#big brother of all time advice— just go be robin about it

[sumpter]

“you got it bad, spunky.”

[wonderjanga]

Marvel and the YJ

So, Marvel in the YJ. He’s one of their den mothers and all that. So like, in this AU, and in fact in all of my posts so far, Billy’s kept it under wraps that he’s a kid. So, as a result, the YJ think he’s just this really cool big brother (dad (they just don’t know it)) type of dude. Like he’s so nice. And he’s so nice to them especially. Like, he treats all of them the same way he treats adults. He doesn’t doubt their abilities, and when they fail, he’s still there to encourage them to get back up and he doesn’t even make them feel bad about it.

Like, the one time he was asked to spar with the YJ cause they wanted to for funsies I guess, he positively whooped their asses and somehow, someway found a way to still compliment their abilities, even if they didn’t last that long because the battle was a little one-sided. To be fair though, they had asked him not to go easy, which he didn’t. In the end, he got promptly scolded by Canary heavily when she found out he quite literally used Kid Flash as a rag doll and threw him at Aqualad. She said that the entire tape of him having a “friendly spar” with those kids, was essentially just him bullying them. To which Billy tried to defend himself by saying those kids were plenty capable. The defense didn’t work.

Then, there was this time Kon mentioned he couldn’t fly and Marvel offered him a lift. This somehow ended up with Marvel sort of T posing mid air as Kon and Robin hung on one arm, Artemis and Aqualad hung on the other arm, then Kid Flash held onto one leg while M’gann held onto the other.

Flash: “Wow.” *looking up at the YJ and Marvel* “That’s… actually kinda majestic, not gonna lie.”

Superman: *also looking up at Marvel and the YJ* “Is it though? What if one of them falls?”

Flash: “Eh. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Kid Flash proceeds to almost slip off and fall, which almost gives both the speedster and Kryptonian a heart attack. Thankfully, he catches himself by moving his feet really fast to boost himself back up. Worst part in their opinion is that Marvel didn’t even seem to notice.

Then, there was the time M’gann with Robin about something. Batman was also working nearby on a computer.

M’gann: “Hmm… We need advice.”

Robin!Tim: “We need an adult.”

Batman: *keeping an ear out cause he’s always happy to help one of his kids*

M’gann and Robin!Tim: *thinking before they speak up at the same time* “Marvel.” *they then both walk out of the room to find the Captain*

Batman: *a little upset that Tim did didn’t come to him for help but also a lot more concerned as to why they thought Marvel was a suitable choice to ask for advice, especially considering the fact that just earlier that day, he had caught the man scribbling on one of the meeting tables like a 5th grader scribbling on their desk*

Contrary to what Bruce thought might happen (I.e. something going wrong) apparently Marvel’s advice wasn’t too bad, seeing nothing had gone wrong yet. (He later found out that the two had asked for the best advice on how to incapacitate your enemy quickly. He found this out when he saw Tim throat punch a man. Said man went down almost immediately. When prodded for information for as to why he did that, he proudly proclaimed “Cap taught me”)

Also a little tidbit from the Marvel Cursing post about the YJ thinking that Marvel called one of them a dumb cunt. Courtesy to @helps-the-writing-brain-go

Billy’s recently noticed that the kids are acting funny. Though, he supposes it’s not a bad funny. If anything, whatever’s got them acting weird has got them doing better on missions, but still. It’s weird. What’s weirder is that whenever he compliments them, they shine twice as brighter than they normally do. What’s even weirder than that is that whenever they’ve messed up recently they look twice as nervous. Speaking of which, this was one of the moments they’ve messed up.

Marvel: “So… Uh- that didn’t go so well.”

YJ: *obvious signs of anxiousness on some and subtle on others*

Marvel: “But that’s okay! But that’s okay.” *trying his best to make the anxiety in them disappear* “We just have to try to be better next time. Like, and I hate to say this, maybe try calling in an adult next time? Like me? I could’ve zoomed over and helped you guys.”

YJ: *look at each other*

Artemis: “Wally’s the one who said that we shouldn’t call you in a try to do this on our own.”

Kid Flash: *dramatic gasp* “You know why I said that! It would’ve helped us all if Kaldur had tried to put the fires near the gas tanks out with his water powers!”

Aqualad: “I was busy being attacked by nearly five different people.”

YJ: *dissolve into arguing*

Marvel: “Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wally what did you mean by it would’ve helped you all? Me not being there would’ve been good?” *confused*

YJ: *immediate silence*

Kon: “Wally found out that you think one of us is dumb cunt.”

Kid Flash: “Dude! You guys need to stop ratting me out!”

Marvel: “What.” *stares in befuddlement*

M’gann: “And then he told us. So we’ve been trying to think of ways to not be uh… dumb cunts.”

Marvel: *blinks rapidly* “Again, what? Wally, where did you get this information from?”

Kid Flash: “When you were making cookies! I heard you say blah blah blah, what a dumb cunt.”

Marvel: *still staring in confusion*

Kid Flash: “Then, when I asked what you were talking about, Mary said you were talking about our performance on missions.”

Marvel: “…Okay. I’m going to be completely honest with you. I don’t remember a thing of what you’re talking about.”

Marvel then goes on to make a speech about how they’re wonderful heroes who shouldn’t let one person’s words guide them, especially in risky situations like a mission. He then told them that he was now going to stress bake and make some Minnesota cool whip, jello, fruit, not really salad, salad. (Courtesy to @jedipirateking) On the bright side though, the speech did leave the teens feeling better.

[nosyrobin]

hey there! i LOVED your uncle reader with the batboys, it is amazing!!! Can you do a aunt reader too? love your work!

|| AUNT!READER, SISTER OF BRUCE WAYNE ||

Talia hates to see bataunt!reader coming. Literally, this sister of Bruce Wayne goes head to toe with Talia Al Ghul.

When you heard that Bruce basically got drugged by her, woah did Talia felt fear when suddenly the original batwoman full of protective anger comes in and almost breaks her arm and legs. But that’s for another story. *wink wink*

Now your three robins adore you! Well it took time with Damian before he called you “aunt” but it was progress.

Dick loves his aunt! These two always do mischievous stuff, you encourage him a lot about his interests and what he likes to do. He would always say “catch me!” When you walked in the door to see an airborne Grayson coming at you. You want him to teach you some acrobatic tricks? Or course he will auntie!

Jason, was a shy boy. He hated how he was shy as he would leave books he liked at your bedroom door because he wanted your opinion on the book he likes. He was secretly trying to create a bond between you and him. So imagine his face when you caught the small boy putting a book infront of your door. Boy booked it when you laughed, but it was okay when you started to put books you liked infront of his door. And the tradition continued when he came back after dying. The boy who is now a big man smiled seeing a book he use to give you when he was just a Robin.

Tim, when he was Robin. He knew who you were before you basically retired being batwoman. But when he got adopted into the batfamily, this boy was attached to you. Smiling at his new aunt when he comes home to show you his grades before he showed Bruce. You would spoil him with the newest games and affection. “You did do good Timmy! We can go get ice cream after you show Bruce.”

Damian, absolutely hated you! His mother told him a lot of things about you, bad things of course. People would’ve thought you would hate Damian because he is talia’s son. But really you didn’t care, a child is a child that needs family love. So it took time for him to cling to you. You were very encouraging to him about keeping animals he liked. Damian felt a good connection when he saw you sneak a baby pig into the house. You two take turns feeding the cute piglet.

Reader is definitely that rich aunt that’s always spoiling her nephews. That’s why the boys always ask them for advice about things they have problems with.

I feel like if you were to go on a date, imagine getting ready for the date only to see all the batboys at your door watching you closely and protectively. 😭 maybe even Bruce was like “I want you to make sure your aunt safely makes it to her date.” But what the boys heard and what he meant was “spy on her, and if the guy is a red flag. Take him out.”

CANT EVEN GET A SPA DAY WITHOUT ANY OF THESE BOYS CALLING YOU SAYING “Hey Auntie? When are you coming home?” The most calls you get are from dick and Jason. Tim is too “busy” but never busy for his aunt who always gets him. Damian, he’s too busy making sure your pig hasn’t died yet.

If you don’t live at the manor, the boys had made a schedule on days when they can just visit you no matter what.

But if you do live in the manor, you wish you didn’t as it’s so chaotic with the brothers acting like real siblings. Dick definitely has done that thing where he jumps on your bed and cuddles into you so Jason or the other boys can’t touch him since you are the “safe haven” 😭 (speaking as a younger sibling I had done this a lot.)

[tomboy014]

Arkham Security Guard Danny's Backstory Continues!!!

But Dick Grayson isn’t the only Robin Danny knew.

A couple years after they started being friends, Danny (16) hears that Robin is back in Gotham and decides to head over for a visit.  After all, it’s a lot close than Jump City, but when he gets there…

“That’s not Robin.”

Yeah, Dick may or may not have forgotten to tell Danny he’s going by Nightwing now, and instead Danny is left staring down at this kid who looks suspiciously like Dick used to.

Cloning? No.

Kidnapping?  He really hopes not.

Maybe a de-ageing beam?  Always a possibility in this line of work, but no, this is a new Robin.

And Danny’s got to admit, the new Robin is pretty freakin’ adorable.  Dick was still pretty angsty and angry when they met, and after he formed the Teen Titans, was dangerously obsessed with Slade for a while.  But the new Robin is as bright and friendly as his costume with all his “Robin gives me magic” stuff. 

And he’s just. so. WIDDLE!!!  Danny’s still only 16, but he’s finally managed to start growing and has hit a respectable 5’8”, and it’s like when you’re a senior watching the freshmen walk in for the first time.  He’s just so itty bitty! 

But Danny still associates the name Robin with Dick and can’t use it to refer to this new one, yet, so unfortunately, Jason gets stuck with nicknames.  Short nicknames.  Shorty, Short Stuff, Tiny, Shrimp, etc.  Jason is not a fan of Danny.

After their meeting, Danny calls Dick because how could you not tell me you changed your moniker? …And you’re in Bloodhaven, too?!  Dick also needs to vent because he can’t BELIEVE Bruce went and replaced him.

Dick… buddy… how long did we try to get you a little sibling?

…

…

I’M A BIG BROTHER!!!!

Otherwise, direct interaction between Jason and Danny is pretty limited.  Danny is Dick’s friend; Jason is just the little brother.  Still, Dick occasionally asks Jason to help Danny study, and Danny will help with pun-filled advice on being a hero.  He’s also pretty good at first aid whenever Jason gets hurt and doesn’t want Alfred to find out it’s because he did something stupid.

After Jason’s death, Danny helped Dick search the Ghost Zone for him to get some closure, both for himself and Batman, but no luck, and tries hard to convince Dick that it’s actually better this way.

When Jason came back after his dip in the Lazarus pit, Danny can smell the corruption and calls in a favor from the Far Frozen.  Without a way to contact Jason, Danny gives medicine to Dick to pass on. 

Outwardly, Jason refuses it and throws Dick out of his place, but behind closed doors, Jason takes it.  It’s a lengthy process, and the side effects suck ass, but all the corrupt ectoplasm and pit madness is purged.  Nothing he needs to tell his family about, though.

When they meet again at the Asylum, Jason was hoping to lord his new height over Danny.  Except Danny kept growing and his 6’8” ass still towers over Jason’s 6’.  The short jokes continue.  However, no short jokes or nicknames are ever directed towards Tim or Damian.  Only Jason.

<<Prev Next>>

[welcometogrouchland]

An aspect of the comedy would, I believe, be Bruce and Dick's rampant hypocrisy regarding both these relationships. They like Bernard. He's nice! He's a great cook and he makes Tim happy :) and he's not a murderous gothy teenage crime lord :) unlike one of their sons dinner guests :) not to name names :))))))

The fact that no one across all of DC fandom (as far as I can tell) has mined the beautiful comedic potential that is the night and day difference between Tim and Damians current canonical love interests

[cloakedsparrow]

‘Tim Joins the Bat-Family Early/Jason Sickfic’ AU Idea

Jason’s immune system wasn’t in great shape when Bruce adopted him, so before the Robin training and everything, Bruce, Alfred, and Leslie first focused on strengthening it. They adjusted his diet, made sure he was up to date on all his vaccines, made sure he got enough sleep (that one was mainly Alfred), ran allergy tests, all that not-so-fun-but-very-necessary-for-good-health stuff.

And it worked. Jason hardly ever got sick after the first year he was with them. Which is why neither Bruce nor Alfred immediately questioned it when he decided to sleep in late one fine Summer morning. Eventually, Bruce left to get some work done with Wayne Enterprises and Alfred headed out to run some errands and have lunch with an old friend.

Despite his good health since being adopted, Jason had his ass kicked by the flu enough times in the past before that to recognize what was happening when he woke up miserable and feverish.

He knew either Bruce or Alfred would happily come home to take care of him, but he felt a little silly calling on either of them. Bruce needed to work and Alfred only got to leave the Manor like once a week unless he was stuck driving Bruce somewhere. Jason didn’t want to call either of them back.

Dick, however, he didn’t mind calling. His big brother had made it clear that he could call him any time for anything (advice, help, a friendly ear, needing someone to yell at Bruce, anything). Jason's hazy, fevered mind, light sensitive eyes, and sore joints led to him hitting the contact number that read ‘Drake’ instead of the one that read ‘Dick’. (Either Tim had given Jason his number and Jason just never used it before or Janet and Bruce had made sure their kids had the others’ home number for emergencies)

Tim answered and, while Jason honestly wasn’t sounding all that coherent, understood that the older boy was sick. He’d had to wait out the flu on his own before and knew how much it sucked, and the Waynes were just on the other side of Bristol, he wouldn’t even need to cross into any bad neighborhoods to go help. So he packed up some of his tried and true flu fighting supplies and hopped on his bike to head to Wayne Manor. He parked the bike outside the gates and just slipped his scrawny ass between the bars to walk up to the huge home. He knocked and waited politely for a reasonable moment, then walked around to the service entrance and punched in the pass-code that he shouldn’t have known (he’d seen Dick use it once but if anyone asked, he guessed. He’d mention to whichever member of the Wayne household he ended up speaking to that your eldest son's birthday wasn’t the best pass-code). Tim makes his way to the family wing upstairs and tries a couple doors before finding Jason's room.

Jason is in bad shape, but Tim manages to get him to take some fever reducer and stay hydrated. He fills a bowl with tepid water and finds washcloth from the nearest bathroom to place on Jason’s head. He reads from the book on the nightstand. He gets Jason to eat some applesauce. He takes his temperature every half hour and writes everything down for whoever comes along to take over.

Eventually, Alfred returns home (maybe he got help up by Gotham weirdness) and is surprised to find a strange boy in the Manor. However, his primary focus in on Jason. He’s happy with the care Tim gave his grandson but, naturally, takes over from there. Tim leaves a note about the pass-code and lets himself out.

A few days later, when Jason is feeling better, Alfred asks him about Tim. Jason doesn’t remember a whole lot about when the kid arrived and only had bouts of lucidness here and there before Alfred took over. He honestly hadn’t been sure if they’d adopted another kid or if he was a relative of either Bruce or Alfred’s but he hadn’t really been in the best place to question it much. He’d felt safe though. And cared for.

