#babs and cass in this au are So important to me

[breadandblankets]

here's something no one asked for: bats fallout 4 au

cass: made as an institute courser and the best of the best with a perfect clear record until she was ordered to execute a traitor and she bounced, she drifts for years anywhere and everywhere, eventually ending up in goodneighbor and through Coincidences into the office of one Barbara Gordon

babs: a doctor in goodneighbor specializing in human/machine interface and neurobiology, aka railroad agent oracle she and her partner Dinah run the memory den, part therapeutic establishment part front for synth liberation activities Babs helps deprogram synths and let them lead normal lives

Jason: he was taken into bruce's vault after his parents died, he was born human but turned into a ghoul thanks to a near death experience and a radiation bath, by the time we meet him, he's a drifter blown into goodneighbor hiring out his services as a merc, steadily moving in organized crime through some maneuvering

duke: a psyker (kinda like the forecaster if you played NV), he has the ability to see into the future if he concentrates, however it leaves him with huge migraines, his parents went missing after a raider attack and he joins the minutemen (honestly what is more MM than WAR) to try and find them

steph: both she and her mom are prewar ghouls (all of the cluemaster stuff still happens but he doesn't survive the bombs in jail), they used to live in diamond city until all the ghouls got kicked out, they lived in goodneighbor for a time, with steph working at the local clinic, run by leslie, eventually they both moved north to the slog (a settlement run by ghouls in an old swimming pool) when crystal wanted to get clean, steph works there as basically the town doctor

tim: (spoilers for a ten year old game but:) kinda like synth shaun he is a permanently stuck at the age of like ten, still a tech genius but like.... litol (did I say this just cause I thought it was funny.... yes)

alfred: a fuckin mr handy

bruce: vault dweller that imprinted on said mr handy like a duckling after his parents died

dick: you can literally keep his backstory intact and he makes perfect sense, haley circus is just from new vegas, after his parents murder he joined up with lyons pride and moved east with the brotherhood of steel, when the new elder rose to power after the lyons' death dick started to see the writing on the wall of fascism and jumped ship leaving that life behind, joining up with duke's new and improved MM to protect people from people he swore brotherhood to

damian: obv still bruce and talia's kid, talia is a pre war scientist and businesswoman, keeping herself and her half siblings alive and young as long as they keep their father and his weird artifact locked up. damian grows up in the closest thing to pre war luxury the post apocalypse has to offer. Eventually he wants to go out and see the world, meet his dad, write a guide to wasteland fauna. talia hires jason to guard him so he stops trying to rush down feral ghouls with a sword.

[brucewaynehater101]

It really gets me so mad that in Batman: The Animated series when all Joker Junior happens they let Tim go. Just like that. WTF???

That's your boy Bruce, the one you drive in your limo, the one that gets an allowance, the one that impersonates you so good because he's your son. And the minute he goes through the worst experience of his life you just let him go.

Like, I get my boy Tim, him been there just reminds him of his trauma, and if being away helps him, then go away, no one's gonna judge you.

BUT 40 YEARS OF SILENCE

Like. Man. Wtf.

And I get the series has other problems (Bruce and Babs together- yuck )

But Tim, hurt Tim forced to go through it alone.

It hurts me so much, it haunts me.

Fuck. I need to watch that series. I was a wee bit scared cause I thought, at first, that Tim got stuck as Joker. I couldn't handle that, tbh. I heard he doesn't, though, so I'm down to try.

However, that's so fucking tragic. Just Tim handling that trauma alone when Bruce is aware of it. I've seen some cool AUs where Bruce and the others aren't aware, but somehow it's worse where Bruce just ignored Tim (or that it happened to him).

40 is fucking bonkers though.

I kind of want an AU where Tim reaches the 10 year anniversary of the JJ incident. The only person who knows is Bruce (maybe Alfred if you want to make him guilty/bad). The age Tim is can vary (from like 19-24), but it'd be hella cool to see the fallout of everyone else learning that Bruce has been a dick to Tim for that. This would be cool if Tim was RR at this point.

Counter AU:

JJ happens when Tim is Robin, and Bruce fires Tim "for his own safety" or whatever. No one else, not even Barbara, knows about this incident. All they know is that there *was* a third Robin, but now there's not.

Other people rein Bruce in until Damian comes along. Maybe Cass helps or something (for plot purposes, Steph isn't Robin. She does get vigilante-adopted by Oracle, though, and joins the Birds of Prey).

Either way, Tim is no longer Robin and basically ignored by Bruce due to Bruce's guilt/fear (not an excuse. Bruce is a huge colossal asshole for that. This is just his reasoning).

The only people who know who the third Robin was are Bruce, Babs, Dick, Alfred, Leslie, Jason, and Talia (technically Ra's too). No one but Jason and Talia know that Jason knows who the third Robin was.

Bruce, once again, is the only one who knows about JJ and why Tim stopped being Robin (maybe Alfred too, but fun drama if Alfred finds out what Bruce did to Tim).

Anyways, Jason never attacks Tim because Tim wasn't Robin by that point. Damian doesn't either. They don't have favorable opinions of Tim, but he's not really important to them in the grand scheme of things.

Dick and Babs initially kept in contact with Tim, but they slowly stopped checking up with him due to the shitshow of their lives (like Jason coming back).

Tim moves out of Gotham for a few years. He was never adopted at this point and keeps up the fake uncle thing. He's pissed at Bruce for firing him (that man can not tell Tim to stop being a vigilante. That's so fucking hypocritical and that man isn't Tim's father), but he can't do anything about it. Bruce can't stop him from being a vigilante if he isn't in Gotham, though [Tim also gets the opportunity to heal while he's not in the same shadow of Gotham].

While Tim isn't Robin, he does maintain some communication with YJ. It's more distant, but they still go on missions together (as long as word won't get back to Batman). Tim is also more of a traveling vigilante who steals money from Lex or other billionaires to fund Tim's night job (he, begrudgingly, doesn't attempt to steal from Bruce. Babs would catch him). Tim also pockets some of the cash from crimes (particularly if the cops are corrupt and the money wouldn't go towards good causes regardless). Maybe Tim remotely manages DI as well, maybe not.

Anyways, years later, the batfam is slowly starting to heal. Jason is starting to forgive Bruce. The old man is putting in the effort to heal their relationship. Damian is healing and bonding with all of the family members in his own way. Dick has a much better relationship with Bruce, and Steph feels accepted by them.

Then Bruce "dies."

Tim stumbles upon proof of Bruce through his travels. He doesn't trust the Bats (especially after at least a year of no contact with them), so he tries to tell them about his proof as a not well-known vigilante. Red Hood has worked with him when The Outlaws crossed paths with him, but they aren't at the stage where RH trusts him. Tim doesn't trust RH due to a conversation or two about the man's hatred of the third Robin.

The Bats, drowning in their grief, push Tim away and deny him.

