#and that���s how the lazarus pit came to be children

[dpmultibitches]

Talia Al Ghul

Obviously things can vary to fit plots, the info I'm writing mainly fits in with my fic and my info for Danny but can be altered to an extent timeline wise and such. Also she has been effected by proximity to the pit along with how much her father had used them before she was conceived and ages a bit slow & I kinda picked and chose pieces from the various stories we have about her

Talia Al Ghul was born around 1950 to a woman born into the league who had caught the eye of the Great Ra's Al Ghul, Melisande was killed when Talia was an infant by a former ally of Ra's named Qayin. After her death the guard who had been charged with protecting his child was killed for their failure and a price was put on Qayin's capture or death. After the lose of her Mother Talia was raised by a combination of teachers and her father, as she got older and her skill became more obvious? Her father became a more prominent figure in her lessons, training her to be able to run his organization for him when he had things to attend to.

Sometime later in her life she meets Bruce Wayne as Batman after both her she and Dick Grayson are kidnapped seemingly by a mutual enemy of Ra's and Batman. Unknown to Batman at the time, this was a set-up to allow his daughter the chance to seduce him. After their encounter an offer is extended to Bruce to train with the league and expand his skill set, during his time with them Bruce and Talia do manage to fall into a whirlwind romance. During this time, much to her father's disappointment, Talia ends up truly falling for Bruce. Unfortunately for her he learns the truth about their meeting and that Gotham is in danger at the same time, making his decision to leave easy for him.

It was nearly 2 weeks after Bruce left that Talia realized the that she was pregnant with his child, or rather children. When it was learned she was pregnant, steps were taken to make sure that her child would be stronger and more resilient than any normal child should. A combination of Lazarus magic and science was used to make the child stronger and more resilient. She's had thoughts about it being the reason Aidan was born still, needing to be dipped in the waters to truly enter the world. She has never voiced them allowed for fear that her own meddling in an attempt to make him stronger caused her son's entrance to the world to be delayed.

As Damian and Aidan grew, it was obvious to Talia which one her Father favored, even if it had not been for Aidan's less than ideal birth? His hesitance to kill unless it could not be avoided was obvious, even if none would voice it outside the looks her father would give her in those instances. Despite this, he excelled in stealth more so than even many of his teachers. Many members took to referring to him as The Heir's Shadow and assumed that if Damian ever took over for his grandfather, Aidan would serve a similar role to him as Talia did for Ra.'s.

When it comes to her son's Talia would do anything that she could to protect them, no matter who that made an enemy to her or who it turned against her; even if it was them that turned against her. It is this that pushed her to helping Jason Todd when he died and came back incomplete, knowing that Bruce was going through the pain of losing a child? She could not sit back and ignore that as her own children now nearly 7 years old lived and breathed in front of her, and so she found Jason and tossed him into a pit to be fully revived. During his time with her he met Damian twice and Aidan only once, but he was so far into the pit haze that it's possible they looked similar enough he didn't realize there were two of them.

Unsurprisingly with her protective streak when it came to her children, when her schedule allowed it Talia would follow them on any missions that they were assigned. When Danny was 8 years and 3 months old, he was assigned to a mission to kill a former ally of Ra's. She did just that, seeing when he failed in his mission and doing so for him well, rigging the building to blow. She then caught up with her son and told him to follow her, traversing him over 2 states from where his mission had been. She told him that Aidan Al Ghul was dead, and if he wanted to survive, he would stay that way. She trusted that she had instilled the skills needed to survive in him and left, not being able to stay away longer for risk of Ra's becoming suspicious.

After returning, she broke the news about Aidan to her father before doing so privately to Damian in anticipation of his upset about his brother's lose. It was not long after this that she brought him to Gotham to tell him who his father was, hoping that learning this information would help him through his grief. When she later left Damian with his father it was the second-hardest day of her life, because at least with him she knew that Bruce would be there to protect him.

[trust-and-jump]

REGARDING MY REVERSE ROBINS TIM: WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM?

Tim: "Why not?"

Okay, my Tim is still learning

Adding to this post (and exactly "Tim was the little psycho just like many young children that you hate are") , I'd like to say that Tim being a very cynical and cold person before he re-joins the Bats and Birds is not just a result of him being dunked in a Lazarus Pit or Ra's al Ghul's attention. It's in the other circumstances: he didn't exactly mature, he didn't learn fully to feel what many other people start to feel long before 14 years. And while he, in fact, did suffer, died and all, it doesn't help, you know? It doesn't actually teach you emotions, but it did make him think that: so I'm mature now, I've seen some shit, it makes me a better judge, I know better and all that.

like. If I got separated from my family before I started to feel for real, before I started to care about people, I would be like him. Only he's deadlier and has dangerous skills, because Batman growing little crime fighters (criminals) in his luxurious garden is something you should be scared of.

so. you would ask: "how can he be the known League Assasin and actually Ra's Herald/Harbinger and not to be mature? how can he be ROBIN/SHRIKE person and not to be mature? you just confuse emotional maturity with following your standards!"

I'll answer: he can. if the last time I wanted to kill a person (and it didn't even matter which person, even a family member, even my mother, or my sister; I had no borders at all and the only thing between me and some horrific crimes was just me not wanting to risk a punishment or literal laziness; still, I did many unnecessary but bad things, just like many teens did) I was older than him when he died, and the same age when he started in the League... he can.

He didn't break the borders. He just didn't ever get them.

and it's important, for me. he didn't even process his parents' deaths (well, considering he died soon after his father did...). Even though he feels he misses them a lot, it just didn't have any impact on how he sees relationships and family. At all.

LOOK.

Again: don't get me wrong, both me and my Tim did feel emotions, had empathy (and it's INFURIATING to think now about how I just KNEW how feels beating someone up or what some person was thinking about when did something, but NOT knowing why someone would worry about me (didn't know WHAT worry means, WHAT is it, "WHY all the people surrounding me FEEL something I can't even UNDERSTAND, WHY the other people, even all my age, are so different, WHAT am I missing, AM I just smarter, AM I just the only one who has the right to do something that is not socially accepted? Are they just consumed by society standards? What, really, should stop me from killing someone, or r*ping someone, or something else, except the fact that I just don't always want to do something and therefore it's not worth the risk? Is there anything I can't do when I really want to? Why is stealing bad? Why do people feel compassion? Why am I wrong if I don't feel the same things other do?"), why does the worry become anger, or that love and consern for someone exist outside of weird conversations some people have - I don't mean romantically, because these days I still don't feel like romantical things exist yet) and all. Got angry when saw group of teens torturing a kitten. Felt proud of some accomplishments. Embarrassed when something didn't go right in public. Playing with other kids. Feeling joy, and fear, and (no sadness. just the feeling something's missing. maybe just sadness transforming to something else too quickly to be recognised), pityness, wanting to avenge, and other things.

Not emotionless, obviously.

Just not feeling anything that actually matters when it comes to your relationships with people. When you keep people around you just because you're used to them being there, talking to you, because they're the part of your surroundings. Not feeling anything about them for real. Not even missing them the way you're supposed to, when far away for long (only missing places or actions or company or missing that you don't have to build new relationships). But knowing that if you want to change this status quo it's way too easy to do it. Because everyone once thought it, even if they don't remember it: it's so damn easy to do wrong, WHY keep people worry about doing it if it's so easy to do it?

It IS childish, in a bad way. (And any person can regress to this, under the right circumstances). And while I snapped out of it when I turned, I don't know, 16 or 17 maybe, (this was looong overdue, but I'm glad, because I was old enough to actually realise how my mind, my view, my feelings had changed), like so many others did,... some people--- didn't.

And my Tim didn't, too.

So by the time he's lucid again and not shocked or overwhelmed, after waking up, reanimated, talking to Ra's, being in the League, it's just a question of "Why not?"

It's not like he has some special kind of bond with Gotham. Why not to accept getting some new skills, why not to accept some new knowledge, why not to accept some interesting work while (and HERE al Ghul's whisperings are) helping the organization lead by a cool, charismatic person who is ancient enough to see what world should be and how to achieve that? It's not like Tim cares about the world, though (most of people don't). It's just one of the points why he should accept all of this. So he does.

