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marcyvamp1re-blog · 4 months ago

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SILLY LITTLE BAT

pairings ⸺ Yandere! Platonic! Batfamily x Anti-Hero! Fem!reader.

sinopsis ⸺ In the shadowed halls of Wayne Manor, a girl lost among the darkness seeks the connection she never had. Her mother, a kleptomaniac with a broken heart, vanished, leaving only echoes of empty promises. Surrounded by a family that never sees her, her pain turns into a deafening silence. The void left by her past traps her in a limbo of solitude and sorrow.

One dark night, seeking her own way, she became what she once despised. Now, like the albino bat rejected by its own flock, she flies alone in the twilight. Her pale skin glows in the dark, but her heart still yearns for the warmth of a home she never came to know.

warnings ⸺ Dark Themes, Dead, murdering,Disturbing Content, Unhealthy Obsession, Discrimination, Violence, Blood, LGBT Content, Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Implicit Sexual Content, Mental Illness, Addiction, Suicide, Torture, Corruption, Isolation, Trauma, Phobias, Paranoia, Manipulation

Chapter Guide! Pt 2. Pt 3. Pt4

A/N — English is not my first language—Spanish is—so there might be some grammar or spelling mistakes here and there. This is the first part of a story I’m writing for a friend (Isabel, I love you, you brat), and also an experiment to see what it’s like to write on Tumblr. Please support me! :"((

Nobody is coming to save you

Get up.

Your mother was not a good woman, and that was an undeniable fact, heavy as the shadow that covers Gotham City at nightfall. She was a creature of the underworld, one among the specters that wandered under the yoke of crime, walking among dangerous names like Selina Kyle or Harleen Quinzel, yet always remaining in the background, never reaching their fame or infamy.

She was nothing more than a kleptomaniac and a mythomaniac, doomed to live by cunning and deceit. She took advantage of the men who crossed her path, from the lowest criminals, like The Penguin, to the most powerful man in the city: Bruce Wayne.

You never called him Dad. To you, he was always Bruce, and on the rare occasions you addressed him, you did so with distant formality, "Mr. Wayne." Richard, your adoptive brother, found in him a father figure, while to you, he was just another shadow in the mansion, that huge, cold house you arrived at after your mother’s death.

You remember how, time and again, you tried to warn your mother to stop stealing, to stop lying, that those dark paths would inevitably lead her to Arkham Asylum, surrounded by all the lunatics you feared so much, or even worse: to death. But she always responded with a playful smile, stroking your head with her delicate hands, adorned with stolen jewelry and crude tattoos. "Those are just fantasies of an eight-year-old girl," she would say sweetly, while her ring-laden fingers assured you that you needn’t worry, "I will always come back for you," she promised, "because you are the only thing more valuable than any diamond I’ve ever held."

But the cruel truth was that was the last time you saw her. That night she left, and she never returned. It was then that the last vestiges of innocence faded with her absence. From that moment on, you ceased to be a child.

And that was one of the few things you understood with absolute clarity. There were no more empty promises, no more caresses tinged with lies. All that remained was the silence of a life fading away, like a stolen jewel that never returns to its rightful owner.

The only thing you knew after calling the police when your mother didn’t show up after two days was that they found her corpse in a back alley far from Gotham, showing signs of having been beaten and bruised by some underground gang.

Commissioner Gordon searched the entire house for illicit substances and signs of debts to mobsters, but he only ended up finding documents, stolen jewelry, and letters from your mother that were never sent, and most importantly, DNA evidence implicating that the city’s millionaire was your biological father.

From then on, your life was stained with eternal gray, that muted shade that erased all traces of light or shadow. There was no more white or black, only a silent fog that, day by day, enveloped you and dragged you into a madness that seemed inevitable. Gotham itself seemed more alive than the place you called home, although "home" was never the right word.

You didn’t love any of the Wayne family members. Bruce, your biological father, never listened to you. To him, you were always just another shadow, a ghost in the vast mansion that he prioritized over his other children, his "true" heirs. There was always something more important, something more urgent, and your presence faded among the cold walls and the echo of his hurried footsteps. With each passing day, you became more invisible to him, as if your very existence were a mistake he preferred to ignore.

Richard, the perfect brother, was kind on some occasions. He spoke to you courteously, but when you needed him, when you asked him to attend one of your performances, there was always an excuse, something that kept him away, as if your passion and accomplishments were insignificant details in his heroic life.

Jason, on the other hand, despised you from the start. He saw you as an intruder, a child of gold—but not of that pure and valuable gold, but of a dirty and false one, which he always mocked with disdain. And although you never cared for him, when he died, silent tears rolled down your face. It wasn’t out of love, but out of respect for what he represented, for the brutal reality of his fall.

Tim, in contrast, was the most indifferent. To him, you were a nobody, so irrelevant that you weren’t even worth a glance. Spending time with his friends or being the Robin of the moment mattered more than you did. You lived on his periphery, in a limbo where neither your name nor your face seemed to exist.

Cassandra, Stephanie, Barbara… at least they treated you with politeness, but you knew they didn’t really remember who you were. They saw you, smiled at you out of obligation, but deep down you knew they had no idea of your name, your story, your struggle to be more than a shadow in that world.

The worst of all was Damian, your younger half-brother. When he arrived at the mansion, Alfred introduced him to you with that serene formality he always had, and you, driven by an almost desperate impulse, tried to reach out to him. You wanted to offer him the support and affection of an older sister, that warmth you would have longed for in his situation. But all you received in return was a cold response: a katana piercing your abdomen. I wish I could say it was just a metaphor, but no, that wound was as real as the blade that cut your skin.

You would have liked to think that the pain was symbolic, that Damian had only rejected your affection with harsh words or his usual arrogance. But no, it was much more than that. The only thing you received in exchange for your attempt at fraternal love was a stab, a scar you still carry not only on your body but also in your soul. Because in that brutal gesture, you understood that the blood that united you also separated you, sharper than any weapon. And that was how you tried to connect.

You strived to stand out, to learn, to shine in your own ambitions, wishing that your success would be enough to earn you a place, a bit of affection. But no matter how hard you tried, it was never enough. Your talent crashed against indifference, your achievements faded into the air, as if they had no weight in the lives of others.

The only light, the only beacon in that storm of gray, was Alfred. The only one who smiled at you with genuine tenderness, the only one you truly loved. To you, he was the real father, the one who was always there, expecting nothing in return, offering you a silent but firm love. You did call him father, and his presence was the only thing that kept your sanity, the only thing preventing the gray from consuming you completely.

But even that love, so genuine and deep, was not enough to fill the void that your own family left you. And in that void, you continue to float, trapped between the girl you were and the woman you are trying to be, searching for a place you can truly call home.

Y/n's small room, though modest, had always been her refuge. The walls were adorned with unfinished sketches, trophies from various activities, and some paintings she had completed with dedication, showcasing her passion for both manual and performing arts.

The dawn light filtered softly through the curtains, bathing the space in golden tones, giving it a warmth that contrasted with the coldness of the rest of Wayne Manor.

On the desk, a small cake rested on a plate, simple yet made with love. Beside it, Alfred, with his usual understated elegance, watched Y/n with a mixture of nostalgia and concern. He, the only one who seemed to remember her birthday, offered her a delicate professional drawing set, wrapped in smooth, elegant paper.

"Happy birthday, Miss," Alfred said with a gentle smile, although his eyes reflected a sadness that was hard to conceal. "I know how much you love art, so I thought this would be helpful for your new projects."

Y/n took the gift in her hands with a genuine smile. It had been so hard for her to find moments of joy lately, but Alfred's gesture filled her with a warmth in her chest that she hadn't experienced in a long time. She placed the gift into one of the many brown boxes she had prepared for her upcoming move.

"Thank you, Alfred. It's perfect," she said, examining the set carefully, as if each detail were a reminder of the affection he held for her. "It will help me a lot... although, well," she sighed, as if searching for the right words. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that." Alfred raised an eyebrow, attentive, as she continued, glancing at the small space that had been her home within the vast mansion.

"Today... today is not just my birthday. It's the day I leave here." Her voice was firm, yet there was a sense of liberation in it, as if this were a long-awaited step. "I am finally no longer a Wayne. I go back to being a L/n."

Silence filled the room for a moment, heavy and dense. Alfred clasped his hands, striving to maintain his composure.

"Miss, I can't help but feel a certain unease hearing this. Are you sure this is what you want? This house, though empty in many ways, has always been your home..."

"Home?" Y/n looked at him with a mix of sadness and determination. "This house has never been my home, Alfred. Not like it was for Dick, nor even for Bruce. I have always been a stranger here, the daughter of a woman who never fit into this world, the bastard child. My mother taught me to find my own path, to not cling to what doesn’t belong to me... and being here, being called Wayne, has never belonged to me." Alfred sighed softly, turning his gaze toward the window. He knew there was truth in her words, but that didn’t lessen the pain of her leaving. "I know it’s hard to understand," Y/n continued, "but for the first time in a long time, I feel happy, Alfred. I’ve graduated, college is just around the corner, and I want to start anew. I want to find what truly makes me, me... not what others expect of me."

The old butler remained silent for a few moments, nodding slowly. He knew he couldn't retain her, that it was not his place to interfere in the young woman's dreams. But still, he couldn’t help but feel a pang in his heart at the thought of the house being even emptier without her. "I just wish you find what you’re looking for, Miss. And if you ever need a place to return to... this door will always be open for you."

Y/n stepped closer to him, gently hugging him, something she had rarely done. "Thank you, Alfred," she whispered against his shoulder. "You will always be my family, but I need this. I need to discover who I am outside of this last name."

The old butler felt the lump in his throat as he tightened the embrace a little longer before letting her go. He knew that deep down, she was doing the right thing. But that didn’t make it hurt any less to see her leave.

"Alfred, can you call the movers? I’ll be leaving tonight," Y/n said as she closed the last box with trembling hands, her gaze lost in the empty corners of the room she once considered her refuge. The butler, ever serene, nodded with his unwavering calmness.

"Don't worry, Miss, I assure you they will be here on time." His voice was soft, almost an echo of the ancient walls of the mansion, as if he himself were part of that structure that had seen so many comings and goings, so many lives broken and healed in silence.

Alfred turned halfway to leave, but Y/n's voice stopped him, broken yet sweet, like a melody at sunset. "Alfred..."

The man turned slowly, his eyes filled with paternal warmth, though always contained behind a formal gesture. "Yes, Miss?" he replied, with that tranquility that had always brought Y/n peace in her worst moments.

She took a breath, feeling how the words she had kept for so long fought to come out, to break the shell she had built since childhood. "I’ve never told you, but... thank you. Thank you for being the father I never had, for being there when no one else was."

For a moment, the silence in the room was heavier than all the accumulated boxes, deeper than any word. Alfred, who had been a witness to so many confessions and secrets in that house, stood still, his eyes shining with an emotion he rarely showed. "Miss," he murmured, his voice slightly choked, "it was an honor and a privilege to take care of you. If I ever gave you anything close to what you deserved, then my life has had true purpose."

Y/n smiled sadly, nodding slowly. "You did, Alfred. You did. And for that, I will always carry you with me, even if I leave here."

The butler slightly bowed his head in respect, swallowing any emotion that might betray his composure. "Wherever you go, you will always have a home here, Miss."

"I know," she said, though in her heart, she knew she wouldn’t return.

And as Alfred left the room to make the call, Y/n let out a long sigh, as if with it, she were leaving behind a part of herself, a part she could no longer carry with her.

Life in Gotham is like constantly walking on the edge of a razor blade. The city never sleeps, always alert, always dangerous, and for someone with the Wayne surname, the risks multiply. It has been a year since you left the mansion, trying to erase any ties that bound you to that life, desperately wishing the name would fade into the echo of the dirty streets and crumbling buildings. But it's not that easy. The name Wayne remains an indelible mark that the media and the people of Gotham refuse to let fade. The forgotten child, the silent accident of billionaire Bruce Wayne. And although you try to live as if you don’t exist under that shadow, the weight of the legacy haunts you.

You left with little, barely enough money to rent a small apartment in one of the worst corners of the city. You share the space with a friend, a plant-loving girl who has filled every nook of the place with leaves and pots, as if trying to make green defy the constant darkness of Gotham. You get along well with her; her love for nature is almost an antithesis to the chaos of the city, and she has taught you that even in the hardest concrete, something can bloom. She always accompanied you on the coldest, loneliest nights, giving you a warmth that, although ethereal, was very welcome. But still, life is not easy. You barely survive, spending the little you have on cheap food and paying the rent. There are days when the cold seeps through the poorly sealed windows, and you wonder if it was really better to be in the mansion instead of this little trench. However, you prefer this rough freedom to the soulless luxury of Wayne Manor.

Freedom, however, comes at a price. It wasn't enough to distance yourself, to change your life, or even to always carry a knife for defense. Gotham does not forget. People recognize you in the shadows, whisper your name, and approach you, sometimes with curiosity and other times with disdain. You have been beaten more than once. Some just for being a Wayne, others because they think they can extort you, even though they have no idea you can barely get by. The scars on your body bear witness to those beatings, but you refuse to give up. You get up every morning, despite the pain, and continue on your way. You don’t need Batman. You don’t need Bruce. You learned long ago that he wouldn't come to save you.

