he can think. He should probably tell him to take it a bit easier, but a bad night is a bad night, and it’s not like he’s in the right position to scold anyone about using violence as a stress relief.

But once all men are on the ground, Damian’s shoulders slump down, and the kid’s stance suddenly looks defeated, even if he’s standing in the middle of an alley littered with moaning enemies.

So Jason sighs and pushes himself up. Walking towards him, he wraps an arm around Damian’s shoulders and pulls the kid closer to him and away from the thugs.

“Celebratory beer?”, he proposes.

He’s rewarded with a sideway smirk under the familiar blue domino mask.

“You would give alcohol to an underage vigilante, Hood?”

“Well, what kind of fun older brother would I be if I did not buy my little brother his first beer?”, Jason smiles back.

“The kind of fun older brother who would think that it’d be my first beer”, Damian retorts. “You’re worse than Bruce, honestly.”

“Oh, so he’s Bruce now? That bad, uh?”, Jason teases. “Well, at least he’s not Wayne yet, so if you want my professional opinion, I think there’s still hope.”

Damian elbows him in the ribs but Jason can tell he’s biting down another grin.

“Shut up.”

He doesn’t add anything and Jason doesn’t push. He’s never been one for touchy-feelings conversations and his family knows that. He ruffles the kid’s hair, then moves away.

“C’mon, brat, I’ll give you a ride home.”

Damian shakes his head at his offer.

“I’ll keep patrolling.”

Jason doesn’t know if he wants to sigh or frown at the idea. It’s not like Damian’s never patrolled alone before - far from it, actually - but it still feels like he has to say something about it. He just can’t decide what. So he keeps it simple.

“Damian.”

But the kid’s already taking out his grappling hook and only spares him a quick, stubborn glance.

“It’s fine.”

“Sure.”

They stare at each other for a moment, and Jason finds himself relenting almost immediately. He smiles behind his mask and waves his hand to motion for the kid to move on.

“You’re welcome, by the way”, Damian taunts before vanishing up in the dark.

Jason scoffs and fishes out a phone from his back pocket.

“Hey”, he starts conversationally, without giving the other the time to put in even a hello?. “Just wanted to let you know I spotted a wild Nightwing running around Gotham. Looked a little bit like you, but way, way younger and good looking. Know anyone who may fit the description?”

*

Dick knew since the exact moment he and Kory signed up Damian’s adoption papers that this conversation was not going to be a one time thing.

They talked about it before the adoption was finalized, and they talked about it after, and then again when Bruce came back. They talked about it during sleepless nights and tiring days, over too excited family dinners and boring patrols. They talked about it with Damian and Mar’i, with Tim and Barbara, Cassandra and Stephanie, with Bruce and Alfred, and even with Talia Al Ghul. And every time he talked about it, Dick felt like he had burning stones settled in his guts.

Tonight is no exception, of course.

When this thing started, he had no idea this is how it would’ve ended. Wouldn’t have believed it, if someone had told him.

When Bruce died and Damian came crashing into their lives, he was living in Blüdhaven with Kory and Mar’i. They had a house and friends and a good, long-established routine. They were happy, Dick remembers that. Moving back to Gotham was a sacrifice he didn’t do light-heartedly. Took a month for him to even start considering it. And when he did, he had to face Damian, this ten years old child who had just lost everything, living alone with Alfred in the empty shell of what it used to be his father’s house, and Dick just couldn’t bear it. So he took him in, because it was the right thing to do, and as a reward for his good action the first few weeks in the new house had been pure hell. Alfred did his best to keep everything together, but Dick was suffering, Mar’i was heartbroken, Damian was angry, Kory didn’t know what to do, and they were all mourning. On top of that the kids kept fighting and screaming at each other and Dick had lost his patience more than once.

