#and that is QUITE LITERALLY my childhood Batman

[sucharandomwolf]

And what if I said I was rewatching my childhood Batman?

[arguablysomaya]

Nightwing's weird fem-coding

! LONG POST !

Finally got around to jotting down my thoughts on the weird way that Dick Grayson (Nightwing) often occupies female-coded roles without being a particularly feminine guy. This is entirely due to me procrastinating on my finals. Okay!

Dick has often been cited as the hero who plays into the "female gaze", and he takes up some key roles that are typically reserved for women characters.

A large portion of Dick's fem-coding is contingent on his being with his family, and when he's not with them, this fem-coding kinda drops away, such as when he's with his various teams or acting solo.

His most prominent (and imo, complex) femme-coded role is:

-> Eldest Daughter + Widow

Eldest daughter syndrome means " frequently feeling like you’re not doing enough, like you’re struggling to maintain a veneer of control, like the entire household relies on your diligence." It's born out of the unique way that first-born girls are expected to take on adult roles around the household before they've had an opportunity to fully experience childhood (an opportunity their younger siblings will have, in part due to this sacrifice). It creates a strong sense of independence and a desire to be a good role model, but also leads to undue pressure and perfectionism.

Dick acts as a central emotional pillar for those in his family. To the point that when he fakes his death, it breaks something fundamental in the family dynamic:

Not only is it repeatedly made clear that Bruce depends on Dick to act as a lifeline for his own mental struggles, but moreover, his siblings do as well. In a very literal sense, the maintenance of the batfamily rests on Dick's shoulders. Bruce is so rarely available for emotional support that these children turn to the next best thing, which, to be fair, is better than what Dick had growing up. He has to clean up so many breakdowns, it's honestly pretty staggering.

As the OG sidekick, Dick receives quite a bit of hero worship, particularly from younger heroes/sidekicks, who look toward him for guidance. As a naturally upbeat and welcoming person, Dick ends up in the position of bringing light to everyone, not just Bruce. For example, here's Cassandra:

This balancing effect is unique to Dick's skill set. However, this can (and does) backfire very easily. The same pragmatism Bruce engages in hurts extra bad when coming from Dick: like when Dick had to take Robin away from Tim. Not to mention just how intimidating Dick's legacy is, which can create resentment when his successors aren't able to play this role so easily. For example, Jason both before and after his death expressed insecurity that he felt he was constantly being compared to Dick, and falling short.

As the original character that people think of when they think "sidekick", DG Robin (and his successors) had the advantage of not losing prominence even as his contemporaries (Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, etc.) were de-prioritized in favor of independent teenaged heroes (like Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire). But that means Robin as a concept now has to deal with questions that weren't so prominent in the earlier decades, such as: "How do we justify a grown-ass man using a child (and in fact, children) as emotional crutches?"

It's icky to think about, but there's no denying that early Batman and Robin got side eyes for homosexual subtext. I mean, they literally call each other "partners". So while that "subtext" was, and remains, just audience speculation, given Dick is literally Bruce's adopted son, there is room, I believe, to call into question how healthy it is for Bruce's oldest kid to be taking on a nearly-parental role and be a core pillar of Bruce's emotional regulation.

Hot take here, but I think Dick's relationship with Bruce was/has been pretty emotionally incestuous for a long time.

-> Emotional incest

"Emotional incest[...] is a type of emotional abuse performed by a parent. In cases of emotional incest, parents rely on their children for significant emotional support, which is a reversal of roles. Emotional incest is more than just relying on your kids on occasion—rather, it is an extreme dependence on them." (There's a pretty good argument to be made that Bruce has been emotionally incestuous with all his Robins, especially Dick and DEFINITELY Tim, but y'know. Small steps.)

Emotional incest is a semi-common consequence of eldest daughter syndrome; the natural conclusion of deputizing a child to manage the other children combining with an inability to see the child as a child, still in need of emotional guidance, but more like an adult capable of shouldering the burdens of grown-ups dumping their traumas on them.

To be clear here, while emotional incest may not be incest in the most traditional, taboo sense, it is still abuse. It's putting a burden on a child they shouldn't have to carry, even for children that aren't dealing with such extreme burdens as "grown-ass man running around in a fursuit needs me to keep him from getting himself killed". It's a perversion of a healthy parent-child relationship, where the child is treated more like a partner than a child. In Dick's case, it further exacerbates the parentification he already experiences. This is made more explicit when Bruce "dies" and Dick is cast into a sort of "Widow" role.

Dick reluctantly dons the cowl in an attempt to bring order to his family members. He's also left to parent Damian, alone. He has to make the decision to take Robin from Tim, and try to deal with the fallout from that decision. He has to put a stop to Jason's fratricidal rampage. He's made into the de-facto head of the family.

And the thing about this is: Dick's not even bad at it. In comparison to Bruce's litany of disasters-in-parenting, Dick does a pretty bang-up job of managing his siblings, heading the Justice League, and being Batman. But the crucial point is that he does this at the expense of his own mental health, which is the crux of eldest daughter syndrome. There's no denying that at the time, Dick was most certainly the best choice for New Father Figure, but it was a choice he was pushed into, and a sacrifice he had to make. When this sense of responsibility to the point of self-sacrifice is pushed to its logical conclusion, it has the effect of making Dick a Martyr-type figure.

-> Protector/Mama Bear/Avenger

Dick has shown repeatedly that his hot button is his family. From Tony Zucco to allowing Blockbuster to be killed after the villain targeted Haley's Circus, going after Nightwing's family is a pretty good way to earn yourself an asskicking. Probably the most infamous example of this is when Dick thought the Joker had killed Tim, beating the clown to death to avenge both Tim and Jason.

And while this role isn't particularly feminine, I do think it's interesting that Dick protects his family members from each other with almost the same frequency that he protects them from outside threats. He's pretty notorious for wrangling Damian and Tim, foiling Jason's murder plans, and most importantly, beating the shit out of Bruce whenever he crosses a line, such as when Bruce asks Dick to conceal being alive from their family to join Spyral or when Bruce wanted to abandon the Bruce Wayne persona after the murder of Vesper Fairchild. Or of course, more recently after Bruce's latest MK-ULTRA shenanigans.

This basically puts Dick in the position of being the glue that holds the family together, at basically all times, but especially in times of conflict. This also means he's put in the dangerous position of bodily defending his younger siblings from Bruce's wrath or irresponsibility, a position made even more awkward given the whole emotional incest thing.

That's not to say that Dick's relationship with his family is 100% unhealthy. Dick and his family members (including Bruce!) feel legitimate affection and care for each other. There are times when the dynamics here are indeed healthy. And like most people with eldest daughter syndrome, the unhealthy nature of this dynamic is usually understated. Oldest sibling syndrome is often just an unavoidable consequence of how parenting works. So while I am of the opinion that this dynamic is often unhealthy, hot take: I'm fine with that.

Now, though I've just listed some tropes that he only falls into around family, Dick also falls into some fem-coding all the time, regardless of who he's with, and these have to do mostly with his sexuality.

-> Sexual Assault & Harassment

Yeah, so nobody is surprised that this is a factor. Look up any list of the top ten hottest/sexiest/most attractive male superheroes, I guarantee 9/10 times Nightwing is number 1. However, unlike his father, whose attractiveness is usually played as a part of the male wish-fulfillment fantasy, something people aspire to be, Dick's attractiveness more often makes him an object of desire- very similar to how most attractive female characters are perceived.

And as an object of desire, Dick Grayson is constantly having to deal with being objectified.

Now, Dick Grayson being an attractive character is not the problem. Dick Grayson being sexually assaulted isn't even the problem. the problem is that he keeps being harassed, assaulted, and raped in ways that are flagrantly nonconsensual, and yet it's not treated with the seriousness it deserves. In fact, it took a full decade for Devin Grayson to retract her previous statement and admit that yes, the rooftop scene with Catalina Flores was in fact rape, and it's never been acknowledged in-universe (though, comics have always been atrocious at calling out sexual abuse of all kinds, let alone that which targets men).

Hell, even when he in-universe calls it out, he's dismissed immediately and the story continues like nothing happened.

Like???

Dick's adult sexcapades (which were consensual and enthusiastic) have long contrasted with the numerous times he's been harassed; times in which he comes across as bored, exasperated, and even frustrated with his own attractiveness and the vulnerable position it often leaves him in.

This puts him in the rare (in comics) position of being a male character who consistently and near-exclusively has his sexual agency and boundaries violated by women - a position that authors uniformly refuse to examine despite writing him into it all the fucking time.

Other characters around him frequently make comments passing off this harassment and assault as a natural consequence of Dick's own attractiveness, making "jokes" that essentially amount to "I understand why someone would want to assault him". Which- UH?

There is also, of course, the unavoidable reality that as an acrobat and an aerialist, he receives a very specific type of sexual harassment

the nature of nightwing's fight style necessitates a type of tight-fitting suit that male heroes typically don't go for: an extremely slick suit with bare-minimum armour that again, makes him vulnerable in a way most male heroes aren't, but a style female heroes wear all the time, whether it makes sense for them or not. This of course then allows artists to draw attention to this fact by posing Nightwing in poses usually reserved for femme fatales:

And unlike the Hawkeye Initiative, these poses are (largely) unironic, and not played for jokes. Dick isn't arching his back or looking over his shoulder to poke fun at how female heroes are treated; he does so because the artist (clearly correctly) sincerely believed these poses would play into the unironic gaze of the audience, and also probably thought it was hot. It's the same line of thought artists use when posing femme fatales.

