#ace jason todd has a grip on me

[arkhambirdie]

jason todd is definitely on the asexual spectrum happy pride month !

[starry-bi-sky]

sO i got to part two of the daniel jason todd fenton au :)

>:) word count 8k+

So, first, taglist for folks who asked for it: @blep-23 @mikyapixie @isnt-that-grape @randomenglishmajor @illryiannightmare @the-navistar-carol

SECOND: this part needs a trigger/content warning list: - CW Mild Swearing - CW Slight Psychological Horror - ^ CW mild depictions of being haunted by your own ghost/death flag and not realizing it (other people do though) - CW Brief Emetophobia (Danny throws up during a second nightmare) - CW Danny has nightmares of dying - except its of Jason Todd's warehouse death. It's not explicit but it's implied - TW Mild mentions of perceived Blood - TW Depictions of Corpses (first is non-descript, and then second one is slightly more descript but its not anything uh, super descriptive) - TW Mild description of burns (the descriptive part above) - TW Depictions of Panic Attacks (Danny's nightmares)

I mentioned that this au was inspired by a song lyric from Jann's 'Gladiator' here is that line:

I know your addiction's attention, Let's start a show Is it everything and more than you were hoping for? Show us something we ain't never seen before

The day after Danny meets himself, he's downstairs having breakfast in the dining room with the rest of the family, listening idly in on their conversations. Tim Drake is talking about something about Wayne Industries with Mr. Wayne - and wasn't that a startling surprise to learn the first time? - and Damian was slyly trying to feed Ace under the table. Duke Thomas was mid conversation with Cass, much of it audibly one-sided as Cass swaps between ASL and verbal speech.

(Danny comes across her a fair few amount of times in Wayne Manor. The first time was in the library. She hands him a book about planets, smiles, and walks away.)

(He hasn't talked much to Duke Thomas yet, but he plans to - he seems cool. They just haven't had the time to run into each other yet. Danny might just have to corner him, he thinks.)

And finally Dick Grayson on his left, his Dick Grayson, was talking away with the other Dick Grayson - who had stopped by from Bludhaven for the morning for his day off. He was a cop, ew. They were comparing lives, specifically college lives. There wasn’t much to talk about in their childhood, it seems. Danny was quietly listening in. 

(They both gave their Bruces headaches as children, apparently. Climbing the chandeliers and sliding down the staircase banisters. Flips and tricks only a child raised by the circus could do.) 

All-in-all, a very quiet morning, Danny thinks. That is, until the other Dick Grayson turns to him and goes; "I'm sure you've been asked already, but what do your parents do, Mini Jay?"

Danny squints at him, and releases his grip on his spoon to raise a pointed finger. "First off: only my Dick Grayson can call me Jay, you have your own." He says, slightly playful and nodding to Dick - oh that was going to get confusing, fast. He should come up with a nickname for one of them, probably - "And second: you're the second person to ask me that, actually. Jason - er, myself? - asked me yesterday. My parents are ectologists."

Apparently, mentioning that he met himself is a set of magic words, because the whole table stops what they're doing, and Danny's half-sinking back into his chair when all eyes turn to him in varying degrees of surprise. Dick - Richard, he’s going to call him Richard - looks at him with wide eyes and furrowed, confused brows. "You saw Jason?"

(Danny sends Bruce a confused look, but he's not paying attention - looking at everyone else with threaded eyebrows and a faint frown. Well, at least Danny isn't the only one confused by the reaction.)

(What a comfort.) 

"I guess that nickname is a dimensional constant." He mutters under his breath, and straightens up, eyeing the room warily. It... doesn't bode well to him that the Waynes were surprised by his other self's appearance -- was hisself estranged from the family?

...He hopes that doesn't happen in his world. Dick and Bruce may not be his adoptive family, but he likes them quite a lot. He wants to stay in contact with them when they get home.

"Yeah, he was in the library." He says, frowning at Richard Grayson. "He was sitting in my armchair." He supposes it was Jason's armchair first -- god, that was so weird to refer to himself in third person. "We talked for a little bit, and he asked me what my parents did. They're ectologists, by the way."

He turns to Mister Wayne and tilts his head, "Did you really not know that he was here?" He asks, narrowing his eyes. He wouldn't expect Richard to know, he doesn't live here. But Mister Wayne looks just as surprised, perhaps even a little remorseful.

(There’s a pit in his stomach that’s growing bigger.)

(His neck burns with a new pair of eyes, ones that he can’t see.) 

Mr. Wayne looks thoughtful for a moment, and then carefully, he goes; "Jason is rather... independent. He comes and goes from the manor when he feels like it." And the way he speaks sounds like he was choosing his words carefully. Danny suppresses the shiver of unease.

Something was not well in this house. Something unspoken was haunting the air. 

(Jason would know about hauntings, wouldn’t he?) 

He hopes history won't repeat itself, he likes Bruce quite a lot.

"...Alright," he says after a moment of silence, not hiding his wariness as he slowly turns back to Richard. His eyes flick towards Bruce, and then to Ricard. "Anyway, my parents are ectologists, as I've said for the third time now."

Richard, for his effort, takes the topic change easily, and his surprise shifts into one of curiosity - as does everyone else. (Did Danny really not mention what his parents did? Even Dick and Bruce look intrigued.) "That's... new." Richard says lightly, Danny commends him for the way he sounds non-judgmental. "What are ectologists?"

Danny quirks a dry half-smile, and deadpans; "Studiers of all things dead and afterlife."

...And there is that reaction again. A ripple of surprise and intrigue that spreads throughout the room as everyone looks at him, like a bunch of cats perking up their ears. 

On the other side of the table, Damian scoffs quietly, a sound much like the one Jason - the other one - did when Danny told him. Danny's eyes snap over to him in an instant, he stares at him, trying to study him. Why that reaction - again? 

He lets himself frown, briefly, before addressing Richard again. "Everyone just calls them ghost hunters, but the 'official' term is ectologists." He drawls, air-quoting the word 'official' with his fingers as he rolls his eyes. "They've been obsessed with ghosts since college. We even have a lab in the basement, and they keep liquid ectoplasm samples in the fridge."

Danny's been in the lab a handful of times, he and Jazz both have, either to clean it as part of their chores, or to listen to a lecture from their parents for their newest invention. The lab is cool, kinda, but Danny thinks it wouldn't look out of place in any evil lair of a Rogue with a doctorate. 

…He’s glad that the Fentons weren’t stationed in Gotham. They would have blown up a street. He’s surprised they haven’t already. 

"Ectoplasm?" Dick asks, leaning over to catch Danny's eye. Almost by instinct now Danny smiles at him, and then nods.

"Mom and dad say it's the stuff that makes ghosts." He explains, leaning back against his seat, his arms crossing. "It's invisible in its natural state, and it makes up everything. Kinda like the Force from Star Wars, or just, matter in general."

That cracks a few quiet, laugh-like sounds through the dining room. Danny halves a smile again, a swelling of pride in his chest that lingers for a moment. "My parents say that when ectoplasm condenses enough in one area, it can start taking on visible properties," he continues, "they say that ghosts are just the memories and emotions of a dying person or animal being imprinted on a concentration of ectoplasm, and that the ghost itself isn't actually the person or animal, just matter trying to mimic it."

Which Danny guesses makes sense, even if the way they talk about ghosts made him really uncomfortable. His parents insisted that ghosts weren't actually people, but he just couldn't shake the idea that they were. How close to ‘human’ does something get before they actually are? 

Well, no, that wasn’t fair. Superman wasn’t human, and yet everyone treated him like he was. Let him rephrase himself:

How human-like must something get before they are considered as such? Before they’re considered sapient and sentient, and real?  

"That's... quite interesting." Someone says, and Danny turns to see Bruce leaning his elbows against the table and putting his chin on threaded fingers. He looks genuinely engrossed in what Danny's said, and pride once again leaks into his heart. "You mentioned they kept ectoplasm in a liquified state in their... fridge?"

"Oh yeah," Danny says, putting his full attention to Bruce, "it's crazy. They keep little test tube racks in the freezer full of liquid ectoplasm, and it's this - uh - glowing, bright green stuff. It used to be the weirdest thing in the house."

(From his peripherals, Danny notices the room tense up again at his description — and he bites back the urge to slow his talking down and narrow his eyes. Suspicious. Suspicious. The Waynes weren’t scientists - why do they react to something like they are?)

(Nobody knows what ectoplasm is. To the scientific world, it's an unconfirmed theory of a state of matter. Why do the Waynes act like they know what it is?)

(Danny is not stupid. Even if his scientific family makes him feel like it, sometimes.) 

Bruce gives him this half-tilted, confused smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling up. "Used to be?"

Danny opens his mouth, the answer already on the tip of his tongue -- and then he freezes. His jaw clicks shut as he frowns. Should he say what his parents' latest pet project was? Surely, surely, it would be fine? Their inventions never work - and a life-sized portal is just another thing on his parents' crazy ideas list.

His teeth sink into his bottom lip, chewing on the skin as he rolls the answer over in his head. ...Surely, it would be fine. His face turns in hesitance, and his shoulders scrunch and twist to his ears, like he's about to admit something that could get him grounded by his parents.

"They... may, or may not, be building an inter-dimensional portal in the basement?" His voice steadily pitches upward nervously the longer he speaks. By the time he finishes, his voice is close to a squeaky pitch.

There is a horrified silence that follows him, sitting in the air so still-like that Danny could hear the whoosh of a pin drop. He should have expected that, nervously surveying the ranging horrified expressions on the Wayne family's faces. "...I promise they're harmless... to the living." He hesitates, "Mostly."

Bruce stares at him for a long moment. "Mostly?" He repeats, his brows arched high and pinched together. Danny cringes back a little.

"Dad's a little clumsy, that's all." He says, shrugging with a helpless smile. It doesn't help, he thinks, and the silence is strangling. Sitting up, he's a little frantic to add; "I really, really, doubt it's going to work, Bruce. Their inventions never do. Mom and dad built a mini portal in college and it didn't work either!" There's a moment of silence following him, before he quietly adds, wincing, "It- it did hospitalize the guy who was helping them, though."

He only heard about that when he asked his parents about the portal - it was still in production when they picked him up. Jack Fenton claimed it was safe as safe could be - they’d make sure that the ‘college’ instance never happened again.

Bruce - both Bruces actually - looked vaguely ill at the thought. Mister Wayne’s face was blank, his face sunk into his folded hands, and Bruce’s stare burned into Danny, intense like concentrated fire. 

Danny for some reason - either through his panicked urge to make things better, or through temporary insanity - laughs forcibly. "The worst thing that could happen is that the portal could explode, but that never happens."

Next to him, Dick makes a stressed sound. "That's not better, Jay." He forces out. He looks even more horrified.

Danny sucks on his bottom lip for a long beat. Then lets out a breath.

"Yeah, I know." Danny sighs, deep and long while his shoulders slump. He watches the room for a moment, with their various stony-like expressions, and looks back at the very concerned-looking Bruce. "But Bruce, I swear it's fine. Nothing's gonna happen, please don't call the Justice League on my parents. They really are harmless."

Bruce looks conflicted.

"I was being dramatic when I said the portal could explode, it won't." He continues, giving Bruce what Jazz has called his 'cheating puppy eyes'. "My parents are eccentric about their line of work, but they understand lab safety. They'd never do anything to put me and Jazz in danger."

...Actively or on purpose, that is.

He and Bruce stare each other down. One second, two seconds; what feels like thirty seconds pass in silence before Bruce relents, sighing deeply and uncannily dad-like. He drags a hand down his face, and rubs his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "When we get back to our universe, you are giving me your phone number so you can contact me if anything happens."

Danny beams, nodding hurriedly. "Thank you, Buzz."

Bruce isn't able to hide his smile - small as it was - quickly enough. "You're welcome, Danny."

—-----

Danny has a nightmare that night. He doesn't remember most of it. There's a ticking sound, and high laughter, and there is a thumping heartbeat in his ears. Everything is dark and he is in agonizing pain.

He wakes up in paralyzing terror, a scream lodged in the back of his throat. His head pounds like a concussion and there is a shallowing ache in his ribs, like someone's kicked him, and kicked him, and kicked him until all air has been knocked from his lungs. He can't breathe.

Danny's hands scrabble for his throat, and even though he can hear himself gasping for air, it doesn't feel like he's taking any of it in. There is no relief in the action, no reassurance, and everything is so hot. He kicks at his blankets, his panic growing higher as they tangle around his legs.

He needs-

He needs--

He needs to move. He needs to get up. He needs to free himself. He needs to prove that he's not dying. He feels like he's dying. He feels like he's burning. There are tears swelling in his eyes as he finally gets the blankets off his feet, and he rolls - quite literally - out of bed.

He tries to catch himself, he does. But he doesn't. He hits the floor with a heavy thud and can hardly bring himself to care -- he catches himself on his elbows, and the sting it causes makes him feel worse. The air is knocked out of his chest again. 

The ground is cold though, blessedly cold. And before Danny can realize this, he lifts his head and, disoriented, looks for the door. It's too dark, it's too dark. His head swivels blindly in search of it. He needs to get out, he needs to escape. 

"Bruce." He croaks, still trying to force air down into his lungs. His call comes out raspy, weak, and hot tears blur his vision.

"Dick." He tries instead when a minute passes and no one comes, and he thinks he can finally start breathing. No one comes to find him - his voice is too quiet to wake anyone up. The tears in his eyes bubble and pop, and stream down his face.

He makes a distressed noise. "Jazz?" He whispers, his voice shaky and uneven with an encompassing want for his sister. It's nearly been a month since they got here. He wants Jazz.

No one hears him. He's alone.

God, he doesn't want to be alone. Please don't make him be alone.

Danny eventually gets himself calmed down. But he is curled up on the floor, trembling with the lingering traces of fear from whatever dream had woken up. His fingers dig painfully into his arms, leaving crescent-moon indents by his nails. The contents of the nightmare are already fading further into his mind, slipping out of his hands like water. Like ash.

He feels no need to chase after it.

The back of his shirt is damp with sweat, and in between the trembling he is also shivering, goosebumps lacing up his arms. His eyes have adjusted to the dark, and he stares with wide, crying eyes at the side of his bed. His breath comes out in short, shaky pants.

He doesn't know how long he lays there, trying to comprehend what happened as his mind still hangs onto the edge of the dreamworld. It feels like there is something in the room with him, crawling along the walls.

Danny forces himself to get up, and the sudden standing makes his vision blacken and swim as blood rushes to his head. He stumbles, slightly, and lurches halfway across the room for the light switch.

He squints as the room is drenched in light, chasing away the lingering paranoia in the back of his brain. He is still shaking. His head still hurts. He still looks, wide eyed, around the room for anything out of place.

There is none.

But he still feels unsafe. He needs- he needs to find someone, or go somewhere else. He grabs a firm pillow off the bed, and leaves.

(He ends up in the library alone. He turns on the lights and grabs a book Dick recommended to him, and he curls up tight in his armchair. He ends up falling asleep just as the sun is rising.)

(He doesn't tell anyone about the nightmare.)

-

Progress in getting the three of them back to their home dimension is slow. Dimension Hopping is a rare experience, and what update Bruce gets he relays back to Danny and Dick: they're trying to figure out a way to send them back safely, from the exact time they disappeared, and to find what dimension they're from. It's complicated magic.

It's been three weeks. 

Danny, for one, is getting homesick. He misses Jazz, Sam, and Tucker terribly, and his parents. Bruce and Dick are great, really, and Danny kinda wants to keep in touch with them after they return to their own world, but they aren't replacements of his sister and friends.

His nightmare from a few days ago still haunt his steps. He closes eyes, and that high-pitched laughter and blood-rushed pounding burns itself his ears and fills a level of unseen terror into his heart. Danny thinks that if he was hit with Scarecrow's fear gas, this is what it would feel like.

He tries to avoid falling asleep by reading in his room, by stargazing, but the place sets him on edge; an unsettling reminder of that nightmare. So he goes to the library when it gets too much, he's run into Bruce twice now doing it, and they both do reading.

Danny thinks Bruce can suspect something is up with him, but he doesn't want to tell him about that nightmare. Dick either, for that matter. He just wants to forget it.

They spend afternoons in the gym, they have it mostly to themselves - Tim Drake is at Wayne Industries, Damian Wayne is at school, so is Duke Thompson, and Cassandra Cain is... doing whatever she does during the day. Danny's not totally sure.

Dick in that time, tries showing Danny how to be more flexible. He says he's a fast learner, but Danny knows he's been slacking lately with his lack of sleep.

There isn't much they can do outside of the manor - Bruce and Dick can't go outside because they'll catch the attention of the paparazzi, and they are both significantly younger than their counterparts, and Danny isn't allowed out without a chaperone.

Which has its own unique set of problems because rumors could rapidly start if he's seen with any of the Waynes multiple times. The paparazzi aren’t dumb enough… okay, most — some — of them aren’t dumb enough to make a tabloid claiming there’s a new Wayne kid just because they see the Waynes interacting with one kid, one time. Multiple times however? That’s another story. And, he has the same issue as Bruce and Dick - he's a baby-faced Jason Todd. Who is Bruce Wayne's adoptive son in this world. He could be recognized. 

And how do you explain a tiny Jason Todd to a world where Jason Todd is a full grown man?

So all three of them are... stuck inside, so to speak. And making do with what they can. Danny spends most of his morning and early noon with Dick, and then they both separate after to have time to themselves before dinner.

Bruce is in one of the studies, doing... something. Danny's not sure and he keeps forgetting to ask.

--

Dick likes Danny - Jason? - Jay. Danny said that he can call him Jason, and he doesn't protest to being called Jay. 

Point is: he likes Jay. He's a delightful kid to be around; he's funny, and clever, even if he doesn't realize it himself. And Dick's a little upset that Jay isn't his brother in his world, he would've loved to have him around the manor. He probably would have visited more if he was around.

Something that he and Bruce were still slowly trying to fix...

He likes spending time with him - getting to teach him his acrobatic tricks was not something he expected, but he loves showing Jay how to do them. He thinks this is probably how Bruce felt when he was training Dick how to be Robin, all those years ago.

Speaking of which, Dick was still not over the Robin jacket that Jay wore. The origins of it weren't the best - Jay started wearing it to take back the insult the other kids at his school were throwing at him - but isn't that what part of what being Robin was about? 

Cheesy, he knows. But his point still stands.

He thinks that if he had to pass the Robin title down to anyone, it would be Daniel Jason Todd-Fenton. Or perhaps just Jason Fenton-Todd? Jay doesn’t seem all that attached to the name Danny. 

(“Mom and dad just started calling me it when they picked me up.” Danny — Jay shrugged when Dick asked him about it, the two of them swinging from bar to bar. “I wasn’t tellin’ ‘em my name at the time, so they gave me a new one.”) 

If he had met Jason before the Fentons had, Dick thinks maybe he would have adopted him instead. And what would that future look like? Would he have been able to, when he had to go to college and classes? Would he have been able to keep going out at night, and keep that secret to himself? 

He’ll never know, he supposes. 

“I think that’s it for today.” Dick says, swinging off the jungle gym and landing on the mats with a cat-like thump. Behind him, Jay groans, and drops with a less graceful thud as Dick stretches out his spine. There’s a satisfying pop-pop-pop of his back as he leans back. 

He turns, and sees Jay going for his water bottle. He looks tired — from what, Dick doesn’t know. But there are dark bags under his eyes and a sleep-distracted look on his face. He’s been distracted, and their lessons have been suffering from it. 

Dick wants to know what’s bothering him, but Jay hasn’t said anything, and Dick doesn’t know what he could say to make it better. 

“I can still keep going.” Jason insists, but he tiredly slumps over to grab his water, and straightens up sluggishly. It’s probably not a lie, but anything Dick shows him he doubts that Jay will retain it. “You don’t have to stop.”

“Oh but I want to.” Dick says, walking over to grab his own water. “I’m human too you know—” and Jay snorts at him with a grumbled ‘doubt it’. “—so I also need my breaks.” 

“With the way you can bend I really don’t think so.” Jason mutters, eyeing him up and down. Dick laughs quietly and takes a long sip of his water. “Seriously, circus boy, what do they feed you? Actually - what did they feed myself?”

Dick’s laughter doubles as Jay’s eyes grow wide and wild, his head shaking with spasming arms. “No, seriously! I don’t know if you’ve seen the other me yet, Dick, but he- he’s fucking huge!” He exclaims, and jumps as high as he can as his arms try to make a silhouette above his head. “I- I’m almost as big as Jack Fenton, and we’re not even biologically related! I don’t know where he got that much height to him, ‘cause- ‘cause Willis, that drunk bastard, was never that big!” 

Dick hasn’t seen the elusive other Jason Todd, and he’s been so curious about him. Both he and Bruce have — especially considering that everyone else doesn’t seem to want to tell them about him. He tried stopping his other self to ask about Jason Todd of his world, and his other self just said that he was his little brother and the second robin, and that he did a lot of his own stuff. 

