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apocalypse-shuffle · 2 years ago

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RED HOOD | BATFAMILY (assorted canon)

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“Long Overdue” (Jason Todd & Batmom!Reader) and (background Bruce Wayne x Batmom!Reader)

| Reader was with Bruce in the past but grew distant after Jason’s death. No one tells her when he comes back from the dead until Bruce is forced to bring her in on a raid when they’re overwhelmed. -Jason and Batmom!Reader reunion.

| SFW, canon typical action/violence, cursing?, crying?

| This is like half fanon half UTRH/Batman:Hush. I’m really just fucking around with canon rn. Also the pictures used are just for aesthetics and have no contextual meaning to the story. (pic source - Batman: Three Jokers comic)

| 2k+ words

| parts: one, spurt, two, three, four, five, six/six point five, seven.

Ma. God, no one called you that anymore. The way your eyes begin to prickle is a clear indication.

With you Dick wasn’t the type. Once he’d worked himself up to it he’d called you mom; slightly different from the few ways he referred to his bio mother, but something shared between the two of you all the same.

And Tim? Well he wasn’t your child plain and simple. Tim still had his parents for one, and for two he was intrinsically Bruce’s. By the time he’d figured his way into the Batcave you’d been gone, most of your shit moved out of the manor, and desperately waving divorce papers Bruce refused to acknowledge in the air. You didn’t have anything to do with his indoctrination outside of exactly one instance of him finding you to ask if you’d reconsider the separation. Some Batman needed a Robin and Bruce Wayne needed his wife type shit.

Either way Tim didn’t call you any rendition of mom because you weren’t his. The most you got was him addressing you by your maiden name and then eventually your first and you were content with that.

Then if he didn’t call you mom, the girls sure as hell didn’t either. Outside of Barbara the others never even became regular conversation partners. Cass was a rare sighting in your life and Stephanie and you’s relationship would never progress past the casual advocacy you tried giving her because she was another dead Robin to add to what’s now technically a list.

At the end of the day, out of all the people who considered you a mother, only Jason added that ‘a’ and you wanted to grip that name tight and hold it to you. Break your ribs open and force it into your chest cavity. The need to fulfill that ache cuts deep and you take a step forward.

Jason startles though, undoing all his own forward progress, and you falter. That’s right. Jason didn’t like for people to touch him. Definitely didn’t like hugs either. Not surprise ones at least. Before his death you’d gotten close enough he didn’t mind when you swooped in, but now?

“Can I-? Can I hug you?” You press trembling lips together for another horrible swallow. “Please…?”

Jason jerks, two hastily aborted movements at once, before his obstructed voice meets your ears.

“Fine.”

You practically fall on him before pulling him into you. Unfortunately he’s just as stiff as his voice and you have to take a second to figure out how to slot against him.

Jason fits in your arms differently than he used to - broader and taller by a mile - but after a few beats he relaxes into them just the same. The subtle addition of weight makes a sob bubble up your throat.

You rap your knuckles on the side of the helmet.

“Take this shit off.”

He hesitates and a sharp pang manages to worm its way into the already shitty cocktail of emotions you’re feeling. It hits your spine like lightning, forces you up and has you an arms length away in half an inhale.

Maybe before now you’d been going through too much all at once for the trepidation to hit, but it was hitting now. You’d never seen Hood without- well without the Hood. Only Jumbie raised from the dead the way Jason did, and while you’d take your son anyway you could get him you wouldn’t accept some Thing parading around in his skin.

Reading your burst of movement for what it is, Jason backtracks, rising arms dropping to his sides. “Maybe I shouldn’t…”

“Jason Peter-” you inhale deeply, catching yourself, and hold a hand up to stop him. You both ignore the obvious way it trembles. “-only… if…if you want to. I’m not trying to force anything.”

He’s slow to nod, weight shifting from his left to his right leg and back again before he says something too low for you to hear. You’re about to ask him to repeat when he speaks up, this time aiming his voice somewhere around your shoulder while bowing his head.

“No, I- Alright. Just hold on.”

Haunches suitably raised and heart in your throat you pay close attention as the helmet comes up, Jason having released some catch in the back.

It goes over, the helmet clatters to the ground, and the man who stares back at you is…hard to place.

The low fluorescent lighting of the narrow room combined with the concrete walls casts soft enough shadows over his face that while his features are warped they’re not discernible. Which means you can’t completely rule out the uncanniness wafting off of him as just your brain (along with your entire perception of the universe) splinting in half.

It makes your face heat up. He looks familiar, but you can’t say you wouldn’t have passed him straight if you’d seen him on the street. He’s too big for one, even for how you’d all imagined he’d look grown up, standing more than a foot taller than the last day you saw him. Taller than malnourishment would’ve ever let him be.

The sob you let out makes you both flinch.

One hand snaps to your mouth, the other waving him off.

“I’m sorry I- I don’t-. This is just-”

Even with the way he’s leaning away from you he shakes his head. “I get it, it's fine.”

His voice is faint, cut up and hoarse like he hasn’t used it in a while, and it’s the prettiest thing you’ve heard in ages.

“Oh,” you laugh. The wet kind that makes your throat sticky. You can only stare at him, blurry form and all, words lost to you.

Eventually, after watching your fervent effort to wipe away tears that are in no way inclined to give you a break, arms crossed Jason takes a half step forward with a shrug.

“We can…try again?”

The next little laugh you let out you practically choke on but you nod all the same.

