#basically been every robin except for jason

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Steve was lying on the floor of Robin's room, his back against the wall as he let Robin paint his toenails while he flipped through one of her magazines. The radio played softly in the background.

"I am totally new to having a girlfriend, and by girlfriend, I mean platonic girlfriend," Robin said.

"Well, that's one thing we got in common, I don't think I've ever had a girl who's just a friend," Steve said.

"What about Perkins?" Robin asked.

"She doesn't count, I hated her. She's the reason Tommy became such an asshole," Steve said.

"Hm, yeah," Robin said and paused. "So, how close were you and Tommy?"

"Well, we were friends since we were eight. We pretty much bonded over the fact that we both had assholes for fathers. We shared everything and told each other everything. He told me about his first crush, and I told him about my first crush. We practiced kissing, practiced having sex, and when I got first kiss, I told him immediately," Steve said.

"Woah, woah, woah! Back it up!" Robin exclaimed, and she closed the nail polish. "What the fuck do you mean you practiced kissing and having sex with Tommy Hagan?"

"Exactly what it means," Steve said, rolling his eyes. "We hadn't gotten girlfriends yet, and we wanted to get good before we did. It doesn't mean anything. We like women, so it didn't count."

"It still counts!" Robin shrieked. "Did you or did you not put your lips on Tommy's?"

"Yeah, and I also let Tommy put his dick in my ass. I was basically his pillow," Steve said as he continued to casually flip through the magazine. "It doesn't count if you're not gay, Robin."

"It doesn't work like that! Steve Harrington, the first time you had sex was with Tommy Hagan!" Robin exclaimed.

"It was not!" Steve exclaimed, throwing down the magazine.

"Was too!" She yelled.

"Was not!" Steve yelled.

"Okay! So, let's say if I kissed you right now. . .," Robin said.

"Wouldn't count as your first kiss, you're a lesbian and I'm straight," Steve said.

Robin grinned, a manic look in her eye. She pulled her hand back and slapped Steve across the face. He screamed.

"Didn't count! I'm a lesbian and you're straight!" Robin yelled.

"Okay, okay, I see your point. Jesus, did you have to hit me so hard?" Steve asked, rubbing his red cheek.

"Yeah, dingus, I did," Robin said.

"Okay, so my first kiss was with Tommy, and I lost my virginity. We're not gay, though," Steve said.

"No, just desperate and very horny teenagers, apparently," Robin rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you had gay sex before me, and you're not even gay. I bet you pictured some blond with big boobies."

"Well, no, actually," Steve shrugged.

"Hm, what do you mean?" Robin asked.

"I didn't have to picture a woman. I liked it," Steve shrugged.

"You liked it?!" Robin asked.

"Well, I am a man, Robin," Steve said.

"Uh, except not every man likes it when another man rams it up his asshole," Robin said. "Okay, I kind of wish I had been more delicate about this, but I didn't know this was you being in denial kind of situation."

"I'm straight, Robin, I like women," Steve said.

"Yeah, and did you know that you can like men and women?" Robin asked.

"What?" Steve asked.

Robin smiled and got up to pull out a box from underneath her bed. She pulled out a magazine and tossed it at Steve.

"Read it, study it, learn from it," Robin said.

Steve looked at it quizzically for a moment before opening it. He stared at it for the longest time before finally closing it.

"I am an idiot," Steve said.

"No, you're not. You just didn't know," she said softly.

"Bisexual," Steve whispered, and then he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh my god, this whole time, I thought I lost my virginity to Chrissy Cunningham."

"Chrissy Cunningham?" Robin asked.

"Uh, we used to hang out all the time before she started dating Jason Carver," Steve said. "Our parents ran in the same circles."

"Well, you know, I guess you could say you lost your guy virginity to Tommy Hagan and your girl virginity to Chrissy Cunningham," Robin said.

"Yeah, that's true," Steve grinned. "Thanks, Robin, and especially thank you for giving me that slap. I definitely needed it."

"Anytime that you want me to hit you, I'm your woman," Robin replied.

They moved towards Robin's window sill and sat on it, opening a window to get some fresh air.

"You know this means that I'm not straight," Steve said.

"Something else we have in common," she said.

"You ever wonder how many out there who are like me and who just don't know?" he asked as he looked up at the moon. "Here in Hawkins, I mean."

"Probably a lot more than we think," Robin said. "And they're out there, sitting in their closets wondering if they're ever going escape themselves or be rescued."

"Isn't crazy how we found ourselves?" Steve said.

"Maybe queer people just end up finding each other," Robin said.

"Well, maybe they'll find their way out themselves," Steve said and then he looked her, hazel eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "Seriously, Robin, thank you."

"You did that yourself, you know, you just needed a nudge. I mean, you could have told me to go fuck myself and continued to live in denial," Robin said. "You're a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for."

Steve smiled bashfully and glanced back at the moon. He looked at her, with tears in his eyes.

"Is it possible to be platonically in love with someone?" he asked.

"I think anything is possible," she said. "I think it's a definite because I know that I'm absolutely, platonically in love with you."

They dangled their feet out the window and leaned against each other, Steve resting his head on top of Robin's.

"I wish I'd known you sooner," he whispered.

"I wish I'd known you sooner, too," she whispered back.

They were here now, though, and absolutely nothing could get in between them.

Part Two

[jasonsbruce]

[azol-otl]

trick 🛹 or treat 🍬

This has a load of headcanon's that have about as much basis in canon as most fanon and is yet, not very fanon at all cause it's just normal teenager things. Hope you enjoy!

"So how old does everyone think they are?" says the familiar, yet foreign voice of Dick as its normal steadiness is broken by a crack that has everyone cringe at the intensity of. It's times like this that really highlight the age difference between all of them against Dick. Even Jason, the one here who's arguably known Dick the longest (not that the handful of times he saw Dick at ages thirteen and fourteen amount to much), only knew about "Pizza Face Grayson" after Barbie had shown him blackmail pictures after Dick lied to Jason about never having mask acne. It's actually a little...gross how much concealer Dick has slathered on his face. Not that it does much. Jason knows the hassle of acne showing up in your later teens, but even his worst is nothing compared to the miscolored bumpy texture Dick has that's only dripping off from all the sweat. Like he hasn't found the right way to hide them that he had once Jason was brought into the fold years later. Alongside Dick's little mustache, less pronounced than Damian's but more than enough to be seen in photos, it's a pretty validating to have everyone witness the truth that Dick has spent the last twelve years erasing, like his time between ages 12-20 were perfect skin, perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect face instead of the truth has been for nothing because Jason can see Stephanie and Damian sneaking photos when Dick isn't looking. "I'm definitely twelve, I can recognize these disaster bangs anywhere," Stephanie pipes up, flicking her uneven, jagged yet boxy bangs. Like she had cut them herself with dry hair, kitchen shears, and a bowl. Jason takes in himself. Being shorter than everyone present means nothing considering he didn't even hit five feet until shortly before he died. The braces in his mouth signify he's been taken in by Bruce so that leaves anywhere between late twelve and mid fourteen. But the rubber-bands mean that he's more likely early to mid thirteen. "Twelve," he bites out instead. Jason has zero clue if he's early thirteen Jason who has a lisp from hell, or mid late thirteen Jason who can speak like an actual person and not the stereotypical nerd. Either way he isn't taking any chances at them learning about 'Jathon Thodd', it was bad enough about them finding out about 'Todd the twink'. And if Jason and Stephanie are around the same age, that means... "Right before my twelfth birthday," comes the terse reply from Tim. Right, nobody had known Tim at that age, so nobody had known he had used to be so...rotund. Taller than Jason but shorter than Stephanie. His hair was cut spiky, like he was trying to mimic some anime character which pronounced his full cheeks and second chin. He's been crossing his arms the entire time, which has only emphasized how big and soft his chest, arms, and torso are. "That's pretty specific Drake," drawls Damian, the only one who has stayed the same age, "was it right before your parents sent you to fat camp?" Oof, low blow from Damian but expected. What wasn't expected was Tim's bitten off, "Yes."

[mizu0xox0]

Batfamily x Joker!reader

No not the DC Joker it's the Phantom Thief Joker

• So while the Batfamily goes after the usual big villains. Joker!reader is sending calling cards to corrupt politicians, police officers and basically criminals that haven't really been caught by the Batfamily yet.

• Then Batman catches wind of these corrupt people suddenly confessing to their crimes and being taken into custody after their confessions on life television no less or in front of a crowd of people or supporters. But it didn't feel like a confession more of a break down which was odd what made these corrupt people of power suddenly crumble?

• Thats when Batman sends some of the Batfamily members to investigate and then they find the weird calling card and now they learn about the Phantom Thieves.

• They manage to find the connection of the confessions being the calling cards and these Phantom Thieves mentioned in the cards so Batman sends it for some tests only for the calling cards to be just normal paper so something supernatural must be at play for these people to suddenly start confessing.

• Well long story short they decide to start investigating anything suspicious in the city that can give them a clue about these invisible vigilantes known as the Phantom Thieves and just so happens they catch video footage of Joker!reader suddenly disappearing while walking into an alleyway.

• So with that since Joker!reader is a criminal that's being put on probation but living with a guardian of sorts well Bruce decides to bribe the police to get Joker!reader to live with them and it works. Now they'll be under the watchful eye of Batfamily well not that they know that Bruce Wayne and his kids are vigilantes.

• While Joker!reader is in the Wayne manor they are unaware that their every move is being watched except their bedroom of course they still need privacy. Every once in awhile when Alfred goes to clean their room while they're in school if he finds anything like a calling card or a calling card in making similar to the Phantom Thieves one then he'll inform Bruce. From there you'll see some familiar faces in public such as when you're at a unpopular cafe to discuss some Phantom Thief stuff quietly that's when you'll see Stephanie and Tim having some drinks at a table somewhere near enough for you to spot them but far enough to not raise any suspicion amongst you and your group of friends

• Then when you're going to work at the gun shop you're suddenly greeted by Jason who just so happens to be purchasing a gun specifically at your work place odd...

• And one day while in Mementos training with the Phantom Thieves suddenly you see Batman and Robin?! How did they get in Mementos?! And boom the gig is up since you're pretty Batman and Robin were far more skilled than you and your team so you quickly skidadle in the Mona bus. "Wait did that cat just turn into a vehicle?!" Robin says long and you're long gone.