It stings, but Tim convinces himself to just shrug. What would he expect from the Bats anyways?

Tim goes through the effort of bringing Bruce back by himself. He then tries to dip immediately afterwards. He wants nothing to do with the Bats.

The Bats become curious about why a vigilante who seems to dislike would risk and sacrifice so much to bring back Bruce. They, like the nosy shits they are, try to investigate, charm, and stalk Tim.

Tim wants nothing to do with those fuckers. He wants to be left alone, fucking hell.

This dissolves into Tim trying to stay the fuck away from the Waynes as they chase him. He also can't help the fact that he cares about them, even if they piss him off.

More secrets unravel. Tim, wanting them to just go the fuck away, admits he knew the third Robin and that's why he doesn't like them.

Tim has changed a ton (personality and looks [he's taller and changes his appearance with makeup/wings]) so they don't immediately think of him as the third Robin. Tim also maintains a spotless civilian cover.

This cues the other Bats starting to question each other and Bruce what the fuck happened to the third Robin to make someone else hold a grudge against them.

I got so distracted. Oh well. Imma have to watch that series to feel the pain you're chatting about ^^ I wanna immerse myself in it, lmao

[estupidapendejaestupida]

My selkie Batfam AU! Where selkies are not only seals/aquatic animals, but can be other animals. Born with their pelt, and if they are separated from them since their birth it doesn’t really hurts them, but it makes them feel very empty, like they are missing something very, very important, but they don’t know why (kinda like Crack baby, by Mitski).

Bruce: lion (black) like his parents were.

Dick: wolf (grey)

Barbara: human

Jason: bear (brown)

Tim: human, but not really (lynx).

Stephanie: human

Damian: lion (brown) like Thalia.

Cass: tiger

Duke: human

Alfred: human

Who else should i have?

Ideas so far:

• Tim being mocked by Jason (during the attack at TT) and Damian (during his murder attemps) for being the only robin to be human. And btw, he isn’t living in the manor, he stays in The Nest.

• Damian being taught that he was bigger than his other soul and animal instincts, that if he wanted to be strong and worthy he had to control his animal soul and stop needing it or using it.

• I think I like the idea of Steph being a rat or something small like her mother, and her dad being all like “you useless fuck, ofc you had to be something weak and insignificant, you are weak just like your mother and blah blah blah”. Tell me what you think about it, and well make a decision together.

• Babs being human and not understanding selkie’s at all when she first began working with the bats, but then when she finds that B and Dick are both selkies she just becomes a master about their selkie cultures and habitats and how to treat with them and learns what to do and what not to do. So when another human of the pack needs help understanding one of the selkies, they ask for her help. Except Tim, tho. He kind of always got them at the first try… weird, huh?

• Alfred has to raise young selkie Bruce Wayne all alone after the Waynes' death, and as a human, he tried to teach him how to be a selkie. But a mere human is not really a good mentor for a selkie.

• Slade taking Dick’s pelt away when he was training him, and Dick suffering through feeling like half of his soul had been snatched from him. Feeling it so close, yet too far. And being forced to obey Slade’s every order, until he manages to take his pelt back and scape.

• Jason’s pelt getting burned in Ethiopia, and Bruce keeping it locked away, so when Jason comes back to life he is easier to manipulate by Thalia saying that Bruce threw away his pelt after he replaced him. And Jason blaming that on Tim when he attacks him on TT.

• SPOILER ALERT: Tim’s mom is a selkie, but since she got pregnant with Tim, she stayed as a human and hid her pelt away. She was hoping for Tim to be born completely human, and instead, he was born a selkie. She hid it from her husband, thinking that this way, taking his pelt since birth, he would grow to not need it and could live a normal life just like his human father. She did write a separate testament from his husband, way before she died, where she left a box for Tim. Inside the box is his pelt, and a letter explaining everything. Tim only gets to that box after she dies, and his dad enters a vegetative state after the accident overseas. The thing is that Tim never quite opens the box. He just leaves it somewhere well hidden in his old room at the Wayne manor. And since he never stays the night in his old room anymore, he just never got around to open it. One day, he will, tho.

Please tell me if I should keep this up? I already have a draft done, so if you guys like this idea, I'll publish it :3

I'll write many fics for every character, so it's not very 'one character centric'

[sasheneskywalker]

whenever i see posts that are clearly meant to be about batfamily (aus, headcanons, ideas, quotes, often fanart and fanfics) and they only include bruce, dick, jason, tim, damian and sometimes alfred but completely omit cass i get so annoyed and intentionally don't like or reblog them. i'm not naming names but there are several "batfamily" fics with thousands of kudos that never so much as mention cass or treat her as totally irrelevant and it's so irritating. so many canon plot points that a lot of fanfics are based on don't make sense without cass, not to mention she has such interesting relationships with the rest of the bats that often go underexplored as a result.

and don't even get me started when the fics also exclude steph and babs (i'd add helena but we're all aware that the majority of the fandom doesn't even know who she is). yes, they are not waynes, but they are also important bat characters.

i'm not saying it's fandom misogyny but i'm also not not saying it, you know

[kiragecko]

One of the main reasons I love things like Reverse Robins AUs, is how they can help you figure out what's important to a character, and then look at those things through a fun house mirror to learn them better.

This is why my new favourite Reverse Robins concept is Tim, the second Robin, dying protecting a 4 year old Dick Grayson and his parents from the Court of Owls.

Part of why he dies is that Damian has made showing weakness so painful that he doesn't call for help. Dick leaves Gotham with his parents and gets another 5 years of happiness before they're killed by Tony Zucco. Tim becomes a Talon. He becomes active in Gotham when Jason is 16, and nobody knows who he is until Dick has become the newest Robin and the Court sentences Batman and Robin to death, a year and a half later.

Things that I find really satisfying about this idea:

It keeps the canon Dick+Tim 'Relationship Transformed by Kindness and Death' dynamic, but flips it. Instead of Dick being trapped in the place of his tragedy, surrounded by reminders, and Tim growing up silently watching him; we have Dick being whisked away from his tragedy, growing up surrounded by reminders of what's been saved.

It allows us to play with Jason's 'I Can't let Go of My Death and So I've Lost Myself and Everything I Loved' issues. Tim can't let go of his death, and it's his only link to himself and everything he's lost. He remembers saying 'The Flying Grayson's will fly again!' Keeping Dick alive is more important than avoiding being thrown back in the Labyrinth. Protecting Dick from the Court is his path back to his family.

It keeps the obsession and connection between Tim and Dick, instead of trying to convince the reader that Tim idealized Damian. I've struggled to translate Tim's motivation for becoming Robin in a reversed setting, and I can't make it work. This gives that motivation to Dick, instead, and allows us to explore how DICK would have been transformed by that one meeting. He didn't need love and affection in the same way Tim did. But I can see him holding on to the hope and heroism he saw, and instead of getting consumed by his rage when his parent's die, he's motivated to live up to Robin's legacy.