And it's not even a tough choice. Not even driven by anger or something.

Just freedom.

[theogygiaisland]

Reverse!Batkids could be fun if it's made with the characters in mind

This post made me think a lot about REVERSE!Batkids a lot and how the characterization could be backwards and I feel like no one really gets how closer to GoodDad!Bruce it could be. Like it's focused on the Robins, yeah, but it should also revolve around Bruce's reverse characterization from canon (from angry man to caring father).

Like imagine: Damian is the first Robin (or not Robin as it's Dick's nickname) and he's still an assassin trained child-turned-vigilante. This world would show him how awful it is to be Batman and disillusions him from being 'son of the Bat' early on. He takes one look at Bruce's methods, brutal, efficient, cold and it reminds him of the league of assassins.

He didn't think he would upgrade when he came into Gotham, but at least in the LOA he fought opponents who were trained and not homeless men who stole $20 for dinner.

Damian follows the same path as Dick did, warring with his emotions and torn between continuing the legacy but also fighting to be his own person. He eventually leaves because Bruce failed at everything except sending him to the Teen Titans to socialize. Damian socialized and saw the world for its beauty, for the good that came outside of the LOA's brutality and Batman's recurring cynical nature.

Tim would come along when he sees Bruce is lost without Damian and offers to be Robin. Bruce doesn't accept at first (because the kid's not even his), but does so when Damian makes it clear he's close to disowning him until Bruce cuts out the savagery.

Damian hates Tim because how could he try to be a hero without training? Damian is league trained and the streets are still dangerous for him. A snot nosed rich kid would only get himself killed. The Joker sets a trap in Gotham. Damian tells Tim he can't confront the villain because he's not good enough (especially if he thinks Batman is doing good for the city) and Batman needed to gather more information on what Joker is trying to do. Tim tries to join them anyways.

This eventually does get Tim killed, not-killed, and dumped into a Lazarus pit because the LoA didn't see Tim as a leverage on Batman (Bruce didn't seem like he cares enough), but because Tim's mind can be an asset against Damian. Red Hood appears in Gotham, pit-mad, and systematically undoes the vigilante's influence by triggering gang wars and bribing cops. He doesn't do this to drive Batman into a confrontation (Tim doesn't care about another parent that didn't care for him), he does this to destroy the goodness Damian was looking for.

Robin 2's death would send Bruce to the opposite spiral, being more open with his emotions and learning how to be a father through Jason. He didn't know how to handle Tim and it drove him to his death, the next kid should know how valued he is to the family. It's not always perfect, but Jason makes him laugh when he doesn't think he could laugh again.

Jason absolutely is the reason Damian returns, not Bruce and if someone mentions it again he's still got that LOA knife in his pocket-

Damian does not become the older brother to him Dick had been in canon- but he ensures Jason is equipped with the best training to avoid another dead Robin. Jason laps it all up because 'wow someone's actually teaching me to fight good'. If Damian was less harsh in his teachings, well, it's just about time Damian accepted that you can't stop children taking to the streets so might as well equip them like how he failed to do so with Tim.

Red Hood!Tim would never develop the same morality as Jason because he didn't live as a street kid (outright murder would still be wrong for him), but he'd be hell bent on making sure he's everyone's problem by working with the system, the gangs, the corruption, the criminal underworld if in the end he gets what he wanted. But Tim would find nothing wrong if someone dies because the Riddler's latest bomb was set in someone's apartment. If it ruffles Damian's feathers then you bet Tim would release the Riddler due to a court ruling loophole.

In another world, a replacement Robin would fuel Jason's rage. In this one, Tim turns his anger into himself. When Jason gets adopted, Tim doesn't blink an eye. When Damian is shown on the tabloids picking Jason up from Judo practice, Tim nearly kills himself in rage. Instead, he goes and pesters the Teen Titans by breaching their security over and over again and sending Lex Luthor back doors to their systems.

Jason is still passionate about Crime Alley and hates that Tim does not care about the people he hurts and this is the major reason why Tim almost slits Jason's throat when Robin confronts Red hood.

Jason is still an emotional person. He gets over the hesitation and wariness about his adoption and thrives in the family. He understands Bruce's and Damian's guilt over not saving Tim. Bruce admits his faults. Damian admits to his attitude. Jason is overwhelmed by their (his family's) emotions enough that his bullheadedness shows.

So Jason tries to bring Tim home through various traps (telling the prostitutes down Lincoln ave about an upcoming gang was easy, the warehouse confrontation with Red Hood wasn't). It takes a year before Tim sets foot in the manor, but only for Alfred's cooking I swear to God Jason if Damian is here I'm setting the Brain on his friends-

He stays because Bruce cards his fingers through his hair and apparently it feels nice?

Dick comes along, a little boy who's got a bone to pick with Zucco. He's not rainbows and sunshine- he's a traumatized little kid who wants to kill a man and the motive to do so. Bruce loves him anyways, openly, as much as he can, but still trying.

Damian smiles at him, remembering his own childhood, and finally becomes a big brother. Dick comes into a family, a dad who's vocal about his love for his kids, an eldest brother who's love is shown through his hesitance to stab you, another older brother who has C4 strapped under everyone's bed as a safety net, another brother who will sit on you while he reads but will punch the bully if he finds them bullying you-

But Bruce still doesn't know how to stop him from donning red, green and yellows and taking to the streets.

[heartless-error]

Broken, not perfect, but together. - Chapter 10

Fandom: DC comics, Batman

Pairings: Jonathan Kent x Damian Wayne (JonDami) & Jason Todd x Timothy Drake (JayTim)

Rating/Tags: Family feels, hurt/comfort, mental health issues, running away, unresolved romantic tension

Other(s) links: AO3

Broken.

The Batfamily was broken.

It was six years ago, and they had barely stood together since then, trying to stand up despite guilt and regret.

Damian  was sure there was nothing to save, not after losing something that he  didn’t know he cared about. But when a new opportunity to get back what  they had lost appeared, he cannot help to doubt as his past decisions  haunt him again.

If you love somebody, set them free. But you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.

Chapter Summary: He knew he wasn't a good father, he had always knew. But he was trying, like always. And he knew he couldn't get rid of all his mistakes too, but at least he wasn't alone facing them. He had Clark, he always had Clark, even commiting the same mistakes.

Chapter 10

 Six years ago

 Contrary to what many people seemed to think, Bruce didn’t always have everything under control.

 He was trying, what was different. With all his strength, every day, with all the means and knowledge he had. Even if it was never enough, over and over again. The key was in that, in trying. It didn’t matter how many doubts were around him, how many problems arose against him or how much they tried to stop him, he had to keep trying, to solve it, showing a calm and in control facade so others didn’t know how much his mistakes or indecision haunted him in every step he took.

 Bruce knew there was no need to do it, to be so controlling or to bury his insecurities so deeply and hidden from anyone who dared to look. But he also knew where those problems came from, everything that had fed them, and what brought them to light.

The desire to control even what he couldn’t born in him from the moment in which the sound of the lifeless bodies of his parents resounded in that alley, that fateful night, and since then he lived with it. That desire to watch, intervene, and always be prepared for the worst grew as he did too, and became the man, the supposed hero, he’s now. And it was when those closest to him suffered or were injured by his decisions or failures, which reaffirmed more and more in his being.

 That feeling, that need, was like a vine with thorns. Pointy, infinite, dangerous, and sturdy, rooted within him without any limit, pressing and suffocating him everywhere, ready to hang him. It scratched his scars so that he would always remember them, suffocated his mind so that he would never forget it, and strangled his soul and that of those around him, because it was a double-edged sword where the line of protecting or controlling was easily blurred.

He couldn't get rid of it either, because then, what would be left of him? He was Batman. Batman. The one who always had a plan, a contingency, who stood out for his critical sense and his mind, what always had another alternative. He was the one whom the others looked at when they were trapped in a situation with no way out, the one who kept calm in extreme situations, the one who was able to save the day or the world thanks to his control.