That night, like so many others, you were heading to the subway for your night shift, with the hood of your coat covering your face, trying to go unnoticed. The sound of the tracks echoed in your ears, a constant reminder of the city's hustle. You had gotten used to walking fast, avoiding eye contact, as if each step was a small battle won against the city. But this time, something was different.

"So it was true, the little Wayne girl is roaming the city... how lovely." The raspy, mocking voice rang out beside you, cutting through the heavy air of the train station. The man speaking wore a suit that, at first glance, seemed elegant, but there was something about his extreme thinness, his skin clinging to his bones and his disheveled hair, that made him look more like a specter of Gotham than a distinguished figure. A ghost from the shadows that had stalked you since you set foot on the streets.

If it weren't for his gaunt appearance and unsettling aura, you might have mistaken him for one of your father's employees. "I'm not a Wayne anymore," you said disdainfully, your voice sharp like the edge of a dagger refusing to be touched. "If you want money, I don’t have any. And Mr. Wayne wouldn’t give a cent for me either."

Your gaze drifted to the station clock. 8 minutes until the train that would take you away from this corner of Gotham, far from the shadows and faces that always seemed to recognize you.

The man let out a dry, raspy laugh that sent chills down your spine. "I don’t want your money, pretty girl," he replied, moving closer, invading your space with the same familiarity that Gotham’s filth slipped into every corner. "You’re worth more than that." You felt his calloused, scarred hand rest on your hip, with a pressure that was neither violent nor friendly. The contact filled you with disgust.

7 minutes.

You clenched your fist, your jaw tight as you struggled to maintain your composure. "I don’t want sex either, idiot," you spat, your words loaded with contained fury. Your hand subtly slid toward your bag, where your knife lay, waiting to be used.

6 minutes.

The man didn’t flinch. In fact, he let out a low, mocking laugh. "And I don’t want that either, little girl," he murmured, his cold, deep blue eyes scrutinizing you as if they could read every dark corner of your soul. "I want something more from you."

5 minutes.

"What do you want then?" you asked, forcing yourself to keep your voice steady, even as the ice of fear began to creep down your spine. Your eyes scrutinized him, searching his gaze for any hint of his true intentions, but all you saw was darkness.

4 minutes.

He let out a long, chilling laugh, tightening his grip on your hip. "Do you know what I want, Y/n?"

3 minutes.

His voice dropped, as if his words were a cursed secret the wind refused to carry away. "I want you."

2 minutes.

The world seemed to stop. You knew there was no time to run. There was no time to pull out the knife or to scream. It was as if the clock itself had conspired against you, reducing those last minutes to mere seconds.

1 minute.

The blow was sharp, a flash of excruciating pain at the back of your head. The cold metal of the station, the hum of the city, everything faded abruptly. The last thought that crossed your mind, before the world vanished into darkness, was that this time, you didn’t expect Batman to save you. It wasn’t a mere thief or a street threat that was taking you.

Gotham, with all its cruelty, always had new ways to remind you that there is no escape.

That night, when the Gotham subway stopped at the station, there was no one to pick up.

The mansion felt emptier than ever, like a deserted and cold labyrinth, where each hallway seemed to stretch into an infinite tunnel, devouring the light.

The silence was overwhelming, an oppression that enveloped every corner, as if even the ancient walls had run out of words. It was so heavy that the few who remained in the mansion couldn’t help but move uncomfortably, trying to fill that void with something, anything.

Bruce Wayne walked through those same hallways with a strange feeling, as if something was missing, though he didn’t know what. An unease, a persistent discomfort that he couldn’t shake off.

He had been like this for months, with that absence haunting his mind, a gap he couldn't identify. And then, suddenly, like a gust of icy wind, the truth struck him.

You.

His daughter.

His little daughter.

How long had it been since he last saw you? When was the last time he heard your laughter, the one that always seemed too sarcastic, too filled with resentment? He stopped abruptly, frowning. Why couldn’t he remember you? He couldn’t bring to mind a clear image of your face, not even how you used to look at him... why? How could he have forgotten you like that?

Damn.

It was as if time had stopped. It had been a year, maybe more, since he had really thought about you. He felt a pang of guilt pierce his chest, a heavy, silent guilt that dragged him into the abyss of his own negligence. Not knowing what else to do, he began to check the rooms, one after another.

Each door he opened was another blow to his conscience. Where was your room? The more he searched, the more confused he felt. The mansion was enormous, but how could he have forgotten where you slept? How was it possible that he didn’t know where you lived in the house where both of you grew up? Had you been here all this time?

Each door he opened was identical to the last, as if all the rooms had fused into one.

None showed a trace of you.

None seemed to have a hint of your presence. Didn’t you decorate your room? He thought frantically, didn’t you even mark it as yours? Panic began to take hold of him. Anxiety wrapped around him like a fist tightening on his chest. Were you still living in the mansion? Or had you left without saying a word, like a shadow fading at dawn? But... no, you hadn’t mentioned anything. You hadn’t said you were leaving. Or had you? And if you had, why didn’t he remember? How could he have ignored you for so long that now he didn’t even know if you were still under the same roof?

“Ah!” he exclaimed in a whisper, unable to contain the dread he felt.

Frustration consumed him from within. He stopped in the middle of the hallway, breathing heavily, and the echo of his voice faded into the empty walls. He tried to remember something, anything about you, about the last time they spoke, about how you were... but everything was blurry, as if his mind was betraying him, hiding you behind an impenetrable fog.

How could he have forgotten so much?

He brought his hands to his head, trying to calm himself, but only felt more confusion, more desperation. The mansion, which had once been his home, now felt like a strange and foreign place.

Had you been the one who made it feel like home? The question echoed in his mind, but he had no answer. Just more questions. More uncertainties. Finally, he let his arms fall, exhausted. He had checked almost all the rooms and had found not a trace of you. Not a clue. Not a sign that you had been there. And at that moment, something dark and painful began to settle in his heart.

Had you ever really been there?

Then something caught his attention as he passed by the cleaning room. In a dusty corner, next to a forgotten bag, something was protruding. Something small, old, and faded. He bent down and pulled it from the dirty clothes. It was a stuffed animal, or what was left of one. The faded black of its suit left no doubt. It was a figure of Batman, but worn down by time, battered to the point of looking forgotten.

Bruce's eyes were fixed on the small piece of fabric hanging from the doll's neck. A tag.

Your name.

Your name, handwritten, in ink that was already fading.

Bruce felt a lump in his throat, a mix of guilt and rage. How could he have forgotten something so important?

He clutched the doll tightly, as if doing so would return a piece of you to him, but instead of comfort, he only felt more emptiness. Where were you? He ran to Alfred, who looked at him with a mix of concern and pity.

"Alfred..." Bruce said, his voice breaking. "Where is she? Where is my daughter?"

The butler, with his always serene face, seemed to age suddenly. A long silence settled between them, as if time was fading away. "Mr. Bruce, I didn’t mean to..." Alfred lowered his gaze. "I didn’t want to burden you with that truth, but... it’s time you know."

Bruce felt a chill run down his spine. Truth? What truth?

"She left almost a year ago. She didn’t say where. She just... she took all her belongings, though they weren’t many, and left. She said she didn’t want to be a burden. That you and the other family members had too many things to worry about."

Bruce took a step back, as if the words had physically struck him. Did she have enough age to leave? A burden? Never, not for a second, did he think that of you, of his little daughter who, even though she wasn’t wanted, he embraced under his wing just like Damian.

You were never a burden.

...or were you?

No, he refused to acknowledge it; he just... he hadn’t spent time with you because Gotham needed him!

But when you needed him, where was Batman?

Where was Bruce Wayne when his only biological daughter needed him?

"Alfred, do you know anything about Y/n?" the hero asked, worry clear on his face.

Alfred didn’t look at him; he only stared into nothingness. "...I haven’t heard anything about her for two months...

And honestly... I'm starting to think...

that she might be lost to us forever..."

A/N — This is definitely apart from being my first official Tumblr post, it is also my first DC post and especially the first from the Lord of the Night xD

Don't hesitate to ask me anything if you want.

Isabel, I dedicate this to you, my love. Eat more to be well, you fucking anorexic, don't suck.

take a bath!

inspiration: @acid-ixx with his Again & Again series, @gotham-daydreams' work, @i-cant-sing's work and @klemen-tine's work, be sure to check them out!

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ghost-bxrd · 1 year ago

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okay so this is an idea I’ve seen brought up maybe once before, but maybe Jason (before the Bats find out who he is) accidentally lets something slip that makes them realize that he’s literally, like, a child (seventeen, sixteen, I’m not sure how old he is at that point exactly, but either works)

and Bruce “adoption addiction” Wayne promptly looks at this obviously traumatized teenager and decides that he should adopt Red Hood.

I just think Jason would be so confused (maybe a little pissed too)

I’ve touched on that a little bit in What you’re longing for (you claim to abhor)!

I think this trope is wayyy underrated. Like, Jason is still so, so young. Basically a child. Even if he died at sixteen and then spent two years with the league (even if we’re counting the time he spent dead as aging). He’s barely even legal when he returns to Gotham. Or if we’re being generous let’s say he’s nineteen.

Doesn’t matter, he’s barely out of his teens (maybe he’s still IN his teens if you bend the timeline of your fic a little) and he’s experienced horrors that would have most people become utterly unable to function. But Jason? That boy takes his trauma and channels it into anger. Which, not exactly healthy, but well.

Anyway, getting off topic:

YES. Jason is still basically a kid when he debuts as the Red Hood, and you know what else he is? A good boy who’s not gonna touch any alcohol until he’s officially 21.

“But why would he do that? He grew up in Crime Alley! Ain’t nobody got time for age limitations!”

Hear me out! Let’s assume he grew up in a household where his father, Willis Todd, drank quite a lot on the regular in addition to his mom’s addiction. Jason experienced the aftermath of this (perhaps domestic violence?) every time his dad returned from a job/jail and he grew to loathe any and all substances, including alcohol. Knowing Jason and his convictions it wouldn’t be too far fetched to assume he’d never touch a single drop of alcohol at all.

So that’s one way he could slip up while taking to his goons (and having the bats overhear) or even straight up talking to one of them where maybe Dick banters a bit and goes “Hey, perhaps you should chill out a bit. Have a drink maybe” and Jason just instinctively goes “Fuck you Dickwing, I’m seventeen/eighteen/nineteen! I’m not allowed to drink!”

And Dick just— bluescreens. And immediately goes to tell Bruce, obviously.

The Bats assume Jason is this old guy (Bruce’s or Drathstroke’s age maybe) and consequently they keep alluding to things that happened way before Jason was ever even born and at first he’s so? Confused??? But eventually it just gets really annoying and eventually he just— snaps.

“How the fuck would I know which Nokia gen hit the market that year? I was born in fuckin’ XXXX, I’m an iPhone kid!”

“Stop referencing the Cold War dipshit, I’m fucking seventeen! I’m glad I remember my own damn birthday!”

“I don’t know, I was like— two back then.”

Bruce, obviously, would take .1 seconds to realize:

“Omg. That’s- that’s a whole child. That’s a whole damn TRAUMATIZED child, killing people and sawing off heads. Omg someone must have hurt him so bad. Don’t worry tho, son, Batman’s got you. You won’t have to hurt anybody ever again. We’re here for you. Would you like the room next to Tim’s or Dick’s?”

Meanwhile Jason: “what the fuck”

#ghost talks #lmao Jason would be so done at this point #like pls spare him all the horrible references he doesn’t understand #he’s gen z #and everyone is suddenly using boomer memes #and he’s so lost #dick isn’t helping #jason todd #batfamily #batfam #bruce wayne #dick grayson #robin #tim drake #red hood #fic #batdad #good dad bruce wayne #brainstorming

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bluelotuswrites · 9 days ago

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2024 fic rec list :)

So here's a list of fics/authors that I read in 2024! A lot of them are Batman-related, and Jason-centered :P

Six Degrees of Separation by @oliocelottafanfics. It's a Criminal Minds crossover with Batman, where Penelope Garcia is the one to find Jason after his resurrection and adopts him. This is one of those fics where I didn't know I needed it until I saw it, and now it's stuck in my brain.

The Right Substitution is Key by Addicted Apple. A fun what-if story where Batman and Nightwing go missing, so Robin recruits Red Hood to fill in as Batman while completely oblivious to the fact that Red Hood is Jason Todd.

Five Reactions to Pepper's New PA by @gladdecease. Short, but Bucky ends up becoming Pepper Potts' personal assistant. It's very funny and wholesome.

@cdelphiki's Three Terrors Cinematic Universe is a top fic that many probably already know. Talia tried to escape the League with Jason, Damian, Anathasia, and Mara al Ghul. She didn't make it, leaving Jason to be the one to protect them.

Along with that is cdelphiki's The Time Before. Jason got sent back to the past by Black Mask, who wanted to kill him before he became Red Hood. Jason goes to Bruce for help and ends up healing and learning more about Bruce.

A League of Her Own by @comebackolivia. Immediately after the UtRH, Talia finds Jason in the rubble, kills to Joker, and takes him back to the League, where they try to take over and rebuild it with Nyssa. Jason becomes one of her generals. You might recognize them for their work on Not-So-Outlaw :)

VermillionFlame is another more recent author that has been working on Arkhamverse Jason. For Want of a Savior and Hold Fast (Don't Let Go) are two of my favorites.