He's even been known to use his sexuality as a bargaining chip, much like more traditional Femme Fatales. In Batman and Harley Quinn (2017), he refers to sleeping with Harley Quinn after being kidnapped by her as one of "the things I do for Gotham", to which she responds "I'm taking that as a 'yes'." And that's uh- not how consent works.

And this particularly sucks because- HELLO? The opportunity to explore the very real and tragically underacknowledged phenomenon of sexual violence against men is literally invaluable, especially with such a prominent character. It's one thing to ignore that men face sexual violence, it's another, entirely more unforgivable thing to continuously and explicitly depict such scenarios and play them off as jokes or not as serious as they clearly are. But what did I expect from an industry that has never had a good track record on sexual violence anyway.

-> Queercoding?

There's also of course the fact that DC has been, as of late, dropping hints that Dick might be bisexual.

That on it's own doesn't mean anything, but when paired with the fact that DC has been angling toward giving Dick a similar playboy persona that Bruce has, just with men included, it's just very interesting.

(BTW: The likelihood DC actually commits to making Dick bi is, uh, not a lot, but if they're gonna stick with this weird closet stuff for a while, let's hope they do so in a way that doesn't make him sound like a cross between Donald Trump and Harry Styles next time? Please?)

Anyway, all of this is basically to say I am forever fascinated by the gender dynamics of Dick Grayson, likely due to the fact that I'm projecting all my eldest daughter traumas onto him, and that someone who's background is in Gender Studies needs to get on this shit if they haven't already. I just love this character sm.

[couldeatthatgirlforlunch]

YAY I can bother you again! \:D/ /jk

Anyways I consider asking my favorite writers stuff as my therapy, so here I go. (Sorry if this is sudden or traumatizing)

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

I feel so bad for saying this but I'm most attracted to any batfam member (adult obvi) when they are at their worst, Bruce and his pathetic angsty ass literally all the time? Let's make a Robin.

Angry Dick with a cheerful facade trying to just be Bruce's equal? Bra is unclipped.

Post pit Jason so angry and mercilless feeling betrayed (any iteration but mostly Arkahm knight) and vengful? Baby I'm yours.

Fanon Tim who is sleep deprived and stalkerish? I'll strip in front of any security camara in Gotham.

Stephanie feeling she needs to prove herself? Please let me top you.

Insecure about his powers Duke? Sudenly I'm a physical meta expert, please show me those abs.

Cassandra thinking she is only capable of damaging? Honey put your hands on me, I assure you it will be anything but unpleasant.

Damian after "accidentally" killing Dick? Hello my name is beloved!

Don't feel bad about it!! I'm just the same and there's nothing wrong with us!!!!!!!!!!

I mean, pathetic wet cats who would just curl in my lap and rant or cry while I indulge them and they become dependent on me and only me??

Battinson is my favorite Batman from the movies bc hello???? I mean I get it why people liked Bale but like???? A guy who's been traumatized for 20 years and got to the point of making an armour to fight against criminals unrelated to the ones that took his parents bc he got so sad that he reflected enough that he came to the conclusion that no one should ever feel like he did, and he would use his entire life to stop crime because people deserved better, even the worst criminals shouldn't die bc they can change or other people might be miserable if they miss him?? And he's ready to die for that!! He doesn't care!! And then he becomes a parent but he sucks at parenting bc he loves them but he never learned how to love?? BABY I CAN TEACH YOU

Jason at under the red hood or as Arkham Knight??? YOU CAN KEEP KILLING PEOPLE IF THAT'LL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER BABE, especially if you keep me around bc we dated before you died/got tortured for months/years, kidnap me, love me, make me yours, I don't think killing your pops is gonna help you feel better, but no nagging will come from me I SWEAR

Fanom Tim being so neglected by his parents that he doesn't think his physical and psychological suffering is important, the fact that he obsessed over his childhood heroes, putting himself in danger, practically deciding that he was going to help them, not bc "I wanna be a hero and I can so I should be" but bc "I don't have much to lose, we all need you, and I want to help you, bc you're all I have!!!" and caring so much that he tries to clone his bff when he dies, and almost dies just to bring his dad and hero back, bc he cares about others more than he cares about himself??? Baby I'm right here!!!!

ANY Damian angst, Damian sad over Dick, over Bruce, over Talia, all while pretending he's just angry, I love him!! Damian that just wants to make them proud!! Damian that wants to be good!! To be on their level!! To be powerful!! To be good enough!! I love love love him!!! I'm with you no matter if you're a hero, a villain, or an antihero!! Damian Wayne, you will always be famous.

Dick swallowing his traumas, his emotions, breaking down at any opportunity, feeling responsible for everyone and destroying himself bc of it!! His relationship with Bruce never being quite the same after he became Nightwing, but they still know, deep inside, that they would come running if the other asked for help, but they never do. And Dick sometimes doesn't even know if Bruce sees him as his son!! And he's sad bc of it, but he can't show it bc how do you tell someone that?!?!?!

Steph thinking she's never gonna be enough, that she needs to prove herself, when this feeling never goes away, bc it's more about you than others? YES YES YES

Cassie!! Don't feel guilty about your past babygirl!!! It wasn't your fault!! You're just a victim!! They even took your voice from you!! Come spoon me and you'll feel better!!!

You're perfect Duke!! You're amazing and cool and handsome and there's nothing wrong with you!! You have the most awsesome powers ever!! Now come here let me look into those brown eyes and lets make out.

Seeing characters that are just so unreal but we can relato to, watch them suffer, feel joy in it!! I'm just like you and you're just like me! Be mine!!

This is about DC, but I'm an invincible, the boys and Marvel fan too. I'm drooling seeing Invincible and Rex Splode at their most toxic or weak moments! I love seeing homelander, soldier boy and the deep being so pathetic that they HAVE TO make it everyone's problem!! On my Winter Soldier brain rot I was constantly going over and over again on the same scenes watching this man be sad and miserable and covered in blood and not having autonomy of his own body and being alone!! Of course I got sad, but we can be sad together!!

Anyway, I love receiving fun and easy asks like that (I'm unreasonably happy that you called me one of your favs), I closed the asks bc I was just feeling I little overwhelmed with anxiety, college, future and the amount of requests I was receiving even if I knew I didn't have to write every fanfic idea people sent me and can just write what inspires me in the moment, be it something people asked, or some inspiration that came for me from another place

[itsangelicasworld]

*･῾ ⁺ Welcome to My Teen Titans DR 🧨 .*

💥 ˗ˏˋ DESCRIPTION .ᐟ

In 2003 Jump City, a team of six teenagers called the "Teen Titans" fight against supervillains threatening their beloved metropolis. Along the way, they must face issues even worse than superpowered antagonists who want them captured; emotions, romance, and navigating the bumpy road of impending adulthood. My DR follows the plot of the show except with my own headcanons, scenarios, etc.

Like the show, there are no secret identities; so our superhero personas are quite literally just us. WHICH MEANS WE'RE TREATED LIKE CELEBRITIES!! People ask for photos/autographs, we have merch, and there's even an entire Teen Titans fandom with forums and fanarts and theories!! Not super relevant to this reality's lore, but thought it'd be cool to mention🤭.

🔆 ˗ˏˋ ABOUT ME .ᐟ

NAME : Angelica Sterling

NICKNAMES : Quin, Angel

AGE : 16-years-old

PRONOUNS : She/her/hers

ETHNICITY : Black and Mexican

MBTI : INFP-T

PERSONALITY : Optimistic, courageous, charismatic, empathetic, humorous, witty, mature, impatient, cautious, idealistic

HERO ALIAS : Quanta

POWER : Quantum Manipulation (basically the ability to manipulate the very foundation of the universe/matter because I'm the main character actually🤭)

SUB-POWERS : Healing, telekinesis, quantum empowerment, shapeshifting

DRAWBACKS : Using too much of my power at one time can lead to fatigue; symptoms range from mild (grogginess, irritability) to severe (headaches, unconsciousness). Additionally, under incredibly high-stress situations or potent emotions, my powers may become unstable or erratic

COMBAT SKILLS : Hand-to-hand, mixed martial arts, kickboxing, and of course using my powers, which include shooting projectiles and making defense constructs

🍕 ˗ˏˋ RELATIONSHIPS .ᐟ

I made moodboards + added some quotes for all of them here, so check that out if you wanna see their aesthetics🤭

ROBIN : My s/o!! I could write 100 paragraphs about this man but I'll list our tropes instead💪

Tortured hero (on his side, he gets it from Batman ftgyhuhgtfg)

Friends to lovers

Slooowwww burn

Mutual pining

Healing together

STARFIRE : Me and her are SUUCHH girly-girls. Having sleepovers, going to the mall, exploring the city, etc. is literally all we do and I love it. She also really likes ranting about Tamaran to me. Hearing her childhood stories is so sweet🛐

RAVEN : Initially, Raven needed time to warm up to me, but now we have a really close bond. UGGHH I can't wait to meditate with this girl and talk about spirituality. AND I SCRIPTED I'M THE ONLY ONE SHE ALLOWS IN HER ROOM, SO IT'S LIKE HAVING VIP TICKETS FFGHFFG BEAST BOY : This dude is such a jokester but he's so insecure I just NEED TO HUG HIM😭😭. He's like the little brother I never had; super annoying but I couldn't imagine my life without him

CYBORG : Although I'm not as close to Cy as some of the other members, he really means a lot to me!! He's kind of like my big brother. He really likes to teach me about mechanics and I know he's always got my back, and I have his. Even though we can squabble over his attitude sometimes💀

🦇 ˗ˏˋ OUTRO .ᐟ

Feel free to send in asks about this DR (and really any of them if your curious), they'd be greatly appreciated!! Thank you for reading THIS far <333

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 *+:｡.｡ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ. . . . . ╰──╮

Aesthetics inspired by @/shiftingwithjaidyn's fame DR intro | Dividers by @/strangergraphics-archive

[jangofettjamz]

Valentines Success

Jenna Ortega x Autistic!Male!Reader

Summary: You and Jenna exchange Valentines gifts

Words: 1162

2nd Person POV

(5 days earlier)

Jenna and You walked down the mall, shopping bags in hand. It was particularly quiet today which made the experience a little more bearable today than what you're regularly accustomed to.