 He couldn't lose that, but it's not like he wanted to, or knew how, either. So, doing his best was all that was left. Keep calm, control. He tries it.

 He tried but the manor was quiet. He knew it wasn’t something unexpected after what happened three nights ago, but it kept worrying him because it was as if everything had turned off suddenly.

Damian's firm, light footsteps were no longer heard in the hallways, his youngest son hadn’t left his room since that night, he had also refused to receive anyone and was recovering from his sprained ankle. The soft Richard’s laugh had also vanished, he was like a ghost, he knew that he walked around the corridors from time to time because he couldn’t bear the confinement, but he was impossible to detect. Alfred's courtesy couldn’t be seen either, he knew that the man was not only angry, but that he respected his desire to be alone right now. The presence of his daughter, Cassandra, was also lying much in need, as much as she was silent in itself, her stay was always appreciated. Stephanie's jokes had been replaced by cautious and angry looks upon learning what happened. Barbara hadn't even deigned to answer him when he asked for a certain favor the night before. Timothy and Jason had fallen into complete silence, nothing unexpected.

 It was afternoon, but Bruce was in his office in the manor, thinking about how the place he had managed to fill with laughs, footsteps, and life over the years was now as empty and silent as when Thomas and Martha Wayne died.

He hadn't moved much, from the big chair in front of the expensive office desk, because he was still thoughtful and analyzing the argument that had happened in the cave three days before.

 Bruce knew he wasn’t a good father. Like all of him, he was trying, but he was very aware of reality. If someone asked him about the mistakes he had made regarding his children, he could list each and every one of them by heart, classify them by different categories, and then recite them out loud almost without thinking. This, obviously, was because he had them in his mind and insanely at all times and, of course, feed again those cravings for control that dominated him. The fear of losing them was too much, he couldn’t bear it, and that led him back to enter that infinite cycle that dominated his life.

The more he loved his children, the more he needed to protect them. That, in one way or another, involved controlling them and their environment, and the more he tried to do it, the more damage he did directly or indirectly. He always ended up failing, making mistakes. And these mistakes were present again, trying not to be repeated for then commit others instead.

 He was also aware that most of his children hadn’t had an easy life. Everyone came to him as children whose circumstances had been difficult and unfavorable. He couldn’t be responsible for the trauma or abuse that others had done to them, he just helped to mitigate it, give them the happy, healthy home they deserved and tried to change things where possible. But at the end of the day, the adult who took responsibility for them was him, and definitely had made mistakes.

 The worst and what tormented him most at the moment, is that if he listed those mistakes and removed the most obvious and indisputable of the list -how, for example, involve all of them in their crime crusade - most of them involved Tim and Jason in some way or another.

 That certainly didn’t help him.

 If he initially wouldn’t have been so hurt by Dick's departure to the Titans, perhaps he would have considered not controlling Jason the way he did when he adopted him or making the same mistakes as with his first child. If he hadn't been so convinced that the wounded but brave boy from the Bowery, needed Robin, he might not have felt like he needed to fill his older brother's shoes and run away later. If he had made it to Ethiopia in time, to the warehouse, Jason wouldn’t have died. If Jason hadn't died, he wouldn't have fallen into the spiral of self-destruction that Tim had to save him from, and he wouldn’t have turned him into Robin. If he hadn't turned Tim into Robin, maybe his parents were still alive, maybe he would have had a normal and happy life. If Tim had a normal life, Jason wouldn’t have risen with so much hatred and resentment towards them and wouldn’t have tried to kill him. If he hadn’t "died" later, Tim wouldn’t have lost another person, nor fallen into the same self-destruction from which no one could save him now.

 If... If not...

 There were so many events that he could have changed, and others not. So many mistakes, so many things could have been better. Everything turned in his head and had harassed him for three days. His bad decisions, the possibilities, the memories, all of that filled him with guilt and uncertainty, blamed him that it didn’t matter how human he was, how much he felt, because his mistakes always had more weight and consequences in the people he loved, whatever he did.

He remembered the despair he felt while holding Jason's corpse, bloody and broken as the warehouse burned and collapsed around him. The fear that ran through him when he helped to trait Tim's wounds after Red Hood's beating him up at the Titans' tower too, knowing who had done it. He remembered the disappointment and pain that Jason's spiteful words provoked him when he was ready to kill the Joker. Also, the understanding of Tim's tears after his father's death.

 They were his sons. His sons. He felt and suffered more for them than for himself, and for the fact that because of his own crusade their lives have been so affected.

They had big hearts, unshakable will, and unmatched bravery. A potential within them that drove them to help others innately, to fight with everything they owned. It was that light, that ability, why they were Robin.

 However, that didn’t take away the fact that his field-acquired wounds, both emotional and physical, could affect them on a deeper level than they could think. Endangering themselves, the other, and the rest of them with that hidden relationship that was revealed three nights ago.

 Jason was the brave and fighting boy from the streets who decided to fight the crime he experienced firsthand. But the trauma related to the abuse, the streets, and his own death was still very entrenched inside him, shaping his decisions both inside and outside his vigilant life. The Lazarus Pit had made him violent and angry, a killer who lost control when one of his triggers of said trauma appeared, including the bats themselves. As much as he had improved his control, they still had no guarantee that the Pit Rage would appear at any time and become a threat for all of them again.

Tim, the sweet little Tim, was still the smart and kind boy who threw away all opportunity to live a normal wealthy child life to become an extraordinary hero, someone who cared for and saved people in a selfless and sacrificed way. But the experiences that came along with that decision were not as kind as he was, and while Tim gave his all, without contemplation, in exchange he lost family, friends and stability. Bruce was not stupid, he recognizes a severe depression when he saw it, and although no one knows what happened to his third child during the time he was lost in time -or what he had to do to get him out- it had to be bad enough for Timothy became the lifeless emotionless shadow which was now.

 “You’ve been years without knowing anything from us!” Jason said three nights ago.

 It wasn't true, but it wasn't false either. He couldn't deny it with the same force as Richard did, because as much as he would like to say that both of them were still integrated in the family, it wasn’t true. They hadn't been in a long time, and they couldn't run away from it.

For him, it was always easier to treat Jason as if he had been a fallen soldier in battle because doing it as the son he left to die was too painful, it kept shaking him to the depths of his existence, perhaps that was why he hadn’t been able to integrate him among them again, in addition to all the history resulting from those events. He couldn't ignore his morality and methods, destructive and totally different from his. Neither the numerous attempts to harm him or the rest of the family, especially Tim. There was the fact that Red Hood operated in Gotham apart from the Outlaws, yes, but they hardly worked together or cooperated. They had their territories very defined, but he could barely catch a glimpse of Red Hood without twisting things, neither Jason. He knew that sometimes he was in the cave or the manor, but he always made sure not to see him and not stay long unless it was necessary.

For his part, Timothy, after he returned from his "death" and accepted Damian as Robin, he adopted the Red Robin alias and seemed to disappear entirely. He claimed to be in favor of carving out his own name as a hero, but he was elusive, smart, and determined. He went to live alone, to work with the Titans or at WE. It didn’t matter how many calls they made, how many emergencies or meetings would be held. Tim barely stepped on the manor, he didn’t stop to talk about anything other than the vigilant job, and long periods passed without seeing him. He hid his wounds very carefully and his habits began to be dangerous for him. They knew enough to realize that he was trying too hard and something was going very wrong but reaching out to help him without scaring him in the process was hard, complicated.

 Maybe for all that and more, his sons didn’t trust him enough to reveal what was going on between them, that they were dating. He didn't blame them, he really deserved it, because he couldn't figure it out either. He also deserved they were angry with him and his opinion on the matter.

 They could get mad at him, hate him, or yell at him. But he really believed that he had reason to say that relationship was something that should be discussed or thought more carefully.

Relationships on the field were dangerous, he knew it personally, and he still remembered the discomfort that had plagued the team when Barbara and Dick broke up so many years ago, not to mention Tim and Stephanie too. And he also remembers the serious injuries Jason inflicted on Tim, how much Red Hood lost control around him, and how little Tim has always valued himself and his injuries.