It gives a reason for my favourite reversed dynamic: instead of Bruce being broken by Jason's death, Bruce is convinced to step up by Tim's. In this universe, Bruce didn't choose either of his first 2 kids, and found it easier and safer to deny Tim even WAS his kid. (During Tim's tenure, Batman and Robin start patrol from the central Wayne Ent. Batcave, leaving the Manor to Damian, because it's easier than keeping Damian's vicious resentment and jealousy in line. Tim learns to mostly avoid the Waynes as civilians. Bruce deals with anything he sees, but doesn't confront the roots of the issues, and Tim loves being Robin but never feels particularly safe in the role.) Bruce 'got a kid killed' by holding him at arms length, and so, when Jason comes into his life and Bruce's attempts to find him a better place are stopped by corruption at every turn, Bruce chooses to truly become a parent.

One of the few things Tim remembers is his certainty that Robins aren't safe around Damian. This lets me keep Dick's canon struggles with Tim and Damian's conflicting needs. Both want to protect him, but Tim wants to protect him FROM Damian, and clingy baby Dick idolizes Tim, but NEEDS to hang off various parts of Damian for as much of the day as possible. Damian is drowning in guilt and wants to make Tim as comfortable as possible, but has committed to raising Dick. He can't let Tim stay between the 2 of them at all times.

It doesn't give as many hooks for Tim and Jason's relationship as I like. And I remain conflicted about whether Cass and Steph should come before Tim (to properly reverse canon) or after Tim (to make them contemporary with Jason, because he deserves to have contemporaries in AUs. Canon denied him). Duke is swapped with Babs, and I have fun thoughts about him, but that's a different post.

I don't think I can write this, but I want to see it!

[kore-arts]

Au where Janet Drake lives

Tim was relaxing with Dick on the hedge between their houses when they both heard it.

Now Tim had a grin, knowing he wasn't the Drake who released that growl and shriek as he heard the click click of the heels he and his mother favored. Now if he could just figure out what she said, his mandarin being rusty. He giggles as he jumps down with grace to follow the beautiful fury his mother trailed

But Dick's hair rose on his arms. His eyes wide as he watches what had to be a demoness push open a gate that even he never knew was there. No alarms, no surprise yet to be seen on the gardener's face.

But Tim's reaction was… reassuring. As he follows his brother by emotion and vigilante bond his heart races.

Tim knew his mom. Janet Drake, the Dragoness of Artifacts and Business. Her eyes honed in on the sunbathing Bruce as she steadily walked with grace. Ah she screeched Bruce's name. He hides a grin as he perches on a chair, his mother long used to his eccentricity while in a comfortable place. Bruce's eyes are wide, truly caught off guard as Janet taps her nails on the seat she took. Her hat shading her face with her blood red lips twisted in displeasure.

“Do tell me dear Bruce. Whenever were you going to let me know my son is following you officially” Janet's nails click as her fire like tone wrapped around her words.

Tim… did not expect that. He already told her. His eyebrow raises as Janice grins

“I- wait. Tim, you didn't tell me that your mother was Jannie?!” Bruce exclaimed “whenever did you move back?”

Tim mouths ‘Jannie’ the nickname, feeling weird. Dick does the same and they look at each other.

He blinks slowly before it hits him

“Bruce. Please don't tell me you thought I was just a random kid named Tim Drake” Tim groans as Janice looks even more disappointed

Bruce's eyes look away.

Tim decides to be a menace and his mom nods in approval “Bruce. Bruce, did you even think about where I learned my detective skills? My ability to stalk you for years?”

Dick's little ‘’what the fuck' goes ignored

Bruce does look ashamed. His face red but not from the sun “I thought you just were a natural”

Janice and Tim both laugh at that. Both knowing that talent was earned not given at birth.

Tim presses on “oh and what about my knowledge of the Arkham Family? or how I already knew tiny bits of the league?”

“History hyperfixation?”

Tim blushes, yeah thats true. But he still shakes his head “No you Deaf Bat!”

Janice shakes her head “I understand you keeping me away because of the night activities Bruce. But no calls? I just have to see our boys on the hedge like the family version of Romeo and Juliet?”

“Hey! The hedge is comfy” Tim and Dick say at the same time. Tim winning the Jinx and getting handed ten bucks as Bruce sputters

“Jannie! No no! I thought you cut me off! Jack said so”

Janet's scowl deepens into something murderous. Her hair spilling out like black ink as she takes her hat off and holding it as she holds back her fury.

Dick's confused shout startles her “Uh! Little explanation here?”

Her eyes blink slowly as she looks at a shrugging Tim.

“Oh. That's right, you never actually met me. My maiden name was Janet Arkham-Woosan. I am one of Bruce's cousins. Albeit what most would say I am a Bastard born out of an affair in a very tiny village. Not that my sister is any different.” Tim giggles as Dick's face slowly cycles throughout emotions. Janet gently ran her hand through both boys' hair.

Bruce shoves his hands in his face and slowly drags them down “Jack's lucky to be dead.” It's a whisper before he straightens “well. It's lovely seeing you Jan. But yeah, This is my son Dick, The rest are inside”

Tim smiles and helps her stand “you gotta meet Cass! Oh and you'll adore Damian! He's such a serious little guy, almost killed me three times! Oh and Babs!”

Dick stares at Bruce as Tim practically drags his mother into the Manor

Bruce shrugs “Janet and Sandra were probably the two most important people to me other than Alfred. I did wonder where Tim got his penchant for the more subtle things. I am glad to see her. Honestly it wasn't even us finding out we were blood related that connected us as teens.” Bruce looks happy and haunted at the same time “we separated still, I was still out to discover myself and train. And they had a different path to that.”

Dick nods as he walks alongside Bruce “and that was? She looked weirdly familiar”

Bruce hummed. “Let's just leave it as Janet was not her birth name and Barbara is going to be even more surprised then I was to see her”

Dick startles hearing a shriek

“Lady Shiva?”

“Oh you've worked with my sister!”

[rubydubydoo122]

What are your opinions on reverse robin aus? For me I think the potential they have isn't usually explored fully. One question I keep asking is why red hood tim? Joker junior is literally right there if you want to give him joker related trauma antagonist origin story. Also why does Tim have to be the antagonist? If you're really trying to go in reverse would- shoot would it be Duke? (I can't remember the order rn my brain is fried).

I feel like there's so much potential in characters and how they would change based on their order but many people just want to give one robin a different Robin's trauma. Or something along those lines.

EXA- FUCKING-Ly WhAt I'M SaYINg.

Most Reverse Robins AUs completely ignore Duke, Steph, and Cass, AND BABS.

I know Duke, Cass and Babs aren't Robins, but they're important to the other characters. They exist.