It was a whole bunch of fucking nothing. And he and Bruce were growing suspicious about it. They hadn’t thought of it before because, well, they were busy adjusting to being in a new world and trying to figure out a way back. And then Jason was never really brought up, but neither was Dick Grayson unless Dick asked about it, and he didn’t think to ask about Jason Todd before.

It was all just strange.

But Jay’s exclamation over the size of himself distracts Dick long enough that he forces himself to put the mystery of Jason Todd on the backburner for now. “I’ll- I’ll have to see him for myself, Jaybird.” He says when his laughter subsides, and he straightens up. 

“Seriously,” Jay stresses, and he starts to make his way towards the gym door. “He’s fucking massive, Dick. Built like a brick shithouse.” 

Dick almost starts laughing again, “Where did you even learn that phrase?” 

Jay rolls his shoulders back and grins at him slyly, “I read.” He says, and it’s so clearly not how he learned that word that Dick barks out a laugh. 

They reach the door, and Jay holds the door open as Dick reaches for the light switch. He looks behind him, surveying the room quickly to make sure that there’s nothing they could have left on the floor, before turning off the lights.

Bright green eyes stare at him from the mirror. Right where Jay is standing. 

In an instant, the lights are back on. Dick’s heart has been kickstarted into fifth gear, suddenly and loudly racing in his chest as he darts his head around the room. It was only two seconds, perhaps only even one, but fear has been shot like an adrenaline needle into Dick’s veins. An inhuman, skyrocketing fear alike to Scarecrow’s fear gas. 

What was that?

What was that?

WHAT WAS THAT?  

But there’s nothing there. There’s nothing there. There’s nothing there. There is only Jason where the eyes were. 

From the mirror’s reflection, Jason turns his head — he hadn’t been looking at Dick, he hadn’t been looking at Dick — and stares up at him. There is confusion written on his face as he glances up at Dick, and then at the mirror. He meets his eyes - Jason’s blue, blue, not green, eyes — and Dick forces himself to look away from the mirror and down at Jay.

“What was that for?” Jay asks him, perfectly normal and perfectly confused. 

Dick feels like he just ran a marathon. He’s panting, he doesn’t know why, and he forces himself to sound like he wasn’t as he wets his lips and furrows his brows. “I thought I saw something.” He says, frowning. 

He didn’t think. He did. He did. 

What did he see? 

It was standing where Jay was. Those eyes. Those green-green eyes. It was where Jay was. He forces himself to shake his head, his frown deepening, unsettled. Jason peers around him as if to see what he had, and Dick puts a hand on his chest, stopping him. “It was nothing, let's go.” 

He turns Jay around, and ignores his bewildered look. That lighthearted mood he had earlier has plummeted, replaced with an eerie paranoia as he takes the door from Jason’s hand and flicks the lights back off. 

When he looks over his shoulder at the mirror, there’s nothing there. 

—------------

Danny has another nightmare. It’s the same one. It’s dark again. That high pitched laughter fills his ears. The ticking is louder, louder, louder. It’s counting down, but to what - he can’t see — he can’t see what it’s counting down to. 

There is still so much pain. His head hurts, his body hurts. He has a body now, he can remember he has a body. He’s in so much pain. He looks down at his hands and pooling around his knees is a bloody yellow cape, it’s torn and bloody and his hands are bloody and torn and he’s wearing green gloves. 

He wakes up just before the ticking stops. He doesn’t know how he knows that the ticking stops. 

Danny rolls over and hangs himself sideways off the bed, gasping for air that doesn’t come. He wants to scream again, to shriek with such terror that it sends everyone in the manor running into his room. He doesn’t, he can’t, he has no mouth and he must scream. 

Danny gasps for air instead, and then dry heaves until he throws up onto the floor. His head is spinning with the fadings of a dream-made concussion, again. His chest hurts deeper, more, it’s no longer shallow and as if someone was sitting on his chest, like someone had beat him in the stomach and chest and head.  

He feels like he’s choking. He is, he’s choking on what bile he can’t get out of his throat, and he forces himself to swallow it back down. He’s crying, he realizes, and dragging in air down into his lungs to the point it hurts. 

What is going on? He thinks through the haze in his mind. With what lucidity he has he brings a hand to his head to make sure he’s not bleeding. His palm swipes against sticky skin, and all that comes back is sweat. He’s not bleeding. He feels like he is. 

Make it stop. His inner mind wails as he finally, finally, starts to calm down again. He’s still crying. The tears burn down his cheeks, and he absently sticks out his tongue and licks the ones that gather at his lips away. He wipes at his face again, and when he looks at his hands, all he sees is skin.

He’s not wearing gloves. 

His hands reach for his back, and grasp his sweat-soaked shirt instead. He’s not wearing a cape. It soothes him, just a little bit. But not enough to keep him feeling safe. 

Danny peers over the side of the bed, and through his dark-adjusted eyes he sees the sitting puddle of throw-up on the floor. He cringes, sniffling. He can’t keep that there. He needs to — he needs to clean that up. 

Alfred must be sleeping by now — what time is it? He doesn’t know. He can’t wake him up. Where does Alfred keep the cleaning supplies? 

Danny throws his legs over the side — they’re not broken, he thinks dazedly — why would he think they’re broken? — and he stumbles to the door. He avoids, somehow, the sick.

(He passes by a mirrored vanity on his way to the door. He doesn’t see his reflection staring at him with green-green eyes. He doesn’t see those eyes following him.) 

He runs into Bruce in the hallway. He should have guessed it so. Danny freezes in his tracks, fear shooting up into his throat as Bruce turns towards him, already a smile pulling on the older man’s face. 

It drops immediately when he sees him. It twists down, and his face burrows into concern. “What’s wrong?” He asks, and Bruce is kneeling before him before Danny can blink. He looks worried. Danny must look awful then.

(He does. He looks pale as a ghost, and his face is splotchy red and shiny with tears.) 

Danny blinks at him numbly, trying to get his thoughts in order. Bruce’s hands are on his shoulders, Danny throws his hands over them, squeezing the knuckles and blinking widely. “I had-” he licks his lips, “a- uh, nightmare. And then I threw up.”

Fuck, he feels like a toddler. His eyes burn with embarrassed tears. He’s fucking thirteen. He’s not a baby. But he feels like a little kid going to their parent’s room. Bruce isn’t even his dad. He shouldn’t feel this way. 

But Bruce doesn’t make fun of him, or scold him, and Danny didn’t really expect him to, but the concern that melts over his face as his eyes soften makes him feel all warm and fuzzy anyways. “Okay,” Bruce says, expression softened but no less worried, and stands up. “Okay, we can go find Alfred then.” 

Danny’s lips press together, uneven and wobbling. “Please don’t.” He says before he can stop himself, and his voice cracks. He feels like such a baby. “I can clean it myself. We don’t have to wake him up.” 

“Do you even know where the cleaning supplies are, chum?” Bruce asks, and in the dark hallway he can see him raise an eyebrow. Danny’s lips press tighter together. He doesn’t. But he can find it. 

They wake up Alfred. Dany feels like shit the entire time. 

“I’m sorry.” He croaks as he follows Alfred and Bruce down the hallway with a mop and a bucket. He’s so embarrassed. He’s going to cry again, and he hates it. “I can do it, Mister Pennyworth. Please.” 

“You sound,” Mister Pennyworth starts, his voice soft, “just like young Master Jason when he started living here.” He turns to throw Danny an endeared smile, and Danny thinks it’s supposed to make him feel better. It does, a little bit, and it also makes him feel worse. 

“I am Jason.” He says, and tears spill down his face again. He is Jason. That’s his name. It’s not Danny, it never has been. The time he’s been here has slowly been pointing that out to him. He may be Fenton, but he’s not Danny. 

Alfred gets it all cleaned up, and Bruce sticks with him after he leaves. Danny’s grateful and resentful of it — hasn’t he embarrassed himself enough tonight? 

Bruce leads him to the library, a funny parallel to the first time. “We can ask Mister Wayne —” Bruce’s face scrunches up slightly, and Danny laughs under his breath. At least he’s not the only one still weirded out by it. “— about getting you a new room tomorrow.” 

Danny sniffs dryly, “How’d you know?” He didn’t think it was obvious that he didn’t want to go to sleep in his room. Bruce smiles knowingly at him, sadly, and they both sit down in the lounge chair next to the fireplace. It sits across from Danny’s armchair.

“I know a thing or two about nightmares.” He says softly.

Oh. 

Yeah.

That’s right. His parents. 

He probably had nightmares about that. 

Danny looks away from him, his eyes drop to his hands. His bare, non-bloody hands. He leans into Bruce’s side. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” He mumbles. He doesn’t want to talk about dying. Or what he thought was dying.  

“And you don’t have to.” Bruce says, slinging one arm around him and slumping against the curve of the chair. Danny reluctantly follows his falling, and finds himself trapped between the back of the chair and Bruce’s side. His ear is pressed to Bruce’s heartbeat. “We can just sit here, and talk about something else.” 

Danny blinks at the empty fireplace. “Okay. Tell me about films again.” 

Bruce’s fingers dig gently into his hair, and scratch slowly against his scalp. “Okay, Danny.” 

Danny frowns. “And don’t call me Danny. It’s Jason.” 

He doesn’t look up to see Bruce’s smile, but he can hear it as the man thumbs over the shell of his ear. “Okay, Jason.” 

(Danny falls asleep halfway through Bruce’s telling of the history of the Grey Ghost. Bruce knows by the way his breathing slows into a steady rhythm and his eyes don’t open.) 

(He smiles for mite a moment, before it drops and his eyes turn to the bookshelf in the corner. Standing there is a small black figure, with two burning green eyes.) 

(They stare at each other for a long, long minute, Bruce’s heart rising slowly. The figure tilts its head, and disappears. Bruce doesn’t sleep for the rest of the night.) 

—-------

Danny stares down Bruce. Bruce stares him down back. It’s morning. It’s breakfast. Everyone is at the table eating, and he and Bruce are having a silent staring contest. Danny has to ask Mister Wayne about moving to a new room, he thought he would be able to do so after breakfast. 

(Who was he kidding? He wasn’t going to ask at all - why bother Mister Wayne about something he can get over?) 

(Bruce, apparently, wasn’t having it. With that stupid knowing look on his face.) 

But Bruce wants it to be now. Danny narrows his eyes at him, and Bruce raises an eyebrow back. Dick Grayson, his world, was going to notice soon. He was sitting next to Bruce this morning. That traitor. 

If you don’t do it, I will. Bruce’s face says. Bastard. Danny was going to take away his Jason rights.

Danny’s the first to relent, pressing his lips together into an annoyed, thin line, before he lets out a silent sigh and turns to Mister Wayne. “Mister Wayne?” He says, cringing slightly when Mister Wayne looks up at him - as with most of the room. 

“Yes, Danny?” 

He spares one last look at Bruce, who nods curtly at him, and Danny throws him one last annoyed look before turning back to Mister Wayne. “Would it, uh, be fine if I changed rooms?” He asks. 

Mister Wayne tilts his head, slightly, to the side with a look of interest. “You can, but what brought this up? Is everything okay?”

Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Danny was expecting that question. He glares at Bruce from the corner of his eye. And then smiles shakily at Mister Wayne. “Um, uh, yeah. Everything’s fine— it’s just, it’s stupid. Some, some stupid nightmares keeping me up.” 

Mister Wayne’s brows furrow, and Dick looks concerned from Danny’s peripherals. “It’s not stupid, you can change your room. I’m sorry you’ve been having nightmares.”

He doesn’t even ask what they’re about. Bruce didn’t either — he thinks he would’ve, maybe — but fuck, jeez. Danny laughs uncomfortably, scratching his jaw. “Yeah- um, thanks. It sucks.” He just barely stops himself from blurting out that he was dreaming that he was dying.

That was not a can he wanted to open. They would have questions, he knows they would, and he doesn’t want to think about it. The image of his bloody, torn hands are already seared into his mind. 

Everyone goes back to eating.

(Dick keeps looking up at him with a shadow of a frown on his face, like he’s keeping an eye on him. Quick enough that Danny doesn’t notice it. Bruce does, and watches his son from the corner of his eye.)

(Danny doesn’t see it, but his reflection turns its head. And peers around the back of its chair. Its eye burns green and it stares at Dick. The next time Dick looks up, it catches his eye.)

(He doesn’t straighten up, he forces himself not to react. He just keeps staring at it, his breath locked in his lungs, his limbs filling with a low, buzzing static. He doesn’t know what it is. It’s terrifying him.)

(The reflection doesn’t react to him, but its eyes seem to… glitch. And an eye appears next to it, and another one appears in a line. The pupils slowly turn to look… at Danny.)

(The window begins to crack.)

“JaSON!” Dick suddenly yells, standing up so abruptly that his chair falls back and slams against the ground with an echoing bang. Danny jerks back in surprise, and stares at Dick, who looks at him with equally wide eyes. 

Dick looks like he’s seen a ghost, his face pale as a sheet. He looks ill. He’s panting, there’s a sheen going over his forehead, like he’s just run a mile. But he’s gripping the table like he may just vault over it.

And everyone is looking at them both once again. Bruce looks incredibly concerned. 

“I— what?” Danny says, pushing his back into the chair as far as he could go. 

Dick blinks, and heaves a breath. Like whatever trance he was in was just… snapped out of. His brows furrow, and he moves, suddenly, peering over Danny like he’s trying to look around him. Left, right, and over, and then back again. 

“You—” he pauses, breathing in, “you looked like you were about to disappear.” 

Danny stares at him in disbelief. And he looks behind him, laughing nervously. There’s nothing there but his own reflection in the smooth glass window. “What- what kind of fucking—” he turns back around to look at Dick. “Why would you say that?” 

“There was something in the window.” Dick says immediately, and Danny is immediately rising to his feet and rushing around the table. Nope - nope, nope, fuck that. He’s by him and Bruce in an instant, as the other Waynes stand up and turn to the window as well.

Dick’s arms are around him the moment he’s within reach, tugging him into his side as one hand presses down against his chest, keeping him close. Dick hasn’t taken his eyes off the window, brows furrowed and serious. 

Everyone looks so serious. It’s freaking him out a little bit. 

“What was your nightmare about, Jay?” Dick asks when he finally tears his eyes away from the window and looks down at him. He’s got a protective hold on him, something so similar to Jazz whenever their parents set something on fire upstairs. 

Danny swallows dryly — does he have to say it? Saying it might bring him back to it, and he doesn’t want to go back to it. Twice was enough for him. “I was dying.” He admits anyways, and regrets it immediately when half a dozen heads all snap to look at him. 

In a panic, his mouth runs. “I was- I don’t remember anything- I just, it was dark and I was in pain and-” He presses his lips together, “I— I was in so much pain. There was this laughter—” Laughter. Familiar laughter now that he thinks about it. From the news. Danny’s lips curl downwards, and he whispers to himself, “Joker?”

“Joker?” Dick repeats, his voice hard. When Danny looks up, his face is unrecognizably stern. “You had a dream that the Joker was killing you?” 

“I— no— yes?” Frustration bleeds into his chest, fear pooling up his throat as the nightmare pulls on the edge of his memory. “I don’t fucking know. I didn’t see anything, all I heard was ticking and that stupid laughter. And I was bleeding, and I was wearing this yellow fucking cape, and- and I was dying.” 

He pulls himself away from Dick, his breathing picking up. “I just- I was— there was this ticking sound and I woke up before it stopped, and I- I don’t know why I knew it was about to stop — but I know that when the ticking stops something bad was going to happen— and it was just a nightmare.” 

Danny grits his teeth, and looks back up at Dick, forcing himself to calm down before he works himself into a panic. “It was just a fucking nightmare, Dick.” He says forcibly, and then he marches out of the room to the library. 

His appetite’s been ruined. 

—---------

Danny’s — Jason’s — asleep next to him. Bruce would think it was sweet if it weren’t for the fact that Jason’s been having nightmares about dying of all things. Nightmares that weren’t, he suspects, completely unfounded. 

His other self looked ill in the face as Jason marched out of the room that morning after Dick’s outburst. Outburst. That’s all he can think to call it even if it sounds juvenile. Like it was unfounded as Jason’s nightmare. 

His other self has been hiding something from him. Something about Jason Todd of this world, who he hasn’t seen at all since they arrived, but Danny — Jason — has. He would’ve thought the other Todd was a ghost if his other world’s… children… hadn’t confirmed seeing and knowing him recently. 

(That was something he still hasn’t fully comprehended. Children, plural? He adopts more after Dick? He has a biological son?) 

He’d be interrogating his other self on this if Jason wasn’t asleep next to him. It would be remarkably easy, as they were all sitting in the living room for the afternoon. All his other children were vigilantes, he wouldn’t need to keep pretenses.

But Jason is asleep next to him, and he doesn’t know. So he resolves to staring holes into his other self’s head, who was going through documents. A case, he bets. His other self doesn’t pay him any mind, but Bruce knows he knows that he’s staring at him. 

(“What have you been keeping from me?” He growls the moment Jason is out of the dining room, rising to his feet. The look on his other self meant that he knew something about those nightmares that Bruce didn’t. 

His other self looks at him, “Nothing that concerns your world.” He says, all of the kids looked tense as well, but now they were staring between the both of them like a fight would break out. 

“Bullshit.” Dick snaps before Bruce can speak, he walks around him and points an accusing finger at his other self. “You looked like you saw a ghost when Jaybird said he was dreaming of the Joker killing him. You know something.”

He did not tell them anything.) 

Whatever it was that his other self was hiding, Bruce would find out before they went back to their world. This concerned him, and it concerned Jason’s safety. If he wasn’t safe and his other self knew something about it, Bruce would be furious. 

Jason’s ragged gasp cut through the air like a knife, and Bruce’s gaze snapped down to his face as the boy’s eyes flew open and he jerked sharply. Jason’s hands were latched onto his shirt before Bruce could react, his nails dragging into his skin like he was trying to claw himself up.

It was another nightmare. Jason was clawing at him, trying to sit himself up while jagged, awful sounding gasps filled the air. He wasn’t looking at Bruce, he wasn’t looking at anything, his eyes glazed over like he was still trapped in the nightmare. 

Bruce wrapped his arms around the small boy and pulled them both down onto the ground, ignoring his other children standing up and looking at them until he had Jay in a cradle. 

The boy was still gasping for air, hyperventilating. His hands drop from Bruce’s shirt and scratch at his throat, his arms forming an ‘x’ while he tilts his head back and desperately tries to draw in oxygen. Bruce tilts his head back up with his hand, and leans him against his shoulder. 

“Breathe.” He murmurs, pushing damp black curls out of Jay’s face. It was a poor command - Jason’s eyes were squeezed shut and his face scrunched in pain, Bruce doesn’t think he can even hear him. “You’re safe.” 

“Bruce.” Dick hisses into his ear, and Bruce doesn’t look at him. He grunts to let his son know he heard him. “The mirror.” 

Bruce’s eyes fly up.

There was a floor length mirror sitting in front of the couch. A mirror that Bruce was conveniently, coincidentally, sitting in front of. A mirror that should have been working as all mirrors do. 

A mirror that, instead of showing Bruce his reflection back as he was, showed him in his Batman suit. Jason was in his arms, but in a torn, bloody uniform. A uniform that looked like a Robin suit. Jason - his Jason - wasn’t a Robin. But here he was, dressed as one, his black-yellow cape pooling beneath him and covered in blood. 

The Jason in the mirror, the Robin, wasn’t breathing. His head lolled over Bruce’s arm lifelessly. 

Bruce’s heart skids to a stop, and he looks back down. Jason was still breathing, his hyperventilating was beginning to slow, but he was breathing. The pained crease of his face was softening, even as his brows were still furrowed. 

When Bruce looks back up at the mirror, the reflection has changed. It wasn’t back to normal, Jason was just in a different suit. He was wearing a white hazmat suit now, and he was burned, horribly. The suit was melted to his skin in patches around his body in black, charred splotches, what wasn’t burned was torn, and the skin he could see was cauterized. The only part of him that was bleeding was his head, and it soaked his black hair red. What of his face he could see, there were bright green lightning figures going up his neck, burning the skin around where it glows. 

The mirror cracks down the middle, severing Jason from Bruce. 

He forces himself to look down, terrified to see the reflection a reality right in front of him. But Jason was alive, uninjured, and breathing quietly. Bruce presses two fingers to his throat, and feels a steady pulsepoint thumping against the pads of his fingers.

Jason’s eyes open and blue stares up at him.  

When Bruce looks up at the mirror, the reflection is back to normal.  

[808airsoftbros]

Under The Red Hood (S) (BXG) (Natty)

Author: This one is hella long just so you know and I just love Red Hood. Also if you want to check out more of my fics have a look at the Masterlist.

