#alfred trying to get Batman killed and then being disappointed

[martyrbat]

grimm – batman: legends of the dark knight #149

[ID: a panel sequence of young Dick Grayson just two months after his parents' murders. He's sulking at the dining table in the grandiose Wayne Manor. The dinner is taking place in front of a lit fireplace that causes the entire room to have a soft, bronze glow to it. The table itself is long and decorated and Bruce Wayne is sitting on the opposite end of it. Alfred Pennyworth prompts, “More mashed potatoes, Master Dick—?” But Dick is too busy thinking about a young criminal he ran into when he snuck out earlier. He quietly mutters the taunt she told him, “‘Spoiled brat in a circus suit’—?” Alfred asks, “Was that a yes or a no?” The pouting child brusquely tells him, ”no,” which causes the butler to clear his throat. Dick begrudgingly corrects himself, “No thank you, Alfred.” Alfred responds, “As you wish, Master Dick.”

But Dick is already uttering another taunt under his breath, “‘Lap of luxury’!” Bruce leans forward slightly and asks if everything is okay but Dick dismisses his concern. He excuses, “I'm... I'm not very hungry, Bruce. Is it okay if I go to my room?” Despite his obvious qualms, Bruce awkwardly smiles and replies, “Uh... Of course. Certainly.” Dick gets up as Alfred tells him the food will be in the refrigerator if he gets hungry later but Dick just ‘uh-huh’s him as he walks away. With the child upstairs, Bruce immediately stands up and paces. He stops in front of the fireplace and stares into the blaze as he monologues his worries, “Maybe this was a mistake. What in the world made me think I could raise a boy? I don't know the first thing about it! I've always been a loner! I don't have the knowledge... or the disposition... to make this work.” Alfred wryly asks, “Are you addressing the fireplace, Sir—or me?” But Bruce stresses his demur without looking at him, “His parents are dead, Alfred! What gives me the temerity to believe I can replace them in his life?”

Alfred solemnly reassures, “I asked myself the same questions once. What in the world did a butler know about raising a young man who'd just lost the two people he loved most in the world? But strangely enough, Sir—I adapted. I learned. I learned because I wanted to... Because I cared. And... despite some difficulties along the way—I think the young man in question turned out splendidly. And I think Master Dick will too.” Bruce doesn't say anything but he his eyes closed in thought as Alfred talks before looking at him with a soft smile. He straightens his posture when Alfred finishes and puts his hand on his shoulder, silently grateful for the man's fatherly reassurance and support once again. END ID]

[alittlesongbirdchirps]

Stupid AU but absolute Batman and normal Batman swap places.

[So now you got Absolute Batman who is born in 2004, which makes him what, around the same age as Tim but younger then Dick and Jason.]

And while Tim is trying to figure out everything that makes their worlds different, he asks about the batcave.

Which confuses Bruce because his base is on top of an abandoned construction site.

So out of curiosity; Dick asks about the Batmobile. What's Batman without his batmobile.

Only to find out it’s a giant ass mining truck.

Now everyone’s confused, like why would Bruce pick equipment and places like that.

However, unlike them Jason has an Epiphany.

Something none of them would ever even consider for an alternative version of Batman/Bruce.

“You’re not rich?”

Jason asks in doubt laced in his voice.

And Bruce raised an eyebrow

“Am I supposed to be?”

The cave erupts in confusion, well I mean Steph just high fives this Bruce; stating something about being 'broke ass homies.'

Later on Alfred comes down with refreshments and food; and somehow that puts Bruce on edge. Damien watches his alternate father’s reaction, Immediately picking up on the unease.

“So, do you not have a Pennyworth?”

Damien asked.

Bruce doesn’t answer, nor does he drink or eat anything Alfred gives him, which disappoints the butler greatly.

“Of course he doesn’t, he’s not rich, you snobby little brat.”

Steph states, causing Damien to glare at her; and before a fight can break out between the pair; Jason asks another question.

“Sooo, was your inheritance stolen or somethin?"

Bruce's eyebrows furrow in confusion, as if he was asked the oddest question in the world.

“My dad was a school teacher, and my mum is a social worker?”

Tim’s eyes widen not at the jobs the Wayne's seemed to have in that world but at something else.

“You said your dad was; but your mum… is she still alive?”

He simply nods.

Oooo, I also imagine, the Justice League are working with the bats to swap the two Batman’s back, so finding out how or why they were swapped is crucial.

Eventually they do; a villain thought swapping their worlds Batman, with a younger inexperienced Batman, would make it easier to take over Gotham.

Oh, how wrong he was.

Absolute Batman arrives on the scene, pushing past Justice League members to get to this villain, and mind you his ass is not even supposed to be out, let alone seen.

Of course, when Batman asks him to reverse what he's done, the villain refuses like a snotty nose brat.

So, Batman takes a big ass stick from who knows where, for a brief moment Tim's excited, thinking this Batman was trained with a Bō-staff.

He quickly realised how wrong he was, when Batman shoves the stick onto the symbol on his chest, creating a big ass axe.

When he asks again telling the villain what he will do if he doesn't, the villain still refuses, without any hesitation, and before anyone could stop him, he cuts the guys arm off and begins to threaten to chop off the other one if he doesn't cooperate.

This impresses Jason and Wonder Woman but not really anyone else. And its not like any of the regular Justice League members could hold him back, he's taller and wider then superman.

Side note: Maybe regular Batman, is having a field day, not only is his mother alive, but younger then he ever remembered her to be. Oh, and Alfred is trying to kill him. And his counter part is broke but that's not the worse.

The fucking joker is rich and held in high regards.

(Fuck off Grammar Police.)

[niwaart]

Secret of Shadows

(John Constantine’s son x Batfam)

-part1... -part2...

It was a stormy night in Gotham, the rain pounding furiously on the sidewalks, and the wind howling like hungry wolves. In a slum, Red Robin was chasing one of the Penguin's drug dealers, who was trying to escape across the rooftops. Tim was closing in, planning to bring him down with one blow...

But suddenly, a small green and red shadow leaped in front of him with a sword drawn.

Robin stood in Tim's way with a smug grin. "This criminal is mine. Find another."

"Get out of my way, Robin! This is no time for play!" Tim growled, trying to swerve around him, but Damian leaped back to block his path.

"I told you, that's my goal!"

"You're a spoiled brawler!"

"And you're a boring replacement!"

The argument escalated into a fistfight on the rooftop, while the drug dealer took advantage and fled. But he didn't just flee... he pulled out a remote detonator.

"A bomb..." Tim whispered in astonishment after seeing what the criminal was carrying.

Before the building exploded, a massive black shadow swooped down from the sky like lightning. Batman. He grabbed the dealer with one hand and destroyed the detonator with the other at the last moment.

But the rage in Batman's eyes was more terrifying than any bomb as he looked at Red Robin and Robin.

After Batman made sure the civilians were safe, he turned to Tim and Damian, his eyes burning with rage beneath his mask.

"What is this nonsense?!" Batman roared, his voice like thunder.

Damian stood silent, but Tim tried to explain. "I was about to catch the criminal, but Damian—"

"Enough!" Batman cut him off. "Tim, you're the elder. You should have acted responsibly, not gotten involved in a childish squabble!"

Tim felt like he'd been stabbed. "But he started—"

"It doesn't matter who started it!" Batman said harshly. "I expected better from you. I'm disappointed."

Those words were like a knife to Tim's heart.

Tim returned to the apartment he shared with Y/N, his face as dark as the night that followed. Tim completely ignored the stream of jokes Y/N cracked upon seeing him:

"Wow! Your face looks like my father when i burned his cigarette! Want me to read you a bedtime story?"

Tim didn't reply. He walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Y/N stood in front the bathroom door waiting, and after five minutes of silence, decided to knock. "I'm going in, so you'd better at least put your pants on."

Before Tim could reply, Y/N opened the door. He found him hunched over the sink, water running down his head as if he were trying to drown himself.

Y/N looked at him for a moment, then said quietly, "There are quicker ways to commit suicide than drowning in a sink."

Tim lifted his head, his eyes red, but he didn't cry... yet.

"I'm sure you'll get my father's wrinkles if you keep pouting like that." Y/N said sarcastically, stepping closer to Tim.

And Tim? He finally exploded.

"Shut up!" he yelled, pushing Y/N away. "Everything is going wrong! I became Robin after Jason died just to help Bruce, and no one thanks me! All the blame is on me, not Damian's! I'm doing everything I can, but no one notices!"

Tim didn't realize he'd started crying until he felt Y/N's arms wrap tightly around him.

"It's okay... Scream all you want," Y/N said, knowing what he was doing. He wanted Tim to explode, to let out all the pent-up emotions inside him. He held him tight, letting him scream, cry, everything.

He didn't care that his shirt was soaking wet from Tim's tears.

After Tim calmed down, Y/N took him for a sandwich in the middle of the night, then put him back in bed. He stayed by his side, holding him until he fell asleep.

But Y/N didn't sleep. He want to revenge.

He concocted a small spell. "Now, they'll see what Tim feels."

First, Bruce had disturbing dreams of Thomas and Martha being shot again and again, while his sons (Dick, Jason, Damian, even Tim) were killed one by one

in front of him.

Then, Damian watched Alfred fall dead while he was powerless to save him, handcuffed.

And Jason relived that night in the warehouse with the Joker, the laughter suddenly fading into a deathly silence.

Finally, Dick watched his parents fall again and again, but this time, he was the one pushing them.

Each of them woke up early in the morning, drenched in a cold sweat, their hearts pounding with terror.

And vice versa for Y/N.

The sun gently peeked through the window curtains, illuminating the room with a warm, golden light. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air as Y/N sat on the kitchen chair, watching Tim struggle to open his sleepy eyes after a restless night.

Y/N smiled broadly, "Good morning, Mr. Drake! Did you know your face looks like mashed potatoes when you wake up?"

Tim yawned, trying to ignore him. "Shut up..."

Y/N laughed and pushed a cup of coffee towards him. "Don't worry, I added enough sugar to kill a horse, just like you like it."

Tim took the cup and took a sip, then grimaced. "This... is so sweet my teeth hurt."

Y/N pretended to be shocked. "And this is appreciation after everything I've done for you?!" He put his hand over his head dramatically. "But I can't imagine if I hadn't met you, my dear friend... I'd be living in a trash can among naughty cats!"

Tim raises an eyebrow. “A trash can? Really?”

Y/N nods solemnly. “Yeah! Or maybe in my father’ crappy old apartment that hasn’t seen the light of day in a thousand years! Which, by the way, is worse than a trash can. At least the cats like me!” He pretends to wipe away the tears that haven’t fallen. “I would have been a hideous zombie, like a battered doll from a cheap horror movie!”