Also, If I See the "Tim Drake is Red Hood" Tag One More Time I'm Gonna--

It just doesn't make sense. Tim Wouldn't Become the Red Hood. Tim wouldn't even Die in a RR AU. IF you Reverse the Order It would Still Be Damian, Steph, And Jason dyingnngngggggg.

Pleaseeeee. Saveeeee meeeeee. Savvvveeeee meeeee frroooom the REVERSE ROBINS AUUUUUUUU

[franollie]

Maybe you wrote about it already in the past, but I wanted to say how cute the idea of a Stephcass wedding is and that more people in their fandom should talk about it 😭😭 the engagement, the dress picking, choosing who will walk them down the aisle, the ceremony, the vows, the kiss, the reception!!! How would you see it play out? (and I'd love to see you draw it one day cause your style is so good especially for them but thats a different thing)

i love thinking about potential stephcass weddings!! i have sooooo many ideas and id love to (and intend to) draw out at least one of them some day! as for specific scenarios there are a few i can see playing out but my current fave is:

Cass and Steph are patrolling together one night. It's been a relatively slow night so far when Cass suddenly turns to Steph, taps her shoulder lightly, then says "Tag" before launching herself off the roof. For a moment, Steph is too startled to move. They hadn't played rooftop tag in years! But, she quickly chases off after Cass, leaping from rooftop to rooftop trying to "tag" her back.

Steph is so lost in the game that she doesn't even realize where Cass is leading her until Cass stops, in front of an oh so familiar giant clockface. When Steph looks down at Cass, she sees her cradling a small box with a ring. And, when Cass asks "marry me?" she doesn't need to think twice about the answer.

Additional tidbits/headcanons:

they go dress shopping together! I can't really see cass wearing a dress on her actual wedding day but she has fun trying on a bunch and picking out dresses for steph

in the end steph decides to sew her own dress!!

In terms of what i see them wearing: i think steph would want a big princessy dress and a long veil and cass would wear a suit with embroidered roses and pearls

it is also very important to me that cass wears martha's pearls on their wedding day

they both walk down the aisle! bruce walks cass down first, and crystal walks steph down second

tim is steph's best man and babs is cass's maid of honor <33

(Specific to my Batman!cass au)

lori is steph's best man instead and eva is the flower girl

[dcfanfictioncatalogue]

barbara gordon APR 2024 fic awards

BOO. apparently I can actually post twice in a row it's a miracle !!!! also if anyone would like me to do consistent monthly fics for any other characters please just send me a link otherwise I'm going to keep bulldozing my way through all of 2024's barbara gordon fics THIS is cherry's fic awards HERE are my favorite babs fics from april. lot of unfinished chaptered fics here but please give them a shot anyway!!

through the noise and static and the call, by shipyrds (@burins). 4k, E, dinahbabs, 1/2. summary: dinah doesn't even know what the woman looks like. my notes: OHHHHHHHHHHH MY GOD!!!!!!! early bop pre-identity reveal dinahbabs is like my mortal weakness and OH MY FUCKING GODDDDDD. I left a comment on this fic already and like ...... I love this so much. read it right now there isn't much more I can say.

&&

By a Thread (Hanging On), by BingDragon. 1.4k, G, gen. summary: it’s winter in gotham, during the most dangerous time in the city’s history, and cass hasn’t been home for several days. my notes: NML FIC!!!!!! always such an underutilized in fandom event and by god this delivers!!! the babs and cass mother daughter dynamic UGH they make me so sick.... pun not intended lmaoo

&&

Oracle of Jersey, by metroidspeedrun. 3k, T, gen, 2/?, graphic depictions of violence. summary: barbara gordon runs a podcast that results in six teenagers standing over a dead body. my notes: love!! the whole bop cast is here -- charlie, lori, ted! -- and that is always important to me. I can't wait to see how the plot develops!!! I think it's really interesting making a casefic out of a "civilian" au. babs will be babs no matter the setting <3

ask box is open for requests ++ find my fic rec libraries organized here

[apopcornkernel]

been thinking too hard about my batman mob au. so i would like to share it. this is so long im sorry let me put it under a cut

i want to begin by saying that i think the only way bruce could feasibly become a mob boss is if he was able to be swayed to see that "clean" methods would genuinely do no good and in fact succeed in achieving more harm due to how much corruption and crime permeates the system. i think it would take a LOT to convince bruce of this, so he's kind of the hardest character to put in a mob au. however for the sake of fun we will suspend our disbelief a little bit!

okay, moving on, alfred: he's long been proven to be bruce's biggest enabler. i think he would get over it and end up helping him as he does as batman

as for dick: ooh boy. okay. so first of all i DO think bruce would let him kill zucco. however!! i think as dick grows up within the mob his strong code of morals will also begin to conflict with the lifestyle. but he's stuck there because bruce. insert all those posts about how dick grayson loves freedom and he also loves bruce and those things are at constant war with each other and because he loves bruce he sometimes clips his own wings. etc etc. i think he is the talia al ghul of this whole sitch if you get what i mean

speaking of talia!!! i believe her father would still be at odds with bruce bc yes, bruce is in crime, but bruce refuses to join with the league. so they semi-preserve their canon dynamic, except i think there's more opportunity for cooperation between talia and bruce considering talia's lexcorp era. in fact i do believe that lexcorp and waynecorp would become business allies during talia's time as ceo

but jason isn't dead. what his kidnappers hoped to do was turn him against his benefactor, taunt him about how it's been months and bruce still hasn't been able to save him, had refused to save him. but one night the door's left ajar and the sound of the TV drifts in, talking about how bruce is waging a bloody gang war, the first he's ever instigated, and jason... well. :)

as for jason—i think he would be the most loyal of the bunch. the first thing i actually dreamed up wrt this AU was a reimagining of ditf/utrh! in here, he's kidnapped by a rival gang. they demand bruce an impossible ransom, and bruce has no choice but to refuse. so bruce is sent a video of jason being killed.

"but poppy," you ask. "where's babs? tim? steph? cass? helena? jpv?" ok let's be real people aren't usually asking about the last 2 rip my babygirls BUT ANYWAYS—

the most important figure is HELENA. in the absence of batman, guess who's becoming the foremost protector of gotham??? EXACTLY. HELENA BERTINELLI. her whole backstory is that she wants to bring organized crime down SO WHO BETTER TO BE THE MAIN ENEMY IN A BATMAN MOB AU.

also because i love her.

im not biased i swear.