Y/N's POV

People say they know the definition of suffering... But what they don't know is feeling the end of it. I was abandoned by my parents and the one I looked up to as a father figure for that clown to torment and use me as his ragdoll.

I was left rotting in that abandoned wing of Arkham City for a damn year with that bastard. He beat me, stabbed me with a hot iron to mark that I forever belong to him, you name it.

Foolishly, I kept faith that Bruce would someday come to rescue me someday but that day never came.

"Tell me kid what is your name?"

My name is Jason Todd...

"Who do you hate?"

Batman

"Hahaha... Good... You hear that Bats? The kid is not yours anymore!"

"Hey, I never asked... Who is the big bad bats?"

Of course sir... His name is-

*bang*

That was the day Joker put my lights out and I thought finally after all that hell he put me through, it would be all over. But no. There was more.

After my death, the League of Assassins recovered my dead corpse and took me back to their underground lair.

Ra's Al Ghul has always used the so-called reviving gooey shit, the "Lazarus Pit, " which allowed him to live for over a thousand years, but he had a theory...

The Lazarus Pit doesn't just revive or recover an hosts injuries but it also has the power to bring life to the deceased.

However, when I was dropped into the pit, I wasn't myself, I was confused, forgotten who I am, and all I felt was agony. I became a monster.

I killed and destroyed everything that came my way, but eventually, I regained my composure and my memories and came back to a city absent of the so-called hero Batman.

To my surprise, Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne were all gone too. Curious to find out what happened to them, I interrogated Gotham's street criminals and did some research on the internet.

Breaking News: Bruce Wayne Confirmed Dead in Fatal Car Accident

Turned out that the others were apparently with him during that accident but I knew better... It wasn't a car accident that killed them. It was something elise.

Luckily, I managed to get some information from Harley who was working at an adult entertainment restaurant and she didn't bother resisting since her beloved Mister Jay is dead too.

"You live under a rock or something? Bats and the whole gang were going all out in Ace Chemicals and Mister Jay as a result blew the whole facility taking not only his life but everyone present in the plant." She explained and I sighed.

"Thanks alot, Harleen," I thanked her and she rolled her eyes.

"Just the hell out. I don't want to see you again," She replied and I chuckled.

"Don't worry, you won't be seeing anytime soon," I assured as I got up from the table and exit the restuarant.

With that clown bastard gone, crime actually plummeted and the GCPD was able to finally handle themselves without Bruce assisting them everynight.

There wasn't much for me to do besides just watch over the city as my new identity the Red Hood. I don't exactly follow Batman's moral code of no killing.

Not every criminal is redeemable like the Joker, so I cannot fight crime without bashing some skulls in.

*bang*

"Where is Black Mask?" I sternly asked as I point the barrel of my gun at his forehead.

"I've got nothing to tell you!" And I bashed his skull using the bottom of the grip making him grunt in pain.

"Last chance," I warned as I pull back the hammer.

"Fine! I'll tell you! He's holding up at his tower east of Gotham! But you won't get to him!" He confessed.

"Thank you," I replied before knocking him out cold.

Calling in the Batmobile to my location, I jumped high in the air and landed in the cockpit, and drove off to Black Mask's tower.

Seeing that Bruce won't be needing his car or any of his assets anytime soon you mind as well put 'em to good use.

With the fast mobility and maneuverability to do sharp turns and drifts I got to the location of Black Mask in no time but I parked it into an dark alleyway to avoid losing the element of surprise.

Grappling onto the rooftop, I activate detective vision on my mask to see the inside of the building to get a recon on the number of goons.

"Great, this is going to be a massive waste of ammunition," I said to myself.

Using the line launcher to infiltrate the building I ride the ropes and broke through the massive glass window and catching Black Mask and his goons off guard.

"W-What the?! Who the hell are you?!" Black Mask asked as he drew out his pistol.

"Your worst nightmare," I answered as I smirked under my mask.

Swiftly drawing out my pistols, I shot the gun off his hand and in just a blink of an eye, neutralize the guards leaving him defenseless.

Grabbing Black Mask by the collar, I held him out of the broken glass window at my mercy and it pleasures me to see the look of fear in his eyes.

"P-Please I-I'll do anything you want! I can give you territory! Drugs! Money! Guns!" He begged.

"How about you go to hell?" I proposed and let go of him to fall to his death making him scream as he quickly descends to the streets.

"Say Hi to Joker for me," I said as I turn around to exit the building as my job here is done.

--------------------------------

Meanwhile...

???'s POV

Walking down the streets of Gotham City, it was surely more peaceful and quiet ever since the death of the notorious criminal Joker.

But that doesn't mean that all crime and corruption didn't stop lurking and hiding in the shadows.

This city needed a change or otherwise, it needs to be cleansed. There are so many orphaned children helpless in the streets and not even our full efforts is enough to save them.

How cruel humanity can be? Batman is no different... Even though he fights crime every night his ridiculous code doesn't solve the roots of the problem.

I did hear that the caped crusader along with his assistants are now gone after Joker suicide bombed Ace Chemicals. Good riddance to that evil doer.

However, just as I was sitting on the bench on the lookout for any orphaned child I heard a scream coming from above the building and soon after a man plummets on the streets to his death.

Everyone was shocked and screamed in horror as they were confused as to what was going on. Looking up I see a shattered window and what seemed to be a silhouette of a hooded figure.

Unfortunately, I was only able to get a glimpse of the figure until he disappeared into the building.

With police and EMS arriving at the scene, I decided to vacate the area for the night as I was unsuccessful to find any orphan children for the clan.

Utilizing my super speed abilities, I got back to my clan's hideout, I unlocked the door using my key and walked inside the house.

"Welcome home, Sister Ahnatchaya Suputhipong~!" Mother Kwon Eunbi greeted as she gently hugged me and I return the hug.

"Thank you, Mother Eunbi but just call me Natty. I've told you that how many times already?" I jokingly replied and she giggled.

"It's still a courtesy to greet you by full surname, sister," Eunbi-Unnie said and I nodded.

"From what I can see, you were not successful to bring a child," She mentioned.

"That may be true but I did see something of interest," I replied and she raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" She asked.

"Yes, mother," I simply answered.

"In that case, please do tell me every detail," She insisted as she guides me into the living room.

Recalling and explaining my encounter with this strange hooded figure and the falling-dead criminal Black Mask, she was intrigued by my encounter and wanted me to tell me more.

"Do you perhaps know what he exactly looked like?" She asked and I shook my head.

"I'm afraid no, he was too high up so I couldn't get a good look. All I could make out was that he was wearing a black and red leather jacket." I answered.

"Oh, that gives me an idea of who this mystery vigilante could be... There had been rumors going around in the criminal underworld that there is an anti-hero who calls himself the Red Hood." Julie-Unnie explained.

"Anti-hero? What's the difference between him and Batman?" Hanuel asked.

"Well, Red Hood actually kills criminals if he sees it necessary while Batman's righteous code forbids it," Julie-Unnie answered and she nodded.

"He could be a huge help for us, IF he agrees to that," Belle pointed out.

"In that case, we shall recruit Red Hood into our cause, but Natty seeing that you saw him first, you may claim him as his wife," Mother Eunbi settled and we all agreed.

--------------------------------

Y/N's POV

Heading into the Batcave, I parked the Batmobile on the platform, seeing the cave once again brings back memories of when I used to fight crime alongside Bruce and Dick.

Those were more simple times, until I was kidnapped by the Joker and tormented to death. Now, it's all lonesome with just myself and the bats lurking around the cave.

All the artifacts, souvenirs, and trophies were all still here like the giant robotic dinosaur that the museum owner gave to Bruce as a thank you present, the giant penny from battling two-face aka Harvey Dent, and the big ass clown card.

There was still some work to do in the Batcave and make some adjustments to the gadgets to my liking and come up with new tech.

*alarm*

"Who the hell could that be?" I wondered as I went to the bat computer to check the surveillance cameras.

Looking at the footage coming outside Wayne Manor, I see a woman in a black coat with pale milky skin, with black high heels, and what I could tell she was concealing two katanas.

Suddenly, she busts the front doors open and walked around the manor like she owns the damn place.

Deciding to confront the uninvited guest, I went to the elevator and ascend to the study room and quickly made my way into the ball room where the intruder is located.

Getting visual of the woman, I draw out my gun and fired a warning shot.

"Who are you? And what are you doing in Wayne Manor?" I sternly asked.

"Are you what they call Red Hood?" She asked and I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you fucking stupid? I asked you a question! Now answer it!" I angrily replied and she sighed.

"Now that is not how you greet your future wife~," She mentioned as she takes off her coat and sunglasses revealing her thicc figure.

"What's the matter~? Do you like my body that much~?" She teased and I shook my head.

"I have no time for games lady! Get the fuck out of my house!" I barked and her eyes turned a crimson red.

"Oh will be fucking soon, darling~. But first, will you cooperate?" She asked and I fired another warning shot.

"I guess not," She replied before drawing out her katanas.

Leaping in the air she dives toward me but I blocked it using the fins of my gauntlet. Attempting to shoot one of her kneecaps I missed as she misdirected the barrel of my pistol.

Giving me a turning kick in the stomach I stumbled back and in response I threw shurikens but she avoided them by leaning back.

"Silver ninja shurikens? Did you perhaps knew I was a Vampire?" She curiously asked.

"I'm always prepared for anything but I have a question..." I paused and she gave me a smuggly smile.

"I'm all ears," She replied.

"Do you bleed?"

Loading in hollow point incendiary silver 50 AE into my pistol, just one of these is enough te kill a Vampire and meet an unpleasant death.

Preparing a shock blast from my gauntlet, the Vampire charges toward me and once she was close enough I let her have it.

Taking this as my chance with her senses blinded I fired a shot and landed a direct hit on her knee causing her to scream in pain as she feels the burning sensation in her body.

"Hurts doesn't it? Just one bullet should've killed you already but you seem to be more persistent," I said before chuckling.

"Alright, darling, I didn't want to do this but it seems that I'll have to force you to submit to me," She angrily said and I smirked.

"I'd love to see you try, sweetheart," I replied.

Drawing out my combat knife which is also made of silver, I used my close combat knowledge against her whilst using my gun.

Indeed she's a tough cookie but I've faced tough opponents before and not once have I lost.

But she was starting to get more quicker and aggressive with her swings and even cut parts of my jacket. Which is hella expensive btw.

"Someone trained you well," She complimented.

"I can say the same for you," I replied.

Throughout our duel, I could catch a glimpse of her massive tits and ass. Clearly she takes care of her body and outshines any woman I've met in my life.

Starting to lose stamina and energy to fight while she was still energetic and vigilant. I knew I wasn't win this one so I have to come up with a plan.

"Just give up baby, there is no point in fighting," She insisted.

"I'm just getting started," I replied as I threw a smoke bomb.

"I can still see you," She mentioned as she casually walked through the smoke.

Attempting to grapple onto the gargoyle statue at the wall, she snatches the hook and crushes it with her bare hands. She's fucking strong that's for sure.

"Running out of tricks?" She asked.

Throwing a wave of shurikens she catches one by hand and deflects the others with her katana.

"You know you can't hit me," She mentioned.

"Who said I was?" I asked and the shuriken in her hand began to beep loudly and exploded.

However, she survived that and gave me a front kick in the stomach launching me into the wall. How much firepower can a Vampire take?!

I'm out of those special vampire hunting bullets leaving only my silver knife but that was knocked out of my hand and she soon pinned me to the floor.

"Looks like I've got you~," She said as she smirked.

"So what are you going to do? Kill me? Suck me dry of my blood?" I sarcastically asked and she shook her head.

"Oh no, darling, we don't feed anymore... We are not just Vampires anymore. We are Demi-Gods." She answered and I scoffed.

"Now, it's time to teach you who you belong to now," She whispered into my ear.

--------------------------------

Start of Smut

Y/N's POV

The Vampire who apparently is now my wife drags upstairs to the masters bedroom and pins me on the bed.

"Now let us see who you really are," She said as she grabs a hold of my mask and takes it off revealing my face.

"Wow, such a handsome face you were hiding~," She complimented as she examines my cheeks.

"Jason Todd, what's your name?" I curiously asked.

"Oh, how rude of me! My name is Sister Ahnatchaya Suputhipong but you'll refer to me as jagi, darling, or babe. Understand?" She instructed and I nodded.

"I want an answer, baby~," She whispered into my ear sending chills down my spine.

"Y-Yes mommy," I nervously replied and she giggled.

Locking lips with each other, she easily outclassed me as she was more experience in this while I've never kissed a girl in my life meaning she just stole my first kiss and soon my virginity.

Strangely, I put my hands around her hips as she goes under my shirt and I take my hands off her to take off my jacket and shirt revealing my chest.

"God, you're so sexy, I can't hardly believe this is all mine now~," She admires as she traces each line.

"Why don't you stop talking and let's get to it," I suggested and she smirked.

"I like how the way you think~," She replied.

Taking off her tight dress, revealing that she wasn't wearing any bra or panties and showed off her huge mounds and clean shaven pussy which instantly made my cock hard.

"Enjoying the view~? Good, because I'm going to make sure your balls are drained tonight~," She seductively said and I gulped.

Not wasting any time, she pulls down my pants along with my underwear and was surprised to see my ten-inch dick. Comparing my size to her head. It was a sight to see a beauty right by my cock.

"Uhhhhh~," I moaned.

Taking my length into her mouth, the tightness and the feeling of her tongue as she bobs up and down. I'd be lying if I said I haven't fell in love with this lusty Vampire.

What made it more exciting is that she kept eye contact with me the whole time she was blowing me and she switches position with her pussy on my face which is dripping wet and I can smell the aroma of candy.

Without hesitation I devour her pussy making her moan as she works on my cock tasting her was so addicting and we kept going until we came into each other's mouths.

"You taste amazing, baby~," She said after swallowing my load.

"I can say the same, it's so sweet that I just want more," I replied and she smiled.

Getting into position she sits on my dick before slowly inserting it in taking away my virginity and slowly begins riding me and it was fucking tight down there.

"Oh my God, you're so fucking huge baby, no man has ever stretched me out like this~!" She screamed as she increased her pace.

"Your fucking tight as hell!" I replied as I grabbed onto her hips to match her rhythm increasing the ecstasy.

After riding my dick for a bit, she decided to switch positions to missionary style.

"Now darling I want you to fuck my brains out! No more holding back!" She demanded and I felt like a beast inside of me has awaken.

"Fine, you want me to fuck you so hard until you can't walk! You got it!" I replied and she bit her lip.

Not giving her any time to get settled into the position I rammed her in and out as rough and fast as I possibly can making her scream out of pleasure.

Thankfully this room is soundproof and the manor is on an isolated island so nobody will be able to hear me fuck my slutty Vampire wife.

"Baby I'm so close~!" She warned.

"So am I!" I replied.

"Then let's cum together!" She said and we did just that.

"Hehe~. You still got more in there don't you~?" She asked and I viciously nodded.

Agreeing to go for another round, we switch position into doggy style and I rail her until she was screaming on top of her lungs.

"Keep going baby~!" She encouraged as I hit her G-spot.

Feeling the beast wanting more and more of her gorgeous pussy, I increased the pace and groped her ass whilst giving a few spankings increasing the pleasure.

"I want you to fuck me until I'm pregnant baby~!" She demanded.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll make sure that you'll get pregnant!" I assured.

Feeling the tightness of her pussy and fucking such a beautiful Vampire really takes my mind off my problems and traumas that I've been through in the past.

Maybe it was destiny that lead her into my home, guess I could use the company and she has an amazing body.

"I'm going to cum!" I warned.

"Good! I'm close too!" She replied.

In no time, I cum deep into her womb and we screamed one last time as I came inside of her and I felt my dick was in the shower.

"No I want you to keep it inside of me," She insisted as I was about pull it out.

Cuddling with each other on the bed despite it being all messy and wet from her juices, I was too tired and exhausted to care as long as I was in her arms.

--------------------------------

Natty's POV

It's been three days since I officially claimed Jason Todd aka Red Hood as my husband and partner in crimefighting. I still crave more of him but I have to let him rest.

Eventually he started opening up to me about his past life when he was the second Robin to Batman but was left to be tormented by the clown and how he was revived by the Lazarus Pit.

To this day, he still has Lazarus visions and behaves erratically at some nights but I can handle it with no issues whatsoever and he told me that he was grateful to have a loving wife like myself.

As for my clan, they continue to patrol the city for any abandoned children to take in while we clean up the streets for them.

Based on observation his abilities were growing faster, before he could take only ten men at a time but now he can take on about fifthy criminals at once.

With Jason being forged into my heart and soul, our relationship is eternal as I've granted him the gift of immortality.

"I love you my dear Jason~,"

[fandom-hoard]

Okay so I work in the film industry so please let me “Child on Set Shenanigans”

All the kids want to slate (you know, when someone holds up the clapperboard and says “Scene 36C Take 2” and then claps it shut [and sometimes people don’t read it out anymore it depends on the production, moving on]). All the children want to do it. There are compilations of all the kids muddling through with varying degrees of confidence.

Cass does not want to read out the slate but she does want to clap it shut. The 2nd AC (the person who usually slates) or one of her siblings will read the slate and she will determinedly clap it shut.

Dick says “Clap!” every time he shuts it (even though no one really calls it the clapperboard anymore)

Duke looooves the lighting. yes it is a joke about his canon powers, but also lighting a scene is a super technical art form honestly and I think he’d enjoy the mix of technical and art and also the challenge it. So Duke can often be found following gaffers (the lightning folks) & grips (the folks who set up the lighting) and asking a bajillion questions.

The grips tend to be some of the more crass people on set so- despite their best efforts to keep it clean around the kid- Duke develops a mouth to rival actual-street-kid-Jason-Todd.

He’s also the first kid to smoke weed for the same reason.

Some of the most entertaining set pictures come from Dick having fun with the hair, makeup, and wardrobe departments.

He absolutely LOVES it and they enjoy getting to play with the kid who absolutely loves to play dress up and be the center of attention.

He loves to model all the wardrobe he can, and they love it too, but there’s a limited amount of duplicates so he’s not usually allowed to run around in that stuff.

But whenever Bruce films a fantasy or a period piece or even a sci-fi (anything with fun costumes really) Dick LOVES to play dress up with the plethora of costumes on hand for the extras (they’re not usually child sized but they make do)

It’s not uncommon to see little Dickie running around set in a mismatched costume with his hair styled into wild style he and the hair person found on Pinterest and wearing false lashes because Miss Pamela Isley had some and he wanted some too

At the same time though, the stunts department have to peel Dick off them with a crowbar. He’s constantly wanting be thrown around and shown how to do a superhero landing and can he jump off your shoulders and can he ride in the harness wanna see how high he can jump wanna see how far he can fall-

He’s about to give them all heart attacks because their insurance does NOT cover the lead’s child

Jason has torn away from the stunts/fight choreographers. Once he and Dick join forces they start staging all out brawls.

They actually do hit each other several times but they both pretend they didn’t so no one will try to make them stop.

Damian wants to be a director. Some directors let him call “Action!” and “Cut!”

As he gets older, he will absolutely tell the director when he thinks they’re wrong.

Damian can almost always be found at video village (where the director’s chairs are and the director can see what’s being shot on camera).

Unless there is an animal wrangler on set.

Damian always says he wants to be a director unless there is an animal wrangler on set and then he changes his mind.

The other person always at video village is the script supervisor (the giant dumbass weirdo who decided make a career out of tracking everything shot and trying to maintain on-screen continuity just to constantly get told “no one cares if it doesn’t match”)(my job 😊). Damian develops a lot of relationships with different script supervisor’s. Some of them love them the precise little hellion. Others would happily punt him into the sun.

TIMMY AND THE CAMERA DEPARTMENT

Someone free these poor people from this tiny persistent stalker child with his camera

Timmy wants to ask them about the aperture and they’re just like “Bud, camera is up we are literally 3 seconds from rolling can you not?”

Once Timmy finds out copies of the camera notes go the script supervisor at the end of the day he also goes out of his way to meet the script sup and get himself a copy each day too

Now Cass is the only kid who who’s actually interested in acting. It fascinates her.

She is so good at reading people and the way they can physically communicate things that are different then themselves is fascinating.

She’s the only child who will harass the other actors

(The other kids will do it if the actor is a family friend, or if it crosses into their areas of interest, but none of them care about fame so the other stars don’t really interest them)

Cass will just approach an actor and quietly ask like “Why did you pat their arm in the first take and not the second?” and things like that

As she gets older she starts developing some excellent acting coach skills.

The secret gem of working on a Bruce Wayne set (for actors anyway) is that if you see Cass Wayne looking at you, listen to what she has to say. She won’t offer advice unsolicited, but her advice is always worth soliciting.