You two soon came to a stop in front of a clothing store Jenna frequents, one of her favourite stores. However, the amount of people in store was quite substantial and you too could get noticed in public, something neither of you minded if they're fans, but today you two just wanted some quiet

You quickly thought of a solution to avoid being spotted by the public, and also maybe because you didn't want to go into the store yourself because of the people. "Hey babe, why don't you go in the store and I'll stay out here. That way it'll be harder for people to spot us since we're not close together" you suggested.

"You sure sweetie?" She says and you reply promptly with a nod and a smile. Jenma gives you a loving kiss on the cheek "I'll only be a couple minutes." She says and walks into the store, leaving you standing in the mall, looking for anything interesting to pass the time.

Not far from the clothing store was the LEGO store, one of your personal favourites. LEGO has been a comfort item for most of your life, and let's be honest, who doesn't love LEGO.

You walked over to the store and entered it, immediately engulfed with childhood nostalgia and familier sights that just make you feel all happy and giddy inside.

You looked at each set and their themes. They had from Star Wars, Spider-Man, Marvel Comics, Batman, DC Comics, Pirates In The Caribbean, Harry Potter; literally endless options, but you were looking for Star Wars.

There was one set you really wanted, the "Ultimate Collectors Series Lego Millennium Falcon" coming in at 7541 pieces overall. It was massive, and you wanted it.

Though, there was a problem, you were broke. You had just bought Jenna a really expensive necklace for her valentines day gift. You don't regret buying it because you know she'll love it, but you can't help but feel a little sorry for yourself over the fact you can't afford to buy a set you REALLY wanted.

You caressed the cardboard box that displayed the sets box art, and the blocky contents in held within its frame. "One day you'll be mine" you whispered to the large box as if it were sentient.

But unbeknownst to you, Jenna was peeking from around the shop entrance out of your view, watching you stare in awe of the gargantuan LEGO ship. She knew right then and there that this was the perfect gift to get you.

"Oh Y/N/N you're in for a surprise" She chuckled to herself mischievously.

(literally Jenna from around the corner watching you)

-

(Present day)

It was the moment both of them had been waiting for. It was gift giving time. You and Jenna have treated yourselves to a valentines day brunch and just got back home. You were eager for her to recieve her gift, and she felt the same about hers.

You opened the door for her upon entering your house "Why aren't just a gentleman" she said, with a kiss on the lips as reward for your politeness. You went over to the spot where you hid the box that contained the necklace and hid it behind your back.

You walked over to Jenna with a smile on your face. She cocked an eyebrow and smirked knowing you had something behind your back. "Honey, what are you hiding?" You smiled as she waited with eager anticipation.

Taking a deep breath, you began "Jenna, in all my years of living you've given me more joy than I could've ever imagined. You're are the absolute light of my life and today I just wanted to give you something as a token of my undying gratitude." You pulled the box out from behind you and presented it to her.

Jenna gently took the box from your hands and opened it. The jewels from the diamond necklace were almost blinding as they reflected across her skin, her eyes went wide as soon as they set upon them.

Jenna was barely able to contain a squeal of pure joy and excitement, settling for a loud gasp instead. A small note was under where the necklace sat. It read "Happy Valentines day, Jenna. I love you. P.S im broke now becuz of u <3 - your forever person, Y/N"

Jenna laughed upon reading the note and tears dripped down her face, which brought a smile yours knowing you did good with your gift. She held both of your hands "You are the champion of making me happiest person in the world, Y/N L/N. You are the kindest, sweetest and most adorable person I've ever had pleasure of knowing and I'm glad to call you, my lover."

You blushed hard at the comment. The two of you leaned in and shared a loving kiss to commemorate the love you felt for each other, a love that will stand the test of time no doubt. Jenna leaned away and continued her speech.

"Which is why I got you something too." You waited to find out what it was but she just laughed. "You're gonna wanna sit down for this one" you were heavily confused but laughed and shrugged. You sat down on the couch and closed your eyes.

Your heard Jenna rummaging around to get your gift, her grunting implied that it was something heavy or large. She placed the large box in your lap and placed your hands at the top, holding them tightly.

"This is something I got for you to show you how much I adore you. I love you so much, sweet boy and there are so many more gifts to come" she says and kisses the top of your head. "Open your eyes, bunny"

You did as you were told and soon recognised the box art from the LEGO set you admired from days past. You let out a loud gasp, mostly out of shock, and Jenna was just enjoying the sight.

You soon begin smiling widely like The Joker and tears brimmed at you eyes. "Jenna..." you sniffled. She really did that for you. How did she even know? "How did you...?" You stuttered, unable to focus on what your voice sounded like. You were too excited to care.

Jenna took her place next to you on the couch "Let's just say I have my ways. Happy Valentines day, bunny. I love you more than gifts could ever describe" She kissed you temple and laid her head on your shoulder.

This was a Valentines Day success for sure.

A/N

Short one but I hardly have the time to write so I hoped you enjoyed this one. Not proofread.

[qveenpoppy]

things i noticed in my pilot rewatch:

wolf almost immediately grabs a glass of champagne when he walks into the wedding with his first patient. i know the show's hinted at him having drug issues, but maybe he has some alcohol ones too? (unless that idea was abandoned since the pilot was written/filmed.)

"except now we're prescribing drugs instead of taking them." "speak for yourself." yeah he's definitely still dealing with those drug issues. i feel like the show's mostly implied for that to be a past thing (we've only seen him take anything twice, to my memory? not counting 1x09's upcoming flashback sequence) but i wonder if/when that'll become an issue again (maybe another patient loss that hurts wolf harder than roman's did? like a father figure, that'll bring back his feelings of guilt over his dad's death?)

it's tiny but i feel like van's crush is hinted at here, with him offering ericka an extra pair of scrubs (while jacob cockily jokes about his being too big for her) and the way he sneaks a glance at her while she changes (not in a creepy way, it's like a nervous/shy kinda way).

he also smiles at her when she yells at jacob while they're searching for hannah's childhood home, after jacob un-empathetically says the kids would be better off with their dad (guess van likes strong women; girlboss/malewife vibes? lol)

"do i ever have to talk to him again?" (wolf talking about nichols.) lmao, you're gonna be in love with him in about 6 episodes from now. also someone write me some pilot era wolfnichols hate sex.

"name one person you like who's not a patient." "you, i like you!" he's so autism-coded ❤️

wolf still uses cassette tapes in his car (which is also quite old, since it still plays tapes), what a grandpa

carol has a picture with michelle obama in her office (not really an important thing to notice, but i thought it was cool)

there's a line in one of the flashbacks (apologies for not quoting it verbatim) from muriel about "keeping our differences to ourselves", which probably explains why wolf isn't super open about his facial blindness. (and probably applies to all of his other traits that make him "different", like his sexuality, or popularly headcanon'd autism. i mean, i know he's open about his sexuality now as an adult, perhaps as a way of rebelling against his mom, but, as we may see in more flashbacks, he probably kept it to himself for quite a while.)

van is completely frozen when hannah has her seizure, he even backs up a little when she falls out of her chair. probably didn't wanna touch her and experience a phantom seizure.

whoever directed the ep made zach & teddy look like they're the same height when nichols confronts wolf and kicks him off the case. i guess it keeps them, literally and figuratively, on the same level in the dispute. but now we all know that wolf's actually shorter, and it's funny how that's been primarily highlighted when they're fooling around with each other. (i know it's an intentional directing tactic, though, bc a similar thing was done in the batman v superman movie when bruce and clark stand eye to eye - henry cavill is also 3 inches shorter than ben affleck. emphasizing the height difference would imply a power imbalance, which you don't want in these sort of gray zone conflicts!)

"the only way this will work is if we open up to each other." [nichols walks by and catches wolf's eye] foreshadowing

(i don't mean just like foreshadowing their romance, but maybe also the impact that nichols will have on wolf, getting him to open up about his past and whatnot. same, perhaps, for nichols, since we still hardly know anything about his background, besides his military experience and implied own closeting.)

(could also quite easily and literally refer to their work relationship, as we learned from that interview with teddy that, despite their romantic connection, they're still going to have some disputes about patient treatments in future episodes/cases.)

[lena-in-her-mind-palace]

Comparing The Avengers to the Justice league but it's actually accurate

We're just gonna do the main ones because otherwise we'd be here forever

I'm also mainly using mcu characterizations because I'm not as familiar with Marvel comics as I am with DC

Iron Man - Batman

This one goes without saying

Tony is literally Batman and Brucie Wayne put together

Billionaire Playboy Philantropist Superhero who?