When Jason’s the first to move your heart starts speeding away like an overexcited middle school drumline. You roll with it though, pressing the heels of your palms into your eyes so they’re dry enough for you to actually see him clearly for a few seconds.

When he’s directly in front of you your hands come up slowly, giving him plenty of opportunity to move away. Or maybe to vanish.

When he does neither, only giving you a guarded look, you allow yourself to touch.

Problem is, the domino mask he’s wearing very quickly gets in your way and on your nerves when you move to frame his face. Quickly feels like if it’s not gone, if you can’t see his eyes, you’ll throw up.

To stop yourself from taking the risk and ripping it off you have to take a deep breath. Have to force down the thick build up of saliva gathering in your mouth so it pushes back the bile climbing up your throat.

“I’d like to see my son, Jason. All of you.”

To emphasize your point you tap the tip of your nail against the mask. There’s no intention on your part to cross his boundary but Jason’s hands snap up to hold onto your wrists all the same.

You look into the white lenses of his domino, fingers buzzing along the corner of the mask closest to them. His mouth twists into a frown.

“Please?”

You beg with the same ferocity a grieving mother once used when begging for her child back.

“You’re asking for a lot.”

He lets go and he takes a couple steps back and you don’t cry.

No, instead you swing your hands behind you. Clasping them together in a poor attempt to stop the buzzing sensation that travels from the tips of your fingers to take over your entire hand.

“Mmm,” you incline your head. “Well. I did help a boy get over first date jitters with a made up song once. Let that same boy talk me through an entire dissertations’ worth of his analysis of Their Eyes Were Watching God - as choppy as it was - because TWMS wouldn’t allow him to present it in class. Let him skip going to that same school and cry to me for hours after the death of Gloria Stanson. Remember a knife hidden in the corner on the highest shelf in his closet, and I remember not revealing any of that when I gave his eulogy because he once asked me to keep the important things between the two of us. So you don’t have to show me, but I think I make a pretty good qualifier when it comes to keeping this safe.”

You point straight to where his heart is tucked safely behind layers of gray armor before shrugging.

From the way his brows furrow over the domino you know he’s at least thinking about it so you step away to pick up your disregarded mask and stuff it in your waistband.

One blink. Six.

“You remember Rena?”

In front of him again, you rock back on your heels. “Mhm. And the ‘how to tie a tie’ lessons me and Bruce walked you through even though you didn’t wear a suit to that date. Remember that too.”

Jason’s smile is crooked on his face but it’s nonetheless present as he makes a noise of agreement.

“I’d just wanted to spend time with you two, I was never planning on wearing a suit to go to the skating rink.”

“We figured.”

You’re rolling onto the balls of your feet when that small smile drops and he shakes his head.

“I’m not that same boy anymore.”

You take in the way he could raise his hand and so easily touch the ceiling without having to jump. You clear the phlegm from your throat.

“I can tell.”

Jason grunts and makes a general gesture indicating something somewhere behind you.

“And I got no interest in trying to live up to whatever fucked up embalment Bruce’s got going on with my burnt suit in that case.”

That suit. Bruce’s memorial. His warning. Your breath hitches as you think of the smell of crisped blood and methanol. If Jason didn’t want to talk about it you sure as shit weren’t going to.

“I will one hundred percent take that into account.” You keep it simple, rocking on your heels again. He wasn’t asking for anything unreasonable so there wasn’t really any debate to be had. “You wanna be treated as you are? I can do that.”

Moments pass once you’ve said your peace where Jason does nothing but stare at you. The only indication he’s at all alive being his shoulders still moving - and you are watching. Eyeing that tell tale up and down like your own life will end at its falter. The pattern is slow enough to come off as pacivity but the time between each rise and fall is too measured to be uncontrolled. Exactly three point eleven seconds one way and three point eleven seconds the other. Every time.

Then he sighs, curses, and the little veil of dissolvent for the adhesive that adheres the mask to his face is in his hand. A different vial and color than when he was Robin; you don’t know why you thought it’d be the same. Or why it makes your heart clench that it’s not.

Between one thrum of the fluorescent lights and the next Jason is peeling away the domino, and you would be lying if you claimed to know where it disappeared to after that. Too caught up on what he’d been hiding to track it.

Blue. Nothing more and nothing less. Just blessedly familiar, vibrant blue. Not the dull gray they’d become by the time you were given the chance to put a gruesome sight of a child six feet under.

The “Oh wow,” tumbles from you without permission and then there’s zero hope for the waterworks you’d been holding back. The levee fails and you’re bawling before you know it. Barely holding back snot and who knows what else since you already feel like screaming.

At that point there’s no carefully thought out sentence for you to spew, no more hesitancy, no more measured breathing, and linear thought. Just the crushing need to have him close to you again.

You’re rushing forward before you know.

Wrapping your arms around Jason the next go around is both the best and the worst thing. You accommodate his new size faster, already writing over the ways he used to fit against you with the ways he does so now, but he’s still so stiff and he’s not reciprocating the hug either.

Maybe you should let go. You crossed the boundary too fast. Were too reckless. You literally have training on this and now you’re crowding him.

Okay, you’re pulling away. It’s a herculean effort but you’re forcing your arms from around his middle. You’ve got to, you don’t want to scare him off. Not when you just got him back.

There’s a soft “Not yet,” mumbled into your shoulder and then arms finally come around yours and you don’t hesitate to snap your own back into place.

He’s hugging you back.

You cry a little harder and bring one of your arms up to drape across his shoulders, pulling him closer. When you start rocking and Jason copies your momentum you press a kiss onto his temple.