After Alfred comments that he, too, was impressed with the care Tim had administered, Jason has a red flag go up. Tim is two or three years younger than him. He’s a child. His first response to such a strange call out of nowhere should have been to get an adult. He shouldn’t know how to tackle the flu on his own like he did.

Jason decides he should thank Tim. Maybe spend a little more time with the kid, since he seems cool. Maybe look into his home life a little while he’s at it.

Maybe he’ll just end up keeping him. If Bruce can bring home a random child in need, why can’t he?

And then he does just that.

[spacedace]

Haunted by thoughts of an AU i don't know enough Batman/DC lore to write where instead of bent on revenge, Jason comes back obsessed with a need to make sure no other Robin (or any BatKid) faces the fears and horrors he faced and absolutely he will not let any more Robins die. (AKA writing prompt for whoever is interested)

He still comes back to Gotham, still takes over Crime Alley as Red Hood, but he never reveals who he is. He's just this new mystery vigilante that sticks to Crime Alley and uses more violence than Bruce would like but is always, always *always* there to look after the kids.

Red Hood becomes the over protective big brother of all the younger BatKids, showing up out of no where whenever a fight starts getting dicey to kick ass and keep them safe before shuffling them off to whatever of his safe houses is closest to get them some snacks and do a check in on how they're feeling/doing.

He makes sure Tim gets some sleep and isn't burning himself out. Has some heart to hearts with Steph about their similar childhoods. Sets up a safe quiet space for Cass when she feels overwhelmed. Drags them all off to Dr. Thompkins, gently bullies them i ti getting therapy, helps them with homework, things like that.

He avoids Bruce & Dick generally- too painful - but Red Hood is always there to have their backs, even if he never sticks around long afterwards.

When Damian shows up things get a bit weird. Damian knows him from the League, but won't say who he is. Red Hood seems to have a way with him and manges to treat Damian like the kid he is without Damian blowing up or getting angry about it.

Jason nips Damian's idea of killing Tim in the bud before it gets past the initial planning stage and slowly manages to get the two to some kind of understanding.

He actually sticks around to talk to Dick & Bruce after fights longer than a few seconds and gives advice on how to work with Damian on his issues. Some of the distrust starts to go away for Bruce after that, he starts trying to pull Red Hood into the fold, Dick helping as much as he can.

And Jason is so tempted to tell them. Make the reveal, face his fears and go *home* finally.

But then Bruce dies.

And Dick has taken up the cowl and made Damian Robin and Tim is left drifting, so sure that Bruce is still alive and Jason looks at it all and how close they all are to shaking apart and thinks "I'm not losing anyone else"

He talks to Tim and works with him to try and find Bruce and keep the little bird as far the fuck away from Ra's as possible. Tim takes the mantel Red Robin in honor of his adopted big brother Hood when the dust finally settles.

And when The Heretic comes for Damian, he finds that he has to get through the living tank that is Red Hood first. He doesn't, in the end. Jason swore he'd never let another Robin die and he'd reshape the universe with his bare hands if that's what it takes to do.

They all get on the same page finally, they work together and get Bruce home and well it's not like there's a better time to let them all know he's back.

[vee-crytraps]

Kiss Me More | Ch 1 | {Groan}

SUMMARY: It’s been twelve long years since you were the sad little girl tugging on the tails of your adoptive father’s coat.

Your brothers take notice. AN: New to posting fics on Tumblr, feel free to read here or over on Ao3 under the username VenusCrytraps. Same bat time, same bat channel.

{Trigger warning/Themes Masterlist}

And yeah, i wanna spend the night with you Yeah, i wanna feel a beating, bleeding heart, don't you? Because i've never really known But i pinky promise you i'm grown And i wanna know what it feels like

You’re deep in your head as you lean forward in your vanity’s mirror, lightly dabbing away the smeared lipstick at the corner of your mouth with your middle finger. You don’t notice the creak of your door as it opens, and the protest of the frame as one of your many adopted siblings leans against it.

You don’t see the range of emotions he cycles through- some visible on his face, and others happening only in his head, behind those stormy green eyes.

“Yeah. I don’t think so.” Jason scoffs to himself after a minute, startling you. The tension drains from your shoulders as you turn around to see him standing there, all geared up in his Red Hood uniform sans the armor and that goofy fucking helmet of his. Your surprise has less to do with the atrophied instincts you’ve barely managed to keep from your two weeks as Robin back in the day, and more to do with the strangeness of Jason serving you his best impression of Dick’s Blue Steel, A.K.A, his ’Concerned Big Brother’ face. Something your oldest brother pulled so often, he could have it patented. It looks totally ridiculous on Jason, a dude you legitimately haven’t seen out of his uniform since he was welcomed back into the family. You think to yourself that he must be doing his rounds, doing his best to repair the dynamics that were lost when he died, and soured when the pit left him more than a little trigger happy.

Still, you remind yourself of Dick’s advice, to reward vulnerability and welcome these moments. Jason was supposedly quite fragile beyond his hulking form.

You sighed. “What can I do for you?”

There was some lingering awkwardness around the fact that he’d briefly dedicated his life to ending your dads, but if Bruce could trust him enough to welcome him anywhere near the Batcave, you supposed you could, too. He was trying his best, after all. You just wish he’d take it elsewhere, for once.

Still, you’ll play along.

“Where the hell are you going?” Dressed like that, was the implication that hung in the air. You’re smart enough to fill in the blank. He’s smart enough to let you.

“Out.” You turn around, unable to help but be a little bit guarded about this particular line of questioning.

God, on all the nights…

Turning your back to him, you casually resume your preening. He doesn’t at all remember you being this stubborn, but he’d died and come back to find you a whole lot older than he remembered.

“Out,” Jason repeated, exhaling heavily as he pushed off the doorframe. Jason was your age, once. He knew all about ‘out’. When he was in your shoes, going to Gotham Academy, making those fancy friends with more money than sense, ‘out’ meant joyriding around, bar hopping with fake ID’s and hooking up with fast, socialite girls wearing skirts not unlike the one you sported as you shifted in your plush vanity seat.

“What’s his name?”

“Are you still here?”

It slips out of you before you can remind yourself of Dick’s instruction to give Jason the room and encouragement he needed to be a part of your life again. As if he were a scared cat, and not a six-foot-something giant with the wrong kind of bodycount.

You try again, but it doesn’t come out any more cordial. “What’s it to you, anyway?”

Jason raises an eyebrow. He wasn’t expecting that. He also wasn’t expecting you to look so…grown up. His gaze flickered over you, over the short skirt and lace trimmed cardigan you were wearing. Over the way you applied that mascara and eyeliner with practiced skill and patience.

You were beautiful. God damn it, Bruce.

Catching his gaze in the mirror, you falter. His unreadable stare pulls the plug on your brat-ittude. A sigh escapes you.

“I’ll be careful, Jay. I promise.” You mumble, capping your eyeliner with finality as you give into this game of house he insisted on playing with you. When your eyes finally flicker up to meet his again, something in them seems…changed. The expression he wears is no longer unreadable. You recognize it, but can’t seem to place it. It’s been a long time since he’s seen you, but it’s been just as long since you were able to get a good look at him, too.

And then it’s there, again. The guilt and shame that coils within you as you notice the way his arms bulge under the brown leather of his jacket, the set of his strong jaw and the pout of his full bottom lip. You want to bash your head against your vanity. Tonight was supposed to be your night to get away from this feeling. To distract yourself with normal boys that weren't off limits. To cure yourself of the way you instantly became distracted whenever your brothers were near.

Adoptive brothers, you remind yourself inwardly. But you know that fact doesn’t make you feel any less fucking gross.

For as much as you appreciated some of the upsides of puberty hitting you like a train, there were some notable downsides, too. Inappropriate attraction to the other gorgeous men that live in this house aside, you’d found yourself concerned with things you had always prided yourself on being above. The way you gravitated towards more flattering clothes and cuter underwear, your proclivity for flavored lipgloss and this…overwhelming desire to feel attractive had you feeling so unlike yourself that it was hard to embrace the change, let alone enjoy it. Sometimes, the process of becoming a woman often felt like you were being beat with a pretty pink nightstick.

It takes you a moment to realize you’ve been quiet for a strange amount of time. And the knowledge that he has too makes you tense in places you didn’t know you could.

“Besides,” You continue, though too much time has passed to really consider it a continuation of your promise. “I’ve got backup.”

Swiveling around in your vanity’s chair, you don a self satisfied smirk as you slip the hem of your skirt up your thigh just a smidge, exposing the knife holstered to your thigh.

Jason’s eyebrows almost hit the ceiling. He wasn’t expecting that of all things. Not the sight of you, gorgeous and young and supposedly retired from this whole vigilante thing having a butterfly knife strapped to your leg. He wasn’t expecting the thrill he was getting just by looking at it, and how much he wanted to see it in use.

What is wrong with me?

He clears his throat to regain his composure.

“Where the hell did you get that?” He asks, his voice rougher than before.

“Where do you think?” You can’t help but laugh, tugging the hem of your skirt back down. Your sharp tongue gets him hot under his collar in a way he is beyond not proud of.

Still, he joins you, letting out a noise that is somewhere between a laugh and a snort. The moment brings about a sense of familiarity, the conversation finding a groove it hasn’t been able to since before he had died.

Clearing his throat again, he has to fight against the heat threatening to rise in his face- unable to do much about the blood rushing south. “Look. I know it’s not my place, just…I’m concerned. About you going outside wearing…” The way he vaguely gestures to your outfit with his hands makes you forget he’s supposed to be some kind of sharpshooter.

“I’m…going on a date.” You finally answer, offering an olive branch. Maybe the truth really will set you free. From this cage of Wayne Manor, from the clear gloss, sensible shoes and frumpy skirts that were good for your optics, whatever the fuck that meant. Jason was in your shoes, once. Under the microscope of society, young and repping the name of an entire family on your back. You hope he can relate, and give you some grace. So you lay it on. Thick.

“Do you like it? It’s pretty much brand new. I never get to wear it, because there is no way dad would ever let me out dressed like this.”

Jason nods slowly.

He likes more than your outfit.

“You’re going on a date.” He turns it over in his mind. It seems his suspicions were correct. “And…Bruce doesn’t even know?”

You can’t help but roll your eyes. “Oh, don’t give me that. As if you told him where you were sneaking off to when you were my age. And don’t you dare say it was different or whatever bullshit you’re about to-“

Jason crosses the room to your still seated form before you can finish, stepping into your personal space and placing a hand under your chin. He lifts it gently, and tries not to absolutely lose it at the way you look up at him from beneath your lashes.

“Where is he taking you?” Jason asks, his voice low and rough.

You do your best to beat back that feeling again. The warmth in your core is persistent, but you’ve had a few years of practice surpassing it. Digging your nails into your palm, you try not to observe how handsome he looks, even now, with that spark of disapproval in his gaze. Focusing hard, you manage not to bite your lip at his tone.

“Drive-in.” The truth slips from you quickly, and quieter than it would have several minutes ago, when you couldn’t smell his cologne. You lean into his touch imperceptibly. “And then there’s a party we might stop by.”

“Drive-in?” Jason repeats, his eyebrows arching. “Like, a literal movie drive-in? Do those places still actually exist?” His fingers tighten, his thumb rubbing against your chin- dangerously close to the fullness of your bottom lip. There’s no way you could miss the way his eyes devour your face. And drop to your lips.

“Uh-huh.” You confirm, dropping your chin ever so little, kissing his thumb. “They’re popular spots. Sitting in your car with your date. Alone, in the dark.”

“God, you’re killing me right now.” His heart pounds as your lips touch his thumb, but makes no move to pull it away. His fingers grip your chin a little tighter. His other hand comes to your neck, the pads of his fingers brushing over it gently. “You’re just begging to be kissed, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” the word escapes you breathlessly. It’s so fucking embarrassing. You can’t help it. That you care so much about your hair, that your showers are extra long and that you’re so horny all the fucking time now because living in his house is like being in the Olympic village- constantly surrounded by beautifully sculpted people. It was beyond difficult, even if you were now counted among them.

Jason doesn’t care that your door is cracked open or if anyone could walk in and see you. He drops one hand off of your chin, and the one tracing your pulse trails back and up into your hair, forgetting himself as he fists the strands and tugs it back.

“God, look at you.”

It’s all he can manage before he’s leaning down, pressing his lips to yours. The discovery of your flavored lipgloss sets off a wave of possessiveness in him when he thinks that some other punk was planning to savor the taste. He wants it to be just for him.

You kiss him back before you can think about it. You’re touch starved and aching, barely thinking straight as he lifts you into his arms with his impossible strength and picks you up as if you weigh less than nothing. Instinctively, your legs wrap around his waist. Breaking the kiss, your hands find his face, thumbs brushing over the scars on his cheek. “Forgot how strong you are, Jay.”

He lays you across the bed with one swift motion and kneels between your legs as his large hands roam your thighs. You know for a fact that your skin is soft and smooth. Your Everything Shower routine was of the gods.

“You’ve grown up, baby bat.”

His dark eyes bore into you, the old nickname rolling off of his tongue with ease. It no longer brings an irritated flush to your face the way it did when you were still playing with dolls. For a moment, he’s reminded of the fact that he was here to try and step into that role again. To be the brother that keeps you from making the sort of dumb mistakes he had been known for at your age, and not to touch you- but you’re so soft and so sweet. There’s no pity in your eyes, or fear of the monster he used to be. He can't decide if he wants to cherish you or ruin you, but he's greedy enough to try and get away with both.

Manicured fingers twitch to the front tie of your lace cardigan. The edge of the ribbon rests between your forefinger and thumb before you slowly pull, releasing the bow. You reveal your bare, ample chest to him as you agree breathlessly. “Yeah,”

Jason bites his lip at the sight of your chest. A deep sense of satisfaction fills him as you reveal yourself to him, and the hand on your thigh rises slowly, stopping at your hip. He lets out a soft groan as he promptly resumes to think with the wrong head.

Catching his gaze, you drag your nails down his chest, fingers stopping at his belt. Tilting your head, you don’t bother to look as you work on undoing the buckle and pull it free from the loops of his pants. “Jay,” You whisper.

“Don’t call me that.” His voice is low, his gaze still boring into yours. “It makes me…feel a certain type of way.” Tilting his head back a little, he lets out another soft grunt when he feels you working open the front of his pants. His eyes fall shut. He seems to be on the verge of something, no doubt attempting to convince himself to stop before the two of you do something you can’t take back.

“What if I want you to feel that way?” You ask, dipping your hand beneath the open waistband of his pants, your soft fingers brushing against his swelling cock.

“Jesus Christ.” Releasing a deep breath, he looks down at you. His hand travels up to your throat, fingers digging into your skin.

“Please.” You finally just beg him, your bare chest heaving as you attempt not to squirm with the anticipation. “Please, Jay. Please.” How long has it been, since you were touched? Yeah, you were gorgeous, and fairly popular at school, but being involved with the precious daughter of the ‘prince of Gotham’ was often too risky for a lot of the guys at school. With you, they couldn't get away with half of the things they could with some of the other girls you know. And then there’s Jason. Someone she’s known for a good chunk of her life. Someone she trusts, someone she’s mourned, and most importantly- someone who is not afraid of Bruce Wayne.