For Want of a Savior has comic Jason wind up in Arkhamverse, and saves AK!Jason. He then helps him heal and the Batfam is in a panic after realizing Jason may be alive.

Hold Fast (Don't Let Go) is another AU where Jason shot Deathstroke while working on his revenge plan that would be seen in Arkham Knight. He then shows up at Wayne Manor for protection, throwing the family's peace into chaos as so many things come to light and people butt heads.

Echoes of Future Past by orangesky37 on AO3/ @kindlingkeen. Immediately after Jason's throat got slit in UtRH comic, he gets yeeted back to the past and is found by authorities. James Gordon brings Batman onto the case, not realizing Batman is Bruce Wayne. He gets protective of Jason when he tells Gordon that 'his dad did it.'

Going Down Like the Titanic by @sunnylighter A shortish Arkhamverse AU where Joker succeeds in getting Bruce to succumb to the Titan virus by showing Jason still alive in Arkham Asylum.

Bruce Wayne Must Die by @reginalusus. Jason wants to kill Bruce, only to find out that he's missing. He teams up with Harvey Dent to find him, and there's father-son bonding vibes between Harvey and Jason.

Do Unto Others by @romiress. Arkhamverse again (listen, I'm a sucker for that storyline when it comes to Jason. It's maximum angst potential). Khalid Nassour (Doctor Fate in DC comics) worked at Arkham Asylum under the payroll of Joker, albeit reluctantly. He was brought on to fix up Jason, and eventually he sneaks him out to help him heal.

Don't Let Them See You Cry by @daisyapples. Oh my god, you guys. Let me tell you. This series is vibrates in my brain to an insane degree. Shortly after Bucky breaks free from his Winter Soldier programming, he finds Jason and adopts him. It's so good, y'all. I literally drop everything to read this whenever it updates.

The Glue by sleepynarwhal. Daredevil is the one to mentor Spiderman instead in the MCU and it's very adorable how much Matt goes from reluctant mentor to embracing it, as well introducing him to the other Defenders.

the road home by @drakefeathers. Jason is homesick during his Lost Days Era world murder-tour and ends up returning home.

I'll Catch a Break Someday by @victory-in-the-skye. Fullmetal Alchemist crosses over with the MCU. It has Fem!Ed, which might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it definitely contributes to the story in a way that makes it interesting. The author does a fantastic job of capturing Ed's voice, even in first person! It's a series, but it hasn't been updated in a while and I hope the author is doing okay!

Arkham Compendium by @lananiscorner. If you're a fan of Arkhamverse, I cannot recommend this series enough. Focusing on Jason before, during, and after Arkham Knight, the author does a fantastic job of delving into Jason's psyche during the course of his life. Ill Weeds Grow Apace is my favorite of the series, focusing on Jason healing after Arkham Knight, and slowly reconnecting with his siblings. Lanani also has many other fantastic fics in DC, especially with Jason. While the author might not be in the fandom anymore, I will always be grateful for the fics that were written because they are masterpieces.

(If you're one of these authors on the list and I missed your tumblr @, let me know and I'll edit them in!)

#fic recs #jason todd #batman #dc #red hood #dc comics #matt murdock #daredevil #fullmetal alchemist #marvel #mcu #batfam fic recs #jason todd fic recs #arkhamverse

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jasonswh0rre · 10 months ago

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The Psychological Analysis of Jason Todd

I am a psych major, and my professor is allowing us to make an analysis of any character of our choice, so I figured who better to write then Jason Todd. This was very fun to write and I very much enjoyed rewatching Batman: Arkham Knight. Please enjoy. ☁️ Warning(s): Trigger Warning for Trauma, Mental Health Content, Violence, Graphic Imagery, Spoiler(s)☁️ Word Count: 2.6k ☁️: Authors Note: I am working on fanfics, more headcanons for Arkham Jason, unfortunately I am busy with classes, assignments and deadlines. I will try to be punctual but it may take time. Thank you for your understanding.

Introduction

Jason Todd is the secondary villain in Batman: Arkham Knight, which has the same moniker. He is the second Robin and Bruce Wayne's adoptive son.

Jason Peter Todd was born in the slums of Gotham City to two drug-addicted parents, who would eventually try to settle a debt they had by giving Jason away when he was a baby. Jason received no parental figure to help guide him, leading him to petty crimes such as theft to nourish his survival. Jason is a character who takes what he needs if it means prolonging his survival; his lack of a parental figure leads him to an identity crisis between longing for a parental figure and convincing himself he is better off without one. When the simple truth is that every human needs a mother and a father, we respond positively to a nurturing environment, and through early adolescence, our brains crave the structure needed to build us into well-rounded adults.

At fifteen, Jason inadvertently met Batman while committing robbery when Batman was fighting Gotham's notorious supervillain, The Joker. Believing Batman is in trouble, Jason jumps between pushing the hero from harm's way. Despite life's misfortunes, Jason possesses a remarkable code of morality enough to want to save someone. Jason, attempting to rid Joker of his breath, aims a pistol at the clown and, before firing, is knocked out of his hands by Batman's batarang. Unfortunately for him, Joker would leave Jason with a cryptic message, one for the young man to head.

Jason would later be apprehended and taken into custody in the back of a police car by Batman after Batman retrieved his gun and stolen money. However, rather than being charged, Jason receives a blessing through a Wayne Industries project that helped troubled teens; through the program, Jason was able to turn his life around. All attract the man who helped Jason find a new purpose: Bruce Wayne. Months after being released, Batman appeared in Jason's dorm, again offering Jason another opportunity.

2nd Robin and Kidnapping

Taking Jason in as his ward as well as dubbing him Robin after Dick Grayson, Jason sought justice and enjoyed being a hero. Like the previous Robin, he showed a keen aptitude for it; unlike his predecessor, he possessed a fiery temper and willingness for more lethal force. While Jason's temper is directed towards the criminals that harm the innocents, Batman views this as inexcusable, fearing the day that Jason will kill instead of reprimanding.

In the most twisted sense of irony, Jason's morality inevitably becomes his downfall. The Joker has blown up a school with kindergarteners; this leads to Jason's resolve that Joker needs to die. Knowing that Bruce would try to stop him, Jason abandons his comms and tracker so he can kill Joker. However, it is a trap, and Joker ambushes Jason. Jason was kept in a wheelchair, bonded by barbed wire that kept Jason leaning hunched over in excruciating pain. Throughout his pain, Jason's mind remained still; he was confident that Batman would find him; his sheer will at the beginning of his torture is, with all honesty, remarkable as Joker has been known for his mental abuse and mind games he plays with his victims including his sidekick, Harley Quinn.

In the six months of his torture, Jason's unwavering mental resolve was slowly crippling as Joker had wanted; throughout the game, Jason's voice mixed with crippling fear and small doubts about Batman coming. The Joker feeds into his doubts by showing him a photo of Batman with his replacement, Tim Drake. This leaves Jason troubled as he slowly loses hope for Batman.

The last act of Jason's torture involved a video sent to Batman via The Joker of Jason, who has undergone all his brainwashing; in the video, Jason is sitting down in a chair; he is not chained, barbed, handcuffed, or kept sitting still in any way by all means Jason could easily walk away. This is a significant and crucial part of Jason's torture as it symbolizes just how much mental anguish and emotional exhaustion Jason went through to the point that he no longer had a yearning for freedom—making him downright timid and submissive towards Joker enough to out Batman's identity when asked by the latter. This results in Joker shooting Jason point-blank in the chest, as Joker "never could stand a tattletale." However, this was only a ploy to make Batman believe Jason is genuinely dead.

On the contrary, Jason was kept alive for another year, endeavoring more torture, mistreatment, and malnourishment. Harley Quinn did the final touches of Jason's emotional and mental brainwashing; a former psychiatrist who manipulated Jason into believing that Batman was the cause of his anguish and his pain was his doing; she did this long enough, even punishing Jason by waterboarding him and electrocuting him when he refused to say Batman, indicating he still had some level of awareness of who was torturing him.

However, once Harley could get Jason to say Batman's name, Jason was drugged and beaten by two prisoners dressed like Batman; he was given a gun by The Joker and was ordered to kill them. Jason's resolve and humanity were a cord, still entrenched in him before Harley convinced him further, snapping his humanity and getting him to shoot the two dressed-up prisoners dead.

During the riots of Arkham Asylum, The Joker paid mercenary Deathstroke to keep Jason there and shoot him if he escaped. However, Jason convinces Deathstroke that Joker will not keep his promise and that if he helps, Jason will triple whatever Joker plans to pay. Accepting the offer, Deathstroke assists Jason in escaping, stealing a helicopter, and flying to Wayne Industries. Jason steals millions of dollars from his former guardian. Ironically, crossing paths with Tim Drake, who assumes Todd to be Deathstroke's sidekick, when Jason's ankle is caught between Tim's grappling hook, Jason cuts the cord, allowing Tim to fall when suggested by Deathstroke that killing Robin would bode well for them with the Dark Knight. Jason Coldy says that if he dies in a fall like that, Batman needs to pick his sidekicks better.

Jason's psyche has been torn and scattered, leaving him a hollowed carving with a mocking J branding etched onto his face, from birth his eyes were already met with darkness, born to parents who never showed him recognition, let alone love, and through the Wayne Industries Project and his adoption by Bruce his eyes were wide, and remarkably hopeful, to be free of the weight of Gotham's misfortunes finally; those eyes that looked with gleam forced shut until he saw nothing but blackness.

Arkham Knight's Birth

Jason adopts a new persona built on the pain and suffering in the wake of his escape from Joker. He feels betrayed by the one person he only had in the world and wants vengeance. Jason works alongside Scarecrow, one of Batman's enemies. The two begin a plan on Halloween to take Gotham and Batman's legacy along with it. Jason gathers all Batman's enemies to join, assembling a militia with Deathstroke. While working with each other, Scarecrow "tests" his fear toxin on the young man, sending him on a psychological spiral. One of his more apparent fears is the Joker, who can be found near, in the background, or standing right in front of him laughing and mocking him, but beyond the clown prince of crime's appearance, Jason also sees his replacement, Tim Drake, and "fights" him.

The fight has Jason severely outnumbered in the beginning, with Tim succeeding, even using his staff to choke Jason, forcing him to the ground as the Jokers around him laugh. Further into the fear toxin, Jason appears in front of Wayne Manor, where he throws down his helmet and says the following: "Someplace warm, someplace safe, someplace where I'm needed, someplace where I'm loved," Joker once again appears in front of him laughing and mocking him on whether he even deserves it, this is Jason's internal struggle in a manifested form of the person who caused him harm, of the person who convinced him from the start that he was alone and would not be saved. Jason is mischaracterized as always being angry or standoffish, but anger has more truth than any lie detector can scoop. Jason feels this anger is not just because of some personality trait; anger is his cry out, and he's shouting to be seen and loved. This is most likely due to being tortured at 15 or so, which, despite the fact that at the time of Arkham Knight, he was in his early 20s, his mental age was regressed to the age when he was captured. This makes Jason appear at first glance as someone emotional, cocky, and arrogant. He values safety and love; he doesn't want to be on his guard 24/7, but he's grown up in an environment where letting your guard down gets you killed. He follows Joker into Wayne Manor, where he sees Bruce; suddenly, several versions of Batman appear in the room. They beat him and told him they never wanted a partner or even a son. This is a conflict that has always waged war in Jason's mind. Jason's biological father attempted to give him up and then belittled him when he explained that Jason's worth was so low that he couldn't even leave him; he has low self-esteem that he internalizes into rage in the way that he fights to prove his strength.

This is why Jason has a strong attachment to Bruce/Batman it maybe due to an underlying desire to seek his approval especially by the time when he adopts him. Bruce gives him everything he could ask for and anything he could think of, and Batman gives him a purpose. Ironically, this is still the case despite Bruce himself having an avoidant attachment style.

Conclusion and Diagnosis

Jason Todd's character in "Batman: Arkham Knight" exhibits a complex interplay of psychological factors that align with the diagnostic criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). One prominent feature of BPD is emotional dysregulation, characterized by intense and rapidly shifting emotions. Jason displays various emotions throughout the game, from anger and hostility to vulnerability and despair. His reactions often appear exaggerated or disproportionate to the situation, indicating difficulty regulating his emotional responses.

Furthermore, Jason's sense of identity is notably unstable, which is another hallmark feature of BPD. Having grown up in a dysfunctional environment with absent parents, Jason lacks a stable sense of self and struggles to define his identity. This is evident in his adoption of various personas, including Robin, the Arkham Knight, and, later, the Red Hood. His shifting identities reflect a profound inner conflict and a desperate search for validation and purpose. Jason's interpersonal relationships also reflect the interpersonal instability characteristic of BPD. He forms intense and unstable attachments to figures such as Batman, vacillating between admiration and resentment. His interactions with other characters are marked by rapid shifts in perception, alternating between idealization and devaluation. For example, while Jason initially idolizes Batman as a mentor and father figure, his feelings of betrayal and abandonment lead to resentment and hostility towards him.