ALSO HER FIRST "ROBIN" (not necessarily named robin i just mean like. sidekick) IS JAMES COOPER FROM CAVALIERI'S HUNTRESS. CHUCK DIXON I HAVE NOT FORGIVEN YOU FROM ERASING HIM FROM MAIN CONTINUITY. he doesn't go out into the field that much bc he's still baby but he's the oracle before oracle. although when he does go into the field he's like. remember in cavalieri huntress where he was scurrying arohnd in the sewers and planting fucking grenades and shit. yeah.

later on he and babs will be best buddies <3 babs is his favorite aunt

ALSO!!! the rest of james' family will still be alive. idgaf. it's MY au and i can randomly reveal that his family has been alive all along IF I WANT TO. comic writers stop killing black people off for shock value challenge 2k24

also, james is ABSOLUTELY the one who wheedled helena into making a lair

babs does join the fray still! her story arc is mostly the same except that she partners with the huntress instead of batman. their ages are closer together so it's a slightly different dynamic

tim will remain a civilian. he will, however, be a very helpful civilian, in that he's the one who's stalking dick grayson & trying to prove that dick's involved in organized crime. him and dick will have the saddest tragickest "we could've been brothers. but not in this life. not ever." type of relationship. like jaderoy but platonic.

also tim & helena will have the same littlebrothernephew relationship that they have in canon 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

i guess jpv will get roped in in a similar way to canon, but the idea of bane doing what he did to helena makes me so so sad :( however since she is taking batman's narrative space in this story then i think it should still proceed. i will then also insert a little bit of the vichelena agenda here—

in the wake of bane, JPV WILL STILL STEP IN AS HUNTRESS. "but they'll know he's not a woman" COWARDS. just give him a dye job and he'll look like helena. all white people look the same. he can pad the fucking suit or he can get the fuck out.

as for steph, she will absolutely be a vigilante alongside the huntress. her father is still cluemaster, after all, so she'll follow a similar arc to canon except it's helena and not bruce that she'll develop a complex mentor relationship with!!

i think helena can see a little of herself in steph. i think part of helena envies steph's moral compass also. iirc at steph's age, helena still thought her mafia family was okay & that it was just the people who killed them that were bad. yet steph, who's half her age, has no such illusions about her father, and is already fighting to try and bring him down

cass!!!! cass will still come to gotham!!!!! i can't see a way for cass to be on bruce's side in this au simply bc of how strong her morals are. she killed a man and never ever wanted to kill again, even with shiva where it was kill or be killed, she had already made up her mind to let herself be killed in the end. so she is going to be on the vigilante side :]

also, it would be amazing for me personally if cass came to gotham during azbats (...azhuntress?) era. ohhh lord. a situation RIPE for incredible interactions

i still haven't read damian & duke comics properly yet so that's going to have to be added in the future. but that's what's been rattling around in my brain so far!

[infinity-or-oblivion]

so my loa batkids au has gained a little traction and i’ve hit a bit of a wall when it comes to writing new stuff so here’s an infodump to hopefully kill my writers block xoxoxo

first of all, jason. my forever number one blorbo. there’s a bit of a role reversal here because compared to all the rest of them, jason arguably had it the easiest. like we’re not going to compare traumas but an argument could be made. i honestly don’t remember if i mentioned it at all in the actual series yet, but the story i have for jason is that his childhood with willis and catherine was about the same as canon/commonly accepted fanon, meaning he was homeless around nine years old. however, instead of living on the streets for years, it was only a few months tops before meeting bruce.

and bruce! this is very fun to me, but basically i was thinking that if he didn’t raise dick, then why couldn’t this version of bruce be younger? so bruce becomes batman in his early twenties, which is also around the time that he visits the league of assassins for training and damian is conceived. (for a little more about that, here) and bruce is roughly 25 when he finds a tiny 9-10 year old jason trying to steal his tires. just imagine that it’s so fucking adorable and heartbreaking ANYWAYS bruce, despite being overall a disaster, doesn’t let a malnourished 10 year old out to fight crime right away, so there’s a couple years between when jason first meets bruce and when he becomes a child soldier yayyyy!!!! but legit, it makes a lot of difference to jason, because you know how canon!jason has some self-esteem issues (for lack of a better term) around bruce not really loving him/seeing him as a son because bruce started training him as robin (and as dick’s replacement) immediately after adopting him- you know that whole thing? yeah well here, despite jason actually offering to help bruce as a vigilante, this bruce is like hell nah you’re literally ten years old and the size of a six year old no way, and those few years in between really stick in jason’s mind as solid proof that bruce really does love him, not for what use he can provide, but simply as a son. also being the only child definitely helps with that

(that little detail of jason and bruce’s relationship is slightly inspired by minimum height requirement, which is absolute batfam gold btw)

okay so. slight pet peeve of mine is in aus where dick isn’t the first robin, the legacy is still called robin for whatever reason (lookin at you reverse robins aus) because!!!!! how dare you erase mary and john grayson’s importance!!!!! (look there’s more nuance to it than that i know but. to put it simply it feels like flying graysons erasure to me) so in this au, jason can’t possibly be called robin. the real robin has been missing for roughly seven years at this point

and listen. i tried to be creative and come up with something cool and original for jason’s vigilante name i really did, but apparently i used all of my naming talent on nighthawk (fucking love that name for dick it’s so fantastic) so we just have bluejay. womp womp

also! on my list of things to expand on: main timeline stephanie!!! i’ve had an absolute blast making myself cry while writing every heart sings a song, incomplete and those who wish to sing always find a song, but spoiler steph will always be my babygirl. and duke!!!! i have not written barely anything for duke in this universe but believe me i have some Thoughts. perhaps even Ideas. basically a lot of steph&duke and steph&babs and steph&duke&babs because i love my little underrated trio

also just more babs in general, because like. i’ve had so many tiny little snippets of cass and babs and their sweet little relationship just sitting in my notes for literal years now that i really just need to organize and expand into their own fic. and yet. i have not done that. but rest assured cass&babs are very very important to me

such is the curse of female fanfic writers: always destined to fixate more on the male poor little meow meows than the female bad bitches. seriously what the fuck is up with that guys i don’t get it why does this happen

[fancyfade]

damian: 2,4, 6, 8. babs and cass: 2, 4,6 , 8 , 11

2 Favorite canon thing about this character?

ahhh this one is gonna be so hard to think of. I mean in like all 3 cases it's "their personality" but XD Trying to get more specific than that

Damian: the gradual-ness of his character arc and how realistic his reaction to suddenly being asked to change how he does everything is written. Damian changes his behavior (no longer killing people) long before he changes his beliefs (it's OK to kill some people). We also see how he understandably cares about saving civilians long before he cares about preserving villains lives which makes sense both from a 'duh' perspective and from a 'logically damian would be raised to believe that he's saving the world' perspective.

I also like the general rough edges his character has, like even long after he's become very conventionally 'moral' I guess (like in Robin: Son of batman where he's like undeniably heroic and trying to make up for every bad thing he did) he still doesn't come across as super conventionally 'nice'.

Babs:

Her self isolation and bad-decision making tendencies have me captivated.

ok /j but :P I love how independent she is and how she responds to trauma and how we see her incredibly reluctant to reach out to people around her. I love when she approaches problems from a nexus of control even though she would hate it if people approached her problems from that POV.