“Hi,” you stutter out. Another sob. “Hi baby.”

Since he’s finally letting his arms wrap around you you don’t hesitate to run dark fingers through the truly unruly mass of black curls on his head. His hairs’ damp - most likely from sweat - but cool. Probably being tempered by the cold air blowing into the room.

It’s when you press a kiss to his forehead that you feel something else wet and your breath stutters.

“It’s okay. I got you, everything’s okay,” you whisper.

“God Ma-” his voice cracks and then you can hear the sobs he’s trying to muffle into your suit. “No it’s not.”

“I know,” you sob. “I’m sorry- so so fucking sorry.”

You sniffle and pull away to see him better. Jason’s face is flushed, his eyes wet, and cheeks streaked with tears shed. You hold your hands up to frame his face for a second time and run your thumbs through the tear tracks. His chest heaves as his body tries to regulate his breathing.

Jason clears his throat, gaze boring into yours. “Hi,” he says.

You smile, finally beginning to map out his face. First you move to frame his cheeks, too feel the warmth in them. To see if they still feel familiar. They don’t; you force yourself to accept that fact without letting it show in your expression, letting out a measured exhale before continuing. You find his jaw is more defined now too, cheeks devoid of the baby fat of five years prior.

From then on brushing your thumbs along his brows, over the bridge of his nose, traveling over his ears and skirting around his hairline - it all fills your mind with incoherent cheers.

Your thumbs hover over Jason’s eyes and you hum when he closes them for you.

The skin underneath your shaved off pads is soft. The thin layer of protection allows you to feel how his eyeballs shift, to see the way his veins show stark under light skin, to clock the life thrumming through him.

It makes your heart feel so goddamn light. You can’t stop smiling at the sight of him. Eyes still wet but clear.

“I feel like such a horrible mother,” you hiccup, hands slide down so you can once again cup his face. “I barely recognize you.”

Jason’s breathing shakes nearly in tandem with yours and his eyes squeeze tighter shut, head turning away.

“Don’t.” He takes a second to look up. Look right through you. Lashes wet and glassy eyes open, voice grating over his next words. “Don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault. I don’t blame any of you for that, but especially not you.”

What you want to do is argue. You should’ve never let him put on that suit in the first place, one fucked up son should’ve been the end of it. You should’ve dropped the case you were working the second you’d heard he’d run away and you should’ve found him. Instead you keep your thoughts personal, pinning them to your brain as if it’s a cushion so that you’ll never forget, and pull your son closer. An action which he allows, resting his head on your shoulder.

“I’m glad you’re back,” you whisper into his hair. The way he instantly shakes his head makes the cool strands tickle your jawline.

“You can’t mean that.”

“If I didn’t mean it I wouldn’t have said it, Jay.”

Jason tenses before responding, words spewing without warning.

“Yeah except I’ve killed people, and I don’t regret it, and Bruce hates that - and you probably do too - but his way isn’t good enough. The people in this city deserve better so I’m doing what’s necessary-”

And that has you bristling. He must notice too because he stops short and edges away, face steeping. Caught somewhere between wanting to leave and wanting to fully kick start an argument.

…TBC

NOTES: Hope you enjoyed! I had to split this bitch in two cause it was 5,000+ words and I’m not in the business of under-indulging myself.

Listen, I’ve looked into it. Every mother/mother figure Jason’s ever had he’s referred to as “Mom”, but me personally, I didn’t grow up addressing my own mother that way so I wanted to play around with “Ma” (differentiate a little). What's funny though, is that I’ve read Dick referring to his mother as both “Ma” and “Mom” so that’s fun.

• TWMS = Thomas Wayne Middle School

btw: if you’d like to leave a comment I’d very much appreciate it. this is a sideblog tho so I won’t respond.

Tagged: @aarinisreading, @niphredil-14, @mxtokko, @calsjack, @brunnetteiwik

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you-would-turn-it-off-halfway · 7 months ago

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Let's talk about the DC animated movies.

I'm 28 years old and I still see them. So ...

DC animated movies I would make!

The Killing Joke

Honestly, I expected more.

The animation is pretty good and fits the plot pretty well... There's just one small problem.

The film, like the Batman:Hush adaptation, has very little to do with the comic. And honestly, I watched both movies because I liked the comic and I was hoping to see an adaptation of them, and I didn't expect that result.

And there are many insignificant details in the movie, for example, Barbara's prominence, the best thing about the killing joke is the point of view of Batman and the Joker's relationship. And, as we all know, Barbara is a pretty insignificant character in this comic (I love Babs, but it's true)

After saying this, many of you will be thinking: "But if there is already a movie, why make another one?"

Well...

Well, to correct all the errors of the previous one!

One detail I hate about the movie is definitely the delivery of the joke. When the Joker tells the joke, he doesn't stop moving from side to side, gesturing, exaggerating. This detail was removed from the film, the Joker is next to Batman and only moves his hands.

The joker is a drama Queen, it deserves an adaptation in which it is.

Batman: Europe

Oh~ One of my favorites...

I've been thinking about this shit for at least four years, and I'm determined, it would be the perfect movie.

We all know the perfect animation of movies like Batman: Hush (the only good thing)

And I have the impression that this animation (and the universe to which it belongs) has experimented very little with the relationship of Batman and the Joker, and what better opportunity than that.

Plus they have everything to do it. because? They have drawn all the characters in the comic:

Killer Croc, Batman, Joker, Bane and Alfie ( And Nina is quite easy to draw)

Besides, who doesn't want to see the best enemies AND lovers causing problems throughout Europe?