Moreover, Jason exhibits self-destructive behaviors as a coping mechanism for his emotional pain, another hallmark of BPD. He engages in reckless actions, disregarding his safety to seek vengeance against those he perceives as enemies. His confrontations with adversaries are often fueled by a desire for self-assertion and control, masking more profound feelings of emptiness and despair.

Underlying Jason's behaviors is a pervasive fear of abandonment, stemming from his traumatic upbringing and experiences of betrayal. This fear drives his desperate attempts to maintain connections with others, even as he pushes them away with his volatile and unpredictable behavior. Jason's fear of abandonment manifests in his interactions with Batman and the Bat family, where he oscillates between seeking their approval and rejecting their authority.

Jason Todd's character in "Batman: Arkham Knight" embodies many of the core features of Borderline Personality Disorder, including emotional dysregulation, identity disturbance, interpersonal instability, self-destructive behaviors, and a fear of abandonment. By analyzing his actions, relationships, and psychological struggles within the context of the game's narrative, it becomes apparent that Jason's character aligns closely with the diagnostic criteria for BPD, providing a compelling framework for understanding his complex and multifaceted personality.

Besides indicating various symptoms of BPD, I would also consider diagnosing Jason with Complex Post post-traumatic stress Disorder (C-PTSD). Given Jason's background of severe trauma, including childhood abuse, neglect, and prolonged torture at the hands of the Joker, it's worth considering Complex PTSD. C-PTSD typically develops in response to chronic trauma and is characterized by symptoms such as emotional dysregulation, disturbed self-concept, difficulties in relationships, and a persistent sense of threat. I would include diagnosing Jason with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): Jason's experiences of profound loss, trauma, and betrayal may contribute to symptoms of depression, such as feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and a loss of interest in activities. His struggles with emotional regulation and chronic feelings of emptiness could also align with depressive symptoms. Following my diagnosis, I am also inclined to believe he suffers from attachment disorders; given Jason's tumultuous upbringing and experiences and a multitude of parental figures involving neglect and abandonment, it's possible that he may have developed attachment-related difficulties. This could manifest in insecure attachment styles, fear of abandonment, and challenges in forming and maintaining healthy relationships.

Furthermore, I would consider Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD): While Jason displays empathy and compassion at times, his willingness to engage in morally questionable or violent behavior, as well as his disregard for societal norms and rules, may align with some features of ASPD. However, his capacity for genuine care and loyalty makes this disorder out of sorts with his character.

Lastly, Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder (PTED): PTED is a proposed diagnostic category characterized by intense feelings of injustice, betrayal, and embitterment following a traumatic event or series of events. Jason's experiences of betrayal and abandonment, particularly by Batman and the Joker, may resonate with the symptoms of PTED.

In conclusion, the character of Jason Todd in "Batman: Arkham Knight" presents a compelling portrayal of psychological complexity shaped by a tumultuous history of trauma, betrayal, and profound loss. Through a comprehensive analysis of his experiences and behaviors throughout the game, it becomes evident that Jason embodies many psychological struggles, warranting consideration for various diagnostic possibilities. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) emerges as a primary candidate, given Jason's emotional volatility, identity disturbances, and interpersonal difficulties. His tumultuous relationships, intense fear of abandonment, and self-destructive tendencies align closely with the diagnostic criteria for BPD. Furthermore, Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) offers another lens through which to understand Jason's psychological profile, considering his history of chronic trauma and its pervasive impact on his functioning.

Additionally, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) may contribute to Jason's experiences of profound despair, hopelessness, and emotional emptiness. His struggles with attachment-related difficulties suggest the possibility of underlying attachment disorders stemming from his early experiences of neglect and abandonment.

While Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder (PTED) offer alternative perspectives, they may not fully capture the complexity of Jason's character, given his capacity for empathy and genuine care, despite his propensity for morally questionable behavior.

In essence, Jason Todd's character in "Batman: Arkham Knight" is a poignant exploration of the human psyche's intricacies, illustrating the profound impact of trauma on identity, relationships, and emotional well-being. By delving into his psychological struggles within the context of the game's narrative, we gain valuable insights into the complexities of mental health and the enduring resilience of the human spirit.

#arkham knight #jason todd #red hood #headcanon #positive thoughts #psychology #psych student #arkham batman #psychological analysis #psyche student analyzes #jasonswh0rre

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sparkletastic-cookiedough · 3 months ago

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Link Library

Literally just a link collection of all my tumblr writing.

Favorite Posts

Batman: Killer Croc has an egg. Bruce Wayne is the father.

DPxDC: Danny Phantom fan Damian, best friends with Dash. (they hang out at an arcade, also BATNIPPLES)

DPxDC: John Constantine is Danny's comfort human

DPxDC Dick Grayson is investigating a travelling circus (my favorite prompt, but it's just a prompt)

DPxDC: Vlad masters is a lion? Completely centered around Zeke Morris, an OC.

DPxDC: Danny does his taxes.

DPxDC: Cardboard Danny AU

Danny Phantom: Jazz Fenton Gaslighting People (Short)

DPxDC: The Tangerine Pimpernel (Long)

DPxDC: Danny is applying for a grant with Wayne Enterprieses (The best dramatic irony)

DPXDC: Constantine taking care of baby Danny

DPxDC

Danny texts Jason by accident. Technus is behind everything. (NEW)

Batfamily is infinite realms royalty, Damian tries to take advantage of that and fails.

Psychology Teacher Jazz Fenton vs Joker

Mr Lancer goes to a bar while his students visit Gotham.

Battle Coliseum

Danny in a Maid Dress

The Phantom Cafe (Short)

In Love With The Speed Force : Barry Allen is obsessed with a god. Also the Justice League gets high in this one.

Bartender Dan has a no bats policy.

The Justice League investigates Danny's box selling business. (Featuring the Bodacious Vibes detector)

The Titans discover Danny and Dani are different people

Danny has access to dead knowledge

The Fentons make arrows for Green Arrow (Short)

Trans Danny, mourned by Bio-sibling Damian

The one where Team Phantom destroys all conflict in the Batman universe

Dani is in Hally's Circus, Dick thought she died and now she's back

John Constantine "rescues" Danny from the ghost zone

Steph plans to prank Batman

Bodyguard Danny

Danny vs Plastic Man vs Nightwing: Who would win at Twister? (short)

Wes Weston gets ghost powers, Flash is concerned

Riddler kidnaps Danny, Batman has to answer a riddle to save him

Team Phantom produces a fictional movie on Amity Park

Danny is traumatized, the Batfam is traumatized, everyone is sad and traumatized. (short-ish, hurt/ comfort)

Danny can predict the future, thus Flash yells at god (again, more of a prompt than a full story, cause sometimes I only write the beginnings.)

Dani pranks the justice league

The DC universe is about to collapse, Danny has to herd them out. (Prompt, as I am addicted to beginning stories and never finishing them)

Danny's family reincarnates (yet another prompt.)

Tim has infinite spleens

Jason can see through the fourth wall, and is not down for this Phantom of the Opera nonsense.

The Bats investigate Jazz

Wes is investigated by Superman, Magical shenanigans occur.

Catwoman steals an artifact that has a ghost in it.

Danny putting on his own Brucie Wayne act as Bruce's secretary

Jazz as Damian's Babysitter

Zatanna interacting with a Liminal Gotham

Danny is Batman's Clone (Dramatic Irony, my beloved)

John Constantine accidentally adopts Danny

Jason is dating Jazz, gets Tim and Danny to meet (mostly just Jason and Tim fluff)

Dash Baxter, Metropolis Cop (short)

Queer Platonic Relationship Fluff with Tim and Danny (features a prompty cliffhanger that goes absolutely nowhere)

Danny runs over Kori with a car (featuring yet another cliffhanger prompt ending that goes nowhere)

Clone Adoption Agency

Tim gets his spleen back from Cujo

Danny runs a daycare in Gotham

Maddie is Jim Gordon's Sister (short as heck and not great, but it's the first one I wrote, so it's special to me)

Batman Crossovers (No Danny Phantom edition)

Batman and the Muppets

Miraculous Ladybug: Marinette in Gotham (Fic itself is short, use of ai by another user in the beginning, more of a prompt than a post)

Batman x Game Changer: Robins do Robin trivia

Batman x BNHA: Batgirl gets isekaied into BNHA universe (Like the first chapter of a hypothetically longer fic)

Just Batman (and other DC characters)

Superbat Ship: featuring Batfam Fluff.

Jason can see through the fourth wall (short, more of a prompt than a post, and a continuation of the AU from an above DPxDC post.

Batfam tries to steal the watchtower (based on art!!!)

Matchmaker Tim Drake (again, more of a prompt)

Neurodivergent Batfam Moments

Hero Swap (Based on ART!!!)

Bruce Wayne time travels (short)

Bruce wearing his kids merch (short)

Clark Kent covering Bruce Wayne's drama

Superbat ship stuff (Short)

Percy Jackson

Percy Jackson & Harry Potter Crossover: Percy Jackson Vs Potions Class

Percy Jackson Gods react to Hadestown (Short)

Percy Jackson and Danny Phantom Crossover: Nico wants the Ghost King as his twitch username, but it's taken.

Other Fandoms

Gravity Falls: Levity Rises - the portal incident.

Just Danny Phantom: Jazz dealing with trauma (a bit of a character study, based on art)

Danny Phantom x BNHA crossover: Jazz and Nedzu meet.

BNHA: All Might and All for One completing to be the best dad. (Plot outline.)

BNHA: Izuku becomes a cult leader. (Plot outline)

Beetlejuice: cartoons episode plot outline based on someone’s art. (NEW)

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empressgeekt · 7 months ago

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Trolls/Batman Crossover - Branch Wayne

Okay, so I've kind of been making little fic prompts where Branch falls through the walls of canon as a child and is raised in alternative universes. Today, lovely people of tumblr, we are going to send our wonderful little grumpy bean into the care of one of fiction's most notorious adoption addict, Bruce Wayne.

Not entirely sure on when it happens, but considering that Branch is around 24 at the time of modern canon, that would put him in the same age range as Dick Greyson (I'm going by Wayne Family Adventures, because that's the most wholesome batfam in canon, and likely this post i made a while ago pls read it for context), so, he and Branch would be taken in around the same time. Maybe Gotham first left Branch with the Flying Greyson, before going with Bruce along with Dick.

In this world Batman would have two child side-kicks, Robin and Meadowlark (I was going to go with Raven but that was taken and Meadowlark are birds that mean the end of suffering). I'd imagine that Branch wouldn't be as vengeful as little Dick, but he'd still follow Dick to make sure nothing bad happened, and did agree to training when Bruce offered as he wanted to protect himself.

For the next few years things are peaceful, for Branch. He loves going to school, he loves his foster father, Dick is the best brother he's ever had, he loves being Meadowlark, Alfred is a saint, and the Batman's legend continued to grow. The trio really leans into the spirit garden accept of their mysterious nature, half the city thinks their demons. And all the rogues say it's true, because it's less embarrassing to get their butt kicked by demon's of dark justice then just a guy and two kids in furry costumes.

Of course all goo things must come to an end. While Branch can put up with Bruce's overprotective nature as he got older, Dick cannot and so he and Bruce are constantly butting heads. The hostile home environment, eventually boils over with Dick striking out on his own, but Branch does not take it well. Once more a brother has abandoned him, and it climax's in a total panic attack where Alfred gets the story of how Branch lost his bio-family, and he's terrified that it was happening again. All this Alfred, does tell Bruce and they both work to assure to Branch that he'd always have a home at Wayne Manor. Branch is one of the kids who didn't move out after he moved in.

When the other children come along, at first Branch is worried about doing what Dick and his brothers did and screwing up the littler ones even more, but eventually he finds confidence as his role of one of the oldest in the Bat's brood.

Jason is the one who has to deal with Branch's awkwardness the most, but the kid didn't really mind. Both of them were academically inclined and were often found cuddling after falling asleep from reading too long. Jason's adoption also prompts Branch to Ask Bruce if he could be adopted too, and when his request is granted he's nearly brought to tears. Because of all of this, Jason also grew much more attached to Branch then to Dick. Mostly because Branch was there, and wasn't fighting with Bruce every time they came in contact.

Speaking of post move out, Branch and Dick. After Jason's death (a crushing blow to Branch that forever solidified the joker as his least favorite rogue), Dick tries to come around more at Alfred's request, and well, Dick is heartbroken when he learns that Branch thought he wouldn't ever comeback. In Branch's mind, Dick fought with Bruce, left and wasn't ever going to come back. Dick will spend years trying to make it up to Branch, but they will never be as close as they were as young kids.

Tim had to deal with a grieving Branch and that Branch was mad. Mad on Tim's behalf that is. The Drake neglect hit all to close to him, making Branch remember the neglect that Troll village had for him. It like looking in a mirror, watching Tim go above and beyond to prove himself, as Robin. Branch is also pissed at Bruce, he gets it, Jason's death hurt him too, but that's no excuse to treat Tim like shit, when the kid was only trying to help. Knowing what it was like to have no one in his corner, Branch would do his best to be in Tim's both in and out of the Mask. They would bond over trying to solve famous cold cases, and sci-fi movies. With Branch, Dick, and Branch knocking some sense into Bruce earlier, Tim flourishes.

When Cass shows up, Branch's awkwardness returns, after all he's never had a sister before, and she doesn't talk. However, Branch would join in on the sign language lessons, and over time learns just how sweet of a girl she is. He teaches her to cook, and help her find herself.

