#bruce doesn't use his powers for batman because of course he wouldn't

[goddess-of-graphite]

okokok i hear you but...

A Bruce who is Danny. A Bruce who came to Amity Park at eight years old, who takes on an entirely different name because people know Bruce Wayne, if only as the tragically orphaned heir to the Wayne fortune and business. A Bruce who, by the time he's fourteen, has not forgotten Gotham but has at least been convinced to embrace life as "Danny" while he has it, because there was never any doubt that one day Bruce would go back home.

A Bruce who has found a sister, and has become reluctantly fond of the Fentons, who maybe can't think of them as his parents the way Thomas and Martha were but is willing to let them fill the space they left. A Bruce who has found friends, who are arguably as weird as he is. A Bruce who has lived at least somewhat a normal life, for all that he's made dozens of plans for what he's going to do when he makes his return to Gotham.

This is a Danny who has definitely trained with Maddie. This is a Danny who can only just about stomach using an ecto-gun, because they don't look or sound like the thing that killed Bruce's parents. This is a Danny who probably noticed the little tells that spoke of Sam's wealth and figured she didn't want to talk about it so he wouldn't bring it up. This is a Danny who looked at Tucker's prowess with technology and did everything in his power to catch up, to give Tucker a challenge.

(This is still a Danny who is bullied, who can be a complete gremlin, who walks into a dark portal because his friend wants a picture. This is a Danny who doesn't tell Maddie and Jack about his new halfa-ness because... for all that they have spent the past six years loving him, he's not sure that's enough to trump their scientific fervor (this is a Danny who is from Gotham, who knows that human depravity can come from all sorts of places and people and that loving someone is not always a protection from that))

So things go largely somewhat as in canon. Because Danny might be Bruce but he's still fourteen, and kind of an idiot sometimes.

And eventually the problems in Amity Park begin to get resolved.

And eventually, Danny becomes old enough to go off on his own. (To go home).

Cue Batman canon, with Bruce's training world tour and then return to Gotham to become a vigilante.

Only you best not believe Team Phantom isn't going to follow him to the ends of the earth and back.

So you get a Bruce who was Danny, who is now Batman, who has Alfred (who never left), who has Jazz and Jack and Maddie (who loved him more than their research, even when he wasn't blood), who has Sam and Tucker and maybe Valerie-

you've got a Batman who has an extensive support network that goes beyond just the butler.

(and, incidentally, you've got a Bruce who was a child hero. the first child hero.)

And then you give him children. and you watch the chaos unfold.

DP x DC prompt #32

After the death of Bruce's parents, Bruce is sent to stay at his uncle Jack's and aunt Maddie's house in a small town named Amity Park, at least he gets to hang out with his older cousin Jasmine.

[littlefankingdom]

Things I NEED y'all to stop putting in Jason fics:

"Since Red Hood arrived, he cleaned up Crime Alley better than Batman ever has" First of all, this is not even the case in the comics, so y'all are making this up to make Jason's way "the right way". Second of all, if murdering criminals violently worked better, then that's what the cops would be doing, because, new flash, but the gov used to be way more violent, and crimes were worse, and the gov had to lower its violence, because we know it doesn't work and the gov didn't have enough good excuses to continue. If you think they are not waiting for an excuse to violently kill people, you are wrong. So, stop writing that shit, it's borderline fascist propaganda (violence is the only way to keep power/peace, so free real estate for us to kill anyone we label as criminals) You do not need to find excuses for Jason.

"Crime Alley is Jason's territory and the Bats cannot enter it without his permission" Also, not canon, never was. Are you all forgetting that Bruce's parents died in Crime Alley? That's how it got its name. It's where Batman was born. It's where Bruce goes to mourn his parents during patrols. It's an important location for the Batfam as a whole. It's where Dick thinks his siblings are not authorized to fight when Bruce is "dead"/gone because it is insulting Bruce's memory. It's the meeting points the Bats use multiple times. Batman's first night was probably in Crime Alley. Crime Alley is the mission, to make it a better place for its inhabitants is Bruce's goal. He is shown multiple times to be very protective of its people, especially in front of powerful figures (politicians/rich). As much as Bruce loves Jason, he would not give up Crime Alley. Yes, Jason grew up in Crime Alley, but Crime Alley was Bruce's before Jason was even born.