Tim can’t hold back his laughter. “You’re a freak.”

Y/N grabs Tim’s hand exaggeratedly. “But thanks to you, I’m here now! Drinking poison coffee, living with my potato-like ex-Robin!” He winks. “So… thank you.”

Tim’s cheeks turn slightly pink as he finishes his coffee. “You… aren’t worth the effort.”

Y/N grabs a pillow and throws it at him. “Of course not! But you love me anyway!”

Tim grabs the pillow and throws it back, finally smiling. "Maybe."

After a moment of silence, Y/N speaks in a gentler voice, "Seriously, Tim... I'm glad you're here. Not just because you saved me from the trash can." He laughs, "But because... you made me feel like I wasn't alone."

Tim looks at him, then looks away, smiling, "You're an idiot."

Y/N grabs a piece of toast and pops it full into his mouth, then speaks as he grins, "And that's why you love me!"

Tim ignores him, but his laughter gives him away: "Disgusting."

Y/N smiles and then hugs Tim tightly. "Let's watch TV."

That afternoon, while Tim is watching the TV Y/N suggested, which is so bad, he doesn't know how Y/N can laugh at this movie, but Tim can't help but laugh with Y/N, and then the doorbell rings. Y/N didn't move from his seat. After all, this was Tim's house, and hardly anyone knew about Y/N living with Tim except for his family. So Tim got up to look at the screen to see behind the door. He found his entire family standing in front of it... and... why was Jason holding a gun and looking angry?

Tim immediately opened the door and saw their pale faces, their eyes filled with nightmares.

It didn't take more than two seconds for Tim to conclude that Y/N had done something... after all, it wasn't the first time Y/N had done something stupid for Tim.

"What...did you do?" Tim looked at the naughty Y/N who was pretending to watch TV.

But Bruce couldn't stand the pretense. He stormed into the room and pulled Y/N up by the shirt.

"You! What did you do to us tonight?!"

"What? What are you talking about?" Y/N said with fake innocence.

"Enough with the lies!" Bruce growled. A voice was heard from behind Bruce, Jason, who was about to blow Y/N's head off. "We've all had nightmares... and I'm pretty sure it was you!"

"Maybe it's your conscience?" Y/N sneered as he looked at Jason's gun. Dick was barely holding Jason back from shooting, and needless to say, Damian was ready to stab him if his father wasn't right there in front of him.

At that moment, Bruce decided he needed outside reinforcements. So he literally dragged Y/N from Tim's house to his limo, took him to the Batcave, and immediately called John Constantine. It took him more than three attempts to answer, which made Y/N laugh.

"Bloody Hell, Batman. This is early even for hell." Constantine replied, his hair disheveled like someone who had just woken up.

"Your son is here in Gotham," Batman said, his impatience harsh.

"Huh? Which one?"

At that moment, Bruce appeared to Y/N, still holding him by the collar. "Hello, dear old father, my favorite person."

Constantine stared at Y/N for a few seconds before looking up in shock. "What?! What are you doing there, you little bastard?!"

"I want him back where he came from. Tell me how to get rid of him." Batman ordered angrily.

John looked at his son in disbelief. "If I knew, I'd get rid of him myself! He steals my money, burns my coat, and disappears whenever I need him!"

"The coat was old! Be thankful!" Y/N grimaced at his father.

"Give me back the five dollars first, you thief!"

As everyone looked at this messed-up family, Tim started laughing... he couldn't contain himself.

"I think there's a worse family than us," Dick said, while Jason burst out laughing like a maniac, at Y/N and J'onn's fight.

And Batman? He felt that Gotham was in more danger than ever.

[hearts4mica]

I can’t fix you

Yandere Batfam! x Neglected Reader

Masterlist

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“How can a person lose their self control?”

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Request!: Hello friend! May I request neglected reader x batman except they break and become the next Joker?

Let's say that Jason killed the original, but given the neglect and outright hatred put onto reader (you can expand on this however you wish!), they run away from the manor without anyone noticing it.

They stumble upon an old warehouse where he stored the Joker toxin, except this version of it was meant to be used on Halloween (as another statement from Joker) and was so incredibly strong that, combined with all of that anger and grief in their heart, reader goes insane and begins to laugh... a lot. Since it was still a very bad hazard to leave out, Batman tasks Nightwing (and a reluctant Hood) to enter the warehouse a few days later, only to find that there are signs that point to Joker being back and having collected a lot of henchmen and a lot of toxin, planning something. So when these two go to confront who they think is Joker, they see reader instead, with the same bloody, scarred smile and hollow eyes.Queue a battle (that reader narrowly loses, taunting both of them with hurtful words that they can't even retort to), and now batfam is trying their hardest to bring the old reader back, except they don't even know what they were like, truly. The only one that did was Alfred, but not enough to know if their rehabilitation is working.

Meanwhile, Batman interrogates reader and the conversation heads south where they go "You never thought of me, Bat. I was invisible, hated and never once given an ounce of attention. I never knew if you loved me. You loved your villains far more... so will you, now? Now that I am like him? Am I finally worthy of your attention?" they laugh, even harder at the horror in his eyes, the grief in his voice while he denies it, and all that the Asylum can hear are spine-chilling giggles and the words of a broken man who's too late to save his one and only normal kid.

Also can I be called 🍌 anon? :D

(Hello Anon! I have no idea why it wouldn’t let me answer your request so i just copied and pasted it here! Here’s your story!)

———————————————————————————

Ever since you said no the chance if becoming a hero like them you felt ignored? Like they were disappointed in you.

You were just normal in their eyes. Your family didn’t care about you.. they never did so as soon as you turned 18 you ran away and no one noticed. You’re sure they didn’t even remember or cared about your existence.

You stole some money from Bruce to rent yourself a department in a not so bad place in Gotham but ended up getting scammed so all your money went to waste and now you were homeless.

While laying down on a bench you debated about going back to the Wayne Manor and live a sad life there again but you couldn’t! Your ego wouldn’t let you.

So without any hope left you got up and started walking to an abandoned warehouse. Maybe there’s stuff you can take from there and sell? It’s not stealing if it’s abandoned. So you decided to go in.

While exploring the place you found a so called “Joker Toxin” it was probably a fake one but his fans would pay anything for this. You grabbed the small glass but it was slippery because it was stored in a freezer and it feel to the floor breaking the glass and the liquid fell to the floor.

“Aw shit.” Well it was fake after all so you didn’t need to worry right?-

The moment you inhaled that toxin you started grinning your eyes widened open and your eyes they became red as if you were intoxicated. You feel onto the floor in pain it hurts so bad but you can’t help but- feel happy?

Ha, ha ha HA HA HA HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHA!!!

You can’t stop no matter how much you cover your mouth trying to quiet down not wanting to attract unwanted attention it seems impossible to you. It feels like someone’s tickling you. You can’t stop.

You pass out a few hours later from exhaustion

When you wake up it feels like something has changed with you. You want revenge you need it.

Now you had to set a trap to kill two birds with a stone.

Comissioner Gordon had notified Batfam about some weird noises coming from an abandoned warehouse that citizens had told him about so he sent Nightwing and Red hood.

He told them to be careful since the Joker might be back because of some signs and to notify him immediately if it was the case.

He knew Dick and Jason weren’t children anymore but be still couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong and it felt wrong to send his children to investigate this. He was trying to become a better fatjer for all his children afterall.

Now Nightwing and Redhood were outside the warehouse. You we’re watching them through a small window getting ready for your grand entrance.

The went in and everything seemed fine. Until you appeared instead of the Joker.

“Hello there!” You say as you step out from the shadows.

They both freeze for a second.

“What? The bat ate your tongue?!”

“Name?-“ Dick says surprised that his- sibling? Was here. Weren’t you 8 years old? You were when he- last saw you?…

“Well yeah but no! I’m now the Joker! I’m his greatest succesor!” Your smile was creepy. It went from ear to ear and it was painted with red lipstick. You had dyed your hair green (and failed awkwardly-) so now it was just black and looked green fungy.

“What the heck is wrong with you?! You know how much harm you’ve been causing? Are you stupid?!” Red hood says.

“Let’s both calm dowwn! [name] come back home! We miss you-“

“Oh stop being a fucking hypocrite Dick! No one even noticed i was gone until now! No way in heck i’m going back to that place!” You hold up a gun.

“Oh so that’s how we’re playing?” Redhood takes out his gun.

“Let’s dance.” You smirk as you shoot your gun towards them.

You end up loosing and they drag you back to the manor. You insulted them in every language you knew.

Now back in the manor you got tied up and Batman was infront of you.

“What a nice family reunion isn’t that right Bats?” You tell him taunting him.

“[name] don’t call me that. I’m you father-“

“HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA since when Batsy?! When did you ever parent me? When was the last time we had a real conversation?! And don’t call me [name]! I’m the joker now!”

“I-“ for the first time to you Bruce Wayne your ‘father’ had looked at you. Stared at you regretfully.

“When was the last time you thought of me? Was i not worthy of your attention like them?! Is it because i didn’t want to become a hero like you? Are you jeaulous cause i picked a normal life?!”

“I was just busy [name]” his face was full of regret. But it was too late.

“But you were never busy for your villians right?! Now that i became a villian it’s the first time in years that you’ve payed attention to me!” Your smile started fading you’ve couldn’t look weak infront of him! Never again.

“We can change that! How about you quit this nonsense you’ve got going on? We can start this over again.” His child. You were his child. He lost you once. He’ll make up for this wether you want to or not.

Damian watching in the background “This psycho needs therapy.” He mutters to himself and leaves the Batcave.

Now you were forever trapped in this place. Your family was not stopping until you became what you once were.

Honestly they didn’t even know you. They just molded you into what they ideally thought you were.

Your makeup was wiped off. Your clothes changed. Your hair well they tried to save it but since the dye ruined it it had been chopped off horribly.

Daily your ‘doctor’ (Alfred) prescribed you sedatives to keep you in line. If you misbehaved you got a dosis. In the morning a dosis, at night another one.

They told you it was for your own good. They were helping you. You couldn’t harm yourself anymore!

Now everyday felt like on autopilot. You were a zombie in your own body. Your mind was foggy.

And they’ll keep doing this until you become the perfect Wayne they imagined you once were.

“Ha! Joker? What a stupid idea [name]! You never became the Joker! Pftt! Babybird we would never neglect you! You were always a part of us!”

Those small lies. Daily. While being weak. You started believing them.

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Thanks for reading!

My masterlist!

Requests are open!

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[meara-eldestofthemall]

Gee, thanks DC! You Just Turned Bruce Into An Irredeemable Ass.