They both have ridiculous paranoia

They're rich orphans with British butler (or butler adjacent if we're talking about Jarvis)

Incredibly smart and know it

They both run multimillion dollar companies

and work to better the world both in and out of their super hero persona's

Thor - Aquaman

Non human royalty

friendly and funny

Both of them have a strong sense of duty and loyalty towards their people

They just don't get normal society a lot of the time

Also interwoven magic and science

and they both have really strong elementally based powers

plus a very specific weapon that is inherently associated with them

to be honest, I don't actually know much about aquaman but it feels right

Captain America - Wonder Woman

They are literally soldiers

They both fought in a world war

Also Diana's love intrest is literally a blonde soldier named Steve

Both of them have a strong sense of duty and moral obligation

They're also the most fond of proteges and younger heros

I'm sorry but Steve had no business being so nice to Peter during the airport battle

Dude you are literally fighting each other

Idk the military background makes them more similar in my opinion

also the fact that they're super behind on a lot of modern day stuff

Like everyone remembers Diana discovering ice cream don't we?

and grandpa steve my beloved

Hulk - Superman

okay this one was a little hard

at first I was gonna do Guy Gardner cuz green guy with anger issues. But Guy's kind of an asshole and Bruce is a sweetheart

so then I thought the Flash for the science but I don't think Bruce is into puns enough to match with either Barry or Wally

But Clark is perfect

Clark is a dork

But he is genuinely really intelligent

also they literally wear the same glasses

I think Clark and Bruce would get along really well

If you want to talk about the anger issues

Well

We've all scene Batman V. Superman

Tbh not my favorite version of superman

Clark is obviously not quite prone to rage

and it's definitely no where near hulk levels though

But when he's angry it gets destructive real fast

think about most of his fights with doomsday

Constantly worries about his own strength and hurting the people he loves

Which is a struggle both of them are characterized by

Black Widow - Orphan/Black Bat/Batgirl

okay I know cass isn't technically a member of the league

but hear me out

also I'm not actually sure which title is Cass's current one

anyways

both were raised from childhood to be a lethal weapon

and they truly are

they both have a major guilt complex over the lives they've taken

and that's one of the biggest factors for them becoming a hero

they joined the good guys to get out of the assassin lifestyle

Also dancing?

like the widows were trained in ballet since it was the red room's cover

and cass dances as an escape

I think it's poetic

Also they both are the owners of their family's shared braincell

Cass is like Natasha but younger really

Hawkeye - Green Arrow

so I know at first glance this seems obvious

yk skilled archer or whatever

but I wasn't exactly for it at first

I'm not really Green Arrow's biggest fan

But I've recently been reading Mia's run as speedy

and despite the vast, and I mean vast, difference in her back story with Kate

Their mentors are very similar with their proteges

like Oliver is just so soft with mia and it's adorable

not to mention neither wanted a protege at first and then they go and basically adopt them

literally in oliver's case

Also Ollie's into pranking as much as Clint is

And admittedly Oliver is just as strongly attached to his family as Clint is

if we ignore the thing with roy because wtf Oliver

Runner ups:

Thor and Wonder Woman: mythology and their whole fish-out-of-water-ness in modern society

Thor and Captain Marvel: again mythology, lightning powers, and also their childlike nature (literally in Billy's case)

Black Widow and Black Canary: badasses that keep the men on their team in line. need I say more?

Iron Man and Green Arrow: only thing that got me is that Ollie's not nearly smart enough to go toe to toe with Tony

Vision and Martian Manhunter: they can pass through walls and they just don't get humans

Scarlett Witch and Zatanna/ Dr Strange and Constantine: I don't think this requires elaboration

Winter Soldier and Jason Todd: fallen hero presumed dead starts working for the bad guys before switching back to the good guys

Bonus:

Spiderman and Dick!Robin

they're bendy

they love puns

they love swinging in the air

they're smart

they give their mentors high blood pressure

everyone loves them

they have a lot of grief

they have a thing for really smart, badass red heads

Ball of sunshine with ridiculous anger issues

also I think a meeting between Dick and Peter would be a disaster in the best way possible

[zahri-melitor]

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths:

I finished working my way through this as an event, and I've got to say that DC can't decide what it wants to do with the Multiverse. We've just gone from restoring the 52 Earths (Mostly around Convergence/Multiversity) to discovering the Dark Multiverse (Dark Nights: Metal, 2017), to rebooting the Multiverse at the end of Dark Nights: Death Metal to form the Omniverse (2020), but also restrict things back to 52 Earths only, to rediscovering Infinite Earths in Dark Crisis (2022), to the conclusion of Absolute Power being "we have once again cut off the Multiverse, but now we're going hard for Elseworlds instead" (2024). Make up your minds! Do you want to use the multiverse or not??? Please stop switching it up every 2 years!

Okay that rant aside, this is yet another event that cares very deeply about plot points and characters from COIE that have barely been seen in the intervening 36 years (and generally only in other events that reference COIE heavily). I don't have any emotional attachment to Pariah and the Anti-Monitor.

Structurally, it was an interesting event, in that there were about 4.5 plots going on.

Plot 1: the Justice League get trapped on dreamstate Earths born out of their subconscious wishes. In terms of commentary, Barry trapping himself in a 1950s comic book, Clark wanting to raise Jon (on the farm, with literally no other heroes from the Superfamily around), and J'onn J'onzz creating a future where he's merged humans with cephalopods/octopus so that they're psychic were probably the most interesting of the lot. Barry proves once again he's disconnected from the present, Clark is obsessing over his loss of Jon's childhood at the expense of everyone else, and J'onn...is once again mourning the loss of his culture and looking for a way to feel less disconnected from Earth. Still not quite turning into the sands of Mars tho boyo. Blah blah the League are feeling they're not communicating properly, they need to take a break and focus on themselves.

Plot 1.5: The Flashfam go to extract Barry and work out WTF is going on because they're the most reliable multiverse jumpers, and the Lanterns recruit everyone as bodies are needed (as all the heavy hitters are as stated trapped in dreamstate Earths).

Plot 2: Jon Kent forms the most underskilled novice Justice League since the early 1990s that largely consists of the latest legacies of various families, getting some direction from Black Adam. Their collective experience as superheroes MIGHT total 20 years active, and if it makes that it's because Booster and Ted are supplying most of that experience.

I am underwhelmed by this team, to put it mildly. There's a lot of "I need to be Superman as my father isn't here!" from Jon, and a lot of boring "Damian grows up to be Batman" foreshadowing where Damian outright insults people a lot, and Yara looks confused and irritated over why she's hanging out with them both. Jackson's trying his hardest, bless his heart, but because nobody really cares much about the Aquas they get that bit of the plot out of the way early on. I'm not sold on what this lot were actually trying to accomplish, despite once again being presented at the future of the DCU.

Plot 3: Dick and the Titans realise they have to step up to actually take leadership, because as noted Jon Kent's Justice League is out there competing with Justice League: Task Force days of "there are four warm bodies here, and only half of them are under the age of 18, we're good to go right?" for level of threat defence. Also Slade's busy trying to kill both Dick and Gar because he can something something dark forces corrupting him mad about Grant's death for the 87th time blah.

Plot 4: Young Justice get kidnapped into a further separate reality to keep them out of the way while the two generations on either side of them try to step up to leadership, and have a bunch of angst about being left out/left behind (I am going to discuss this separately. Spoilers: I thought it was one of the most interesting parts of this event).

My general impression of the entire event was the intended purpose was to showcase both Dick and Jon's leadership abilities. I think it achieved this, but not necessarily in the hoped for way. Dick showcased once again why he is the centrally trusted character of the DCU and can convince everyone and anyone to follow him. Jon showcased that he is absolutely not a leader, he needs to stop thinking that he is required to fill Clark's shoes, and DC need to stop trying to make it happen.

The bit where I most started rolling my eyes is when they decided that Jon Kent, half-Kryptonian powered by sunlight, from a species famously incredibly vulnerable to magic, needed to lead the team going into the magical pure darkness/demon dimension that has no sunlight "because his connection to the sun protects him". Jon's biggest weakness not starting with K is magic. So let's put him in a dimension consisting of magic and have him have to survive off the power of his sunlight...which he immediately wastes and burns off a lot of power by trying to fly. Power that he can't recover, because he's in said dark demon dimension with no sunlight.

Jon, sweetheart, you are not the brightest bulb.

My second biggest eyeroll was meeting Red Canary, Sienna, who accomplished exactly nothing when she accidentally got caught up in Damian's strikeforce that otherwise consisted of "a teleporter for travel, Peegee for her experience with the Cosmic Tuning Fork, and Dr Light because Kimiyo is both COIE linked AND has strong light based powers to fix the situation". I am still unsure of what the point of Red Canary being there was, because she mostly just snarked with Damian and got into trouble. Even if she was intended to eventually be revealed to be Sin Lance with memory problems or something she was not a convincing character.

The Flash storyline in and of itself was fun, but I'd actually already read it when I was reading through Adams' Flash run. It worked just fine in context of the event and it worked as a tie-in where you just skimmed over the event. Adams' Flash run is very entertaining.

As far as DC big summer events go, this one felt more about 'we want to reach these end conditions' (Justice League disbanded for a while, Justice Society of America back, Titans to step up as the headline team) than the actual content of the event itself. It was an event for the sake of having an event, you know?

I dunno. Maybe I would have cared more if I'd actually read COIE, but it felt derivative and like there was a lot of time wasting for the sake of referencing specific things that happened in COIE, whether or not they made sense for this storyline.

Oh and as a note, one other useful thing this event did do was specify that Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is supposed to be in continuity for Kara, and basically contemporaneously too.