The dying embers of his resolve are snuffed out the minute you shift your hips, that too short skirt riding up and revealing your absolutely soaked panties. And fuck, has he even touched you yet?

“Yeah. Yeah, okay, sweetheart. I got you.” Jason leans over you, one hand supporting himself by your head as the other drags your underwear to the side. Two of his calloused fingers stroke your slippery folds, covering his hand in your warm slick before he fists his thick cock.

He brings the blunt head of him close to you, stroking your clit before it brushes against your core. “Relax for me, sweetheart. You gotta let me in.” He murmurs, kissing the corner of your mouth. “Hold onto me.”

You do. Your fingers dig into his strong shoulders as he finally manages to push into you with a long suffering groan. You’re no virgin, but you’re half his size, and so, he bets, was every other chump you had before him. And from the way your walls quiver and stretch around him? He also bets that list is pretty short.

“ ’S okay, princess,” He breathes, his pupils blown wide. It takes everything in him not to pin you down and absolutely destroy you, but he reminds himself that your desperation does’t equal experience. You can act as fast as you want, you still need time to adjust to him.

“Oooh, fuck.” Jason hisses, his nails digging into the sheets beside you as he somehow manages to bottom out. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” You can feel his shoulders tense under your palms, and your soft hands slip down his biceps until you’re holding his forearms. You’re so tight it’s criminal, and he can’t even focus as he begins to thrust into you.

His name sounds magical coming from your lips, and you look so gorgeous beneath him, your eyes screwed shut in pleasure as he fucks you hard and deep and bare. Your cunt is noisy and desperate, sucking him deep into your impossible warmth, covering every inch of him in your slick. His hand finds your throat again, and he can feel the way you squeeze around him in response. He groans complete delight. “You like that? Huh?”

Something akin to a yes escapes you as he begins to fuck you harder, the wood of the antique bed frame creaking in protest as your distant sort-of-stepbrother practically folds you in half, seemingly unable to get deep enough inside of you. Jason is a complete mess above you as you all but melt into your sheets, fingers tangled in the linens as each deep thrust forces a desperate whine from your parted lips.

“Such a perfect little cunt. So warm and fuckin’ wet-“ His free hand greedily palms at your tits as a string of other obscenities that make your clit throb begin to fall from his lips. He finds a spot deep within you that makes your toes curl and your walls tighten, and he grips your hips for leverage as he abuses it relentlessly. The difference between you is such that he barely has to shift his hand from your thigh to have his thumb roll over your clit shortly after you feel him spit on it, the oddity and the sudden stimulation forcing your back to arch.

There’s a part of him that hasn’t yet forgiven Bruce for leaving him to die, and that part greedily soaks up the sight of you coming undone beneath him, your tits bouncing as your back arches off of your bed. You may be barely an adult, but you’re still Bruce Wayne’s little girl, too precious for combat, but not too precious for Jason to spread you open on your pastel linens, under your daddy’s roof. You cream around his cock as your greedy walls threaten to milk him but he refuses to let up, determined to bully another orgasm out of you before he’s through.

“Tell me you want it,” Of course he knows you do. You’re the one who practically scrambled for his belt the minute he got you onto the bed, but it’s not enough to see it. He wants to hear you say it. To beg for him His voice is hoarse. Desperate. “Tell me you want me.”

“I want you,” You manage, barely able to get the words out. “Want you, I want you-“ His nails bite into your thigh and you can hear the blood rushing to your ears.

“Jason,” You look up at him through your lashes, tears of pleasure collecting in the corners of your pretty eyes. He mumbles your name in return, leaning down to kiss your shoulder.

“Get off in me.”

“Fuck!” His orgasm hits him like a train almost instantly, and he grinds into you needily with a disbelieving groan, filling you up. Your eyes nearly roll back as you come undone around him, and you’re not even though your orgasm before he lets out a barely coherent whine that sounds like it could be ‘good girl’ or ‘dirty fucking tease’. Your mind is spinning too much to make sense of anything and you decide take your pick, leaning back into your nest of plush blankets and pillows.

“Shit,” You breathe, exhausted.

“Yeah.” He agrees.

Jason allows himself to roll off of you, the bed creaking with impact as he collapses beside you with an uneven exhale. You close your eyes and try to catch your breath, hearing the shifting of his tactical pants beside you as he tucks his cock away. He casts a sidelong glance at you, swallowing before he can think of something to say. “That…you were okay with that, right?”

It takes a good moment to register the words, and you blink your eyes open. Turning to your side, you meet his gaze. You’re both sweating, and you feel decidedly un-sexy with his cooling cum leaking out of you. “What…what are you asking me?” You frown.

Jason tilts his head towards you. “It’s just…you know. What I was like before you uh…grew up.” His thoughts trail off, and his face creases with a frown as he tries to get through the next few words. “I just. I want to make sure…” A deep breath. Another heartbeat. “I can be rough, is all.” His expression softens, and guilt begins to seep in. You may live under this roof, but you aren’t like him. Not really. You were the soft one. The normal one. And that makes him feel equal amounts of pride and shame when he thinks about what you two have just done.

“Hey,” You recognize that shame, and you decide to put a stop to it before he overflows with it. “I may not spend my nights being tossed around by thugs anymore, but Gotham is rough. Our life is rough.”

Reaching out, you rest a hand over his heart, feeling the heat of him through his shirt. “But…being here…like this- with you? Being roughed up doesn’t have to suck.” Sitting up, you offer him a smile. “In fact, it felt so good I came twice. So. You know.”

Your answer is honest, and he can’t help but chuckle as he moves to sit up with you. His hand moves to caress the side of your face. You lean into his hand, and his gaze softens.

“You’re so different than you used to be.” His words come out in a whisper, and his thumb traces your jawline. “I want to keep you safe from this. But…I like this side of you. I like what I can bring out of you.”

“It’s been a long time, Jay.” You mumbled, closing your eyes. "A really long time."

You open them when you feel the way his lips brush against your forehead. They linger there for a heartbeat.

The moment is cut shot when you can hear the pneumatic hiss of the downstairs grandfather clock as it swings open, no doubt your adoptive dad home from patrol. “Shit. Dad’s home,” You whisper, and Jason grumbles as he leans against the headboard to catch his breath, watching you sit up. “You sure know how to kill the mood.”

“Dude, I just let you unload in me. I am the mood. So like, zip it.” You huff, fixing your underwear. Jason, despite his casually annoyed exterior, is lighter on his feet than you’ve ever seen him as he moves to get off of your bed. He’s sneaking out of here like his life depends on it, but he has the feeling it actually might.

“See you at breakfast, Jay!” You call a little too loudly, snickering at the way he tenses up in fear. He makes sure to flip you off right before he disappears past the doorframe, and you walk over and shut it.

Looking over to your desk, you see the screen of your phone is lit up, flooded with half an hours worth of texts and missed calls.

Guess you missed your date.

I ain't scared of boys, but boy, you're a man And if anybody could, I'm sure you can For a girl this young, naive, and miserable

[lild00td00t]

Straw Hats as siblings

I promise I love Brook and Chopper, but Brook would be such a bad influence like, Chopper gives me SUCH little brother vibes. Enjoy ! ~

Luffy

• The NASTY sibling who you don’t allow in your room

• Just him standing in your doorway is enough to get crumbs in your bed

• Purposely eats your left overs. “Oh you were saving that ? Should’ve hid it better shishishi- “

• Is always somehow in some way staining your clothes or carpet

• Definitely picks his nose and rubs it on you in an argument

• A common occurrence is midnight snacking. You’re both at the fridge at midnight having a snack, just standing in the dim light of the fridge while eating shredded cheese together

Zoro

• The older brother that your friends all crush on, sleep overs and the biggest hang out space is your house

• His room smells. I said what I said.

• ALWAYS working out

• is the embodiment of “ stay out of my room or you die “

• you can convince him to do stuff for you and your friends with alcohol

• He probably buys you and your friends alcohol if you ask too -

• Has mean nicknames for you

• Whenever he wants the last of something he’ll make you arm wrestle him for it, knowing that he’ll win every time, he’s such a meanie

Sanji

• After you get into a fight minutes later he’s knocking at your room… “you hungry ?“

• Definitely flirts with your friends mom

• Packs the cutest lunch for you every day and leaves a small note that probably has something cheesy written on it

• Always offering to make you snacks

• Will definitely comfort with you food

• When you get sick, he will not let you do ANYTHING, he takes care of you and nurses you back to health

Ussop

• Tells you so many stories, whether they’re true or not is debatable but he ALWAYS has something new to tell you

• He’s your partner in crime. When you two get in trouble you both either go down together or lie your way out

• You have a secret handshake or a made up language, everyone thinks it’s dumb but you guys know that they’re probably just jealous they don’t have something as cool as you 😎

• Loves doing arts and crafts with you, teaches you to make extremely cool crafts

• Definitely helps you sneak out of the house to go out with friends, he’d be a cool brother like that

Nami

• ALWAYS “borrowing” your stuff without asking, mainly clothes

• Keeps a list of how much money you borrow from her

• helps you do your makeup before you go out, she’s probably the one who teaches you about how to apply it and what to wear fashion wise

• Writes down EVERYTHING you have ever done to her. Yknow how people keep screen shots ? Nami keeps a small book of everything you’ve done to her, and will ALWAYS find a reason to use it in an argument

• Extremely over protective, investigates people before you affiliate yourself with them

• Definitely gives amazing relationship advice

• Gossiping with you is a common occurrence

• If your ex was ever horrible to you she would blackmail TF out of them

Robin

• Helps you with your homework, if there’s something you don’t understand she’ll help you until you do !

• Always having lunch with you, she brings you food when you’re at school

• Loves helping you clothes shop, she’ll give her opinion when asked but she just enjoys being out with you

• Tells you facts out of nowhere, the room will be silent and all the sudden she’s like busting out some historical fact

• She also probably buys the sister bracelets or the necklaces like they have at Claires, she proudly shows it off like the best big sister ever <3

• Definitely scares off creepy guys or girls from you, she’s always looking out for you

Franky

• SO competitive, everything you two do is a sibling rivalry. Who finishes their food first ? Who can get the most compliments on their new hairstyle ? Everything is a competition between you two !

• In all seriousness he’s an amazing brother, he’s always striving to make you smile or happy

• Checks the oil in your car, but complains the whole time about how you don’t take care of your stuff

• He’s usually driving you everywhere, he was probably the one who taught you how to drive

• If ANYTHING happens with your car, TV, stove, toilet, he’s the first person you call, he usually knows exactly how to fix whatever it is

• Would definitely threaten your S/O to take care of you, probably threatens to put sugar in their gas tank if anything happens to you-

• Also the first person you ask to open something

Chopper

• “ mom said it’s MY turn on the Xbox “

• He gives me major little brother vibes, I have a feeling he’d high key be a tattle tale-

• LOVES when you play games with him, now when he loses ? That’s a different story, I feel like he’s the type of sibling that cries in monopoly because he has no money :(

• Loves asking you random questions

• You two are always snacking together

• Also study sessions are common with you guys

• When you get sick, funnily enough he’s the one taking care of you, always bringing you hot soup or tea with an ice pack for your fever, he’ll make sure you don’t feel alone while you’re sick <3

Brook

• Bad influence

• Like Zoro, he would probably buy you and your friends beer if you asked

• Would read your diary, 100%

• Definitely the brother that your friends think is super cool and laid back

• Tries to teach you how to play guitar or piano

Jimbei

• The responsible sibling, he’s always packing your lunch, taking you to school, scheduling appointments, taking you to practice, he’s pretty much the reason you’re always on time and prepared

• Checks your homework when you’re finished

• he’s also extremely polite!When meeting your friends parents they absolutely adore him, I imagine that polite nature also rubs off on you which makes Jimbei so proud

[apomaro-mellow]

S1E10: Bottle Episode

S1E09

Lucas was the one in front of a whiteboard now, ruler in his hands as he paced back and forth in the Hopper’s living room. His friends all sat, attention on him.

“The day is nearly upon us. Our first day of high school is in just a week. And if we want any hope of surviving, we need to be prepared. I give you, Operation COOL”, he used the ruler to point to the words on the whiteboard.

“And what does ‘COOL’ stand for?”, Mike asked, arms crossed.

“See? That’s the first step! It doesn’t stand for anything. It just has to be cool. Acronyms are not cool”, Lucas said.

Dustin shook his head. “So many badass organizations would beg to differ.”

“It sounds like you want us to act like the guys who have been bullying us all our lives”, Will pointed out.

“I wanna give us a chance of surviving. I’m the only black kid for miles, Mike can’t shoot a ball, Dustin’s got that teeth thing, El’s sheltered, you’re a wimp, and Max is…Okay Max might be fine in high school.”

“Nice save”, Max said, though her glare didn’t soften.

“But the rest of us are gonna need a plan if we want any hope of getting through the next four years”, Lucas pressed.

“We could ask for advice”, El suggested. “Steve is the coolest person I know.”

Max scoffed. “That can’t be true. He’s your brother.”

El’s brow furrowed. “Brothers can’t be cool?”

“Erica thinks I’m a loser”, Lucas confirmed.

Mike raised his hand. “Nancy only talks to me when she needs to. Holly still likes me though.”

“And you know how I feel about Billy”, Max said. “Brothers are the least cool thing and you should never take their advice on anything.”

As if on cue, Steve came in through the front door, wearing a sandwich costume. “Yeah, yeah, don’t get used to it. I’m quitting this job as soon as school starts”, he said as he crossed over into the kitchen. Then he popped his head back out. “Here’s a tip. Cool people don’t need to devise a whole plan to be cool.”

“Oh what does he know?”, Lucas said when Steve fully went into the kitchen.

“Yeah he looks a few buns short of a baker’s dozen”, Dustin snickered at his own joke just as Lucas used the ruler to point to rule 4 of cool: no dumb jokes or puns.

------------------------------

Robin took a deep shuddering breath. It was all she could do to keep from losing her head.

“We’re gonna be okay, right?”, Will asked.

“Ye-ah”, Robin said, her voice a little shaky. “We’re just stuck in an elevator at the mall. No big deal.”

Robin was never supposed to be in this position. This was supposed to be Steve’s, or Jonathan’s, or Nancy’s, or even Eddie’s gig. But she had tagged along with the mall excursion and at some point the group split and when it was time to gather back around, she had run into Will at the pretzel place and when they checked their watches they realized it was time to meet the others in the parking garage.

So on the elevator they went and it was then that it decided to stop on them, frozen in place. Both had already tried prying the door open to no avail. If Robin was with anyone else, she might’ve freaked out by now. But she was with a kid, so she had to keep a cool head.

“How long until you think they notice we’re not there?”, Will asked.

Robin shrugged. “Shouldn’t take ‘em too long. No way they leave without us, right?”

“Right”, Will agreed.

She sighed and sat down on the floor, her back to the wall. She didn’t want to think about it but Will’s question got her mind reeling. So she tried to change the subject.

“So, you guys are starting high school soon, right? That’s gotta be…exciting.” She inwardly winced, thinking how much she sounded like an out of touch aunt.

“I guess”, Will said, going to sit on the other side. “I’m not really looking forward to four more years of the same thing though.”