• And ever since that fateful day suddenly Bruce and Damian can hear your pet cat Morgana talking...hell it doesn't take the world's greatest detective to connect the dots that your cat and you are members of the Phantom Thieves and possibly your group of friends.

• Plus they had more than enough proof such as the receipts that Jason had found in the gun shop you worked at for specific blueprints of gun models or other weapon types. An odd app in your phone when Tim hacked into it and just so happens when they clicked the app they were transported to another world and once they were out they could suddenly hear your cat talking. Yeah definitely not a coincidence. Or when Dick sees you going to some shady clinic in the alleyway and just so happens to find a bottle of health supplements in your room that he couldn't find being sold anywhere else. Or how Barbara finds your search history a little odd with the names, news and details of certain politicians plus these were politicians that were given calling cards and suddenly confessed their crimes out of 'guilt'.

• So what is their next move? Do they deem the Phantom Thieves a threat or try to form an alliance with them? After all brainwashing people to confession doesn't feel right even though the outcome justified the means...

I'll probably continue writing more of this since I kind of ran out of ideas for now. Might have plans for a Light Yagami Reader. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed reading this. And apologizes if the characters are a little off since it's my first time writing for DC characters.

[gildedlead]

All of the Wayne kids’ favorite Leaguers: True and Real and Accurate

Dick: Wonder Woman! Bear with me. Please. I think Superman was his favorite BEFORE he met Clark. Once he learned how big of a dork he was, the magic was sort of lost, doubly so when Clark became his unofficial stepdad. Diana? She stayed cool. Not to mention that in his Robin days, she often humored whatever hare-brained impulses he’d get. Please picture Batman’s bewildered expression when he finds Dick dangling from the Watchtower light fixture he specifically designed to be impossible for him to reach. Diana just, -shrug- “He said please.” You threw him Diana. You threw that child. She’d probably still throw him if he asked nicely, hell, she’d probably do it even before he has to ask. It’s ‘Boy Wonder’, not ‘Boy Bat’.

Jason: Black Canary. ‘Wonder Woman is Jason’s fav’ believers PLEASE hear me out. I think that Diana is Jason’s favorite in a ‘celebrity crush’ way, but Dinah is Jason’s favorite in a ‘cool aunt’ way. He met her unofficially at the Watchtower, but actually started hanging out with her thanks to Roy. They both like motorcycles and kicking ass, plus Young Justice having Canary as a therapist melds well with my vision of her helping Jason heal. And I think she’s used to yelling at Bruce on Oliver’s behalf, so it’s no big to do it on Jason’s too.

Tim: The Flash! If Dinah is the cool aunt, Barry is the cool uncle. Guy that shows up at the function with all the best snacks. He might eat half of them himself but damn if he didn’t bring them. In all seriousness, Tim saw pretty great merit in knowing a forensics guy that he can basically talk to anytime he’s stumped with a case without having to go through the “sorry to wake you” song and dance. Barry occasionally gets unhinged texts that are in the vein of “hey can you go about ten minutes back in time and tell past me about _____”. They’re usually pretty low stakes but sometimes there’s just a “got stabbed, do-over?” jumpscare sprinkled in. Bruce will never ever get shit from Barry about kid troubles. That man is a saint in Flash’s eyes.

Cass: Captain Marvel. She didn’t like him at all during their first meeting. For a person that’s good at reading body language, I imagine that seeing genuinely childish behavior on a grown man would be giving some crazy mixed signals. Once she learns that his powers are magic in origin rather than being alien or meta, her mind opens up a little more to the possibility that his exterior appearance might not be indicative of his actual identity. Cass guesses his age by their next proper meeting and makes it her business to keep an eye on him, always asking Bruce about him after he returns from League missions. Your honor, that 7’5” brick wall Champion of Magic is actually just Cass’ little buddy. She’s gonna get him some ice cream or something.

Steph: Green Lantern. Hal and Barry are like uncles, except if Barry is the cool one, Hal is the cringe one. Lucky for Hal, being a boyfailure is a good way to amuse Steph. Those two are gonna spend hours arguing with Bruce just for the hell of it, backing each other up on completely incorrect claims (Steph does it because it’s funny, Hal does it because he believes her). He does get bonus points for bringing her cool space snacks whenever he comes back from trips off-world. One of her favorite foods is a sort of hi-chew/gum thing from some other planet in Sector 2418 that doesn’t dissolve or lose its flavor, even after chewing it for days on end.

Damian: Aquaman. He’s a king. Like, an actual king. And he can communicate with fish. Arthur heard about Damian’s temper from the rest of the Leaguers and straight up does not believe it because every time he’s spoken to Damian, it’s been “hello your majesty can you introduce me to an octopus I have a few questions for it”. This one’s short. But I feel it speaks for itself.

Duke: Superman. Clark was NOT told about Signal taking up the day shift in Gotham until he was flying in to compare notes (read: flirt), with Bruce and met Duke when they both went to intercept a carjacking. Clark tries to be responsible like ���I feel obligated to let you know that Batman doesn’t take kindly to metas in his city”, only for Duke to point at the big ol bat on his chest. After that, Duke usually intercepts Big Blue’s flight path anytime he comes into Gotham and the two just kind of hang out and shoot the shit while he does his patrol. Duke is also a little bit stoked to be regularly hanging out with The Superman, but even after the awe wears off, he can’t help but still think of Clark as just a cool, friendly guy. He gets someone to share the airspace with, Clark gets a bat he can stay in the sun with, it’s a win/win all around. Congrats Clark, you got one.

[forwards-beckon-rebound]

of the father and the son

warnings: major character death, referenced assault and battery, religious themes, weird references to cumbia and salsa, basically just every warning related to the events of jason's death

it started as all rendezvous do. knowing glances, a delicate chase between tomcat and robin. a dare: catch me if you can. his partner slips out of the room unbeknownst to all except his target. the game is afoot.

they meet alone in a room. it starts with a dance. a cumbia variation. right step, left step. cross body lead. a slide to the left, a turn to the right.

“agua!” his partner cries in delight. their movements are a blur as he fights to keep control. hesitation, block, check. and then, a change of place. a change of pace.

time comes to a stand still. his head dips. he has been ensnared.

but what type of dance would it be without music? there’s not much to work with, so they improvise a duet. his partner provides the rhythm, and if done well, his jaybird rewards him with an “a” note. it’s syncopated.

clang, a-lang, a-lang, a—clang, a-lang, a-lang, AH—

but every cinderella’s evening must come to come to an end. and the clock is about to strike midnight.

                               before they part, he leaves him a small gift.

                                a gentle caress of the cheek, so he won’t

                                                             forget

                                                              their

                                                              time

                                       to                   gether.

                                        the            wound,

                                               it burns.

the spell is broken. it is 12 o’clock. and the jaybird is all alone.

12 is a funny number. it was the egyptians, who had first decided to split the night into 12 parts based on the 12 asterisms. it was caesar, who had ordered the creation of a 12 month calendar. it was jesus, who had 12 apostles before he was betrayed and that number became 11. and soon, the 12 seconds jason todd had left were about to become

11.

on good days, his mother (no that wasn’t right. his real mother was the unconscious woman the joker had left sitting across the room from him. his mother was the woman who had brought him into this world just so he could die for humanity’s sins. her included, for she too was only human) caretaker was atheist. it was only on the nights when the electricity bill had not been paid and the snow piled high on their window ledge, that she began to pray. a private mass, just the two of them. a confessional without a booth, a church without a father.

10.

he had thought she was silly then, all pressed up against the wall to steal the warmth from the next unit over as she preached of loving thy neighbour. they were bundled up in as many layers as they could wring out of the closet. under the last-washed-in-august comforter, he wore a puffer and under that, his sunday best. it was the warmest he had, all wool and short around the ankles, with a bulky security tag pressed against the small of his back. it was the only thing his father had ever left for him. he had hated her perpetual prayers that kept him from sleep. now, he longed for those days. at least then, he wouldn’t have died alone.

9.

our father, who art in heaven. did jesus pray like this too, when he was on the cross? did he ever curse the fact that even as he bled out, he could not say “my father”? for everybody is a child of god. even the prostitutes who sold themselves for a full stomach and a roof over their heads. even the criminals on either side of him, who committed sins much worse than telling the truth. even the very soldiers who had hung him there and pierced holes in him that would never mend. did jesus ever wonder why, out of all of god’s children, he had been the chosen one, born to die?

8.

he had always been taught that good things come to those who do good. he had always tried to do good by others. he had stopped his classmates from being bullied. he had fought that mugger who was about to take some old lady’s purse. he had tried to take down the joker all alone despite orders because he had wanted to save his mother. surely, those were all good actions. surely he was good.

7.

did jesus’ father ever take pity on him? god must have seen him bleeding out. even if he had accepted this fate, surely every parent’s instinct is to protect. the child’s role is to be foolish, and the parent’s role is to forgive. so surely, his own father could overlook this mistake one time. he would be rescued and they could pretend this was nothing more than a bad nightmare. but jesus hadn’t made it off his cross alive, had he?

6.

everything would be alright. his father wasn’t god. his father was batman. and batman would never let anybody die on his watch. hell, even if it was the joker locked up in here with the bomb about to go off, his father would probably save him too. god, though? god couldn’t even save his son.

5.

what was he worried about? his father would break through this door with a badass kick and save him just in the nick of time. that would show that stupid clown.

4.

any second now, his father would break through this door and save him in the nick of time.

3.

any second now, his father would come to save him.

2.

his father would come to save him.

1.

dad…save me

0.

.

.

.

they created a lovely tableau. a broken figure, no more human than he is alive, cradled in the lap of a parent he no longer fits into. mother and son, engraved in marble. father and son, covered in ash. time continues on its lumbering path, but a parent’s grief never changes.

[thebibliosphere]

What is the gameplay like on Gotham Knights? I have poor coordination so I have trouble with anything more complex than LOZ: Ocarina of Time. Like, on a scale of Pokémon->Dragon Age->LOZ->Dark Souls?

It's a bit clunky like Dragon Age 2, tbh. Except it doesn't have the excuse of coming out in 2011. The mechanics and camera controls are one of the things that let it down a lot, IMO.