(Later on she and Damian direct their first film together. They both make sure they can handle all aspects of the role if needed, but they both prefer to leave the actual “Directing the Actors” to Cass)

Bruce Wayne TRIES to keep his children from harassing the crew. But his children are determined are there is only so much he and Alfred can do. He does his best at the start of every shoot, and eventually just gives in to giving everyone “hazard pay”

(And then one day a crew member is forced to bring their daughter, a little Stephanie Brown, to set and all the chaos is cranked up 12000.)

(Somehow, they end up keeping her anyway.)

Hi, Lee! Your AUs have given me many brainworms so I thought I'll share my brainworms in retaliation XD

No capes actor AU

Bruce inherited his love for theater and acting from Alfred. He's usually shy, awkward and a nervous wreck (think Battinson) but once he's behind a camera, he plays his role flawlessly. He can be the confident and gentle prince charming, the suave and flirtatious rogue or the cruel and sadistic monster. It doesn't matter, as long as the camera is rolling, Bruce Wayne is in character.

An important thing to note is that Bruce Wayne is unbelievably attractive. So, you have an attractive actor playing all these hot characters, what do you do? Create thirst traps obviously!

The kids suffer for it. Bruce keeps winning 'The Hottest Man Alive' and they can't even read reviews of movies their dad is acting in because all the comments are about how sexy he is. They're scrolling through twitter and suddenly someone tweets about the veins on Bruce Wayne's arms.

STOP! Their dad is lovable, innocent and sweet. Stop corrupting him with your lust!

Bruce stopped accepting romance roles because his kids begged him to (in an attempt to stop the thirst) but it got worst! They tell him to mention them in every one of his rare interviews (he's very shy so he doesn't do much interviews) to signal that he's a dad and very unavailable and the internet loves a DILF so you can guess what happened. They can't win. No matter what they do, people keep thirsting over their dad.

The kids are suffering and Bruce? Mr 'please don't perceive me' Wayne? He straight up blocked every mention of himself on the internet so he sees none of it. He told the kids to do the same but they wanted to read about how much people love their dad (they're very proud of him) so they endure the daily psychic damage and simply suffer.

I???? THIS IS A MASTERPIECE NEVER A MISTAKE. PERIOD EXCLAMATION MARK YAS MAMA SLAY THE WHITE HOUSE DOWN

-

If I may add

BECAUSE he's a highly requested actor who's almost always in the headlines, Bruce can't see his babies as much as he wants to, so all those mother henning instincts can't be bottled up.

Bruce earns himself the reputation of being the Mom Friend to his co-stars.

There's a viral video somewhere of him doing Harley's make up for her because she claims only he can do it right, and a video of him feeding Selina yoghurt, and tying Harvey's shoelaces between takes if they film a project together

Personally, a huge fan of the " actors who play assholes but are in fact the biggest sweethearts " breed, so I'm gonna need the villains being cute as fuck behind the scenes.

If they're doing an intense fight scene, Bane apologizes to Bruce continuesly because the guy insists on doing his own stunts. Bruce always giggles between being patched up and pats his arm

Damian refuses to be left at home, and there's absolutely a viral video of tiny damian wayne jumping to kick and punch at Clark's leg (who plays Gray Ghost's rival in the movie) when he " attacks" Bruce and it made everyone's day

Selina accidentally injures Bruce the MOST and there's compilations of her accidentally kicking him straight in the jaw, or punching him, or dropping stuff on him, and looking impossibly guilty about it. " I'm sorry - I'm so sorry baby" and Bruce of course always is like " It's okay :D"

Bruce's trailer is everyone's hang out spot. He does instagram lives where he talks about theory and lore and technicalities, and there's just someone or someones always there!!

Diana practising sword fighting, Harley doing tik tok dances, Pam watering the flowers he gets everywhere they go in full Mother Nightmare get up, and they're just there to see him blush and mumble at the thirsty comments

Also the batkids are jealous of every single on screen child Bruce films with, because he's so affectionate and loving with them. Jason's twitter is just him dunking on every single child co-star and he's not at all sorry about it

[coffee-latte-sprite]

Failing Graces

Masterlist

Jason Todd x gn!reader

WC: 500

Warnings: talk of failure, anxiety

Request:

Hi!! Its me again!! I have a request!! It’s fine tho if you dont want to do it ^^

I request a scenario of Jason Todd with an s/o whos emotionaly strong most of the time BUT now they cant take their mind of the term “fail” ( i chose this bc its happening to me :P hahhaah usually it comes during exams…and im having an exam lawl, wish me luck!) Even if he tries to make them focus on something else it just doesnt work. They think abt it to much until at one point they cry thinking that they would just fail. (i cry bc of this most of the time lmaoo)

Yup, thats all! Hope you have a nice day and Take Care!! Thanksss <3@caffeineaddicted-noonie

Notes: HI! I’m so gald you gave me another request! And omg, can we be friends? I understand this so MUCH! And also, good luck on your upcoming exams!!

I changed the plot a bit, but I think it still works :)

Jason loved you for many reasons. There was something about you that made Jason weak in the knees and all giddy.

But, the number one thing he loved most about you, was your strength.

Your emotional strength to be specific.

He’s seen you endure a lot, but your emotional strength always impressed Jason.

He wished he had your strength, but he didn’t know he already did.

You are always there to share his burdens like he is ready to share yours.

That’s why Jason was in despair now.

He watches you as you break down crying, he sees the fight leave your eyes and you surrender yourself to pain.

Jason was stunned as you crumbled to the ground crying.

“I’M SUCH A FAILURE!” You scream through your tears.

That’s when Jason comes to his senses.

“Y/N!” He yells as drops to his knees and puts his arms around your frame and pulls you toward him.

“I’m such a failure!” You cry harder as you grip the back of Jason’s shirt and push yourself deeper into him.

“Y/N you are not a failure.” He says lowly. His hands start to stroke through your hair.

“But I am! I am!” You cry harder remembering your essay grade. The big, fat, red “F” in the corner made you sick.

“Just because you got one bad-”

You cut him off quickly, “No, you don’t understand! I failed! I'm going to fail again-”

Jason stopped your train of thought immediately, knowing exactly where you were going, “Y/N, listen to me!” He pulled you away from him so he could look into your eyes.

He was stressing internally, he wasn’t the greatest when it came to emotions, but he knew what failure felt like. He knows how you are feeling, he feels your pain, and has experienced it more than once.

“Y/N,” he rubs his thumb over your cheek to wipe away your tears, “listen to me.” He spoke softly.

“Your grades don’t define you, they aren’t even close to what defines you. What defines you, is your efforts, your actions, and your words.” He puts his hand with yours, he squeezes, making sure that you are in this moment with him, not going down the rabbit hole.

You sniffle as your tears slow down, welcoming Jason’s words.

“I know how you are feeling, scared, alone, angry at yourself, and feeling lost. I feel like that a lot, but,” he puts another hand on your cheek, “you helped me.”

You look up at him surprised, Jason smiles at you.

“Your words, actions, and comfort help me to understand that I’m not a failure, but that I was not ready for that next step.”

You smile to yourself, thankful for Jason’s heartfelt words.

“That’s what I’m saying Y/N, you were just not ready for that essay. You were spreading yourself so thin, that, that essay was what gave in your big plan of things. But, I promise you, that next essay, or anything else you do, you will ace.”

You hug Jason, he accepts.

“Thank you,” you sniffle again. Your forehead resting on his shoulder.

“Of course my love.”

[sheep33hallow]

Piercings Chapter 3

AO3 Link

Jon has hit the age to be wed and has received hundreds of requests for his hand. 

His father and brother are not happy. 

"Jon, that Queen kid is trash. The only good thing about that kingdom is Queen DInah."

Damien nods his head in agreement next to Clark as he continues to speak. They are both standing next to the fireplace while Bruce is next to Jon on the couch. 

"But daddy…"

"No, you just came of age. We'll find you a good Alpha, or you can continue to be spoiled by your brothers." 

Damien nods his head again. "Those who are worthless are beyond saving. Our home has no place for them." Said Damien. He was the same height as Dick now since turning 21. Not being taller than Todd is a sore spot. 

Maybe that's why he wasn't a fan of the current man asking for Jon's hand in marriage. 

"Clark." Bruce began, trying to end a recurring conversation. He too didn't want Jon married off to a worthless home, but even he couldn't deny the innovation the Queen kingdom had. Oliver and Bruce have had a love/hate relationship since birth, and he was an Alpha that Bruce knew deep down he could trust. 

"No, Bruce. I have my role as their father. I will have the last say." The Alpha said. 

He was extra worried since Dick came back to the home after leaving Slade Wilson. They had a positive courtship, but after the marriage, arguing and domestic abuse began. The Wilson country likes Dick, so they don't know about the separation yet. Just that Dick is away visiting family. 

Ella, the child they had together used to be an aggressive little thing. She has been learning to fight from Jason, who never seems to be far from the little family. 

So to say, Clark is on edge after his last yes is an understatement. Bruce knows that. He'll have his chance to speak later, away from prying ears. 

"Now, let's end this conversation." Said Clark. He turns to Damien. "Take your brother to the kitchen and fix him a meal. I know he hasn't been eating." He looks back to Jon. He watches Jon begin to open his mouth. 

"Don't lie to me. I don't know what stresses you so much, but we'll figure it out as a family. So the both of you go." 

Damien reached his hand out to Jon, but Jon sidestepped it and walked out of the living room. Damien ignored the denial and followed Jon.  

They stayed silent for a while. Clark is still standing by the fireplace. It only broke when Krypto hopped on the couch to lay his head on Bruce's leg. 

Their first dog, Ace, was off to the side on his dog bed. He was too old to jump up anymore. He was a gift from Clark after a couple miscarriages. He was fine with Jon being their last one, but he enjoys a busy household. Having their grandchild around and having the orphanage he works with has helped. 

"Clark.." Bruce called out. "Come here." He watched as the Alpha obeyed. Kneeling on the floor next to him. 

He wrapped his arms around Bruce's waist. Pushing his face into his Omega's stomach. They heard Krypto whine, but he stays on the couch. 

Bruce massaged Clark's scalp. His thick locs slowly fill in with grey. Bruce has a few in his own head, but it wasn't as noticeable as Clark's. 

"You know the Queens are good people." 

He bit Bruce's stomach in reply. Bruce always has bite marks throughout his skin. It's a thing that grounds Clark, and Bruce himself enjoys their rough antics. 

But from that the kingdom thinks he has gotten more conservative from his younger years when in fact he just has a wonderful team of tailors. The marks that Clark leaves are private to them. 

He yanks Clark's hair. "No biting. Words."

Pulling back some. Clark gazes up at his spouse. His grip is still firm. " The Queens are trash." He reiterates. 

Leaning back against the couch, Bruce sighs. Looks like tonight's conversation really has ended. Looking down at his husband, he raises his hand to smooth down Clark's eyebrow. Then moved down to trace his nose, his eyes and then his jawline and neck. 

"You're lucky you gave me cute kids." Bruce jokes. 

That gets a smile out of Clark. He's been frowning too much this evening. 

"So my super sperm keeps me in your good graces?" 

"Of course. What else are Alpha's good for?" They laugh together. Their mating bond vibrates with joyfulness. 

Bruce leans down and Clark meets him halfway. Their noses rub together. A sign that both are ready for bed. 

After one last rub, Bruce stands up and Clark follows. Clark knows the routine and goes to pick up Ace. Krypto with his youthfulness follows behind them as they ascend to their room. 

He placed Ace in his spot next to the heater, and stopped Krypto one more time from trying to sleep on top of the old dog. Krypto sleeps on the bed with them unless commanded otherwise. 

Teeth are brushed, bodies are washes, kisses are exchanged before their routine is ended with Bruce being the little spoon in bed. 

Well he has no choice but to bed the little spoon. His husband’s knot is locked tight inside of him. A true sign to the end of their routine.

[oliocelottafanfics]

Hi, hello, happy one year fic-posting anniversary to me~ In celebration, I’ve decided to post my newest, and probably most self-indulgent, endeavor:

Penelope Garcia becoming Jason Todd’s big sister. Via hitting him with her car.

(That’s how adoption works, right?)

Excerpt beneath the cut as always~

Gotham rained. A lot. Penelope has been here for five days, and four of them were filled with thunderstorms. Even the one day without a full storm had still been graced with a drizzle. It’s no different now, although the drizzle is slowly heading towards a downpour as she attempts to finally leave the damn place.

She takes a deep breath and tightens her grip on the steering wheel. Now is not the time to get worked up. She needs to focus on the road, not the rain. Not…not whatever else is in her head. Which is a lot. Oracle gave her so much to think about…

She clicks the radio on with a little more force than necessary, flooding the car with the sound of AC/DC. Normally she’d enjoy it. Let herself rock out to Highway to Hell, sing along at full blast. Right now it makes her tense up and drop her hand to the knob to turn it down. Too distracting.

Penelope groans when the channel starts to lose connection two seconds later, cutting off with an electronic fuzz so bad that she’s ready to chuck the entire radio out the window. She settles for slamming the button again to turn it off.

She slams the breaks a second later.

It’s not fast enough.

The car skids across the wet asphalt with a squeal and a screech, coming to a stop only after something - someone - hits the hood with a violent thud. For a moment, she’s too stunned to move. Her hands stay locked around the wheel, her wide eyes stay glued to the road ahead, to the rain that’s lit up by her headlights, while her jaw falls loose at the hinge.

Holy shit.

Holy shit, she just hit someone!

Reality snaps back like a broken rubber band and the next thing she knows, Penelope is flinging the door open and stumbling to the front of her car. She squeaks back a horrified gasp when she sees the figure laid out across the road.

He can’t be very old. He’s too small, too short, and it makes the blood drain from her entire body. She’s dropping down at his side in the next instant, hovering her fingers over his body as if to check for injuries and yet too terrified to actually touch him.

“Oh my God-” She whispers the words, for herself or for him, she really doesn’t know. He’s just a kid, she hit a kid, oh my God she hit a–

She suddenly scrambles to pull her phone out of her pocket and dials 911. They answer after three rings and she almost drops the phone when a voice calls out,

“911, what’s your emergency?”

[ragingbookdragon]

The Accidental Wife PT. 2

A Bruce Wayne x Reader AU!

Warnings: Explicit Language, Angst Author’s Note: I’m glad to say that my writing has progressed since then! Enjoy! -Thorne

Set Two Months After Part 1

The sound of the chiming door told her more customers had entered; she didn’t look over her shoulder as she picked up dishes. “To whoever just walked in, if you’re a single, sit at the bar…If you’re a group, take a seat at the booth in the corner and I’ll be with you in just a second!”

           “Take your time Ma…we aren’t going anywhere.” (Y/N) glanced over her shoulder, her expression of confusion turning into joy.

           “Boys!” Jason and Tim smiled and waved as they sat in the booth; after putting away the dishes, (Y/N) walked over to them. She leaned down and kissed their heads. “What are you two doing here?”

           “You said you were working another shift tonight, so we decided to come see you.” She smiled at Tim and pulled out her notepad.

           “Well I thank you for it.” She clicked her pen. “So, what can I get you?” They snorted and gave her their orders, watching as she moved to the window. She returned a few minutes later with their food and leaned against the table opposite of them. “How’d midterms go Jay?” He paused mid-bite and move his eyes to her.

           “What?” (Y/N) chuckled.

           “Midterms Jay. How’d you do?” He swallowed and scratched his head.

           “…Uh…” Her eyes widened and she spoke worriedly.

           “You didn’t fail, did you?” Jason’s expression turned smug and he smirked at her.

           “Of course, I didn’t fail Ma.” (Y/N) gripped the towel at her waist and swung it at him; he laughed as he blocked it.

           “You!” She gripped the towel in her hand and pointed at him. “You had me going there for a second!” Tim and Jason started laughing, and she joined them; after a few seconds, she nodded at Jason. “So, how’d you really do on them?”

           “Made a ninety-seven on my history exam and a ninety-one on my business exam.” (Y/N) clapped her hands together and reached out, pulling him in for a hug.

           “I knew you could do it!” Jason snorted.

           “Ma, its just midterms. We haven’t reached finals yet.” She shook her head.

           “Doesn’t matter baby. Midterms matter just as much as finals do. If you aced these, you’ll ace the finals!” She pulled away and looked at him. “I’m proud of you Jason.” An embarrassed smile worked onto his face.

           “Ma…you’re embarrassing me.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes and ruffled his hair.

           “Deal with it Jay.” She paused and glanced at Tim. “How’d your day go Timmy? Anything big?” Tim nodded.

           “Mr. Wayne is going to extend deals to Metropolis, and he asked me to go over and handle them.” (Y/N) and Jason’s eyes widened at his comment.

           “You’re…going on a business trip…” Jason finished her thought.

           “To Metropolis?” Tim nodded.

           “Mr. Wayne was going to go with the group, but he’s needed back here. So, Mr. Fox is going with us instead.” He paused and sipped his milkshake. “Said Mr. Fox going with us would help me get more experience than it would if he went.” (Y/N) stared at him, and he spoke apprehensively. “Mom? Are you okay?” She blinked and nodded.

           “Yes. I’m fine.” She lowered her voice a little. “What are the costs?” Tim shook his head.

           “None. Well, unless we go shopping on our own. But hotel and air fare are being taken care of.” (Y/N) sighed in relief and nodded her head.

           “Okay…that’s good.” The two boys watched their mother then glanced at each other. Tim nodded and tipped his head at (Y/N); Jason placed a hand on hers.

           “Ma…Are we having money problems?” She shook her head.

           “No. I was just-” He cut her off firmly.

           “Ma don’t lie to us.” Her eyes flitted to his then Tim who nodded and she sighed, lowering her head.

           “We’re just in a rough patch right now…but we’ll be okay…I just have to find a new job.”

           “What happened to your one at the pub?”

           “Some asshole told me to smile, so I told him to fuck off…then he grabbed me, so I broke his arm.” She exhaled. “In order to keep from being sued, I walked out.”

           “Ma why didn’t you say anything? Tim and I could’ve helped. I know I make enough tips at the bar to help…and Timmy makes a good chunk of change from WE.” (Y/N) shook her head.

           “I’ll tell you like I told Dick…It’s my job to keep our finances up and keep you boys protected.” Tim stared at her, an eyebrow raised.

           “And what happens if you can’t Mom?”  

           “…” Jason squeezed her hand.

           “Ma…We know you’re a firm believer in not placing burdens on us, but your burdens are our burdens.” She met his eyes and he smiled. “We’re in this together Ma…When you get tired, let us pick up the slack and carry it. Okay?” (Y/N) stared at him for a few moments before sighing and nodding.

           “Alright…but only if I absolutely need you to.” The boys grinned and she rose from the table. “I need to go take care of the customers…You boys be careful on your way home.”

           “Love you Ma.”

           “Love you Mom.” She glanced over her shoulder and smiled.

           “Love you too boys.” (Y/N) started moving around the diner, collecting plates, handing receipts, and taking orders when a group of men walked into the diner. Immediately, the diner went quiet, and (Y/N) found herself in the position of giving them a seat; she smiled and pointed. “That table over there is open gentleman. If you’ll take it, I’ll be right over.” The way their eyes followed her as she passed by made her skin crawl, but she reminded herself that she needed money, so she ignored it. After a few moments, she moved to the group and held up her notepad. “What can I get for you?” She glanced at one of them who leaned forward.

           “How much for you babe?” She sighed.

           “Look pal…it’s been a long day and I’m not in the mood to deal with this. What do you want?” The one who spoke reared back, and another leaned towards her.

           “You’re feisty, aren’t you? Seems like you need to be bent over the table and get that temper checked.” (Y/N) stared at him as the others laughed, and deadpanned,

           “This is a diner not a street-corner to find hookers.” She clicked her pen. “We have the right to refuse service to assholes like you who harass our staff.” (Y/N) motioned to the door. “I suggest you leave. Now.” (Y/N) didn’t wait to hear their replies and turned when a hand gripped her arm and spun her back around; she could hear her sons rising from their table to walk over and help her.

           “That’s no way to talk to someone who pays your bills babe.” She glowered at him, her jaw tightening as she hissed,

           “Let go of me. Now.” He leaned in and grinned.

           “Or what?” (Y/N) opened her mouth to retort when a hand gripped the one on her arm and removed it; she watched as someone slammed the man’s head into the table, then lean in to their ear.

           “Don’t you dare put your hands on her.” The man twisted his head to look at him, then his eyes went wide.

           “Wayne?” (Y/N) gaped as she watched Bruce lay into the guy.

           “Men like you are the reason why women carry their keys between their fists at night.” Bruce twisted the man’s arm behind his back tighter. “You are a disgrace to men, and I suggest you take her advice and leave.” He looked at the others who sat stunned. “In fact, I suggest you all take her advice.” They nodded and dashed out of the diner; Bruce let go of the guy and shoved him to the floor, then straightened out his suit jacket, glaring at him. “If you ever come in here again, I’ll have you sued six was from Sunday. Capeesh?” The man nodded frantically and scrambled to his feet; he turned to the door and was met by her second son’s fist. (Y/N) raised her hands to her mouth.