“Who said it’s gonna be the same thing? It’s high school, you can reinvent yourselves. You should’ve seen Eddie back in middle school.”

Will pulled his knees up to his chest. “Some things you can’t change about yourself. But I…”, he let out a breath. “When I get bullied the stuff they say aren’t…untrue.”

Robin frowned. “Why? What are they saying?” She had a feeling. A hunch really. But she’d never talked one on one with one of Steve’s sister’s friends about their middle school drama. She knew a thing or two about certain traits that couldn’t be changed though.

“I…forget it”, Will sighed. “Can we just sit here while we wait for a rescue? Or for this thing to kill us?”

“Hey, we’ve gotta stay positive, don’t we? ‘Killed by elevator’ would be a really undignified obituary.” When Will laughed at that, she felt emboldened. “Like, seriously. You might as well say ‘here lies Robin Buckley - died after getting hit with a clown car’.”

“Elevator is better than a clown car”, Will snickered. “But yeah, point made. What floor are we on anyway? Would it even actually kill us?”

“Ah, well now you’re getting into the eternal debate. What’s worse? Dying or having all your bones broken?”

“Do I get to choose my nursemaid?”, Will asked.

“Nope, no pretty nurses for you. It’s gonna be someone like, someone like Mike. Good luck with that.” Robin laughed, likening any care from Mike to being nursed by a flamingo.

But then Will didn’t laugh louder or snort or look annoyed at his friend’s expense. It was a quick moment, but Robin caught the hint of pink on Will’s cheeks. He turned his face away and there was a thick tension in the air all of a sudden. Robin thought of herself at that age. She often wondered how it would’ve been if she’d found anyone like herself that young.

“Hey um, so like, no one ever outright bullied me, because I’m a badass. But sometimes I’d get excluded from stuff”, she said.

“...Like what?”, Will ventured.

“The girls in my neighborhood would have their little dress up parties. And I thought they looked like princesses right out of a fairy tale. They’d want me to dress up with them. But I didn’t want to be a princess with them. I…I wanted to be Prince Charming.”

Will’s eyes got a little wide. “Oh.”

Robin laughed a little. “Yeah, oh. After a while, the other girls realized I didn’t wanna wear dresses or make up with them. No one ever said it to my face. And no one ever really found out, but it felt like some people knew, ya know?”

Will nodded. “I know. So you’re…?”

“Yeah”, Robin confirmed.

“Does anyone else know?”

“Steve.”

“Steve?!”

“I hear them!”, Steve’s voice suddenly came from the other side of the elevator doors. “Robin!? Will?!”

“Will!”, Jonathan shouted.

“We’re here! We’re in here!”, Robin called back, suddenly on her feet.

“I think Steve’s getting an ax!”, Dustin yelled.

“I’m not-Where would I even get an ax? You guys hang tight, someone professional is on the way.”

“Roger that”, Robin smiled, relief filling her system.

Will looked relieved too, like the weight of the world had all of a sudden lifted from his shoulders. Maybe high school wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Part 11

[gerryrigged]

dicktim - La Beau Au Bois Dormant

idea gripping my tired brain by the throat about Tim being struck by some kind of sleeping beauty poison or spell and falling comatose.

Except the solution is not True Love's Kiss but sending someone inside his soul to battle the dragon that will manifest from his inner demons to keep him imprisoned, forever.

The highest chance for success necessitates sending in the one person that the sleeper trusts most - often their love, hence the poison/spell's reputation, but not always.

And almost everyone immediately turns to Dick, like in you go, Nightwing, what are you waiting for.

Which Dick. Doesn't know how to react to, because. God he would give anything to be that person for Tim again. But he knows that he broke something between them when he stripped away Robin.

They've moved past it, they're...fine. But Dick knows. It's not the same. They aren't the same.

He can't help Tim with this. Tim probably wouldn't even want him to try. And that kills him, but he won't sabotage Tim's only shot to wake up because of his own desperate wish to still be the one Tim turns to first. His north star.

There's a ticking-clock time limit before Tim won't be able to wake up at all. They don't have any time to lose.

He looks away from everyone's expectant, demanding stares.

"Call Superboy," he says, voice scraped raw from his throat. "Or Kid Flash. They'll get here in time."

He can't stand the disappointment on Bruce's face. It makes helpless anger boil hot and toxic in his belly. Bruce wasn't here for everything that happened. He doesn't know.

(Dick's never told him. How badly he fucked up.)

"Wait, not his boyfriend?'" Steph says, raised eyebrows and gesticulating at nowhere in particular and Dick's churning thoughts sputter and die into frozen blankness. Boyfriend?

Babs shakes her head on the Batcomputer's view screen.

"They're not at that level of trust yet. They haven't even been dating that long, Tim definitely hasn't told him about - " she twirls a finger, indicating all of them. Red Robin on the medical bed, cowl pushed down and cape pooled around him. The Cave, vaulting overhead. " - all of this. And he won't thank us for doing it for him."

Tim...has a boyfriend?

Wow. His little brother used to always want his advice on love. Life. Everything. If he doesn't trust Dick enough anymore to tell him even that much... Well. It just proves definitively that Dick isn't the right person for this job.

(It hurts like Dick's vital organs are being crushed in a massive fist.)

"Time is ticking," Jason Blood says quietly, looking down at the open face of his pocket watch. At his feet, a circle of lit candles awaits someone to sit down inside and sink into an enchanted meditation.

"Father, clearly it should be you," Damian says, tapping his foot rapidly. His arms are crossed tightly under his cape in a way that he probably means to come across as scornful, rather than apprehensive. "Or Pennyworth, even."

Bruce shakes his head, troubled. "No. I don't think so. Cassie...?"

"No," Cass responds calmly. "Not me." She seems untroubled by her own denial, even though she and Tim have been thick as thieves ever since she returned to Gotham.

She's looking at Dick. She hasn't looked away from Dick this whole time, or let go of Tim's hand, folded in hers protectively, over his heart.

"It's still you, big brother," she says. Gentle and direct and devastating. "Go. Bring him back."

Not so long ago, Tim trusted Dick to catch him when he fell.

Or, he was depressed and passively suicidal and telling Dick what he wanted to hear. Maybe he even believed it, after the fact.

In the end, it doesn't matter. He's Dick's brother. Dick will always, always be there to catch him, whether Tim trusts him to or not.

Dick goes.

He faces Tim, sinks into lotus inside the ring of flickering little flames, and closes his eyes, heart in his throat.

He opens his eyes. A vast, jagged bramble forest looms dark above him. Far in the distance, he can just make out a spindly tower piercing the sky, a flickering little light shining at the top.

He hacks his way through the biting brambles of Tim's resentments, leaving blood and sorrows dripping from the thorns in his wake.

He fights the sly, sinuous dragon of Tim's despair, singing with every breath that he can spare, so that Tim might hear him and know he's not alone.

He wishes he could remember happy songs, bright and lively songs - wishes he could be the light in the darkness that Tim deserves, that he looked up to and chased after and for some reason tried to model himself upon, even when he was already so very bright himself.

But any song is better than none to pierce the lonely vault of silence, so he sings of pain, of loss, of faith and faithlessness. Of holding on past the point of breaking. He sings of two hands open and outstretched, waiting to be clasped and held.

When his voice falters, when adamant scales break his sword and claws shatter his shield, he throws himself at the winged serpent, letting it coil about him and grappling it in turn. Fangs strike at him again and again, piercing flesh and armor both, before he winds his arms around its jaws and holds them shut.

It hisses through clenched teeth about failures, his and Tim's both. He holds its jaws shut, and sings of two ships tossed in a maelstrom, anchored to each other, weathering the storm.

It hisses, venom dripping from its furious curled lips, about abandonment and betrayal. He holds its jaws shut, and sings about two robins, flying with an olive branch held aloft between them.

It hisses to him of ice unending, frozen hearts, shattered trust. He holds its jaws shut, and sings about the steady radiating warmth of a hearth, of a hug, of a new dawn. Of new beginnings.

He rests his forehead on the dragon's growling snout, and sings, "Come home with me. Come home to me. Tim, I love you. Tim, Tim, Tim."

The beast shudders and shivers. And starts to break apart.

The crumbling wings buffet and beat at Dick even as they begin to crack and collapse. Dick lowers his head and holds on tighter.

The massive coiled tail squeezes around Dick convulsively, thrashing and withering. Dick's ribs crack, but he holds on tighter.

Scales etched with Tim's regrets flake off and fall away, like a tree shedding razor edged leaves in autumn. Dick closes his eyes as they kiss and cut his already tattered skin, but just holds on tighter.

Eventually, the violent disintegration comes to an end, and all goes still and quiet.

Save for a familiar shape shaking and weeping in Dick's arms.

Dick opens his eyes, blinking away sweat and blood just to be sure. But yes. It's him. Blue eyes reddened with tears, staring in horror at the ragged torn-up mess of his older brother, come to rescue him.

"Tim," Dick sighs, bones papier-mâché from relief. And exhaustion. "Timmy. Thank god."

"Dick," Tim cries out, gripping him tightly in distress. He lets go immediately at Dick's wince, and tries to pull away. "I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry, I'm - your wounds, we have to - "

Dick doesn't let him move an inch. "Shhhhhh," he breathes. "It's a dream, don't worry about it." Tim wriggles in protest at first, determinedly attempting to staunch some of the heavier bleeding, but Dick just holds him tighter. "Please, Timmy," he begs. "Please. Just let me."

Tim's breath hitches, then he wraps his arms around Dick just as hard as Dick is squeezing him, strong and anchoring. Dick's own breath shudders on the edge of a whine, and he buries his nose in Tim's hair.

-----

"Missed you," he whispers hoarsely, several minutes later.

Tim lifts his face from where he's been leaking a silent wet spot into Dick's collarbone.

"Missed you, too," he whispers back, as if they're sharing secrets and might be overheard.

Then Tim hesitates, before setting his mouth firmly. He meets Dick's gaze, and there's a fierce light in his still reddened eyes that transfixes Dick. He almost lost this. He almost lost Tim - so many times, more than he probably even knows about. He never wants to look away.

"And I love you, too, you know. That's never changed. It never will change." His brow is furrowed intently, gaze searching Dick's, like he can find and burn away any hint of doubt or disbelief.

"I know," Dick murmurs, warm down to his battered toes. Tim's alive. Tim's going to wake up, and keep living. Tim loves him, and forgives him, and still trusts him more than anyone else. "I do know. I - "

He releases one arm from its death grip, because he can no longer resist the urge to cup Tim's face, stroke a thumb across his cheek. Tim closes his eyes briefly as he covers Dick's hand with his, leaning into it, brows still drawn together. Like he's in pain, even though all the dings and scratches are on Dick, not him.

Dick's heart seizes.

He dips down, to the impossibly inviting bow of Tim's mouth, and kisses him. At Tim's small, quiet gasp, he gentles further, catching Tim's lips, pulling the full lower curve between his own in a soft tug. To his delight, Tim follows him, chasing his mouth, and they share the sweet cling and press, back and forth.

-----

Dick's wounds are somehow all still present upon waking. Magic, ugh, such a pain. The resulting frenzy of medical attention and getting bundled into another bed - too far away from Tim - like he's one foot through death's door isn't exactly fun, either.

(But still. Well worth it, for that first moment Tim's eyes flutter open and hazily lock on his. The world can keep spinning, now that Dick knows Tim is safe.)

As it turns out, Tim's recollection of what happened inside his own soul is equally hazy.

He remembers enough to melt bonelessly into Dick's chest when Dick sneaks over to share his bed, which dissolves the hard knot of worried tension in Dick's chest that he wouldn't remember anything, that he'd be back to subtle distance and awkward texts and not even feeling comfortable enough to share that he likes men, and Dick. Isn't sure he could have handled that.

So he ignores his aching ribs and multiple lacerations and puncture wounds and curls around Tim with his whole body, warmth and gratitude suffusing every aching muscle.

Tim...doesn't seem to remember the kiss. Which. Is a shame.

But Dick remembers it. Every moment is burned into him like the most intimate pyrography. That will have to be enough, until he can make it happen again.

(Tim's boyfriend doesn't stand a chance.)

[cuephrase]

as someone who knows nothing about dc/batfam besides bare basics where do I even start with the comics? please send help its so confusing and sm to go through 😭🧎‍♀️

help has arrived!! my sincerest apologies for the delay, i started writing and somehow 2.5 days had passed.

full transparency, for a second i was like, "oh idk if i'm the best person to ask, i haven't been reading comics for years" and then i realized i figured my way into comics with like essentially zero prior experience so maybe i am uniquely qualified to help! that being said, if this doesn't work or you see a post from a comic veteran that looks more helpful, by all means ignore me.

first things first- it is super confusing!! there's all these big events, DC is obsessed with the word "Crisis", some labels are mainline and others aren't- don't worry about any of that. ignore the vast forest that is Comics and focus on one tree.

and by that i mean, pick one character to start with.

this post ended up turning into a behemoth when i wasn't looking so everything else is going to go under the cut!

alright, now that you have your character of choice, it's time to choose which era of comics you want to start in. there are basically 4 different eras, and you may have heard their names tossed around.

PRE-CRISIS: this is where Comics begin. this era covers comics from when they began being published up until 1985. most of this is no longer canon, but like when they hit the reboot button in '85, they didn't restart from the very beginning. so like, 90% of robin!dick comics is Pre-Crisis. some comics kept a few Pre-Crisis storylines canon, like The New Teen Titans starts before the reboot, but the pre-boot storylines are still canon. i personally have not read very many Pre-Crisis comics, i cherry-picked what looked interesting to me. unless you want to like dive in chronologically and begin at the Beginning, i wouldn't recommend hopping in here bc you'll probably get super fatigued, but yk, it is ultimately up to you. most important takeaway here is that whenever people mention Pre-Crisis, they mean old comics.

POST-CRISIS: 1985-2011. this is where most comics veterans started reading comics/what they grew up with. these are the comics that a decent amount of current comics writers/artists grew up reading/what got them into comics. there is a lot of love + nostalgia for this era, with good reason!! i do think some people who favor this era have a tendency to be close-minded in regards to current comics but re:nostalgia and there have been some dumb decisions so i get it!

NEW 52: aka, Post-Flashpoint, N52. 2011-2016 dc gets new management. they more or less decided to toss all pre-existing canon out the window and re-start in the middle. honestly, it was like they just started making fanfiction. and i don't mean that negatively, i mean like, even though they "restarted" and "anyone" should be able to jump in on an #1 in n52...the comics still assumed you had some working knowledge about the characters. which. i mean, i understand that a total restart was not plausible, (lmao imagine just snapping the vast majority of characters out of existence. they did snap some but like, a full restart would have axed even Dick technically.) i started reading comics here bc when i asked my brother-in-law (who grew up reading comics, with a dad who grew up reading comics), he was like, "omg!! start here, it'll be perfect!!" and i was like "okay!!" and then...i found myself googling. a lot. which is fine!! but idk maybe not as beginner-friendly as advertised? also, notice how this era only lasts for 4 years. it's not that none of it is relevant now, but it was a) not very well received, and b) while some of it is def still canon/referenced, a lot of it contradicts with Post-Crisis, and our fourth and final era reboots so that most of Post-Crisis is canon again. you will see a lot of hatred/dislike for comics in this era/concepts introduced here.