So, at the end of Gotham War Bruce has officially lost everything. Alfred is still dead, Selina is "presumed dead" and Bruce is both financially and morally broke. Why, you may ask, is Bruce so much worse off this time? Let me count the ways.

He preformed a psychic lobotomy on Jason

The "it's for your own good" excuse only makes the mental rape undertaken by Jason's own father that much more heinous.

Just when you think Bruce can't sink any lower he does. When Dick recognizes that Bruce has lost it, he attempts to use a failsafe disconnect that Bruce himself built into the system. How does Nightwing get thanked for that? Well that brings us to number two on the list.

Batman attacks up his eldest son for doing what he's supposed to do when Batman has gone rouge.

Bruce beats him up because nothing proves you are in control of your sanity like hitting your children. While Dick is holding back, Bruce does no such thing. He hits Nightwing hard enough to send him flying. It could have gotten even worse if Tim hadn't shown up.

Tim arrives and attempts to talk some sense into Batman.

Tim tries to talk Bruce down. It doesn't go well. When Robin is trying to help, as he always does, Batman uses the attempt to reason with him to put the smack down on his son. Bruce could have killed Tim but apparently feels no remorse or guilt.

If there was any teeny tiny little doubt that Bruce will not win the Father of The Year award in 2023 it died a horrible screaming death when Batman abandons his children to potential arrest. Yes, he left a batarang for Dick and Tim but any glimer of possible hope associated with that action was instantly extinguished by Damian's reaction to Batman's callous betrayal.

Bruce abandons Damian.

Look at Dami; he's devastated. Since he came into Bruce's life, Damian has struggled with feelings that he can never earn his father's love and respect. Well, that negative self-image was reinforced in way that may never be repairable. Bruce just utterly destroyed a 13 year old child because of his inability to feel any kind of empathy.

And how does this all end? The best part is that Bruce takes all of his parental responsibilities and dumps them onto Dick.

Thank you Chip Zdarsky and Trini Howard. You've taken Batman from being an edgy anti-hero and made him into a callous monster. Part of me hopes that Bruce never comes back because he doesn't deserve his family.

The only positive aspect in this convoluted mess is that Damian and Tim will be far better off with Dick than with Bruce. Yes, Tim is mostly independent but he still needs guidance (particularly since Tim's first instinct is to try and save Bruce). Damian is essentially Dick's son emotionally anyway so this might help to sustain the positive character growth we've seen in him as of late.

The point of this rant is to wonder what on earth DC thinks they're doing. This story arc has been pure character destruction as far as Bruce is concerned. It's bad storytelling too; rushed, frenetic and massively disappointing.

Hasn't the popularity of Good Dad Bruce in Wayne Family Adventures proved that fans are tired of Bruce being a dark depressed and brooding edge lord? We all accept that Batman is a character with deeeeep issues who is in desperate need of therapy. I, however, draw the line at Bruce being an abusive a**hole.

In years to come when fans wonder when Batman jumped the shark, this is the plot line they'll point to.

[thebibliosphere]

Tim immediately jumping to murder is why I think Tim should be in the labrynth. Comic!Tim is always one bad day away from becoming a supervillain, but the bad day is key

Listen, the Labyrinth level is harrowing for all of them (watching Dick's parents plummet to the ground over and over because I kept fucking up the trap was excruciating) but Tim, oh god, Tim.

He's so fucking young in this game.

He's not a child characterized as an adult. He's a super smart sixteen-year-old kid trying to act like an adult and full of grief and rage, and while Dick might be struggling with living up to being Batman, Tim's head is just a constant mantra of "not good enough, not good enough, not good enough. Bruce only took you on because he needed a replacement for Jason. And look at you, you couldn't even do that right. Batman is dead"

And because he's in the Labyrinth, it's not his own voice he's hearing.

It's Bruce.

It's Bruce telling him he's not good enough over and over. That he's a disappointment to the mantle of Robin. That Bruce should have never trained him. That it's Tim's fault Bruce is dead because Robin failed to protect Batman.

And then he finds out it's the Court of Owls messing with his head. That they've engineered this whole thing using some mega strain of fear gas while they're making him run through an obstacle course designed to trigger all these worst fears. Making him hallucinate Bruce dying in front of him. That he's being manipulated into reliving his worst fears over and over, and not even dying makes it end because they won't let him die. He just keeps waking up on the slab like some fucked up version of Ground Hog Day with spinning knives and the sound of your mentor telling you all the ways you're not good enough.

Frankly, the Cout of Owls is lucky Tim climbed out of that hole and immediately called Alfred (and oh GOD, the way he haltingly tells Alfred in the smallest voice that he wants to come home because he's a 'little beaten up' aaaah killing, stabbing, biting) because my first instinct on getting him out there was to call down an orbital strike from the Watchtower.

He's hooked into the system.

He could do it.

Say 'hoo' mother fuckers. Say 'hoo' one more time.

[brucewaynehater101]

Tim who had the watchtower/super hero substitute treehouse built so Batman can have relatively healthy socialization also eggs on the baking rivalry that develops between Alfred and Ma Kent as part of his multi step plan to direct Batman towards developing a wider social circle than Superman who, again, Tim does not fully approve of as a good influence on Batman. He appreciates that Batman shouldn't kill and that Superman helped that much but otherwise is unimpressed with the kryptonian. Basically the only things Superman could do to make it up to Tim would be first, sincerely apologizing to Kon accompanied by actively being better and second lobotomizing the Joker. Unfortunately Superman has yet to realize he needs to make up anything to Tim. Thus Ma Kent will continue to receive cook books and high end baking supplies from anonymous sources as well as strategic praise and comparisons to Alfred's baking from various heroes and Alfred will receive similar praise and criticism and Bruce and Clark will both receive uncomfortable questions from both sides about which pie or cake or cookie he liked better.

Tim having monthly tea parties with Queen Hippolyta in a neutral location to talk about how Diana is doing, again as part of the plan for Bruce to have good social influences in his life. Cassie helped him arrange it. Queen Hippolyta mothers Tim a bit because she's experiencing a little empty nest syndrome and while Tim is a boy, he's very polite and didn't invade her home and brings treats he either bought or made himself (he's not dragging Hippolyta into the baking beef). Tim reacts better to this than he would if someone attempted to act fatherly to him as she does so in small doses and in a manner that is slightly softer than Janet and is thus nostalgic.

Tim will find the parental figures in the JLA's lives and he will make connections. He is trying very hard not to be Bruce's entire (functioning) support system.

Ma Kent and Alfred should have a very fierce rivalry over food. The competition should be intense, yet they still care about one another. They'll switch in seconds from casually chatting about their sons and gardening to very pointed insults about the other's cooking.

Tim dragging Bruce's friends' parents into that man's support circle is hilarious and amazing. He will ensure that Batman will be up against crowds of friends and their parents the next time he decides to go on another crime-fighting bender.

Also, it could be healthy overall for in-the-know parents of heroes to have their own support group. They can get advice and comfort from others. Yes, some of the parents aren't exactly "civilians," but the group is geared towards parents of first generation "heroes," (though other generations of parents of heroes are welcome as well). There are a lot of nuances, laws, and issues pertaining to being a public hero.

Tim should have beef with Superman. Let that teen continually give the man glares of disappointment and disproval at the hero's back (which Clark feels but can't pinpoint the origin), and then his face smooths back to neutral whenever the man looks at him. Tim is a professional, after all. I think Jason and Tim could bond over this when they start getting along.

[black-cat-luck]

Would you be able to do how the kids react when Bruce is hurt really badly

yes!! I love this :]

༺♡♱⋆🦇⋆♱♡༻

Dick

𖥔 He panics. He’s the strong one, he tries to remain level headed to keep everyone else calm and so they don’t send themselves into a panic attack, he is always calm and collected in stressful situations.

𖥔 But oh god that’s a lot of blood. In this moment he isn’t actually sure what happened, he doesn’t even remember who they’re fighting, where they are. A pained cry escapes his throat as his hands press over the bleeding wound in Bruce’s chest. He hears yelling, the others trying to get him and Bruce somewhere safe, trying to get Dick to tell them how bad the injury is, what can they do?

𖥔 “I-I don’t know!” Dick cries, every second of training, every hour spent learning how to stay calm under stress, stay levelheaded, assess the dangers around you first and never let your guard down, it’s all left him. He can’t move, he can’t breathe, because Bruce isn’t breathing, Bruce is bleeding out in his arms.

𖥔 Thankfully for Dicks sake, this was a league mission, so he doesn’t have to be the collected one. Superman is able to get both of them out of danger, he speaks close to Dicks ear, not because the boy is listening, but because the comms are on and Alfred is already readying the batcave for their arrival.

𖥔 Bruce makes a perfectly fine recovery, and Dick is mortified by how he reacted. He knows Bruce will be disappointed, he knows he will be shamed for letting himself be so weak, risking not only his own life, but Bruce’s by leaving them vulnerable in the battle field. Instead Bruce sets his hand on Dicks head, ruffling his hair softly, before his expression becomes serious, hand gently holding his cheek. “I’m here Chum, you don’t have to be embarrassed for being scared. I’m sorry for worrying you.” He says, and Dick cries again, laughing wetly. “You nearly died and you’re apologizing to me?” He asks, it sounds ridiculous. “Yeah, cause I know I would’ve been the same if it were you.” Bruce says it effortlessly, and Dick leans over, hugging him, careful of the healing wound. They’ve both lost too much to be able to lose each other, and that’s what’s the scariest, that they wouldn’t be able to survive losing anyone else, and they can’t promise they won’t. Dick just has to remain strong, and make sure he always has Bruce’s back so this never happens again.

Jason

𖥔 Jason’s anger has always been his strong suit. He was the happy Robin, the cheerful little boy that bounced on his feet and laughed and joked even in dire situations, and that was his weakness. He would’ve been inconsolable if he had Bruce not breathing at his feet like he does right now.

𖥔 But now Jason is angry. He would never admit it in a vicinity Bruce can hear, but how dare they try and take his dad from him? It’s easy for him to let his anger take control, to be violent and bloody because Bruce can’t see him murdering right now because he himself was just almost murdered. It’s not an almost yet, he hasn’t taken a breath in three minutes. Jason can hear it all, through his own blood rushing through his ears, he hears the others talking; he wants to tune it out, he wants to ignore it but he needs to know when Bruce is okay, when he breathes again.

𖥔 Fuck Jason hates the guy, he can’t stand to even look at him but he’s fighting back the sick rising up his throat as he hears his own thoughts. What if this is it? Bruce can’t come back from this. It’s over. The last thing Jason ever said to him is I hate you.