           “Jason!” He didn’t pay her any mind and put a boot to the man’s chest, pointing at him, his voice low and dark.

           “If you ever put your hands on my Ma again, I’ll stick your head in a car door and slam it until all that’s left is a pile of mashed brain and skull.” He removed his foot and nodded to the door. “Now get the fuck outta here before I decide to do it just for the hell of it.” The man was out the door in seconds and Jason looked at her. “You alright Ma?” She nodded.

           “I’m fine baby…but you didn’t need to do that.” He shook his head.

           “I’ll do it again if he comes back in here.” She opened her mouth to respond when Bruce cut her off.

           “I happen to think that’s an excellent idea Jason.” They turned and faced Bruce; (Y/N)’s eyes widened.

           “Oh my god! We were supposed to go out tonight!” Bruce reclined against the bar and grinned.

           “When you didn’t show up at the restaurant, I assumed you were working.” He motioned to the phone in her pocket. “I tried to call…but I don’t think you heard it.” (Y/N) took her phone out and showed it to him.

           “It died an hour ago…I am so sorry Bruce.” He smiled and shook his head.

           “I’m not angry (Y/N). I understand that you have an obligation to your job.” He tipped his head to the table. “But I’m glad I got here when I did.” She huffed a laugh.

           “As am I. Though I could’ve taken care of it myself.”

           “Of that I have no doubt.” They peered at each other before laughing, then they head a grunt beside them.

           “Oh, get a room.” She turned her gaze to Jason and watched Tim walk beside them; he waved at Bruce.

           “Evening Mr. Wayne.” Bruce nodded at Tim.

           “Evening Tim. How’s your night going?” Tim grinned and nodded at Jason.

           “Good now. I was afraid I’d have to back Jason up in a fight.” Bruce snorted and raised an eyebrow.

           “You can fight?” Jason cut off Tim’s response.

           “Don’t let the lanky frame fool you, old man…Tim’s got a fighting ability that even Dickhead and I ain’t got.”

           “Jason Todd! Language!” He looked at (Y/N) and shrugged. “If the old man is going to date you, it’s better he knows that her sons can kick ass when needed.” She moved forward, shoving them out of the diner.

           “Yes, and if my sons threaten my potential dates, I won’t go on dates!” She glared at them and pointed down the street from her position at the door. “Now go home!” They chuckled and walked off; she called out behind them. “And no detours! Go straight home!” All she received were waves and she sighed, moving back to the bar where Bruce sat; she collapsed into a seat and he smiled at her.

           “Long day?” (Y/N) nodded.

           “Very.” She paused and looked at him sympathetically. “I am so sorry about missing our date Bruce.” He took her hand and rubbed a thumb across her knuckles.

           “Did you have a good day?” (Y/N) blinked at him and responded.

           “I did. Dick called me and told me he was in line for a promotion, Jason passed his midterms, and Tim told me about the business trip he was going on for you.” She paused. “Did…you have a good day?” Bruce nodded, a grin working across his face.

           “I had a great day. My son was voted president of the student council, one of my best employees is handling business deals for me, and I got to see my beautiful date again.” (Y/N) felt warmth creep up her cheeks and she lowered her head, mumbling an ‘oh’; Bruce chuckled. “Would you like to get dinner with me?” She looked down at her service uniform.

           “I’m wearing my uniform?”

           “Then let’s eat here.”

           “…What?” Bruce snorted.

           “If you’re concerned about your appearance, let’s stay where you’re comfortable. Let’s eat here.”

           “You wouldn’t mind?” He shook his head.

           “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we eat.” (Y/N) smiled and stood up, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek.

           “You’re sweet Bruce Wayne.” He watched as she pulled away and moved to the window.

           “As sugar.” She huffed a laugh and ordered dinner for them.

A Couple Hours Later:

           The car pulled up to the house and she glanced at Bruce. “Thank you for driving me home.” He smiled and nodded.

           “Of course.” They lapsed into silence, then opened their mouths; they laughed, and he motioned to her. “You first.” She grinned and gestured to the door.

           “I know my sons are inside…but…would you like to come in for some coffee?” Bruce stared at her and she sighed. “Maybe that’s too soon…we’ve only gone on a few dates…I’m sorry…I’ll just-” She moved to get out of the car when the doors locked, and the car moved backwards; she glanced at him. “Bruce?” He put the car in drive and pulled into the driveway, then turned the car off and looked at her.

           “I’d love to come inside for some coffee.” (Y/N) burst into laughter and shook her head.

           “You are something else Bruce Wayne.” He chuckled as they exited the car and entered the house. Jason and Tim sat at the table doing homework but looked up when they heard the door.

           “Hey Ma. Welcome-” He stopped as he took in Bruce behind her, and his eyes narrowed as he bit out, “Home.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes and took off her coat.

           “Be nice Jason.” He rose from the table and walked past them, moving into the kitchen; he gave a fake smile as he passed.

           “I’m always nice.” She sighed as he disappeared into the kitchen and she turned around.

           “I’m sorry.” Bruce shook his head as she helped him take off his coat.

           “Boy’s just being the man of the house.” (Y/N) snorted.

           “No. He’s just getting too big for his britches.” Bruce opened his mouth to respond when,

           “MY BRITCHES ARE PERFECTLY FIT TO MY ASS THANK YOU VERY MUCH!” Bruce burst into laughter as (Y/N) ran a hand down her face.

           “Jason! Pretend that we have company and impressions matter!”

           “PRETEND MY ASS!”

           “Boy I will jerk a knot in your tail if you cuss again!” Jason went silent and he came out of the kitchen, muttering as he went by.

           “Kill-joy.” (Y/N) kicked a leg up and whacked him in the butt.

           “I’m gonna be a kill-joy alright. Now get back to the table and finish your homework.” He stuck a tongue out and (Y/N) motioned to Bruce. “Follow me.” He grinned and followed as they stepped into the kitchen; she turned the coffee maker one and leaned up, closing the partition in the window.

           “We can still hear what goes on in there! The partition does nothing Mom!”

           “Homework Timothy Jackson.” She heard grumbles and she turned to Bruce. “Sugar and creamer?” He nodded and she moved to the refrigerator. “We have French vanilla and crème brûlée.”

           “French vanilla.” (Y/N) grinned as she pulled it out.

           “That’s my favorite.”

           “Mine too.” The coffee maker beeped, and she pulled out two mugs, filling them up.

           “I’ll let you do your sugar and creamer.” He nodded and stepped beside her, their shoulders brushing as they stood next to each other. (Y/N) reached for the bottle of creamer and her fingers brushed his; she looked up at him and giggled. “Sorry.” The grin he gave her made her heart flutter and she handed it to him. “Here.” He took it.

           “Thank you.”

           The two of them leaned against the kitchen counter sipping their coffee slowly, drawing out the time when the doorbell rang. She leaned towards the partition.

           “One of you go let Dick in. He’s obviously forgotten his keys again.” (Y/N) listened to Jason hop up from the table.

           “I got it!” (Y/N) didn’t think anything of it and continued her conversation with Bruce.

           “And then I walk back into the room and saw the three of them covered in feathers and sprayable glue.” Bruce leaned over he was laughing so hard. “And I remember just going, ‘Who started it?’ And Dick and Jason pointed at Tim who looked, just absolutely betrayed.” This made Bruce laugh harder, and he went to speak when a voice cut him off.

           “…Ma…” (Y/N)’s eyebrows drew together at Jason’s tone.

           “Who is it baby?” There was a pause as he came bounding into the kitchen, his face apprehensive.

           “I think you need to come here.” The solemnity of his tone made her heart thump and she put down her coffee cup; she glanced at Bruce.

           “Excuse me for a second.” He nodded and watched as she sprinted to the door, Jason and Tim hot on her heels. (Y/N) flung open the door and came face to face with two Blüdhaven police officers; one of them spoke.

           “Ms. (L/N)?” She nodded as her eyes roamed their badges.

           “That’s me.” Jason and Tim took her sides and the officer spoke again.

           “Ma’am we need you to come with us.” Her heart pounded against her ribcage at his words and she spoke nervously.

           “Is everything alright?” She leaned forward. “Is Dick alright?” The two officers exchanged glances and the second one spoke.

           “Ma’am we need-” (Y/N) slammed her hand against the doorframe, causing everyone to jump; her hand gripped the doorframe and she spoke, her voice barely containing the hysteria.

           “Is. My. Son. Alright.” The first officer nodded to the second and he sighed.

           “I’m sorry to report that Officer Grayson of the BPD was shot in the line of duty tonight. He’s been rushed to Gotham General where he’s currently in surgery.” (Y/N) stopped hearing after ‘shot’ and her heart stopped as her knees gave way. Had her sons not been by her side, she would’ve hit the floor; they gently lowered down their sobbing mother. Jason leaned into her, shushing her.

           “Ma it’s okay…he’s gonna be okay.” She didn’t respond, she was weeping too hard; Tim looked up at the officers.

           “What’s going on right now at the hospital?” The first officer spoke.

           “We aren’t sure…All we know was that he was taken into surgery.”

           “Was the wound severe?” There was a slight pause, then a silent nod.

           “We need to get you to the hospital Ms. (L/N).” She couldn’t move her legs and Jason saw this; he bent over and curled his arm under her legs, the other going behind her back.

           “C’mon Ma…I got you.” He lifted her up and began walking outside with her, Tim and Bruce following; he looked back at them. “Bruce you take Tim to the hospital…I’ll ride with Ma.” Bruce nodded, watching (Y/N) worriedly, and took his keys from his pocket; Tim watched with equal concern and climbed into the car with him. The patrol car pulled away and Jason cradled (Y/N) in the backseat as she sobbed into his chest; a hand caressed the back of her head and he stared out the window, feeling his eyes begin to sting. “It’s gonna be okay Ma…Dick’s gonna be just fine.”

[biblio-bitch]

Detroit Evolution Commentary Pt. 3 [FINAL]

It’s been a while, sorry. Life sucks ass sometimes and I had to do some transferring to my new laptop. I’ll write down some more fun facts as an apology. Disclaimer: This is all stuff I noticed, inferred, or interpreted. I didn’t write the film, anything I’ve interpreted is just that, an interpretation based on things I noticed using my experiences and knowledge. 

Fun fact #1: I have attempted to write in a proper novel style at least five times. After watching DE and watching @octopunkmedia ‘s script breakdowns and such, I've started writing scripts instead. I’m much farther along in those than I ever have been in books. 10/10 amazing for my visual based concepts.

Fun fact #2: My mental health was rapidly declining and I was losing interest in quite literally everything at the time the film was released. Watching the film and fixating on it for a month straight not only inspired me but helped me regain control of my life. Watching streams by the cast and Michelle while I worked for school made my productivity skyrocket.

Fun fact #3: I recently developed a tic that I now can’t get rid of. It was out of control for about twenty minutes right before I began writing this post. However, when I began re-watching the film (partially because it’s a comfort for me and I’m quite honestly terrified of what’s happening in the US right now) it stopped. So that’s fun.

As usual, spoilers and swearing under the cut! Quick note: If there should be a trigger warning on this or anything else I post, please let me know! I’m horrible at remembering to tag triggers. I’ll also be doing some quick posts on Umbrella Academy and my severe obsession with Jason Todd soon. Have fun!

As usual, here’s a list of people I know the users of in case you’d like to check any of them out. I’m likely missing people so feel free to let me know who I’m missing so I can add them!

Maximilian Kroger - Nines (@ maximiliankroger)

Christopher (Chris) Trindade - Gavin (@ trindabago)

Michael Smallwood - Chris Miller (@ michaelsmallwoodforever)

Carla Kim - Tina Chen (@ carlahkim)

Jillian Geurts - Ada (@ jilbobaggins_nyc)

Michelle Iannantuono - (@ octopunkmedia)

JJ Goller - Lazzo (@ quasar.cos)

Brett Mullen - Cinematographer (@ brettmullendirector)

Austin Butts - Sound Design (@ austinbytts)

Tiare Solis - Valerie (@ tiareleiana)

So I decided to put all of the rest into this post. It’s a long one. Not even that sorry about it bc I love this film with my entire heart. Warning for me getting sidetracked. I use a lot of Supernatural references but it’s because I’m visiting my dad and he’s binge watching the show. I like Dean and only Dean, don’t bully me for it.

The Wrist Grip™️ in the bedroom before Nines moves back

Shoutout to Maximilian Kroger’s muscles u go dude

Lighting Symbolism™️, big theme through the movie, honestly I think it’s beautiful and they did a wonderful job with it.

The little nod from Gavin as he starts talking about his nightmare 

You can see Gavin gearing up to move, like not in a normal way, in a “oh god I don’t know if I have the energy to do this” way and that’s Relatable™️

The little smile from Nines as they sit together

The SHARK PLUSHIE I LOVE HIM (THE SHARK HAS AN INSTAGRAM @ sharktreuse)

Nines being domestic, making coffee and breakfast, being Soft.

Shirt change??? Either I’m blind or he’s wearing a different shirt in the morning (He is. He’s wearing a t shirt at night and a buttoned collar shirt in the morning. Perhaps he changed? He’s wearing normal pants so he probably changed but he’s not wearing that same shirt in the next scene)

Ada eye rolling at them being passive aggressive dumbasses. Same. Apparently Jillian kept fucking with them which is,, so valid. 

The lighting in this scene (the office pt. 2) makes Maximilian look Android-white and outlined in the CyberLife blue-ish color. Very symbolic, I have no idea if it was intentional.

Another shoutout, this time to Maximilian’s eyebrows, the expressiveness is *chef’s kiss*.

“You can thank me later, Casanova.” Nines: *confused Android noises* 

Honorable mention to Michael’s Foo Fighters t shirt in the bar, it’s vintage.

Nines is in fact wearing a different shirt now. Not the same shirt from the morning bedroom scene. I also think he’s wearing a different jacket. Less of a peacoat and more of a leather jacket. Nice.

Shoutout to Tina’s (not irl) wife, Valerie! And her weird crush on Hank! I honestly can’t wait to see her in Seven Deadly Synths!!

Ada DODGING the questions that Nines is asking because she is SHADY. 

Also, he looks to Gavin when he talks about wanting to be more human. Recurring theme of him perceiving himself as lacking because of his ace-ness/android-ness, like he can’t give Gavin what he wants. Honestly I know that the android thing is a thinly veiled metaphor for race in canon but I kinda like thinking of it as a metaphor for being LGBT+ and in Nines’ case, specifically ace. Might not make sense but it does in my brain??

Gavin Senses Are Tingling and Nines is GONE. Leaving the bar for ur not-bf to try to talk things out like adults??? King shit.

Also electric lighter, fun, I genuinely didn’t know those existed

SHIRT WITH UNBUTTONED COLLAR

“You don’t want to help me, you want to fix me.” What a loaded line. Because in a way, it’s almost true? Like, Nines has this entire simulation of Gavin in his ideal world, and obviously that version of Gavin has probably been idealized at least a bit. Nature of humanity, and Nines might not be human but he’s got the Brain Things. And at that moment, it’s nearly true that Nines wants Gavin to be like that ideal Gavin. Obviously Nines wants Gavin as Gavin, but there’s the edge of that simulation there, still. 

But Nines does want to help Gavin, and that’s where he’s wrong. Nines wants Gavin to get better, wants to help stop the nightmares, etc. But by pointing that out, I think it’s partially why Nines can accept letting go of Simulation!Gavin when Ada attacks him. Because he knows that the simulation of Gavin will never be the real Gavin, and this line sort of helps him understand that he can’t really keep Sim!Gavin anyways.

Again idk if that’s legit but that’s definitely something I felt from that while watching.

Nines is constantly very controlled, but when he walks away from Gavin you can see him straining to keep that composure and not let his anger show. 

Ada looking So Done With This Shit when Nines comes back from talking with Gavin outside of the bar

“I’m sure this will be like...every other time.” Oh honey. Oh my sweet child. I am so very sorry. It most definitely will not be.

Ada’s exasperated Eyebrow Raise before taking a drink. If that ain’t the mood sis.

I love Ada’s bat wings on her outfits. 

Gavin being a stalker and putting his hood up. 

“I’m...certain that most of the credit can go to you.” IMMEDIATE ANGER. Must Defend Boyfriend.

I SO WANTED HIM TO SAY “WISDOM” WHILE TALKING ABOUT GAVIN’S SKILLS BECAUSE IT WOULD MIRROR HIM TELLING GAVIN THAT HE ISN’T WISE BEFORE THEY LEFT FOR THE STAKEOUT. He didn’t, but instinct is a better word for Gavin anyways.

Nines has Suspicion™️...press X for doubt... 

*Only vaguely related rant warning*

I do feel that we as a fandom tend to make Connor almost childishly innocent despite him being likely one of the least kind and least innocent characters. The characterization of Nines in this--and pardon me for the off topic rant--where he’s a fully grown man and acts like it is so much more realistic. Nines is a cop, as is Connor. 

Even post deviancy, they were designed and equipped to handle murder. Nines, in a lot of fandom content, tends to come off as an exasperated older brother or a gritty and mean detective, or even worse, essentially a sociopath who feels nothing in contrast to Connor’s childish and extreme innocence. I dislike both. Seeing Nines be a normal fucking person is so relieving, I’m serious. There’s still those elements of ‘oh he’s only been properly alive for like a year, right? He probably doesn’t get Chris’ Casanova reference.’ but it’s not to such an extreme that it overtakes all of his personality traits.

Like, yeah, ok, I get why a lot of fandom content does that. In order to balance what we see Connor do (and in order to further push the Hank as a father line) we over-emphasize the not getting references and such. Honestly I see the same in content for Castiel from Supernatural. Nines, when he’s added, often HAS to be a lot darker in order to make that seem not as jarring and unrealistic.

Doesn’t mean I enjoy it. If you do? That’s great, good for you, but I don’t like seeing those characters be portrayed as such one dimensional extremes. People aren’t like that. On the off chance that someone is such an extreme, there’s still other aspects of their personality.

DE has done an amazing job at not flattening their personalities. Nines and Gavin are three-dimensional and incredibly interesting characters I find myself invested in every time I watch it.

*Onto the commentary again.*

Gavin is still being a stalker

“Particular fascination with the RK line” AHAHA funny. She’s also an RK, and she likely knows more than Nines because her programming is based on information gathering. Her fascination begins and ends with what their programming can do for her.

The little computer details in Ada’s eyes as she copies Nines’ OS, and again in Nines’ eyes when he’s in the alley alone. I believe Michelle did all of that and I am just amazed every time I watch. 

The warped voice effect.

Gavin shifting to hold Nines as soon as he passes out

The ethereal colored lighting is very good for the mood, space hospital vibes

Shoutout to the latex suit they put Maximilian in! That’s not CG! He’s wearing a full body white latex suit. I’m so sorry.

Gavin looks so tired talking to Dr. Maria. His posture is defensive, pulled into himself. Shoulders hunched, arms pulled in. Eye bags, messy hair. Boy looked messed up. Somebody hug him.

Nines’ hair being disheveled and messy in the corrupted Zen Garden, rivaling his assertion that in his ideal world (Aka the normal Zen Garden) his appearance is polished, signifying the loss of control and the loss of the Zen Garden being a safe, ideal space for him. Same concept with Sim!Gavin being corrupted.

Nines: *wakes up in his mindspace*

Also Nines, immediately: GAVIN!!1!!1

Nines believes in CONSENT!! You do not go into someone’s program without asking, ADA.

Ada’s “poor widdle baby” face as Nines is freaking out because she trapped him. Mood.

Tina wearing a low turtleneck and a flannel is Peak Gay, especially next to Gavin “I wear the same leather jacket+hoodie combo every single day and probably the same jeans for a month” Reed, aka the most disastrous and chaotic bisexual I have ever seen. Again, a mood, I honestly felt that one.

The face when Nines realizes that Ada isn’t deviant yet. 

Gavin is blaming himself somebody stop this idiot. 

“Not without Nines.” What a softie.

“The last thing I said to him was ‘I don’t need you’.” BITCH WHAT THE FUCK MY HEART.

Gavin calling Tina “T” in that soft voice is so sweet omg

Ugh the bisexual LIGHTING is KILLING ME, ESPECIALLY as Gavin sits at Nines’ bedside

Tina encouraging Gavin. WLW/MLM solidarity. 

Fun fact: Chris Trindade told Maximilian not to react at all to the big speech but Maximilian literally started crying during it and there’s footage somewhere of the Dramatic Single Tear rolling down his face while he’s still ‘in stasis’.

Yes, I double checked the streams to make sure I got this right, I love the concept though.