I’m constantly getting stuck on walls and the edge of ledges because the controls feel laggy and the game’s not consistent about which surfaces you can climb and which ones you need to grapple. It's fine if you’re fighting in more open spaces but it turns the timed events into an exercise in frustration. Not to mention the number of times it feels like I’ve taken damage through an obstacle from enemy ranged attacks when my own ranged attacks bounce off invisible walls if I’m not standing in the exact spot the game needs me to be in. This results in me just key smashing melee a lot until every around me stops twitching.

I’m still enjoying it, but it is v. glitchy and I understand why people are leaving angry reviews. Especially if they are deeply committed to the immersive elements and were expecting the same level of polish from the Arkham games, which this studio also made.

I’m just casual enough a gamer that I’m enjoying muttering “parkour” to myself as I accidentally fall off buildings and plumet to my death because my graple hook glitched out and went the exact opposite way I’d been aiming.

I’m really just playing it for the characters. It feels like playing a a game written by people who understand the appeal of found family that went hard on the campier elements of the franchise while still maintaining a decent level of aching sadness for the tragedy they’ve endured.

You can feel the group fracturing under the weight of Bruce’s death with Dick doing everything he can to fill the void and stay positive and “normal” for the sake of everyone around him, including Alfred who is devastated but also trying to keep it together. Barbara, mourning an extra loss, is trying so hard to stay level headed and useful for Dick. Being both Oracle and Batgirl while also acting like a fun big sister to Tim who stands out as really young in this iteration.

Sure he’s a kid genius, but he’s also only 16 with a monumental caffeine addiction (you can’t tell me all the energy drinks on the shopping list pinned to the fridge aren’t for him) and mourning the loss of Bruce while also just wanting to do normal teenage shit, like asking the group for help with his art homework and being annoyed that his role as Robin is keeping him from spending time with his online boyfriend.

Jay is very raw and angry and obviously processing his own trauma on top of everything that just happened but even he steps up, trying to be there for Tim, teaming up with Babs to gently pick on Dick when he’s being particularly Boy Wonder-ish. Seeing him stress cook is also a nice added touch as are the photos of him and Bruce working on stuff. Bonding.

Which is another thing I Love. From what we see of him, Bruce is in his absolute DILF element in flashbacks and in recordings. All sad smiles and a gentle, head-shaking tolerance for the absolute ribbing the kids put him through for being too serious and neglecting himself. Not to mention all the pictures of him with Dick and Tim and Jason. And so many of him and Alfred and Ace. (The one on the fridge of him and Alfred showing them adopting Dick at the courthouse almost killed me. They all looked so young and happy.)

I’m getting serious “Bruce is a good dad with a warped sense of humor who hugs his kids and spends quality time with them, actually, and you’re wrong if you write him otherwise” fanon vibes, and that's honestly my favorite Bruce.

It’s basically appealing to everything I love about the franchise while scratching an itch in my brain the way crackfic taken seriously does.

And that’s enough to make me forgive the bad controls and glitches. But I could see it not being enough for some people, especially if you’ve already got poor hand eye coordination. Which I do. But again, I don’t really care about being good at games. I’m just dicking around and having fun wringing dopamine out of the narrative.

[hanihazeljade]

Three Settings

Christmas is around the corner and the manor is exceedingly overflowing of it's spirit, except Tim.

Part Five of Three Weeks

Prev - Three Events

Next - Three Videos

(CW: namecalling, explicit sexual intercourse, hatred of christmas, liquor)

Tim hates Christmas. 

It is a holiday that the Drake household never celebrates. Jack and Janet’s belief is that why do you need a holiday to spend with your family when you can do it whenever you can. Maybe it's because of the fact that their family cannot be together every Christmas as his parents are in their digs. 

So, Tim never really likes Christmas that well.  He never liked the idea of celebrating Christmas, he never did it with his parents and never in the house of Wayne's, and he basically used Christmas in Japan as a way to have a new guy in his bed, fucking his brains out.

So, seeing the Waynes to get some Christmas spirit in him. He wanted to roll his eyes at them but he, unfortunately, was trying to be civil with them. However, one more offer of decorating another tree, he has half his mind of jumping to the nearest window and breaking his leg so he won't be able to celebrate it. But he wanted to dance at Cass’ wedding, so that is a no.

It seems like the world's greatest detective family is a fucking idiot. Intellectually intelligent but emotionally unavailable. A fucking hypocrite he is. They can’t seem to comprehend that Timothy hates being around Christmas things  or just being around the vibe of Christmas.

Timothy is an amazing human being who practised patience and meditation but he once again has his limits. So, he escaped to the comfort of his room, as the Christmas jingles echoing throughout the hallway of the manor. This is the worst. He wished that he could just sneaked out and go to the clubs in the Diamond District and have someone to fuck his worries for a while, after all it’s been a while since he got laid back in Japan.

But then again, why can't he do it here? He is a well functioning adult, has a good income and anyone can’t say shit about him bedding anyone. After all Bruce had bed women as the same number of the days of the year, Richard has also had his fair share of laying some women in his bed to please. Jason may have died virgin but definitely likes to have a taste of Richard’s leftovers and maybe some original taste to himself. Damian may look rigid but Gazette saw him going home with some models. And Tim is a healthy man, he has needs. He was not the same stuck-up Robin that they know.

So he gets up from laying down and starts cleaning himself well. He has guys to woo to satiate his needs. 

He has some worries that he will get caught but he remembered that it is near Christmas Eve, the Christmas related crimes are on the top, so therefore all hands on the deck, even Alfred. So he just whooshed to the front door, and he was gone to the Diamond District.

He turned on the radio on his phone to listen to some news as to who is the main rogue for the night and it looks like Ivy and Harley are having a date and Mr. Freeze is doing a scene from Frozen. With that he knew to avoid Robinson Park and the Cherry Hills. He took a cab to take him to some club in Diamond District,  after all, Richard will probably patrol around the Robinson Park, Jason will continue his route to the Crime Alley, Cass and Steph will be trying to find where the two love birds to stop their date, the only vigilantes he could meet is Batman and Grackle, Damian new mantle for now.

But it is not like they would stop by the rich ass bar when there are major rogues out loose. Tim would rather not risk it to choose a run down bar. After all, he is a delicate maiden.

The bar he chooses is filled with different men, as it is a gay bar. Some are ogling him not so subtly and he knows, after all he wore one of Steph’s see through blouse and the tightest jeans that he had. His hair was styled to a calculated messy bun and his body was adorned in different accessories. And his makeup that makes his blue eyes popped so much more and the lip oil he applied to make his lips so juicy.

He is getting drinks left and right but he the one that he fancies are some stuck up assholes, so much for his type, that probably doesn’t do shit in bed. But of course, he got one. There is a tall, buff man with tattoos lingering on his skin. The man’s gaze is as sharp as a viper waiting to plunge on its prey and Tim is feeling things for himself.

Not wasting any more time, Tim strikes up a conversation to the guy, “Hey handsome, nice tats.” he said as he walked closer to the man.

The man eagerly put his hands on Tim’s waist and put Tim on his lap as Tim squealed flirtingly, “Would you want to explore more of my ink?” He said as he tightened the grip on his waist and Tim was loving the grip.

Tim giggled, “Then may I know the name, first?” he asked cheekily.

The man smirked at Tim’s coy display of naiveness, “Name’s Nathan, baby. How ‘bout you, angel?”

“Mine is Timothy, but angel works just fine too.” Timothy said as he closed their distance and kissed the guy, passionately and hard. They were going with it like a man discovering an oasis in the middle of dessert. Both of them groped each other until they separated to catch some breath.

“My place or yours?” Nathan asked, as he grinds his hard on to Tim’s ass.

Tim giggled as he rocked back, “Yours, just visiting here.” He said as he can feel the package beneath him.

Nathan chuckled, “Poor little angel, visiting a family in this wicked city.” Having a family in this godforsaken city when you already escaped is such a pain.

Tim rolled his eyes at such remarks, “Let’s not talk about them when we could be going to your place right now.” he said as he pouted as if upset that someone is talking about his ‘family’.

Nathan just quirk his brow, Gotham has a lot of kids that don't have a good relationship with their family, and he was just here for some pretty boys, not to settle with someone. “Eager little vixen you are, angel.” he redirects the topic to the beautiful man in front of him, after all, he doesn’t want to let this angel go just because he is curious about things that he doesn’t care about.

It seems like the pretty angel took it, as he caressed his biceps, “Well, I need to be if I want a strong man to handle me.”

“Then shall we get out of here, huh?” 

++++++

Tim left Nathan’s apartment at 10 in the morning. Nathan is a beast in bed, one of his best sex in his life. The morning sex is a plus and he will never complain about the surprises staying over. His horny self is now satiated.

However, his good mood was once thrown outside of the window as he went back to Wayne Manor. He was not expecting such commotion in this early morning. He was about to leave them to argue some more but Damian saw him.

“Timothy! You are finally home.” With Damian’s declaration of his presence, everyone went to him and they definitely all can see the bruises and bites of Nathan through the see through blouse. Honestly he likes those marks of possession.

Steph reacts first after seeing her blouse that was gifted by Cass, “Is that my blouse?”

Jason saw all the dark marks behind the see through blouse, “What is that?!” he reacted. 

“Why do you smell like sex?” Richard asks as he wants to hug Tim but he rather not as he smells the strong smell of intercourse. “Tim you did not hook up, right?!”

“It’s hickeys, Jason.” Tim rolled his eyes, everyone was acting like a virgin. “And I did hook up with someone, they are very good at bed.” he smirked at them, and he saw each of them have a shocked expression, especially Grayson. But he never expected the words coming out of Richard’s mouth.

“Stop whoring around Tim, this isn’t like you!”

A slap cracked in the atmosphere. Tim was also shocked that he slapped Dick Grayson across his face, but his anger was far more superior than his shock.

“So what? I changed, Richard, just in case you still haven’t noticed. I am not like who I was seven years ago, because now? I love myself, I know my value without pleasing anybody. I know who I am. So what, if I am sleeping around with different guys each week? You never heard jackshit about me when you are preening with your gaggle of redheads.” He said as he went back to the front door, but got held back by Damian.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Tim pulls his arm away from the tight grip of Damian, “Away from you, if your feeble detective brain couldn’t recognise what I am gonna do, Damian.” 

“Where?”

“That, I believe, is none of your business.” And the door was slammed shut.

++++++

A knock in the middle of the supposedly peaceful Saturday in her apartment woke her up. She doesn’t know who in their right mind knocks on her door, on the weekend, that she knew, to wake her up before the sun starts setting down?