She's a fun character who often does make missteps in her personal relationships but nevertheless always tries to correct them

Cassandra:

Cass I love her perfectionism and the way she approaches her problems. even though I mentioned in Damian's answer that I loved how gradual his character arc and un-learning assassin stuff was, I also love how sudden Cass leaving Cain was*. It works completely for her characterization.

Then the way she approaches her problem (of having killed someone) is completely all-in cass-y. Cass is trying to grapple with what she did as a child (and I saw some really convincing meta about how the guilt she felt from killing the guy was not necessarily due to seeing his pain, as she'd seen pain before, but due to not understanding his death, i'll dig it up soon: EDIT FOUND IT (link)). Her thing is very simple: she killed someone so she deserves to die. She won't kill herself, but she has very little regard for her own life and is perfectly fine going out saving people. and the way she approaches her guilt pre her Shiva arc often goes from a kind of projecting on people I think (where she projects her own guilt on the guy she breaks out of death row when the mother of his victim approaches her, she gives him back to go to his death, she returns a kid to her mom who is exploiting for her talents rather than her criminal father who loves her) and then when she's dealt with her own guilt she can address people in a way that does not quite have that specter of guilt hanging over her.

*tho important note: I don't think that Cass leaving Cain was her character arc, it's a backstory detail

4: f you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

I would put them all in a well-adapted live action movie so more people know about them :P Unless this is like straight up drop them into an already existing fictional universe, it's unclear. Like I like thinking of a 'Batfam as Jedi' AU for one tumblr post for example, but I don't really care enough about 'characters in alternate universe' to need to see it in a fully developed story. A lot of what makes them unique and fun is specific to the universe.

6 What’s something you have in common with this character?

Babs: Self isolation. Also wheelchair using :P

Damian and Cass: General perfectionism

8 What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Damian: Either uwu baby-ifying him so whichever fave can take care of him and protect him at the expense of his canonical competence or acting like he's a terrible person and any time DC writes character assassination for him it was IC because he's always a terrible person.

Cass: forgetting she exists, having her there to just prop up Tim or Jason (Jason ???????), diminishing her competence to prop up some batboy and act like they can easily 'hack' her abilities.

Babs: babsgirl stuff. also people who remember with perfect clarity every jerk thing she hdid and use it against her t osay she's a terrible person (instead of just like. a realistic person with flaws) but conveniently ignore when their favorite batboy did similar things, oftentimes without even trying to make amends.

11 Would you date this character? (just babs and cass)

I would not date either of them sorry ladies. I love you but i'm already mentally ill I don't need more people's issues and emotional constipation

ty for asks! Asks from here (link)

[soleminisanction]

Ask game: What’s a fic idea that you have but haven’t written yet?

Ooo, this is the perfect opportunity to talk about everything I'd like to do with Father of Heroes (my Batman/Percy Jackson crossover where Dick, Jason, Cass, and Tim are demigods with different divine parents but Bruce as their shared mortal father) but haven't gotten to yet because of my inability to focus. I actually have four full stories in mind for that series that I just, haven't been able to get down on paper:

The one most likely to get finished next has the working title Cass's Cabin. It's a one- or maybe two-shot told from Cass's POV about Chiron coming to the Manor to talk Bruce into sending the kids to Camp Half-Blood, then jumps forward a few years to the first summer Cass and Tim are allowed to go, and features Cass wandering off from the group to locate the Harpocrates cabin, which is naturally enough a secret place that only she can find.

After that is the big one, Titans' Quest, which is holding me up in part because I feel like it's really needed to set up the other two stories, but it'd also be the longest one (like, at least as long as one of the PJ novels!) and it's the one I'm least interested in. It'd be focused on a 16-year-old Dick and a crew of mostly the Fab Five (plus recently-disabled clear-eyed mortal Barbara) going on a loosely Aeneid-inspired quest with prophecies and twists I won't spoil here, but the most important thing is that it ends with Dick moving out of the Manor and in with his friends, and also switching from Robin to Nightwing, much to the distress of his siblings.

Following close after that one would be a currently-unnamed short story focusing on Jason taking up the Robin mantle in secret, not knowing that Dick had dropped the name in part because Babs (who, naturally enough, became an oracle in the last story) had made a prophecy about Robin never returning after his next quest. Which he doesn't, he disappears at the end of the story.

And then the last one, also currently unnamed, would be a multi-chapter story about Cass and Tim running away from home because they're both having magical demigod dreams about Jason being alive and they have to go save him from the thing that made him disappear in the last story, elaborating on events that were hinted at in Gossamer Bonds.

So yeah, there's a LOT that I've wanted to do with that AU. It's just... focus is haaaaaaard. ^.^;

[wolfverse-stories]

It's the end of the world as we know it (And I'm not fine)

(Reverse Robins / Zombie au)

Chapter 1

"Come on Roy, pick up" Tim paced nervously back and forth listening as the phone rang.

     "Hey this is Arsenal, Me and Hood are out doing rad guy stuff right now so leave a message" Tim sighed shoving the phone back in his pocket.

     "Did he just say Rad guy stuff?" Jason peered over the couch.

     "Come on we need to leave" Tim ordered tossing his backpack over his shoulders.

     It had been a week since the world was plunged into madness. Most of the Justice League had unexpectedly disappeared leaving the world in panic. The next day a virus was released upon the world, one that turned its victims into flesh-eating Zombies.

     Tim had been watching the news when two sidekicks appeared at his door looking absolutely terrified. He let them take shelter while he tried to figure out what was going on. Damian called him, telling him that the girls were safe with him along with the baby bird, they had been working on a case outside of Gotham when the virus hit. They were now staying in an abandoned hotel trying to wait out the swarm of flesh-eating. Tim did not have that luxury as all the zombies were moving towards big cities such as Gotham.

     The few heroes and sidekicks that were left had agreed to meet at the watch tower. Sadly most of the Zeta-tubes were out and the closest to Gotham was in Texas. Tim had been waiting to see if he could find anyone else in Gotham but it looked like they were all that was left.

     "Where are we going?" Bart asked curiously.

     "To pick up Babs then we're heading for the watch tower," Tim said pulling out a grappling hook "You know how to use this"

     "Yeah Cass showed me," the speedster said talking to the device.

     "Good, no one is touching down today, the streets are too dangerous"

Meanwhile

     Damian, Dick, and Cass had been working on a case when this mess started. It had been a blood bath, he was so grateful that Kori was off visiting her home planet.

     Wally and Steph managed to find them somehow and now all four were staying in an old hotel. As soon as they were safe he called to check on Jason and Tim. They had agreed to meet in Huston and go to the watch tower. However, they had to wait until the swarm had moved away before they could leave.

     "Looks like this is our chance," Wally said peering out the window "I'll go ahead and make sure the path is clear" Wally zoomed out of the building to the car once he got there, and he gave the others the okay sign.

     "Okay straight for the car" Damian ordered picking Dick up. The girl nodded before dashing off. Damian stayed right behind them in case something attacked from behind.