Stephine (Yes, I count her, she might not be Bruce's kid, but she's definitely a bat-sib), is a little much for Branch. Her boundless energy is a lot like a certain pink Princess', but Branch can see the difference, Gotham knows Poppy would never be able to kick butt like Spoiler. Their not the closest but they know they can count on each other.

When Jason comes back as Red Hood, its bitter-sweet for Branch. On one hand Jason is alive, but the Red Hood is not same person that was once Branch's first little brother. Still Branch tries to get Jason to come home, it takes a while, after all Pit Rage is no joke. But Branch does help clear up a lot of the misconceptions between the stupid people in his family who won't communicate (not that he's any better at it).

For Damian, Athanasia, and Mara (The latter two are Damian's bio-sister and cousin/ Bruce needs more daughters people), Branch's job is simply, "Don't let them kill each other or anyone else". Athanasia is sweet enough, and is the least trouble maker out of all of them, but the other two? Mara seems to think she needs to compete for her place in the manor, and Damian is constantly trying to kill Tim, as he thinks that the middle child is after the batman title, which Damian wants for himself.

When Terry, Matt, Dana and Max, universe jump to save themselves, Branch is just there. He helps them adjust, but his role isn't that major.

By the time that he turns 24 in Gotham, Branch has a college degree (nothing about a bachelor's since, most masters/phd's holders become rogues and have been banned from the cave/manner), a father, a step-mother who cares (Selina), two loving Grandfathers (Alfred, Thomas Wayne [flashpoint]), Three badass aunts (Kate, Harley and Ivy), what ever the heck Luke and Babs are, and a gaggle of siblings he'd seriously maim anyone for (Dick, Jason, Cass, Stephine, Tim, Duke, Cullen, Harper, Damian, Athanasia, Mara, Terry, Max, Dana, Matt, and little baby Helena [also Keith, Zuko and Jet, if you count the other crossovers in the mentioned linked post at the top]), who all come over on Tuesday for a family dinner. His life is seemingly perfect.

However, for his bio-brothers things are very much not. By some miracle, they pull together to save Floyd, but it was a really close call. They all (+viva and poppy) make it to Gotham, via a very disgruntled John Constantine and a letter that Gotham left in Peppy's care.

I'm not entirely sure plot wise where it would go. I think they would probably land in Crime Alley, and be horrified by the place. The trolls world is bright and colorful, and Crime Alley is not. Maybe they'd come across some of the Alley kids and they would point out some grafiti of the Batfamily. Though, the would definitely get jumped once the sun goes down. Jason likely coming to their rescue.

Brozone's reaction to the Batfamily is a mix of shock and confusion. Branch has his own new family, and his new siblings aren't making it any easier. The adults (Bruce, Selina, Alfred, Kate, and Thomas) are civil, but still intimidating. The children however? Branch is their big brother, they are going to get a little petty revenge for him. Jason and Tim would just off the hand mention how dangerous their lives are and how Jason died. Cass would sneak up on them. Mara, Damain, Matt and Attie would openly threaten their lives. And the rest of them would totally flaunt how close they were as siblings even if they literally have tried to kill each other in the past.

A breakout would definitely happen at one point. Not sure when, but i'm tempted to pump up at least one of the Brozone members on Fear Toxin.

Also Bruce Wayne and TBruce meeting would be weird. Like two guys by the name of Bruce with over ten children each? Yeah, BW would take the possibility of them being multiversal counterparts way too seriously.

So ya'll thoughts? I have people from both of these fandoms watching my account, so I'm interested in what ideas ya'll have.

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disillusioneddanny · 2 years ago

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Help <3 DC x DP idea

Hi friends, I need help fleshing out this idea for a fanfic I want to write and figured I’d ask the masses!

The idea is that Danny has been immortal for quite some time now. He’s lived millennia and at one point met his soulmate. The thing is, his soulmate keeps choosing to be reincarnated every time they die. Every time they get reincarnated they don’t remember Danny but he remembers them. Every reincarnation feels a pull to Danny, though. The more time they spend with one another, the more their memories of past lives come back piece by piece. When they die, Danny gets a few years with them before they get reincarnated.

IDK if the soulmate just chooses to get reincarnated each time or if there’s a curse that forces it. I’m kinda leaning towards cursed.

Whatever the reason, each time they’re reincarnated, Danny seeks them out because his core yearns for its mate but usually only when the soulmate hits the age twenty.

For whatever reason, this time around, Danny finds them earlier than usual. He finds them as a small child. Now this is where I need opinions.

Option 1. Dead Serious

Danny finds Damian when he’s still a child training to be the Demon’s Head and decides that he has to protect his soul mate this time around, he realizes that Damian has no love from anyone and is like I need to show him he’s loved. he’s horrified that his soul mate is being raised as an assassin and decides to haunt him as his imaginary friend just until Damian is able to get away from the League safely. He cleans any wounds that Damian gets, he helps him when he can, basically tries his best to help Damian without getting in trouble too much for interfering. He stops haunting Damian when he’s taken to Wayne Manor and then he goes back to the realms until it’s time for him to actually seek Damian out.

Option 2. Dead Tired

Same concept but with Tim, except instead he sees that his soul mate is just insanely lonely and is left at home constantly so he just haunts Tim to be someone that the boy can rely on and not feel as lonely. He teaches Tim how to fight and defend himself from bullies, he teaches him tech, they just have fun together. Ofc same thing, when Tim goes to live with Bruce, Danny goes back to the realms knowing that his soul mate is going to be taken care of.

Option 3. Dead on Main

Danny finds Jason and sees that his family is drug addicts and is like uh uh no way gotta take care of him. He gives Jason companionship, gives him food so he doesn’t starve and just generally makes sure that Jason’s taken care of. Once he’s adopted, he leaves. With this one though, when jason dies Danny finds him and is like noo, it’s way too early. Jason gets his memories back and is super happy to see Danny but Danny’s like it’s not your time, you need to go back and sends Jason back. He later finds Jason again when he becomes Red Hood and realizes that when Jason was sent back it caused him to be confused as heck and the pits are what keeps him from remembering Danny because him dying too early and being sent back broke the cycle somehow. but now Danny’s gotta help heal him from the pit rage and also help his soul mate because he’s a crime lord now and Danny wasn’t exactly expecting that this time around.

Anyway, it won’t let me make this a poll without fucking up the post. So, if you would just reply or reblog with tags telling me which idea you think is best, that would be great. I really can’t decide and really wanna write this fic but I have sooo many ideas for all three.

#Dead Tired #Dead Tired Ship #Dead on Main #Dead on Main ship #Dead Serious #Dead Serious Ship #Damian x Danny #Tim x Danny #Jason x Danny #Dc x DP #DP x DC #dp x dc crossover #dp x dc fic

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aspectacularswathofswarmingbees · 4 months ago

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I think the funniest part of tim joins the batfamily early fics is when Bruce wants to bring him home and everyone is like "it's his adoption instinct acting up again smh" even though this is only his third kid at this point. Like, calm down he only has two other children he impulse adopted, this is not a pattern yet. He adopted one kid from the circus and the other off the street, that's two, and it's only a pattern after the third one. But everybody acts like he already has the other five.

I can easily see his kids giving him grief over "your adoption addiction oh no" only for it to get more and more true over time, but I also think that it's infinitely more funny to imagine that he keeps trying to adopt other children and failing. Like, he trys to adopt some kid he sees down on their luck, but they have a family to go back to so he can't, so he just stays penpals with them or something, but they still have a trust fund and get all their bills payed and they just have to live their life with Bruce Wayne over their shoulder desperately dading from a distance like a loser.

And no one knows, because he's an emotionaly constipated wreck, so they don't figure it out until some reporter asks how many kids he has and he slips up and says thirty or something, and everyone is just shocked into silence. Then he has to explain the multitude of children he's met but couldn't adopt but still emotionally adopted and is currently providing for on top of everything. And some kid is just watching the news and everything is suddenly clicking together in their head and they suddenly realize that this is why their bills are always payed.

Bonus: that kid came before he even adopted dick, he couldn't adopt them because he wasn't a foster parent, and by the time he was they already had a family or moved out of state or something. Imagine little Samantha grows up and leaves Gotham, but come back when she's older, and someone pays all her bills and her tuition and she gets a job offer for Wayne Enterprises (??? She didn't apply?? And is not quailified????) and she has no idea what's happening until she sees that interview and remembers when she met Bruce Wayne when she was like five and it all clicks.

#batman #dc comics #bruce wayne #bruces adoption problem #i just made samantha up shes not a character sorry #i just think it would be funny #crack #the look on dicks face when hes not the oldest #the look on everyones face when they realize how bad it actually is #he know everything about all of them #you didnt think it could get worse #until it did

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mafiatsunafish · 1 year ago

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So, if you will, you can say that John Soap MacTavish and his older sister Alisa MacTavish can be considered as Bruce Wayne wards.

Initially, the siblings only know of their parent, they lived a peaceful life in the countryside of Scotland. Only them, they had never heard or meet any of their other relatives, saint to their mum’s cousin who they briefly saw one in a blue moon.

Until there was a car accident, a drunk driver and a in responsive brake, the two woke up side by side miraculously alive but now without their parents. Little John woke up and he cried, little Alana tried her best to stay strong for her brother and herself, too.

However, it was not for long, right when they seemed fit to be released from the hospital, there was a man who dressed in an impeccable black suit stood in front of them. John was too young back then to realize who is that man but Alisa can, she knew that was her mum’s cousin.

“I am Bruce, your uncle. Would you like to come with me?”

Alisa knew that she shouldn’t believe a man no more than a stranger to them, a man they barely know anything, a man you just appear right after their parents just gone and offer them to come with him. John looked at her nervously while his hand still grip the hem of her skirt tightly. They didn’t know any other people, they were alone and his eyes were filled with genuine care and worries.

So they come with him.

And just never leave.

(Little did they know, they are the start of Bruce’s adoption problem cause he never stop collecting strays)

Then he brought home kid that he had told them from the circus, Alisa becomes Bruce’s oldest then Richard or Dick and then John.

(Alisa would fight tooth and nails with anyone who dares to touch her baby brothers, but between Dick’s chandeliers swinging and John’s eerie interest in fire, she don’t know who she want to kick first)

(Batman gained his first Robin while the MacTavish stay with at the back with Alfred, learning how to cook, tends wounds and deal with stubborn vigilantes)

Then Jason came home with a defensive face, after Dick stormed his way out of the manor. Alfred, Alisa and John joined force to take care of the tiny Jason. John finally meet another book nerd that he can camp in the manor’s library with and Alfred had another tail, following him around the kitchen.

But then Jason was gone. It shattered the family once again.

(Batman almost lashed)

Dick moved to Bludheaven and Nightwing soared, John determined to go back to England and enlisted then somehow earned the name Soap.

Only Alisa stayed, hoping one day her brothers will come home.

Then a child stalker named Wayne’s neighbour appeared, Tim Drake is a genius baby who has crippling caffeine addiction and fucked up self-preservation sense. Alisa now has her third baby brother who she would definitely bite someone's head off if they dared to touch him.

(Jason is alive, he is alive, he is alive, he is-)

Then come Damian, Damian Wayne, son of the Bat. God, her murdered baby, their family's precious murdered tiny assassin. He came with so much rage and violence, with so many scars and hurt. She has sworn, until her last breath, she will try her damn best to make him feel loved.

Cassandra Cain just materialized from a shadow one day and called Alisa older sister, Alisha was overjoyed when this household finally had another girl. She loves to go shopping with Cass and gossip with the girls, she loves watching Cass gracefully dance and beat the shit out of their brothers and she loves how Cass slowly becomes more human.

And steaming Jesu’ Christ, is that her John dangling on the window edge of that fucking skyscraper?! And what he is doing with that Lieutenant Ghost with all those talking?????

(thanks O for gave her both visual and sound of that particular moment, because, what the fuck?)

(for some reason, there has been sight of Batman and various of Gotham’s vigilantes in Chicago, what’s the bat colony doing there? No one is sure)

(not for shovel talk or threatening government military)

Alisa MacTavish missed her parents but she also loved the family that that one weird uncle brought her through the years.

(Alisa: Bruce, yer have a problem, yer know?

Bruce: hn

Dick: She is right, B. Like Batman is one thing, but collecting kids?

Bruce: hn)

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klbwriting · 10 months ago

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Not Romeo, Not Juliet

Chapter 12: Merely Players

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: the aftermath of the kidnapping and the start of competition day

Notes: one more chapter after this! Then there will be a sequel! I'm trying to think of a musical theater related title for it so if anyone has ideas let me know, I am stumped

Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch @amberpanda99

All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players

— AS YOU LIKE IT, ACT 2 SCENE 7

Jason knew he couldn’t prove that one of the other seniors sent out the video of him and YN’s conversation, how did he know this? Because for the two weeks between YN’s kidnapping and the Shakespeare competition he tried. Dick had Barbara do a deep dive, but the video was posted to a social media site using a burner phone, a fake email address, and the phone was already destroyed. Even the IP address it came from was some random café where they conveniently didn’t have any security footage from the time that the video was posted. It was infuriating, but it didn’t mean that he wouldn’t still confront them over what happened.