REBIRTH: 2016-present day. DC decided to rollback their extreme changes and soft-reboot to basically try and meld Post-Crisis and N52 timelines/continuities into one cohesive continuity. which. is a lil like trying to mix oil and water, but it is an improvement imo. all the runs restart at #1.

other people might disagree with me, but i honestly don't think it matters which era you start with. unless you start from the very beginning, you're going to have some questions. if you start in Post-Crisis, you're going to have questions when you get to N52/Rebirth, and vice-versa. and that's okay!! don't be ever be embarrased/discouraged because you have a question. google is your friend. also, odds are, if you end up enjoying comics, you'll read from all the eras. timelines will always be confusing. if you read arcs/events out of order, you'll sort stuff out. as long as you're reading what sounds interesting, you can't really go wrong. you might laugh at your decisions later, but that's okay!!

for example, personal experience, this was my intro reading order: N52 Nightwing, A Death in the Family (Post-Crisis), Under the Red Hood (Post-Crisis), Joker War (Rebirth), Robin 1994 (Post-Crisis) until like issue #11?, Rebirth Nightwing to most current release, back to Robin 1994.

clearly, I had no clue what the hell i was doing from one perspective. but in the moment, i was having a grand ole time. i read N52 Nightwing, had my mind blown at the existence of FOUR Robins, couldn't believe they KILLED one, had to see that for myself, then i had to see how his return played out, and when I was buying the UTRH trade the Joker War trade had a lil rec note from an employee, i flipped through it, thought the art was sick, was confused AF when i read it but googled for some clarity and just rolled it with it, thought Tim was neat, decided to check him out, had a rough time adjusting to the older art style, bounced back to modern comics with Dick, and then ultimately decided I could handle the art change (which, ngl, very useful skill for comics reading) and the rest is history.

even once i got more well-versed in comics, sometimes i knowingly read out of order because i just wanted to see a specific event and didn't feel like reading a ton of comics to get there. legit, read City of Bane, did not understand why Dick was not there but just accepted it and then months later was like OH!! HE WAS RIC THEN.

point is, if you're having fun, you're not making mistakes imo. am i going to recommend anyone follow my initial reading path to the T? no way!! but it worked for me.

but okay! so now, you've got your character and your era, and surprisingly the rest is really simple!! i have compiled a list for you that attempts to cover the trickier batfam entry points, but for almost any character the hopping on point is literally whichever run they're lead in: #1. for some, as you'll see with Batman, it won't be #1 in Post-Crisis but you can google, "where to start reading Action Comics Post-Crisis" and there you go. If there is a #0 issue, I would personally not recommend starting there, I would still start with #1 and then read the #0 issue when it would've come out, so like if it came out after #10, read it then. oh also, i'm sorry, i cannot offer personalized help with Barbara Gordon/Babs/Batgirl No. 1/Oracle, as of rn, i have only read her when she shows up in events/other people's runs. my best guess would be Batgirl/Bird of Prey.

now, before we get to the lists, may i present you with

MISCELLANEOUS ADVICE

there are a handful of mindsets that i think will be super helpful for breaking into comics, but the most important, especially starting out, is to make sure you're reading what interests you and that you're having fun. you can worry about slogging through significant runs later, once you've cut your teeth a bit, or never.

i would honestly ignore "best of/top rec" lists. most of those are made up of comics that hit bc they're building on a foundation. if you're brand-new, you don't have a foundation. focus on that first, rather than reading the "right" runs. comic readers, veterans and casuals and newbies- they do not all agree on what the "right" runs are. and that's bc there are so many different writers/artists. bookmark these for later, when you feel more solid in your understanding of the character and maybe want to experiment.

characters, imo, can totally be written OOC. but one of the really beautiful things about comics in my experience is that getting to see characters written by different writers really adds so much depth and dimension to them, bc diff writers are going to have different angles they want to explore. will you like all these different angles? probably not! but that's okay. you'll develop your own taste for which stories you like/what takes resonate with you the most. sometimes you might find yourself in agreement with the popular opinion, other times you might find that you loved something it seems a lot of people hate. great! there is no test, you'll like what you like and that will be perfectly valid even if no else agrees.

with that in mind, be open-minded. adjusting to older art styles can be really hard! that's totally valid! but if you try it out here and there, you'll probably be able to get used to it. you're not always going to love the art in any era. sometimes not even in the same run. i think acknowledging that you dislike it is better than trying to force yourself to like it. my rule of thumb was, if i didn't like the art style, give it 3 comics. bc by then, i'd either adjust to it (which is not the same as liking it)/or get sucked into the story and not care so much, or i would know, yeah this really isn't working for me. and then i had a decision to make: power through or drop it. sometimes you can knuckle down. other times, i've found that giving myself a break and returning to a difficult comic once i've recharged is better.

mostly the same advice for writers. although, i have learned that just because i dislike an author in X run, doesn't mean i'll dislike them in Y run, or even in the next arc they write in X run. as you go through comics, keep in mind that most storylines within a run are six issue arcs. if you're not vibing with the current arc, try skipping ahead to the next one. skimming is okay. obvs, yk, don't skim every comic you read, but if you find yourself not super interested, but feeling like there's some important stuff so you don't want to have to backtrack later, skim. again, the goal is to have fun!

other things that might trip you up-

terminology: wtf is a volume anyways?

i'm so glad you asked!! answer: it depends. so okay, if like you google a reading order list, you might see Batman (Vol. 1) #1-100, or something like that. in this case a volume is a whole entire run from start to finish. Batman Vol 1, in this example, would be synonymous with Batman (1937-2011), which includes both Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis.

however, if you're looking at collected editions, or trades, a volume will be more like a volume of manga, where volume refers to that set of issues.

trades: this is when the publisher collects a run or event into a book that would be sold somewhere like Barnes & Noble, it can be hardback or paperback. single issues are not trades.

events: these are crossover storylines! sometimes they cross houses, so you could have issues from Batman and say, Green Lantern, but usually they're contained within a house. events that effect the whole universe are usually their own "run", like Infinite Crisis had tie-in issues from most (all) on-goings, but the core issues were Infinite Crisis #1, and so on. they range widely in scale, clearly.

on-goings: can refer to currently running comics, for example rn, Zdarsky's Batman and Tom Taylor's Nightwing are on-goings. Jason and Tim are not leading any on-goings rn. or, it can be used to refer to comics that were on-going at the time of whatever is being discussed.

variant: this has nothing to do with the comics content itself, it relates purely to the covers. most current comics have their standard cover, and then a variant or two or four. any ratio, so for instance 1:25 variant, just means that for every 25 standard copies, there is 1 of that variant. that kind of variant is usually a store incentive, so that they'll buy a certain amount of copies to sell. not all variants are rare though!

facsimile: this is when they reprint an old comic. not as a trade, just as single issue.

black label/elseworld: these are comics that are published by DC, but not part of the mainline comics' canon continuity. sometimes they'll sort of fold in black label stuff, but like, it's essentially licensed fanfic.

events: ahh!! the last page says the story continues in a different run!!

2 options:

1) ignore it, stay in your run. there'll be a couple gaps but you'll live, and google is free.

2) google "event-name-here reading order". this will give you lists that will tell you which comics to read in which order. sometimes the order they came out in is not the best reading order. some events flow better than others. also, there will be "core" issues and "tie-ins". core issues are the Main Storyline, not skippable, (if you don't want to be confused). tie-ins are character-specific, so important for that character but if you don't care about them, those issues will be skippable.

there is no wrong choice. you can change your mind, decide you want to read the event, or lose interest in the event and stick with your current run.

concurrent runs: what should you do if there are multiple runs you want to read that came out at the same time while they were being published?

again, two options.

1) read them in the order they were released. the easiest way to do this is to read month by month, so read all the issues that came out in May of X year, then June, so forth. you'll basically be simulating keeping up with current comics as they release.

2) pick a title, read it to the end, start the next one. this will have you essentially cycling through the same period from start to finish a few times, but honestly there's a lot going on in comics and outside of events where they cross-over, there isn't too much overlap, so it doesn't feel super repetitive. at least to me. plus, if you've read the event, you don't need to re-read it every time you hit it, imo. this is how i do it actually. i mean, current comics, i read the runs i'm following as they release, but for backlog, i stick to one title at a time. if i'm feeling fancy, i might read one run up to a certain point, then switch titles, then switch back, but i am max switching between 2. an example of this is actually what i'm doing rn. i read batgirl 2000 up to issue #11 (or 12?) and then switched to Batman: Gotham Knights, which is what I'm currently reading. why? B:GK starts after B2000, and i couldn't pick, so i split the difference and went semi-chronological.

finally, there's no pressure. by which i mean, you don't need to speed run. especially if you don't have a ton of free time, don't worry about being the most efficient reader, always reading runs that'll give you the most bang for your buck according to other people, etc. i mean also, there is just. so. much. content. you cannot sprint your way through, this is a marathon at best, a leisurely jog, ideally.

looking at the sheer amount of content out there was super overwhelming to me, even though i wanted to read it. it's not a quick task, so it felt impossible. like even if i finished one run, well, that was just a drop in the bucket, i'd made barely any progress in the grand scheme of things. that was paralyzing.

i ended up mocking up a list for myself of what i thought of as "key" runs. this was still an ambitious list, but like tailored to my interests. as i read/saw posts, if a title not on this list sounded interesting, i stuck it on my tbrl list. (to be read later). that was essentially me going, 'hey, this looks interesting, but my plate is full rn, so i'll save it for later.' i didn't add runs from my tbrl to my key list as i went, i focused on working through my keys first.

within my keys, i just bounced all over the place. the order made sense to me, lmao, and probably no one else. it was a very loose, "follow this character chronologically". except for dick i read him all wonky, mainly bc i started with N52, skipped some N52 to get to Rebirth, skipped some Rebirth (*cough* Ric era *cough*), switched characters, then came back to Dick, bounced to NTT, practically bounced right back off it bc the transistion from modern to 80's comic was ROUGH, went and Grayson (N52), forced myself to adjust to older comics, then went through chronologically until i hit dick!bats era bc i'd read a solid chunk of it between reading for Tim and Damian. i share all this only to say, you can read however, it'll work out.

if you're curious, it took me six months to read my whole "key" list. almost to the day, funnily enough. i don't remember the exact number, but i think it was like north of 700+ comics at least? tbh, i didn't feel like i'd read all that many comics but based off some conversations i've had, maybe it is? i have no frame of reference. operating under the assumption that that is a lot of comics, i feel like it's important that you know a) i have a ton of free time, and b) i read very fast.

set zero expectations for yourself time-wise. it's not a race, no one is judging you. don't be an idiot like me and try to calculate how long it will take you to read X amount of comics either, okay HAHA. context: when i started Robin 1993, the fact that it was 195 issues was massively intimidating. the longest run i'd read so far was 30. i averaged out my comics per day, lowballed to give myself breathing room and nearly cried bc it was going to take me 20 days (3 whole weeks!!!) to read the whole thing and that felt like an eternity. i ended up reading it in 5 days. (i was HOOKED.) on the complete opposite end of things, i started Batman: Gotham Knights...a month ago? maybe two. i'm still on #18, bc life got busy.

bottom line, you've no real idea how long it will take you to read anything, let alone your whole wish list, and it really doesn't matter how long it takes you, as long as, say it with me, you're having fun!!

god i feel annoying.

okie dokie!! i think that covers all the dilemmas i remember having, but if i missed anything, feel free to send in another ask!

BRUCE WAYNE:

Post-Crisis only bc everywhere else is just #1

Batman 1940 #404

Detective Comics 1937 #568.

DICK GRAYSON:

Dick's og robin days are allllll Pre-Crisis. i'm not sure which issues he comes in tbh. if you don't read want to start in Pre-Crisis, (valid, wise imo), most robin!Dick content is going to come from flashback storylines. but there are some robin!Dick comics that are solid, contained stories that are not Pre-crisis. not an exhaustive list but:

Robin: Year One

Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet

Batman- One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze

and then for Dick as Nightwing, it's a lil tricky bc technically that starts in The New Teen Titans 1980. You could start at #1, or #42, which is the Judas Contract storyline where Nightwing debuts. (The title's name switches to Tales of the Teen Titans, it's the same run.)

However, if you're not interested in reading a team book, valid, then you have:

Nightwing 1995 (technically comes before the main run, this was a 4 issue prequel mini)

Nightwing 1996, start at #1. Now, if you stick with this run, there are 2 stories that are part of it but were done separately as minis so for whatever reason, on DCUI at least, they're not in the order, but you'd read Nightwing/Huntress after Nightwing #18, and then Nightwing: The Target after Nightwing #60 i believe.

Or, Nightwing: Year One. This is part of the Nightwing 1996 run, but has been collected separately, so you could start here, i suppose.

JASON TODD

okay so technically, he does not lead a title until N52. but obvs, he has relevant comics before that.

i would not personally recommend starting with UTRH. like, if that's what you want to read, valid, do what you want. but also, if you're willing to read 9-23 comics beforehand, i truly think you will appreciate/enjoy UTRH way more. bc like they just make the overall drama/angst that much more, yk? like okay if UTRH is chicken breast, you could just cook it as is and eat it. but unseasoned chicken just does not hit the way it could. add a lil salt + pepper, bam, big diff. add some legit seasoning?! now you're cooking. does that make sense?

actually okay hmm. i loathe to be prescriptive and give orders, but here, i'll lay out what i consider to be the Bare Minimum (salt and pepper) + the Crash Course (legit seasoning). no wrong choice!

Bare Minimum (9 Comics before you read UTRH):

A Death in the Family

A Lonely Place of Dying

Crash Course (23 Comics before you read UTRH):

Batman #408- 409

Detective Comics #569-571, 573-574

Batman #416, 424-425

A Death in the Family

New Teen Titans #55

A Lonely Place of Dying

Batman: Gotham Knights #43-45 (45 is the important one imo, but like it will make a lil more sense if you start at 43)

if you want to read the entirety of his og run as Robin, that would be Batman #408-425, and Detective Comics #568-#582. if you want like a whole ass breakdown of all his appearances in chronological order, check this godsend of a resource out.

and again, not to tell you what to do, but New52 Red Hood and the Outlaws is um. i'll be nice. i did not enjoy it. is it worth reading if you love Jason? honestly yeah. but i wouldn't start there, that's all i'm saying.

CASSANDRA CAIN:

Very simple!! She first appears in Batman, during the No Man's Land arc, so her issues there would be Batman #567-569, and then Batgirl 2000.

she gets deleted in the New 52 launch, (boo tomato, tomato), and isn't brought back until Batman and Robin: Eternal. then she co-lead a recent (Rebirth) Batgirls run with Steph. lots going on in B&R:E, would not recommend as a starting point.

TIM DRAKE:

Alright, honestly, with Tim all your best jumping on points are Post-Crisis. N52 Teen Titans is whack, I have yet to revisit it and power through, and if you've seen my other rec list, yk I'm not a fan of any modern runs he's lead, so i cannot in good conscience, rec those as starting points. Detective Comics Rebirth, i've heard, is solid, but a) i still haven't read it yet unfortunately, and b) he like dies. "dies". not very far in. and then, consequentially, is not present for a hot minute. so.

but anyways! you do have options in Post-Crisis!!