Justice

Ahh!! So many plot twists!! I love it!!

Many of you will think that there are already many League movies, but these comics are a classic.

It's a comic that explores most of DC's characters, each one having a little bit of prominence and the opportunity to have a fight against one of their biggest villains.

Why this comic is not only about the heroes, the villains also have a great role in the plot.

Being able to explore villains like: Cheetah, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Riddler, Poison Ivy,...

And of course having appearances by the Joker and other villains in the background. For example:

Two faces, the ventriloquist,...

Of course, with a slightly darker animation, you know to give it atmosphere

Well, I hope you liked it!

Would they make another movie about another comic? Which?

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hollowslantern · 4 months ago

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Oh "Should the Riddler be more serious and do away with the riddles shtick" is a whole discussion in current comics and fandom. A lot of people seem to think so, saying he should be a violent sadistic 'genius' serial killer and not a silly riddle man. People especially hate the bowler hat design so he's missing that hat sometimes too. Dark Knight Dark City is the canary in the coal mine for this characterisation - and Batman:Hush is the real start of it.

you're telling me such scary things

#asks

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mutalieju · 6 months ago

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I also watched the 2019 animated adaptation of batman:hush and hmmmm not DC's greatest animated adaptations. Not gonna spoil it here in case you haven't read hush.

Hush is a mystery story (and also a romance story) so I get them wanting to change the answer but it doesn't work overall...

In the comic the final confrontation between batman and the culprit is very characterful and the way batman defeats them intellectually is very clever and again, about this specific character. In the animated adaptation you could switch them with basically any other character and that's just boring.

The batman/catwoman romance works as well as it usually does tho the ending was really ??? for me... This movie really deserved to be double the length so there would have been more room to breathe, add more of the red herrings in, and develop thomas elliot more as a character...

#batman hush

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t4tails · 1 year ago

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oh yeah and if you thought the Harley Quinn show design for him was bad : that one is a relatively ok design when compared to a lot of his comics appearances and was based on the one in The New Batman Adventures. Most designs are way worse especially the one in the Batman:Hush animated movie. They love to make that man look as weird as possible

HWAT THE... WHERE IS MY SILLY TWINK? CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?

#og post #ask #anon #batposting

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jessilynallendilla · 14 days ago

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Reading Batman:Hush

wonder how older comic book readers were surprised to see Jason came back to life after so long?

the big twist at the end and finding out Jason's grave is actually empty?

also I like it acknowledges how few people are permanently dead in comics Bruce even says people don't stay dead sometimes and lists them

youtube

oof the irony hits hard

#batman #batman hush #what i'm reading #Youtube

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captaindeadpoool · 24 days ago

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Alright so here's the recs for Batman villain origin stories ! This is gonna be long and it's not even close to covering all of the villains. But these should be most of the big names that show up regularly, at least.

Catwoman : Batman Year One, Catwoman (1989), Catwoman (1993) #0 (in that order)

Clayface (1-3): Secret Origins (1986) #44 (there's multiple villains using the name Clayface; this issue has the origin stories for the three main ones)

ManBat : Secret Origins (1986) #39

Poison Ivy: Secret Origins (1986) #36 "Pavane" (old origin story); Poison Ivy #19-21 (current origin story)

Riddler: Detective Comics (1937) Annual #8 (this origin is not canon anymore but the modern version doesn't have a specific origin afaik. this annual is still the best introduction to the character either way imo)

Ra's al Ghul: Batman: One Bad Day - Ra's Al Ghul is actually a fine enough first read for him

TwoFace : The Long Halloween (multiple other rogues show up during this), Detective Comics (2016) #1065-1067 "TwoFace: A tale of three halves" (the TwoFace story happens in the backup issues, not the main ones)

Bane: Batman: Knightfall (mainly the first issue ("Vengeance of Bane") in the collected volume (TPB 1) but probably better to just read all of it since the arc is famous. Fair warning though, aside from the first issue it's going to be a bit confusing if you don't know Batman lore and characters)

Firefly: Detective Comics (1937) #661 (this is during the Knightfall arc, so if you read that one you'll get to this story anyways)

Scarecrow: Shadow of the Bat (1992) #16-18 (also set during Knightfall)

Hush: Batman:Hush (you probably should read about the other villains first though)

Harley Quinn: she was first introduced in Batman: The Animated Series , so I'd suggest watching her episodes in that

Mr. Freeze: his modern origin stories are usually based off of his backstory episode in Batman: The Animated Series, so similarly as with Harley that should be a good introduction. There is also Detective Comics (2016) #1069-1071 "Absolute" (again just the backup issues) which should give you a pretty good first look at the character as well

The Ventriloquist: for the original Ventriloquist (Arnold Wesker) there's a page detailing his origin in City of Madness #2. therd's a second Ventriloquist but she shows up rarely so idk if you want to read about her.

The Demon Barbathos: Batman: Dark Knight Dark City (worth noting that Riddler is in that story and that he is written unusually edgy, especially for that time, to the point of characters pointing out that he is acting ooc in the comic itself. so while this comic has Barbathos' origin story, you probably can more or less ignore Riddler's characterisation in it for the character in general)

unfortunately I don't know of any specifically good issues to get a first look at Penguin or Mad Hatter. the Batman: One Bad Day Penguin issue should be fine enough though

I also don't know what issues Killer Croc's origin story would be in, but Batman: Earth One has good Croc characterisation and might be worth reading for him. (Earth One is an AU verse though. So the things happening in there as well as character constellations and characterisations are not canon, they're reinterpretations. Killer Croc is relatively consistent with current interpretations of the character though. You could also read Batgirl's "I know what you did last Crisis" issue that just released for a look at Killer Croc though).