After rehearsal the Thursday before the competition Jason walked over to them before they could run out like they had been. They looked at him, then at each other, then at him again. He didn’t say anything, letting the awkward silence string along, hoping one of them would break. Jackson folded first.

“How is YN?” he asked softly, an almost guilty look on his face. Jason folded his arms.

“She’s healing,” he answered. The silence drew out again and he let it, eyes moving from one of them to the next, trying to bare their souls with his currently green gaze.

“Are you sure she was actually even kidnapped? She was gone for like a night, what if she was just being dramatic? Or out with another guy?” Chelsea said. Jason’s glare shut her up, the other guys taking a step back. He took a deep breath and forced his fists to unclench.

“I got the phone call from her, I saw her face after the cops brought her home, she was not being dramatic,” he said, voice calm but they seemed to sense the danger in it.

“Well, whoever posted that video was right to do it, we should be aware of the kinds of people who are trying to win the competition,” Jackson said. “And the kinds of people who are trying to break into our society.”

“And what kind of people are you referring to?” Jason asked, gritting his teeth a little now. Jackson clearly wanted to be the tough guy right now. He glanced to where Sydney was watching the interaction, and he puffed his chest out some.

“Those from certain places, who don’t know how to act, those who don’t know how to belong,” he said. Jason nodded.

“So, someone like me?” Jason asked. Jackson shook his head.

“No, you were a Wayne, you are a part of our world, YN is not, she’s trying but she was never meant to be going to a place like Gotham Academy,” he said.

“You know I was born in Crime Alley, right? My dad was a degenerate gambler, my mother a drug addict. The only reason Bruce Wayne adopted me was because I tried to steal his tires and he took pity on me when I told him my sob story,” Jason said. This part of his history was always hidden from the public. Bruce had fed out that he was the son of some European friends of Bruce’s who had died in a private plane crash.

“Well, either way, you aren’t an embarrassment like she is,” Chelsea said. Now that they knew who his adoptive father really was they were trying to stay in his good graces like the lap dogs they were. It was disgusting. “Not only that she gossips about others and gets their opportunities taken from them because she’s jealous.”

“Are you talking about that stupid competition last year? Where the actress from here was sleeping with a judge to win and she just, told the truth?” Jason asked. Chelsea glared.

“She should keep her mouth shut,” she retorted.

“I have to pretend to be in love with you in two days and you are making that very difficult right now with your fucked up world view,” he said. Sydney walked over then, standing with Jason.

“YN is really nice you know, and she at least doesn’t seem the type who’s going to peak in high school like some people, don’t you think Jason?” she asked, turning to him. He chuckled a little as the three others wrinkled their noses in annoyance. Of all people to gang up on them the children of Wayne Enterprises and Arkham fame were not the ones you wanted. Even if Jason was pretty much disowned, not like Bruce didn’t know about him by now, he was still powerful in the eyes of the city.

“Maybe people should be nicer to her, if they want others to be nice to them,” he said, still staring at the three of them. They gathered their things, heading out together, heads close as they talked.

“They are seriously such a pain in the ass,” Sydney said. Jason nodded and turned to her. “Do you have any holiday break plans?”

“No, probably just staying home and recovering from this Shakespeare thing,” he said. She nodded.

“Maybe we could hang out,” she offered. “My family is going to Europe, and I’m really not interested this year.” Jason nodded slowly before shrugging.

“Maybe, but I’ll probably hang out a lot with YN, so we’ll see,” he answered. Sydney nodded and waved bye before heading out. Jason grabbed his things, heading home, glad he at least seemed to make a friend while he was at this school. Even if she was part of the Arkham family. Maybe she could get him in to see Joker sometime. His therapist would love that, reopening the traumatic wound of his death and all, but he couldn’t lie, taking a crowbar to the clown sounded really fun.

Saturday morning Jason woke up to a text from YN that just said, ‘you die today Hamlet’ to which he replied ‘so do you’ and he received ‘date night in hell?’ he answered ‘see you there’. He was still smiling as he sat at the table for what Dick promised to be a good breakfast. He plopped donuts from the shop down the street in front of Jason.

“Well, this is better than your cooking,” Jason said. Dick sighed.

“At least you’re in a good mood today,” he said. It had taken Jason over a week to even smile again after the incident with Falcone. Dick was pretty sure he knew what happened in that warehouse but neither Jason nor his doctor were telling him about it, so he just had to guess. He was conflicted about confronting Jason about the deaths, wanting him to feel comfortable talking to his brother, but maybe him reacting the way he did to YN had ruined his trust.

“Ya, I’m good today, gotta be good for the competition, you excited? Today you get to witness my death, although it is significantly less bloody than the first time,” Jason joked, and Dick couldn’t help but laugh. Jason fell quiet after a minute, picking up a chocolate donut that had the Batman symbol on it.

“Sorry about that one, it’s a special they’re running, goes in every box,” Dick said, hoping this didn’t sour Jason’s mood. Jason bit into it, chewing and swallowing.

“Did he ask about me?” he asked. Bruce had to know about him being back, probably also figured out Dick was lying about not knowing who Red Hood was. Did he care? Did he want to see Jason again? “No, he hasn’t asked,” Dick said softly. “I think he’s waiting for you to talk to him.”

“Of course, because I’m the parent, I’m the one who should be mending the relationship,” Jason muttered, tearing the donut in half.

“Why don’t you go get dressed? Maybe call YN, she seems to make everything better,” Dick suggested, standing to go get himself ready for the competition. Jason headed up to the loft, calling YN like Dick suggested.

“Hey Jay, can I talk to you after the competition?” she said as soon as she answered. Jason furrowed his brow.

“Ya, sure, is everything ok?” he asked, noticing she seemed out of breath.

“Yes, we just got word about something for my mom, its not bad, but we’re talking it through while I’m getting ready. I promise I’ll tell you about it after the competition,” she said.

“Ya, sure, I love you,” he said.

“I love you too, go actually break a leg, ok? I really want to win,” she said, making him laugh before hanging up. He sighed, getting into the bare bones of his costume. He would finish getting ready there. His mind wandered to what had happened for YN and her mother, he hoped that something good was happening, they all needed something good right now.

#jasontodd #jason todd #jason todd x reader #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #redhood #red hood #red hood x reader #red hood x you #red hood x y/n #notromeo

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dysfunctional-family-fight · 1 year ago

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Propaganda for the Batfamily

"Constantly fighting, and trying to kill each other. Also are fighting the mentally I’ll at 2 in the morning while wearing glorified tights and bat ears"

"*gestures vaguely at every batfam story ever* No but like they’ve got so many issues idk where to start. Jason’s death and all the shit he started post resurrection? Damian straight up trying to kill Tim for while back in the day? Bruce’s questionable and inconsistently written parenting skills? Also they’re all vigilantes which in Gotham means they definitely have issues"

"Thomas and Martha Wayne got murdered and it's all been downhill from there"

"Bruce dresses up as a bat to fight crime and Alfred, failing to stop him, adopts a "well if you're going to do it then at least do it where I can see that you'll be safe" attitude and helps from behind the scenes. Bruce in turn adopts a child called Dick. And then a child called Jason. And then a Cass and a Tim and a Duke. It doesn't really work out with a Steph but she's family anyway. Damian doesn't need adopting because he's Bruce's bio kid that he didn't know existed for ten years. And all of the children are SO determined to fight crime that the combined forces of Bruce and Alfred aren't enough to stop them, and one by one they all become vigilantes (Bruce also adopting Alfred's attitude from before). Most of them die at least once. None of them are good at coping OR communicating OR feelings OR being a member of a functioning family but by god if they aren't trying to help. Sometimes the world, sometimes each other. They usually fare better with the former. Bruce and Dick yell at each other about everything under the sun that parents and eldest children yell at each other about. Jason is angry at Bruce because the Joker is still alive after he killed Jason. Bruce is angry at Jason for killing people. Cass is away from home a lot. Tim takes even worse care of himself than the others (on page). Duke is... actually doing pretty okay if not counting the fact that his parents got jokerised and his new family is This. Damian struggles with not killing people and a rampant animal adoption addiction. They all struggle with abandonment issues. The rest of them struggle for screentime. It's like that one vine with the girl who goes "please god, let me have just one good day" and god answers "oh my god you again? give it a rest buddy" where the family (both as a collective and as individuals) is the girl and DC Comics is god."

1 all of them have tried to kill each other at least once

2 bruce wayne is a kind of shitty dad

3 everyone but bruce and alfred were child soldiers (ish)

4 dick grayson has beefed with multiple 12 year olds after he had already grown up and moved out

5 cannot overemphasize the murders and bodily harm

6 one time bruce got lost in the timestream (comics) and everyone but tim thought he was dead and tim was like “hes alive” and everyone kinda bullied the shit out of him for it

7 one time jason got murdered by a guy and then several years later dick put him in prison down the hall from the guy

8 one time bruce beat the everloving shit out of jason for shooting a guy with a blank

9 another time bruce refused to tell jason about who killed his dad despite knowing full well

10 bruce is the main reason jason died at age 15 in the first place

11 the amount of beatings dick grayson took throughout the 50s and 60s is frankly absurd

12 in the injustice universe damian got dick killed and then bruce screamed at damian for “killing his son” despite damian also being his son. then damian joined the league of super fascists against his dad (who beat him up a lot) and then his dad put him in prison

13 bruces uncle isnt in the batfamily but after bruces traumatic orphaning his uncle did more traumatic stuff to him

"Several attempted murders, several arrests of each other, general disdain and massive fights, love that is destructive to all parties, and an inability to communicate"

"they're a family full of extremely traumatized child soldiers whose primary coping mechanism is vigilante justice. many of them have tried to kill each other multiple times. some of them have died & come back wrong. they try their best and they do care about each other but they also get into big blowout fights a lot. they all came from some form of traumatized background before being taken in. the oldest sibling (Dick) had to be a father to the youngest sibling (Damian) for a not insignificant period of time when the dad (Bruce) disappeared; this was immediately after Damian (Bruce's only biological child) had started living with them after being raised in an assassin cult by his mother for the first like decade of his life. Jason died, came back wrong, was groomed by assassins, became a drug lord, & tried to kill multiple members of his family."

"i don't think i can summarise the 80 years of familial dysfunction. my best is just. Batman is the best parental figure some of these kids have ever had. Batman."

"Take your pick of issues. Dead parents, absent parents, abusive parents, addict parents, distant parents, assassin parents. How many people are in the family? Who knows? Everyone deals with personal issues by dressing up and fighting crime in the most depressing city possible. Bruce may or may not have adopted all the kids/plays favorites."

"Bruce is addicted to adopting kids. Bruce. quit putting children into crime fighting. One of them died like how did you not learn. Dick (the first robin) is a huge ass to the next one that comes along (this is the one that died like. Super graphically and horrifically) because Bruce basically fires him as his son and Dick leaves. The one that died rose from the grave, was kidnapped/manipulated for years and has supernatural anger issues (but rightfully should be angry) tries to kill brother Tim who became robin after him for replacing him. He becomes a drug lord and starts cutting off heads. Uses guns for the bit specifically (really funny) (bruce has trauma with guns from dead parents). Bruce mean to Tim when he first comes, then finds out oh shit I have a bio kid raised by assassins that really thinks he’s epic and tries to kill Tim a bunch. It’s practically tradition for his brothers to try and kill him. I love Damian but damn babe. That’s a lot king. He also genetically got the addiction to adopting but for pets. He’s pulling up with cows and shit and keeping them. Cass is perfect and we love her. Duke has a really funny relationship with Jason, and also does some out of pocket shit in the comics (by that i mean like. Dangerous/crazy stuff but in a good way) Alfred is perpetually exhausted with them, mostly bruce. Bruce is emotionally constipated so bad, like crazy bad. This man cannot communicate and is a bad dad a lot bc of it. But he’s really trying and loves them."

#propaganda #batfamily #batman

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clicruz13 · 2 years ago

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Peter and Bruce

Chapter 1: Of Hell-spawn and Parker Luck, Part 1

‘Deep breath, Petey.’ A thin figure clutched his batter suitcase and his satchel as he waited for the penthouse level elevator of Jazz R.C. Hotel. ‘One last long assignment and boom – debt is gone.’

The doors opened. ‘Seesh, not sure why Varnes bailed. And Ms. Brown’s panic? Wish I had been given time to read the paperwork more.’

Peter sighed to himself as the elevator ascended. ‘Ah, well, it isn’t like it’s the first time I’ve gone into a situation nearly blind.’

‘Nice place tho.’ Peter fished his paperwork out of his satchel. The name of the client was strangely missing. Peter scanned the papers.

‘A two week trial?’ Peter groaned. ‘She didn’t set me up with a crime boss or something, did she?’

Peter paused. ‘Would have explained her panic.’

“Ah, Mr. Parker.” Peter jerked in place, accidentally scattering his paperwork and dropping his suitcase.

The door to Penthouse Two had opened. A stately graying gentleman stood in the doorway. Peter smiled sheepishly as he rushed to collect his things. The man’s eyes glinted with amusement as Peter straightened out. The gentleman fished out a pocket watch, struggling as he worked around a sling holding his right arm.

“Ah, ten minutes early. Already an improvement over Mr. Varnes.” The man said mildly. “I am Alfred Pennyworth, family butler to the Wayne family.”