𖥔 Jason finds the man that stopped Bruce’s heart, and screams in anguish as he tackles him to the ground. His guns are thrown aside, his mask is yanked off his head because he’s killing this man. Not a bullet, not Red Hood, Jason Todd is killing this man. He didn’t kill Batman, he killed Jason’s father. His hands shake violently as they squeeze at his throat. He can’t hear the commotion anymore, he can’t hear anyone’s words, his eyes shine green as tears fall past them.

��� I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. He’ll never be able to take it back. He’ll never get to apologize, to mend what was broken, to forgive Bruce and get to be his son again. He’s just a weapon, he’s just a solider, he’s a murderer. The man’s neck snaps underneath his hands as Bruce takes in his first gasp of air.

𖥔 Jason slowly stumbles to his feet, shaking as he faces the others, there’s looks of disgust, of horror, of understanding. Bruce is struggling to his feet, looking at Jason, even with his cowl on Jason knows he’s afraid, he’s confused, worried.

𖥔 “Let’s get home Bat, you need rest.” Jason wraps Bruce’s arm around his shoulder, dragging him along. Batman doesn’t utter a word, nobody does. Jason slams the door to the Batmobile shut, bloody knuckles going white from how he grips the steering wheel. He swerves recklessly, he’s crying, his hands are shaking, he can’t breathe and he’s terrified, all of his adrenaline crashing as he swallows back sobs. He can’t forgive Bruce, he’s tried to kill him himself, why was it any different now? “Thank you, Jason. I love you son.” Bruce rasps, and that’s why. Jason can’t move on because Bruce is right next to him; and he’s alive, and breathing, and Jason is his son.

Tim

𖥔 Tim is scary. He’s seen Bruce worse than anyone ever has. He’s been through it all, he dragged Bruce up from the ground, all while Bruce clawed at him and tried to stay buried. Tim is scary when Bruce is nearly killed, because he will stop at nothing to make it right.

𖥔 Bruce is put into a coma. To the media it was a car accident. To Tim, it was watching Bane snap Bruce’s body over his leg, breaking his spine; nearly killing him. Tim was on auto pilot after it happened, quickly assessing the damage, demanding Oracle to send help, to Nightwing and Red Hood to stage an accident, they need civilian clothes, Bruce Wayne needs immediate medical attention.

𖥔 Tim Drake-Wayne sits in the hospital room, watching Bruce only able to breath because of the machines he’s connected to, body stiff, bruised and cut up, a small incision in his skull to let out the swelling. A medically induced coma to save his life. They’re not even sure if it will save him; time will only tell.

𖥔 Nightwing says he’ll handle it, he’ll get Bane dealt with. Red Hood makes it clear he’ll be killing him now that Bruce can’t stop him. When Dick and Jason visit the hospital room Tim is already gone. Tim has already set his own plan into motion.

𖥔 Robin doesn’t kill because Batman doesn’t allow it, and because Tim fears it would push him over an edge he doesn’t want to face. Tim does not directly kill. Bane’s henchmen and goons are simply in the building when Tim watches it explode from a rooftop a safe distance away.

𖥔 Tim watches as car bombs, and traps that end in blood splatter are tripped, as men stagger into deaths they could’ve easily avoided, I mean really how are these people working for Bane and falling into their own deaths so easily?

𖥔 Over the course of a week they’re all ticked off, like a grocery list. Tim moves quietly, effortlessly. He’s already gone by the time anyone thinks to look. He’s never seen by the time anyone tries to make a guess on who it might be. When Bane is the only one left Tim is reaching his breaking point. It’s been seven days, seven days his father has been comatose, teetering dangerously close to brain dead, to never waking up. Tim sees Bane and his reserves from before are slowly slipping away. He’s never been this angry before.

𖥔 Nobody would believe a witness that says Robin shot Bane point blank and disappeared. Nobody would listen to a bystander that was high off his mind when he swears he heard the kid scream that his father might never recover and it’s all his fault, before spraying the wall with brain matter. Nobody believes Robin would ever do something like that because he’s just an innocent little boy, Batman doesn’t kill, where would he even get a gun?

𖥔 On the ninth day Bruce wakes up, and Tim is beside him, he doesn’t let anyone see him cry, so he only smiles and hugs him; whispering how grateful he is that he’s okay. They call a nurse in, Bruce is groggy but coherent, there’s no damage, no risk.

𖥔 Dick arrives exhausted, having been patrolling as Batman to keep Gotham from being suspicious. He’s still got a smidge of eyeliner not fully wiped off when he hugs Bruce, eyes studying where Tim sits, hands stuffed in his hoodie pocket. He smiles innocently and Dick nods. Tim knows Dick is aware of what he’d done. Tim doesn’t mind that Dick knows, because Tim knows Dick won’t tell anyone, because Tim doesn’t regret what he’s done, and he will do it again if he is pushed to that point.

Damian

𖥔 Damian is never one to be perceived as weak. He will not allow anyone to even think he could ever be weak, he is never weak. Ever. He doesn’t show emotions, he isn’t just some kid. He is a trained assassin, he is stronger than anyone that could challenge him. He is the son of the Bat. He is Robin.

𖥔 Damian’s pride gets the best of him sometimes. It was a simple mission, sure Batman is bleeding but he’s walking it off, telling Damian it’s just a flesh wound, he’ll be fine. They don’t have the Batmobile tonight, and when Bruce reaches to call for it, he falls.

𖥔 Damian is immediately racing to his side. He tries to catch him but he’s too late, and it’s probably for the best because Damian forgets how small he is, and how heavy not only his father is, but the extra hundred pounds of armor in his suit. Damian struggles to push Bruce onto his back, panting as he overlooks him.

𖥔 “Father! Where is your wound?!” Damian shouts. Bruce makes a choked noise as blood drips past his lips. Damian remembers him clutching a side, but he doesn’t know which one, he doesn’t know much right now, his heart is racing, his hands are shaking, and he finally yanks the cape back to see the blood pouring from Bruce’s side. “It probably hit a kidney father why would you insist on it being a flesh wound, do you have any idea how bad this could’ve been if you’d left it??” Damian is still yelling, despite Bruce being unconscious.

𖥔 Damian tears at their emergency gauze with his teeth, he’s applying pressure to the wound, but it’s getting slippery and he stumbles, he’s patched up wounds before, why is this one different? Why won’t the blood stop? Why is he alone with Bruce getting paler and paler with each passing second?

𖥔 Damian is not weak, he does not need help, but he is scared. The blood is not stopping, the gauze isn’t working, Bruce is not responsive. Damian stares at his bloody hands as he starts to panic, hyperventilating as he searches for his emergency beacon, for his comm, for anything. His hands are slipping, he’s covered in blood, he can’t breathe.

𖥔 “Robin I’ve received your signal what’s wrong?” Red Hood’s voice through his ear makes the tears finally fall, and Damian gasps for air. He hears other voices chiming in, everyone live on the comms, and everyone hears him crying.

𖥔 “Robin, deep breath, give us a report.” Nightwing says, they want him to breathe, but they need to know why he can’t in the first place. “Batman is down. I cannot stop the bleeding, I cannot move him on my own. I need immediate help, he is unconscious, and getting critical.” He manages out, throat rough as he tries to swallow, as he stares down at his father as the blood begins to pool to his knees.

𖥔 “I’ve sent his location, Red Robin and Red Hood are the closest. Robin they will be there in three minutes, I’ll help as I can, what happened?” Oracle asks, and Damian takes a shaky breath, relief and guilt overwhelming him, but he hears Nightwing’s voice encouraging him to breathe; and he follows his instructions.

𖥔 Damian tells her everything that happened, what rooftop they’re on, what he did to try and stop the bleeding. While he’s still steadying his breathing with Nightwing Red Hood arrives. As Jason is putting pressure on the wound and instructing Damian to grab gauze, Red Robin arrives, and Tim quickly takes over, leaving Damian sitting and watching as they patch him up in seconds, and Jason is able to lift him up and carry him effortlessly by himself. Red Robin knows him and Robin are not the closest, but Damian is still shaking, and Tim wraps his arm around him and carefully leads him down to where the Batmobile has pulled up. Damian doesn’t speak a word, and the drive is silent once it’s announced over the comms that Batman is secure and inbound to the cave.

𖥔 Damian doesn’t leave his room. He’s embarrassed, ashamed, upset. He was too weak, too defenseless. Bruce lost a lot of blood, if they were any later he might have not made it. Jason was strong enough to lift him, Tim was fast enough to stop the bleeding and wrap him up, all things Damian failed to do in ample time. Even when Alfred notifies Damian that Bruce is awake and well, and would like to see him, Damian does not leave his room.

𖥔 The others give him space, so he’s especially angry when his door creaks open. He looks up with a sharp glare, only for his expression to immediately fall when he sees Bruce slowly limp inside. He’s shirtless and wearing more gauze than skin, holding his side as he carefully steps inside. “Father what are you doing you are on bed rest!” Damian hisses, rushing to his side, he holds one of Bruce’s hands and gently leads him to his own bed; sitting him down. “You wouldn’t come to me.” Bruce smiles as Damian glares again. “I would have, I’ve been busy.” The boy huffs, walking away to distract himself, to not have to see Bruce. He keeps his back to him and pretends to shuffle through papers on his desk. “You know I once fell on Dick when he was Robin?” He suddenly says, making Damian freeze, not responding.

𖥔 “Poor little guy was smaller than you, damn near squished him like a bug. It’s not often Batman falls, but I had a rule with every Robin, if I do, step out of the way. If I’m down, call for help. I would never expect one of you to be able to gather me up on your own.” Bruce hums, and the backs of Damian’s eyes sting as he listens. “I’m sorry for worrying you, and I’m sorry you were alone.” Bruce adds, and Damian faces him, using anger to mask the tears welling in his eyes. “I’m Robin, I’m Batman’s partner, I need to be stronger, I need to be able to be alone.” He sneers, he’s only angry at himself, but he needs to get it out; and he needs to tell it to Bruce, he needs to prove he’s not weak. “You’re also my son. And eleven years old. You cannot be expected to carry a full grown man that’s bleeding out, nine miles on your own. I wouldn’t expect that of any Robin-“ “Todd and Drake seemed to be able to do it perfectly fine.” He spits, his jealously finally mixing in.

𖥔 “Neither of whom are Robin anymore. Jason who’s taller and bigger than me? Tim who’s seven years older than you? They wouldn’t have been able to do it when they were Robin either. It is not a weakness of yours, it is not a weakness of your age, it is simply that you are a boy, and you cannot lift a grown man, I couldn’t lift myself at your age.” He says, laughing as Damian swallows thickly, still not accepting it. Bruce extends his hand, and Damian takes a few steps closer, still looking anywhere but at his father. “You are not weak my son, you should not be disappointed by last night, you were able to call for help when you needed it, you saved me. I couldn’t be more proud.” He says; pulling Damian into an unwilling hug. The boy is stiff, but doesn’t move out of fear of hurting him.