[dccomicsbracket]

Young Justice (1998)

It's 6-8 fifteen year olds living in a cave, and their only adult supervision is a robot wind machine one of them graffiti-ed all over within the first five minutes of meeting him. The only two with anything even RESEMBLING normal childhoods are the demigod and the son of two billionaires (literally just some guy). They have an alien motorbike and at one point they save the world from aliens by playing baseball. Everyone in it is just so stupid all the time and I love that for them (god bless 🙏) Never has a comic quite that batshit and quite that sincere graced my presence I just love it and I enjoyed reading it

Batman/Superman: World's Finest (2022)

I think there's something very classic and timeless about this run. You get the iconic friendship of Superman and Batman, and also some great dynamic duo stuff. I think Waid really nails characterization. It's just a lot of fun. The illustrations and coloring are a treat on top of great storytelling.

[bangsinc]

I really love the scarecrow request! I love how you write him and he's so underrated:(

Could you write HC for him with a fem s/o who is the manifestation of fear, like the literal embodiment of fear? Idk what versions of scarecrow do you write but if you could, could it be the batman animation series 👉👈?

(btw you seem like a sweet person (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠✧⁠*⁠。) -🩷

💀Scarecrow X Reader that Is the manifestation of fear 🎃

Hey Anon ? !! So glad ur requesting scsrecrow, defo my baby girl and my fave guy to write about. BTAS is my speciality, though I do write for any (I’m bias for BTAS)

I had many different ideas for this, I wasn’t sure if you wanted reader to be an entity or kinda like a person?? Kinda? So I played around w it! Thank you for calling me sweet btw!!! Ur so sweet :3

Since his childhood, love has never been Jonathan's forte. If it wasn’t fear, Jonathan never cared for human emotions. He’d grown content with the idea of living a life alone, after all, it’s what one expects with the path he’s taken… But then of course, there you. You’re a god/goddess to him, to put it blankley. Everything he’s devoted his life to, obsessed over.. has manifested.

Might be a bit… proddy, initially. Your existance is very much an anomaly, even in a place like Gotham city. He’d never do anything to intentionally harm you, though maybe he gets more personal than comfort.

You’re fear incarnate? How can you prove it to him? He’d love to see, though, he’d perfer if it wasn’t on him. The idea of you being so willing to show him such an ability is enthralling after all! He is the master of fear, so it’s only fit that he has such an honor.

He’d never get over having a lover like you. He has the mindset that he’ll never let you go till death do you both part (if you can even die, that is). Expect him to push a wedding, the venue a grandeur gas attack across the streets of Gotham. You have to, need to be his mistress of fear. He won’t have anything less.

He wants you by his side consistantly, for a multitude of reasons, though the greatest being that he’s grown an insane attachment and almost obsession with your being. Even in Arkham asylum, his mind races of ways to stay in contact with you (though it’s most likely you have the ability to easily assist in his escape).

Your wish is his goons command. He’s not a kind man to his goons, seeing them as no more than fools who live to serve him out of fear. Of course, his goons are now your goons, and if they dare even question this shift in authority, they’ve earned a spot as his newest test subject.

Very, very affectionate to his goddess! Think of it as a morticia and Gomez dynamic. There’s no shame, at least to him, in showing his wonderful, transcendent partner off for the world to see as he tears it apart. Constant affection, always on his hand and foot for you, it’s quite a suprise. He can be.. rather grumpy at best, kinda pathetic at most, so it’s a stark change emotionally.

(Might cling to you for protection 80% of the time). If he’s vulnerable, close to being apprehended, no fear gas, etc… he’s probably going to run to you like a scared puppy. He is nowhere near fit to really defend himself, physically at most. He returns the favor in tenfold when he can, however.

I COULDNT think of how to end this I’m ngl

[nyhti]

any thoughts and feelings on jeremiah in shadow of the bat #80-82?

furthermore, any thoughts and feelings on his pookie david in that comic?

Thank you for the ask <3333 :33 So I went back and read Wax Man and the Clown again to refresh my mind on it and I'm glad I did. While it's not my favorite Jeremiah story, mainly because of the art, I still found it enjoyable and even got myself a new headcanon!!! Yay!!

Now, I think I've talked about my dislike of Jeremiah being written too soft before. He had bite in The Last Arkham, bite he desperately needed, because this character becomes very boring very fast without it. I had this memory of him being a total push over in this story, but now that I've read it again, I don't think so. Yes, he is softer than he was in The Last Arkham, but he also threatened to shoot Joker in the head and considered letting the patients starve to death. Soft uwu bean <333 And, yeah, even in the parts that he seemed more of a push over, you just have to keep in mind that he's quite literally half asleep, starving and under an incredible amount of stress in every panel and actively hallucinating by the end of the story. I'll cut him some slack, but I still think the Jeremiah we were introduced to in The Last Arkham wouldn't have been quite as mellow even in these circumstances.

I also do not like the art in this issue. I simply wouldn't have recognized Jeremiah had I not been told that this character drawn here is supposed to be Jeremiah. I think if this story had been illustrated my Norm Breyfogle, it could've been one of my favorite Jerry stories. Here's a quick sketch of how I wish he had looked like in this story:

Oh, and David? David is the reason I headcanon Jeremiah as bi in the first place.

Jeremiah: What about you, David? Are you going too?

David: No, sir. My place is with you.

Now, I do not know what Grant had in mind when he wrote their relationship, but it came across as very loving. Whether or not that love was romantic, I guess that's up to everyone's own headcanons. I feel like at least on David's side it leaned towards romantic, but Jeremiah seemed more reserved. You could say he didn't feel quite the same way, but also we know Grant wrote him shy towards things of that nature as seen in his reaction to Poison Ivy in Batman: Shadow of the Bat #56. I like to believe it was shyness that stopped him from going any further.

Also.

Jeremiah confirmed kitty boy catmom kittycat enthusiast!!!!!!!!! He definitely gave off that catperson aura all the way in The Last Arkham, but I was really happy it was confirmed here with the kitten he had in childhood <3 I love how he's still haunted by this cat he failed to save 40 years later. True catmom behavior.

This cat also exists in my verse and her name is Lumi (=snow, but I'm calling her Snowy in English.) She's called Lumi, because I misremembered the cat being white. The cat's actually gray lol, but I'm not changing the name anymore. The cat is all white in my verse. Also in my verse she lives a long, happy life and dies somewhere between ages of 15-20, when Jeremiah is in his 20s and in med school.

His parents get a new cat – actually I headcanon that over the years his parents end up raising a lot of cats. Jeremiah, who is living on his own at this point, also thinks about getting his own cat, but fears he would not have enough time for one as med school is keeping him busy. He decides he's going to get one later and in the mean time just go see the cats at his parents house. I imagine Jerry's mom uses the cats to get him to visit.

It's still a little up in the air in my verse does he get his own cat now, at age 44, or does he get it later, but one day he does finally visit a shelter and brings home a beautiful tabby cat he names Viiru or Tabby in English (it is my headcanon he is not creative with names).

Another thing I liked about this comic was the shotgun. The shotgun Jeremiah used. The shotgun he threatened to kill Joker with. This is so fascinating to me, because he himself almost died by a shotgun at 16. I just wonder how he feels holding that thing. How he feels being on the opposite end of it now. How he feels being the one to point it at someone else's head. None of this is answered of course ^_^ Grant never even brought up Jeremiah's backstory in later stories ^_^ But, I'm still having fun imagining it myself. This is that new headcanon I was talking about. He definitely now owns a shotgun in my verse.

[sl-newsie]

Behind Masks (Dr. Jonathon Crane x OC) Ch. 5: Relations and Reminisce

“And you said yes?!”

“For the tenth time Ivy, yes.”

“I can’t believe it.” She throws her arms up dramatically. “I thought you were smart. How could you throw away any chance of escape for group therapy?”

I just spent the night in a black hole. Literally all light is gone from my isolated cell except for a tiny floodlight that only projects more spooky shadows on the gloomy walls. I don’t mind some free time to myself but it’s an overabundance I could do without. But today is my first day with Crane’s “experiments” and I hope they will distract me from the dreary lonesome.

“I applaud Calico for her bravery,” Nigma looks up from the crossword puzzle he’s working on. “Crane’s a hard nut to crack but I think she can handle him.”

“But she’s new to Arkham. Callie’s fresh meat for Crane.”

“Guys, guys.” I hold up my hands. “I’ve handled lunatics each day for three years.”

“Yeah, but this is Dr. Crane. The Scarecrow. You’ll never sleep again after he gets through with you.”

“Sleepless nights are a fear of childhood, Nigma. If anything I’m ready to embrace death come what may.”

The pair look at me as if I just announced that all the kittens in the world died. They’re supposed to be the lunatics but they look at me as if I’m just as mad as any other inmate.

“What? I’m well aware of universality. Death is unavoidable to every living thing at every moment of its life.”

Ivy and Nigma don’t appear to have a response and the room stays quiet, that is until slow clapping breaks the silence.

“Quite philosophical, Dr. Prentiss. Perhaps that can be extended further during your testing today.”

Dr. Crane’s voice pierces my thoughts with a chilly imagination. All morning I’ve been worrying about what tests he has planned. Strap me to a chair? Hang me upside-down? And what type of toxin? Air-based? Water-borne?

Ivy senses my discomfort and steps in front to block him. “You’ve stooped low, Crane. Testing on an innocent woman? You’ve got some nerve.” She flicks a few specks of pollen on him and I see Crane’s eyes go wide. “Just watch it. If she dies I may just have to cause a breakout and show them the basement.”

Basement? I know Arkham has a basement but what's so significant about-?

“And I can make sure your babies get tossed in the next compost bin,” Crane replies harshly and grabs my arm to pull me away before Ivy can scratch his eyes out while Nigma just laughs. “How can you even stand to talk to that enviro-mental-whacko?”