A Lonely Place of Dying. his intro!!

his official like debut as Robin is Batman #457, but he is in Batman comics that take place between aLPoD and #457.

Robin 1991. this is the first of 3 mini-series that take place before Tim's main run. i accidentally skipped them bc i didn't know they existed whoops

Robin 1993. his main run! the longest Robin title to run so far.

technically, Young Justice 1998 is also an option, if you're interested in the team. I started reading this after Robin #120, read the whole run, then went back to Robin. see advice on concurrent runs below.

Stephanie Brown:

tbh, not a great starting character. not because she isn't great!! she's just very much so a side character until she gets her own run, Batgirl 2009, but there is so much going on in that time-period (Bruce is dead, Dick is Batman, etc.), that like it's not super beginner friendly imo. and then they delete her when they do New 52, she gets brought back in Batman Eternal if i'm remembering correctly? And then she and Cass lead a recent (Rebirth) Batgirls run.

ik her first appearance is in Batman, although i don't know exactly which issue. she's in Robin 1993 a lot, ofc. she's also in Batgirl 2000 here and there. basically, you'll have to do some hunting and moving around if you just want to follow Steph. i do not know those issues by heart, someone somewhere has probably listed them. re: google is your friend!!

Duke Thomas:

okay so. ik he first appears at some point in the N52 Batman run, don't know the exact issue, but i'm pretty positive it's an event of some kind, could be wrong. then he is the main in a team book, We Are Robin. then i think he's a side character in Batman/Detective Comics mainly? he has a mini-series, Batman and The Signal.

i have not read his first appearance yet, i have read We Are Robin. i hesitate to say that he's not a great character to start with bc i'm pretty sure DC created him to like attract new readers, which should imply that he's a good starting character?? but like stuff is weiiiird where he comes in, Bruce is not Batman bc he doesn't have his memories (idk why yet, haven't read yet), Jim Gordon is Robo-Batman- weird. very confusing place to start, i would imagine. which is a bummer bc like, Duke is fantastic. love him. cannot wait to read more. unfortunately, there are just some characters who's existence necessitates a lot of context. i like to think they're worth the wait, though!

Damian Wayne:

he is the trickiest to hop in on imo, out of the "main" members. he is also a character who's existence necessitates context. you can def crash course him though, to an extent. honestly, with any characters that came in towards the end of Post-Crisis or later, being okay with confusion is like extra important, if you want to start with them.

2/3 of Damian's first 3 major appearances are events. i read Dami later on in my comics journey, so by then i was like, pshh, event nbd. i also read him chronologically, so i could be biased, but i do think that is best. however, yk, go for what interests you.

Post Crisis:

Batman #655-658, then The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, then Battle for the Cowl.

Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn. Dick!Bats + officially Robin Damian

New 52:

Batman and Robin. He's going to die. He will be resurrected. Then, Robin: Son of Batman.

Rebirth:

Super Sons

Robin

ofc, this doesn't cover everyone, but i hope this is enough to get you started!! i realize that this is long-ass post, i'm sorry i couldn't be more concise. i sincerely hope this was helpful/made stuff less intimidating, and if i failed in that regard, i'm so sorry.

i hope you have so much fun!! my ask box will always be open, and so are my dms if you have any more questions or want to freak out about comics :)

[plentifulbounteee]

I dont think I have the skill necessary to write fanfiction so heres my thoughts on Dick and Jason and how I would write them if I could. Okay here goes nothing.

12 year old Jason meets batman the traditional way (by getting caught trying to get his tires off the batmobile) and now he is suddenly in a world of abundance and comfort. Jason is now the son of a rich and powerful man and that causes some insecurities to flare up. He is distrustful and suspicious of Bruce initially. Jason doesn't realize that Bruce-still reeling from Dicks absence- saw tiny Jay trying to jack his tires and all he thought was "this is a small child with no home and no one to take care of him...hmm I have a home and my nest is empty, must have small child". Doesn't see that for the first few months Bruce sees an echo of Dick in all the little gestures that Jason makes (his head tilts when he's confused, his eyes sparkle when he's excited, his nose flares when he's irritated) but over time Bruce sees the ways that Jason is not Dick (he's quieter than Bruce would expect, he'll find Jason the library before he finds him in the all purpose gym, Jason hoards food like hes preparing for a war)and now he has to learn to parent a child who is "not Dick" which would be easier if Bruce would allow his heart to do the thinking for him in this one regard. There's trials and tribulations, but overall, Jason eventually feels safe and cared for, if not especially loved in the Wayne household (not that Brice didnt love Jason, he is just reeeeeeeally bad at communicating his feelings). After some time, Bruce starts training Jason to become Robin, and Jason takes to it easily and with joy. Cue the "robin gives me magic" vibes.

*Enter Dick stage left*

Dick is already Nightwing, so his visits are sporadic, but Jason can tell when he's at the manor because the atmosphere changes. There's tension between Dick and Bruce that Jason doesn't wholly understand and having Dick around is a double-edged sword. If Dick isn't dismissive and almost outright cold to Jason, he's full on yelling and fighting with Bruce. Their fights get so bad that it triggers Jason's anxiety to the point of needing to hide somewhere "safe" in the manor (usually his favorite nook in the library or at Alfreds side in the kitchen). It's weeks of this before, one day, Dick bangs his hand down on the table from frustration at something Bruce says when Jason flinches hard enough to drop the cookie he's eating. Right as they both turn to him, Jason is already out of his chair mumbling an apology before almost running out of the room. He can barely take having Bruce's stare in normal circumstances, but having both the Batman and Nightwing glares on him is too much. Dick stares after him, guilt churning in his stomach before he stands to go after him, ignoring Bruce's stern call of his name.

After looking for almost a half hour (he even tried to ask Alfred, only to receive an unimpressed eyebrow arch as a response), before he finds Jason curled up in the furthest corner of his nook, staring out the window and ignoring Dicks approach. Dick isn't shy by any means by he's almost bashful as he apologizes to Jason for seeing him like that and how he's been allowing his feelings about Bruce to get in the way of them being brothers. He explains what Robin means to him and how Bruce didn't have the right to take something that was Dicks birthright and give it to another, especially without Dicks knowing. Jason understands, and the brother bonding begins.

Even with things still being tense with Bruce, Dick's attention is Jason's favorite thing outside of being Robin. Dick smiles easily, teases and jokes with him like a big brother would, helps with homework, gives advice when asked, but what gets Jason is Dicks tactility. It's hard not to notice when Jason is now used to head ruffles, shoulder pats, and the occasional hug from Bruce. Dick would grab him around the waist and swing him around as a greeting whenever he comes by, would lean into his side as Jason makes them sandwiches for lunch in the kitchen, would run his hand through his hair as he passes behind Jason sitting on the couch, would lay his head in Jason's lap as Jason reads curled up in his-now their- nook in the library. It's a level of warmth Jason hasn't had since his mother and he basks in the attention.

Dick is busy running Bludhaven and the Titans, but he tries his best to make time for his Little Wing. Within the first week of meeting the Titans, Jason never wants to go home again. They all spoil him relentlessly, much to Dick's dismay:

(Donna keeps picking him up and flying him around the tower "Donna please that's too high, are you sure you're holding him securely? Lets maybe fly over this mound of pillows I totally didnt erect in my paranoia. Hmmm? What do you mean I'm mothering him how dare you he's just a baby-Jason I know you're 14 don't yell at me I'm only trying to keep you safe, Donna you said no loopty loops you promised"-Roy helps him make his own trick arrows "Jason this one shoots acid, whyyyy did Roy let you make this, HOW did you make this? Nvm no you can't take it with you, do you want B to kill us both? Yes you can have it back whenever you come to the tower UNDER SUPERVISION, no you can't make one that explodes, Jason I swear to god..." - Wally challenges Jason to way too many eat offs as not-so-well hidden attempts to put meat on his bones "16 wally. 16 freaking Chilli dogs are you clinically insane? No no I don't care if they're his favorite, he's puking his guts out in our bathroom and I have to take him to that gala with B in an hour, Jason hush you're still going, oh youre dying? well whose fault is that Little Wing? Wally I will literally kill you if you say I'm a mother one more time"- and Garth makes sure that the sea life know and recognize Jason as their own "Garth! Garth where is Jason? What do you mean he's still playing with the whales it's been 2 hours and 42 minutes since he's been on land, Garth he's probably a prune by now tell em to bring him back, stop mocking me are you mocking me, I'll eat a fish stick right now don't play with me bring him back NOW") but Dick wouldn't have it any other way. Having people love on Jason the way he deserves is all Dick wants for his little brother.

Over time Jason improves as Robin and Dick softens enough that his relationship with Bruce starts to improve as well. He goes out nearly every night with Bruce and Batman and Robin are an iconic duo, but inwardly Jason feels his best self is when he's under the tutelage and careful eye of Nightwing. There is a level of freedom that Dick allows Jason, his opinions are accepted more readily without fear of judgement or shut down and rapport comes easily, barbs and jokes flowing readily between them.

But that's not to say that Dick isn't a tough mentor because he is. First protege of Batman and Dick shows it in his ability to lead and his serious approach to heroism. He lets Jason have more freedom, but he also reigns him in with gentle/firm words. He listens to Jason's opinions, but he also offers rebuttals and will shut down an idea if it's too dangerous or reckless. Jason, being sensitive to criticism and with a Batman sized chip on his shoulder, tends to bite back more harshly than he should and sometimes it evolves into arguments that start out as a simple back and forth but turns to hurtful barbs being thrown at each other. At the end of the day, they're a 14 and 19 year old and sometimes they act like it :

"I totally had that guy Wing!" "Little wing he almost shot you, you can't just jump out like that you need to be more careful!" "Be more careful Jason, Be less reckless Jason, be more like Dick Jason! It's never good enough for you is it? The golden boy is always right huh?" "That's not what I said, you're acting like a spoiled brat!" "Whatever Dickface I don't need to take your shit" "Language and don't forget you little jerk, you came to ME remember?" "Oh round of applause for the good Samaritan everybody! Dickwing the savior helping out the street trash like a good boy! Make sure you dont let the street rat do too well or daddy bats might not ever love you again" "Yeah and maybe I'll just leave the 'street rat' right here and go about my business since you've got it all figured out right?You've been Robin for not even a year and almost got shot in the face tonight, but yeah you're a professional. Maybe next time you won't have Nightwing or Batman to save you, you'll just be a smear on the road and a bad memory" and sometimes it leads to them walking away from each other, both upset but too stubborn to apologize first with wounds festering...

But there are times where the apology consists of this: Jason will wait until dark and everyone is in their rooms for the night before making his way downstairs to bake Dick's favorite cookies. He'll make his way back upstairs and after knocking quietly and hearing Dicks soft reply, he'll enter Dicks room and silently place his offering on the nightstand by Dick's bed, Dick watching without comment. After, they'll just stare at each other, Dick's eyes measuring while Jason stares back, defiant even in his apology before Dick's face breaks into a small smile and he picks up a cookie and everything is forgiven.

Or this: Dick will wait until he's calmed down enough to finally make his way to Jason, who has holed himself in his room (the library is neutral territory, a place where no arguments or disagreements are allowed) to sulk. With all the audacity of an elder sibling, he will open the door without knocking and then full on tackle Jason on his bed which always leads to angry wrestling-Jason screaming bloody murder meanwhile- which leads to not-as-angry tickling which leads to cuddling in whatever sprawled out heap they end in. Jason will huff and call Dick annoying but he melts into the embrace every time.

It's through these encounters that they strengthen their bond into something damn near unbreakable and they become inseparable. Whenever Dick visits the manor, he beelines for Jason immediately, regardless of if hes there on a mission for Bruce or not. Whenever he's with the Titans, he's checking his phone for any texts or calls from his Little Wing:

"Dude your son is fine" " Shut it Wally" " Whose son? Oh, Dick? Are you still tracking his field trip?" "He's not my son, mind your business, and yes I am because he refused to tell me where he's going on this mysterious field trip-" "Gee can't imagine why-" "Donna you said you were on my side-" "and isn't it concerning that there is a side to be on?" "Guys please!"

Jason soaks up the attention like a flower first introduced to the sun. One of the first things he tells the few friends he makes in school is about his big brother. "Yeah did you know Dick could be in the Olympics? That asshole can do a quadruple flip with his eyes closed and bring home the gold but noooooo he doesn't want the publicity" "Chess? Nah I'm good but you should see my brother play, he's always one upping those old guys at the park, he's so good". He does this to Bruce too which totally doesn't make Bruce a little jealous. "Hey Dad, I'm going to see Dick this weekend" " You know you could stay home sometimes, we could watch one of those movies you like Jaylad" "No can do old man, Dick finally agreed to let me spar with Donna I can't miss it" "You're really leaving me just to go spar?" "To spar with DONNA, B there's a difference" "...if you want more advanced training I can maybe call wonderwo-" "Hold that thought B, Dick is calling- Sup dickface miss me yet? Yeah yeah I know what to bring, MOM, I'm not a baby-"

And that's the other thing that develops. It started as a joke between them, something that the Titans started way back when Jason first started visiting.

Jason calls Dick "Mom".

The jokes and the teasing over the years finally solidified into this thing between them. Jason doesn't say it often, and sometimes it's just a thought in his head, but for all intents and purposes, in his heart of hearts, there is no one more deserving of the title than Richard Grayson. There will be times where Dick is seeing Jason off to bed and as he ruffles his hair and kisses his forehead, Dick will hear a quiet "night mom" before Jason turns away to head off to his room. Times where Dick will finish saying something that'll have Jason's eyes rolling but a fond "okay mom geez" will tumble from his lips. Times where the nightmares stray a little too close to home and Dick is holding his bruised heart in his hands, vulnerability broadcasted in the way he holds himself so tightly-too tightly- to let anyone else ease the hurt but Jason squeezes through the cracks of stubbornness and frigidity with a soft "it's okay mom, I'm right here, it's okay" and will hold Dick til it passes, even if it takes all night.

These are moments Dick holds close to his heart, moments he hoards earnestly and tenderly. By this time Dick has learned about Catherine Todd, about Jason's love of his mother and how it endured almost everything,even Willis, but her drug addiction. Learns that "mom" can bind Jason in ways nothing, not even the approval of Batman, can. Learns that he holds something more fragile and volatile than a bomb and even more devastating. Luckily, Dick is the type to hold on to things, to people, so now when he hold his Little Wing he sometimes hears the echoes of 2 screams and a hard thud on a cold circus floor and thinks "this time my grip will be infallible".

[minmodulation]

The Big Scene (Heavenly Delusion / Tengoku Daimakyo Analysis + Spoilers)

Content Warning: Sexual Assault, Abuse

Full version here:

The 32-34 series of chapters in Tengoku Daimakyo have reached almost parody-creepypasta levels of in spoiler-filled comment sections all across the world wide information superhighway. After painfully poring over the scenes themselves countless times, I decided to do this write-up.

The chapters were initially published on Christmas to great controversy even in Japan, inviting countless readers to criticize and bash the arc. But why would the author publish such risky, risque, explicit scenes "out of nowhere" in a fun sci-fi adventure romp series that definitely has no related themes of sexuality or identity going on elsewhere in the story?