𖥔 “I will be stronger next time.” He whispers; and Bruce hums, kissing the side of his head. “You will be. I will too. You are the son of Batman, hold your head high, you are not weak.” Bruce whispers, and it’s the most comforting thing he can offer Damian, speaking to him the way he knows he needs to hear. Damian will be stronger, Damian won’t let himself lose his father.

Barbara

𖥔 Babs strong suit was being behind a screen. It was what she was best at, better than anything. She loved it, she loved helping people, making a difference, getting to see it all unfold and see people saved again, and again. She held her title as Oracle with pride. Batman wouldn’t be nearly as successful as he is every mission without her. Well, he might be able to be successful, but it wouldn’t be as fast if Babs wasn’t behind him already getting it all done before he has the time to even ask. She prides herself in being a needed ally, more than just a side player that helps occasionally. Batman often offered her the same encouragements, and acknowledges her hard work, and how much she helps them all.

𖥔 It was supposed to be a quiet patrol. Bruce is by himself tonight, Damian is sleeping, Tim is with the titans, Dick is in Blüdhaven, and she’s casually finishing some case files while Bruce sits and watches the city, both of them enjoying the quiet night.

𖥔 Barbara is scared into focus by the sound of an explosion. “Bats??” She asks, quickly typing away, pulling up his footage, and zeroing in on whats in front of him. Bruce moves like he’s injured, a villain attacks him. They’re wearing a mask, she can’t tell who it is. She pulls up the nearby cameras, watching the fight from all angles. She finds where he came from, running the plates and all information on the car, but it reports stolen, and the villain doesn’t match the description as the little old lady that registered it.

𖥔 “Bats talk to me who are these guys?” She calls, pulling up everything she can, Batman hasn’t said a word, and she knows he’s injured, she sees him lose his balance, she hears the scuffle, the back and forth, and then everything goes dark. Every last camera and screen is black. “Bat!” She shouts, trying to pull it all back up. It’s not her system, everything else is working fine, but those few cameras she needs, her comm with Batman, all of it is dark.

𖥔 She stares forward in shock, what the hell happened? She tries not to panic over losing Bruce, assuring herself it’s just some alleyway goon that Bruce will have handled in minutes, so she tries to dive into who this is. She runs everything, vocal recognition, pulling up the neighboring cameras to search for who this is, where they came from, how they snuck up on Batman.

𖥔 Everything leads to a dead end. Barbara curses and slams her hands on the desk, anger overcoming her as her heart starts to beat faster. Why has Bruce still not told her he’s okay? Why hasn’t he fixed the comm, or found a way to send her a signal. Everything’s okay, bad guys apprehended, I’m fine. Where was her reassurance? Batman never goes dark like this, and the fact that everything is turned off from her is terrifying.

𖥔 She pulls up any possible lead she has, anything that could connect her to this, anything they could use. She thinks she’s finally found something when a camera pulls back up; and she gasps, Batman is laying on the floor, not moving, blood underneath him. Then the camera goes black again. Her whole screen is black and she can see her reflection in it, staring in her own eyes. Her hair is down, and the dark of the screen hides her features from her view, and she cries. If she was Batgirl she could help Bruce, she wouldn’t be here defenseless, grasping at straws as Bruce lays at a villains mercy. She doesn’t know if he’s even still alive, if he’s still breathing, she’s just sitting here while Bruce suffers.

𖥔 Barbara has never felt less than the others just because she worked from the safety of the watch tower, she never felt like she wasn’t as vital to them, to helping. But now she does. She’s scared, she’s angry, why can’t she just help him.

𖥔 “Oracle?” Jason’s voice echoes over the comms, and she sighs shakily. “Bat is down, I’ve lost all communication, and all nearby cameras went dark. I’ve just sent you his address, can you get to him?” She asks, voice weak as she stares at a map, seeing where Jason is, only a few miles from Bruce. “On my way. Who is it?” He asks, and her throat is thick as she stares at the screen. “I don’t know. I couldn’t figure it out.” She rasps, it’s humiliating to say out loud, it makes her sick. She doesn’t know, she’s supposed to know. She’s the one that always knows.

𖥔 “All done, Bats is good.” Jason’s voice shocks her. “Wait what??” She replies, and the cameras are all live again, she sees the goons unconscious on the floor. Jason has Bruce’s arm slung over his shoulder. He looks directly at a camera and waves. “They had an interceptor or whatever, knocked everything offline. B might have a headache but he’s fine, they were just some thugs trying to get a jump on him. Gcpd’s already closing in, but I’m bringing some tech back, one of ‘em had something that looks like a homemade vertigo headband, can you look into it?” He asks, and she sniffles, hastily wiping at her eyes. “Sure can; bring it on down.” She sighs, relief washing over her. Bruce is okay, she’s back online, everything is okay.

𖥔 Bruce sits with Barbara as she types everything into a file. He’s benched until his concussion heals, and she’s putting it all into files to save in the bat computer if the thugs he fought ever become a problem again. “You did good.” Bruce compliments as she saves it all. “Hm?” She responds, glancing at him. “With your system going dark, you did good, you still led Jason right to me, still got it all resolved. Thank you.” Bruce says, and she smiles, pride welling in her chest as she nods, facing the computer again. Despite her worries and fears, she didn’t need to be Batgirl to help him, Oracle was who got Red Hood to Batman and helped even when it all went dark; she still did her job, and she did damn good at it.

Steph

𖥔 Steph is an accident with a bat symbol on her chest. She doesn’t try to be, but her need to prove herself, and her fear of her fathers footsteps makes her jump the gun, it makes her so desperate for validation she cuts corners, and makes things messy. She really doesn’t try to, and because she’s so young and anxious she doesn’t realize what she’s done until it happens, and then she’s humiliated and knows she will be looked down upon even more after.

𖥔 So it’s only fitting that one time she cuts corners, it ends with Bruce unconscious, head bleeding, arms still wrapped around Steph from where he’d shielded her with his own body. Steph was not supposed to be on the ground, this was a simple mission, Robin was supposed to be his eyes in the sky, not trying to assist him, not getting herself caught, not getting stuck in an exploding building where Bruce himself gets caught in the explosion to protect her from it.

𖥔 Her need to prove herself is out the window when she shoves Bruce off of her, gasping violently as she sees the way his body rolls limply, the way he doesn’t move, the way his cowl is dripping blood and it’s begun to pool underneath him. She took on this mantle, she wanted to prove she wasn’t like her father, she wanted Bruce to see value in her, and now he might be dying because of her.

𖥔 No, no, no, no. Steph is yanking his cowl off, wincing as his head hits the ground again, making a wet noise from the blood already spilling from it. “Hey, Hey Bat? Cmon, wake up now.” She pleads, voice shaking as she presses gauze to the wound, watching it immediately turn red, she swaps it for a new piece and takes a shaky breath, looking around them. The goons left when they set the bomb, they knew Batman would be too busy trying to save Girl wonder that they could escape, so they’re alone, the Batmobile has already been called to them, so Steph stands and hooks her arms under Bruce’s, yanking upward.

𖥔 She struggles, and pants and cries, but she manages to shove him ungracefully into the car, panic beginning to overwhelm her as she jumps into the drivers seat, fiddling with the shifts and buttons she’s still not too familiar with. Thankfully it has auto-pilot, and kicks itself into gear, speeding down the road as Steph taps at the screen, blood smearing across it. “Hey A, B is hurt real bad. Are you home?” She asks it casually, laughing as her panic rises up her throat, her heart racing as she glances at Bruce.

𖥔 “Yes, I will be waiting in the cave.” Alfred responds, and she swaps the gauze on his head, tears finally starting to fall as she looks at his face. Did she really let Bruce die just because she wanted to be strong? Bruce is bleeding out just because she wanted to prove she was different, prove she could do it. “I’m sorry B.” She sobs. She just wanted to make him proud, she wanted him to care for her the way he cares for his sons, even when she keeps him at arms length and doesn’t let him view her as one of his kids. She doesn’t want a dad. She told them. She has a dad and he’s a bad person and she’s going to prove she isn’t.

𖥔 “I’m sorry dad.” She rasps, staring at Bruce’s face as they come to a screeching halt in the cave. Alfred has Bruce laid on a table and the bleeding has stopped within four minutes. Steph sits, still bloody and crying as Alfred moves fluidly around her, getting Bruce stable, assuring her he is just fine.

𖥔 When Bruce wakes up Steph hands him her Robin costume. He furrows his eyebrows and takes it, still confused. “I almost got you killed trying to prove myself.” She tells him; and he sighs, opening his mouth to respond, but she stops him. “I can’t follow orders, I endangered you, I endangered myself. I can’t be Robin, I can’t live up to what they were, and I don’t want to. I’ll prove myself to you, and I won’t let you get hurt because of me just to do it.” She sounds mature, less scared. Bruce sets the suit down and nods once. “I do not regret doing what needs to be done to save you. I would do it again.” Bruce responds. Scolding her for not following orders seems pointless now, she’s no longer Robin; and she acknowledged her own fault, he doesn’t need to double down, especially not when she’s dealing with her own regret and fears after what happened. “I’m still sorry. I’ll be better.” She rasps, and Bruce hugs her, petting her hair gently as she fights back the tears burning behind her eyes. She’ll prove herself right this time.

Cass

𖥔 Cass stops. She’s always been the quickest one, the slyest, the one to get in and get out and have it not just done, but done good. Cass is untouchable, unbreakable, an unstoppable force hell bent on saving innocent people and protecting the world from the horrors that others bring upon them. Cass is strong because other people aren’t, and they need her to be for them. Gotham needs her.

𖥔 So when she’s fighting, she’s taking out bad guys and escorting hostages out of a burning building, she ends up cornered, hiding a little girl behind her as a goon points a gun at her. “I’ll tell you what little bat, her life for yours. You wanna walk away? Give me the girl. I’ll make sure you don’t have to see.” The man taunts, something sick bubbling in Cass’ gut, fighting down her anger as she analyzes his stance, trying to figure out how to disarm him without a stray bullet possibly hitting the girl.

𖥔 Batman drops down in front of them before she can do anything, giving her a distraction so she can run. She grabs the girl and takes off, hearing them fighting as she goes. She finds an exit and rushes out it, flames dancing inches from them as she runs toward the other hostages, carefully setting the little girl down, she turns back to the building, seeing fire already blocking the exit she just came out from. She wraps her cape around herself and rushes forward, already a step back inside, the fire sizzling around her, and the building explodes. She’s thrown backward, ears ringing as she tries to get back up, adrenaline pumping faster than ever.

