#and then he watched jason die in it

[thesulkycroissant]

I really wanted to like Heroes in Crisis. I did not. But one of the things that I intermittently think about and get angry about all over again is the idea that Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian, and Steph all came to Sanctuary and the thing they wanted to talk about was their existence in comparison to each other. This is such a wild, outrageous waste of every single one of these characters and undermines their individual trauma in a bafflingly way. Like. Take your own project seriously, please.

[hehether]

Batboys Disney Princess edition

[catgrandpa]

Gotham has always been weird, so when the groundskeeper at the cemetery noticed the Wayne kid’s plot was disturbed, he just chalked it up to more of the same ol’. Alright, so ‘disturbed’ may be a tad too light of a word, but what’s an empty grave in the grand scheme of Gotham? God knows in a city like this one, they could use all the burial room they could get. He figured he’d just jot it down on the website and hope nobody noticed for a while.

Too bad he didn’t account for the 13 year old boy in Bristol who periodically checks the cemetery’s website when he’s feeling particularly lonely.

Plot Removed.

Tim Drake stared at the two words under the heading for Jason Todd’s plot number. Removed? What do they mean ‘removed’? They can’t just remove a plot? That’s a person down there! That’s Robin down there! You can’t Remove Robin!

Calm down. Deep breaths. Assess the situation.

Robin has been dead for 5 months and 14 days. There is no reason for a grave to be removed that early, especially one of a member of such an affluential family. Chances are likely it’s a simple clerical issue. He can call first thing in the morning and make them aware of the mistake. He can have it all fixed in 5 hours.

Just a phone call.

In 5 hours.

…

Tim hates talking on the phone almost as much as he hates waiting.

Well it won’t be the first time he’s snuck out to head to Gotham proper at 1am. It can’t even really be considered sneaking out if there’s no one home to catch you.

Buses stop running at 2, so he layers a couple sweaters under his coat and grabs his best running sneakers so he can comfortably make the trek back.

Just a quick trip to settle his nerves. Maybe get a few shots in if he spots Batman, but really he just wants to see with his own two eyes that things are okay and Jason can rest.

It’s 1:37 by the time he gets to the headstone reading ‘Here Lies Jason Todd’ and the gaping, muddy pit in front of it.

This- This doesn’t make any sense. This is not removal. This is destruction. Desecration. Somebody did this. Somebody-

Assess the situation.

A hole in the ground, approximately 1.5 feet in diameter.

Mud and grass flung outward but with little force.

Large chunks of earth turned over and shoved away.

No signs of tool marks or clean lines of entry into the dirt.

Dragging claw marks.

Staggering, shuffled pairs of foot prints in the mud.

A trail of dirt.

Something… Something large clawed its way out of the ground here. Something large and bipedal and- and humanoid.

Tim refuses to jump to any conclusions he can see all the facts laid in front of him. He’s going to cautiously follow the trail and simply hope to any god listening that he isn’t the world’s first line of defense against the zombie apocalypse.

He’s been walking for 23 minutes and there’s good news and undecided news. Good news: he’s closing in on the target and the trail isn’t taking him out of the way so his trip home won’t be prolonged. Undecided news: The potential Zombie Robin is heading directly for Wayne Manor.

As zombie apocalypse news, this is very bad. From Tim’s collected observational evidence, his not-so-professional opinion is that Batman, faced with a horror movie level zombie of his dead son, would not respond well, and would likely not fight back.

In Batman and Robin news? Tim’s unsure. If Jason is simply back? What could that mean for them? Batman can have his Robin. He wouldn’t have to continue nearly killing others and himself every night in his grief. Jason could-

No. Stop. Do not jump to conclusions.

Hope only brings heartbreak.

What would Batman do? Get close and see if the target is a threat.

Target is male. Mid-teens. Dark hair. Pale skin. Leaning against surfaces as he walks. Appears injured and disoriented.

Minimal risk assessed. Approaching and attempting contact.

Target identity confirmed: Jason Todd.

“J-Jason?” It comes out as a croaked whisper. Jason shows no sign of acknowledgment.

Tim clears his throat, steps right in front of his path, and tries again.

“Jason. Jason, stop I want to help you.” Still nothing.

“Please, Jason. I can help, I promise I can help!”