She opened the door and was surprised to see Timothy Drake, the man that she knew to rather sleep until the sun was halfway down if he had a choice, standing outside of her apartment, and asked, “Hey Tam. Mind if I stay over?” with a miserable face and anger was still lingering in his eyes. But Tam just let Tim in, by opening her door wider.

Tim plopped down the couch and wanted to scream as Tam went to her bathroom to freshen up and have a mind to look after Tim. 

When she finished, she finally looked at Tim properly. Tim’s hair that was normally was in such perfection but now there strays. The smell of sex and the hickeys were also a dead give away that Tim had a nice night. And honestly, Tam was jealous. She could also have the best night of her life if just a certain baldie just stops pushing her. But enough of Prudence, she has a Timothy to babysit. 

Tam sat beside him and asked, “What happened?” because Tim is obviously not fine and would not ask any unnecessary questions regarding his feelings when it was so obvious.

Tim just sighed loudly, and screamed in the pillow he had on his lap. And once he was done, he raised his head and finally responded, “Just got called a whore, nothing more.” His answer was muffled by the pillow as his head was still buried on it. 

‘Whore?’ Tam thought to herself as she thought of all the people around Tim,“By who?” It cannot be within the family of Waynes as each of the Waynes have a notorious long notch to their bedpost.

But alas, Tim destroyed her thoughts, “The second whore himself, Dick Grayson.”

Tam was taken aback, after all, Richie Wayne is next to Brucie Wayne in the most notches. He was like Brucie but in moderation. “Wow. Didn’t he have like a harem of ginger fuckers?” She told Tim as she had been so active in the capes scene.

And with that Tim explodes, as he finally has someone to know how he actually feels! “He told me to stop whoring around! Like I am making money by getting fucked by those guys, well maybe I should. Just to pissed him off more.” Tim said as if he was thinking of going back with a bunch of dollars in his hand as if he just finished a night being a stripper. That was a nice thought, maybe he would do that.

Tam pat Tim’s shoulder, “Petty, but how about let’s drink our asses tonight? It’s Sunday tomorrow.” she proposed to Tim as she knows Tim just went to the bar to hook up but not to drink and she has some strong beer and no one can blame her. She is a hardworking woman under the Wayne Enterprise, with scandals far deeper than the Mariana Trench.

Tim had a thought for a while and he didn't have any to lose, so he agreed. “Sure.” Maybe he can use the hangover as an excuse not to celebrate Christmas.

Tam stood up, “I’ll order some chicken and pizza, and some fries too.” and went back to her room to get her phone. But she quickly came back throwing clothes at Tim, “Wear this, I don’t want to have a reminder that you got laid before me.”

[threewaywithdelusion]

Flirting with Danger (Robin & Eddie & Steve snippet)

“Hey, Eddie? Why do you flirt with Steve so much?”

Eddie froze. Eddie was always in motion, so it was strange to see him still. Eddie thought he ran, but that wasn’t true. He deflected, he made himself larger than life, turned parts of himself that he was confident about into a target. Unless he was really, really afraid. Then he froze. 

Robin understood his other habits. She babbled when she was nervous. She preferred being teased for talking too much or for being a klutz than the other things she was worried people noticed about her. 

But Robin had never used outrageously flirting with Steve as a tactic. She’d made fun of him, sure, but it had been hilarious watching The Hair strike out with literally every single girl who’d ever walked into Scoops Ahoy. 

What Eddie was doing was different. 

Robin forged on, her mouth running ahead of her brain, as usual. “Cause, like, I get it. He’s pretty and all and he makes some really funny faces when you do that. But he doesn’t really reciprocate so I would have stopped by now if I were you, but who knows, I’ve never even been on a date so maybe my problem is that I give in early. Oh my god. Maybe you’re actually doing this right.”

Eddie raised his hands in a wide gesture. “Woah, Buckley, chill. And lower your voice.”

Robin looked around. They were still alone, the only ones in Steve’s living room. But she understood why Eddie was afraid of this conversation being overheard, even if she thought anyone with eyeballs must have realized he was hitting on Steve by now. Except maybe Mike Wheeler, who was blind to just about everything, and Dustin, who was still determined to set Steve up with either Robin or Nancy, and Lucas, who was still distracted with his girlfriend’s recovery. 

Okay, maybe not everyone had noticed. 

“Sorry,” Robin said. “But come on, you can tell me.”

Eddie looked around again, then leaned in dramatically. “Okay, this is going to sound stupid, but. I don’t know how well you knew Steve a few years ago.”

“Not well. We had Mrs. Click’s class together two years ago, but besides that our paths never really crossed.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “Well Steve and I didn’t exactly run in the same circles, but we ran in overlapping ones. I was a junior when he was a sophomore, and then we were seniors together. And I’ve been dealing to the basketball jocks for years, so I saw him around at parties and shit. And he was… very different than he is now.”

“You don’t have to tell me that Steve was an asshole. I know that.” Robin eyed Eddie, confused on what this had to do with all the flirting. Was Eddie just irresistibly into people who did hardcore self-improvement? “He knows that too, by the way.”

“I guess,” Eddie said. “I mean, he seems to. But that kind of evolution? It’s basically unbelievable, right. Like, if I wrote some DnD campaign where someone started out as a villain like that and turned into the hero, no one would buy it.”

Robin was taken aback.

Hold up. This wasn’t lovestruck gushing. The only person allowed to insult Steve like that was Robin. Maybe Dustin on a good day. 

“He wasn’t a villain,” Robin said heatedly. “He was an asshole and an idiot, but he was no worse than every other jock who goes to our school and he was a hell of a lot better than a lot of them, even then.”

Eddie’s face turned dark. “You didn’t hear the shit he said.”

No, she hadn’t. She’d overheard sometimes, when he’d called some kid or another a freak or a nerd, but she’d had no reason to hang around Steve back when they’d both been in high school. She was thankful for that sometimes. She knew Steve was different now and that he regretted the things he’d said and done in the past. But it was easier to forgive him when she didn’t know exactly what he was guilty of. 

“He can’t have been worse than Billy Hargrove. Or Jason Carver.”

Eddie scoffed. “Yeah, cause being better than Billy Hargrove or the guy who convinced the whole town I was in a satanic cult and then tried to murder me is a real selling point. What a high bar.”

He leaned in closer to her. “He was a bully, Robin. He made life awful for kids like me. Like those kids in there.” He jabbed a finger at the kitchen, where Steve was teaching The Party how to cook. “The nerds, the geeks, the outcasts, the queers. And I guess you and I and those kids are proof that he doesn’t care about the bullshit high school social hierarchy anymore. But there are some things people still hold against you out here in the real world.”

Robin scoffed. “So you’re trying to prove that Steve — Steve who fights monsters from another dimension off with a baseball bat and babysits a bunch of fifteen-year-old nerds — is still the guy you knew?” Robin fought to keep her volume down when she wanted to scream. “Cause Steve is the best person I know. He’s brave and selfless and so fucking kind, like good from the bottom of his soul, and he’s a little vain and a little slow but he isn’t anything worse than that. And fuck you for thinking that kind of thing about my best friend.”

Eddie shook his head slowly. “I’m not denying he’s good to you, Robin. But in this little group, our fucking lives depend on each other. So excuse me for trying to find out if he’s good to people like me.”

Robin only had time to blink before Eddie continued.

“I know flirting with him is insane and maybe a little suicidal. But I just want to know how far I can push him before he snaps. If he’s gonna say some shit or hit someone for acting queer, I’d rather it be me than W- one of those kids. And I’d rather know before I’m trusting him to have my back in a fight against a monster that preys on our fucking fears and traumas.”

Robin stared at Eddie for a long moment. She couldn’t believe that she and Steve had both been wrong. Eddie hadn’t been genuinely flirting with Steve, but he also hadn’t been using Steve as a safe option. Hell, Steve had been so far off it would have been laughable if it wasn’t so sad.

Robin remembered when she’d come out to Steve, stinking of vomit and high out of her mind and just as afraid as she’d been in the secret Russian bunker. 

She understood why Eddie was afraid. She probably would have been too, if she didn’t know Steve like she did. If the drugs hadn’t loosened her tongue and allowed her to tell Steve a secret she’d never shared with anyone else. 

There was only one thing she could think to do. 

“Steve!” Robin called. 

A moment later Steve came running through the doorway, a kitchen knife in his hand. He visibly relaxed when he saw that Robin and Eddie were just sitting on the couch and not being attacked by monsters from the Upside Down. 

“Robin! How many times have we talked about this? If you just scream for me, I’m going to assume something is trying to eat you.”

Robin snorted. “You say that, but you called me in a panic when you ran out of hairspray before a date and you started with the words ‘Robin, this is an emergency. I need your help.’”

Steve dragged a hand over his mouth. “I- okay, I did. But-“

“Anyway,” Robin cut him off. “I wanted to tell you earlier, but all your little ducklings were crowded around you learning how to use a stove.”

“Tell me what?” Steve asked. 

Robin grinned. She pulled a little slip of paper from her pocket and waved it out towards Steve. “Vickie’s digits.”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up in a slightly offensive look of shock. “Holy shit, Robin, you actually managed to get her number?”

He shot a glance at Eddie, probably wondering why Robin was choosing to have this conversation in front of Eddie Munson. 

Robin ignored the look and smirked. “Vickie was complaining about how she hasn’t seen a movie in ages, since the mall burned down. I told her that I work at the video store and that my very platonic best friend has a giant tv we could borrow if she wanted the full experience. And that we could make popcorn and eat candy and do all the things teenagers are supposed to do in movie theaters. And she said ‘everything?” all suggestive and I almost died! And I told her everything, so I need to steal your house and I need you not to be in it.”

Steve sputtered. “You totally stole my line. Oh my god. You said you didn’t want my dating advice, and then you stole my exact pickup line! And my house!”

Robin rolled her eyes. “What’s yours is mine, Dingus. Even your cheesy pickup lines.”

Steve grinned, looking proud. 