Have some origins for other characters, too:

Batgirl (1): Secret Origins (1986) #20 (there's multiple Batgirls, this is the first one, Barbara Gordon)

Batgirl (2): Batgirl (2000) #1 (the second Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, got her own run here)

Robin (1) : Dark Victory (there's multiple Robins, this is the first one, Dick Grayson)

Huntress: Batman/Huntress : Cry for Blood

(If you read Knightfall you're probably going to want to read Azrael and Robin 3/Tim Drake's origins, too, but idk what issues those are in. )

And that's it for Batman villain origins, at least for most of the big league guys! Hope this list helps you !

THANK YOUUUU LOVE YOU MWAH

#for later #dc

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cornnonthemacabre · 6 months ago

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nicca11y:

I got Batman:hush yesterday, Jason’s costume is so cooool<3

#jason todd

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idk-hi-iguess · 8 months ago

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This is pinned post I shall put stuff on it when I want to

I've decided I'm putting everything I've read here

Also, I'm reading most DC comics on readallcomics com there's a DC one but it has way more ads couldn't scroll without accidentally tapping an ad.

The first of the Batman vampire saga (it's mid)

The long Halloween Batman ( it was enjoyable)

Batman year one(I liked it)

batman:hush(it's good)

(started reading) batman:knight(it's kinda boring)

(just started reading)Batman court owls

Man who laughs and made of wood (it was good)

#books and reading #books #comics #everything I've read #idk

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bluegarners · 4 years ago

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So this is kind of like a part 2 to this post I made earlier. This is just a quick overview of Talons, not super duper detailed

Talons

What is a Talon?

So this question can get a little weird when trying to determine what context it’s in, but basically, they are highly trained/super-human/mutant assassins that work for the Court of Owls. “Work for” is a general statement, as most were originally kidnapped children inducted into the Court that were then raised to be loyal and carry out the Court’s wishes, so enslaved assassins is a better term for description. When referring to a singular assassin, you can say “A Talon” or “The Talon”, or just call them by their actual name if provided. But, when referring to the league/group of them all, it’s typically just “Talons” or “The Talons”

Going back to the whole kidnapped and enslaved as a child part, Talons are typically given an electrum infusion that gives them superhuman abilities, such as super-human strength, immortal like healing abilities and endurance. DC never specifically says who they are trained by, but it can be assumed that the Court hires or teaches the Talons themselves, and then past Talons can teach later/newer Talons. Their specific abilites that don't fall under the electrum infusion powers are unique to the Talon in question themselves, as some, like Calvin Rose, were known for their ability to escape virtually any trap or enclosure they were palced in.

How is a Talon made?

Talons are given a serum infused with the mystical element electrum (which is a chemical compound that can reanimate dead tissue and heal living tissue over and over again; it is fueled by body heat), granting them superhuman endurance, strength and speed. Their abilities, however, begin to fade if they’re cut off from their regular electrum infusions, which means the Court must be strategic in their usage, as the element is rare and expensive.

Something you may not know is that many of the Talons, unfortunately, are provided by Haly’s Circus. In the New 52, Haly’s is revealed to be an operation run by the Court of Owls and its purpose was to raise or find youth to be an assassin for the Court. Some of the Talons that resulted from Haly’s Circus include: Mary Turner, William Cobb, and Calvin Rose. It’s been speculated that the death of Dick Grayson’s parents was orchestrated by the Court so they could easily take the child without anyone really noticing. Had it not been for Bruce Wayne taking in Dick, Dick would have most likely become a Talon and followed in his great-grandfather's footsteps.

What is a Talon like?

Talon’s are almost immune to pain, have super healing, endurance, strength, and speed and can be preserved to be resurrected from death. They are excellent marksmen that work with blades, but the ability can be applied to other objects. Their only known weaknesses are cold temperatures (slowing the regeneration process) or severe death, meaning total decapitation with the head being removed away from the body, or injuries severe enough for healing to be impossible. In order to take the main position of Talon, the chosen Talon must best the previous in a battle. The former Head Talon will then be killed (if they weren’t already), and will either be preserved for later usage or disposed of. They are essentially immortal assassins, relentless with pursuing their targets/given missions. The former main and defeated Talon must fight in order to keep their mantle after being deemed unfit by the Court.

Because of the electrum infusion and insane healing abilities, Talons can recover and continue fighting even after being dealt a deadly blow. This also comes as a double edged sword as they can be kept alive for hundreds of years and continue working for as long as the Court needs them to. What makes them lethal isn’t their fighting capability (which is still extremely deadly) but the fact that they can continue fighting without the hindrance of pain or an injury to stop them.

Misconceptions about Talons

Often in fanon or fanfiction, Talons are depicted as these robotic like beings that have no real thoughts or emotions. However, this is untrue. They are capable of personal thought and feeling, but have unwavering loyalty to the Court, putting their mission first and having unquestionable faith in their Court. This loyalty comes from being raised and reared by the Court, as many of them are kidnapped from a young age and raised to serve the Court. This lifestyle is all they know, and outside of missions, they have not been exposed to anything else their entire lives.

Additionally, not all Talons have been men. Mary Turner was a Talon, her first appearance being in Batgirl #9 2012 and was offered a position with the Birds of Prey after escaping the Court during a mission/transportation gone wrong.