‘……….’ Peter’s brain short-circuited. “Ah. Totally British.”

‘Dang.’ Peter blinked, instinctively glancing at the elevator. ‘Top-tier.’

Peter realized the silence hung for a moment too long. He flushed in embarrassment.

“Indeed.” Pennyworth’s neutral expression warmed. “Ms. Brown has spoken quite highly of you. Your records in the agency speak for themselves. It is a pity you ran into trouble with your last assignment.”

Peter flushed slightly, stuck between embarrassment, suspicion, and mortification. ‘Wonderful. Does everyone know about that?’

Pennyworth’s smile became a smirk as he turned away. “Now, please follow me to your accommodation. I will go over what you’ll need to know.”

Peter stared a long moment. ‘What the hell did I get into?’

“The only person not here is Master Dick. Apparently something came up at Bludhaven’s museum at the last minute.” Pennyworth handed Peter keys. “He should be here in three days however.”

“Hm.” Peter’s brow furrowed. ‘Seems like a normal domestic job so far. Aside from Mr. Wayne being “that rich playboy” and an adoption addiction, there isn’t anything out of place.’

“I would recommend you prepare yourself. While I do not believe Master Jason or Master Timothy to cause you issue, Master Damian can-” Pennyworth trailed off.

Peter felt his shoulders slump as Pennyworth picked up again. “Be difficult to handle.”

‘Difficult how?’ Peter stared pointedly at Pennyworth’s back. ‘Don’t leave me hanging.’

Peter, out of habit, cataloged the office they were in as neurotically lacking in personality.

However, Pennyworth pulled papers off the printer before Peter could ponder why.

“This is the boys’ schedule. Master Tim is currently on a coffee restriction. He is permitted only 8 ounces a day.” Pennyworth sighed. “I am trying to wean him off of his addiction.”

Peter winced. ‘Not pleasant at all. Reminds me of that time with Tony.’

“Master Jason is required to attend the appointments highlighted in blue.” Pennyworth rolled his eyes. “This entire stay in New York was supposed to be a family bonding experience.”

Peter shot a puzzled look. “I dare say, in this case, it would work better if Master Bruce spent more time with his boys than working.”

Peter watched Pennyworth’s long suffering with vague amusement. ‘Social butterfly Brucie inept with his kids? Who knew?’

“I do apologize beforehand for Master Damian’s antics. He can come on as a little intense.” Pennyworth ushered Peter out the door.

‘Dang it, Pennyworth. What the heck do you mean by intense!?’

“Tonight, we are not expected to do anything.” Pennyworth had herded Peter into the kitchen. “I thought I would take the opportunity to know you better.”

Peter glanced at the two exits longingly. Pennyworth gave a knowingly look as he had Peter sit in the kitchen nook.

‘This is an interrogation, isn’t it?’ Peter lamented.

“Good lad.” Pennyworth poured a teacup for Peter. “Now, Mr. Parker…”

Pennyworth had taken his own cup and sat opposite. “To be frank, I -”

Peter heard the front door open and four heartbeats just as Pennyworth started.

“Alfred, we’re back." The voice of a tired deep-voice man boomed in the space. Underneath that, Peter could make out a trio of males arguing. Alfred looked slightly annoyed at the interruption and mildly resigned.

“Please, Mr. Parker, stay here.” Pennyworth stood up.

“Master Bruce...” The swinging door obscured what Pennyworth was saying. Peter winced slightly. The trio of voices grew in intensity, though Peter couldn't hear much. Someone had paid for some decent sound-proofing. Then again, Peter wasn’t exactly trying to listen in.

Peter sipped the cup. ‘Pretty good tea.’

The door swung in, revealing two teenagers and a child. Peter stared at the trio whom froze in their tracks. The smell of Chinese food wafted from the paper bags they carried. Peter’s sixth sense kicked in.

The cheap wooden chopstick shattered harmlessly over Peter. There was the sound of someone crashing to the floor with an oomph. He yelped as the hot tea splashed on him as he ducked under the table. His sense blared. He found himself unable to react in time as he was pulled out and pinned to the floor with a kitchen knife to the neck.

‘Okay, don’t know if I want to coo at the kid or freak out.’ Peter stared at the (maybe) ten year old child who he suspected was Mister Damian as his mind raced, half-hysterical. ‘And now I know why Pennyworth said intense. It’s like someone crossed Matt with Natalie – only funsize.’

“DAMIAN!.” “Master Damian.”

“Chill, shortstack.” The Wade-built teenager pulled the kid off. “Nice reflexes, man.”

Peter touched his throat. Luckily Damian hadn’t managed to press in. Peter needed to maintain a low profile. A seen rapid healing cut might place in him in a precarious position.

Pennyworth helped him to his feet. “Mr. Parker, please forgive me. I didn’t expect-”

Peter shook his head with a wry smile, placing his palms out. ‘Parker luck strikes again.’

The borderline adult-teenager whistled as he left his brother drown. “Damn, and I thought Alfred had nerves of steel.”

Pennyworth whirled on the pair and grabbed Damian by the ear. “Pardon us. I believe I need to reiterate an earlier conversation with Master Damian.”

The silence hung awkwardly for a moment. Bruce Wayne offered a hand. “I apologize about my youngest. I’m Bruce Wayne.”

Peter gave a quick shake before signing out his surname. Bruce’s eyes widened a bit, but hid it quickly.

‘Huh.’ Peter tilted his head slightly.

“These are my other sons, Jason and Timothy.”

“Yo.” Jason waved near where the food was placed.

“Hello.” The fore-mentioned Timothy squinted at him.

‘Whelp.’ Peter tucked his hands behind his back as the conversation stalled and died a miserable long death. The staring contest made him want to flee. ‘This gotta rank in my top five awkward moments ever.’

______________________________________________

‘Okay, why do I stay?’ Peter pulled the door open to the Royce. ‘Petey, you have officially lost your mind. Is the money really worth this...’

The unholy union of Matt-Natalie glanced at him as he exited the vehicle. Peter’s sixth sense had been humming off and on the entire time since their initial first meeting in the kitchen. Damian had been stalking him through the penthouse the last two days as Peter went about his job. Peter didn’t bother to count how many little ‘incidents’ he ducked or ignored. And then the insincere apology should have told him everything he needed to know.

The Tony-wannabe, Timothy, spent half the time in a tired daze and the other half watching him suspiciously. And he was sure a few ‘pranks’ were not the play-hunt style of the littlest Hellspawn. Peter pretended not to be bothered by the kids’ antics. The two usually behaved when either the normally elusive Bruce was around or Pennyworth.

Then there was Jason. The nineteen year old had quite a mouth on him. (Aunt May would have washed his mouth out.) Yet Peter wasn’t sure what to make of the kid. Half the time when he was in the penthouse, he could be found reading various pieces of classic literature. Otherwise, he seemed to enjoy taking the mickey out of his siblings.

However it was clear to Peter that Jason and Bruce had issues. Arguments that always seemed to stop when he entered the room.

‘Granted if I wasn’t doing my job, I’d ease-drop on those conversation.’ Peter shut the door after Jason exited.

He gave the driver, Eddy Lorne, a thumbs up. He watched longingly as the car drove off.

‘It’s quite sad when they use you as a leash for the devil spawn.’ Peter’s mouth twisted for a second.

It had become apparent when the ‘boys’ (as Alfred fondly called them) tended to clash or enable the others' worse habits. At the movie theater on Day Two, Peter had to confiscate four knives off of Damian and at least two guns from Jason before they had entered. He had stopped Tim four times from getting coffee. Not to mention stopping Damian from trying to strangle Tim in the bathroom while an amused Jason looked on. Something about who owned a bird?

Or maybe it was about a girl? Peter couldn’t quite recall except all he had wished he could have webbed them to the seats.

Peter reached out and caught Damian as he seemed set on chasing Jason whom passed by. Damian seemed to be demanding not to be called kid. Peter sighed, resigned. Surprisingly Damian paused as he glanced up. Peter glanced down. Rolling his eyes, he gently shoved the kid in the direction of the necessary airport terminal.

Jason returned from his raiding of one of the airport shops. Peter found himself the owner of a small bag of gummy-worms.

‘…’ Peter ruthlessly squashed down the memories threatening to overcome him. ‘Keep it together, Peter. No need to flashback now.’

“Okay there, Parker.”

Jason looked ready to bump his shoulder.

Peter took a partial step away and gave a quick smile. He signed thank you to Jason, before stowing the bag in his pocket. Timothy gave him a long side-glance as Damian began chattering about his pets – one of his favorite subjects as they navigated the airport.

“Flight 182B is now disembarking.” Came the announcement.

Timothy perked up and began waving. “RICHARD!”

Peter idly eyed the approaching adult. ‘What is it with Bruce and dark-haired bright-eyed children? Are these all of his or something?’

The fore-mentioned Richard bear-hugged Timothy. Peter was surprised to find Damian clinging to his side. Jason and Richard gave each other a cool nod. Damian muttered a sullen greeting to Richard’s cautious one.

‘And now everything becomes a lot more interesting.’ Peter met the surprised gaze of Richard head-on. ‘When did my life turn into a soap opera?’

“Where’s Alfred?”

“Dick, met Peter Parker. He’s Alfred’s new assistant.�� Jason clapped a hand on his shoulder.

‘Only until the start of next week.’ Peter, trapped between two of the brothers, merely rocked from the friendly blow.

‘Yep, this is my life.’ Peter was aware there was some silent conversation between the brothers.

“Oh?” Richard put out a hand with only a partially faked cheer. “Richard Grayson-Wayne.”

Peter smiled politely as Richard’s grip increased minutely. ‘What is with the testing me all the time?’

‘Play dumb, Petey.’ Peter extracted his hand and stuck them in his pocket. ‘Just one more day.’

______________________________________________

“Please enjoy your day off, Mr. Parker.” Pennyworth smiled as they passed each other in the elevator hall.

Peter slumped against the elevator wall in relief. He needed a break.

‘Never thought I’d be the cause of so much tension.’ Peter rubbed his forehead. ‘Geez. Alright, Peter. Focus. We’re out for the day.’

Peter suspected that he was being followed. He spotted Mister Dick as he got on the subway for Queens. Then when he stopped at Belos Bakery for a quick breakfast before popping into Flora’s, he thought he saw Mister Timothy.

He pointedly ignored this when he entered into Cedar Cemetery.

‘Hey, Aunt May, Uncle Ben, how have you been?’ Peter noted the gravestone had been cleaned up absently. His aunt must have been by since a new bouquet of day-lilies lay at its’ foot. Peter laid down his carnations.

‘Me? I’ve doing alright. Currently working for Mr. Big-Deal Wayne until the twentieth. The butler Alfred seems to like me well enough, but the family.. eh, who knows. Unlikely for the job to continue afterwards. At least at the end, I know I’ll have all the medical bills paid off.’

Peter rest his head on the gravestone. ‘I’m thinking about going for a teaching degree. Not sure if I’m going back in as, well, you know. I’m not sure I have the strength to start from absolute zero.’

Peter chuffed to himself. ‘Didn’t realize you could empty oneself so much. I know I’m not going to keep away forever. I just need to take care of myself. Right, Aunt May? So-’

Time passed as he chatted to the dead. A clock-tower rung out noon. Peter dusted himself off and made for Delmar’s. Old man Delmar hadn’t even recognized him but Peter couldn’t hold it to him. Peter had drastically changed over the five years.

Peter, when he sat at a window booth, spotted Mister Damian and Mister Jason trying to chill on a bench across from Delmar’s Deli.

‘What. The. Hell?’ Peter glanced out the window as he chewed. ‘Don’t they have better things to do?’

A mischievous smile grew on his face as an idea occurred. ‘Alright, how ‘bout a little payback?’

After he finished his meal, Peter headed into the maze of streets that had been his hood for years. He spotted the four clustered together as he walked downtown Flushing in the reflection of one of the many boutiques on the roadway. Peter used the time to stop at a few stores, expanding his currently limited wardrobe.

‘Alright, now just to time this right.’

As he picked up a shirt at one boutique and a tie at another, he watched the quartet lag behind slightly. Especially when one of the more eager saleswomen managed to delay them via Dick. Peter pretended to dillydallied, window-shopping.

Once he was sure they were far enough behind, he causally stepped into an alleyway with a fence. By time the quartet made it to the alley, Peter had climbed the wall to the roof and waited.

“The hell?” Jason’s voice boomed up. “Where did he go?”

“We saw him enter this alley, didn’t we?” Dick asked.

Peter chuckled to himself before walking to the other side and dropping down. The second alley had been blissfully empty. He walked out of the second alley back onto the main drag. He heard Jason swearing in the distance as he headed to the closest subway.

The high from the prank last only until he started to think things through.

‘You are an idiot, Parker.’ He berated himself during the subway ride. ‘What if you had been caught? Got to keep a low profile. Or-’ Peter shuddered as he recalled memories.

Both Pennyworth and Mister Wayne seemed baffled when Peter walked into the kitchen. Alfred had a medical kit out and was bandaging Mister Wayne’s fist. Peter, more interested in a drink and nap, merely waved. He raided the refrigerator for the can of Sprite he hid in the back before retreating to the guest staff quarters.

He flopped onto the bed after placing the drink on the night-stand. Peter didn’t even manage to drink the soda before he drifted off.