Robin beamed back at him. She loved that she could go to Steve, that he was her biggest cheerleader when it came to her love life. That he had never once, from the moment he had learned she was gay, made her feel strange or freakish or different for liking girls. She’d tested him, maybe, a little. In the beginning. When she’d started with innocuous little comments about Molly Ringwald looking generally pretty in the Breakfast Club or the cute girl at Family Video having a nice smile. Steve hadn’t blinked, which had given her the courage to say more, to comment on actress’s collarbones or chests or thighs, to talk about her crushes growing up, to call dibs on customers and be pleasantly surprised when Steve refused to flirt with the girls Robin had chosen, even if they were hopelessly straight and even if they flirted with him first. 

Robin had never trusted anyone the way she trusted Steve, with every part of herself, knowing that there was nothing she could show him that would make him love her less. 

Eddie was staring between them, dark eyes wide in shock and disbelief. 

“Wait,” Eddie said, waving his arms wildly. He pointed at Robin. “You are a lesbian?”

Robin nodded. “Yep! 100% all into the ladies.”

She knew Eddie was safe. There had been rumors about him being gay for years and she’d just watched him spend the past several weeks flirting with Steve Harrington of all people. He’d all but just told her he was queer. But it was still terrifying. She’d only ever told Steve, and she’d been high on Russian truth serum then. 

Robin’s heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. Her hands were trembling. 

Steve, bless his head of beautiful hair, realized at that moment that Eddie hadn’t already known about Robin. He walked closer very quickly, putting himself between Robin and Eddie as best as he could while he was standing and they were both sitting on the couch. 

It was a sweet gesture, especially from a man who had lost every fight he’d ever been in. 

“And you,” Eddie said, swinging to point his finger at Steve, jabbing it into his stomach, “knew about this?”

Robin could only see the side of Steve’s face, but he was watching Eddie with a hard look. “If you have a problem, you and I can take this outside.”

Eddie’s jaw dropped. He looked from Steve, to Robin, then back to Steve. 

Steve didn’t move. 

“Holy shit,” Eddie said, more to himself than anything. 

Steve tensed. 

“I don’t have a problem,” Eddie said, leaning back against the couch in an artful slouch. He turned to look at Robin, trying to hide his wide-eyed surprise behind a casual look. “Damn Robin, good for you, finding love in the apocalypse. While the rest of us suffer the woes of portals to hell and the perils of monster attacks, you’ve actually gone and found yourself true love.”

Robin smiled. “Or a movie date. You know. One of the two.”

Steve was looking between the two of them, his brow furrowed in that adorable look of confusion that he got sometimes. 

“I don’t understand anything that just happened here,” he said. 

Robin snorted. She was about to tell Steve that he should mind his business when Eddie said, still in that fake-casual tone, “I’m gay.”

Steve blinked, his eyebrows raising slightly. He looked taken aback. “Um, yeah.” He glanced at Robin, then back to Eddie. “I know I’m not the sharpest bulb in the box, but I’m really good at reading people. Especially when they’re flirting. Flirting is my specialty. You were really obvious, man.”

Eddie’s dark eyes were wide as he watched Steve. 

Steve pushed his hair back nervously. “Was I not supposed to know that?”

Slowly, a grin grew on Eddie’s face. “No, that makes sense. I was just making sure we were on the same page.”

Steve started frowning again. “About…? Oh. Wait. Is this- are you trying to ask me out? Because, I’m flattered dude, but I’m not- I mean. I like girls. A girl. Who doesn’t like me back, but, you know, the heart wants what it wants and all that shit.”

Eddie shot Robin an incredulous look. She gave him a close-lipped smile and a nod. 

Yeah, dude. Her best friend was awesome. 

“No, Steve,” Eddie said. “I’m not trying to ask you out. The last person I wanted to date got murdered by a super-powered psychopath right in front of me and it was quite traumatizing, so I think I’m taking a break from all that dating-slash-falling-in-love stuff for a while.”

Steve’s face scrunched up as he thought for a long moment. “Patrick?”

Robin snorted, feeling hopelessly fond. 

Eddie looked stupefied. “Chrissy, Steve. Remember Chrissy? Who was beautiful and sweet and not actually trying to murder me for starting a cult?”

“But… Chrissy’s a girl?” 

“I like both, man,” Eddie said.

“Oh,” Steve said. Then a second later, “That’s a thing?”

Eddie laughed. He had a look in his eye, like he still couldn’t quite believe Steve was taking this so well but he was grateful for every second of it. 

“Like Bowie,” Robin tried to explain. “He likes both.”

Eddie snapped his fingers and pointed at Robin. “Exactly. Bowie’s metal as fuck.”

Steve looked like he was about to say something when Dustin’s voice came from the kitchen “Steve! Come tell Mike he’s doing it wrong!”

“I’m not doing it wrong! The pasta’s supposed to look like that.”

“No pasta is ever supposed to look like that,” Erica’s voice sounded loudly over the rest. “What? Just the facts!”

“My mom’s pasta looks like that.” That was Will. 

Then Dustin again. “Thanks for proving my point, dude. Steve!”

Steve was smiling softly as the kids all roared for his approval. 

“Go help your kids, Dingus,” Robin said. “And know that I’m not eating anything made by Mike or Dustin.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Steve said. “I’ll make you something else. Eddie?”

Eddie grinned. “Nah man, I’m with you. It’s our job to eat whatever the little shits made and pretend it’s good, right?”

Steve grimaced. “Yeah.”

He left, muttering about being the goddamn babysitter under his breath. 

Robin turned to Eddie, eyebrows up, expectant. 

“Alright, fine! I believe I owe the Lady my apologies,” Eddie said. “I didn’t mean to malign your best friend’s honor and besmirch his good name.”

[fantastic-nonsense]

Now that we're a few months on from Batgirls ending, and with solicits out for the next few months, how are you feeling about where they're situated within DC right now?

(With the possible exception of Babs. I suspect I know exactly how you feel about Babs, because I feel very similar. About how she's situated in DC. right now.)

My short answer for how DC is treating the Batgirls right now is "much better than where they were in 2020 but significantly worse than where they should be, especially compared to all of the Robins."

In order, I think Cassandra is (ironically, considering the history there) being treated the best, being given the meatiest stories, and being utilized in ways that actually showcase her motivations and skillset. She co-starred in Spirit World, is a major supporting character in Ram V's Detective Comics run, and is now co-starring in Birds of Prey. Her pre-reboot history and characterization has basically been completely restored (except for that awful era we Do Not Talk About™, which. good.) and we have a concrete and tangible narrative direction for her again. Frankly, it's absolutely wild to be a Cass fan in 2023 seeing how she's being treated right now after 15+ years of some of the worst character treatment imaginable.

Barbara is in a very distant second place largely because of the implied elephant in the room (Tom Taylor's usage of her in the Nightwing book, the ableism, and DC's stubborn refusal to commit to letting her be Oracle full-time again). I'm also still....very frustrated and upset by Kelly Thompson's decision to relaunch Birds of Prey without her given that Babs has headlined BOP since the very beginning, in every iteration of the team, and the team would not exist without her. However, I do have to note that she's once again being showcased as a fully grown adult woman, is being regularly featured in comics, and is being utilized as Oracle in books like Ram V's Tec run, so there's potential there despite no one at DC seemingly being very interested in doing anything substantial with her beyond letting her be "Dick's computer geek girlfriend."

Which ultimately puts her above Stephanie...who basically isn't appearing anywhere significant now that Batgirls has ended and she's not dating Tim anymore. Which is...not great, to put it mildly. If you ask me why that's happened, it's because Steph has spent the majority of her appearances since her reintroduction back in 2014 being treated as "Tim's girlfriend" rather than her own character with her own wants, goals, and potential storylines. So where does she go now that Tim's dating Bernard? I don't know, but none of the writers at DC seem very interested in doing anything with her right now.

This treatment is of course very much in contrast to every single male Robin and ex-Robin character...where everyone except Tim (whose dedicated solo ongoing just finished) will either have active solo ongoings (Dick, Damian) or a solo mini (Jason) running as of February 2024. The difference in treatment is stark...but of course, that's nothing new to fans of the Batfam women. At least Kate is getting some chance to shine over in Outsiders, I guess, however poorly titled the book is.

[lazlolullaby]

temporal temp work, a Batman Beyond and WFA style fluid comic canon crossover (but mostly Bruce amnesia recovery/character study)

Bruce lost his memory. He has no idea who Batman is, or what he's done for the past 30 years of his life.

Bruce is still a detective, despite the holes in his memory. He keeps noticing little tells, bruises, signs of lying. He knows he did something in his spare time, he's not sure what.

The batfamily decide that if it's not going to come back easily, then they should treat it as a retirement for Batman. They all came to an agreement, that they would be "as civilian as possible" around Bruce as to not put pressure on him to perform as Batman when he's not ready.

Alfred and Dick had gently explained that they won't tell him anything until he comes to a conclusion by himself and tells the family. If he gets it correct, then they can talk about it. If he doesn't, they can't. The Batcave is still open for him to find.

(he's in the world's most elaborate detective game, basically.)

in the meantime, Bruce focuses more on the company, on bonding with his suddenly large brood of kids, and legal methods of fixing Gotham.

Everyone's backstories remain similar to what the press knows. Jason's case is special, as he's dead. So Jason explains that he did survive, he was mad at Bruce for a while, so he got out to get his own place. They are slowly repairing their relationship.

Damian also flat out goes: "Yeah I was grown in a jar for the League of Assassins." and everyone nods and goes along with it. Jason even says he's seen the jar.

He even starts to bond with Tim, Jason, and Duke again over investigating crime. (well. More for the kids to solve it.)

The ones that fight the most for Batman to come back, the ones that make the most progress in getting Bruce to remember are Tim and Terry, since they were the ones that got him out of his funks in canon.

Bruce has nightmares. Despite losing the context of the fears, he still has them, he still can remember some Caped Adventures. He blames that for his nocturnal sleep schedule.

The Justice League dropped by in capes, trying to get him to remember.

Bruce gets totally suspicious that he's funding an entire space station. It takes him a week to crack every. single. founding JL member's ID, and even some sidekicks...Except Batman and his merry brood of birds and bats. (It doesn't help that the Dark Knight has been missing. no new data.)

The Gotham Rogues are starting to get gutsy. The Batfamily is stretched thin. It gets to the point where either scientists or magicians step in and try to "Summon Batman".

This is where Terry comes in. He gets summoned with Ace the Bathound. They survive on the streets of Gotham, then find Nightwing and Red Robin facing off against a Joker that's "pining for his eternal rival"

Tim is barely in danger but Terry's instincts go full throttle and he starts to roast. They see Ace has a harness with a Wayne Security badge and a license that are both dated for decades in the future.