Who has been a Talon?

One of the more famous and most used Talons is William Cobb, AKA the great-grandfather of Dick Grayson. As of right now, William Cobb is considered the Head Talon, or The Talon when Talons are thought of. However, William Cobb was not supposed to be the Head Talon initially. It was another man named Alton Carver, who was one of the best Talons, but the Court of Owls felt that Carver had become sloppy in his kills and missions and threatened to replace him with his successor (which would mean death for Carver). During this time period, it is revealed that Dick Grayson is to be Carver’s successor; at this moment, Dick is still a child performing with Haly’s Circus. Seeing Dick’s olympic level abilities at such a young age without the help of any enhancements (like electrum) first hand, Carver realizes that Dick would eventually outmatch him. Carver weighs the thought of killing Dick then and there, but debates too long on the subject and is spotted and pursued by Batman (nothing really results in this chase however, and Carver gets away). The Court, seeing how Carver had disobeyed their orders, retires him and only re-awakens him for the attack on Gotham City. This is when William Cobb takes over as the prime Talon.

Here is a quick timeline of all the Talons that we know of:

1600s: Uriah Bone, the oldest surviving Talon of the Court of Owls

1666: Ephriam Newhouse

1840s: Henry Ballard

1850s: Alexander Staunton

1940s: Mary Turner, joined Bird of Prey

1950s: Alton Carver

1980s: Xiao Loong

1990s: William Cobb, great-grandfather of Dick Grayson and considered to be the most formidable Talon the Court of Owls has ever produced

Current Talon: Calvin Rose, the only Talon ever to escape from the Court maze

There are many other facts/specific features that I've left out for the sake of keeping this post to the point, so feel free to add what you know. Maybe later, I'll make another post about backgrounds/history of a few of the Talons

Something I find cool about Dick Grayson’s lineage is that “Grayson” isn’t actually his last name. The name is a play on words for “The gray son of Gotham”, referring to the gray area that divides the rich and the poor. Cobb was scorned by his lover's father for being poor, and after willingly joining the Court of Owls, William stole his first born son and brought him to Haly’s Circus to be raised and hopefully become a Talon. This son was the father of John Grayson, Dick Grayson’s father. This is why you’ll see Dick Grayson be referred to as “The Gray Son of Gotham”, as Cobb had originally hoped his son, and now great-grandson, would be the one to blur the lines between the class divides.

#Dick Grayson #Nightwing #Gray Son of Gotham #Batman #DC #Batman:Hush #Tales from the Dark Multiverse #Talon #Court of Owls #William Cobb #Calvin Rose #Haly's Circus #i think dick's talon suit is so cool #it just pleases this little itch in my brain #can you guys imagine calling him Dick Cobb??????#Richard John Cobb???#ew

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apocalypse-shuffle · 1 year ago

Text

DICK GRAYSON & JASON TODD | BATFAMILY (assorted canon)

—

“Long Overdue: Epilogue” (Dick Grayson & Batmom!Reader), (Jason Todd & Batmom!Reader) and (background Bruce Wayne x Batmom!Reader)

| SFW, canon typical action/violence, cursing?, mentions of grief, past death of a child

| 2k+ words

| parts: one, spurt, two, three, four, five, six/six point five, seven. (series masterlist)

You walk out of the weapons cache lighter than how you walked into it and head directly for your eldest.

“Dick what the hell?”

Said man, halfway through what looks like calf stretches, sits up and throws a slight frown your way.

“What? What’d I do?”

And bless him but he’s actually thinking it over. Eyes sliding to the side and lips pursing and everything. Racking his brain over what mess he forgot to get himself out of this time.

Somewhere behind you Jason starts laughing at Dick so when he passes by you flick him on the arm. The drama queen then makes a whole show of blowing you off with a half assed ‘ow’. Your eyes meet the dark depths of the cave ceiling for a second as you beg for strength before they lock on Dick once more.

From there all you have to do is purse your lips and raise a brow for him to catch on. His arms fling into the air.

“He said he’d ‘take care of it’, and I haven’t seen you since then. Fuck me for thinking he actually did it! And he only felt the need to tell me three nights ago so it’s not like you’re the only one.”

Your shoulders start to shake and you move closer until you can nudge him. His arms drop and he huffs.

“Easy, little D, I’m just teasing. Don’t beat yourself up over that man’s horrible communication skills, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t be,” he says.

You do catch the nasty look he throws the cave entrance with despite what he’s said, and the easy tone he’s said it with, however.

“Actually,” Jason pipes up, helmet back on and voice once again skewed. “I’m still hung up on your shit communication skills. Nightfall? Since when has that been a thing?”

He jabs a finger in your direction while pacing around to Dick’s other side. Dick doesn’t do anything but follow the younger’s antics with his eyes.

You laugh, shrugging, and lean back on the cave wall beside the desk. You're still within spitting distance of the boys but you can’t bring yourself to travel any further.

“I’ve been in the game longer than Bruce has, but mostly under an independent contractor. It wasn’t till I came to Gotham that I changed my suit and started calling myself Nightfall; that gimmicky shit is contagious after all.”

“Immensely goddamn contagious,” Jason mutters darkly. He throws a glare Dick’s way that translates pretty perfectly even with the helmet to get him to knock off the staring, but you get the feeling the older only looks away because grilling you is a more pressing matter.

In the next moment Dick snaps his fingers, “You know what I still don’t get? How come we never found out? I mean you didn’t tell me until I was in Blud already.”