That was the worst thing. Not bearing Bruce’s unwanted legacy, not training a new, arrogant, insufferable Robin, not even having to put up again with a city he thought he’d left behind, but seeing his family so broken. The fights with Tim, Cassandra’s absence, Barbara’s distance, Jason’s criminal rampage, Mar’i and Damian hating each other and being very vocal about it.

In retrospect, Dick really doesn’t know how he survived it. How they all survived to the anger and the blame and the constant suffering. And yet, he thinks now, smiling at Gotham’s cloudy sky, in the end they managed to do it oh so well.

He still remembers the first time he realized that things were finally starting to change for the better. It was maybe a few months after they moved to Gotham, he was pulling a late shift at the police station, working on a double homicide case, and he’d received a text from Kory. It was a photo, and at first he only saw the caption: two red heart emojis. Which, coming from Koriand’r, could mean anything, Dick had mused. But when he opened it, he found himself staring in surprise at two kids, one laying on his back, in a kind of funny, familiar soldier-like position, the other sprawled on top of the first one, face smushed into his shoulder, both deep asleep. Afterwards Dick had to admit that it took him a moment to recognize Damian and Mar’i (something Kory had found so, so funny).

It’s a good memory, one of his most treasured ones. He keeps it in mind now, while he swings from one building to another towards the coordinates Jason gave him.

*

He finds Damian on top of an old building, very close to where their penthouse used to be. It’s still a weird feeling, seeing him wearing his old costume, but overall it’s not an unpleasant one.

Dick lands on the roof with his usual quietness, but he doesn’t bother with hiding his presence. He knows Damian’s already spotted him.

“I have a joke”, he greets him then. “Two Nightwings walk into a bar, the bartender says-”

“Are you angry?”, Damian asks.

“No, that’s not how the joke goes.”

Damian huffs and reaches out to the back of his head to pull up a hood that’s not there. When he realizes his mistake Damian clenches his hands into fists before dropping them down on his lap. Dick’s heart hurts a little.

He sits beside him on the edge of the roof and bumps him with his shoulder to let him know that it’s okay, that angry is the last thing he would ever be, and Damian seems to understand the message well enough, but still refuses to look up at him.

“How does the joke go, then?”

“No idea. I didn’t come up with a punchline because I was counting on you interrupting me right away.”

Damian snorts and his feature softens in a way that Dick still finds heart-clenching, even after all these years. While he doesn’t mind doing it, he hates that he still has to reassure Damian that he’s loved - always, always loved - and that one burst of anger (because apparently they’re not allowed to call them tantrums anymore) is not going to change anything, not ever. Not for Dick, not for Bruce, not for anyone.

“You’re a ridiculous man.”

“Well, you’re a very serious kid”, Dick replies. “I have to compensate.”

Damian hums like he’s humoring him, and raises his head to stare at Gotham’s skyline. Dick doesn’t push him, but he reaches out to briefly rub a hand against the kid’s back in a silent invitation.

“Sometimes”, Damian starts, voice soft but steady. “I feel like he’s relieved when we go back to the cave to change after patrol and I leave to come home to you. And sometimes I feel like he’s angry at me for not staying, for- for betraying him like this.”

Dick sucks a breath between his teeth.

“Damian, you never betrayed him.”

“I did”, Damian objects. “I betrayed my mother for him, and I betrayed him for you. What does that say about me?”

“That you still have trouble understanding how this family thing works, kiddo.”

Damian frowns and for a moment Dick really believes that this time the kid’s going to listen to him. To, at least, take in consideration the idea that there’s no foul play here, that family is not an army or a political party. But he senses the defeat even before he sees Damian shaking his head.

“I made a choice”, the kid states. “And it was mine, not Father’s, and not yours or Kory’s.”

Dick remembers it differently.

He remembers coming back home two days after Bruce’s return from the dead to find Damian’s stuff packed and his bags piled up by the front door. He remembers hearing Mar’i cry and Damian refusing to answer her questions, the sound of skin hitting skin and his daughter flying away from them when he entered the living room.