 Jason's problems along with Timothy's emotional state were not a good combination at all. It wasn’t. It didn't matter how they looked at it, nor how many years will pass. Their story was too rough, there was too much torment, too much tension between them. They themselves were not in a position to have such a relationship with anyone, much less with the other. And if he already doubted the red team itself -despite its efficiency- he also couldn't help but doubt this.

 He couldn't leave them to destroy each other, he couldn't. He knew that was how it would end, and the simple possibility that it might happen made his cravings for control beg him to take the reins of everything again, to fix all this and do it now.

 However, he had already been too carried away by that feeling to know that it wasn’t a good idea to follow it. So, before he could do anything, he received a call. A call that lasted for hours, most of the night, where he got another perspective on the matter and helped him to decide and ask that favor from Barbara that he hadn't heard from yet.

 Despite knowing there would be no response yet, he couldn't help but check his phone again to make sure, eager to be able to do something about it instead of sitting for hours in that office evaluating and planning the best course of action.

 He was just going to think about that when a few firm touches on the window caught his attention, causing him to straighten and look at the window on his left suspiciously.

 Even though he had told him that he didn't need him to come, there he was, his call.

 Frowning, Bruce got up from his seat and went to the window to open it wide, looking at Clark Kent, who floated in front of him in his civilian clothes as if it were the most normal thing in Gotham in the middle of the afternoon.

Holding back a sigh, he opened the window and stepped aside to let him in, trying to decide what to say first.

 He was debating between a "What the hell are you doing here?" or "I specifically told you not to come here.” before the Super raised his hand and talked.

 “When was the last time you slept?” He asked, looking at him closely.

 Not even a "Hello, how are you?" before starting to enter the matter. It wasn’t necessary, they had already overcome that phase of their relationship for a long time. What's more, Clark didn't have to ask how he was doing, he already knew it, he knew it very well.

It had been him who had finished calling after the discussion in the cave with Tim and Jason because he knew that something happened to him only by his heartbeat. It's not like he could have hidden it from him, because not only would he have found out sooner or later, but because he already did, and he was his best friend, so he finished telling him everything. They talked too much, and the call lasted for hours, with both locked in their offices for more privacy and with Clark insisting on going to see him.

 He said there was no need, but he had ignored it, as always.

 “That’s not relevant.” He replied, frowning further.

 To Clark, that was the fragrant confirmation that -indeed- he hadn’t slept for three days. In his defense, Bruce would say he was too busy thinking about other things to allow himself a little rest. What's more, he wouldn't even have done it if he tried.

Every time he closed his eyes he listened to Tim's choked sobs and his weak voice begging him to leave them alone.

 Clark wasn't going to know that, but didn’t seem to like his answer at all, because he crossed his arms and looked at him the way he always did when he had no idea what to do with him.

 For a moment, Bruce had the slight hope that Clark would let him go, but it was Kent. So, when he grabbed his arm and dragged him onto the couch in the office to make him sit down with him, he wasn't even surprised. He just rolled his eyes and reminded himself that trying to fight Superman for this was not worth it, because he already knew the result, he had tried too many times. So, he ended up sitting next to him on the sofa and sighing heavily.

 “Sleep.” Clark said simply and shrugged. As if it were that easy.

 “I don't think it works that way, Kent.” He replied with a snort.

 Clark looked at him again disapprovingly a few seconds, then his annoyance softened, and his look turned into one of pure concern.

 “Rest, please.” He asked softly. “I know you, and I know there have been rough days, but it wouldn’t be better like this.”

 After a moment of silence, Bruce decided not to answer that and instead leaned on the sofa to look at the ceiling in silence, closing later his eyes and completely ignoring the tug on his chest that Clark's concern caused him.

That seemed to be an acceptable move for the Kryptonian, because then they were completely silent, together. Bruce could feel the warmth of the other's body, sitting too close. Also, how he tried not to move too much so as not to distract him or disturb his rest, which didn’t help much because he couldn’t rest by himself, but the effort was appreciated.

 He didn't keep track of how long they were quiet and just being aware of each other's presence, but Bruce found himself breaking that peace after a few minutes without even hesitate.

 “Why are you here?” He asked without changing his position.

 He felt Clark stir in his seat and his bluish gaze fixed on him.

 “I wanted to see how you were.” He replied directly. “Do I need something more to see you?”

 Again, he remained silent, that tug on his chest appearing again. However, unlike a few minutes ago, this time he opened his eyes and turned his head to look at him too, meeting his face closer to his than he had originally thought.

 He didn't look away, neither did Clark. They just looked at each other intently and waited for the other to say something. A tension already known between them leaked into the room.

 If someone had told Bruce years ago that Superman would be his most supportive person in his life, who he would trust the most, maybe he would have laughed, a lot. Now, he would have no choice but to agree and say thanks for it.

Because if it hadn't been for that call and those hours of conversation, things would have been much worse, and the situation would have only exploded after he had done something crazy. It was Clark who helped him see that it wasn’t necessary to carry the burdens of his mistakes alone, but that it was easier to do it together. It made it lighter. It was Clark who told him that even Superman made mistakes, everyone did, and the thing was learning to live with them and fix them after all, but don't let them dictate your life. And, above all, it was Clark who convinced him not to take hasty actions and try to clarify things with Tim and Jason without emotions clouding his judgment.

 It was Clark, it was always Clark. The one who managed to make him reason, the one who broke each and every one of his barriers with ease, the one who gave him hope, the one who saw beyond the calculating and calm façade he showed. Clark, always Clark.

 “My son was here yesterday.” The Super ended up saying in a whisper, they were close enough to hear it.

 “I know.” Bruce answered.

 He always knew when Jonathan showed up at the manor to visit Damian. This time he even thanked him, because he didn’t know the state of his younger son, but he did know that Superboy could cheer him up. As much as he broke Gotham's “no meta” rules and the limits set by his parents, he decided to let it be.

 “And you were okay with that?” Clark asked, more curious than annoyed.

 “Yes.”

 “Why?”

 “What do you think?”

 His answer made that tension, known but unsolvable, grow even more. Clark swallowed hard and Bruce didn't look away.

 The truth is that they would have had to be very blind not to have realized that their sons were in love for a long time and hopelessly they were going to end up together. After all, it was something that had been happening and developing in front of them since they made them team as children, and what they also had avoided talking at all cost.

 If Bruce at this time wasn't so worried about what had happened with Tim and Jason and how to solve it, maybe he could stop to think about how unfair he and Clark were being not wanting to recognize the feelings that their sons had on the other.

 They would like to; they would really like to. But admit that would openly lead to mention Conner's fixation with Timothy, which would lead to the conclusion of that, for some reason, always has existed a connection/fixing between the Supers and the Bats. And to admit this fixation would mean declaring that it really exists, along with that... Something, between them.

 There was something. Something between Bruce and Clark which didn’t want to admit, speak, or recognize. They've been ignoring it for years and had always worked like this, they had no reason to bring it to light, nor act on it. However, recognizing the situation of their sons not only will make it much more real, if not that -in some way- impossible.

That doesn't make sense because it was already impossible anyway. Clark was married to Lois, Bruce was dating Selina, they have been best friends since the League was founded, and their children were going to end up together, so there was no way they could... What?

 Do what? To say what?

 There was nothing to do, nothing to say. It wouldn't do any good because it was too late. No matter how much they tried to ignore it, it was something that hung over their heads and the moment it arrived they had to impose their sons' happiness on theirs, because that was how it worked, that’s what it meant to be a dad.

Although maybe that's why they didn't want to admit it, maybe that's why they tried to postpone all that until they could no longer, because they knew that the moment their children spoke for themselves, the decision of both of them was made, and it was like closing a door definitively that they had never dared to cross, but whose existence knew.

 But that wasn’t the important thing at the moment. The important thing was Tim, Jason, their relationship, making sure they were safe and secure, and waiting until Oracle managed to contact them in order to see them. But that was a matter of time, he just had to wait.

 So, ready for it, Bruce turned away from Clark, snorted wearily, settled back on the couch, and closed his eyes to get some sleep after three days without rest.

And if Clark's hand held his in the process, was something between them and no one else.