That question you can’t shrug away as easily. A grimace crosses your face and Jason makes an intrigued ‘ohh’ sound that honestly makes you want to flip him off. How are you being cajoled by your children right now?

“Well…” you kiss your teeth. “I was in love.”

The “Gross,” Jason lets out is instantaneous as he holds a hand up - it's a flawless reminder that 19 is not yet fully grown. “Pretend I didn’t ask.”

You roll your eyes. “It’s not that damn bad. It’s just that when we first got Dick Bruce thought it’d be best if he had a greater sense of normalcy out of the cape, and I agreed; one vigilante guardian was enough. Then we just kept that same dynamic when we got you,” you gesture to Jason and he tilts his head.

“I’m still not seeing how that relates to the completely unnecessary ‘in love’ comment you made earlier.”

“Jason,” you scold. “I’m getting there, goddamn.”

Dick poorly muffles a laugh and you give him a hard look before rolling your shoulders.

“Back in the day, before Bruce stopped acting like we were a unit and more like I was a casualty of war in the waiting-” you take a deep breath and cross your arms, closing your eyes against the white lights of the cave.

You can hear the way they falter, likely glancing to one another to figure out what to do before they each take a step forward.

“You don’t have to-” Dick starts.

“Forget it-” Jason’s saying at the same time, their voices overlapping, and you shake your head.

“It’s fine,” you say. You blink your eyes open; both men have stilled but they’re balancing forward like they think you’re gonna drop. You huff. “Point is, there was a time where he could’ve convinced me of anything. He used to look at me like I hung the fucking moon just to provide people free light to see, you know? So at a certain time I chose not to tell you two because I didn’t want to challenge the perception of me that you had gotten from Bruce. That’s why you didn’t know, I didn’t want you to think I was as bad as the people you were fighting every night; the people who took away your parents from you. Dick running off was what made me finally spill, but you died years before I would’ve been ready to tell you, Jay.”

Jason clears his throat, “Uh. That why you and hi- Bruce separated?”

“Not really,” you sigh, shaking your head. “It wasn’t Bruce before…it was Bruce after. After you died we didn’t just bounce back…so eventually things between us soured. I loved him but expecting someone to put up with you constantly pushing them away isn’t fair,” you shrug. “How Bruce saw me stopped mattering as much after that.”

Dick nods, lining up what you’ve said to his own memory of the aftermath and coming up with a corresponding connection.

“Yeah, you and Bruce argued for hours after you met Tim that first time…and then some more when Stephanie became Robin. Hell, even by the time I’d gotten back earthside you and Bruce were down right frosty when you were next to each other even though you were trying to hide it from us.”

“Yeah,” you grunt. “That’s all we tend to do now: stay mad.”

Staring off into the distance Dick nods and Jason catches your eye, or maybe the other way round. His gaze on you is heavy all the same.

Whatever expression he is looking at you with is impossible to place with the helmet on but he is definitely watching you. Uncannily nearly all his mentees had Bruce’s tendency to look at things, and by extension people, like they were puzzles to solve. Which came with the added bonus of the recipient of said stare being able to feel it. Feel the weight of being dissected and picked apart as if it was a physical thing.

Most buck under that level of analysis. Wholly used to the originator of that stare though you continue on as usual. If he wasn’t going to ask then you had nothing to say.

After it becomes clear you won’t be coughing anything more up Jason backs off, pushing the conversation towards lighter material until Dick and him are carrying the back and forth together. They play off of each other in stunted stops and starts, and barely concealed hostility on Jason’s part, but their awkward attempts at light hearted banter still get your mind out of the gutter you’d landed in.

Ten minutes of forced jokes and almost insults later and Jason starts giving less than subtle hints at wanting to head out. After that it doesn’t take long before he comes over, and he doesn’t reach out to you but he does softly knock your shoulders together.

“See you later, Ma,” he says for your ears alone.

“Goodbye Jason,” you respond even though you’d rather never have him leave your side again.

You watch him go and are drastically reminded that your eyes have been incessantly brimming with tears this whole time when a few slip down your face with little prompting.

A few more beads follow the path of the others after you catch sight of the truly cracked look on Alfred’s face when Jason comes up to him before there’s an arm slinging across your shoulders and Dick’s urging you into a hug.

You take it. You raised some good kids, you’ll give yourself that much. Even if there were some major fuck ups along the way.

“It’s kinda surreal, isn’t it?”

“Oh absolutely,” you croak. “I like it though.”

Dick shrugs, “Yeah. It wouldn’t really be us if things got too predictable anyway.”

He waits a beat and then, “So who’s updating Babs?”

“Let me guess,” you deadpan, “he told you two at the same time?”

“Pretty much. Which that, combined with everything that happened with Steph and The Birds, and having to break all this to Cass means her fuse is waaay shorter than usual.”

“Not it,” you proclaim.

Dick’s mouth drops open, his gaze snapping to you.

“What? That’s not fair.”

“Says who? I’m not cleaning up after Bruce anymore than I already am, and she’s your friend, Dick.”

“It’s still unfair,” he grumbles. He brushes it off quickly though. “So….I heard you and Cass ran into each other a few days ago.”

“Yeah. Last Sunday.” You side eye him. “Right after you almost started a grease fire in your new apartment.”

Dick holds his hand to his chest, tone barely upset enough to sound like true hurt. “Don’t look at me like that, I can cook.”

You nod slowly, “I know you can cook,” then shake your head in the same manner. “But you cannot fry.”

“It’s not my fault the oil fights back. I get enough shit in my nightly life. I don't need it when I’m at home on top of that.”