𖥔 She hears the people crying, arms shaking as she pushes herself up, only to fall again. Bruce was still in there. She shakily looks up, staring at the rubble ahead of her, gasping for air as she staggers to her feet. Bruce, Bruce. She’s chanting his name, she can’t find her voice, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly, and she lets out a pained cry as she falls to her knees, staring forward helplessly as the red flames dance in her eyes.

𖥔 “Batman?” The little girl from before stands in front of Cass, tears welling in her eyes as Batgirl looks up at her. Cass knows she’s needs to check the hostages, make sure everyone’s okay; count and see if anyone died in the explosion. But she knows part of that answer already, Bruce was still inside, she was too late going back in to save him, he was in there because she let herself get backed into a wall and he had to save her. He got left behind because of her.

𖥔 Cass sits back on her heels, staring at her hands blindly. Now what? What could she do? What was Gotham going to do without having a Batman, how many innocent people were going to suffer and die because Batman died for her? How much death is she going to cause? What did it matter that Batgirl survived if Batman didn’t?

𖥔 “Batman!” The little girl says again; and it only hurts Cass worse, looking up through teary eyes, she sees the girl isn’t even facing her, her back it to Cass, and her arm is extended as she points to the building still burning. Batman is walking out of the flames, holding the same goon that had attacked them. He sets the man down once they’re a safe distance, and Cass is already on her feet, running as fast as she can, and jumping into Bruce’s arms.

𖥔 “I’m sorry for worrying you Batgirl.” Batman says softly, he has to keep their identities safe, he has to watch what he says, but they both know by the way he’s hugging her. I’m sorry Cassie, I’m here. She sobs, body shaking as he holds her gently, rubbing her back through the suit. She’s gasping weakly, mouth moving but no words come out. Even though she’s hidden by her mask Bruce knows she’s trying to speak.

𖥔 “Easy, you’re alright.” He says, setting her down so they’re looking at one another, and she holds onto his arms desperately. “Dad. Safe.” She manages out, and Bruce nods, hugging her again as she cries quietly. They’ll eventually have to pull away and assess the situation, but right now the hostages are okay, and Cass needs to be held by her dad for a little while longer.

Duke

𖥔 Duke working during the day means things are a lot different for Signal than they are for the bats. He has his usual route to patrol, he knows the ins and outs of this city, he knows which places are most commonly victim to robberies and petty crimes, it’s not an easy job, but he enjoys doing it, he enjoys helping people.

𖥔 Duke hasn’t had to stop or fight anyone today. There haven’t been any robberies, no purse or car thief’s, only a stray dog begging for some of his granola bar, it was quiet. Duke sits on a rooftop checking the time and seeing his patrol is almost over, it wouldn’t hurt if he went home half an hour before usual today, nothings happened, he’s sure nothing will happen in these thirty minutes, right?

𖥔 It’s almost like the universe was waiting for him to be ready to head home, because he hears an alarm ringing from a few buildings away. He hurries that way, face falling as he sees several men running out of a bank, carrying bags full of money. He grapples to them, pulling a baton from his utility belt, he’s about to land on the ground when he hears someone scream for help.

𖥔 “He’s hurt someone help!” A woman inside the bank cries out, and Dukes face falls as he looks at them, there’s someone injured, he weighs his options of stopping the thief’s first, or helping the injured person, but as he looks at the man laying on the ground, the air is knocked out of him. “Bruce.” He gasps, rushing over, forgetting about the thief’s as they speed off and disappear, he skids to a stop at Bruce’s side.

𖥔 Bruce Wayne is unconscious on the floor of the bank, bleeding out of a bullet wound in his stomach. “Bruce!” Duke cries out, rushing to his side. This isn’t Batman injured in a fight, or hurt by a villain. This is Bruce Wayne, out in the lively hours of Gotham, getting shot in a bank robbery. “Mr. Wayne, can you hear me? Sir?” Duke yanks his gloves off and checks for a pulse. When he feels one he immediately starts applying pressure to the wound. “He stood between them and me, it’s all my fault.” The girl sobs, she’s clearly a bank teller, her hands and skirt covered in Bruce’s blood.

𖥔 Duke is in full panic, he’s Signal right now, he’s not Bruce’s newest ward, he’s not tending to an injured Batman. Signal the vigilante is helping Bruce Wayne, the prince of Gotham; a stranger. “Hang in there sir, you’re gonna be okay.” Duke forces his voice to sound controlled, despite the way something sits in his throat, tears stinging behind his eyes.

𖥔 A crowd has formed now, hushed whispers and shocked gasps surrounding him as he pushes harder on the wound, his hands begin to shake, Bruce’s skin is losing color, there really is a lot of blood around them. Getting shot isn’t nearly enough to take down Batman, he would walk it off. But Bruce Wayne hasn’t even woken up, how long has it been now? Duke feels sick, breathing shaky as he wraps the wound.

𖥔 Thankfully someone had called 911 because Duke can hear the sirens, and an ambulance pulls up seconds later. He’s gently pulled back, and Bruce is lifted onto a gurney. “Thank you kid, we’ll take it from here.” An emt tells him, and then they take off with Bruce, leaving Duke alone, leaving the vigilante standing there, covered in blood, with a hundred eyes on him. “T-Thank you, you saved him.” The bank teller whispers, Duke helps her to her feet, moving on autopilot as he stares at his own hands, skin crawling as tears sting behind his eyes. He only nods, disappearing onto the rooftop, and running away.

𖥔 He informs the others, and by that night the thieves are caught by Red Robin and Spoiler, and Duke lies in his bed, he’s in his pajamas, he’s showered, but he stares at his hands and sees the red dripping from them, he feels the weight of Bruce’s body, limp and unmoving, he feels himself clinging to his fathers body, and having to act as a stranger, having to keep their identities separate, and not knowing if he would survive. If that killed him, Dukes last moment with him would’ve been as strangers, being watched by hundreds of eyes, and thousands more from the videos circulating.

𖥔 There’s a soft knock on the door and Duke hums, watching through tired eyes as Alfred walks inside, sets down a phone, and walks out before Duke can say anything. The screen is black so Duke only stares, confused until he hears a throat clear. “Duke?” Bruce’s voice rings through the phone, and the boys tears finally fall, hands shaking as he picks up the phone. He has a moment of fear that he’s going to get blood on it, but has to remind himself that there’s no blood on his skin anymore, he’s sure there still is on Bruce’s

𖥔 “Hey kiddo.” Bruce says when Duke doesn’t respond. “Hi.” He manages to rasp, and Bruce hums at the acknowledgement. “You did really good today.” Bruce says, and Duke cries harder, holding his head in his hands as he stays quiet so Bruce can’t hear. “I know it doesn’t feel like it, and I know you’re beating yourself up, but you did exactly as you should’ve. You let the thieves go to help the victim, you kept the victim stable until medical professionals arrived, you had the situation handled so the thieves were caught. You did everything wonderfully Signal.” Bruce compliments, and then a sob escapes Dukes lips, Bruce doesn’t say anything else and Duke sniffles. “It wasn’t an innocent bystander it was you.” He huffs, a bite behind his words as his own failure weighs him down, despite the fact that he didn’t fail at anything, he did everything he was supposed to do.

𖥔 “And it was you Duke. I’m safe because of you.” Bruce says, and the boy huffs in anger. “What the hell was I supposed to do? If something worse happened? If that was the last time I saw you? I had to treat you like Bruce Wayne; I had to be a stranger.” He says, hurt bleeding through his words, and Bruce hums softly. “Your suit doesn’t mean anything Duke, it is still you inside of it. A suit will never change who we are, what you mean to me. I was comforted that my son was there, not Signal.” Bruce says, and Duke squeezes his eyes shut, letting more tears fall as Bruce takes a deep breath. “I know how you’re feeling, and I want you to know that you don’t have to feel this way, you saved me Duke, and I will never compare you to your alias.” He says, and Duke sniffles, nodding even though Bruce can’t see him.

𖥔 “They’re letting me come home tomorrow, and I’m benched until I’m healed, so we’ll spend some time together okay? Just us, no suits or names.” Bruce says, and Duke smiles small. “Sounds good.” He responds, sniffling. “Good. Get some rest Duke, everything’s going to be okay.” He assures him, and they whisper their goodnights and hang up. The weight has been lifted off of Dukes chest, and he takes a deep breath, lying back down. Bruce is okay, and so is Duke.

Bruce Wayne has a family that loves him, and doesn’t know how they’d survive losing him. And he knows he wouldn’t survive losing them. That’s what makes their family so perfect.

༺♡♱⋆🦇⋆♱♡༻

This was so fun to write thank you for the request! I love getting to write out Bruce’s relationship with the kids, and had to include all of them for this one, it turned out wayyy longer than planned, had to bring the family together :’). I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. ᡣ𐭩

[marinettesaltprompts]

So it's not confusing among the submissions this is part 2

It had been a couple of years since Adrien had moved to Gotham, and it was the best choice he had ever made. He married his childhood friend who he always loved, he was surrounded by his kids, and the kwami's were happy to roam around the manor freely. Unlike the mansion he grew up in in Paris, Wayne manor truly felt like a home. It was warm, loud, and full of life. When they first reconnected, it took him a while to recognize the signs of Bruce being a vigilante. When he told Bruce that he knew, they sat down and talked about him training to be batman and Adrien's experience being chat noir fighting hawkmoth.

Not long after their talk they started dating. It was a surprise when Bruce adopted Dick but he was more than happy to be there for him, and by the time Jason came into the picture they were married. Even though his husband and kids were vigilantes, Adrien wasn't. He had his fill of heroism back in Paris, so, he was perfectly happy to stay with Alfred and help from the cave. If they ever needed him he had no problem transforming and going out. It's also not uncommon for someone to bring back a miraculous they found, sometimes they got lucky and found entire miracle boxes. When they heard the story of what happened in new york and shanghai they decided to collect any they came across.

Marinette however had never moved on from Adrien. She was livid when chat noir had tricked her and took her miraculous, even more when he told the public that Gabriel Agreste had been killed during the fight. To her it was too harsh for Adrien to handle, this feeling only deepened when he left without telling anyone. At least she thought he didn't tell anyone but it turned out he told Luka and Kagami. No matter how much she begged and pleaded they wouldn't tell her where he went or how he was doing, telling her she needed to respect his privacy. She focused on trying to grow her brand but it was hard when the industry was so cut throat and new people were getting recognized everyday.