 ~0.0~

 When he woke up, he was alone.

 The office was dark, it was already night, the window was closed, and Bruce was lying on the couch.

There was no sign of Clark, but before thinking about how he had taken advantage of the fact that he had fallen asleep to accommodate him and leave without saying anything, he focused on the light of the flashing notification from his phone that he had been waiting all day.

 "Don’t thank me. Say hi to Hood before the patrol.” Barbara's text said.

 She had done it; she had granted his request and had been successful. Oracle had managed to locate the red team to take them to the Cave and sort things out. To have a conversation about it without surprises or threats, just leaving the cards on the table at once. There were situations and secrets in the family that could no longer be ignored more, and this was one of them.

 Bruce didn’t have time to be surprised that it was precisely Jason who agreed to attend that appointment, because he realized that he should head there. It was time to prepare for the patrol and it was better not to make anyone wait this time. He was determined to make his position clear and protect his sons, as necessary.

 He was halfway to the cave entrance when a loud sound made his world stop and a jolt of terror prick him.

 Bang!

 He breathed for a second, and then, recognizing the sound as a shot, he went through the entrance and down into the cave as fast as possible. Everything in a pure ingrained instinct that he had acquired after so many years in the crusade against crime, which tightened his muscles and contracted his bones.

 With his heart hammering hard and thousands of possibilities and explanations piercing his mind, when he arrived at the cave precisely the least expected received him.

 The vision of Dick Grayson, gun in hand, with Jason Todd bleeding out on the floor, made him realize that everything had gone too far.

 There was no longer a solution.

[lerdm]

More On The Tim/Diana AU

Okay, so since my post on rare ships, I did get a few messages about how I thought this would look like, so here is an outline of what that universe might look like.

Bruce is older now, like actually old, like 65-70ish. Alfred died a few years back and the way Bruce dealt with it drove Jason away for good. Dick is still Nightwing, although he’s also getting up there in years. His 40′s weren’t kind to him and he and Damian got into a huge fight at his 50th birthday party because Damian was almost certain that he was going to get himself killed. Damian doesn’t talk much with Bruce or Dick anymore either, which is a shame, because he’s the only one who Jason will speak to. Then there’s Tim. 

He’s in his early thirties, he was the one who took over being Batman after Bruce retired, much to Damian’s chagrin. Diana being basically immortal and Clark not ageing quite the same as a human man, are still the pillars of the League. At first, Batman wasn’t quite the image that he was when Bruce was in the role, but he made a name for himself soon enough.

He’s been Batman for a few years now, and the other day, he noticed a grey hair. He held it in his hand and stared at it for a while in front of the large window that looked out on Earth in the Watchtower. Diana came up behind him and asked if he was okay.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just... getting old I guess.”

“Is that troubling you?” Diana asked.

“Yes, more than it probably should,” Tim answered completely honestly.

This took Diana off guard, although, it shouldn’t by now. She should be used to the idea that Tim wasn’t his father, he didn’t bottle things up, not anymore. He had grown emotionally. And Diana would be lying if she didn’t notice how he had grown physically.

“Is it something that’s bothering you?” Diana asked.

Tim smiled a little at her and she smiled back. “Not really, not right now. But I’ve seen what doing this does to someone’s body. Bruce can barely walk now and it kills him. I figure I should probably stop before it gets that far.” He paused. “I probably won’t. Maybe I’ll go the same route as Jason and Damian and use a Lazarus pit.”

Diana looked concerned at this, “Would you? Consider that?”

“No. I think I’d rather die naturally than hurt the people around me with... everything that comes with the Pit.”

“I know it’s not my place, but I am relieved to hear you say that.”

“Maybe it is your place. I mean... you’re my friend.”

Diana looked at the man in the eye, they were the same height. 

“Just friends?”

A slow smiled crept onto Tim’s face, “I don’t presume to know what you’re feeling, but if you’re asking...”

“Which I am.”

“I don’t see any reason why we can’t... explore... this relationship. Beside perhaps your feelings for my father,” Tim said.

Diana shook her head a little. “You’re nothing like him.”

Tim grinned, “That’s more of a compliment than you know.”

“May I kiss you?” She asked.

“Of course,” Tim said.

<><> Years Later <><>

Tim was standing at the end of a long aisle. It wasn’t a big wedding, mostly family and friends from the superhero community. Tim’s best man was Conner Kent, Diana’s man of honour was Clark.

Bruce was sitting in the front and watched, his heart shattering, as Diana married his son.

There was a small reception outside the manor, where the wedding was taking place. Tim was chatting with some of the guests when something on the treeline caught his eye. He smiled and excused himself and walked over.

Jason was leaning against a tree, smoking. He looked the exact same as the snarky 19-year-old Tim had known what felt like a lifetime ago. Except for the hair, it was shock-white, and his eyes glowed in the dark slightly unnaturally.

“You know, you were invited,” Tim said.

“I know, but I didn’t want to make trouble for you,” Jason said. “Damian sends his best.”

Tim laughed, “No. He didn’t.”

Jason grinned, “No. He didn’t.” He took another drag. “Some things never change.”

“Yeah,” Tim agreed, giving Jason a look.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t go all Bruce and give me a lecture.”

“I wasn’t going to.”

Jason rolled his eyes and reached into his jacket, pulling out an envelope. “Here, a wedding present.”

Tim looked inside and saw that it was packed with photographs. And not just any photos.

“Jason... how did you get these, I thought Bruce destroyed them after Alfred died,” Tim looked through them with tears welling in his eyes.

Jason smiled bittersweetly, “Alfred gave me all the old photo albums.”

“Thanks, Jay. I-” Tim looked up from a photo to see that Jason was gone. He chuckled slightly, put the envelope in his suit jacket, and went back to the party.

“Where’d you sneak off to?” Diana asked slightly teasingly, though there was a hint of real concern under it.

“Jason stopped by,” Tim said.

Diana smiled a little.

<><> Ten Years Later <><>

Funnily enough, Tim and Diana only had little girls. Tim had thought that the universe was going to mess with Diana by making them have only boys. Not that Tim was complaining. He loved those girls.

He and Diana left them with Conner when they were going out on League business that day. It was a hard fight. Diana was protecting Tim, who was trying to hack into the hidden files in their latest adversary’s computer. Unfortunately, a bomb was set off when the other members of the Justice League were battling the drones on the main level, and the building began to crash around them.

The next thing Diana knew, she was opening her eyes. She seemed to have landed in an air pocket. And then she remembered who else she had been with. “Batman?!” She called. She sat up and looked around until she saw a glint of light bouncing off something. But she couldn’t tell what it was. She reached out to touch it, and her hand came back sticky.

“Timothy?” She asked the darkness, her voice wavering in a way that it hadn’t in a long time.

She crawled over to where he was laying. No pulse to be found. She cradled his body against her chest and sobbed until Superman finally dug them out of the rubble.

<><> <><>

Telling her children that their father was gone was one of the hardest things she’d ever done.

All she could think about as she stood at the grave of Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne, was how she was so lucky that she still had pieces of him in the world.

She smelt the smoke before she heard him speak.

“I could bring him back, if you’d like.”

She turned to look at Jason, ever the same man, frozen in time.

“He told me he didn’t want that,” Diana replied.

Jason just nodded, “Yeah, I figured.”

There was silence for a moment before Diana spoke her mind. “Why are you here?”

“I... just thought I’d come to tell you that I’m sorry. And that you and the kids were the things that made his life worth something to him, not Batman.”

Diana stared at Jason tearily. “Thank you.”

He nodded and was about to turn away when he remembered something else he had wanted to tell her. “And... Damian’s taken this hard. He, uh, I think he has people following your girls just to make sure nothing happens. I tried to call him off but- well, it’s Damian. I know they can handle themselves, he’s just worried.”

Diana wanted to be angry, and snap at him that she can protect her children on her own, but then she remembered that she wasn’t the only one who lost someone.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

Jason nodded once and then went back to his motorcycle, revving away.