Dick and Tim take Terry home. Say he's a friend in a tight spot, but Bruce sees right through it. Terry is the seventh black haired kid to be sheltered by Bruce and he knows it's a ploy to jog his memory. He's not having it. Terry also isn't interested in playing along with that either, instead loudly acknowledging he's got family already.

Ace gets along well with lots of the Batfamily. Terry makes a comment that he was trained as a PTSD-support dog. He knows how to sit and block people from getting into your space, how to use his weight as a grounding method. Bruce starts researching getting one for the house.

The batfamily train Terry on the streets for a few nights just in case. Nightwing goes back to Bludhaven. Dick does as well, and Bruce figures the connection quickly. The Justice League is seen with a new Batman.

Terry decides to annoy Bruce into becoming Batman again. Being ever so slightly off kilter, but still dedicated to helping. Always saying "If the guy I'm temping for doesn't like it, he can come out and do the job again."

Terry sees Bruce's psych profiles and list of Batman and Batman II suspects and makes a comment. "You writing a murder mystery or something?"

"Or something."

"What's the seventh rule of Knox's 10 commandments of detective fiction?" Terry asks.

"The detective must not commit the crime?"

"Mmm-hmm. Good thing you're not writing."

Bruce is getting tired of not knowing. Not getting better. Terry talks about how he was an assistant to an old man. That he also had trouble with being less active than he used to be.

Batman II shows up to save a hostage Bruce Wayne, and Bruce plays 20 questions. "why are you here in Gotham?"

"someone has to. And I already promised that I would."

"who did you promise? Why does it have to be you?"

"What makes this work is that I chose it. I work so I won't destroy this legacy. Me. My choice."

"You didn't say who you promised."

"The last guy who wore the bat...he got swallowed up by it. Didn't even think of himself as anything but Batman at the end." He shrugged. "Separating yourself from the mask is important. You know about Superman, yeah? He needs that job. He needs his friends and family, if not to feel human, just to be the best he can. Bruce. You have your friends and family. What are you willing to do to protect it?"

idk i can't figure out a suitably appropriate and dramatic emotional situation where Bruce figures it out. But he does.

Bruce gathers all of the family in the Wayne Study for a Classic Detective Reveal. He goes through the Batfamily one by one an unmasks each of them correctly, even confirming the ones who had other identities.

Bruce takes up the Cowl again, this time with a little more restraint and respect to his Bruce Wayne identity.

Terry goes back to Neo Gotham, stronger and happier that he knows the Batfamily.

[diviinus]

❝  𝖭𝖮 𝖪𝖭𝖨𝖦𝖧𝖳 𝖨𝖭 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖲𝖤𝖵𝖤𝖭 𝖪𝖨𝖭𝖦𝖣𝖮𝖬𝖲 𝖢𝖮𝖴𝖫𝖣 𝖧𝖠𝖵𝖤 𝖲𝖳𝖮𝖮𝖣 𝖠𝖦𝖠𝖨𝖭𝖲𝖳 𝖧𝖨𝖬 𝖠𝖳 𝖧𝖨𝖲 𝖥𝖴𝖫𝖫 𝖲𝖳𝖱𝖤𝖭𝖦𝖳𝖧, 𝖶𝖨𝖳𝖧 𝖭𝖮 𝖢𝖧𝖠𝖨𝖭𝖲 𝖳𝖮 𝖧𝖠𝖬𝖯𝖤𝖱 𝖧𝖨𝖬. ❞

𝑐𝘩𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟⧸dossier : cassian lannister  ›› prince  consort  of  dragonstone ›› leo suter .

❛❛  aesthetic.  ❜❜   ―   ◜   . ―     visions  of    carrying  the  scent  of  sandalwood  and  smoke,  golden  warrior  with  calloused  fingers  scars  earned  from  countless  hours  in  the  training  yard.    master  of  war,  crimson  stained  over  the  bruises—  wit  as  sharp  as  a  sword  ,  the  steady  rhythm  of  horse  hooves  beneath  muddy  ground . ⸻   .

introducing... 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋 .

CASSIAN /basics :

age: thirty and three   gender:  cisemale,  he/him orientation:  heterosexual religion:  faith  of  the  seven   marital  status:  married  to daella targaryen princess  of  dragonstone,  princess  of  westeros loyalty:  house  lannister, house targeryen

CASSIAN / parallels :

tywin lannister (  got  )  ,  derek shepherd (    grey's anatomy  )  ,  kacey dulton  ( yellowstone  )  ,  odysseus (  the Iliad  )  ,    han solo  (  star wars  )  ,  sir  (  found  )    ,  robin of locksley  (  robin hood )  ,   billy butcher  (  the boys  ) , Zeus ( greek mythology .

CASSIAN / family :

mother:  lannister,  lorelei   ›   68   ›   ruling  lady  of  casterly  rock,  lady  paramount  of  casterly  rock,  warden  of  the  south   ›   npc.  uncle: lannister,  jason   ›   68   ›   brother  of  the  ruling  lady,  ruling  lord  of  lannisport   ›   npc.   wife: targaryen,  daella   ›   32   ›   eldest  daughter  of  the  king,  princess  of  dragonstone,  princess  of  westeros,  heir  to  the  iron  throne siblings:  lannister,  utp  ›   32+   ›   eldest  daughter  of  the  ruling  lady,  heir  of  casterly  rock   , lannister,  utp   ›   28+   ›   second  son  of  the  ruling  lady,  lord  of  casterly  rock   , lannister,  celia   ›   27   ›   second  daughter  of  the  ruling  lady,  lady  of  casterly  rock  .

significant  relationships:  tba .

𝖧𝖤𝖠𝖱 𝖬𝖤 𝖱𝖮𝖠𝖱 .

you are cassian lannister, the prince consort of dragonstone, but more importantly, you are a lion among dragons, cool and calculating beneath that golden exterior. they see you as gallant, magnetic even—a man who commands respect with every glance and a presence that demands attention. you walk the halls of power with the scent of sandalwood and smoke clinging to you, the echo of your footsteps as measured and deliberate as the thoughts churning beneath that lion’s crest. you wear your scars proudly, earned not just on the battlefield but in the brutal arena of politics and marriage.

the lannisters have always been ambitious, always striving for more, and you are no exception. but where others might roar and rush headlong into the fray, you are more controlled, more methodical. you are not driven by impulse but by purpose. you know the stakes of your marriage—the heir to the throne of the seven kingdoms is more than a title to you; it is your lifeline to a future where your name could be etched into history forever. and should she lose the throne? should the dragons falter? you already know what will become of you if your wife loses her crown. you would not just lose power—you would lose everything. and you cannot let that happen.

you may wear the crimson and gold, but you wield the shadows as well as any dragonfire. your wit is sharp, honed to cut through the muddle of court intrigue as effortlessly as a sword cleaves through flesh. you understand the game, not as a mere player but as a master strategist. others might see your marriage as a position of subservience, but you know better. you see it for what it truly is: a throne of your own, though it is gilded with caution. the weight of dragonstone’s legacy does not rest solely on the shoulders of your wife. you share it, bear it, and manipulate it with every carefully chosen word, every glance in the court that goes unnoticed by all but the cleverest.

you understand what it means to be the prince consort, to be a lion among dragons, and you have made your peace with it. but that doesn’t mean you will let the reins slip from your grasp. no, you are too careful for that. too cunning. too obsessed with the power you hold.

the court whispers of your growing intensity, your calculated movements, your gaze that seems to always be somewhere else—on the future, on what lies ahead, on what could be lost if things go wrong. you are not just supporting the heir. you are safeguarding your legacy, ensuring that your house—your name—rises above the chaos. you know how to play this game, and unlike others, you are not afraid to let your mask slip when the moment is right. a lannister always pays his debts, and you are prepared to collect on everyone.

you are cassian lannister, and you will play this game wisely—because you cannot afford not to.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

—      revelry  in  shadows:  his  companions  come  from  the  hidden  corners  of  society,  those  who  live  in  the  shadow  of  westeros'  grandeur.  these  individuals,  familiar  with  indulgence  and  rebellion,  share  a  deeper  bond  with  cassian  than  mere  friendship.  they’ve  tasted  forbidden  pleasures  and  survived  their  excesses,  thriving  on  the  edge  of  privilege.  together,  they  defy  the  constraints  of  highborn  life,  using  wit  and  shared  secrets  to  navigate  the  dangers  of  excess,  forming  an  inseparable  part  of  cassian’s  world.

—      gilded  rivalries:  in  the  dangerous  courts  of  king’s  landing,  cassian’s  enemies   wear  their  hostility  beneath  a  veneer  of  civility.  these  rivals,  often  driven  by  political  necessity  or  personal  grudges,  challenge  him  through  subtle  jabs  and  power  plays.  despite  their  animosity,  there’s  an  underlying  respect  for  each  other’s  intellect  and  ambition.  their  rivalry  sharpens  cassian,  keeping  him  vigilant  as  they  all  vie  for  control  in  the  ever-shifting  dance  of  courtly  intrigue. —   the  lion's  trust:  cassian’s  right  hand  is  not  just  a  subordinate  but  a  trusted  confidant  and  indispensable  ally.  this  individual  stands  by  his  side  through  victories  and  setbacks,  offering  counsel  and  loyalty.  their  bond  is  built  on  shared  battles,  political  maneuvers,  and  mutual  respect,  ensuring  that  cassian  has  someone  he  can  rely  on  as  he  ascends  the  ladder  of  power.  together,  they  form  a  formidable  duo  in  the  treacherous  world  of  westerosi  politics.

[soleminisanction]

An earlier ask reminded me that there’s still one sequence of Batgirl (2009) that I’ve always wanted to break down because my frustration with it is palpable so…why not. This is as good a time as ever. Let’s talk about Issue 24 and extended fantasy sequence that makes up the very end of this series.

See, apparently—and I have not been able to find a first-hand record of the interview that confirms this, so take it with a grain of salt—Brian Q. Miller decided that, since the universe was getting reset in the wake of Flashpoint, his Batgirl was getting canceled and Stephanie was getting retconned out of existence for the New52, he would use a fantasy sequence in the final issue show off all the wonderful ideas he never got to do because of editorial meddling or whatever. Which is… fine. Y’know? I get it, it’s utterly self-indulgent but not an invalid way to deal with your book getting canceled before you can finish all you set out to do.