“Just because your toxin doesn’t work on her doesn’t give you a reason to be cross,” I answer calmly as we head into the cold, dark hallway. “At least she gives me the time of day, unlike my previous co-workers.”

We enter further into the maze of abandoned hallways and come across what appears to be a room that was used for an operating theater. Although he has no audience I shudder to think of what Crane’s prepared to show off. 

“Step up, please.” Crane gestures to the platform at the center of the room. One with restraints.

“Are you going to-?”

“Yes,” he replies. He knows what I’m thinking. “They will help protect you from hurting yourself. I’ve seen unrestrained patients carry out extreme measures, some including pulling their eyes out or running into the wall.”

I follow his instructions and lean up against the cold concrete. When I look over I see he’s preparing multiple syringes on the table.

“Just how many toxin variations do you have?” I ask with a hint of nervousness.

“Variety brings results. Right now I’m hoping to find a special dose to give to the lunatic who’s been interrupting my associates’ plans.”

The talk of Batman has only grown in the past few days I’ve been here and I can’t say I’m not curious. Rumors say he’s doing the police’s job and actually cleaning out the city’s criminals.

“He’s got you worried,” I say almost tauntingly as the doctor attaches my wrists to the straps.

“Don’t start,” Crane warns. “Soon he will seek out the drugs I’ve hidden and then I will give him an introduction he’ll never forget.” His crystal eyes drift over to face me directly. “I thought you were interested in the science of fear, Dr. Prentiss.”

“Unlike you I’m a psychiatrist with morals. One who doesn’t test toxins on patients. Get back to me when you’re not trying to kill the only justice in this world.”

He hums in response and returns to tightening the straps around my legs. “So you’re on the Batman’s side?”

“I’m on the side of justice, one you are very unfamiliar with. And by the way my interest is focused on death and the fear that revolves around it.”

Crane gets up and walks over to grab the first syringe with child-like giddiness. “We’ll start with one dose so it can filter out of your bloodstream. Then after the antidote kicks in we’ll go onto the next. I’ll administer this one through your brachial artery. Please inform me of any side effects immediately.”

I flinch as the needle pricks my arm and I feel the toxin surge into my blood. While I wait for whatever horrors this will bring, Crane watches with glee as if watching a magic act. There’s no rapid heartbeat or intense breathing like last time. There’s actually less- Oh.

“How do you feel?” Crane asks when he sees my eyes widen.

“I can’t. My feet have gone numb.”

He jots some notes down on some scrap paper and hurries back to administer the antidote. Instantly a cold sensation jolts through me and I can feel my feet again.”

“Do you make one for every dose?”

“Absolutely. In my years of research a way to reverse accidents is always useful.” He waits a few more seconds and decides the antidote has done its job. He holds up another syringe and pierces the needle into my other arm.

“What about now?”

After a few seconds I start to get dizzy. Is my skin supposed to get this hot? And why is it isolated?

“My waist feels warm.”

The doctor’s eyes lift up from his notes and take in my confused expression. “Interesting. Do you know what’s happening?”

“I’m getting a fever?”

Crane smirks and points to my eyes. “Let’s say that your dilated pupils tell enough.”

Does he mean what I think he means? The kind of repulsive side effects that make people’s minds melt into obeying, brainwashed zombies. 

“Are you saying I’m…?” I ask, disgusted.

Crane’s surprised smile says enough. “Do you mean to tell me you’ve never had-?”

“Do not use that word,” I snap and exhale. “No, Dr. Crane. I have not had urges.”

“Fascinating,” he observes as he looks over my pathetic state with wide eyes.

My eyes narrow. “How so?”

“I imagined a woman like you would have been through something by now but then you stated in your profile you are a virgin. Is this perhaps caused by philophobia? Genophobia, maybe?”

His guessing misses its target each time. He really doesn’t know. If it weren’t for the annoying dampness below this would actually be fun. 

“It’s just bugging you, isn’t it? The infamous Scarecrow can’t figure out my fear?”

The cunning doctor leans in with an amused smirk, his lips almost pressing against my ear. “I’ll find out soon enough.”

I can handle death. I can handle fear to some extent. But this? This is an all-new emotion I want to burn and bury in the depths of forgotten embarrassments. Just because I can’t control my own biological response doesn’t mean I can’t keep a clear head. Time to end this twisted game.

“I’ll spare you the trouble. Atychiphobia.”

Crane nods with a look that says he won. “Ah. The fear of failure. I should have expected that. Am I going to receive an explanation to go along with this?”

Fear of failure is a peculiar phobia. No matter how hard I try it always seems to make me second-guess everything. People praise me for my accomplishments at the same time I hate myself for not being perfect.

Now the effects of the failed toxin are replaced by a furrowed brow and clenched fists. Crane must think he’s struck the motherlode-

“It’s ok to be upset.”

That’s him? Did someone just replace Dr. Crane with a real therapist? He puts a hand on my still-shaking shoulder and for some reason part of my rage melts away. My mind can’t decide if I’m angry or depressed.

“I never had a ‘normal’ childhood since my parents sent me to prep school. They always wanted me to be the best at everything. Any time I did less than perfect they would shame me.” I scoff and look to the floor. “My father would yell while my mother ranted about how I disgrace the family name.”

“You obviously come from money,” Crane observes softly.

I shrug, still eyeing the cement floor. “It’s no big secret, really. If you do enough digging you’ll probably find news articles of me in high school winning the Metropolis Genius award with comments from my father about how ‘there’s always room for improvement.’ Money means nothing when it comes to love. Flaunting my parents’ riches never gained me anything but a spot in Metropolis University.”

The doctor nods again, almost appearing empathetic. "I think that's enough experiments for today."

I expect him to write more notes but he never does.

“Aren’t you going to write about how sad my childhood was?” I mock darkly. “Just another excuse to keep me locked up as a ‘crazed inmate.’”

But he just shakes his head. “I know a thing or two about family issues. We’ll keep this off the books, shall we?” 

This is the same person who sprayed me with fear gas?

“How did they die?”

There we are. Right back to picking apart my diagnosis.

My eyes narrow. “You know how. Anyone who watches the news knows.”

“It might be better if you say it-”

“They were killed, ok?” I burst, surprising both Jonathon and myself. “Another statistic to the growing number of casualties in Gotham. Some psychos blew up a bridge and they just happened to be driving on it.”

By now I’m shaking both from the last few effects left from the toxin and the emotional imbalance whirling inside me. If it weren’t for the straps still securing me to the wall  I would be bent over in tears. And that’s what happens when I feel Crane release my limbs from the restraints. My knees buckle and I go forward- But instead of ending up sprawled on the ground Crane catches me. I look up and want to yell at him for getting so close but my mind’s too full to speak, distraught with old memories and broken regrets.

“I can see now why you don’t fear death,” Crane whispers.

“The experience of death becomes more familiar the more you are exposed to it. A death of a family member or a close friend could impact how one sees death. Another instance could be a near-death experience such as a heart attack or car crash, causing possible trauma and a different view of death.” I take a shaky breath. “After my parents died, death became everything to me. I believe that if I walk the line of embracing death then I won’t be scared to do anything.”

Slowly, Crane walks me over to a chair and we both sit down. I’m not shaking so much now and I can actually think. “Maybe part of the reason I left Metropolis is to get a fresh start. Though this isn’t exactly the prime scenario.” I gesture to the dull operating theater.

Crane lets out what I think is an actual laugh. No mockery or sarcastic intention at all. “But you have to admit this is far more exciting. You need to loosen up, Dr. Prentiss.”

“And I suppose the man who dresses up in a burlap mask knows all about stress relief?” I arch a brow. “You don’t strike me as someone who goes clubbing.”

“You don’t seem the type either. Am I right?”

I give an annoyed grunt. “Yes. Social drinking is incredibly overrated and only results in bad decisions and depleted brain cells.”

“Speaking of brain cells-” Dr. Crane pulls out what looks like a mini calendar out of his pocket. “I’m scheduling you for both an MRI and a CT scan to make sure there’s no damage to yours.”

He gathers up his things and gestures for me to exit the theater. 

“All for me?” I gush dramatically as we head back to my ‘private cell.’ “Aw, you shouldn’t have.”

Before Crane closes the door he looks through the gate with what appears to be legit concern. “Can’t have a prime mind like yours going to waste, can I?”

[distort-opia]

What is your ideal ghostbat dynamic?

Oh it's definitely the thrice-divorced snarky middle-aged men performing intricate rituals thing they currently got going on.

Batman 2022 Annual

Bruce Wayne, being a character with almost a century of history, has beein paired with so many individuals. There's a lot of relationships he's formed over time, but a particularly interesting type is the people-who-knew-him-before-Batman category. Harvey Dent, Thomas Eliot, Zatanna Zatara, Talia al Ghul... and now Minhkhoa Khan. Obviously, quite a lot of these characters ended up as unequivocal villains Batman has had to fight (Two-Face, Hush) while Zatanna remained a childhood-friend-and-almost-lover. Talia and Khoa are more complicated; they're definitely not heroes, not exactly on the same side as Bruce. But they aren't downright villains either. The waters are more muddled. In Talia's case there's the conflict between her loyalty and love for her father, duty and legacy; this opposition to Bruce's own goals was there from the start. But (to finally get to my point with this tangent) there was no such thing with Khoa, and that's basically my main draw to the ship. Bruce has other people that know him as just Bruce and not Batman, or as the in-between (all unique and complex relationships in their own right), but I can only think of Khoa as someone who was present for Batman being forged. While Talia was there when Bruce was training, she didn't share the same goal of combating crime, but Khoa did. For someone so desperately lonely as Bruce is, having someone to share that road with meant so much. Not only that, Khoa contributed to the formation of Batman by engaging him in the wild competitive streak they share, by pushing Bruce to rise to his level.