Why isn’t this working?! Why can’t he just do something right for once?! He wants this to work, he wants to help Bruce, he wants to fix Batman, he wants to not be alone, he wants-

“Robin!”

Robin jerks to a stop.

Tim reached out his hand.

“Robin. Robin please, I’m sorry you’re going through this, it’s really scary, I’m really scared. But I just want to help you. Help you find Batman. Help you get home.”

Jason just stares at him. Of course he does. Of course it’s not going to work. Why did he even bother hoping he could help?

Hope only brings heartbreak.

His sight blurs as his eyes fill with tears and he starts to lower his outstretched hand.

His arm is slowed as a cold hand weakly grasps his own.

“Don’t… scared… Bat… help… Dad… help.”

A relieved sob tears out from Tim’s chest and he gathers himself together. He yanks his extra sweater off and gently pulls it over Jason’s cold shoulders. Jason lets Tim drag his arm over his shoulders to try and carry some of his weight.

“Okay, Robin. Yeah. Your dad will help us.”

Batman will solve everything once Tim gets Robin home.

[gothamite-rambler]

Robin!Damian: Put your pew pew away! Wait—

Red Hood (confused chuckle): Put my what away?

Robin!Damian (embarrassed): I meant gun! I’ve been watching a lot of true crime videos, and that site sucks. They can’t say the word "gun," or the video gets taken down, and I won’t have anything to watch.

Red Robin: I bet you say "unalive" too

Red Robin and the others laughed, making Damian blush in embarrassment.

Robin!Damian: Damn that Ray William Johnson! He has to say those dumb words just to make those videos. I do still enjoy them though.

Red Hood: Ray William Johnson, the guy from the early 2000s?

Red Robin: He's making videos again; they're pretty good, actually.

Nightwing: The guy who did that weird online show back in the 2000s is making videos again… and he says "pew pew" for gun?

Red Robin: Yep and yep. Once you get past the words he has to say to keep YouTube videos up, it's enjoyable content. The website has gotten weirder and dumber over the years, but I like watching his videos.

Robin!Damian: Red Robin, it makes sense you are a fan, but why do you old people know about him? He’s ours!

Nightwing: What? Old?!

Red Hood: You can't claim a person as your own when we had him first! What the hell did he talk about on the show again!

Nightwing: You're not helping! We knew about him before you were even a thought!

Red Robin: You didn’t watch him, though! You knew about him and that doesn't count. You were already old, and he was dead… or working with the Al Ghuls.

Robin!Damian (siding with Red Robin, crossing his arms): Yeah... what he said.

Red Hood: I didn’t even say anything insulting!

Nightwing: And I’m not old!

Robin!Damian (pointing at Nightwing, mocking): OLD!

Nightwing (shouting angry): Stop it!

Nightwing stepped back angrily cusring.

Red Hood: We're not that old! We still had him first! And whatever he used to talk about on his show came before him saying stupid words like 'pew-pew' We had him first!

Red Robin: You did not watch him! You were busy shooting people and getting revenge!

Robin!Damian: Yeah, that's right! You were too busy being OLD!

Red Hood: You took my job!

Red Robin: We are not having this discussion again!

As the heroes and Robins argued, Batman and Oracle overheard the entire exchange. Oracle silently enjoyed the bickering while sipping her coffee. Batman's eyes widened for a few seconds as he watched the older men argue with the younger ones. He sighed, covering his eyes like the exhausted father he was.

Jim Gordon had already figured out that Batman was listening to the boys argue.

Jim: What’s it about this time?

Batman: Some guy named Ray William Johnson, and Robin called Nightwing and Red Hood old, so they’re arguing over who owns a human man!

Jim: Out of context, that’s a very weird statement. In context, this is hilarious. Who did you watch for news as a kid?

Batman: I watched the news, not a guy in his bedroom.

Jim: His content isn’t bad.

Batman: I need you to side with me right now.

Jim: It’s garbage content. There.

Jim laughed, taking a drink from his coffee. Batman was at least happy he wasn’t near his arguing sons.

[samthechaotic]

I leave the batfandom for A WEEK then come back and find out that not only jason todd is dead AGAIN but *checks notes* he died an EMBARRASSING death??? and *checks notes* HE'S ALIVE???