Look I cannot get into the speech because I will write 1.5k words on it, but I will say this: It made me cry. The acting, the writing, it’s iconic. The amount of love and devotion they got without even saying the words “I love you” was amazing. Chris is so very talented. 

THERES A TAKE WHERE GAVIN FALLS ASLEEP NEXT TO NINES’ HOSPITAL BED AKSDGAKL IM SCREAMING

Tina is the best wingman ngl

The glitches in Zen Gavin are amazing. The sequence when he’s deleting the Zen Garden is also amazing. I use amazing a lot but it’s deserved.

Nines deleting the Zen Garden and Sim!Gavin is very symbolic of letting go of all of the fake stuff, letting go of the fear he was holding that kept him from confessing to Gavin and I love that

Nines sitting silently straight up. 

Gavin is highly intelligent and I’m so glad Octopunk embraces that. 

*another vaguely related rant warning*

Ok let me tell y’all a thing because this RUINS MY LIFE. People tend to take characters like Percy Jackson or Dean Winchester, whose intelligence isn’t outwardly obvious from the get-go, and remove it entirely. Percy is reduced to an idiot who can’t tie his own shoes and Dean is often shown basically unable to research without Sam. Both of those are bullshit. 

Percy has ADHD and Dyslexia, so when often we categorize smart as only book-smart, Percy’s intelligence as a battle strategist and his actual knowledge gets erased. Dean is usually the more physical and shoot-first-never-ask-questions type, and his intelligence is severely downplayed. He made an EMP detector from scratch. Made a shotgun, remembers how to kill things, is a very good hunter, especially on his own. But that’s thrown away because he’s not book-smart.

I despise when people take characters who are talented and smart in ways that aren’t just reciting the periodic table and reduce them to muscles and angst or drooling children. 

Octopunk having a scene where Gavin is working through a case, already having done the things that Chris, someone who was only recently promoted, suggests, is just affirming Gavin’s intelligence in a way I wish I could be not surprised by. Gavin is smart, and luckily I haven’t seen much downplaying that fact. He’s a detective for a reason. Unfortunately I think it might be because the fandom tends to turn Connor and Nines into actual children, but a win is a win.

Now I’m not saying I don’t love a good himbo character but I literally had to stop interacting with Percy Jackson content because people wrote him as incapable.

*Moving on*

“I think I can help with that.” Bitch why are you so dramatic I love him so much.

Nines’ t-shirt says “Detroit City Marathon” 

“You...undead asshole.” What an iconic line. I need a t-shirt. 

“I...hate you.” “You love me.” Harkens back to the beginning where the roles are reversed. Yes I used that unironically. Words are fun.

Gavin looking scared right before The Kiss™️ 

THE PULSE POINT!! THE SCENE WAS SUPER EMOTIONAL SO MICHELLE WANTED THEM TO DO YOGA ZEN SHIT TO PREPARE AND THEN THEY JUST DID THE THING BUT THEY PUT IN THE PULSE POINT 

ANYWAYS THAT’S WHAT GAVIN IS FEELING FOR ON NINES’ WRIST RIGHT BEFORE THE KISS.

I thought that was cute when I learned it in one of the streams.

Nines’ LED spinning blue when they finally kiss asgladkaf 

“What dipshit programmed you to do that?” “I’m the most advanced android ever made, detective-“ “oh you are such a fuckin’ prick!” “Takes one to know one.” I canNOT with them, I laughed my ASS off

The little broken laugh Nines does

Nines rubbing his hands over Gavin’s while they talk about Gavin’s jacket

Shoutout to Chris’ surprised pikachu face. (Tina is also there) That was a joke take, it’s in the gag reel, too. The face wasn’t supposed to make it into the film but Michelle added it. (In the gag reel, Carla yells “Let’s go to Denny’s!” At the end.) 

And Ada’s leather pants. Honestly?? She’s so pretty. I love her. They’re all really attractive it’s actually terrifying.

Nines and Tina being a part of the Gay Turtleneck Gang

Nines’ untucked turtleneck

Tina being a Smart Girl. (Nines calling her “Officer” and her replying with “I’ll make detective someday.”

Chris being Exhausted during the whole meeting. Me too dude.

Chris and Tina doing literally nothing while Gavin and Nines have a whole heart to heart

The WHITE COAT. Tina in her blues. Chris’ Foo Fighters shirt. They’re such icons but they absolutely look like a group of gay ppl who did NOT decide on a theme.

The fight sequence is impressive, considering that they’re literally not stunt actors. I’m not a fight choreographer or stunt person so That’s really all I have to say on that.

Chris patting Gavin’s gun after he explains what he’s doing. \

As a Jason Todd lover the crowbar is unfortunate (had to, sorry)

Nines’ smirk and the TURTLENECK as he spins away from Ada with the crowbar. Iconic. The Big Dick Energy. Especially for someone who doesn’t have a dick.

Chris being a Dad when Gavin runs off to go stop the body calibration

Ada just YEETS Gavin. Iconic.

Ada: *doing the villain “you won’t shoot me, you’re too moral” thing*

Chris: Shut the fuck up *shoots her*

Deviancy sequence, iconic

“You’re awake now” bitch get your own tag line, Markus became Robot Jesus for this shit

He’s HOLDING HER HAND while DEFENDING HER!! PLATONIC HAND HOLDING

Gavin trusting Nines’ decision immediately. Amazing. THAT’S LOVE BITCH.

The SMILES after Ada leaves!! They know they made the right choice!

Ugh the COLOR SYMBOLISM!! This is one thing that Michelle has touched on herself! Gavin isn’t wearing white in this scene because he’s not ‘fixed’, he never will be! He has trauma and he’s just barely beginning to heal from it with Nines’ help. He’s wearing grey, lighter than his usual, but still grey because they aren’t pure or innocent and they’re not perfect!! And that’s the fucking point!! It’s also a contrast against Sim!Gavin wearing white! Sim!Gavin was an idealized version of Gavin in Nines’ idealized world!! Real Gavin isn’t that!! So he’s wearing grey!!

Gavin immediately understanding that Nines is Ace and that it’s ok!! Beautiful!

“You’ve been a whole person since the day you woke up” YES!! YOU DO NOT NEED SEX TO BE WHOLE!! FUCK YEAH!!! (this is ace excitement. In the months since writing this I realized I’m aro-ace and trans so fuck yeah for ace rep.) 

Gavin being a dick and making Nines tell him about the skin thing

THE KISS!! They slowly move more into the light!! Because they’re getting better TOGETHER!!

Ok before I sign off, it’s only 3 am so I think I’m awake enough to talk about this, I like that they bring up that Gavin has like, actual issues that he needs to get through. Let’s be 100% honest here, I see Gavin as having ADHD, depression, and probably a form or symptoms of PTSD. He’s kinda fucked up and I’m gonna be real here he needs some therapy. He’s got trauma and needs to work through it. 

I like that at the end they explicitly have Nines understand and accept that that’s what needs to happen. As someone who has actually had relationships ruined because of trauma (on both sides) that we were unprepared to work through together, if I had seen something like that? Game changer. As it was, most relationships I had seen were idealized and seemed to “fix” those issues by way of just being in a relationship. Thanks major media. 

Now that the Detroit Evolution post series is over, I’m gonna be a bit sentimental and say that this film quite literally changed my life. Seriously. Michelle is such a big inspiration for me and I can only hope to be the same for someone else. 

If you ever have a chance to check out any of the amazing people who worked on this film, please do. To put into context how big this was: I changed my ideal college major from Forensics to Film. 

That’s it that’s all, ending this post at 3:24 am before I literally start crying over it. Thanks for suffering through my long-winded explanations, I hope you enjoyed. Have a wonderful day.

[theodorecanaryhood]

You're stronger than you look ~ believe me

Jason Todd x female reader

Jason first saw when he was the Arkham Knight. Gotham City was on lockdown, those that were left were either scum criminals, cops, vigilante heroes or innocent bystanders fighting for survival.

You were a different genre, kind of a long story but stems from somewhere around that you took in about 5 kids off the streets after their parents straight up left Gotham without them, or their families died.

~That night, the night of terror and chaos~

You had taken in 4 boys aged 13, 11, 9 and 4 along with a little girl who was also aged 4. The older two boys and the girls parents left in the evacuation, not staying around for their children. Just taking off. The younger two boys' parents died in the outbreak. Gunned down, lifeless in an alley.

The children were in your house, hiding out as the chaos erupted. You didn't know any of the children, they didn't know you. But you weren't about to let some low life, fuck head criminals, who think they're real manly, prey on innocent children. You have limits.

Arkham knight had just blown his way to Ace Chemicals, threatened Batman and got shot at by the bat mobile. Now, after he grappled out of the place he booked it to the nearest building or shelter. Just so happened to be your house...in between Gotham central and the Narrows.

Obviously, Jason knew the Narrows well as he spent a lot of his childhood there. He didn't anticipate you.

He ran upto the back fence and struggled to catch his breath. He'd just seen Bruce up close for the first time in God knows how long. It kind of messed him up a little more, as he was so angry at him he didn't know what to do.

'Who the fuck are the you?' Jason heard a woman's voice call as he got lost in thought. Looking up he saw you, your h/c blowing gently in the breeze, e/c narrowing at him sharply like a dagger. Your denim jacket and black skinny jeans with boots. He was taken back a little from the sight of you, 'what are you doing out here?' You asked just as demanding.

'Take a wild guess. You have no idea' Arkham Knight replied in his robotic voice. You stared at him, revolver in hand pointing at him, ready to shoot the second he show signs of threat.

'Y/n' the eldest child shouted to you in fear at the presence in front of you, you turned your head to face him.

'Jonny, go inside now' you called back to him gently. The arkham knight grabbed the gun from your hand as you struggled to break free of his grip, you then decided to kick him in the gut to get him off. Which worked, however it knocked the gun to the side. You lunged towards the gun and slid across the ground as you raised it once more. The Arkham Knight raised his hands in the air to surrender.

'You don't need to shoot me. I don't hurt women or children' Arkham Knight revealed, 'I will leave'.

~After the chaos, Batman is 'dead' and Red Hood has been born~

After Red Hood had his showdown with Black Mask....you know the whole snapping a guys neck and saying that he'll 'feel that in the morning'. Not to mention the going '300 this is Sparta' on Roman Sionis aka Black Mask out a window with the quote 'say hi to Joker for me'.

Red Hood was walking down an alley feeling good about himself, that was when he saw you again. With the youngest boy, now 5 as it was his birthday. You were doing up his jacket and the little joyful boy was rambling on about his 'most ectacular' day with you.

'I'm glad you had a good day spud' you said smiling the brightest smile at the boy.

'Thank you' the little boy wrapped his arms around your and hugged you tight, 'thank you' he repeated quietly in your ear.

'You don't have to thank me spud, you deserve it' you replied.

Red Hood smiled under his mask, the sight of the both of you. Jason saw the look in your eyes and realised the reason why he was so intently staring at you. He was feeling a little smitten.

~2 weeks later~

Jason Todd, fucking Jason Todd was the one you had to bump into on a girls night out at a dive bar. Of course, he asked for your number...not mentioning the one time you already met and the second time he stared you down with the 5 year old boy. Who you revealed to be your adoptive son, Joseph...or as most call him Joey. Or you just call him spud.

You did your hair, makeup and put on the best outfit you owned. The dress that won you over in jury duty and got you out of two parking tickets.

Jason on the other hand....what a wreck. He had a full on panic attack as he realised you were actually going out with him...willingly. Now he couldn't breath!

After an hour, Jason pulled himself together and left, got on his motorbike and made his way to your place.

¤At your place¤

Jason knocked gently on the door, you opened it with a bright smile and greeted him.

'Hey'

'Hey beautiful' Jason replied with a spark in his eye and a warm kiss on your cheek. You blushed at the word 'beautiful' while opening the door wider for him to come inside.

'Joseph isn't asleep yet, but my friend Kenzie is upstairs with him while she gets him ready for bed. I'll say good night to him shortly, would you like a drink?' You rambled as Jason made his way into the kitchen after you.

'No problem. And yeah, I'll have whatever you're having' Jason replied. You poured two glasses of wine and headed to the balcony. Jason followed you.

'More private out here. So, me having a son doesn't bother you?' You asked Jason. Jason shook his head.

'Not at all. My dad...was, single Parent of four kids' (Damian exists, just not seen or mentioned in Arkhamverse, but damn it he exists!) Jason replies.

'Bruce Wayne? Batman' you replied, Jason nodded.

'That night with scarecrow and the Arkham Knight trying to take over. I met him. The Knight. He came here, left without even attempting to hurt me' you confessed with passion.

'Really?' Jason asked, leaning in. Intrigued.

'Uh huh. Just told me he doesn't hurt women or children. Then walked off' Jason played dumb, but he was flattered you spoke in a polite tone about his old alter ego.

'I wonder what Arkham Knight would say to me now' you joked.

Jason thought for a second, then began to speak. 'You're a powerful woman. He'd say you're a powerful woman, beautiful, funny. Drank me under the table that night in the bar. You took in kids that were in danger. Gave up everything, risked your life for them. Adopted Joey, who is an awesome kid. Never met him but hey, he sounds awesome. What can I say y/n? You're stronger than you look, believe me' Jason rolled out his speech, you listened with pleasure and smiled when he finished.

You put your glass down on the table next to you and turned to face Jason. You then kissed him lightly on the lips...that was it, he was in love.

'Thank you for that. Needed that'

'What you thanking me for? You deserve it' Jason repeated your earlier phrase to your son.

Jason wouldn't tell you yet that you two have already met...in time. For now, lets enjoy the ignorant bliss.

Let me know if you want a part 2!

Also if you reblog, please credit me

Credit to gif owner ^^^^ 😘😘

[redhoodieone]

It’s Cold in Here

A/N: This was totally random. I’ve been sick this entire weekend with my allergies and this idea just kept bothering me even when I wanted to work on other projects. So, I decided just to write it out. I don’t really know how I feel about it other than it’s pretty dark and serious and I’ll continue it if people want it. [And this takes place after Batman Arkham Knight, since I love the game, and I believe Bruce should have stayed as Batman and I don’t really care for Tim and Barbara being together].

Summary: Dick Grayson and Y/N have been together for three years but have been best friends since they were teenagers. Y/N believes Dick is her true love, and that the two of them will be together forever but Dick has been distant and cold lately; and he’s clearly hiding something. Y/N is determined to figure it out, but the secret is worse than she’s ever imagined, and if anyone ever found out Dick’s private and public life would be destroyed. But what would you do when the love of your life doesn’t want to be with you anymore? How far would you go for love?

Couples: Dick Grayson x Y/N, Jason Todd x Y/N.

Mystery couple: Dick Grayson x ?

Warnings: Smut and language. 

My body is on fire. Every time he kisses me, I feel as if my body will explode like a firework. But it’s always been like that with dreamy, charming Dick Grayson.

Anyone who knows him can say Dick is sexy. I mean, the guy’s got a fine ass and when he’s dressed up as Nightwing, it’s like I can cum in my panties on the spot. But of course, he’s just kind, sweet, and loving to me. Everyone who knows him can say he’s a friend to them, and Dick says everyone is a friend of his.

But I can’t think about anything else other than his long thick cock ramming inside my pussy at a pace I didn’t know Dick had in him. Every time he thrusts into me, I can feel the carpet burn on my lower back. I grip his arm, and I arch my back because I don’t know how much longer I can take.

Even though having sex on the floor in his bedroom is hurting my back, I wouldn’t object to sex since it has been two weeks since we fooled around. The only problem I find with this quickie is how far apart I feel.

I know my hands are all over his fit and toned body. I know my eyes are staring into his bright blue eyes. I know I can reach up and tug his messy dark hair; just the way he loves it.

But no matter what, I know we’re not here together.

First off, we’re not even completely naked. All Dick has done is lift my skirt up and push my panties aside. My top is moved up so I can show off my breasts confined in black lace.

Two, he insists we must hurry and be quiet, so his family won’t know what we’re up to. (Even though he’s twenty-four, and I’m above the age of twenty).

And three, he is so determined to go out on patrol with someone.

I sit up and kiss him. Our kiss is hard and short, since Dick’s panting more. Sweat covers our foreheads, and I accidentally let out a long moan.

“Y/N…can you please be more quiet?” Dick asks. He doesn’t even try to hide his irritation at me.

“I’m sorry, you’re just making me SOOO good, Dick,” I whisper desperately.

Dick then sits up on his knees where his jeans are bunched up and begins to thrust harder and faster. He must want to finish up quickly, and I would complain about it, but my orgasm is coming now.

I whimper as quietly as I can. The sensation of his hard cock rubbing against my sensitive spot, and the way his hand holds my waist is enough for me to let go. My pussy drips out my own juices onto his cock, and I bite the back of my hand to silence my moans. Dick continues to pound me until he shuts his eyes and whispers something so quiet that I didn’t quite catch. He rests his head on my shoulder, as he slowly pulls out of me.

The quickie fulfilled everything I needed. Dick sits up and disposes the condom in his trash, as I quickly pull down my skirt. He zips up his pants and wipes his forehead from the sex sweat. We then just look at each other, and I immediately wonder what he’s thinking about.

“I love you,” I tell him. I mean every word.

“I love you, too.”

Dick gently takes my hand and leads me downstairs. I know he takes his patrolling seriously, because even I help out sometimes despite Dick’s plead for me to stay out of the vigilante life. I know all of them are going to leave after dinner, and I suppose I should be at my own place, too.

I see Alfred in the kitchen cooking dinner. Bruce, Tim, and Damian are in the living room watching the news. Bruce instantly notices me at the bottom of the staircase.

“Hello Y/N, it’s nice to see you here. Will you be staying over for dinner?” Bruce asks politely.

“Actually I –” I begin.

“She has dinner plans already, Bruce,” Dick cuts in, and smiles at everyone.

Tim smiles kindly. Damian rolls his eyes at Dick. “T-t. How rude of you to speak for your girlfriend, Grayson.”

“It’s fine. I actually do have dinner plans,” I insist, despite Dick’s behavior confusing me even more. “I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

I say my good-byes, and as I say good-bye to Alfred, he frowns at me but gives a small wave instead. I immediately wonder what’s wrong with him, but I know I shouldn’t ask questions when it’s clearly not my business.

Dick walks me out to my car. Before I get in, we see Jason pulling in on his bike. In his dark leather jacket and pants that define his thighs, I can see why Jason is a heartthrob to most women.

Jason Todd.

How do I even begin to explain him?

Crazy.

Wild.

A dork underneath it all.

And good looking.

I scold myself for thinking about him, but Jason’s wicked smile already finds mine.

“Not staying for dinner?” Jason asks me.

“No, I…already have plans,” I say.

“She does. Maybe next time,” Dick says, before he kisses me passionately in front of Jason. I can feel Jason watching, and I know for a fact that he doesn’t like us together. Dick pulls away and smiles at me. He pushes a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you, too. Where are you even patrolling tonight?” I ask curiously.

“B wants us to look around Ace Chemicals and other warehouses since he’s so convinced Scarecrow is up to no good. He thinks another Arkham Knight situation is going to happen again,” Dick explains.

“And once again, you fuckheads just can’t let it go,” Jason scoffs.

I glance up at Jason, who’s leaning against his bike with his arms folded. The ‘J’ scar on his cheek used to make him self-conscious and hate himself a lot, but knowing Jason since he was Robin, I can tell he’s grown up to realize he’s sexy no matter what, and he actually admires the scar because he thinks it just makes him look tougher.

“Jay…” Dick warns seriously.

“What? I’m just saying, I still got the costume. I’ll go put it on now if you all want a reenactment or some shit,” Jason explains.

I giggle. Sometimes Jason is just too much. “I think we’re good, Jay. If anything, wear the costume on Halloween and scare the shit out of everyone. They’ll think it’s happening all over again,” I suggest.

“I’ll keep that in mind, babe,” Jason smirks, and winks at me.

Dick chuckles and hugs me tightly. His arms hold me tightly to his chest, and I can feel myself melting in his warmth and scent of cologne that smells woodsy and citrus like.

“Call me when you get home,” Dick says.

“I will. Be careful tonight, okay?” I tell him seriously.

“Always, sweetheart.”

I get into my car. The second I drive off I try to ignore the nagging thoughts in the back of my mind. But deep down, I know it’s getting cold between us.

An evening of a bowl of ramen noodles, I try to find an interesting show on TV but come to find nothing can even keep me distracted from thinking about Dick. In just my plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt of G.U (Gotham University) from Dick, I remove myself from the couch and decide to suit up to go surprise Dick.

Because when was the last time we patrolled together?

It must be at least a month since we’ve worked together because he’s been angry and worried about me getting hurt.

Because would he really mind if I showed up to surprise him?

Of course not! Dick loves surprises.

Slipping into my y/s/n’s costume, I quickly shoot my grapple and fly across my apartment building, so I head over to Ace Chemicals. Once I land, I see it’s completely deserted with no one around.