Hence... the unique kind of familiarity they have even decades later, despite the numerous betrayals along the way. That's an ideal component to me-- Bruce feeling like he can easily be himself. It's a rarity to him, since he plays so many different roles to many different people. And after Alfred's death, someone so important who knew him utterly and supported him from the start, he clearly missed it. It didn't really matter that Khoa killed dozens of people when he showed up in Gotham and literally declared he'll traumatize Bruce by killing a kid in front of him (which he probably would have done, if Harley hadn't managed to be as persuasive as she was). After Selina leaving him, Dick getting shot, his own father and Bane taking his city away, Alfred dying, losing his fortune and Joker War happening... myeah, I really feel like Khoa showed up at the perfect moment.

Which leads me to another component of their dynamic that I favor, and that's both of them being manipulative assholes and equals capable of kicking each other's asses. Why did Khoa show up with all of his resources after Joker War specifically? Why did Bruce ask him to stay so readily, forgoing the things Khoa had done? Hah. Khoa's undoubtedly been obsessed with Bruce, if keeping tabs on him and seeking out Jonathan Crane to learn fear and hell, even getting a sidekick to mirror Batman having a Robin is any indication. He gets to be close to Bruce and potentially ingratiate himself to him while fully knowing Bruce is using him, and Bruce knows it too-- but he's still allowing himself to depend on Khoa's resources and on him becoming part of Batman Incorporated and the more extended Bat-team. Khoa's always been manipulative; wonder if Bruce ever found out that in The Knight #4, Khoa was the one to tell those assassins Bruce's location, thus orchestrating a situation in which Bruce would finally accept to take him with him. But then, while they were training with Avery, Bruce was manipulative back, and you can literally see Khoa falling in love over it in The Knight #5, after Bruce distracts him with flirting and then steals the book.

At the end of the day, Khoa is a psychopath; perhaps not the sadistic kind, but he still operates as one, and Bruce can not only handle it, but he can handle it well. He's proven himself to be an equal, someone who challenges Khoa to improve and become better. Thing is, psychopaths overlap with narcissists a lot due to a basic reason. For neurotypical individuals, empathy acts as a way to see conspecifics as others, but like-minded others. You see other people think and emote like you, and you register them as human beings just like you. 'I feel what you feel, therefore we are the same.' But psychopaths work differently, in the sense that they often have excellent cognitive empathy, but a dulled affective one. They can tell how people think, but emotionally these things don't resonate with them-- the consequence being that they don't easily register others as equals, like-minded others. It's easy to then see yourself as the most valuable individual ever, as the center of the world, because you haven't truly ever shared that world. Which is why, when a psychopath meets someone they can relate to... they don't just relate, they become obsessed. Much like Khoa has. If all your life you felt you're separate from everyone else, having this kind of connection is life-changing, and you'll do whatever you need to preserve it. Including manipulative and murderous acts. But that's fine, because Bruce is attracted to this kind of thing. He himself has thought at some point about a woman (Jezebel Jet) that he should've known she was villainous and would betray him, because he had been attracted to her. I could get into Bruce's dating history and what it says about his preferences, but 'nuff said.

...Anyway, this got away from me, Anon :)) You probably didn't expect a whole-ass essay, but I hope you enjoyed reading through my personal take on them. I really like Khoa's character, since it's not often you get a morally-grey and complex psychopath like him, in comics. But to summarize my answer, my ideal Ghostbat dynamic is definitely one based on them being equals who know each other on a fundamental level, capable of handling both the good parts and the bad parts of the other; the one that solidified after decades of a push-and-pull between their core principles and ideals.

[frostise]

questions for mun: who are five of your favorite characters? (in the rp community or otherwise), and if you could tell your muse something, what would it be?

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐔𝐍   ┇   accepting ♡

13. Who are five of your favorite characters? (in the rp community or otherwise)

i'll do a random list of characters from different fandoms i like. my top favvs in DC would be kf and batman but it's too obvious AND it would be unfair as well 🤷‍♀️

connor from detroit: become human. he's just a baby boy! i love him the moment i played his scenes and his music theme is phenomenal! bryan dechart really did a nailed his connor's character because i instantly liked him when he came on screen at the start of the game. he's very sweet and cute tbh it's hard to not love him 💖💖💖

reverse flash from DC. his insanity and severe level of pettiness is what made him an appealing yet disturbing villain because of the crazy lengths he'll go to devote himself to achieve any goal without the ties of morals. i really love his comics and animated depictions the most tbh. especially in justice league: the flashpoint paradox and his goofy self in lego dc super-villains. overall, i think he's pretty neat even though i love to hate him a daily basis and he'll always sound like c. thomas howell to me when i get the chance to read a new comic of his ^^

widowmaker from overwatch. what a gut wrenching lore for a character so cold-blooded. she's the only reason why i used to play overwatch before it became a toxic community. i love everything about her, especially when she's quick to fire a vicious comeback no matter what or who it is she's addressing to. actually now that i realise it? she has similar vibes to louise lmfao. but only if she willingly 'evil'. but anyway! widow will always be my number one favourite character in overwatch forever. nobody can take her place ♡

azula from avatar. she's too iconic to ignore and neglect on this list tbh. the girl was literally 14 in the show and a straight up menace everytime she appeared on screen. it honestly made me think she was actually going to capture/kill one of the members on aang's squad. she's that terrifying. but then again she's pretty funny as well. i'll give her credit for that. anyway, azula is my top tier villain that gets too much hate and suffers from mischaracterization in the comics. despite that issue; the blue fire is so cool to watch in her battles and everything about her downfall is super well written! she's a inspiration to me ♡

slenderman from slender: the arrival. my favourite childhood horror character of all time!! i had to add him here. it's one of my favourite og games i've ever played and slenderman is a legend to the horror genre itself. i definitely had nightmares about him because i thought he was real when i was younger lmfao. the game just made it more terrifying because he always wins no matter what the main characters do

20. If you could tell your muse something, what would it be?

let's be real here—i would never in my life make contact with a super criminal and tell her off so carelessly because she would beat my sorry ass instantly, but if she was in a electric chair then i would definitely tell her to take more anger management classes, be less rude to people trying to be nice to her and quit killing people just because you got hissy with them and knowing her? she won't really listen to me! she'll call me a peasant 😔✋🏼

[rune-tisms]

I NEED TO KNOW THE BACKSTORY OF REESE PLEASE

NO WAY OMG SOMEONE CARES ABT MY STUPID INSERT OC IM SO HAPPYYYY

i literally wrote a whole google doc about him i’ll just paste it here lmao

cw for a suicide attempt (not detailed though)

reese has lived in gotham for his whole life, but when his parents died in a car crash when he was 12 years old, he was promptly moved to the gotham city orphanage. it was there that he met edward nashton. they didn’t immediately become friends, as reese had become quite the trouble maker and frequently got into fights with the other children, but edward warmed up to him eventually. reese was the only one who actually spoke kindly to edward, which caused edward to get somewhat attached to him. once they became friends, reese quickly got very attached to edward and they were practically inseparable. reese even stopped getting into fights and found himself able to better cope with his loss due to having edward around. they would remain friends until reese was 16; their friendship would end with a nasty argument that removed both of them from speaking terms. it would begin with edward wishing for some space from reese, and reese feeling hurt by this and lashing out by accusing edward of being the reason he has no other friends at the orphanage, and from there it would just get worse and worse until it ended with both of them storming away from each other and never speaking or even being within 5 feet of each other ever again.

reese would go on to immediately join the workforce, never keeping jobs for long but making enough money to afford a shitty apartment in the slums of gotham. his mental health declined significantly and he even attempted suicide when he was 23, but was unsuccessful. the trip to the hospital caused him to become even less financially stable, so he had to take up multiple jobs at the same time, and this in turn worsened his mental health even more. he scraped by every day, barely a shell of a person, until one day he stumbled across one of the riddler’s online clues and managed to get into his community. reese found hope in the riddler’s promise of a real change, and found himself obsessing over who the person behind the mask really was. riddler had practically saved his life by pulling him out of his depressive stupor, so naturally his damaged brain latched onto him and pulled him into a parasocial relationship with this strange online figure. however, he was far too anxious to try and form an actual connection with the man or even make himself a prominent figure in his community. he settled for snippets of the riddler from his livestreams and posts, all the while wishing they could meet in person. it’s likely that, subconsciously, reese picked up on similarities between his childhood friend edward and the riddler, though he never was able to make that connection outright until edward was caught and detained and his identity was revealed on the news. as riddler enacted his plan, reese was unable to find it within himself to care that riddler was a murderer; he was in too deep already. he was simply another follower. it’s not as though reese wasn’t inclined to violence himself, anyway.

regarding the batman, reese isn’t very interested in him, and is, in fact, more jealous of him than anything. he wishes that he was doing something that could cause the riddler to be as interested in him as he was in the batman. in fact, reese often fantasized about being the batman himself, simply because he wants to be noticed and loved by the riddler.

during the flooding of gotham, luckily reese’s apartment complex was far enough away from the sea wall to suffer minimal damage. it was, however, at this point that reese began to question his loyalty to the riddler, but by this time it’d already been revealed to him that the riddler was edward nashton. he was able to sympathize with edward and his cause even more due to knowing him personally, and so mentally excused all of his actions. besides, it would be immensely painful for reese to discard his obsession since it was practically the only thing keeping him alive; edward/the riddler was the only thing that mattered anymore.

he begins to daydream about freeing riddler from arkham, but he knows he’s not smart enough to actually achieve such a feat. he hopes edward can free himself, and since edward has always been smarter than him, has hope that he can actually do it. this is where reese is at currently; waiting for edward to escape so he can finally reunite with him after all this time.

i hope you find it interesting anon thank you so much for asking :D

also, this is only one possible backstory for him, i have too many ideas 😭 if you wanna know more you can totally dm me :3 or just send another ask ofc!