The thing is though, sequences like this don’t just exist in the vacuum of their Doylist explanation. The entire narrative point of fantasy sequences like this, whether they’re fear gas, or lotus eater machines, or especially the Black Mercy, isn’t just to have a cool spectacle for the audience to look at, it’s to take a part of the character’s inner life and put it on display for everyone to see.

So the question I’m asking here is: what does a Watsonian reading of finale sequence say about Our Heroine, Stephanie Brown?

Quick primer for those of you who may be unfamiliar: the Black Mercy is an Alan Moore creation, originally introduced in the story he wrote with Dave Gibbons for 1985’s Superman Annual #11 – “For the Man Who has Everything.”

If you’re my age, you may be more familiar with this story as a fantastic episode of Justice League Unlimited, which has the notable distinction of being the only Alan Moore adaptation that the old warlock actually likes. The basic story of both is the same: Batman and Wonder Woman (and, in the comic, the Jason Todd Robin) arrive at the Fortress of Solitude for Superman’s birthday, only to find that Mongul has trapped Supes under the influence of the Black Mercy, a magical alien parasite that digs its vines into its victim’s chest while trapping their minds in an illusion of their ideal perfect life.

“For the Man Who has Everything” is regarded as one of the best Superman stories ever written so it’s honestly kind of a surprise that the Black Mercy has only shown up a handful of times since then. But I’m not complaining, because it means the concept hasn’t been diluted much… with this appearance in Batgirl being a notable exception, in weird ways that make me really wonder what was intentional and what wasn’t.

See, this whole thing starts when Steph confronts her father, Arthur Brown, alias the Cluemaster, in his prison cell. And Arthur—a second-rate Riddler knock-off whose only experience outside of Gotham was an extremely brief Suicide Squad adventure to Iceland where everybody died—just, has a Black Mercy, an incredibly rare and dangerous magical alien super plant, sitting in his prison cell. As you do.

Arthur then puts Steph under the Mercy’s influence to cover his escape from the cell, but he doesn’t subject her to the Black Mercy for real, he crushes one of the blossoms and blows it in her face, which his dialogue implies is something he regularly does to himself as a recreational experience.

Which means that, despite the following pages making a big freaking deal about “spores in her system” and Barbara gushing about how special Stephanie is for being able to, quote, “fight the Mercy and win,” it’s all a load of shit. Arthur didn’t need to be rushed to the hospital every time he took this drug, so it would follow the Stephanie doesn’t either.  

That would actually make a lot of sense for Arthur as a character—for all his faults, he’s usually written as caring for his family and not wanting Stephanie permanently hurt (a sentiment she generally doesn't return). Hell, his last appearance before this one was trying to get revenge for her death. If that was intentional, it would mean that in the above panel, Stephanie knows that Barbara’s conclusion about her “fighting the Mercy” is full of shit and just, isn’t telling her.

I have no confidence that it was intentional—given the rest of the series I think it’s far more likely that Miller & Co. just didn’t want the icky flower vines to mess up Steph’s boobies and thus came up with a convoluted alternative that they immediately forgot the rules for—but I wish it was because it would actually be an interesting character turn. Black Mercy stories usually hinge on the emotional climax of the enraptured hero choosing to give up the beautiful illusion of a life they can never have in order to return to the hard world where they have real friends and heroic responsibilities waiting for them. Just ask anyone who still cries over this scene:

Stephanie not getting that moment and only escaping because it’s a temporary drug would imply that she’s still very susceptible to her own desires. It’s a way that she’s fallen short compared to others who’ve been subjected to the full Black Mercy experience. And who knows, maybe she could’ve pulled herself out of it if the illusion had lasted longer… but maybe she wouldn’t have. She can’t know. And that doubt could sit with her.

It doesn't. But it could, in a better story.

And then there’s the illusion itself. Keep in mind as we go through this, this montage, in-universe, represents Stephanie’s idea of her ideally perfect life. Just for comparison, in “For the Man Who has Everything,” Superman’s ideal life has him living on Krypton as a normal man, married with children, happy and content in his normal life. Batman saw his parents’ murder foiled and the life that could have unfolded without that tragedy to define it. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), in another story, saw a world where his parents never died, his family is happy together, and his mentor Sinestro never turned evil.

Stephanie? Stephanie sees herself as Batgirl, posing dramatically and beating up random street thugs in a metaphorical continuation of her current status quo. Then there’s a sequence where she’s fighting the Queen of Fables alongside the four female heroes, all of whom except for Supergirl literally appeared out of nowhere in the last issue with no explanation because we need to pretend that Stephanie is very popular and well-liked and not a stuck-up loner who rarely leaves Gotham City and almost never talks to anybody but her boyfriend when she does.

But y’know, this scene makes sense right? Steph dreams of being a successful superhero and fantasizes about going on grand superhero adventures with other superheroes, fine. That’s all well and good.

Then comes the Blackest Night page which is just... ugh.

I am so glad DC vetoed this idea because it’s genuinely embarrassing. I get (finally! it several painful re-reads) that what Miller has been trying to do with Stephanie this entire book is pretend that she can be Captain America or Superman: a character who doesn’t so much develop or change as they do lead by example and inspire others to have hope for the future just by being themselves. So of course when he hears that Blue Lanterns are powered by hope he neeeeeeds that for his precious Batgirl—an idea that he apparently carried over to the Smallville Season 11 comics, but we’ll come back to that in a moment.

The problem of course being that Stephanie had never been that kind of character before Brian Miller decided she should be, and he did absolutely nothing to work his way up to earning her that status. So shit like this comes across as, frankly, blatant attempts to turn her into a Mary Sue, especially with how badly he refused to deal with her actual history and established character.

But again, remember: in-universe, this illusion isn’t being imposed on Stephanie, it’s being created by her, by her mind. This is part of her greatest desire. So where other heroes long to be safe and happy, surrounded by their families, Stephanie, apparently, wants nothing less than to be a literal Messiah figure. And I’m not exaggerating there—Blue Lanterns are supposed to be the holiest beings in the universe.

Just… the ego that implies. Yeesh.

After that comes a black-and-white photograph implying a time travel adventure where the three Batgirls (presumably from different eras in their own timelines) go back to 1944 to fly with the (male) Blackhawks. I’m not going to post it because there’s not really anything to say about it and this is already a long post but Stephanie’s stupid utility garter belt is drawn so HUGE it takes up her ENTIRE THIGH almost up to the crotch and it’s super distracting.

Then comes this scene.

Which mostly just drives home how much Steph hates her boring average school life given that she’s fantasizing about being attacked by supervillains at her graduation so her secret identity can be exposed to her entire graduating class. Thing is though, you’d think this should be a nightmare. Her identity has been exposed! She’s being attacked out in the open by supervillains and she doesn’t have her gear or weapons! Her classmates and—explicitly up in the audience—her mother are in danger, because Stephanie is Batgirl!

But because this is a Black Mercy illusion, we know it’s not a nightmare. This is, explicitly, something that Stephanie wants to happen. It’s part of her fantasy life, her greatest desire. And yeah, if we’re being generous, she probably isn’t thinking that people are going to get hurt. In her fantasy, she probably just gets to show off and save the day and be venerated as Gotham University’s Great Hero, like Buffy getting crowned the Sunnyville Class Protector. But even that, the most generous of readings, implies that she has never internalized the lesson that she should have learned back in War Games re: the great power of being a superhero coming with great responsibility. It absolutely flies in the face of anybody’s attempts to insist that no really, she’s only doing this whole superhero thing because she cares about other people SO MUCH.

Following that is page of what’s clearly Neo-Gotham, flashing forward many years into the future, where Steph is wrangling some kid into bed (while wearing her wedding ring on the second knuckle because otherwise you wouldn’t be able to see it and that might imply she’s a single mom) with the Batsignal shining out the window.

Which leads us, at last, to the page I have the most to say about, and the one that is my biggest inspiration for make this post:

I. Hate. This page.

I hate it because it gets regularly reposted without context on Tumblr and Reddit so the Steph simps can gush over how much they wish it was real and how Stephanie should get to be every single member of the Batfamily because she’s just so awesome and not one of them ever stops to think about what any of it would or should actually mean in-universe or out.

This page exists because Brian Q. Miller was originally a writer on Smallville. He joined the team around Season 5, served as showrunner for Season 10, and used the connections he made there to get some comic book jobs, including Batgirl and the spin-off comic Smallville Season 11. In “Season 11,” they finally showed the Smallville version of Gotham City and Batman, who is accompanied by only a single sidekick: not Robin, but Barbara Gordon as an (adult) female Nightwing who eventually becomes a Blue Lantern (hence the Blackest Night page earlier).

Now again, I cannot find the original source for this so I’m going off fandom rumor and wiki trivia, but supposedly, Brian’s original pitch was that the Smallville character would also be Stephanie, making her the only Batfamily member to ever exist in that universe. DC’s editors supposedly made him switch to Barbara instead, which was smart of them, because it’s way more likely that the people picking up the Smallville comic would be excited to see her, one of the most famous pop-culture characters ever invented, and not a satellite character like Stephanie who’s only familiar to a niche market. (This for the record is the same reason Babs is the Batgirl in Gotham Knights.)

So that’s the out-of-universe explanation for why Brian would stick this idea here, but stop and think about this for half a second: why the fuck would Stephanie want to be Nightwing?

Nightwing is not like Batman, Batgirl, or even Robin, it’s not a larger symbol with a legacy behind it. If you say the word Nightwing in the DC Universe, you’re referring to only one of two things: either you’re Kryptonian and you’re referencing a legendary figure from your lost planet’s mythology (either a god or a culture hero depending on the continuity), or you’re talking about Dick Grayson. Every other character who has ever taken on the name in a non-Kryptonian context has done so because of their relationship to Dick: either to piss him off (Jason), because they were inspired by him (Cheyenne Freemont, the Nightwings, Nite-Wing in a negative capacity), or in memoriam/penance after his death (Damian in the first Injustice game).

But Stephanie doesn’t have that kind of relationship with Dick. At this point in her career, they’d barely spoken, and all of their meaningful interactions had been with him as Batman. Nightwing means nothing to her. She has no emotional connection to identity, not even the desire to be “part of the legend” that drove her to chase Robin and Batgirl. So then, why? Why is this part of her fantasy?