[iamfitzwilliamdarcy]

Title: The Haunting Blessing of Wayne Manor Summary: Tim is convinced a demon has moved into the Wayne Manor; Jason decides it's past time Wayne Manor is blessed. (Set in Catie's Fr. Todd AU) (ao3)

It’s @catie-does-things ‘s birthday today!! Happy birthday Catie!!!!! The Manor seems like an excessively Massive place to bless but Fr. Todd’s gonna Do It Anyway!!! Hope you enjoy and have a great birthday :D (as a sn: this is based entirely on house blessings that my college chaplain did for us...but the last one of those was 3 years ago; also semi-based on a story from one of my chaplains that it’s also been about 3 years since I’ve heard...I think most of it is pretty Accurate to how Life Works tho) 

“I think there’s a demon in the Mansion,” Tim says, and Jason doesn’t look up from the Halloween lesson notes he’s preparing for the elementary and middle-schoolers at the school Dominic’s been assigned to.

“You can’t keep calling Damian that,” he says absently, starring a place he thinks can reword.

“You’re the one who started it,” Tim says sullenly. Jason looks up when he shifts in his chair, and frowns. Tim’s face is twisted and serious, and though he clutches the mug of coffee Jason’s made for him, he hasn’t taken a sip of it at all. He looks tired, not strictly unusual, but pale also.

Jason snaps his notebook shut and gives Tim his full attention. “I was just there last week for dinner,” he prompts. “Nobody mentioned anything abnormal.”

“Bruce thinks I’m being suspicious,” Tim admits, and Jason can tell that stings. “I think Dick is starting to come around, but he didn’t believe me at first either--” just a hint of bitterness, bygones of Dick’s Batman days--”and who the hell knows what Damian thinks. Cass agrees though,” he adds as if that’s all that matters. The two of them, through thick and thin.

“Have you been spending the night at the Mansion?” Jason asks, surprised. Since moving back in with Cass, he’d figured Tim, who had a bad habit of withdrawal, had been keeping mostly to himself. He made sure to keep his appointments, like his weekly coffee or brunch get together with Jason, but, when not patrolling, stayed holed up in his apartment.

It’s part of why Bruce approves the living arrangements--someone’s keeping an eye on him.

Tim shrugs. “Late patrols, working a case, Cass is in Hong Kong. Anyway,” he adds pointedly, like that’s not the point, “the point is, there’s something. It started in my old room and I think it’s moved to the sitting room.”

“Unhelpful,” Jason says. “There’s a million sitting rooms.”

Tim eyes him. “The only sitting room that matters. You know.”

Jason laughs. He does know, it’s essentially Tim’s sitting room at this point, though Jason favors it too when he comes to visit--it has the best natural light in the Manor, great for naps for someone like Tim, who, cat-like, seeks out sunny spots of solitude.

Tim still looks troubled though, and Jason sighs. “I’ll talk with the pastor,” he says. “And I’ll come by and bless the Manor.” He pauses, thoughtful, and adds, “That’d be a good thing to do anyway.”

“You think sprinkling some water will work?” Tim asks skeptically.

“Hey, you came to me,” Jason reminds him.

Tim chews on his lip. “How long?”

“Probably tomorrow,” Jason says. He’s torn--ordinarily he’d suggest confession for the sacramental graces, but only Bruce and Dick had ever been baptized Catholic (and Jason’s not even sure about Dick). Tim, neglected in more ways than one, has never been exposed much to religion outside of an academic context at all. And Damian...well he’s a special case.

Instead, Jason impulsively he reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a Rosary. He drops it gently into Tim’s cupped hand, saying, “Here, take this.”

Tim stares down at it. “I don’t know what to do with it,” he admits.

Jason bites down on the suggestion that he ask Bruce--Tim would take it as a dismissal, even if Jason definitely doesn’t mean it that way. Instead, he starts, “The big bead is the Our Father, and then the next ones are the Hail Marys, see it’s a decade, and after ten Hail Marys comes the Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer.” He goes over each prayer with Tim, who is absorbing it all, and then sends him off with a reminder that Bruce, though rusty, knows all the prayers if Tim forgets.

Tim gives him a glare, knowing what Jason is half-suggesting, but he says, “Thanks,” softly and is on his way.

Jason comes by the Manor the next day, armed with a prayer book and holy water. The pastor has been called away for a hospital visit, and Dominic is on retreat with his middle schoolers, so Jason is left by himself.

Damian sniffs haughtily when he sees Jason. “I expected more tools for Drake’s exorcism,” he says.

“I’m not an exorcist,” Jason reminds him. It’s a conversation he’s had frequently with his brothers, who, after discovering the diocese exorcist is kept secret, have decided, firmly, that it must be Jason. “And no one would perform an exorcism here,” he adds for good measure.

Damian grumbles something and leaves just as Bruce comes into the foyer to greet Jason. Jason returns his hug, but eyes him disapprovingly. “You should know better than to dismiss Tim like that,” he says softly. “Especially over a spiritual matter. You’re not a skeptic.”

Bruce’s brow furrows, but he accepts the scolding.

“Okay,” Jason amends. “You’re a detective, so you question, but you’ve seen too much to doubt the reality of a demon.”

“That’s fair,” Bruce agrees.

Jason waits a beat, and then adds, “And he’s the one who always believed you were alive. He found you.”

Bruce nods in acknowledgement.  “Tim and I have already talked,” he says. There’s an implication Bruce apologized, and Jason is glad. He’s getting better at that. Jason’s always a little surprised when Bruce just listens to him these days.

Bruce’s mouth slants down, not quite a frown. “I’ve been worried about him, but I think seeing you yesterday helped. He seems...almost excited about the blessing. Intrigued.”

Jason’s lips quirk up. “He’ll be disappointed. This isn’t an exorcism, as I keep telling Damian.”

Bruce laughs a little. “Cassie will be back from Hong Kong soon, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a call from them to come bless the apartment.”

Jason shrugs. “I should’ve done it ages ago.”

“Well come in,” Bruce says, gesturing, but Jason says, “I think it’d be best to be thorough and start here.”

Bruce nods. “I’ll get Tim,” he says. “And round up the others.”

“Other than Damian?” Jason asks, and Bruce shrugs. “Dick has been in and out.”

He returns with Tim, no Dick or Damian, but he’s also brought along Alfred, who offers Jason a pat on the shoulder and water bottle; Jason accepts both gratefully.

Tim still looks pale, but he grins at Jason, who says, “We’ll lets get started. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…”

They work their way methodically through the Manor, Jason finding prayer passages for rooms he didn’t even know still existed. (He realizes it’s a mansion but why does there have to be a ballroom? He mentally says an extra prayer there, thinking of children subjected to boredom at galas while adults hunt for iniquity in the name of charity; he says an extra prayer in the library as well because the smart asses of this house, himself included, could use some actual Wisdom sometimes). Damian joins them somewhere along the way, lurking behind them and acting disinterested, even though he’s definitely listening.

They pick up Dick along the way, too. Jason focuses on the prayers and the blessings, but it doesn’t escape his notice that Dick slips an arm around Tim and whispers something in his ear that makes Tim smile, even as he shushes him. He even crosses himself a few times, right to left, and Jason files that away because did he know Dick was raised Orthodox? (Eastern Rite, maybe? He definitely didn’t know.)

When they reach the sitting room, Tim flinches. There is a drastic drop in temperature, and even Jason shivers.  It’s not like Tim to be afraid, though, and he takes a few steps into the room after Jason, whispers, “It’s in here.”

Jason nods, and flips his book to pray the sitting room prayers, and, when done, sprinkles the holy water, three times, In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Then he’s done with that, and they continue. It’s a while before the whole Mansion is blessed, and Bruce even lets him bless the Cave, where he finally concludes, blessing his entire family, In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.

When he’s done, he takes a long drink of water from the bottle Alfred’s provided. He’s taken sips throughout the blessing, but the blessing has still left him thirst. He wants to catch Dick, gently suggest to him that Tim might still be harboring some hurt from Dick’s time as Batman, but before he can, Dick drags Tim off to the computer, and Bruce, brow furrowing suspiciously, follows him. Perhaps Dick realizes that, or maybe he just feels guilty about being dismissive of Tim initially. Jason doesn’t give his older brother enough credit, sometimes, but he does resolve to bring it up, along with Dick’s religious background, next time Dick stops by the rectory.