To properly analyze the controversial Robin Inazaki arc, we must understand Kiruko's character first.

Examples of Insecure Attachment Behavior

Frequent bouts of inconsolable crying, difficulty regulating own emotions

Being fearful of abandonment

Being overly clingy with parents/caregivers as a child

Being overly clingy in romantic relationships or friendships as an adult

Masking emotions

Coming across as extremely independent

Low self-esteem

Refusing to ask for help, pushing away others instead of allowing them to get close

Hesitant to become intimate with other people

With that out of the way, let's begin.

Hero Complex

Kiruko's entire reason for existing is to be a "Bodyguard" - literally their career for the last 5 years, and what they tried to be when they were Haruki. To be a bodyguard is to be Useful in a transactional, secure way. To Kiruko, being loved is transactional. As an orphan, Haruki was clearly looking for guidance, and seems to have attached himself to Robin psychologically. As a father figure, as a big brother, as a gang leader, as a friend. And he didn't want to start fighting to protect others or his sister, but specifically to impress Robin alone, to get his attention and respect. He idolizes him, and has heavenly delusions about him that will surely be shattered eventually.

As Kiruko, she quotes him routinely over and over in every arc preceding the Robin chapters, imitating how he fights at the arcade, telling Maru all the bits of advice she picked up from him. In a way, she thinks about Robin more than she ever thinks of or even mentions Kiriko. She even copies how he dresses, by asking for his signature jacket. Is this just a simple Aniki Admiration situation? What other older sibling does Haruki have that he has strong feelings for?

However, things rarely turn out the way she hopes as she tries to be cooly independent - when the situation turns dire, Kiruko desperately screams out for help. This destroys her whole reason for existing, her entire identity. Robin never asks for help. If she can't be like Robin, who can she be? If she has to be protected, why should she even exist? What use is a man who can't fight and protect others? What use is a boy who cries so heavily? Where does this complex even come from? What happened during Haruki, Kiriko, and Robin's time growing up together? We only get a brief flashback of their life together, and not even a single scene with all of them in the same room.

After Maru confesses again after the assault, promising to "Protect her", Kiruko throws his words back and says her existence is worthless if she has to be protected. She's "The Bodyguard", after all. This is similar to her previous "rejection" on the boat - where she simply said "I'm a guy", without actually responding to Maru at all or telling him she doesn't like him. Keeping people at arm's length is her specialty as a bodyguard.

Reminder that her flashback on the boat was not a "canon" objective story as told by the "narrator", but a uniquely subjective story told by a character in-plot for a specific purpose - to scare Maru away from loving her ("KEEP OUT", the non-locked locked door says), and also testing his dedication and resolve as insecure people always do (she does the same when asking Maru about Mikura). The fact that she forgot she used to cry heavily as a child should tell the audience that she's likely forgetting other details about her childhood as well, and what we know of what Haruki was "really like" until we meet an objective third party from back when he was a kid. For all intensive porpoises, Kiruko barely seems to even know herself. She insists she only "looked up to Robin" and didn't like him romantically to Maru, however...

The Kiss That Wasn't

The real controversial point here is that Kiruko not only viewed Robin as a masculine idol figure to try and imitate and get the respect of, but also as a romantic figure. It's unknown where these romantic feelings started - were they always there even as Haruki but got confused by gender, or did they only start becoming as such after becoming Kiruko influenced by Kiriko's residual feelings for Robin - but nevertheless, they're there and very apparent. If she loved one older sibling, it's not too much of a stretch to love the other. If Haruki was originally a girl all along, many readers would suspect she was a "bro-con" in a similar way with how she talks about him and reacts.

In a pivotal page in 32, Robin whispers seductively into Kiruko's ear, calling her "Haruki" repeatedly, holding her shoulder softly, instantly switching up his aggressive behavior from before. We then get a rare, once-in-a-series possible shot of Haruki's inner consciousness, still as male Haruki, crying with a look of what looks like relief or happiness. She seems to be lost in though, muttering Robin's name, then turns to him expecting to be kissed and embraced (as matched with the previous Tarao/Tokio attempted and rejected kiss), but he turns away and says "No" as he's covered in menacing shadow, beyond her reach. Love rejected.

Not only is Kirukos behavior here telling, but Robin's is too. He was deliberately baiting Kiruko/Haruki into reacting like this in order to emotionally reject and hurt her, as if he knew she would try to turn towards him expecting a kiss, almost as if he's done something like this before.

Perhaps this is some of Kiriko, a likely former lover of Robin, coming out and taking over Kiruko's identity already and transforming her former platonic admiration feelings into some kind of confused romantic ones instead. Or maybe there's a hidden part of Haruki's past she doesn't remember, where he was sexually abused in similar ways. Regardless, this is the moment Kiruko's spirit truly breaks. Robin forces her again to look in the mirror and dissociate as he says he has "something to take care of" with Kiriko.

A full rejection of her mind and body as Kiruko. Even her new name isn't acknowledged, even though it's the name the receptionists told Robin to set up the meeting, so he knows about it. Robin doesn't want Haruki, or Kiruko - he just wants Kiriko's body.

Escape

Although Kiruko was first bound by metal handcuffs, at some undetermined time over the 2-3 days of the assault, they were replaced with easily removed ropes instead, which she pulls apart the instant she sees Maru arrive. So, why didn't she attempt to escape prior?

From the author Ishiguro's own words,

"As for chapter 33 of Tengoku Daimakyou, I wrote the story wanting readers to think 'Why didn’t Kiruko run when able to?', so I would be happy if readers try think about Kiruko’s feelings."

-Masakazu Ishiguro

One might postulate about various practical concerns for why she might not have escaped - there are armed guards, she's not physically capable, etc., but the author points out that it's primarily about her feelings.

Wanting to just simply obey can at least make Kiruko feel useful to the man she once respected and loved. An abused child may resort to being treated more like a pet, an object, or even an experiment, if they think they can at least get some form of love out of it from their otherwise cold and uncaring parents.

Mercy

Probably the biggest source of criticism over the scene comes from Kiruko begging Maru to not kill Robin as he brutally beats him into the concrete. If a villain does something so evil as raping our hero, something worse than even genocide (The Rumbling...), they should be punished accordingly by being murdered. That's why fictional stories exist! To impart proper moral lessons about crime and punishment when it rarely ever happens in the real world!

Most of these complaints are given by childish readers who want a simple "Rape Revenge" story, where sexual assault only happens to give a masculine hero figure just-cause to freely murder someone in a thrilling fulfilling action scenario, usually rescuing a damsel princess. While a very good series and scene, the Eclipse rape of Casca in Berserk is an infamous example all such seinen scenes inevitably get compared to. Griffith starts assaulting Casca as Guts is pinned down and forced to watch, as he screams out Griffith's name in a bloodthirsty roar.

So, what was Casca feelings during this scene? What was her perspective? She doesn't really matter here, does she, any more than a prop for a revenge story - even if the message may ultimately be that Revenge Is Wrong. Some readers even resent her for possibly "enjoying" it, betraying the reader's - Guts' - own romantic feelings for Casca, the androgynous tomboy.

Tengoku, however, places the "POV" squarely in the mind and eyes of the victim themselves, even seeing inside her consciousness. To force readers into the perspective and body of the "Female MC", even as an androgynous tomboy, they feel a sense of betrayal from the author. They start immediately trying to identify with Maru instead, as he aimlessly wanders outside for days wondering what to do. They want to Beat Up The Villain and Kill Him. But Kiruko says No.

How many abused children or partners of abusive loved ones are able to simply kill their abusers? How many lifetimes does it take for most abuse victims to even admit they were abused in the first place? Even if they hate their abuser with a burning rage, they also feel guilt for hating someone they're "supposed to love", ashamed that they could be "such a bad child/partner", and so on. The emotional manipulation of familial abuse is what sets it apart from strangers abuse.

The Robin Inazaki arc is sandwiched inbetween the Juiichi and Helm revenge stories for a reason. Both side characters get their revenge by murdering their abusers / betrayers in the end, in some glorious fulfillment of a revenge fantasy over people they had no real emotional connection with. But like the rest of the series has shown, from even the Innlady battery scene, Kiruko and Maru are more moral than most, and more sentimental than many (Kiruko cries almost every chapter). Kiruko cannot bring herself to want to murder her abuser or bring her companion to murder him either. This is only natural. Maru having an untapped lust for fighting and being ferociously strong (Arcade fight, Walled City street fight, Michika fight) might come into play as a potential hazard for their relationship later.

Mirrors

Potentially the most shocking and disturbing part of the assault is Robin's deliberate and pointed attempt to psychologically torture Kiruko, as opposed to using physical violence. Robin turns her to a mirror, and in a dazed shock, she can't see herself - she can only see "Sis".

It's the type of scene you don't see in many published manga - or published fiction in general. Probably only in something like Oshimi Shuzo's works, or niche erotica. The gender bending twist as well as the "cheating" angle adds a lot of controversial bait to the mix, as Kiruko dissociates into the mirror as Haruki again, to "watch Kiriko's body" from the reflection. This is a targeted attack on her Hero Complex to protect others but being too weak to do so, and likely also Robin bragging about how he slept with Kiriko while Haruki was in the same room back when they were growing up. It's also targeted sexual emasculation, with clear power plays of an adult masculine muscled male showboating how much more powerful he is over the weaker younger "male".

This isn't of course the first time we see Kiruko with mirrors in a sexual manner - one of her introductory scenes in Volume 1 is all about sexually admiring herself - or Kiriko's self - in the mirror, setting the tone for an undercurrent theme of intimate sexuality, identity, and self-reflection in the midst of a strange sci-fi mystery story. Even in the hospital after the surgery, she discovered her new reality by looking into a mirror. Someone who can't trust or be intimate with others will have to find some outlet for intimacy, even if it's staring at a mirror at themselves and their own past life memories (sister), not to other people or the future (Maru).

She stops referring to herself as Haruki after the assault as well, tearing up her old photo of her old boy self with Robin -0 the two concepts are inextricably linked. There is no "Haruki" without "Robin" in Kiruko's mind. Note also where Robin's hand is held in an usual way in their iconic photograph together, hovering over Haruki's chest where Kiruko's future breasts will be. Haruki's identity was tied together with some kind of deeper sexually-tinged abusive complex relating to Robin, and she's making roads to try and separate from him - but not completely, just yet. She's still wearing his jacket, after all.

But instead of just looking at the surface level of the glass, who is Kiruko actually "mirroring"? Why did she start wearing Robin's jacket and obsessing so much to impress him? How much of her psychological complexes is about trying to mask and imitate others to compensate for what she feels are her own extreme inadequacies? Self-reflection is a one way street, and other people need to interfere every so often to interrupt the feedback loop.

To sum up, Kiruko uses mirrors three pivotal times in the series so far:

After waking up in the hospital, saying "Sis…"

In the innhouse, where she tries to kiss her reflection

When Robin forces her to look in one, and she only sees "Sis…"

Will Kiruko someday be able to look into a mirror, and not be able to see her sister anymore, but finally recognize her own reflection as Kiruko herself? Will it be tragic for her, joyful, or bittersweet? Only time will tell.

Kiriko

Following the assault, Kiruko gets lost in thought and suddenly recollects some of what she assumes is Kiriko's residual memories "from her body". The image she sees is of Haruki sleeping, with the text "Haruki always sleeps really well, so..." leaving most fans to assume Kiriko and Robin were having sex in the same room while Haruki was sleeping. In episode 3, an anime-only scene was dropped of two people holding hands on a bed - suggesting something similar. Robin's taunting using the mirror suitably fits this angle as well.

She seems to consider, and LOVE the idea, that she might actually be becoming Kiriko, as if her sister's memories will eventually overtake Haruki/Kiruko's own identity itself. As she mostly loses Robin as a figure to imitate, she switches to another older sibling figure to mirror - Kiriko herself. It would essentially become a way for her to bring her sister back from the dead, by becoming her idolized big sister entirely. Perhaps this is what Robin's so-called psychological "experiment" was for? Will Kiruko eventually sacrifice "herself" for the sake of bringing her sister back, considering her own extreme low self-worth? What will Maru think about that? Is Kiruko trying to embody her former big sister and be with Maru, to live out Haruki's former fantasy of being with his older sister in a role-reversal?

Another question: Did Haruki subconsciously know of Robin and Kiriko's relationship, and thus attempt to try to become either like Robin to be in his place with Kiriko, or to become Kiriko so she can be in her place together in a relationship with Robin?

Maru

After the assault, her image of Maru becomes slightly distorted, almost idolizing him as some pure angelic figure - just like it was with Robin, and possibly even concerning Kiriko - and hating herself all the more. She also tries passing him off to Helm "for his own good", failing miserably. He's simply too dedicated to her. As he said on the riverside, Maru loves Kiruko completely and unconditionally - not as Haruki, or Kiriko, but her unique new self, whoever that is.

Kiruko can't understand unconditional love, however. She always has to provide a service, or be useful, or have a "mission", to justify being with someone, even Maru ("Finding Heaven" "Being a Bodyguard"). If her abilities are threatened (loses her gun, etc), what will happen to her? So while she rejects Maru's proposal to protect her, she still grows closer and closer to him regardless.

While they've flirted throughout the series, it was more as teasing gestures here and there, while after volume 6, they're more directly affectionate and even physical (which was always from Maru's side before). It's a minor shift, but a shift nonetheless. She's still very insecure and 'testing the waters', and is still too ashamed to say or do anything too directly, or else risk rejection. Even the slightest expression is enough to make her apologize or feel rejected.

For Kiruko, Maru has officially become her new "focus" in life as of recent chapters - hopefully, this will work out for the best for the both of them, as developments always do in Tengoku Daimakyo! I'm sure nothing can possiblie go wrong. What are Shiro and Mimihime up to these days again?

Why did it happen? (or, "what the fuck did I just read")

Why did Ishiguro sensei put in this random extremely disturbing arc in the middle of such a fun-loving adventure story, where everyone has happy endings and nobody ever gets betrayed? Is he just like, some fucked up guy?

The fact that Kiruko is a "boy-turned-girl" gender-changed character, being sexually abused in this specific way by her former male idol that she now has confused romantic feelings towards - being dehumanized, repeatedly called her former male name, humiliated and called weak specifically as a male - is something that could only happen to a character like Kiruko, and not a "conventional female" Main Character. This is why many readers who aren't familiar with these specific experiences simply cannot wrap their heads around it, because they lack perspective. This is a major unacknowledged reason why so many readers criticize the arc, because it's weird and kind of 'gay', or something. Why couldn't the sexual abuse have been a bit more mainstream and, like, normal?

The other criticism is that it wasn't followed up properly in later chapters, but what example of SA are they comparing this with? Something in real life, something from another story? Should she have been Casca'd and been brain wiped for 30 years? Is there a "right" way to recover from being abused? Or, maybe there's no right way in "real life", but in "fiction", it should only be depicted a single way in order to promote a particular safe moral message?