Marinette was in Gotham for an anniversary gala to try and get her work out there, though she couldn't remember what couple the gala was supposed to be celebrating. Then like her eyes were drawn there, she spotted a familiar figure with blonde hair. Marinette was excited as she made her way towards him, even with his back turned she'd recognize him anywhere. Adrien momentarily froze hearing a familiar voice. He hadn't seen Marinette in a long time and after Paris he planed to keep it that way. Through out the conversation he made sure to keep a distance while still being polite. Then she asked the unexpected, "Do you want to go out for dinner later". Thankfully Dick came to his rescue saying it was time for the announcement.

Marinette watched as Adrien and the mysterious man walked away for some sort of announcement. She was disappointed that she didn't get an answer but figured she could ask again once the announcement was over. She was surprised that the gala was for the Bruce Wayne and found her world shattered when he announced his anniversary with his husband Adrien. She couldn't believe it, after all those years hoping he would come home, he was here married with kids. Adrien had moved on from Paris while Marinette was stuck in the past, hoping that he would come back and they would get married, have three kids, and a hamster. Everything was supposed to be perfect and yet Adrien had left and built a life and a family for himself while she was just there.

[bloop24]

Adribat part 2

It had been a couple of years since Adrien had moved to Gotham, and it was the best choice he had ever made. He married his childhood friend who he always loved, he was surrounded by his kids, and the kwami's were happy to roam around the manor freely. Unlike the mansion he grew up in in Paris, Wayne manor truly felt like a home. It was warm, loud, and full of life. When they first reconnected, it took him a while to recognize the signs of Bruce being a vigilante. When he told Bruce that he knew, they sat down and talked about him training to be batman and Adrien's experience being chat noir fighting hawkmoth.

Not long after their talk they started dating. It was a surprise when Bruce adopted Dick but he was more than happy to be there for him, and by the time Jason came into the picture they were married. Even though his husband and kids were vigilantes, Adrien wasn't. He had his fill of heroism back in Paris, so, he was perfectly happy to stay with Alfred and help from the cave. If they ever needed him he had no problem transforming and going out. It's also not uncommon for someone to bring back a miraculous they found, sometimes they got lucky and found entire miracle boxes. When they heard the story of what happened in new york and shanghai they decided to collect any they came across.

Marinette however had never moved on from Adrien. She was livid when chat noir had tricked her and took her miraculous, even more when he told the public that Gabriel Agreste had been killed during the fight. To her it was too harsh for Adrien to handle, this feeling only deepened when he left without telling anyone. At least she thought he didn't tell anyone but it turned out he told Luka and Kagami. No matter how much she begged and pleaded they wouldn't tell her where he went or how he was doing, telling her she needed to respect his privacy. She focused on trying to grow her brand but it was hard when the industry was so cut throat and new people were getting recognized everyday.

Marinette was in Gotham for an anniversary gala to try and get her work out there, though she couldn't remember what couple the gala was supposed to be celebrating. Then like her eyes were drawn there, she spotted a familiar figure with blonde hair. Marinette was excited as she made her way towards him, even with his back turned she'd recognize him anywhere. Adrien momentarily froze hearing a familiar voice. He hadn't seen Marinette in a long time and after Paris he planed to keep it that way. Through out the conversation he made sure to keep a distance while still being polite. Then she asked the unexpected, "Do you want to go out for dinner later". Thankfully Dick came to his rescue saying it was time for the announcement.

Marinette watched as Adrien and the mysterious man walked away for some sort of announcement. She was disappointed that she didn't get an answer but figured she could ask again once the announcement was over. She was surprised that the gala was for the Bruce Wayne and found her world shattered when he announced his anniversary with his husband Adrien. She couldn't believe it, after all those years hoping he would come home, he was here married with kids. Adrien had moved on from Paris while Marinette was stuck in the past, hoping that he would come back and they would get married, have three kids, and a hamster. Everything was supposed to be perfect and yet Adrien had left and built a life and a family for himself while she was just there.

[tortoisetales]

The Cass Investigates Boys (and her Identity) era

from "Batgirl 2000" aka I just wanted to make a couple silly comments yet here we are

#39 - Cass: Superboy looking at me in this bikini gives me the ick. That terrorist, though ... 👀

#40 - Cass: Terrorist arrested ... guess it's time to give Superboy a chance.

#41 - Superboy: Here's a very romantic castle I made for you also I am terrified haha friends?

#42 - Batman: I am NOT trying to keep her from having any normal experiences so she doesn't give up vigilantism CLARK YOU TALK TO THAT BOY BEFORE I CASTRATE HIM

#43 - Bruce: We are here to prevent genocides caused by supervillains ONLY, not ones caused by the US government. Those are just politics.

#44 - Cute terrorist dies u_u They abandon the country to its exploitation, and it's not even clear they get Dr. Death??? I'll assume they did. (Edit: They did not.)

#45 - Me: (thinking Tim comes off as very innocent baby gay in his appearances so far) Tim: If I just tell people to stop rioting, they will. Batgirl, you look hot in that costume. (*facepalm* Also my brain was like "His bi awakenings were OG Robin and Batgirl specifically.") Sadly, the OG costume does not make Cass feel powerful like Babs said, just like she's wearing another bikini. :( She looks pretty powerful defending Tim after he gets punched out by the mob though:

#46 - Babs and Dick break up, love is over. Cass hallucinates everyone saying mean things about her, including that she's hot, that she's not hot, that she's a disappointment, and that she's a poor little meow meow.

#47 - Batman’s mad that Cass isn’t obeying him and also that she solved a case before him despite not “being ready” or “a detective”. Babs thinks that isolating a teenager and expecting them to be a completely loyal soldier in your war or else you’ll punish them is abuse maybe ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 48 - Batman agrees that he’s been abusing Batgirl and also says he’s used all his sons and Alfred (?!?!?) Babs isn't so sure--kids rebel. Cass accidentally wrecks a sting operation, and she’s fired. (Also, Cass literally doesn’t understand the idea of letting the little fish lead you to the big fish to save more people??? Why are you not teaching her this?)

49 - Cass goes out despite being fired. Who could have predicted this?!?!

50 - oookay *sets aside quickie format*

Flashback to Cain and baby Cass. He slaps her out of nowhere, which makes her smile. She defeats him and gives him a kiss on the cheek. Batman deliberately gets them both drugged with something meant to turn them both into killers. (He at least had the sense to bring Tim, who stops Dr. Death from getting away.) Nightwing is trying to stop hundreds of drugged people from killing each other, but leaves the drugged mob to try to stop Batman and Cass fighting. This fails, and Batman and Cass cause a fuel tanker to flip and cause an explosion in the middle of a crowded bridge. Cass saves Batman from exploding and they hug and talk and leave a concerned and confused Tim and Dick (who thought maybe they'd exploded) behind. Babs calls Batman on getting them drugged on purpose. Batman claims he had to do it because Cass only understands violence, that’s her language. BULLSHIT. Look at this:

What she understands is PHYSICAL LANGUAGE. Like HUGS. She straight up tells you with words that her father never held her like she wanted, and you interpret that to mean you were right to emulate his abuse by forcing her to fight someone she cares about? Because being abused is what she understands because she was raised in an abusive household? I’m dying. I can’t believe editorial thought this version of Batman was a good idea. He wants her to live in a hole and have no friends.

Anyway, Cass says that she’s loyal to the Bat symbol, to the mission. How long will that satisfy Batman before he realizes it means she’s still deciding things for herself? No idea. Tim's 16th birthday just happened (Batman doesn't want Tim to have friends either, but sadly Jack Drake won't let him live in a hole). So I'm assuming that he was never worried about her, but fired her knowing she would go out and that he could set up this little test.

Gonna take a break from Batgirl. The Babs relationship can be cute, but Batman's constant presence ... and Nightwing hasn't continued to mentor her and Tim hasn't continued to show up and be friends. It's all Bat-dick all the time.

[thenixkat]

Decided to look up the comics that Scarab (lady assassin) firs showed up

also Tim Drake had parents, that were around for a while b4 they got killed off. Apparently, he was hiding the superhero thing from them

Bruce beating Tim's ass in training

and high expectations

apparently, Bruce is upset with Tim for killing someone huh

wow. nice parenting. Maybe Tim needs some therapy for having killed someone instead of his ass beaten and held to very strict expectations

ah yes fire the child sidekick when they're going through it

so batman is a bad parent

i doubt bruce is a good boss at wayne tech if he's like this when an employee disappoints him by going through shit

and Tim's gonna get it when he gets home from lying to his parents

damn Drake parents

just the downsides of not telling yer parents shit

of course the guy that tim thinks he killed is still alive and plotting

what the fuck is up with the ladies in the Batfam being down with hurting their partners?

if Tim wants to retire? let him? just cause you'd rather be on the field doesnt mean he's not going through it believing he killed a man

Tim has to stay a hero, even though his heart isnt in it rn which could lead to him getting hurt or killed or failing to save the day, b/c he saved the day and helped people and most people dont have the temperament or skill to be superheroes

Mr. Drake found Tim's stache

Mr. Drake pulled up at Bruce's house

apparently, they used to be neighbors, the Drakes fell on some hard times i guess

Alfred dont try to gaslight this man when youve been helping endanger his child

Mr. Drake is not having that shit. Good on him for being pissed off at the adults who's been endangering his child

wow, Mr. Drake decided to pull up on Bruce with a gun for endangering his child. Good on him. Gods below, imagine if that's how Batman died? The parent of one of his child sidekicks decides to take him to task on the child endangerment.

haha! Pull the trigger Mr. Drake! End Batman's miserable fucking life!

damnit Mr. Drake you waited too long to pull the trigger

man imagine if Bruce ever had like lasting consequences for the child endangerment that just fucking takes him out/he has to actively deal with it instead of brooding and moving on. Like clearly the dead child as of this comic wasnt enough

also yeah, makes sense that Batman would have a bad rep with common people. His costume is intent to scare and he frequently maims and cripples people

expose his ass mr. Drake!

Bruce really goes out his way to put in insults talking to this kid

someone is grounded

Tim you are literally a child and Bruce is the adult, it doesnt matter if you volunteered Batman had no right to take you up on the offer. Given the minor without parental permission

Bruce that is not a fucking excuse for child endangerment. You could literally go out and get an adult to be yer sidekick or replacement…only adults arent as moldable and controllable as kids huh?

also Bruce, its not a good look to yell at the child who's not yours that you've been endangering infront of his parent

Bruce can't even hold back his shitty parenting to look less awful infront of Mr. Drake

the war

the war against… crime is that fucking serious

Mr. Drake you should still expose Batman b/c fuck him. And also demand Batman offer some fucking compensation for all this

yeah that makes sense. Mr. Drake should still demand payment for all the fucking child labor

[howlsmovingmind]

I used to love Superheroes when I was a kid. I loved Spiderman, the X-men, the Hulk, Captain America, Superman, and even Iron Man. I loved the cartoons and the movies. I loved what they stood for. I even loved stuff like Transformers (mostly because I had a massive crush on Megan Fox when I was like 5) and Star Wars.