I frown, and I wonder if I misheard Dick or something. Reaching into my utility belt, I pull out my cell phone and I see an unknown text message was sent to me. Carefully opening the unknown text message, I raise my eyebrows at it.

Go to Dick’s apartment.

I freeze, and I wonder if I should reply or not. But my curiosity wins.

Who is this?

It doesn’t matter who I am. Do you want the truth or not?

I bite my bottom lip. The right thing to do is to show Batman these text messages. The right thing to do is to not go to Dick’s apartment because it could be a trap.

But my curiosity wins again, because this is about my boyfriend.

I race over to Dick’s penthouse in Gotham City. He usually never stays there, because he’s either at Wayne Manor where Alfred feeds him or he’s at my place. I slowly and cautiously land on his balcony, because a strange feeling of trespassing and fears eats away at me. The second I reach the glass doors; I notice they’re open enough for me to sneak in quietly.

I remember Bruce’s training: silence, awareness, and guarded. Slowly and carefully, I sneak towards Dick’s bedroom.

The stillness around me becomes all noise.

Skin on skin slapping.

Grunting.

Wet noises.

Moaning.

Groaning.

My body tenses. A shiver runs down my spine. My feet drag me to the doorway, and I can see my naked boyfriend behind someone.

No.

No…

Wally West?

Fucking Wally West?!

The redheaded boy who has known Dick since they were back in Titans is fucking my boyfriend.

I completely freeze at the scene before me. Dick is fucking Wally. All I can do is watch, since I’m completely horrified and shocked at how my boyfriend’s hard cock is slamming hard, deep, and fast into Wally’s ass, and there’s Wally, who’s a moaning fucking mess. The way their muscular bodies collide just shows me how this isn’t the first time they’re doing this.

Before I can think or do something, Dick pulls Wally by his red hair and kisses him.

The way he kisses him is full of…passion.

Love.

A kiss I don’t remember Dick ever giving me.

Dick pulls away and grins at Wally. “I love you, Wally.”

“I love you, too, Dick but come on…fuck me like you mean it, dude.”

They just continue fucking…making love…or whatever the fuck they’re doing. I finally regain some strength and sense to leave.

The second I make it far away from Dick’s penthouse. I rip off my mask and I scream.

A scream so loud and full of pain I never thought I would feel ever.

I cry, and I realize I haven’t cried in so long since I’ve been so happy with Dick.

My phone vibrates in my utility belt, so I pull it out and realize it’s the same unknown number from earlier. I quickly wipe my tears away to see the text message.

Now you finally know.

If you knew, then why didn’t you ever tell me!!!! I text back angrily.

If I did, you’re saying you would have believed me? With what evidence?

Why are you doing this? Why are you talking to me? Why did you even tell me this?

Because a beautiful girl like you deserves to know. What you won’t believe is who knew about this and never told you.

I stare at my cell phone in fear. People knew? Who knew?

Those around you have lied to you. They kept secrets from you. And you know what? I want to apologize on their behalf, because while you were seriously in love with the first Robin, they obviously never cared enough about you to see you as an equal. But trust me, what Dick has done is unforgivable, and when you’re ready to get even, I’ll be in touch.

Do I even know you? I reluctantly text back.

No, but your former better half does.

I return home with not only a broken heart, but a desire to just fall and die. The second I get home; I take off my costume and I climb into bed. The images of Dick and Wally in my head won’t stop. I roll over onto my side, and I quickly get on BatFamBook.

Jason is online.

I need his humor more than anything.

I send him a private message: Please tell me something funny, Jason. Anything.

Y/N, are you okay? Did something happen?

If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. I don’t…can’t talk about it right now.

Is Dick there?

No, he’s out on patrol. I decide to lie for my boyfriend, except I don’t know why.

He’s out on patrol? Bruce ended up sending me, Tim, and Damian to go look around. Dick asked for the night off after you left. He said he was going to be at your place. I thought you knew???

No. I’m alone. The tears start burning my eyes.

I’m on my way.

Should I continue? 

[bluboothalassophile]

Welcome to Chaos

@chromium7sky, again a HUGE thanks to her for allowing me to use the Batlings for this story!

Spoilers for Hopes for a Bastard!

Family Reunions From Hell!

Nosferato scowled as he lay trapped in a toddler’s arms as he tried to prevent the kids from destroying the kitchen.

He was going to have a serious talk with his mistress about this treatment, this was not acceptable and frankly it was degrading to his nature.

He was a terrifying demon!

~~~*~*~*~~~

Jason’s eyes snapped open when the hairs on the back of his neck rose. There was a low rumble from Ace, which had him frowning as he shifted Terry and Ingo off him. Carefully he pulled himself to his feet before silently navigating his way around Damian, Helena, Mar'i and Lian.

He made it to the door before he slipped out of it, motioning for Ace to stay.

Standing in the dark hall, only illuminated by the Manor’s huge open windows flooded with the moon’s light he looked around. The place was always a museum, and never eerie in feeling; but right now it felt eerie. The wind howled as it flew off the bluffs, and the waves were crashing. It was so familiar, yet right now, right now it felt off. Jason moved towards the window, a knife slid into his hand and he watched the exterior for a moment, then there was a cooling of the air which had him releasing a shuddering breath to see the steam as the frost formed on the window.

There was a shiver down his spine and Jason spun as he slashed out the knife and connected with shadows before those retreated.

“What the fuck?” he muttered.

Four red slits materialized, glowing in the dark, pulsing dangerously. They looked like Raven’s eyes when her second eyes showed up.

There was a loud bark and snarl, screams and Jason slammed through the shadows as he tore the door open and saw three red versions of Raven’s brothers encircling the kids. Ace’s fur was up and teeth were bared, Damian had a batarang out, and Jason leapt upwards as he slammed a knife into the skull of the nearest one then twisted around as he caught the other one. Talons slashed through his arms, he snarled as he slammed them into the ground, wrapping himself around the demon and snapping bones before getting to his feet to see Ace leap for the approaching demon. Jason didn’t beat his dog to the punch as he pulled the knife from the fallen demon and threw it at the other demon.

The demon disappeared into the shadows and Jason stood there panting for breath before he looked at the kids.

Damian was standing there with large uncertain eyes.

“Get the kids,” he ordered as he caught Ace and examined his dog before scratching his ears. “Good boy.”

“What was that?” Damian demanded as Jason scooped up Terry and Lian, also catching the startled floating Mar'i as Damian struggled with Helena and Ingo.

“Dunno, but we’re going downstairs, and then I’ll get Rae and bigger you,” Jason grimaced a bit at the throbbing of his arm and Ace bounded before them, predatorily slinking as they headed for the clock.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Raven had set up a simple spell allowing her into Damian's psyche. And now she was scouring his mind for reminents of his home dimension.

This Damian was not dissimilar to her own.

He had Dick, Jason, Cass, and Tim as siblings. He was best friends with Jon, and he was utterly in love with his Raven. It was rather endearing she noted watching Damian fumble over his words and blush and not know what to say when his Raven looked upon him.

“Do you find it amusing?” he asked her.

“Endearing, and rather reassuring, to know Damian is capable of a love like that. It’s impressive,” Raven stated.

“I wasn’t always going to be a brat,” he chuckled with genuine humor. Raven frowned at him a bit but continued sifting through memories, not daring to touch certain ones and moving others. She was seeking information of his home world so she sought for land marks, things that would be different. Thus far she’d found many but she’d also been discouraged.

Suddenly there was a pulse of darkness in the house which had Raven withdrawing her hands as she stood. She carefully listened to everything around her as her empathy stretched out.

“What is it?” Damian asked, slowly getting to his feet.

Her eyes scanned the shadows when she felt it more than she saw it. Her soul tore from her body as she threw herself between Damian and the talons that were aimed for his had have them tear through her own hand as she stopped them.

The blood dripped down to the wooden floors and she glared up into the red pulsing eyes of one of her brothers.

“Jesse,” she snarled.

“Little Sister,” Envy smiled at her as his talons tightened in the muscles of her hand. She didn’t flinch as she felt her own talons forming. “Weak,” he sneared, she gasped as talons stabbed her center and threw her into a wall. She grunted as she landed and felt the blood pouring from the wounds.

The feral snarl that broke from her tore from her baser nature as she felt her seals burning and she scrambled up to her feet as she charged him.

The magic swirled at her finger tips as she slashed it at him. He leapt out of her reach but not before she slammed the shadows downwards on Jesse then threw him through a portal.

Damian was struggling under the weight of another one of her brother’s attacks; Wrath.

Raven didn’t hesitate as she materialized before Jared.

“Pathetic,” he roared.

“Predictable,” she countered as she slashed her talons through his chest, floating up to his ear as she felt his beating heart in her fingertips. “See you in Hell, Brother,” she whispered then grasped his heart as she tore it out and Wrath fell lifelessly to the ground before shadows enveloped his body and it vanished.

“What the hell is going on?” Damian panted.

Raven winced now as she stumbled a step and pressed her hand to her rapidly healing side.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Damian had been startled at the materialization of demons, and he was unarmed; which had terrified him momentarily before grabbing a candlestick to defend himself with.

Now Raven and he stood in the dinning room before a pool of blood and Raven was panting. He dropped the candle stick as he grabbed her shoulders, turning her to him, as he tore her hoodie and shirt to properly assess the wound.

“That would be the family,” Raven groaned as she waved him off as she examined the rapidly shrinking wounds on her side.

“I know that much,” Damian sneered.

“Well, I don’t know anything past that right now,” Raven admitted.

“Rae!” Todd shouted, stumbling in, his arm was bleeding and gashed badly and Damian stared at Todd then.

“I’m okay,” she nodded as she waved him off.

“Thank God,” Todd groaned his eyes pulsing dangerously green, and Damian watched as the Pit started repairing Todd.

“That’s interesting,” he observed.  His brother had never gained control of the Pit, despite being a perfect resurrection. This Todd though, was apparently different

“What the fuck was that?” Todd demanded.

“The family,” Raven groaned as she stood, her skin was smooth and flawless again, then she walked to Jason grabbing his arm and sighing.

“On my world they are deceased,” Damian informed this Raven.

“Unlikely, demons are eternal, we are not merely mortal. I killed Wrath, Wrath will be healed in Hell where the dark powers are easily accessible, aiding in healing for demons. However, in your world they are most likely sealed away with Trigon, which means…” Raven grimaced.

“What sunshine?” Todd demanded.

“They’re here for Ingo,” Damian whispered in horror as the dawning realization hit him. His child was in danger, his feet were moving before he could stop them as he ran for the Cave.

“Fuck!” Todd muttered behind him.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Damian grabbed the purple baby as he backed away from the living shadows.

The man before his was handsome with red pulsing eyes; four of them, but movie star features. The features were not dissimilar to Raven’s, striking, unyielding and prideful, and terror gripped Damian's spine as he held the sword level. No one had noticed that Terry, Lian, Mar'i, and Helena were behind this demon, in the cell they had set up for detoxing. Ace was snarling and pacing the glass.

“You have something I want,” the man’s voice was smooth and charming; like Dick’s. There was this burning desire in him to just do as the man wanted. Damian could feel the want from the man, feel how much this mattered, how important it was, and if he just gave it up then he’d make the man happy. For some reason he wanted the man to be happy.

‘Don’t!’ was a thought that screamed in his mind as green eyes materialized in his mind’s eye and he found himself staring at the baby. That was enough to snap him of the idea of pleasing this man as his eyes narrowed on him and the sword in Damian's hand raised a bit more defiantly.

“Come and get it,” Damian snarled the challenge, the baby gurgled in his arms.

“You don’t want that,” the man smiled.

“Jacob!” Raven roared as she came crashing from the shadows and talons slashed at the man who nimbly leapt away.

“Little Sister,” the man sneered.

“Brother, you will leave now,” Raven’s voice was hard.

“I will claim that power,” ‘Jacob’ smiled.

“And I will kill you a thousand times over before I allow you to touch that child,” Raven warned.

Jacob launched at her, Raven leaned back as she caught Jacob, her feet knocking him off balance; Damian didn’t get to move before Raven’s soul tore from her body and she disappeared from the Cave.

“Fuck! Where’d she go, shorty?” Jason demanded as he looked around with the other version of himself at his side.

“I… I don’t know,” Damian admitted.

“Has Raven defeated her father on this world?” the older man asked.

“What the fuck does that have to do with this!?” Jason demanded as he spun on the interploper.

“Everything!” the man snapped.

“As far as I know he’s been imprisoned in her gem and that’s all I fucking know about it,” Jason growled, Damian nodded as he glowered at the older man. “Now what the fuck does that have to do with what the hell just happened!?”

“Those were the Seven Deadly Sins,” the man said levelly. The baby made grabby hands for Damian's other version and the man picked the kid up.

“And Rae’s Pride, I know all about that,” Jason growled. This was the first Damian was hearing of it.

“My Raven’s brothers want to destroy her; I doubt that’s changed in this universe.”

~~~*~*~*~~~

Raven threw Jacob off of her as her back hit the grass and she rolled to her feet. Her long hair was free now as she stood; her feet bare and her second eyes opened.

“Well will you look at this, we’re all here,” a lanky figure sighed; his uneven hair was greasy and long. Wrath materialized then, as did Envy and others walked forward.

“Been a long time, sister,” Jacob announced.

Raven said nothing as she stared at her six most powerful brothers. The talons were forming now as she felt her demon purring with interest.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Raven woke groggy and unrested the morning light peering in on her and she frowned wanting to hide her head. It was not a restful night as she fretted about her husband with their children.

Mainly she was concerned about the trouble Ingo would create in her absence; he was her most difficult child.

She reached to call her husband then groaned; NO! She was not THAT Woman! Biting her lip she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

It wasn’t cheating to check in and make sure he was still breathing was it?

[davidmann95]

Where does Robin stands nowadays in the Batman's world in your opinion? How different is it from where it started in the DCU?

Over 78 years and at least 4 ‘main’ versions, yeah:there’ve been some changes.

The thing about Robin though, in terms of how he grewalongside Batman? For the first 30ish years of his existence, he’s not actuallya character; he’s an accessory, another item on the utility belt, albeit oneBatman cared about a lot more than a grapple gun or flashbang. Past that greatpage with him and Batman swearing the vow by candlelight, providing valuablesymbolism and context for (much) later on - and even there, Batman’s emotionsand motivations for bringing this kid into his world amount to “Well, Iguess you and I were both victims of a similar trouble.” - Dick’s just*there*, the junior crimefighter, thrown in to add variety to fight scenes andgive his partner someone to bounce dialogue off of. As little as the comicsbrought up Batman’s parents dying in a filthy alley back then, it at leastoccasionally merited a mention, whereas I could almost believe you if you toldme Robin’s origin was literally never brought up again for the first 20 yearsof his career.

To be clear, that’s not at all a failing of those stories. Robin’s great even then, a fitting splash of color into Batman’s world thatpaved the way for further weirdness down the line and a great design in his ownright (even if the lack of pants hasn’t aged as well as Superman or Batman’slooks at the time), as well as a reader-identification figure in a time whenhanging out with Batman still seemed like a fun prospect. But compared to itsbig rival in Superman, which silly as it got still often dove intobig, primal emotions children could relate to - at least in the Silver Age- Batman was mostly rooted in process: here’s how Batmanfights his way past the goons/escapes the deathtrap/figures out the mystery.The closest there was to an ongoing emotional conflict was Batman wonderingwhether or not he should settle down with Batwoman. As a result, despite reamsof pagetime and plenty of solo stories, Robin himself had less characterizationthan, say, the likes of Jimmy Olsen, or even Lori Lemaris. Even stories zeroingin on their relationship like Robin DiesAt Dawn are based on Batman’s guilt, not anything substantial on Robin’send. He’s not even a tonal contrast yet, since Batman himself is pretty chipperby now, and will be for the next few decades.

The turning point is in 1969 when Dick leaves for college aspart of a general attempt at streamlining Batman’s operation; while the O’Neil/Adamsteam hadn’t come onboard yet, the Adam West and Burt Ward show had ended theyear before and I imagine DC was already feeling the backlash, so it marked thestart in earnest of trying to get everybody to take Batman a bit moreseriously. The unintended result being that Robin, while appearing on occasionin the main titles, was for all intents and purposes hermetically sealed awayin his own corner of the DCU away from what was happening to Batman, first insolo adventures and then with the New Teen Titans. And eventually,inexorably, that meant that Robin shifted to not really fitting with Batman’sworld as we knew it anymore, and that’s therefore what came to define DickGrayson: he’s not like Bruce Wayne, and moreover he doesn’t especially want tobe, until him even nominally being Batman’s sidekick anymore doesn’t work oncehe grows up and realizes he doesn’t want to sit in a basement scowling for therest of his life.

Of course, taking Dick Grayson out of the picture meantthere wasn’t going to be a Robin period, and the rejection of the fun Robinrepresented wasn’t complete enough to deny the value of his iconography, soalong comes Jason Todd, The Robin Who Makes Sense For Grim Batman once he getshis Post-Crisis origin. He’s got a dark backstory (one that even doesmarginally more than Dicks’ did to justify the conceit of Batman taking on ayoung aid - after all, if Jason wasn’t Robin he’d possibly be doomed to a lifeof crime), and a personality that lets him trade jokes with the bad guys inclassic Robin style, but as fueled by a rage at injustice that meant he didn’tcontrast that harshly with a post-Miller Batman. There’s a bit more of adeliberate contrast with how Batman himself functions - something that becomesimportant later - but it’s subdued in the face of Jason’s anger boiling over,until his presence becomes untenable both in-universe and among the fanbase,and what happens, happens. Because goodness knows that if there’s one thingBatman was lacking, it was a defining tragedy to motivate him to fight crime.

So you have a company that recognizes that Robin probablyshould be a thing, but their attempt at making him mesh with therough-and-tumble modern world of the 1980s failed so spectacularly that havinga child beaten to death by a clown was preferable to having to continue to putup with him. So they were going to have to work with something a little morefamiliar, while at the same time finding a whole new way to make the ideapalatable, especially now that the obvious dangers of bringing a powerless kidto fight supervillains were right at the front of everybody’s minds.

And that’s how you get the most important Robin story of alltime past his debut in A Lonely Place OfDying.

Not the best,mind you; later stories explored the idea introduced here in far moreinteresting ways. And for that matter, I’mon the record that Tim Drake is by far the least interesting Robin, ageneric grab-bag of traits from other characters who never remotely approachesthe sum of his parts (and that disappointing streak in fact starts right here,where the question of “how do you justifyendangering a child after what happened to Jason Todd?” is kicked under therug by having a new kid show up out of nowhere who happens to be amazing andperfect for the gig both physically and mentally). But what happens here iswhere the idea hinted at now and again in the likes of The Dark Knight Returns finally clicks into place, where Robinactually becomes Robin as we now know him with the idea that his contrast withBatman isn’t a bug, but a feature.

That’s what Robin brings to the table, retroactivelyexplaining why Dick worked and Jason didn’t, why he makes sense in Batman’sworld, and why Bruce in fact needs him: because there needs to be a light inthe dark, someone to remind Batman just what it is he’s fighting for and keephim from losing himself entirely to his mission. That Robin saves Batman justas much as the other way around, and that having a laughing young daredevil outthere alongside him will keep Batman’s head in the game, keep him alert andengaged and alive now that he has someone else to look out for. In short, Robinbeing around forces Batman to be an adult, rather than the kid still crying inthe alley all these years later. And in so doing, he has the chance to showthese kids a better way, just as he once found one. It’s a take that sticksright away, since that’s the contrast they went with a couple years later for Batman: The Animated Series, setting instone how those two related to each other in the public eye to the point whereit’s hard to remember it any other way (especially since flashbacks to Dick’s period as Robin now retroactively cast him as the upbeat good cop toBatman’s hardass).

It doesn’t quite hold in the comics among the creatorsthough, and the result was an odd period where things were thrown in twodirections at once; some writers it was becoming obvious actually did dislikeor even hate Robin, or at minimum had no use whatsoever for him, and he startedto get kicked to the side at every available opportunity since now not only washe silly on his own but he actively represented the idea that Batman shouldhimself lighten up. Others clearly started to like Robin as a figure more thanBatman himself, hence getting storieswhere it turned out Nightwing was called into Gotham on the night of Jason’sdebut so Bruce could rub it in his face that he was replaced, or Brucereplacing Tim with an inadequately-trained young woman who eventually gotkilled to try and bait him into resuming the role himself. And by the timethings returned to some sort of equilibrium, it was already just about time forthe next big shift.