Alfred retreats too, to finish dinner, a pointed look at Jason that tells him he’s staying and will be returning with food for Dominic and his pastor. Jason smiles back, but before he realizes it, he’s alone with Damian, who, with arms crossed tightly against his chest, dog firmly at his side, clearly wants to talk. Jason waits.

“Could my grandfather--,” Damian starts, not looking at Jason.

“Maybe a curse or something,” Jason answers, shrugging. “It’s not unheard of. But,” he adds, gently, “the Manor is very old. There’s a lot of trauma here, too. I couldn’t say for sure where it may have come from.”  

He pauses, frowning at the boy, and then ventures, “You know your grandfather isn’t actually a demon, don’t you? He’s a man who’s prolonged his life artificially.”

“No,” Damian corrects. “The Lazarus Pit--,”

“I don’t mean through modern medication or anything like that,” Jason interrupts gently. “I just mean we’re not supposed to live that long. Death is natural. Immortality is not; he’s cheating death. It doesn’t matter what he calls himself, it doesn’t change the nature of what he is, and that’s a man and a mortal.”

“And a coward?” Damian asks, and Jason’s mouth twists. Whatever Damian might say, Ra’s Al Ghul is still his family.

“That’s not for me to decide,” he says quietly, finally. “But I would caution anyone about fearing death of the flesh more than death of the soul.”

Damian hums, then says, clipped, “Thank you, Todd,” and Jason breathes a sigh of relief that this conversation has gone better than the one they’d had last month regarding animals’ souls and whether or not they go to heaven.

Jason stays for dinner, and, as predicted, is plied with numerous tupperwares of food for him for the week and for Fr. Dominic and Fr. Paul, his pastor.

“The parishioners will think you don’t appreciate them,” he teases Alfred, as he accepts. Alfred sniffs a little and says that that is hardly his intent, but he returns Jason’s kiss on the cheek with a fond hand pat, and several more slices of bread.

Jason says his goodbyes, and Tim hops up, ostensibly to help him carry the tupperware to his car. When they’re outside, though, Tim says, earnestly, “Thanks for believing me, Jay.”

Jason catches his hand and squeezes it. “If it doesn’t go away, you know where to find me. We have a process.”

Tim’s eyes glint mischievously as he shakes his head and mutters “Catholics.”

“Hey,” Jason says, lightly, “if you’re jealous, it’s not too late to join us.”

Tim snorts, but when Jason tells him to bow his head, he does. Jason gives him another blessing. After he’s finished the Sign of the Cross, Jason snags Tim around the neck and rubs his knuckles against his hair.

“Hey!” Tim protests, batting at Jason’s hands and trying to wriggle away from the unexpected nougie attack. “I was trying to be reverent!”

“Aren’t we all, kid,” Jason laughs, releasing him. He gives him a little push towards the Manor. “Go get some sleep, Tim, you look like death.”

“Memento Mori,” Tim quips solemnly, rubbing at his head. He flashes Jason a grin, though, and heads back inside.

Jason stands for a minute beside his car, looking up at the Manor and the grounds sprawling behind it. It’s dark and imposing at night, but Jason knows the depth of warmth and love inside. It wells up inside him now, too, and says a little prayer of Thanksgiving, before returning home to the rectory.

[undertheinfluencerd]

https://ift.tt/2WZ2Mgx #

In 1988 DC readers famously decided against keeping Batman’s second Robin alive, taking part in a fan vote where they could choose whether or not to kill Jason Todd off at the end of the classic storyline A Death in the Family. To the shock of many, in a close vote it was decided that Jason would die at the hands of the Joker. And while it may seem like a bit of cruelty on the part of the fans to vote to kill a young boy, in both the short term and the long term they made the right call.

Jason was first introduced in 1983’s Batman #357 by Gerry Conway, Don Newton and Alfredo Alcala as a replacement Robin after Dick Grayson struck out on his own and became Nightwing. Jason originally had almost the exact same origin as the first Robin: he was part of a family of circus acrobats who was taken in by Bruce Wayne after his parents were killed. After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Jason’s origin was revamped in Batman #408 by Max Allan Collins and Chris Warner. He was now depicted as an orphan from the streets who got caught trying to steal the tires off the Batmobile. After first sending him to a school for wayward boys that turns out to be front for a criminal enterprise, Bruce takes Jason into his own home. Despite having vowed to never train another sidekick after Dick, the boy eventually takes on the mantle of Robin.

Related: Red Hood Proves He’s Just As Good As Batman (And Could Be Better)

The death of Robin in Batman #428 by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo has been revisited many times in DC Comics, both from the effect that it had on Batman, as well as from Jason’s own perspective after he returned from the dead. Since coming back to life and becoming Red Hood, Jason has been something of a black sheep in the Bat-Family. He initially appeared as a villain seeking revenge against Batman for not killing the Joker. He later became a vigilante who was not averse to using guns and lethal methods to take down criminals. And while his current role in the Bat-Family has been recently reexamined through titles such as Future State: Gotham and Batman: Urban Legends – as well as his live-action debut in the Titans show – his actual time as Batman’s Boy Wonder and the reason why comic book fans chose to kill him has not received as much attention.

Dick Grayson premiered on the comics page in 1940 with a big smile on his face and became famous for his “Gee whiz!” attitude in both the comics and on television. He was introduced as a way to appeal to children and give them someone they could relate to: a kid their age who tagged along with his hero and helped save the day. Even though he had a tragic backstory that saw his parents murdered in front of his eyes, most stories focusing on Robin were rather light, in fitting with the tone of Batman comics in general at the time. As the ‘70s rolled around, he eventually began to grow up, and finally struck out on his own as the hero Nightwing.

Once Jason was re-introduced following Crisis on Infinite Earths, he could not have been more different from Dick Grayson. Instead of being bright eyed and bushy tailed, he had a bit of an edge to him. He came from the wrong side of the tracks, growing up in Gotham’s Crime Alley where Batman’s parents were murdered. He was a streetwise kid who lived on his own, smoked cigarettes and committed crimes. He had an attitude and by the time he was taken under Batman’s wing, he was less patient than Dick and was overly eager to get out on the streets and start busting heads. The ‘80s marked a time when comics began to move into grittier and edgier territory, and Jason very much reflected the trends of the time.

Fan reaction to the new Robin was mixed. This explains why the vote to kill him was so close (only 72 more people voted to kill him than voted to save him). But looking back at Jason’s brief time as Robin, and it is easier to understand why he might have rubbed some readers the wrong way. He was, in a word, annoying. While stories tried to depict him as a rebellious counterpart to Dick Grayson’s more Boy Scout nature, his constant pushing back against Batman and Alfred could often come off as bratty. Given Dick’s tragic loss of his parents, it made sense that he would try to be a hero and help others from experiencing the same grief that he had to endure. With Jason, though his father died while working for Two-Face, his motives came off as less heroic. He was presented as someone who wanted to punish criminals and have an excuse to fight bad guys, rather than someone looking for justice or to protect others.

Related: DC Teases How Nightwing Almost Became Red Hood Instead

Jason displayed many personality traits that would later play out after he was resurrected as the Red Hood. From early on, Jason seemed to have no problem killing enemies. When an imposter was going around dressed as Batman and murdering criminals in Batman #402 by Max Collins and Jim Starlin, Jason questions if it’s such a bad thing that he’s killing people. In Batman #424 by Jim Starlin and Doc Bright, one of the final storylines right before his death, it is heavily implied that he kills a criminal named Felipe Garzonas. Angered when Felipe walks free after abusing a woman so badly she commits suicide, Jason corners him on the fire escape of his apartment. As Batman arrives on scene, he sees the villain plummet to his death. While Robin claims that the man fell, Batman is not so sure, and later expresses his doubts about keeping Jason on as his sidekick.