[rainycat2]

Though I Could Not Stop for Death

Chapter Six: Encounters

Damian, as befitting his training, his childhood, and the absolute bafflement at this assassin 1) calling him by name and 2) apparently being very behind the curve of information on the whole “left home” debacle, did not move. He didn’t even twitch in reaction, raising an eyebrow, sheerly unimpressed. “You’re rather out of the loop for someone in the League,” he mused, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword at his hip. “You’re a deserter, aren’t you?”

The deserter, for that’s what they had to be, paused in his pacing on the ledge of the building, turning to look Damian up and down. “You’re… not going to try to kill me?”

Batman made a noise, somewhere between disbelief, concern, and wariness. “What reason would he have for that?”

The assassin paused, tenseness in his shoulders as he looked back at the Bats congregated on the top of the building. Not for the first time, Damian wondered idly how he had gotten this far in stealth, given that he somehow glowed like a broken light stick. He was lit up like a neon sign, the light from his armor (and really, he understands personalizing it in an act of defiance against the groupthink of the League, but neon?) glowing and playing with the shadows of his masked face. 

“Just… covering my bases,” the assassin… person? He clearly wasn’t a very good assassin— answered, fake ease in his voice. “I know how stabby he can get, though it’s kind of hard to stab, yknow. A ghost.”

Damian liked to think that in the five years since he became Robin, he’d seen enough to be truly unphased. Time travel, his friend leaving for a summer trip and coming back seventeen, legitimately everything regarding Todd, et cetera. He’d thought he really, at this point, could not be surprised. 

“Ghosts aren’t real,” he said, his mouth working faster than his brain. The assassin seemed to snort, turning away to look over the city, leaning a bit concerningly far over the ledge. 

“Oh, sure, buddy, and I’m not your twin brother back from beyond the grave,” Damian caught, the muttering clearly meant to be under his breath. Alas, their technological improvements to their suits had long since included technology to amplify their hearing. 

“Excuse me?”

“Ohshit,” the teenager groaned as he rubbed at his face. “You don’t… you didn’t hear anything. Nope.”

Red leaned over in incredulity, leaning around Batman’s hulking form. “Did you seriously just call yourself his dead twin brother? Robin doesn’t have a dead twin brother.”

===

The eight years since leaving the League had done wonders on Danny, truly. He learned what it meant to have a loving family, the importance of friends, his quite literal “ride or die”s, the stability of having a support network. 

But in that process, he’d opened up, let his guard down. He was expressive, witty, sarcastic. 

And Danny, upon hearing Red Robin’s incredulous comment… winced. Visibly. Physically stepping back a little, his boot scuffing the edge of the building, knocking a few pieces of gravel off. “I— uh, that. Depends on who you ask? Technically he doesn’t, uh, anymore?” He stuttered, green eyes flicking back and forth between the impassive gaze of Batman and the much more visibly murderous one of Robin, his sword hilt gripped tightly in hand. “It’s complicated, and uh, a long long story?”

“Shorten it,” Robin ground out. 

“Righto, uh, well, Lazarus pits, you know?” He started, nerves sneaking into his voice. “They’re kinda fucked up waste pits of ectoplasm, really need to be cleaned out and all that. And uh, if you… shit, I have no idea how to spin this,” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“You’re a really bad assassin,” Red Robin noted. “And a really bad liar.”

“I— yknow; fair enough. You’re not the first person to say that.” 

“You. Are. Stalling,” Robin grumbled, unsheathing his wakizashi as he stalked towards the glowing teenager. Danny balked, then grinned behind the mask. 

“Oh holy shit, you have my sword!” He cheered, quite literally and visibly lighting up as he tugged his mask down. “I missed that! Man, you have no idea how shitty it is to have to find an entire new sword years after getting comfortable with another, Dami, it sucks don’t do it— I mean, I more use a katana these days, but it’s in the same design, I guess Mother gave it to you after everything?” Danny let his hold on gravity drop, zipping over to his brother as he examined the blade. 

Robin flinched back, his glare amplifying. “Stop that,” he barked. “You— stop it.”

“Stop what?” Danny raised an eyebrow.

“Stop— imitating my face!”

“It’s not your face, it’s my face!”

“No, it’s not!” Damian insisted. Danny let his feet drop, his weight returning just in time to dodge the punch that would have otherwise probably broken his nose. 

“Whoa, hey, Dami, chill out,” he yelped. “It’s cool, it’s fine, I mean you can’t really hit me anyway, given the whole dead thing, but I’d kinda figured, yknow, it’s been eightish years, yknow?”

“Stop it!” Damian growled, spinning to tackle Danny. The twins went down, Robin pinning the young ghost as he punched. Danny’s arms went up, blocking him from his face on instinct, a grin on his face. 

“Oh, that’s how we’re socializing? Great!” Danny chirped, catching Damian’s fists as they descended. He hooked his knee up, pushing Damian up and *launching* him off, spinning as he got to his feet. “Let’s socialize, akhi!”

“Don’t call me that!”

===

Tim slid over, watching the boys with oh-so-similar faces duking it out on the roof of the building. “You good, B?” He asked, looking over the Big Bat. And… yep, Bruce had the same expression on his face when Damian first showed up: disbelief, concern, confusion, and anger hidden behind a mask of indifference. “Ah. A crisis, got it.”

He pulled out his phone, taking a photo of the boys absolutely wrassling on the ground, the white-haired one laughing and joking while Damian seemed to be doing his best to claw his eyes out. 

Wayne Family Dumbasses:

conspirator: my bet’s changing to secret twin but with the added plot twist of ghosts

murderhobo: what is this, a penny novel?

murderhobo: ….who the FUCK changed my name

conspirator: (image)

conspirator: ghost. 

20/20vision: the fuck why is he GLOWING

murderhobo: language

20/20vision: ????????

Purble: if he’s a secret twin why does he have white hair

murderhobo: yknow, I’m gonna throw my lot in on “ghost” too. And try not to feel offended about the white hair thing. 

Purble: sorry jay

===

Bruce sighed heavily. “Boys, stop trying to murder each other. Robin, get off of him.”

A muffled “he started it” came from the… yep, looking at them, if you were able to dismiss the white hair and— okay, his eyes were glowing too— glowing, Lazarus green eyes, their faces were identical. “You. You say that you’re his twin brother? Explain.”

“Ra’s didn’t need two heirs,” the boy said simply, crossing his arms across his chest. “And I refuse to hurt Dami.”

Robin resolutely looked away from the white-haired boy at his side. “You’re not him,” he muttered. “And if you are, why now? Why taunt me with your existence?”

===

Danny sighed, turning to Damian as he set his hand lightly on the vigilante’s shoulder. “Akhi, hal tatadhakar alnujumu?” he murmured, nudging Damian to face him even as he stiffened. “almalk walhami. kan almakan aladhi yumkin 'an nakun fih ahraran.”*

Though Danny couldn’t see his brother’s eyes, he knew them better than he knew his own— flicking back and forth, taking in the minute differences from what Damian would have remembered. His freckles were different in his ghost form, forming constellations… one, the figure they’d painted as the King, the other on his opposite cheek the Protector, their ‘backs’ against each other. “Kayf matat?” he asked finally.**

“Sayf al'umi ealaa alduluei. khatwt 'amam alnasl bayn yadayka. kan kabiran jidana bialnisbat lika. lam takun mdrban ealaa aistikhdamihi,” Danny answered, his gloved hand taking Damian’s. “Lam 'astatie tarkak tamuta”***

Pain exploded across his nose and Danny reeled back, a yelp of pain tearing out of his throat as Damian punched him. “You sacrificed yourself!” His brother, his twin yelled, shaking in rage. “You killed yourself and left me to take your place!”

“I wasn’t going to murder you, Damian!” Danny shot back. “I wasn’t going to let Grandfather make that decision for us.”

Damian’s hands clenched at his sides, watching the green blood drip and trickle from Danny’s nose. “You should have let me die instead,” he said, his voice hardly above a whisper. “You should have killed me rather than condemned me to that fate, to being the inferior heir who was forced to be better! You should have— should have—“

Danny scrambled forward, pulling Damian into a tight hug. “Never. Never, akhi, I would never have been able to kill you,” he murmured. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry— I’m sorry—“

And there they stood, brothers reunited after too many years apart, one beating heart between them as they clung to each other.

===

 Elsewhere, a ghost smiled, floating back as the view screen changed, showing alternate futures— twin boys growing into adults, becoming heroes together, stronger as a pair than they ever were apart. 

“All is as it should be.” ===

*Brother, do you remember the stars? The King and the Protector. It was the only place we could be free. **How did you die? ***Mother's sword through the ribs. I stepped in front of the blade in your hands; it was too big for you. You were not trained to use it. I could not let you die. TAGLIST: @mynameisnotlaura @fisticuffsatapplebees @screamingtofillthevoid @lizisipancardo @digitizedworld @dahliasandrosemary

NEXT CHAPTER: ==>