Well… because if Batgirl isn’t the second-most popular superhero in the franchise after the Big Bat himself, then Nightwing is. And all Stephanie has apparently ever wanted is to be everybody’s favorite superhero, loved and adored and told how she’s so very special and wonderful, forever.

---

In Conclusion – As you might’ve noticed back in the panels where Steph was getting dosed, Brian Miller actually calls out his own bookending, having started the story with a climax where Steph got exposed to a fear-gas-based-anger drug and ended it with one where she encounters the Black Mercy. Like I’ve said before, the narrative purpose of hallucination sequences like this are to lay the characters’ psyches bare and show us who they really are on the inside. 

In issue 3, Stephanie’s anger/fear gas exposure (and the resulting philosophically frustrating speech) presents Stephanie as someone whose primary motivation is her own self-interest, the sense of control and personal triumph she gets from being a superhero. All through the series, the way she handles her rare rescues (and, even more tellingly, the few people who don’t immediately recognize her greatness) only backs that up.

And now, the Black Mercy sequence, the very last thing to happen in the entire series, just solidifies it: after 24 issues, she hasn’t changed. Her only desire, the only thing she cares about, is that she gets to be a badass superhero who goes on adventure after adventure without worry or care for anyone around her, even after multiple people have literally died over the course of just this book. Who cares? They’re not Stephanie, so they don’t matter. It’s all about her. 

I will never understand what anyone saw in this series.

[gffa]

You all should be so embarrassed for me, I wrote like two thousand words of what can basically be summed up as, "So what kind of fic do you read: Anything with Dick Grayson in it!" and I was only halfway done.  Absolutely humiliating, I would have exposed myself so bad.  (This answer isn't going to be much better.) I would love any and all fic recs anyone has for me, but be warned:  I'm really not kidding about how I would shove every other Bat off a roof to get to fic of my most specialiest guy of all time, especially if it involves his complicated relationship with Bruce.  I am a Dick Grayson stan to my very goddamned core, he is 90% of what I read in this fandom. I'm sometimes open to other stuff!  Especially if you have god-tier writing and a banger summary of something that sounds really hilarious (though, I tend to shy away from cracky, like even Wayne Family Adventures borders on too cracky for me sometimes, as lovely as it is), like "Jason adopts Tim until he's of legal age because he can't emancipate himself, meanwhile they get along like two cats in a sack", I have read two of those and they're both joy. Or if anyone has TimKon recs, I have shipped them since I was a wee thing, I'm certainly not stopping now, but I don't know where to find a good place to start with them, trying to skim through the tag has been overwhelming. I'll give anything with really sharp banter a shot, though!  I am weak for a well-written quip. Beyond that, I read almost entirely genfic with ships more in the background than anything.  I have a few NOTPs--like you, I can't do any of the other Bats with Bruce or Alfred.  I also mostly can't do any of the Batkids with each other, my brain just won't wrap around any of it, the one exception being that I'll occasionally read Dick/Jason when I'm in the mood for Jason to get dicked down (ha ha get it), otherwise I'm generally aligned with what you'd see in the comics themselves.  (Dick/Babs is my hardcore OTP, but I'm fine with them being together or not together, so long as a fic isn't actively anti-Dick/Babs.) I can run the gamut from fluff to angst, but I prefer a certain amount of teeth to it (exception: when Dick is a baby bat, then I will go full fluff, like the softest thing you have ever read in your life, Bruce cuddling with a tiny child who is trying to climb onto his shoulders and do a flip will have me clutching my reader to my chest and cooing) and the more rooted in comic events/characterization a fic is, the more I'm interested.  (Exception:  Battison being given a tiny feral circus child to take care of is hilarious and I want a thousand fics of it.) I tend towards the middle ground when it comes to characterization--I like them to be a bit of a mess, but also I view Dick Grayson as someone who genuinely likes himself and has a reasonable amount of self-esteem.  He might struggle with accepting others' help or prioritizing himself or that they want him around, but I think he honestly likes who he is and likes himself and is reasonably quick to get back on his feet after being a mess.  I think he has a firestorm tornado of rage in him if you hit the right buttons, but that he's also someone who thrives on emotional connection, who chooses kindness and love because he believes in them.  I like Dick being a bit of a mess, especially an angry mess, occasionally have some self-esteem issues, but that there's a foundation of emotional competence. I like almost any tropes (de-age my special guy so he's even more special! time travel fix-it yesssss! Dick & Damian were an even better Batman & Robin than Dick & Bruce, NOBODY TELL ANYONE THAT I ADMITTED THAT OUT LOUD) and I'll take some criticism of Bruce's parenting skills, but it has to come with understanding that guy probably has the most trauma in his fucked up brain out of all the characters and that he's trying/genuinely loves his kids, and the understanding that I love all those idiot Bats, but you absolutely will have an uphill battle getting me to read anything that doesn't have a good amount of focus on Dick Grayson because I'm a horrible gremlin about him and it cannot be overstated that Bruce & Dick is genuinely 50% of the reason I even read comics in the first place.  (Dick & Damian is like the next 20% of it.) I KNOW WHAT I'M ABOUT OKAY. I love fic recs, whether I've already read it or have it tucked up on my reader (then I'll know to prioritize it!), you cannot overload me because I am in hyperfixation mode right now.

[sing-me-under]

Sometimes I like to think up scenarios where Bruce dies either shortly before or shortly after meeting Tim, and the entire focus is on years into the future (like present day comics) where the world just keeps going except Bruce Wayne is dead.

There’s still an earthquake. There is an entire city wrecked with grief that’s never quite stopped grieving. There’s no uber wealthy and influential Bruce Wayne, but there’s still an entire JL and many influential people who loved Bruce willing to help Gotham in his name at least. Life goes on.

Like, Jason still resurrected. He probably already resurrected and was just wandering Gotham or in a hospital by the time Bruce died. He comes back to Gotham fully aware that his dad is dead and just sticks to the underground, never interacting with the Gotham hero community.

Speaking of the Gotham hero community, it’s more disconnected without the bats. There’s still the Birds of Prey, of course there is, but the heroes who rose up inspired by Batman and Robin just never get that spark of surety and passion. Gotham itself just feels a bit more lifeless, a bit more hopeless, without a Batman and a Robin.

Maybe there is a Batman actually, but it’s usually someone else in the suit. Maybe it’s Nightwing trying to be Batman in that initial grief but giving up at the behest of his friends. Maybe he never returned to Gotham at all, absolutely refused to. This cursed city is the gravesite of four family members. Maybe it’s Superman in the bat suit once every few months or even one a year, making himself seen just enough to keep the urban legend alive. Maybe it’s someone else entirely. A different vigilante using the name but everyone knows they’re not really Batman.

But there’s definitely no more Robins. No one thinks of the second Robin and aspires to his fate. Maybe Tim temporarily takes on the Robin mantle, but the weight is too heavy and he makes a different name for himself. Maybe he tried to reach Dick and bring him back to Gotham, but he never succeeded in convincing anyone. Maybe he went straight to Bruce a la fanon and tried to help, but he couldn’t.

I had this one idea where Bruce saw this scrawny boarding school kid with a whole lot of spark and the exact same vision for Gotham’s future, and instead of letting him be Robin at Alfred’s behest and with Dick’s acknowledgement, he instead decided “when this kid is old enough, I want him to be my successor.” and he starts teaching Tim the basics. He already failed Dick and Jason, so he resolved to not let Tim be an active vigilante until he’s 18. He fucking dies anyway but leaves a will and instructions for Tim to basically learn from the same teachers when he’s of age, but Tim’s mom dies and his dad is comatose so Tim goes “Fuck It. Gotham needs me now” and drops out and speedruns his world tour way earlier than Bruce would have wanted.

There’s still Damian, somewhere. Maybe Talia drops him off with Dick when it’s apparent she can’t protect Damian in the League, not from its cruelties and certainly not from her father. Nightwing is unobtrusive to the grand scheme of the LoA. Talia may not like Dick, may have been frequently at odds with him during his Robin days when a family with Bruce seemed like it was in the palm of her hand, but she trusts him, unfortunately. He was loyal to Bruce, at least, despite all their disagreements and domestic hostilities. Dick looks at Damian and thinks “I’m the same age Bruce was when he took me in. Damian is the same age I was. I can’t do this, but damn it all if I don’t try” and the regret fills him and he’s doing everything not to drown in it.

But there’s still Cass somewhere, probably with Barbara. There’s still Helena and Stephanie and Duke and the kids who became Robins in another timeline but choose a different name to rally under here, if they take up arms at all.

At least without Batman, there’s no Joker. He went down in that helicopter over the Atlantic Ocean and never showed his face again.

Regardless, this world is just a little more worse for wear, a little more tired and weary. This is a world where Batman dies, not with a bang but with a sizzle, and he doesn’t come back. No one is sure if he’d even want to.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

You don't get to tell me you feel bad

by Jaytimwhore The worst month of his life begins not with a bang, but with a sort of light sound, like a pebble hitting water. Sure, it’s a sound you can hear, but it’s not loud. And still, that pebble gets the mountain rolling. -- Tim readies his staff and clearly he has been underestimated once more—you’d think these people would learn at some point. "Come on, we can't stay here!" he says and grabs Damian's arm. "Don't- Don't touch me!" Tim flinches away like he's been burned.   Finally, Nightwing joins the duo and cradles Robin protectively. He glares at Tim. "What was that? Why didn't you knock him out as soon as he had Robin?" or: Every Robin deserves protection, except for the one that needed it the most. Words: 3694, Chapters: 1/2, Language: English Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: Gen, Multi Characters: Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Diana (Wonder Woman), Conner Kent Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Kon-El | Conner Kent, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Underage Rape/Non-con, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Tim Drake, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, maybe some comfort later, Batfamily Dynamics (DCU), Lasso of Truth (DCU), Truth Serum, or what amounts to it anyway, Trauma, tim is made to trauma dump basically, tim drake as CEO, some normalizing language for sexual harassment, Alpha Jason Todd, Jason Todd Has Issues, he also has his reasons, they are gonna be revealed in the second chap, Good Friend Kon-El | Conner Kent, Tim Drake Whump, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, on screen groping of a minor, Bad Brother Dick Grayson, Bad Parent Bruce Wayne, Miscommunication, level extreme, TIM TRAUMA GALORE via https://ift.tt/ogZjOIw