______________________________________________

Peter watched bemusedly as Damian and Timothy hustled Pennyworth out the door. Jason saluted and Dick nodded. Soon Peter was left alone in the kitchen. Pennyworth had no time to give him his instructions for the day.

‘Should I try to collect laundry or vacuum?’

“Parker?”

‘Not alone as I thought.’ Peter turned on his heel to face his current employer.

Wayne hid the appraising eyes with a smile. Peter debated if he should call the man out. Consider yesterday’s incident with his kids, Peter was quite sure that ‘Brucie’ was likely either a crime lord or a super-villian.

‘Actually, it might be safe not to poke the bear.’ Peter pondered. ‘I’m more or less a working drifter at this point. No one to call foul if I was to disappear.’

“Peter.” Peter blinked in surprise. “Where did you disappear off to in that head of yours?”

Peter signed an apology. Wayne smiled.

“I hope you don’t mind taking over Alfred’s work. The boys consider Alfred to be family and…” At that, Wayne shrugged. “Anyway, today is the annual Science Expo and I promised Lucius I would show up.”

‘So is this more of a status thing or something?’ Peter mused as Wayne rambled on. “Nope, adult-sitting.’

“- would it be alright with you?”

Peter hummed an agreement. However, he rolled his eyes when Bruce was not looking.

‘What did I get myself into?’

______________________________________________

Peter kept his hands behind his back as he trailed after Wayne. Peter struggled to keep a straight face. ‘Dang, if Fisk lost about a thousand pounds, he and Luthor could be twins.’

Peter resisted the urge to flee as Wayne made a beeline to a lanky African American talking to the famous Lex Luthor. The look he received from Luthor made Peter’s flesh crawl.

“Lucuis! Lex.” Wayne greeted the pair with firm handshakes.

“Ah, Brucie, about time you made it.” Luthor drawled. “Ah, did you exchange Pennyworth for a new model?”

Peter could see the sudden tension in Wayne’s back though it didn’t translate into his voice. “Ah, no. This is Mr. Parker, Alfred’s new assistant. Parker, this is Lucius Fox, my CEO, and this is Lex Luthor.”

Peter stumbled when Wayne pulled him closer, his hand clapped on Peter’s far shoulder. Peter stiffened from the contact. He silently breathed deeper through his nose. Bruce squeezed his shoulder lightly before loosening his grip.

“Charmed.” Luthor smirked, giving Peter a look up and down before dismissing his presence. “Lucius and I were discussing S.T.A.R. Lab’s newest robotic creation. -”

‘What the hell?’ Peter step back behind Wayne, caught between a shudder and an eye twitch. ‘Did I just – nope. Nope. Not thinking. No thinking until we’re out, Peter.’

Peter listened with half an ear to the two men politely insult each other as he scanned the room. A few people caught his attention. A slightly slouching reporter who kept glancing in their direction. An admittedly dark-haired gorgeous woman flitting from group to group. The last was a stout African American women who met his eye by accident.

At that moment, Peter was nearly blinded by his sixth sense. Reacting on instinct, Peter shoved Wayne into Fox and Luthor as pain burst into his side. Peter struggled against hands, his head ringing.

“-rker. Peter. Peter.” The pain receded but everything sounded a bit distant. “Stay with me!”

Peter blinked as he could see the ceiling.

‘When did I…’ The thought formed muzzily. ‘Got shot.’

Wayne’s mouth moved ahead of the words.

“Don’t fall asleep."

"Please -.”

Peter try to wheeze out a reply. His voice failed. He whined when someone jostled him. The world edged with gray and then faded.

#Peter and Bruce #Batman/Spiderman crossover #Batman #Spiderman #batfamily #alfred pennyworth #peter parker #bruce wayne #Batman/Spider AU

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romanticizingmurder · 2 years ago

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This probably isn't going to be articulated very well but it's so important to me that Jason is like... failed by every system in any version of canon? Jason as a poor child watching his mother die or succumb to addiction, with a father either abusive or working for two-face out of desperation or both. And then he's adopted by Bruce Wayne! He's empowered by Robin! He's magic. And it's good, at first. And then he starts seeing how *they* fail people. He sees a woman kill herself because her rapist was harassing her and they couldn't stop him. He sees that there are limits to what they can do - and just like his childhood, the people who exist outside those limits? Die.

And he does die. He's *murdered*. He dies alone and scared and in agony. At 15. A monster that neither capes or cops could keep contained beats a child to death. He is failed by the government and social systems before he becomes Robin, and he's failed* by capes and heroes after.

And then he comes back. And finds out those failures are still happening. That Barbara's shooting, his death, the deaths and tortures of countless others - none of it made a change. It's just the same systems, failing the same people, over and over again. And he decides he doesn't need to be good, he doesn't need to be magic. He just needs to make it stop.

*obligatory disclaimer that no one but the Joker is to blame for killing Jason but thats...kind of Jason's point! "I don't blame you for not saving me."

No hero can be everywhere, all the time, and in those absences? People die.

#Jason Todd

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brianwashere · 3 years ago

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Dawg Istg this took so long like—agh. But it’s done and the idea is out of my head now.

I’m actually really proud of it please like it

**I do not own any characters or part of the franchise from DC or Batman**

Pairing: batfam x poc!son!reader

Genre: found family and a lil sprinkle of angst but it ends up alright

Summary: Alrighty what do people thing about a one shot with a teen poc male reader ( older than Damian but younger than Tim ) and the Batfam. It’s the reader’s first time it this large fancy private school and they keep getting bullied for their ethnicity. By the end of the day a group of bullies writes in sharpie “go back to where you came from” and the reader doesn’t do anything for a few weeks but then on of the batbros finds out and they get super mad. Confrontation then it’s got a happy ending and stuff.

Tw: racism, no slur use but degrading comments about race, bullying

Maybe I’ll stick around

You didn’t know what to expect when Bruce Wayne, the prince of Gotham, adopted you. You’d lived years on the street and ran away from all of your foster homes at least once.

You definitely weren’t expecting him to put you in the same high class snobby rich kid school as his two youngest sons. When you asked why you were going to a “rich bitch school” he told you that you were his son now and that meant you didn’t get any different treatment than his own kids.

What a bunch of bullshit. You’re obviously just a charity case. You saw the article in the paper the day after you were officially adopted.

“Bruce Wayne adopts immigrant teenage boy”

You weren’t an immigrant.

You hated the media. Whatever. Soon he’s gunna realize how “troubled” you are and send you back to another home. You’ll run away from there too. You’ll run until they catch and deport you because, apparently, you’re an immigrant.

Your first day of school started out relatively normal. You tried to sleep in but Dick was still staying over and dragged you out of bed. That left you no choice but to get dressed into your uniform. Alfred had cooked you breakfast but you didn’t want any then he drove you, Damian, and Tim to school.

Tim looked like hell. Literal hell. His hair looked like it had never seen a hairbrush and the bags under his eyes could make Louis Vuitton jealous.

Damian…well—he was Damian. Snobby, rude, and flippant. His hair was perfectly combed and his tie was tied with precision.

It’s hard to remember he’s younger than you.

You were wearing the uncomfortable uniform but your shirt was untucked and your tie was barely hanging on ( it wasn’t your fault you never learned how to tie a tie ).

“You look trashy.” Damian spoke in a clipped tone.

“You represent the Wayne Family you can’t just go around dressed like the addicts on the side of the road.” He continued, arms folded.

You rolled your eyes and wondered how much trouble you’d get in if you punched his perfect teeth in.

Alfred scolded him telling him how he should be kind to his new brother and that “you were the new one once too”.

Alfred was too patient for his own good.

When you finally got to school Tim and Damian immediately left you to go do whatever Wayne sons do at school. Which left you and your school schedule with your locker number and code printed on the corner.

As you walked down the hall you could feel eyes on you. People would whisper as you walked by. You acted unfazed—for the most part you were. When you finally found your locker and managed to get the damn thing open you were shocked to see that there was nothing in it.

Ok ok you know that’s how it’s supposed to be but all the other schools’ lockers either had some mysterious sticky substance or so much rust it could give you tetanus just by breathing near it. But this locker was clean. Clean and empty.

You shook from your shock quickly and threw most of your binders and books into it with no particular order.

You closed the metal door and locked it again. When you turned around you came face to face with a small posse of sporty looking guys.

“You the new Wayne son?” He sneered.

“Yeah. What’s it to you?”

“You know you’re just for publicity, right? As soon as you give him lip he’s gunna toss you to the dogs of Gotham.” He chuckled darkly.

You rolled your eyes, great you get to meet the bullies.

“Your breath stinks. Leave me alone.” You say as you shove your way past him.

He grabbed your schedule from your hand.

“Hey! I need that.” You were getting annoyed now.

He shoved you against the locker and left with his posse. And your schedule. Shit.

You hate rich people.

After trying to ask people who wouldn’t give you the time of day you finally found the proper math class and you were only 15 minutes late.

The teacher looked away from the board she was teaching on and looked on her clipboard that was sitting on her desk.

“Wayne?” She asked with raised eyebrows.

“Don’t call me that. And yes, that’s me.” You hated that name. It felt gross on your tongue.

“Well Mr. Wayne, have a seat, I’m sure someone will give you the notes you missed.” She sounded less than happy to be teaching high school students.

One look around the room and you knew no one was going to give you the notes.

The rest of the day was boring. You are alone at lunch and finished the rest of your classes with relative ease.

You needed to get one last book from your locker before Alfred picked you up. Apparently rich schools don’t have buses.

As you walked down the hall you heard attempts to muffle giggles and lots of whispers. Oh no. This wasn’t good.

You walked a little faster. When you got up to your locker you stopped.

Someone had written with sharpie in large black lettering over the door of your locker.

GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM

The hall burst with laughter and snorts. You slowly unlocked the padlock and opened the locker. Out poured hundreds of white scraps of folded paper. You picked one up off the ground and read it.

ANIMAL

You briefly looked over several others. More racist comments. Jesus Christ. You grabbed your textbook and slammed the locker shut. You contemplated leaving it unlocked, ultimately you did lock it because you didn’t want someone to steal your stuff.

When you got the stairs at the front of the school you saw Alfred waiting in the car. Damian and Tim were already in there. You sighed, collecting your thoughts. You got in the car and Alfred took you back to the manor. He attempted to ask how your day was. You were quiet. That was the end of him trying to communicate with you in the car.

The other few days were similar: more scraps of paper, more comments. The days faded into a week and then two weeks.

You were getting your books for the homework assigned. You shut your locker and came face to face with Damian…well, face to chin. He was kinda short. Tim was standing behind him.

“Why didn’t you tell us about this?” Tim asked. He was using his gravelly voice. The one he uses when he’s trying to be intimidating.

“About what?” You knew what.

Damian spoke this time.

“You know what.” He scowled.

You shrugged.

“Dunno. Didn’t think to.” That was a lie. You thought about it multiple times. Something stopped you every time you seriously considered telling someone.

Both looked unconvinced.

“We told Bruce.” Tim deadpanned.

Your eyes widened.

“What? No! Why?” You gulped and looked around.

“Because this is racially motivated.” Damian said matter of factly.

“Well give the man a cigar! He connected the goddamn dots!” You raised your voice at him.

He growled. Tim grabbed his shoulder.

“You seriously should’ve told us, dude.” Tim looked slightly hurt.

“Whatever.” You grumbled and walked out to the car.

You got in. Tim and Damian soon followed. Alfred drove to the manor.

You got out and hoped to make a mad dash to your room.

He was waiting.

“Not so fast. We need to talk. In my office.” Bruce said sternly.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

“Why didn’t you say anything.” He started.

It wasn’t a question.

You shrugged.

“Never occurred to me.” You lied.

“The real answer.” He sounded like he usually does.

“That was the real answer.”

“No it wasn’t.”

“Yes it was.”

“We can go back and forth all day, but the bottom line is that you’re not leaving this office until you tell me why.” He was using a lawyer voice.

You weren’t sure if this was a threat or a promise. Maybe both.

“Did you think the bullying would get worse?”

“No.” You picked at your cuticles.

“Are you protecting someone?”

“No.” You tapped your foot.

“Were you scared of getting hurt?”

“No.” You ground your teeth.

“Then why. Why didn’t you say anything.”

You couldn’t take it anymore.

“THIS ISN’T SOMETHING NEW, BRUCE! THIS ISN’T SOME ONCE IN A LIFETIME THING THAT I HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED BEFORE! Th-…this isn’t—“

Your voice broke. Tears were streaming down your cheeks.

“This is something I’m used to…” You sniffed and wiped your nose.

He hugged you.

“I’m sorry.”

That’s all he said. Not some revolutionary speech about how you’re just as good as anyone else. Just an apology.

But you felt heard. You felt noticed.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Of course Bruce had a talk with your school. He wasn’t letting anymore of that slide. You noticed that Damian and Tim also started hanging around you at school more often. You weren’t sure if this was Bruce’s doing but it felt…nice…to have your brothers around you every once in a while.

The bullying stopped for the most part. Sometimes there would be a comment or two but they’d always come in the next day with either the fear of God struck in them or a black eye.

You didn’t need to know who did it, but you’d guess it was Damian.

School may have been hard but your two brothers there made it a little more bearable.

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