While fans might have wanted to just get rid of a teenage sidekick they didn’t like, the vote ended up paying dividends for Batman stories for decades. Jason’s death haunted Batman for much of the ‘90s. His Robin costume hung up in the Batcave for years, serving as a reminder for Bruce of the cost of his war on crime. During key moments in storylines like Knightfall, Bruce is haunted by the memory of Jason’s death and the thought that he could have done something different to save his young ward. Getting rid of Jason also opened the door to a new Robin in the form of Tim Drake, a character who proved to be much more popular with fans and has been acknowledged by many characters to be the best Robin that Batman ever had.

For years Jason Todd was one of the few characters who it was ruled should stay dead. Joining the ranks of Uncle Ben and Bucky Barnes (who would later return to life himself as the Winter Soldier), it was an accepted rule that Jason should stay dead, as a reminder of the cost and a failure for Batman. But that rule changed in the 2005 storyline Under the Red Hood. After facing the villainous Red Hood vigilante, Batman is shocked to discover that it is Jason himself, returned to life using Ra’s al Ghul’s Lazarus Pits.

This kicked off a compelling arc for the character that has been more rewarding than simply leaving him dead would have been. Jason struggled to understand why Batman continued to let the Joker live, and was furious that his death wasn’t enough to finally convince the Dark Knight to put down the Clown Prince of Crime for good. In the years that followed, Red Hood remained on the outs with the rest of the Bat-Family, who looked down on his lethal methods. He himself has struggled to find his place and see how much of a hero he really is. Recent storylines like Batman: Three Jokers and Batman: Urban Legends have seen him grapple with his relationship with Bruce and memories of his own murder. Future State: Gotham depicts him going undercover as an agent for Batman against their enemies, with the rest of the Bat-Family believing him to have turned traitor.

It’s tough to know how the past 30 years of Batman stories would have played out if more fans had voted to keep Jason Todd alive at the end of A Death in the Family. But there have been plenty of great stories and character moments that have come from this decision. It re-established Joker as a dangerous and murderous villain. It made Batman struggle with his role as a father figure and a crusader for justice. It opened the door for Tim Drake and other future Robins. And it made Jason Todd one of the most interesting and three-dimensional characters in Batman comics. And it all happened because a bunch of fans decided to kill Robin.

Next: Red Hood’s Greatest Fear Is Becoming The Next Joker

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Game of Thrones

Because Winter is Coming!

Less than a month to go until Game of Thrones returns to television screens. As a vast epic with production based in the British Isles, it seems to have snapped up every other British/Irish actor, many of them Whoniverse actors - though sometimes/often they only last a short time before their invariably unpleasant demise...

How much are you aware of the potential Whoniverse backgrounds of your favourite Game of Thrones characters? Did you know that..

...Ser Jorah Mormont fought Stone Men (well, Weeping Angels) on Who before he ever came across them on Thrones? ...Maester Luwin has been in 3 different Doctor Who stories (+ one The Sarah Jane Adventures story), his appearances spanning 47 years? ...Doctor Who is the 2nd IMDb credit of Ser Alliser Thorne? ...Whovians probably saw the Knight of Flowers for the first time on CBBC? ...Ellaria Sand used to be a member of Torchwood?

Characters are sorted by their allegiances/associations with various Game of Thrones Houses etc.

Each entry is set out thus:  Actor - Whoniverse character(s) - 1st Whoniverse episode/serial per character - GoT character

SJA = The Sarah Jane Adventures story TW = Torchwood story

Significant/interesting characters on both/either show(s) are written in bold and pictured.

Let’s go!

HOUSE TARGARYEN

- Harry Lloyd - Jeremy Baines - Human Nature - Viserys Targaryen  - Iain Glen - Father Octavian - The Time of Angels - Ser Jorah Mormont

HOUSE TYRELL

- Dame Diana Rigg - Winifred Gillyflower - Crimson Horror - Olenna Tyrell - Roger Ashton-Griffiths - Mr Garrett/Quayle - Random Shoes (TW)/Robot of Sherwood - Mace Tyrell - Finn Jones - Santiago - Death of the Doctor (SJA) - Loras Tyrell 

HOUSE MARTELL

- Indira Varma - Suzie Costello - Everything Changes (TW) - Ellaria Sand

HOUSE FREY

- David Bradley - Shansheeth Blue (voice)/Solomon - Death of the Doctor (SJA)/Dinosaurs on a Spaceship - Walder Frey  - Tim Plester - Servant - A Christmas Carol - Black Walder Rivers 

HOUSE TULLY

- Tobias Menzies - Lieutenant Stepashin - Cold War - Edmure Tully

HOUSE LANNISTER

- Ian Gelder - Mr Dekker - Children of Earth (TW) - Kevan Lannister - David Fynn - Marcellus - The Pandorica Opens - Rennick - Mark Lewis Jones - John Ellis - Out of Time (TW) - Shagga

PEOPLE OF KING’S LANDING

- Julian Glover - Richard the Lionheart/Scaroth & Count Scarlioni & Captain Tancredi - The Crusade/City of Death - Grand Maester Pycelle - David Verrey - Joseph Green - Aliens of London - High Septon - Paul Bentley - Professor Candy - Let’s Kill Hitler - High Septon - Tony Way - Alf - Deep Breath - Ser Dontos Hollard - Sam Callis - Security Guard - Bad Wolf - Gold Cloak 

HOUSE BARATHEON

- Liam Cunningham - Captain Zhukov - Cold War - Ser Davos Seaworth - Joe Dempsie - Cline - The Doctor’s Daughter - Gendry - Lucian Msamati - Guido - The Vampires of Venice - Salladhor Saan 

HOUSE STARK

- Maisie Williams - Ashildr/Me - The Girl Who Died - Arya Stark - Susan Brown - Bridget Spears - Children of Earth (TW) - Septa Mordane - Ron Donachie - Steward - Tooth and Claw - Rodrik Cassel - Jamie Sives - Captain Reynolds - Tooth and Claw - Jory Cassel - Margaret John - Megan Jones/Grandma Connolly - Fury from the Deep/The Idiot’s Lantern - Old Nan - Donald Sumpter - Enrico Casali/Commander Ridgeway/Erasmus Darkening/The President - The Wheel in Space/The Sea Devils/The Eternity Trap (SJA)/Hell Bent - Maester Luwin - Thomas Brodie-Sangster - Timothy Latimer - Human Nature - Jojen Reed 

HOUSE ARRYN

- Rupert Vansittart - General Asquith - Aliens of London - Yohn Royce

NIGHT’S WATCH & BEYOND THE WALL (+ JUST BEFORE IT)

- Owen Teale - Maldak/Ewan Sherman - Vengeance on Varos/Countrycide (TW) - Ser Alliser Thorne - Ben Crompton - Ross - Into the Dalek - Eddison Tollett - Burn Gorman - Owen Harper - Everything Changes (TW) - Karl Tanner - Sean Buckley - Barman - The Wedding of River Song - Old Man - Jem Wall - Michael - The Lodger - Guymon - Robert Pugh - Jonah Bevan/Tony Mack - Adrift (TW)/The Hungry Earth - Craster - Ross O’Hennessy - Sgt Johnson - Day One (TW) - Lord of Bones - Ross Mullan - Silent/The Teller/Wraith - The Time of the Doctor/Time Heist/Heaven Sent - White Walker - Struan Rodger - Face of Boe (voice)/Clayton - End of the World/The Woman Who Lived - Three-Eyed Raven (end of S4) 

ESSOS

- Mark Gatiss - Lazarus/Danny Boy/Gantok - The Lazarus Experiment/Victory of the Daleks/The Wedding of River Song - Tycho Nestoris - Tom Wlaschiha - Lt. Koenig - Lost in Time (SJA) - Jaqen H’ghar - Faye Marsay - Shona - Last Christmas - Waif - Mark Killeen - German Officer - Let’s Kill Hitler - Mero - Robert Goodman - Reg [+ 4x Classic Who extra] - Listen - Valyrian Slave - Nicholas Boulton - Businessman - Gridlock - Fighting Pit Announcer - Gweneth Keyworth - Emily Morris - Lost in Time (SJA) - Clea - Paul Kaye - Prentis - Under the Lake - Thoros of Myr - Ian Hanmore - Father Angelo - Tooth and Claw - Pyat Pree