He remembers Damian looking up at him, right cheek still red from Mar’i’s slap.

“He’s my father.”

And it sounded like a question, so Dick answered.

“So am I.”

It hurt to see the grimace on Damian’s face, it hurt even more when the boy licked his lips and looked away before speaking.

“It’s- that’s not the same thing.”

Damian was eleven by then. And Dick knew that all his reasons could not overthrow a decade of Al Ghul’s convictions about legacies and bloodlines. So he reached out and pulled Damian to his chest, hugged him close, kissed the top oh his head.

“You don’t have to choose”, he murmured into the boy’s hair. “No one will ever ask you to choose, Damian. Not me and not Bruce. And whatever you decide to do, no one will get angry. I promise you that.”

It was obvious that Damian didn’t believe him in the slightest. And in a dark corner of his mind Dick had thought that the kid was expecting not only a choice, but also the resulting punishment, and he just couldn’t shake off the idea that Damian was choosing Bruce because he’d expect a worse punishment from him than from Dick.

It angered him, but he was ready to let Damian go anyway. Because he felt guilty towards Bruce, because he felt like it was not his place, not his choice. But then Damian had tightened his fists, pushed himself closer to Dick and without even looking up, he had asked him a question.

“Then can I stay?”

That whisper had hurt him then, and it keeps hurting him everytime he thinks about it, because Damian never asked it again, not in words, but Dick can still hear it sometimes. Knows that Kory can hear it too. He hears it again tonight, underneath everything else, and he shuts his eyes close, inhaling and breathing out Gotham’s cold air with a sigh.

“It was your choice”, Dick agrees. “And Bruce’s. And mine and Kory’s. Kiddo, believe me, if we didn’t all agree that it was the best thing for you, then our arrangement would’ve been different, you know that.”

And at the time there had been indeed a lot of discussions about other viable options. But what Dick remembers better than anything else, was Bruce sitting at his desk, features unreadable as ever as he examined the adoption papers, his fingers hovering over Damian’s name and Dick’s signature, like he was looking for the right clues to piece together a story of which he only knew the ending. Like they were one of his cases to be solved and not just his family.

His mouth suddenly feels dry, so Dick swallows, then reaches out for Damian’s hand before continuing.

“And I know how Bruce gets. I know that sometimes it feels like that whatever you do is not good enough for him, that you disappoint him in every little things. But believe this too: even if that’s the case, and not only your insecurity getting the best of you, then that’s Bruce’s problem, not yours”, Dick explains softly. “As long as you do your best, as long as you feel like you’re doing what’s right for you, then other people's expectations are nothing more than a suggestion, something you have to decide for yourself whether to accept or ignore. That’s especially true if we are talking about parents, both biological and adoptive. We don’t always know best, you know?”

Damian makes a snorting noise but doesn’t pound in on that like he usually would. For someone who was born with a destiny and a carefully planned life, it’s confusing to be told that there is no great scheme, that life is not a war to be won. Dick understands that.

“You planning on keeping that suit for yourself or you prefer keep stealing it every now and then?”, he asks then, to lighten the mood. “Because I don’t mind either way, but replacing the locks every night could become annoying.”

“I’ll fix them”, Damian mutters. “Sorry”, he adds then, as an afterthought.

“You didn’t answer me”, Dick points out.

“Are you really only asking about your suit”, Damian muses. “Or are you asking me if I’m ditching Robin?”

Dick stretches his arms, clasps his hands behind his head and lays down on his back against the cold concrete of the roof. It takes Damian less than a minute to let out an exasperated sigh and follow his example. Dick smiles and closes his eyes again.

“I’m not going to tell you what to do, kiddo”, he answers when he feels Damian’s head resting against his arm. “Just that I’m going to be proud of you whatever you decide to do.”

And this time, at least, Damian doesn’t question his words or the feeling behind it.