4 chapters after the event, the first time we see our duo again has Kiruko riding a broken bicycle, collapsing under her, while refusing Maru's help or support, stubbornly putting on a brave face, and then secretly calling herself trash. The bike is a metaphor for Robin, by the way. This is also how many people deal with escaping from abuse. Not just with constant tears or histrionics or overdramatic PTSD episodes. But terrible, awful, no good coping mechanisms. She doesn't need help. She doesn't need to be protected. She's not good enough to be protected, since to Kiruko, to be protected is to be loved, and to be loved simply makes no sense at all.

The idea that a former boy, turned into a girl, sharing his beloved sister's body, has some kind of strange homoromantic? feelings towards "another man", or maybe even androphilic feelings towards a man as a woman, makes readers uneasy and causes such extreme reactions against the arc. The idea that a victim could have loving feelings towards their abuser is too abhorrent for most to even question, even though that tends to be what keeps victims in a victimized state for so many years through emotional manipulation - like children who love their abusive parents, or partners that love their abusive partners.

Could anything Robin have done achieved the same effect of shattering her idolization of Robin? A purely violent attack? Maybe revealing his experiments to her? Imprisoning her? No, of course not - she might've rationalized other acts in any number of different ways, because Robin was her idol her entire life. It needed to be targeted, direct, and also play on the gender/sexuality themes already inherent in Kiruko's entire characterization. While critics complain about the Robin arc, and say it was "unnecessary" "gratuitous". they rarely shed the same shade on Juiichi's or Helm's arcs detailing extreme sexual abuse of children. The unique flavor of the Robin arcs what people find distasteful - they would be fine with it if it was more "conventional", maybe if he acted more like a Fist of the North Star or Mad Max goon, or didn't play on specific gender and sex and sexuality themes conventional readers find strange and unusual, weird and bizarre, just as they find Kiruko herself deep down. But Strange is the name of the game in Tengoku Daimakyo, and Robin arc was a wake up call to both Kiruko and readers together.

Dangling Threads

There are still many unanswered mysteries involving Robin Inazaki, so complaints about how "there was no follow-up" make little sense. His Reconstruction ties, his Hiruko + Human combination experiments. Just what was Robin trying to do to Kiruko? Did he really have a relationship with Kiriko? Did he abuse Haruki as well when they were younger? Is Kiruko and Maru's ship going to sail, or crash and burn under her own unhealthy coping mechanisms? Are the owls what they seem? Who shot Mr. Burns? As Kiruko travels over to her old orphanage in Osaka soon and potentially talks with her former Asakusa childhood friends, I'm sure we'll get more answers - and more questions, as well, as always.

See you, bye bye!

[luffyvace]

Hi beautiful. Your writing is just so good. So as request are open I would please request Nico robin x younger brother reader(biologial) thank you so much. Got the idea from the last fic you did with boa x older brother reader. Tbh you should open commsion. Sure people will come runing to you.

AWHH HII! omg robin would be such a good big sister of course i’ll do it!! it’s no problem at all anon!!

OMG that’s the biggest compliment ever!! i’m actually starting to consider this now that i think about it..:) thanks for the idea!

you and chopper twinning fr 🤪

LOLLOL anyways enjoy 😋💗

big sister robin>>

so getting the angst over with

you had each other and no one else for some time when you two were back on ohara

robin always prioritized, protected and loved you

you were the first one that knew her personally and didn’t shove her away

the first one that stuck by her, loving her unconditionally

you two gave each other lots of hugs and kisses on the forehead

as well as cuddling at night

you had a tough life since before you even hit 5

so you showed each other affection all the time to make up for the lack you should be getting from your parents

its sad you realized that at such a young age but you did

of course you had and appreciated the researchers but they weren’t family and they weren’t your parents!

you, robin and saul had good times and he taught you a lot in the short time you spend together before he died

both you and robin were confused when aokiji spared you

as sad as it is you were grateful and lost when he did, knowing you got to live on, but yet you had to do it with nothing left

if your a few years younger than robin, let’s say your 3

robin remembered your mom better than you and she always told you as much as she knew about her

she would buy you toy cars with whatever money she had when she could

she read you to sleep if your had troubles dozing off

she constantly reminded you “mommy will be back soon”

even though a piece of her told her she wouldn’t

that she’d have to step up and raise you herself

OK IMMA STOP PULLING AT YOUR HEART STRINGS NOW AND CUT TO THE FLUFF PART 😭💗💗

ok so time skip!!

robin is still just as motherly as she was back then

although now she can provide for you better!

you play lots of board games and read together

your the one person who can really get her laughing

of course she laughs with the rest of the crew, but with you? even if the joke is unfunny she’ll giggle the day away

which leads me to say she’ll do anything to keep you happy and healthy

she’s very knowledgeable and has taken care of you your entire life

so you go to her about any and everything

it doesn’t matter if it’s relevant or not she’ll listen anyway

sometimes you don’t even have to go to chopper

your tummy hurts? yeah she knows, it’s because you ate those berries she warned you about

what do you do if _____ happens?? oh just ______ that’s happened to her before

shes strong and you admire her for it

if your strong too you make a powerful duo!

devil fruit or not

shes got your back in any fights

and your the one person besides nami she won’t use as a stepping stool when climbing 😋

in fact she helps you up

if your weak or normal strength she always has a eye out for you

does you little favors all the time

need a helping hand?

😊😊😊

i’m so happy with myself for making that joke

if you spill something she’s cleaning it

if your carrying something heavy she’s helping you and supporting your weight

if your cleaning your room she’ll help you sort stuff out

“i told you to clean it a long time ago, you know, m/n”

robin lectures!:)

yup that’s my next topic

shes super motherly/big sisterly

obviously

so you get lectures and lightly scolded for not listening to the all knowing robin’s advice!

lightly, like i said. it’s still in her soothing voice

the last thing she wants is to scare you

she just wants you to listen!

”see? wouldn’t it have been easier if you just ______ like i said?”

”i told you m/n”

*face palm when you end up in a silly predicament*

*sighs and helps you out*

she gives you head pats and sometimes puts a reassuring arm over your shoulder

she gets you things she knows you’d like when she comes across them

just as she did when you were younger💞

if your feeling sad, jealous, angry, etc for any reason she knows

the most observant person on the planet has known you your whole life. 😐

she knows everything.

still kisses you atop your head every night before you got to bed

its so sweet 💖

she can definitely handle if your a more excitable person too

acts like how she does with luffy

smiles and goes along with your silly plans

she’ll help you prank people just because she loves you

but if you try to prank her she anticipates the trap and avoids it

either that or she saw you set it up in the first place, but you didn’t see her 😭

somehow she manages to get you in your own trap when you do that to her

raises her eyebrows and smiles at you knowingly to show you she knew you were trying to prank her

other times she just promises not to say anything to the victim your trying to prank 😊

sometimes leading them to the trap

if your more introverted she won’t mind if you follow her around for peace and quiet

you often read together in silence

or recommend books to each other, swapping when your done

if you get tired she’ll carry you

usually with extra arms

let’s you know when dinner is ready if your too indulged in a book

wants you to get rest when it’s your turn to watch over the ship at night

so sometimes she takes your spot

other times she’ll stay up with you to see the beautiful sunrise

tickles you to make you laugh, she likes seeing you happy

she also knows just what to do to make you smile when your feeling down

just for the record you, chopper, robin and zoro are a group!!! as well as you, franky and robin!♡

if you have a calm and cool demeanor like your older sister robin..!

the straw hats may view you as a older sibling as well

especially chopper

going to you for advice and breaking up fights,

nami will definitely use you for that second one, i must say

another thing:)

you fall asleep with your head resting on her shoulder a lot

she doesn’t move you and will sometimes pat your head or wrap an arm around you

very good at keeping still<3

puts a blanket around you too

will openly give you hugs but most the time you initiate them

i want a hug from robinn

🫂

lucky u

robin best big sister!!

I WANT ROBIN AS MYYY SISTERRRRR;(

she’s such a sweetie♥︎

as always! i hope you enjoyed, anon.

[piedpiperart]

You Could Know Me pt 2

Chapter One

Jason was regretting going to the manor this morning. For one, the whole family was dealing with the League of Assassins again. Unbeknownst to most of them, Ra’s apparently had a pretty big grudge against Tim. Jason was impressed to hear about the whole blowing up all of the league bases, but that isn’t the most important thing here. 

No, the most important thing about this whole thing is that Ra’s was trying to get back at Tim, and Jason had been left with a choice to make. It was Tim, Duke and Jason facing off against an army of highly trained ninjas. Tim was injured, barely able to stand, and the rest of the bats were held up in some sort of trap downtown. Jason never did get the details on that situation. 

No, Jason was too busy trying to keep Tim out of Ra’s hands. Duke, Jason’s new favorite brother, took his advice to get Tim and get out while Jason stayed to take on the ninja horde. At that point, Tim was barely conscious, but Duke was able to use the shadows to sneak away, who wouldn’t have if Tim had been able to make a coherent sentence. Jason hoped they’d gotten to the medbay and were able to figure out a way to save the others before it was too late.

As for Jason, well. He was just now waking up in one of Ra’s’ bases, who knows where, broken ribs on one side and nasty cuts all over. Possibly a concussion too, Jason amended. He took stock of himself, disappointed but not surprised to find most of his equipment gone. No body armor, lockpicks, guns or knives anywhere, much to his discomfort. At least Ra’s couldn’t take away the All Blades, Jason thought wryly. 

Not long after he woke up in the cell, the doors opened. Two assassins stepped into his cell, ordering him to follow. Jason did so, grumbling in displeasure. He knew he wouldn’t be able to make it out of there without his weapons. No, for now he needed to play along, gain some information. He needs to know what Ra’s plans are for Tim, and if he’d managed to capture anyone else during his adventure in Gotham. 

“If it isn’t the Red Hood,”Ra’s drawled when Jason came into view. He’d been led to an absolutely massive room, and much to Jason’s terror he caught sight of a green glowing pool not too far away. “I apologize, I was not quite prepared for you.”

Jason grinned,”Upset about Red Robin foiling your plans again?”

Ra’s didn’t take the bait, instead continued. “It is of no matter. Plans can always be changed.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t sure what Ra’s was playing at, but knew he wouldn’t like it one bit. Looking around, he noticed a few guards around the Lazarus Pits, but looked away to avoid the green glow in his vision. 

“You see, I had wanted Timothy to meet a special someone, and yet, I find myself thinking that you might be a better fit for my plans,”Ra’s said chillingly, tilting his head towards the Pits. 

Meet someone? Jason thought wildly, mind running through all the people closest to Ra’s. “I doubt Tim would be more willing to play your games than me,”Jason scowled. 

“And yet, he is the smarter of the bunch,”Ra’s sighed wistfully in a way that made Jason want to gag,”You see, years ago, around when Timothy was born, there was another child born that caught my attention,”Before Jason could ask where the fuck this story was going, the creepy bastard continued,”I had been surveilling the Bat, as I’m sure you’re aware, when I came across information of a woman leaving a certain Gala. I thought nothing of it at the time, but nine months later she’d given birth to a small child.”

Jason’s mind raced with the possibility of another of Bruce’s bio kids, Ra’s next words made him freeze up,”Imagine my surprise when the child was not of the Bats, but of the birds.” Ra’s dropped, and Jason could barely breathe. 

“You see, Miss Mary Parker had attended the gala and had a bit of a fling with the young Grayson. You know, young love is so fleeting, it was no wonder that the two were horribly intoxicated when they conceived the child. And yet, when her parents found out they had planned to use the child to blackmail billionaire Brucie Wayne.”

“For money?” Jason whispered, in complete shock that Dick had had a whole child as a teen, and the poor girl who was caught between such shitty options. And if the kid was already Tims age that meant Dick was only 16 at most when it happened. Jason felt sick. 

“Naturally, I couldn’t let the Bat become distracted with this matter, at least not yet,”Ra’s smirked, catching Jason’s eye. Jason didn’t even care if he was showing his emotions on his face, this shit was horrible. He hadn’t known Dick had… Jason shook his head. He had to figure out what Ra’s game was. Freak out could come later. “So I had her and her parents killed.”

“The baby went to Miss Parker’s brother and his wife for the time being. The boy was to grow up with his aunt and uncle until I had a use for him,”Ra’s said, beginning to let out a more sadistic grin. “All the more reason for you to be here, I suppose.”

“What do you mean?” Jason drawled carefully. None of this made sense to him, especially when he was still reeling from the shock of the whole thing. 

Ra’s tsked. “You had been changed by the pits, angry, destructive,”The assassin listed. “Imagine your family’s surprise when yet another family member has the same affliction.”

Jason blanched, watching as Ra’s made some sort of signal to a guard, who left the room. “You want to put the kid in the pits? And what, send him to kill his own dad?” 

Ra’s looked at him with a glint in his eye. “I assure you, I have much bigger plans for the boy. For starters, I can’t allow you to leave now that you know about the boy. I can’t imagine they’d cope well with the boy’s backstory, not to mention his current situation. I bet you’d understand quite well how badly that can go, hm?”

Jason gritted his teeth. “And what? You put the kid in the pits and hope he doesn’t go insane?  What’s your plan here, and why would you need me at all?”

Ra’s seemed in the mood to indulge him, and merely answered,”You’re merely here to witness the rebirth of Red Hood’s origin,”He grinned sickly, and Jason lunged for the man, only to be stopped by a total of four assassins holding him back. 

At the same time, the doors at the far wall opened to reveal a small form being dragged between other assassins. Jason watched with horror as he recognized it as a kid, no older than 15 and dressed in torn and bloody civilian clothes and familiar curls on dark brown hair in between the assassins. The kid didn’t move or react at all to being dragged towards the pits, and Jason wanted to rage and run and pull the kid to safety all at once. 

“Young Peter Parker was raised by his aunt and uncle, until his Uncle died by gunshot right in front of him. Quite the coincidence, no? That the Bat’s own parents succumbed to the same fate. Of course, when we retrieved him, his aunt was still protective of the boy, so she had to go as well,”Ra’s stated calmly, like he was talking about the weather. It only made Jason more angry. 

Jason tuned out everything else Ra’s was saying as he struggled, gritting his teeth and watching this poor teenager get stabbed through the chest with a sword and unceremoniously tossed into the pit of glowing green water. Jason couldn’t breathe as he stared at the pools of green, surface still moving from the splash the kid made. Ra’s was going to pay for this, Jason promised himself, over and over for what seemed like hours until a scrawny pale hand breached the surface frantically. 

Letting out a breath of relief and trepidation, Jason shouted at Ra’s as the small boy dragged himself out of the pool of green, coughing and sputtering. His arms were shaking from the strain of holding himself up as he retched onto the ground. Moments later, assassins grabbed hold of him again and he saw the boy go limp in their arms. Jason continued to shout at Ra’s until he was hoarse, not even comprehending what he was saying. 

The rest passed in a daze of anger and fear and past memories as Jason was tossed back in the room disguised as a cell. He paced, yelling and banging on his door. He just wanted to see the kid. Peter. Dick’s son. He needed to make sure the kid was alright, to tell him none of it was his fault, to make sure he wasn’t alone when he woke up. 

Jason sat against the wall with his head between his knees, trying to calm his breathing. He needed to think. If he could get out and get to Peter… He cursed, mind racing with all the stupid shit his family’s been put through and what they’d ended up putting this kid through. 

Jason just hoped the kid would be okay. If he knew his family, they’d make sure of it, one way or another. 

Chapter 3