Finally, we come to the star of the show if we’re talkingabout how Robin works and where he stands today: Damian Wayne. The son of Batmanasopposed to the brother, and therefore probably why Bruce catastrophically fails at every turnwhen trying to raise him (outside maybe a few so-so Tomasi comics) - he’s acesat barking orders at partners, but not so much at emotionally connecting with achild who’s for a change actually immature compared to him, rather than beingnoticeably emotionally healthier. He couldn’t even properly help Jason; what hope didhe have at reaching a 10-year-old assassin raised from birth with the promisethat his destiny is to one day wreak bloody revolution and seize the world inhis grip? Bruce fights crime; what’s he going to do with a kid essentially raisedby the platonic concept of capital-C Crime? Hence why he’s not Bruce’s Robin, andnever really could be. Even if they could work together without findingthemselves at each other’s throats, it’d be two terse efficient warriors cooperatingsmoothly, with none of the spark that makes Batman and Robin thrive as apartnership in an emotional sense. He’s Dick’s.

He has to be Dick’s,because as Dick’s grown since his years in the speedo, through Nightwing toBatman and back again, he’s become the official adult in the room of the BatmanFamily (at least as far as the members in tights go). He’s the one who smiles,who has at least semi-stable relationships, who Bruce saved and who thereforegrew up not being afraid and vulnerable in the same way as him. And because ofthat he’s the one who’s able to talk with Damian as a human being to beunderstood and guided rather than an apprentice to be disciplined - just as hewas retroactively the one to make the effort to connect with Bruce, he’s ableto do the same thing here, except this time the power dynamic favors him - and becauseof that Damian eventually comes to understand there’s more to crimefightingthan punishing ‘degenerates’, but in protecting the innocent and serving ahigher ideal of justice. To the point where the privileged little brat whooriginally thought blood alone made him worthy of being Batman not only turnshis back on the crime that defined his life, but joins the Bat-Family inearnest by essentially orphaning himself with the rejection of hismother.

It’s the completion of a circle, where Dick proves hisworthiness as Batman by succeeding in saving Damian where Bruce failed to saveJason. They have the chemistry that defines Batman and Robin as a modernpartnership, able to bounce off each other with the wise snarking veteransuperhero always able to needle the self-important teen samurai billionaireuntil the kid comes out, whether to laugh along with him or show how deep hiswounds go. And the reason this truly works as a reconfiguration of the Batmanand Robin relationship rather than a new one altogether became clear in Nightwing Must Die!, where we see whatDamian brings to the table in turn: Dick as a well-adjusted person doesn’t havethe diamond-solid certainty in his identity or mission that Bruce did, butDamian most definitely does, and can bring the fire to Dick when he needs itthe way Dick could with Bruce. He’s the one who believes in Dick as Batman evenmore than he believes in Bruce. Hell, probably even more than Dick believes in Bruce.

As is that’s the issue with Robin, at least as far as thecomics go - he’s not working with his partner, and you can’t especially shove himtogether with Bruce without either killing the drama or going endlessly back tothe “You’re not my real dad, man!” well (yetanother reason Dick should absolutely still be Co-Batman), and while he’s honestlya strong enough character to work on his own, that’s not his situation at themoment. Thankfully we’re still getting a pretty effective contrast with JonKent in Super Sons, along with whatever they’re doing in Teen Titans right now,but as Robin specifically rather than Damian Wayne he’s kind of inevitablysidelined until Dick either takes back the cape or just takes Robin as hissidekick even while he’s Nightwing. Bruce himself seems to have moved pastneeding a Robin truly all his own at the moment, instead cycling through thelikes of Bluebird and Signal and Gotham Girl. The honest answer to what Robinmeans in the DCU right now is probably “identitythat’s going to remain in a holding pattern until the DCEU Batman and Nightwingmovies come out, and then they’ll do whatever lines up with those”. So, uh,come back to me in 2019 or thereabouts. But on the whole? Batman and Robin arethere to save each other. It’s that simple.

[tessatechaitea]

Batman #23

This looks like a scene from Evil Dead. Or was it Evil Dead 2?

Of course Swamp Thing as Daddy Issues! He is a DC Character, after all!

• I just called my cat Fart Taco. • After Alec mentions how he didn't really know his real father and took his step-father's name, Batman screams, "You had two fathers you took for granted?! You are a monster!" Then he begins sobbing and runs out of the room waving his fists in the air. Alfred rolls his eyes and excuses himself for a second as he goes after him with a bag of Mother's Cookies. The "Mother's" has been covered over in Sharpie, of course. • Bruce and Swamp Thing are enjoying tea and artificial light in Bruce's den. Front and center hangs the family portrait painted by Damian of Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Tim, and Damian. Jason Todd wasn't invited for the portrait because, at the time, it was only for Waynes without death certificates. Of course, now all of them have died and come back (okay, Tim isn't exactly back yet. But soon!) since then. So I think somebody should paint Jason Todd back into the family. To the left of that painting is a portrait of Bruce with Martha and Thomas. And to the right is a picture of Napoleon. • A dog sits in the den with them. It isn't Titus. It looks like Ace. You know, I'd forgotten that Ace was back! After decades of reading comics, my brain has been programmed not to remember anything that happens in an Annual. • I wonder how Titus feels about Ace taking over the spotlight? I hope Titus is living at Titans Tower now. At least then when Damian ignores him, he'll have Beast Boy and Raven and Starfire to take care of him. • Bruce notices that Swamp Thing doesn't seem upset by the death of his biological father.

He's a grown ass man, Bruce! Are you saying that even if you'd been 65 when your parents were gunned down, you'd have been so emotionally devastated that you still would have become Batman? Maybe Swamp Thing doesn't care because he's already a superhero. What is this trauma supposed to transform him into? Swamp Bat Thing?

• Chapter 4 of this story is called "Kite Man!" because Tom King is desperate to make Kite Man a recurring character in this comic book. It's not like he's the most ridiculous villain Batman has ever faced. He actually has a pretty good gimmick! I suppose it's his name. Nowadays, he'd probably be Base Jumper. But there's something silly about sticking what is thought of as a kid's toy and activity onto the suffix man. It's a bit too strange to have a villain using the playful term kite as part of his name. Of course, all of Batman's other enemies do the same thing. Catwoman! Cats are cute and fun and you usually don't fuckfight with them. Riddler! Riddles are a child's annoying pastime! The Joker! It's a card you throw away immediately which never pops up constantly afterward gassing your friends and family. • The last time I flew a kite was in Nebraska. It was a Xena the Warrior Princess kite and, not having a lot of experience with kites, I didn't realize the roll of string isn't always tied off at the end. Who the fuck sells kite strings and doesn't tie it off to the tube its wound around?! I'm supposed to risk string burn to my fingers keeping a constant grip on the actual string? Anyway, I lost the fucking kite when the string ran out and flew up and out of my grasp. Bye, Xena! Bye! You were too good for this world! • Kite Man! sold a kite to a pawn shop. That kite could have been used by the killer to get through a window on the 84th floor of a building! Wait. What was Swamp Thing's dad doing in an apartment on the 84th floor of a high-rise? That's where people with money live! Is Swamp Thing rich now? • Batman follows the clues and solves the mystery of who killed Swamp Thing's dad: Headhunter! He always shoots people in the head twice. Nobody knows why the second bullet. I'm telling you! It's a punchline! • Batman is all, "This guy won't be easy to find!" And Swamp Thing is all, "The grass just told me where he is! The grass knows everything. Usually I don't listen to them because it's mostly screams as people walk across them or bike on them or fuck all over them. But if you can get past the incessant screaming, they usually have the information you're looking for. Fucking grass!"

Wait. Was that a fuck joke? Does Batman need a car to fuck?!

• Alec and Batman confront Headhunter and he boldly confesses. Basically, he did it for the lulz. • Swamp Thing isn't as cool as he pretended to be about the death of his father. He flips the fuck out and kills Headhunter right in front of Batman. Batman doesn't even try to stop him. Batman would try to stop Superman. Batman would try to stop Wonder Woman. Batman would try to stop The Flash. Batman would try to stop fucking Lobo. But he doesn't try to stop Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing must be more fucking terrifying than I imagined. • Swamp Thing realizes he must be there because Batman's Daddy Issues are so strong. At that point, Swamp Thing is all, "Oh. Well, that answers that. I can go back to not giving a shit about my father now." He then dissolves back into The Green while Batman weeps, yet again, over the permanence of death. I mean the permanence of death where his parents are involved. Let's not get ridiculous. This is comic books, after all. • The moral of the story is that Batman really should have gotten therapy twenty years ago.

[totesmccoats]

Batman #33

To close out the last arc, last issue, Catwoman accepted Batman’s engagement proposal. In this arc, she has to meet the last supervillainess that Batman proposed to.

Honestly, seems like a weird hazing ritual for Batman to force on Catwoman. “Thanks, for marrying me – but first, we gotta go to the desert, break a whole bunch of laws, and upset multiple Justice Leagues so you can meet – and possibly be murdered by – my ex.” Unless this was Catwoman’s idea? Sounds like it could’ve been her idea.

Back at the Manor, Alfred breaks the happy news to the Robins (and Duke), who don’t exactly take it well. Especially Damian, who blames himself, and is also the only Robin to realize that this involves his mother.

And, as weird as the premise is, King has not let Batman down yet, and this issue promises another instant-classic arc. He opens the issue with a scene right out of a western: Batman on a horse, handing a shotgun to Catwoman, who uses it to put a second horse out of its desert misery before continuing on their trek across the desert. Then, immediately cuts to Jason Todd wrestling with Ace for his jacket back in Wayne Manor. The Manor scenes really highlight how much the Robins have been missing from King’s run on Batman by demonstrating how well King writes each of them in dialogue with each-other, from Dick telling Duke about the cow in the basement, Duke criticising Jason for telling him to lighten up Batman, and Damian – the youngest one there – dismissing all of them as children until cracking under the news.

Joelle Jones is killing it on art, with a thick inky style that puts everything in high-contrast and gives Batman and Catwoman’s desert adventure a two-fisted pulpy feel. It admittedly doesn’t translate too well in the Manor, where the extreme shadows can’t be explained by a desert sun beating down on everything. Bellaire perfectly matches Jones’ lines with flat – almost cell shaded – saturated colors that also convey the extremes of the desert.

My biggest issue with the book, and it’s not this book alone, is that Damian is still drawn as just a white kid. Like, they show Talia – his mother – as a brown woman, and yet Damian doesn’t look like he has a hint of middle-eastern/south-asian in him. I know that in real life not all children of multiracial heritage look like a half-and-half combo of their parents, and some traits are more dominant than others; but in a medium where diversity is an issue, I don’t see why DC doesn’t take advantage of having one of their more prominent characters having a mixed race heritage to actually depict a person with that background in their art.

  Superman #33

Superman has just gotten comfortable with Luthor flying around and Metropolis’ other hero, when Lex is forcibly summoned to Apokolips to reclaim his throne as God of the planet (See: Darkseid War). Lex tries to contact Superman, asking for assistance, but Supes ignores the messages, believing them to be frivolous invitations to listen to Lex brag; that is until Lex forcibly brings Superman, and by accident Lois, and Jon, to Apokolips.

I am really not used to Superman and Lex Luthor being friendly with each-other, as they are in the opening to this issue. It’s honestly kind of disturbing. Just feels wrong. But the following scene, where Lex inner monologues to himself about becoming the people’s newest and native-born hero, and their increasing dependence on him; that’s peak Luthor. That’s the Luthor that makes sense to me.

This isn’t the best opener to an arc, mainly because the back half is Superman refusing the call to action twice, essentially just stalling the story and filling up pages so that we can end on the cliffhanger of family being split up on Apokolips.

Still, we haven’t gotten a good Superman on Apokolips story in a grip, so maybe this’ll be it. Sucks that it’s probably definitely going to compare badly to the other current Apokolips story going on in Mister Miracle tho.

  Green Arrow #33

Having crippled the Ninth Circle by taking out their satellite, Oliver returns to Seattle – now Star City – to find it almost completely remade in the vision of its new corporate overlords. Historic and cultural areas have been razed and replaced with luxury high-rises that have pushed out the middle and lower classes. And Green Arrow returns only to find himself defending one of those overlord-developers from an activist threatening to literally crush him under one of Seattle’s oldest trees that the developer wants to cut down anyway. Things have changed.

Meanwhile, Oliver is still under trial for the murder of a woman who – twist! – is still alive; and despite what Star City has become, the Ninth Circle is still disappointed by Moira Queen and Broderick’s progress, giving them a vote of no confidence; and Dante is also back, and hiring Shado for one last job on behalf of the Circle.

Percy continues his amazing run on the series, effortlessly setting up multiple story threads for this new arc, while developing the political backdrop of the new uber-capitalist Star City that Green Arrow will confront philosophically and physically through the story. Green Arrow’s been one of the more fun, solid, and smarter books since rebirth, and Percy seems poised to continue that trend.

The standout of the issue is artist Jamal Campbell, who previously worked on the fantastic Green Arrow #27, and who I hope stays on this book for a long time. His work is comparable to Francis Manapul’s, but a touch less stylized, preferring to use less dramatic curves compared to straight lines and angles; and a more toned down palette that does reflect the sort of lighting you would see in a cloudy north-western city. This is not to say that Campbell doesn’t have a sense of the dramatic. His designs for the various masks for the Ninth Circle are all fantastic, like some sort of dark zodiac, each of them brimming with style and personality. And he dips into the style of a steamy romance novel for his title page, where a shirtless Oliver lifts Dinah, who wraps her legs around his waist, over a bannister to give her a kiss. And then there’s the scene where Shado fights off a squad of ninjas, where every kill-shot has it’s own stark white-on-red panel. If DC’s smart, they’re gonna want to give Campbell whatever books he wants.

  Wonder Woman/Conan #2

As he slumbers, Conan dreams of the day he had spent with Yanna as a child, climbing mountains with the dark-haired daughter of a tribe of exclusively women. In the waking world, he is chained to another dark-haired woman who calls herself Wonder Woman. He tried to rescue her from a life as a gladiator servant only to get captured himself, and now the two will be forced to fight to the death. But it seems that another power has other plans for the Barbarian and the Amazon. And they have other plans themselves, with Conan winning the fight but refusing to kill Wonder Woman; which gets them both thrown on a pirate ship as forced labor.

Thankfully, Diana does have more to do this issue, even if it takes her a majority of it to remember her name. Simone actually writes a neat joke involving her name; Conan saying something with the words “Die Yanna” next to each-other gives Wonder Woman pause. But even if she has more to do, and takes the lead by the end of the issue, this version of Wonder Woman still feels underdeveloped, perhaps owing to her existence still being a bit of a mystery box. Considering how much time this issue devotes to the young-Conan and Yanna flashbacks, it’s gonna be weird if Diana isn’t somehow related to her. It also doesn’t help that she spends a good chunk of the issue not talking.

There are fun moments in this book, like a crow-lady biting a man’s fingers off for soliciting her, Conan waking up to discover he held Wonder Woman’s hand all night, or Wonder Woman bonking a man in the face with his own lute; but overall characterization is so thin – and mostly delivered by 3rd person narration – that it’s hard to really care about the protagonists. It’s a weird issue for Simone to have as a writer, who usually doesn’t presume empathy in her stories. Maybe it’s because this is a limited series crossover?

Another niggling thing – Wonder Woman’s breasts are distractingly large in this book. They’re bigger than her head and like, perfect spheres. This is bad, like, even for comics – even for Conan comics.

  The Wild Storm #8

Marlowe gives Angela the sparknotes version of what he and HALO are doing on Earth, which conveniently leaves out anything she might find threatening about why they came here, and gives her full access to his resources in exchange for her data. Meanwhile, King’s team at IO have made a breakthrough by uncovering Cole Cash’s identity, and are planning their next – possibly treaty-busting – moves of their own.

And in Amsterdam, we’re introduced to two more characters resembling but not identical to those from the previous Wild Storm. The first is Shen Li-Min; the latest incarnation of The Doctor (not that one), who uses her powers to psychedelically heal people by taking them on vision quests. The second is one of Shen’s patients, who her session doesn’t quite work on because she’s not exactly human. She’s a techne named Jenny Sparks.

Despite another issue full of exposition, including the introduction of two new characters, it’s Davis-Hunt and Buccellato who really get to flex their muscles with sequences involving interstellar travel, two psychedelic trips into character’s minds, and one visit to an extra-dimensional hospital. I’m mostly familiar with Davis-Hunt’s horror work, and am glad to see that he can do bright and colorful and trippy just as effectively, even if there remains a twinge of the uncanny even among his bubblegum pink skies. And you *know* that more than one person is going to get a tattoo of Spark’s heart – because that is one badass visual.

  Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #5

At the top of the issue, Vulture kidnaps Mason and blows up his lab while Spider-Man and Mason’s assistant, Uatu, are still inside. And Teresa only manages to escape by grabbing a prototype web launcher and hitching a ride with Vulture. And while she rescues Mason, Spider-Man has to confront his most dangerous nemesis: heavy rubble.

That’s right, it’s a recreation of everyone’s favorite, Spider-Man #33. But, Peter’s better at this now, so it’s not that big a deal. What is a big deal is that now Peter’s got two people he has to hide, Teresa and Mason; and because of that photograph, the authorities will be looking for him, too. Luckily, he may be getting some help from an unexpected source, J. Jonah Jameson.

This isn’t Zdarsky’s strongest issue, probably because of the sense of urgency in this part of the story, which doesn’t leave room for the types of asides and extended character beats that often give his work their pop.

Kubert, however, must have found something inspiring in the script, as he does some of his more interesting work in this series so far this issue. I particularly like his use of framing things in the reflections of Vulture or Spidey’s mask; and Kubert also illustrates some really good of Spider-Man emoting through his mask, really showing him struggle while lifting heavy rubble, for instance.

  Kill or Be Killed #13

And we’re at the issue that closes the circle, bringing us to the cold open all the way back in #1, with Dylan going through the mob base, shotgunning everyone in his way. But before that, a revelation. Just before the shootout, Dylan had been obsessed with the demon, and decides to look through his dad’s stuff to see if there’s any more information about it. But he discovers something else entirely: a half-brother from his father’s first marriage whose suicide lines up perfectly with when his father started drawing the demon. A demon born out of one suicide by a man who committed suicide, and revived by his other son’s failed suicide attempt. Dylan isn’t one to miss a pattern.

But what I find more interesting than this new discovery is, again, how radically Dylan has transformed as a character. His obsession with the demon begins when he thinks to himself how proud the demon would be by his murdering two people in three weeks. And upon learning about his brother, and reminiscing on his father’s isolated and disappointing life, he is overcome by anger rather than sadness or empathy. Dylan’s obsession with the demon feels more introspective than otherwise, him unconsciously looking into how he so easily became a murderer.

Phillips illustrates this transformation subtly, by putting Dylan’s face in shadows more often than not, and especially when there are other people in the panel whose faces remain unobscured. Besides quite literally illustrating Dylan dwelling in darkness, it also creates a visible distance between him and other people. And the transition in style, from the series’ main style to the more photorealistic illustrations done in-universe by Dylan’s father is impressive as it always is; though it’s weird to be leafing through a comic on the subway only to suddenly be looking at a sci-fi pin-up.

  Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #5

The final collection of Bitch Planet shorts done by guest creative teams, who get to paint their own corners of Kelly Sue and De Landro’s dystopia, and one of the strongest.

The first story, by Matt Fraction, Elsa Charretier, and Nick Filardi is a brilliant twist on the “grandma/pa during holiday dinner” story. Kimmy brings her boyfriend, David Zeiss, home for his first Christmas, but warns him about her Grandma, who says some crazy things. But, instead of being anti-semitic, Nanna instead interrupts with stories of lesbian experimentation in college, and how women used to have their own jobs and weren’t just pleasure machines for men. It’s delightful! And, I honestly flipped back to the cover to see if the art was done by Bruce Timm, who’s style I want to say definitely inspired Charretier’s own; though she thankfully doesn’t give every man and women the exact same proportions.

The second, by Jon Tsuei and Saskia Gutekunst, follows two friends, one white, one asian, as they audition for the same role in a movie. If you even barely follow any actual Hollywood news, you can probably already sense where this is going. Gutekunst’s art in this isn’t really my taste; she uses a kind of manga-light style with soft colors and gradients. It fits the narrative because of the whitewashing story-line, but it’s just looks like a half-step in one direction, and another half-step in another.

The last story, by Nyambi, Bassey, and Eyang Nyambi, and Chris Visions is a doozy that creates a link between appropriation of black culture and beauty with the police violence against black bodies. When a white girl goes full blackface to join her friends at a danceclub, she gets pulled over by cops and can no longer rely on her whiteness to get out of a ticket – or much much worse. It’s the most Twilight Zone story in this anthology series so far, and one of the best encapsulations of the idea that America loves black culture and hates black people.

Comic Reviews for 10/18/17 Batman #33 To close out the last arc, last issue, Catwoman accepted Batman’s engagement proposal. In this arc, she has to meet the last supervillainess that Batman proposed to.