     "Everybody in?" Wally asked as the others climbed in. Cass responded with a swift nod as she buckled her young brother.

     "Then let's get going" Damian ordered. Wally quickly started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

Back in Gotham

     "Tim" Barbra smiled with relief "it's good to see you're all okay"

     "I'm glad you're okay too Babs" he gave her a friendly smile.

     "What about the other?" she asked anxiously.

     "Steph Cass and Baby Bird are fine, They're with Big Bird Jay's with me" he nodded to where Bart and Jason were sitting on the roof.

     "That's good" she nodded going back to her computer.

     "Are you ready to go?" He asked getting his line ready.

     "I'm not going" she replied softly.

     "What?" Tim jerked back nearly falling out of the window.

     "I can't," she said meeting his gaze "Gotham needs me, my father needs me"

     "In case you haven't noticed there's not much left of Gotham and your dad can come it's not like secret identities are that important anymore" She shook her head sadly.

     "I'm sorry I can't leave This is my home and when this is over the survivors are going to need someone to guide them" Determination burned in her eyes.

     "Are you sure?" She nodded "Okay I'm heading to Roy's to check on him then we-"

     "Tim" Barbra frowned putting a hand on his shoulder "Roy didn't make it"

     "Oh," something inside Tim broke as he realized his best friend was gone "What about Rose?"

     "I'm not sure," Barbra said wrapping her arms around him as he collapsed "I'm so sorry"

Meanwhile

     "You've been awfully quiet" Damian observed turning to Steph.

     "Well forgive me if the end of the world brings me down" she snapped before looking away "I'm sorry it's just I can't help but worry about Jason"

    "He looks at me" Steph looked back tears pricking her eyes "Jason is too stubborn to die, he will make it out of this on pure spit and then he will make it his mission to spend the rest of time annoying everyone in the watch tower"

     "Thanks" Steph laughed whipping the tears out of her eyes.

     "There's no need to thank me it's the truth"

More stories / Next

[antebunny]

...i've never been threatened like this before and i'm not sure how to feel about it but hey. here you go.

Premise: Tim gets adopted late AU where Bruce never took Tim on as Robin, and Dick didn’t come back from Blüdhaven. As a result, Bruce ended up killing idk a gangster or something, lost it, broke into Arkham to kill the Joker, and then retired. That got Dick to come back and reconcile with Bruce, and it made Jason’s return to Gotham go smoother, cause while he doesn’t understand why that caused Bruce to “lose,” the Joker is dead and he knows that the no-killing rule is vitally important to him. 

The only problem is that Tim remains un-found familied. He continues running rooftops, collecting evidence and dropping it off at the GCPD or at the Batcave, who try their best to get him to stay home. Steph got mentored by Dick and Barbara, and later Jason a little bit. Then Cass came and got adopted by Bruce. She’s not a vigilante, but she comes out sometimes when her family needs help because she too has eldest daughter syndrome. So: Nightwing, Phoenix, and Spoiler patrolling the streets, Oracle on the cameras and Batgirl as backup. 

Tim stalks Phoenix to confirm for himself that it’s Jason, returned from the dead. Unfortunately, a little big birdie told Jason to be on the lookout for a little stalker, so he finds Tim.

"Listen. I’m only gonna say this once. Go home. Next time I see you out I’m tattling to the ‘rents. Got it?”

Oh great, so Dick told Jason every embarrassing thing Tim did when he was thirteen. He must have been a special type of evil in his past life to have his most embarrassing teenage memories constantly thrown back in his face by his heroes. Heroes who now all despise him. Wonderful. 

Janet dies. Jack ends up in a coma. Tim sends his mom texts he knows she’ll never answer. So nothing changed. Nothing has changed, so why can’t he stop crying? Tim buries his feelings by going out and videotaping idk something.

Nightwing stops by. “Hey, Tim. We, uh, heard about your parents.”

Oh, God. He’s trying to be sympathetic. Sure, he knows what it’s like to have your parents ripped from you, but not parents that never wanted you in the first place. Plus this doesn’t change the part where he despises Tim and is only trying to comfort him because it’s the nice and right thing to do.

Nightwing awkwardly tries to say that Bruce is willing to take him in, which strikes so many visceral emotions so quickly that Tim has no idea which one prompts him to say “No! God, no.”

Yeah, no. He’s not getting pity-adopted into the family of vigilantes who think he’s a creepy little stalker with no sense of boundaries and no respect for those grieving lost loved ones. Especially since they’re right.

“I already filed for emancipation.”

“Well, if you’re sure that’s what you want,” Dick says doubtfully. “But remember our door is always open.”

I bet you say that to all the half-orphaned kids of Gotham, Tim thinks spitefully. Well, not as spitefully as he would like. He knows Dick says that because he’s stalked him for years. It’s good that Dick can find the kindness to comfort even the kid he hates.

“Okay,” Tim lies.

Dick offers to take him home.

“Oh no, that’s okay, but thank you for offering,” Tim says politely. “I was just about to call an Uber.” 

Damian asks who this Timothy character is. (Ah yes, the newest member of the Wayne bunch. His integration into the family is…going. It’s going). Dick gives a sanitized version of the story, and they end up trading stories about Tim.

“Remember when he hacked into Babs’ servers?" Steph recalls. "I’ve never seen her so embarrassed.”

“He used to drop information off with Gordon in person, dressed up in all black and doing his best imitation of Bruce’s growl. Called himself Shadow.”

“Wait, seriously? Tell me you have footage,” Jason begs.

“He even tried to copy Bruce’s disappearing trick,” Dick says between bouts of laughter. “Stopped when the Comish got too worried about this random kid who knew more about Gotham’s criminal underbelly than him. That’s when he hacked Babs’ servers.”

“He only stopped that when I threatened to tell his parents,” Babs cuts in, fondly exasperated. “And that’s after he tried to give me tips on how to encrypt files. And I only found his identity ‘cause I told Dick about an anonymous informant who referenced an alarming number of memes and he immediately guessed who it was.”

“Seems like that’s the only way to get him to stop,” Jason remarks.

“We could never get him off the streets, though.”

“Couldn’t stop me, either,” Steph points out cheerfully.

“Yeah, well, you were too annoying.”

Tim, about a mile away, takes off his headset with shaking hands. He has only himself to blame for overhearing all this. None of the Bats would've recommended stalking and placing hidden mics in their living room as an effective method of getting to know them. Yet his face is burning. Ears ringing. Annoying. Please. Tim is annoying. Spoiler is annoying like a little sibling. Tim annoys them the way a civilian not dangerous enough to be a Rogue but still engaging in criminal activity is annoying. Like the disposable goon of a Rogue, but without the violence. He bugged them because he is, as previously established, a creepy little stalker. He wanted to learn more about the newest edition to their family. Instead of hearing from Damian, he heard about himself instead from the mouths of his heroes. Heard too much. Learned that it’s so much worse than he thought. They don’t despise him because of a handful of crushingly embarrassing things he did when he was thirteen. According to them, he never stopped being a bother. All of it, the information tips, the hacking advice, was annoying to them. According to their own words.