[aroaceleovaldez]

underappreciated Nico detail that I like - he seems to be an angry crier! very frequently he's angry when he cries and he cries when he's extremely angry. very AuDHD of him. emotional regulation sucks my guy and he's just going through it.

[ghost-bxrd]

Scrapped part from the JayTim spite fic that I judged a little too cracky but still wanted to share anyways 😂

[the-bat-bros]

Please enjoy these panels of Dick Grayson being the best big brother 💕

He gave Damian the stick HE GAVE DAMIAN THE STICK.

Don’t mind me sobbing because Robin is crying. He watched Alfred die. Alfred died because Damian couldn’t stay away. Yes it was Bane’s fault but my poor boy blames himself 😭.

“But you were my Robin.” Brb I need some aftercare after being emotionally FUCKED.

The wink. Dick knowing that this is basically a right of passage. The others just giving up and going along with it because Dickybird is right - as always.

[snakeredbirdbatkatana]

In a way this was the best outcome.

Timothy Drake was always meant to die.

He cheated the reaper when he was nine knife at his throat chasing around vigilantes who wouldn't have ever known him as anything other than a statistic.

He survived past fifteen which for any boy who wears those bright colors knows is an achievement.

Luck is what they will say.

Bad luck specifically wrong place right time at least in his mind.

Bleeding out with his brothers surrounding him.

A bullet he took before it could reach Damian.

He can see him he looks terrified standing a good two feet away which is an accurate description of them a gap that neither boy could ever seem to close.

Jason lost his mask somewhere he can feel the press of his fingers trying to keep blood in. Demanding it. Hopeing for a miracle. That's Jason Todd.

Holding him Dick's arms wrapped around him whispering

"I have you sweetheart I know it hurts, Dad's coming baby just a little bit longer."

He remembers a poem he found right after Jason died he had wondered if Jason raged fought tooth and nail to keep breathing.

But with all his brothers here his Father on the way he can't think of a better time.

As his breathe slows and he feels his vision fade he doesn't fight.

Lying in his brothers arms Timothy Jackson Drake takes his last breath.

Peacefully falling into the night.

There was no rage only a sense of peace for a tired hero who could finally rest.

[thelilylav]

He ain't heavy, he's my brother.

(He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother, The Hollies)

My art, The World at Its Beginning (Dustin Pearson), The Tyrant's Tomb (Rick Riordan), The Fall of the House of Usher (Steven Berkoff), The Tower of Nero (Rick Riordan), Leto and her Children (William Henry Rinehart), The Moon Had No Light of its Own (Imaginary Future), My Love Mine All Mine (Mitski), Untitled (Lyra Wren), The Tyrant's Tomb (Rick Riordan), Electra (Sophocles), To Forgive (The Smashing Pumpkins), Unknown, The Tower of Nero (Rick Riordan), The Sun is Also a Star (Nicola Yoon), Doomed From the Beginning (@/veniennes on tiktok), On learning to write professionally (Interview with Jazmine Hughes by The Creative Independent), The Tower of Nero (Rick Riordan), My art

[cryoverlife]

The only reason some “kid’s books” are called kid’s books is cause the trauma the twelve year old went through is never properly addressed.

[thenonbinarydetective]

Okay putting aside that I keep seeing people fall for the miscommunication trope in the latest Batman and Robin issue, it's kinda funny how many people are just neglecting to mention that Bruce is also fucked up from the gravedigger's poppy and continuously hallucinating (visual and auditory mostly) while falling further into worsening paranoia.

Like yes, he's talking about Bashar and also his own insecurities about his relationship with Damian. But it's coming out and nosediving with an external factor and people are taking this as his completely level-headed and clear response and he just randomly decided to start shit-talking his son

Like look at this man

Look at his face. Is that his normal face? no

Are those the eyes of a man who can clearly verify that what's happening right in front of him is actually happening?

[superbat-lmao]

Red Hood gets himself into some sort of mess with a cult and as he’s getting himself out runs into Batman. He’s pissed and being reckless on purpose because it’s the one thing that scares Bruce the most.

Bruce takes a hit and is de-aged and as nice as it would be to call the Justice League or even the bats, Jason doesn’t really want to get arrested and resolves himself to figuring it out on his own.