Being such an imaginative child, I loved to dress up and play pretend as these characters. My brother had an Iron Man toy that I played with endlessly. I used to try to climb up walls or swing by ropes so that I could be like Peter Parker. I had Luke’s lightsaber when I was maybe 4 or 5 and I would practice with it all the time.

I believed in these characters. I loved how they chose to do what was right and did their best to help others. They were smart, courageous, and able.

As I got older though, my love of these superheroes dwindled. I thought they were harsh, destructive, and crass. A money grab that reenforced military propaganda and toxic gender roles for both sexes. Men and women in tight suits, inadequate communication, convoluted plots. And for what? Just to be a show of power? Violence? Exercising one’s own skewed view of justice?

I ended up despising the heroes I grew up loving. I hated their hatred. Their stoic personalities and their inability to truly fix anything. I hated the unnecessary destruction and violence. I hated how powerless they truly were. I hated their imperfection and the way they were so human, no matter how much they tried to be more than what they were.

I especially hated heroes like Batman.

Batman is a playboy billionaire who fights those who are victims. Victims of the system, of abuse, or who are severely mentally ill. The Joker is the only one you can really argue is a true villain, through and through. Simply an agent of chaos who wants the world to burn (if Alfred Pennyworth in the Dark Knight is to be believed).

Bruce Wayne’s parents were killed in front of him at 10 years old. And what he decides to do with all his fame and wealth and trauma is go after criminals with fancy gadgets and beat them within inches of their lives? Put them in a crumbling asylum where they are tortured and abused?

WHAT?

And the thing about Alfred is that he is the poster child for the military. I love Alfred as a concept, but as an actual character with his morals, I’ve learned that I don’t actually like him.

The Batman story and comics advocate for the justice system, not choosing who gets to live and die, trusting your police officers, and rehabilitation for villains and criminals. That sounds incredible! But the way it’s executed does none of that.

And if you take into account that the Joker is most likely to be “The Oscar Wilde Sort”, or pretty damn gay, the worse it gets. Because he’s just trying to create chaos! Corrupt your children! Crime will rule the streets if he is allowed to run wild!

Sound familiar?

Superheroes had disappointed me. The stories that used to inspire me now made me lose faith in how we view the world and how we view the disenfranchised or those who are “othered”. How we view the homeless, poor, sick, disabled, mentally ill, queer, non-white people of the world.

These characters and stories were written decades ago, when that was the narrative they were trying to push. It makes sense why these stories look like this. But we can explore these stories in a different way, and they will still resemble the original material. Telltale Batman did a great job of that. I think it was a great way to explore the darker themes that we see within Batman and make a more realistic version of his story.

The villains were victims of the elite, the government, domestic abuse, mental illness, death, and grief. They explore Bruce Wayne’s parentage and how they would have accumulated their enormous wealth without push back. The corruption of the government and branches of the police and special forces. How hard it is to truly balance justice and bias. It’s the best way to write the Batman story, in my opinion.

It’s the best way to write a superhero story, period.

We are only human, at the end of the day. We aren’t perfect, and neither are these heroes. We can only do so much. So, with what we can do, I think we should be kind.

Just an end of post disclaimer: I am aware that The Batman villains are murderers and are genuinely hurting those around them in the story. They are genuinely dangerous villains. Okay, thank you.

Criminally Other,

Howl

[mydarlingbat]

THE RATING OF TEN COMICS #3

Batman 221 It's about a villain who turn harmless animals into predators and raving beast. He also plans to use this on humans. The serum of course. When he's about to inject it into someone. Batman arrives to stop him, but by them being disturbed. His wife stabs him with the syringe, announcing He would be her champion. He then becomes enormous, and slaps her, eventually killing her from the impact. Batman battles with the enormous guy otto for a little while, however both wound up dying in the end. Batman saves the day. 4 out of 10

Batman #222 a band of musicians arrives. Batman and Robin has suspicion about one of them, but in the end they find out the whole band has actually died on a plane clash, and they all are look alikes. Who had a little plastic surgery and speech therapy and voice training. The man admits he didn't want to disappoint the fans. In the end they still wound up singing for the fans. 9 out of 10

Batman #223 look it's a bunch of golden age comics thrown together. I didn't read it, because i don't plan on reading the golden age now.

Batman #224 Batman is heartbroken by the death of a jazz player he used to listens to. Batman goes to New Orleans to find the murderer, but meets up with Maxwell dill, a close friend to the Jazz player blind buddy. The killer is actually the enormous beast Batman fought earlier in the comic, but he pretends he subjected to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. His lower face is always hidden. At the end of the comic Batman stops him for once and for all. 6 out of 10

Batman #225 Jonah jory is dying from a illness, and he hates the Batman for some reason. So one day he makes a decision to set up the Batman. He pays a couple thugs cash to dress up as the Batman. Prior to this one buys a gun, and the other stands on the rooftop by the window where the man's has taken his life. When in reality Jonah took his own life. This leads to them believing Batman has pulled the trigger, although Batman convinces everyone by showing them it'd have been impossible for him to do it this way. 7 out of 10

Batman #226 Basically it's about a man who tries to stop Batman from stopping the blast, along with that, the man thinks Batman set the fuse. His sight is burr, so he wrestle with the Batman, and Batman's trying to stop the blast. Now the blind man believes Batman threw something at his eyes, which is hardly the case, however Batman can't see either. The doctor gives the man's eyes on his fingers, which is why he's call the ten eye guy. It's not much more to this story to be honest. Batman does slowly gain his sight back, while the ten eye guy wants revenge on Batman for making him into this freak. 6 out 10

Batman #227 Daphine is back in town. She writes Alfred a letter, letting him know she accepted to be a teacher and work with children, however this is just to lead her in a trap, so they can sacrifice her to a demon. Batman does eventually saves her, and falls in love with a spirit I believe. Who tells him she can't be with him in so many words. Bruce cries at the end of the comic. 6 out of 10

Batman #228 a bunch of golden age comics thrown in our faces once again. 3 out of 10

Batman #229 A group of people who call themselves the futurtrains who kidnapped Stephen, because they believe he's one of them. Now let's get one thing straight. Theses people are absolutely nuts, but it's so funny too. Batman is stunned by the things they're doing. It's just really funny to be honest, but anyways, Batman meet up with Stephen's wife, which leads him to the place. Batman saves Stephen and fights the futurtrains. This catches the boss attention. She now believes Batman is one of them. At the end Batman betrays them. 8 out of 10

Batman #230 It's about a bomb, and they all thinks it's a bunch of men, but it's really a women behind murders. It's not really much to the issue.. 3 out of 10

[navree]

Not sure if this has been mentioned anywhere else here but which are your favorite Jason Todd comic book runs?

Honestly, probably any of his stuff from when he was Robin in the 80s, I love Robin!Jason and he gets so frequently mischaracterized not just by the fandom but literally by modern writers within DC canon that someone needs to stick up for the little guy. I also include For The Man Who Has Everything in that because there's something very Good about little twelve year old Jason being the one who saves Batman from the Black Mercy, Superman from Mongol, and literally defeats Mongol in the process, I wish more people remembered that.

For Red Hood Jason, I hate to be a disappointment but I don't really keep up with modern DC because it pisses me off so egregiously (I tried guys, I did, but Gotham War is the last fucking straw, someone call me when they're sort of back to normal because what the fuck do you mean Bruce doesn't have a hand anymore???). So for Red Hood Jason, I tend to stick to Under the Red Hood, it's a solid story and has some great individual moments and I think it gives some solid characterization to a new iteration of Jason (that following stories immediately forgot but that's because DC didn't know what the fuck to do with Jason).

And for individual stories that have Jason in them, I wish I could remember the name and issue, but the book where Jason kidnaps Mia Dearden is great, I'm never not thinking about it, and Jason has a great moment during that whole arc where Kate Kane kills Clayface (I think it's Batman #951 or #967 but the number could be wrong, I just know that it's in the 900s). Also, it's not canon and I don't really care for the characterization or artwork, but Gotham Knights: Gilded City #5 had a moment about Jason that is simultaneously heartwrenching and also hysterically funny (both Jason and Tim are in trouble and Bruce is trying to figure out who to get to first and, upon being told by Alfred that Jason can handle himself and Tim is arguably in more danger, proceeds to ignore all of that and monologue about how he needs to go halfway around the world to get Jason because he's suffered too much already and he doesn't think either the family or he specifically could survive losing him again, which is very emotional but also sends me into fucking fits because he really just bowled over the fact that Jason could be fine and Tim might need him more without a second thought, it makes me so grateful my parents only had two kids and I'm the eldest so that I never had to witness the parenting of a middle child).

[kitkatt0430]

YAY, Alfred is reading a Grey Ghost book in the car outside the carnival, hehehe

Welp, Natalie just ate Stephanie.

So... the kids aren't dead, but Natalie wants to kill them. And I think she just paralyzed her brother.

(Still mentally chanting 'Bruce adopt three kids' here)

Meanwhile, Harvey is up to no good. Political shenanigans of the corrupt variety. And he's still trying to set a moral boundary. *sigh* You can't have it both ways, Harvey.

Anton - My sister has a rare affliction, but I cured her with mad science. Only now she's a soul vampire. And something about being lost forever if she's out in daylight, but I'm going to dramatically pass out or maybe die before elaborating.

Welp, Natalie's got a new victim in mind. And she's being all gaslighting creepy. This one is Carrie. And... not a main universe Robin, but I could swear there was a Carrie who became Robin in an alt universe future arc in the comics? I'm kinda proud they went obscure for that reference.

So now we have four kids named for Robins, I'm loving this. And it's taking place at a carnival with evil Wednesday Addams (Natalie)

(Batman adopt four children??? Please??? For me???)

Natalie - *sobbing* Mister, why did you do that? Batman - W-well, I mean, I... Natalie - Sucker.

Carrie saves Batman because of course a Robin saves Batman

Ooooh, so the brother is dead. Whoops. Natalie didn't mean to and she's gonna break down just in time for sunrise. Which burns her of course.

The kids are so adorable now that they've healed. Carrie is a great story teller. :D

Harvey may have taken the money, but he's decided not to let the bad guy walk as he was asked (ordered) to. But one acid-attack to the face later... and the episode ends in screaming. Guess I'll get to see Two Face next episode.

I'm a little disappointed we didn't get serial adopter Bruce in this episode, though. Just a little.