He smiles but the way it doesn’t reach his eyes churns your stomach.

“Maybe pan frying just isn’t for you,” you murmur but your hand goes up to touch his arm. “How’re you feeling?”

Dick shrugs. Gaze locking somewhere over your shoulder.

“As good as I can be,” you give him a sideways look and he forces a chuckle, rocking back from your touch. “Seriously I’m fine. Please don’t stress out about me. Are you okay?”

“Uh huh,” you grunt before pushing him towards the benches on the other side of the cave. “Sure. I’m fine. Now come on, let’s go sit.”

“Mom-”

“Nope. Move before you pass out or some shit.”

“Ah,” he gasps, grinning weakly. “You said a bad word.”

“Dick,” you curb the urge to roll your eyes.

─────

Whatever conversation Jason’s just had with Alfred doesn’t seem to have left him any more tense than he already was, which is good. You and Dick stop mid sentence to watch him walk off from your new position on the floor.

You with a foam roller and your first child dramatically cringing every time you go over the area just above the hole in his calf. Part of it you’re sure is him trying to cheer you up but the other you're certain are actual expressions of pain because he went out on a literal bullet wound even though you’d told him to stay his ass home.

“I don’t know why he’s under the impression that I can’t shoot without killing someone but he’s wrong,” Jason’s saying. He pats the occupied holster at his thigh while making his way towards the vehicle pathway. “Anyway, I’m gonna get outta here. The later I see you Bats the better.”

“Jason!”

“Except for you, Ma! I’ll call you tomorrow!” He yells over his shoulder, running his fingers over the handle of the bike closest to him.

“You’d better,” you yell back. You’d be happy to reinstate another child that would lament the drama in their lives to you on your call list.

“Uh oh,” Dick says under his breath.

You turn to look over at him for barely a second, brows raised and mouth partially open, when the sound of a motorcycle revving answers your unasked question for you.

Looking back at the bikes shows Jason’s already peeling out of the cave with a yell of: “I’ll leave this somewhere you can find!”

You blink after him, not sure if you want to laugh or not.

“That’s not good,” Dick murmurs. When you turn to him he’s grimacing and seeing your expression he nods to the now empty spot. “That was Tim’s bike.”

“Oh.” For the first time since finding out the implications of Jason being Red Hood really hit you. Your lips purse. If he’d really been at that confrontation Tim came out of with a (mild according to him) slit throat during the Hush debacle, and been the one to infiltrate Titans Tower and lay Tim out a few weeks back you had a situation. “Oh lorde.”

“Yeah,” Dick gets up in one swift motion, hands on the roller. “We can’t have regular family problems. Nope.”

Unfortunately he’s right. A sigh falls past your lips. Either way, that was one down. You stand, addressing Dick while he’s putting the foam back.

“Excitement aside, before you head back to New York you want to come help me make dinner?” You incline your head. “Tim can come too.”

He smiles at you. You know he understands you not wanting to get too close to the teen but appreciates you including him in stuff anyway.

“Yeah, Mom, I’d love to. Just let me get my stuff and I’ll call him.”

“Okay.”

Dick leaves and you settle in to wait just as the Batmobile comes rumbling into the Cave. You cut your eyes at the vehicle but otherwise don’t acknowledge as Bruce gets out of it, heading immediately to change.

Alfred comes up to your side a breath later. The two of you nod in greeting.

“Sorry for taking the kids from you.”

“That’s quite alright, Mistress Y/n,” His voice drops to a whisper. “Between the two of us I believe Master Timothy may resort to camping in the woods behind the estate if he’s stuck here a moment longer. I’ll gladly allow you to take them both. You go deal with yours and I’ll deal with mine.”

“Have fun,” you croon lightly. The butler gives you a wry look in response. You shrug. “Oh, and if you wouldn’t mind could you tell Bruce to meet me at the Wayne Plot?”

A nod from the old butler.

“Is there a specific time you would like for me to convey as well?”

“He’ll know,” you say simply.

Alfred gives a curt nod.

“Certainly then. Farewell, my dear.” Alfred arches a brow at Dick as he comes back with a duffle swung over his shoulder. “And do try to express upon Master Richard the necessity of wearing his winter gear this year.”

“Alfred,” the man huffs.

You laugh and flick said man in the side. “I don’t think I’ll have to. He should have learned his damned lesson with that two week cold.”

“And I really did,” he bats your hand away and then speeds off. “I'll be upstairs.”

“Bye!” You laugh after him.

This was something you could work with. Putting time into your relationships with your boys and Tim. Solid plan. You say your farewells to Alfred and then follow after your eldest. Your gripes with Bruce could wait, you had dinner to make and two boys to feed.

Fin.

NOTES: I don’t know how severe the implications of a two week cold are but whatever. Hope you enjoyed!!

Thank you all for embarking on this journey with me, this is the first long form series I’ve actually finished so I’m very excited to cap it off!!

Anyway, long overdue is done but I will also write extras to this series at some other time in the future (if you’d like to be tagged in those then tell me).✌🏾

And yes I did my best not to have to write Tim or Cass yet, I can barely write Dick as is. Also let’s just assume Reader had the decency to actually inform Dick about Jason’s death and as such he wasn’t forced to dig for that information himself behind Bruce’s back.

btw: if you’d like to leave a comment I’d very much appreciate it. this is a sideblog tho so I won’t respond.

Tagged: @aarinisreading, @niphredil-14, @mxtokko, @calsjack, @brunnetteiwik, @trashpenguin

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