Bruce is uncooperative, non-talkative, and thinks he’s been abducted. Jason has very little time so he’s speed running through a lot of personal things he knows about Bruce and his trauma that he wouldn’t tell anyone else about. Neither of them are happy about this.

Bruce stops fighting when Jason takes a bullet for him. It finally sinks in what sort of danger they’re in and Jason really is doing his best. He’s trying to get back to the manor without alerting any major players about their movements.

After their understanding, Jason catches himself thinking Bruce really isn’t too bad of a kid. He wouldn’t say they’re getting along, but it’s better.

When they do get back to the manor, Bruce refuses to leave Jason’s side. At all. Alfred is the only one who isn’t surprised by this as everyone else tries to approach him and he basically sticks to Jason. (I can’t decide what age he should be because either he’s young enough to try and hide behind Jason, who picks him up, or he’s old enough that Jason stands slightly in front of him and redirects his siblings as best as possible without being too obvious).

Jason is benched to recover from the bullet wound and the other batsiblings are out trying to undo the spell. He doesn’t press Bruce for anything but does sit next to him on the couch in the library reading aloud. Or Bruce helps him hobble down to the kitchen where they watch Alfred make dinner and talk quietly. It’s a side of Jason no one thought existed anymore.

Bruce can tell that Jason tenses whenever one of his siblings is in the room, and that puts Bruce on edge because no matter how much the others tell them they’re safe, Jason remains on alert. All of the batsiblings try and corner Jason since he’s finally at the manor but Bruce is the perfect excuse for them to leave him alone and he’s grateful for the space.

When they do eventually figure out the spell and a way to reverse its effects, Jason and Alfred are the only ones who realize how nervous Bruce really is. Jason talks to whoever is going to do the spell and asks if they don’t mind going somewhere slightly more private than the middle of the batcave. Jason holds Bruce’s hand for the spell and tells him to breathe.

When he changes back, Bruce sees Jason looking at him openly, more vulnerable than he’s ever seen him. It’s disorienting and he doesn’t let go of his son’s hand. He can see Jason about to put his walls back up and pulls, telegraphing everything. He hugs him and tells him thank you for looking after him for the week. He asks about his shoulder. It’s more words than Jason has heard from Bruce for months. He wants to bristle and fight him except he can’t stop seeing all of the ways that the boy he met is super imposed over the image of his father. It’s throwing them both off. So Jason sighs and tries to relax his shoulders and just leans against his father. It’s doesn’t solve everything, but it’s a start.

[daisybell-on-a-carousel]

During the Under the Red Hood comic, there's a scene where Red Hood is fighting Black Mask, and proceeds to get killed by Black Mask. The helmet exploding when Black Mask removes it

As it turns out, that was a fake Red Hood. Jason had put him in the costume and had been speaking remotely through the helmet.

[gothamite-rambler]

Jason: I don't get this show, it's a medical drama that's also a comedy?

Bruce: Yeah, pretty much. I love Carla.

Jason: I would've pegged you for a Dr. Cox fan.

Bruce: He's too serious, rude and messy.I don't like that. Carla is perfect. Turk didn't deserve her.

Jason: You... Dr. Cox is a man who sucks at relationships, is a jerk to everyone including the one guy nice to him and has a kid with a woman he can't stand. Okay, you don't like being reminded of yourself. I get it.

Bruce nodded with a weary sigh. Jason chuckled eating his popcorn.

Bruce: Damn it, I walked into that one. Just watch the show.

Jason: I am. Just enjoy messing with you at the same time. I love the janitor character by the way.

Bruce: You would.

Jason: And Turk saw through Cox's bull, the guy is a true friend.

Bruce: I will give you that one. He's still too stupid for Carla.

[bronzemettle]

Does Talia still have a relationship with Damian? Does she have a relationship with Batman?

in BronzeRealms, Polyamory is common among superheroes in the 21st century. Batman/Clark/Diana/Lois is a full quad. He's also married to Selina.

He's not with Talia, though. They're not enemies, but not involved. The League of Assassins, now led by Talia, is mildly reformed. Still a League of Assassins, tho. Just no longer trying to actively topple civilizations, and slightly more principled about what jobs they'll take. Talia can visit with Damian, if Damian wants her to, and for his sake the Fam will refrain from trying to capture her for her many, many (some still ongoing) international crimes. But she's not exactly sitting down for most family meals.