[end of chapter one]

go away

After Bruce Wayne dies, it only takes Tim about three weeks to show up on Dick Grayson’s doorstep with a 3-ring binder full of evidence. He runs a finger along the top metal ring of the binder over and over as he waits for a response to the doorbell. All at once he feels thirteen years old again, clutching months of painstakingly collected notes written up neatly and sorted into sections. Dick never read any of it, yet Tim did it all again. Had his photos developed for ease of viewing access, included sources for all of his claims, stuck to his main points for clarity’s sake but has pages and pages of extra information in the back of the binder for when–if–Dick decides to give his idea a thorough look. 

But Tim is seventeen years old now, old enough to know where he went wrong the first time. Yesterday he spent hours coming up with argument after argument, approach after approach, to get through to Dick. Mr. Grayson, I’m so sorry for your loss. He’s probably tired of hearing that. Mr. Grayson, I have something I think you’ll want to see. Too quick to the point. If he doesn’t recognize Tim, maybe he’ll try Mr. Grayson, I know about your night life and I want to help. If he does, then maybe Mr. Grayson, I want to say I’m sorry about last time, but this isn’t like last time, I swear–

The door opens. Tim knows that it’s Dick by the smell. Sweat, unwashed clothes, and misery. How like last time. Dick looks like the epitome of grief, which is to say, not like himself. Dick Grayson is a creature of happiness by nature, of high-flying freedom, of beloved family and friends, a picture-perfect cover boy, always adored, always with a beautiful redhead, Batgirl or Starfire or Arsenal, yes Tim knows his type, always kind, always charming, always happy to be there. But Tim only ever seems to know him in these liminal states of horrible tragedy. 

Worst of all, Tim can’t quite tell if Dick recognizes him. 

“Mr. Grayson,” he begins, heart pounding so loudly he cannot hear himself speak, “I don’t think Mr. Wayne is dead.”

For a moment longer than Tim’s entire lifespan, Dick just stares at him. Blue eyes hazy and unfocused. One hand on the doorframe, one hand dragging through the stubble growing on his half-shaved jaw. He’s wearing an AC/DC shirt. Given Dick’s fashion tastes (bright colors) and Bruce Wayne’s music tastes, neither of which Tim should know, he is 98% certain that the AC/DC shirt used to belong to Bruce Wayne. 

When Dick finally speaks, his voice sounds like the death of all joy. 

“How many family members do I have to lose before you let me grieve in peace?”

Tim’s pounding heartbeat becomes a deafening white noise as Dick’s question pangs around his chest. His eyes sting so fiercly that Tim knows it is as visible as Dick’s misery. Nevertheless, he persists, if only for Bruce Wayne. No one else will save him if not for Tim. So even though his hero thinks Tim is a creepy little stalker with the unbelievable audacity to swagger into Dick’s life and tell him how to fix it, well. He’s not wrong, is he? What does it matter if Tim once upon a time dreamed of more? Saving Bruce Wayne is far more important than Tim’s nonexistent chances of becoming friends with Nightwing. 

“Jason came back.” Tim’s chin, lifted stubbornly, trembles. 

Dick’s face clouds over with a rage so terrible that Tim sincerely believes he’s about to get punched by Nightwing. Which wouldn’t be so bad. Tim deserves it, doesn’t he? Intruding on a stranger’s grief like this is probably a punchable offense. He’ll bear it all if only Dick listens, but it looks like he managed to blow it in the span of two sentences. 

In the end, though Dick’s hands curl into fists and his shoulders shake like traintracks, he turns his head at the last second and rests his forehead on the doorframe. Tears streak down his perfect jawline. Watching Dick Grayson cry is like watching Atlantis sink. It’s like watching the Mona Lisa go up in flames. Tim knows stuff like this is why Dick treats him like a celebrity-obsessed stalker living in a weird fantasy world where he’s a part of the Wayne family. He knows it’s why Dick hates him. Tim still can’t help that it’s captivating to watch.

“Go away,” Dick begs.

Tim has never felt more like the scum of the earth, yet still he’d persist if he thought there was a chance of getting Nightwing to listen to him. But there isn’t. So Tim, as lonely, rejected, unworthy and fucking correct as he is, sees himself out of the apartment building.

Two weeks later, he catches a flight to Lahore.

[zorilleerrant]

I mean I get that headcanons are just headcanons, but sometimes it confuses me why people heacanon something some way. like. why though? because someone said they headcanon Jason blasian

and like. Bruce can be blasian if he's descended from one of the Wayne slaves who was later legitimized or something (as long as the Foxes are middle eastern or something, because I do think it's narratively important that they don't quite understand each other's racial experience) or Babs can be blasian if you want to write a story about Jim's struggles being a nonwhite cop and that's why he's so hardline against the rest of them, and then Babs dealing with being mixed on top of that. Alfred could be blasian to talk about race-class dynamics with servants. Lucius could be asian to explore dynamics in tech companies, or Tanya could be asian because lbr she doesn't have that much character exploration. like these are AUs it makes sense to want to explore because of plot potential.

Dick, Terry & Matt, and Damian could be blasian because they've got very mixed heritage anyway, and Duke or the Foxes (all of them, not just one of them for no reason) could have asian ancestry. Cass could be blasian although you might be getting into awkward stuff making Cain black; Sandra could be blasian and that would fit the social position of her original backstory pretty well if you change her country of origin. I don't think you can make Steph's dad nonwhite because his whole thing with proving he's just as good as the Riddler is a pretty uniquely white flavor of self-deception, unless you want to make him overlooked for racism reasons and rewrite his character? but I think you'd have to work hard enough to flesh out her mom anyway that race would be easy to change. Claire and Hank's race literally doesn't matter. Tim's canonically blasian. (and Carrie, I think) (Helena is canonically black and canonically asian but she's not canonically blasian somehow? I don't know)

Jason is like... the particular character Willis is written as is this kind of specifically white kind of credulous person who's radicalized by racists because he thinks his poverty is because of nonwhite people instead of rich people. like it's not that explicit but it's the flavor of his social position (before he reforms). making Catherine blasian seems like it could lead to a lot of Issues without doing it carefully, but I would trust it in the hands of someone with personal experience, it's just that it would have to be specifically important to her enough for Jason to internalize it. because if he always knew she's not his biomom then none of his death arc makes sense. it's just that would mean that Willis's abuse towards Jason was racially inflected, which would seriously change the dynamic between them, and subsequently seriously change the dynamic with Bruce and Alfred. so it's not that you couldn't write it but now I'm really curious about all the cascading changes like what's the impetus behind this headcanon? what's the plot you're imagining in your head???