I will now tell big parts of the story of how things got like this.

Turning back the clock to 2006, Batman has been Batman-ing for over 3 years, but he is not known as a great fighter. He's got some passable martial arts, enough to outmatch nearly any street crooks, but primarily at this point he is the World's Greatest Detective, with some wonderful toys and a stealthy spooky cape. Dick and Barbara could either one kick his ass out of costume.

Bane comes to Gotham. He has no civilian identity to detective out, can see in the dark well enough that his stealth is useless, and isn't scared of bats. Bane arranges for Batman to be isolated from his allies and cracks his spine over his knee. Most of Gotham assumes Batman is dead. His cousin Kate takes up the mantle as Batwoman (after the short and disastrous tenure of Jean-Paul Valley). But Bats himself isn't ready to call it quits. He leaves Gotham, not telling anyone, even Dick, where he's going.

He's going to find the League of Assassins. He only heard rumors about them in his original world journeys preparing to become Batman, but now, he finally meets them. He asks to be taken in and have his back healed, and they do. He sticks to his word and stays with them, and begins his training. Talia falls in love with him, and they get together.

But this is still the League of Assassins under Ra's al Ghul, and Gotham is a target on their map. I won't say that Batman never loved Talia back, but if it's a choice between her and Gotham? It was only a matter of time. A year and change after he found them (and having become one of the more formidable martial artists on the planet), he leaves.

And here's the thing. He suspected. He knew that the League of Assassins wanted their heir. He knew Talia wasn't on any kind of birth control. He saw what might be early-months signs. But if he KNEW, he wouldn't have been able to abandon her and return to Gotham. And he needed to return to Gotham. He had a mission, and already had a family. He couldn't afford to know, so he convinced himself that he didn't, buried his guilt, and he got on the next boat.

Skipping through some stuff I'll give more details on in different posts, 2008 he takes in Jason Todd. In 2012 Jason Todd is murdered by The Joker, then his corpse is taken by the League of Assassins. 2016, Batman fights the Red Hood, finds out he's Jason resurrected by the Lazarus Pit. Jason wins the fight, but can't kill him.

The next year, 2017, Red Hood tells young Damian, Talia's son, that he knows who his father is. He brings Damian to Gotham. Damian is surprised that his father is the Batman, the legendary protector of Gotham, the very city that his grandfather has been trying to destroy for Damian's entire life. Talia comes for him, but Damian decides he wants to stay and get to know his father and the city. Against her father's wishes, Talia agrees to let him stay, and he becomes Robin and takes the full name Damian Wayne.

Ra's doesn't stand by this, and he partners with Scarecrow and Astrid Arkham, providing them with a private army, thousands of soldiers, tanks, drones, advanced technology, some of which is Batman's own gadgetry stolen by Red Hood when he was still working for them. Late 2017 the League of Assassins wages all-out-war against Gotham and a full scale military occupation. Scarecrow fits people with Fear Toxin collars to enforce his own law, with the Arkham Knight as the enigmatic enforcer of his Fear State.

(Tangent): During the fight, two of the Arkham Knight's soldiers are accidentally killed in a battle against Batman. He discovers the two had brought their son, Turner Hayes, to Gotham with them. Turner had never known that his parents were mercenaries. Batman decides to cover up the circumstances of their deaths so that Turner never has to know, and as Bruce Wayne he adopts the boy, but continues to keep him in the dark about his own identity as Batman, or all the rest of the family's hero lives. He honors Turner's parents, the first people he considers himself to have murdered (even if accidental), by protecting Turner from the world of heroes and villains altogether, just as they had, giving him the normal life that tragedy robbed Bruce himself of. (End Tangent)

Early 2018 sees the end of the Fear State, and proves the final defeat of the League of Assassins' campaign against Gotham. After his repeated failures, Talia ousts Ra's from power. He flees, along with a splinter faction of loyalists, becoming the League of Shadows based out of Infinity Island, and Talia begins instituting reforms, inspired by her son having chosen Batman's methods over the ones he was raised in.

And while Batman respects her readiness to improve the organization... she is still literally the Queen of Assassins and the last time he killed someone he adopted a kid out of guilt so no they're not getting back together.

And I think that gets us basically up to speed on why things with Talia are strained, but not hostile (mostly for Damian's sake tbf).