"Crime Alley hates the bats, except for Red Hood" Again, Batman has been protecting the people of Crime Alley since he started. He was the only one who fought for them against the people that hurt them, the cops not giving a fuck about the poor. Like, stop trying to paint Bruce as a rich guy disconnected from the people, that's not who he is and who he ever was (except for some storylines, but like, fuck these storylines). He has not live their struggles, but he has studied it, he cares about it. And, I can understand that not everyone in Gotham and Crime Alley likes Batman, of course. But to make children dislike Robin or NIGHTWING??? Dick's whole thing is how he is always everyone's favorite. He's an acrobat, he is flying with grace in the sky without powers, he is all smile and gentleness with children, no fucking way children don't like him.

"Dick killed the Joker for Jason." No, he killed the Joker in an act of rage and fear when he had Tim and threatened to kill him like the last one. BUT ALSO, and this is really important, DICK WAS HORRIFIED about what he had done. He hated himself and self-isolated, refused to listen to Bruce and Barbara when they tried to comfort him. This is not something he is proud of. Dick wouldn't be like "Yeah, I killed the Joker, but you know Bruce... I don't regret it." He does regret it. Bruce forgave him way faster than Dick forgave himself for killing the Joker. He would not do it again if he could, that's why it only happened once.

"Jason is mad at Bruce for being too late to save him." Nope. In Under The Red Hood, Jason literally tells Bruce he forgives him for not saving him. Jason was NEVER angry at Bruce for not saving him. Jason is mad because he thinks Bruce doesn't care about him. If Tim hadn't taken the Robin's mantle, Jason probably would have gone home, because that's what hurt him the most, the possibility that he was replaced in Bruce's eyes.

"Jason ran away because Bruce believed he killed someone" It was never explicit if Bruce did believe Jason pushed the rapist. But also, no. When Jason ran away, Bruce just benched him as Robin because he saw that Jason was hurting and needed help, and being a vigilante wasn't helping. Pls, read Death In The Family, Bruce was trying his best to support Jason and help him. Jason being violent at times is a sign, for Bruce, that Jason is hurting. He doesn't villanize Jason's actions. Don't be like DC writers and forget that Bruce knows that violence and aggression come from pain.

"The memorial is Bruce's making and Alfred hates it" WRONG, it's the contrary. Alfred made the memorial, Bruce was against it. Please, stop putting all the blame on Bruce and making Alfred perfect. Bruce hates the memorials, he hates his sons being remembered as soldiers. He put up with the memorials because it's Alfred. (I am so tired from y'all blaming Bruce for this one, omg) Also, while we are it, Alfred doesn't put up with Jason's bs. Jason can criticize Bruce, but there's a limit for Alfred.

[mistress-of-vos]

Idk where the whole "Tim hating Lex and being annoying to him and somehow being smarter" comes from... Oh, wait! I know where it comes from!

Annoying, ignorant batfam fans

And it's not even surprising if we take a careful look. We're talking about the fandom that doesn't understand Clark, Kon and Jon at all and uses them for batfam prop up purposes. It's the same fandom that doesn't even comprehend Batman characters and says the most disgusting stuff about Jean-Paul Valley (aka Azrael) as if his character wasn't summarized in like, five comics you can easily read. The same fandom that doesn't get Selina Kyle despite the fact that movies like The Batman exist, that the Long Halloween got an animated adaptation, that she has DOZENS of praised comics you can pick up to understand her. The same fandom that doesn't understand freaking Ra's al Ghul as if the guy didn't have a trilogy that literally summarizes his character and also he's an archetype, how the hell do you get an archetype so popular as his as wrong as batfam fandom does?

*insert Misty breathing loudly here*

Okay I kind of got off the point. I was talking about the annoying portrayal of Tim and Lex, because those who do that don't even understand Tim. Tim would *love* to interact with Lex.

This is Lex Luthor, Superman's nemesis, the smartest man of earth. Tim would be thrilled that he can have a chance of going against him even if he's actually just standing next to a Bruce who tries to get Lex to answer a question just to get Lex drinking wine and telling Mercy to call security.

Tim is a detective, and we have seen how, despite everything, he admits greatness when he sees it. I do think he could get a bit sarcastic with Lex when on his Red Robin persona (we have seen how sarcastic he got with Ra's even when Ra's is definitely more likely to shut him up than Lex is) but I actually don't believe he would do that often as he would be too conscious that if someone is a master of speech, it's Lex Luthor. His words got him all the power of the world after all. You don't wanna start a sarcasm fight with someone like Lex.

And I believe as Tim Drake, he openly admires Lex. Maybe not in a idol way, but Lex is a genius, and I bet on the DC world Lex's career is studied both by people in economy and politics and STEM. Lex did so much with so little that I highly doubt there's a way for Tim to not admit that yes, Lex may be *bad* but he's certainly a genius and perfect at what he does. Credit where it's due, or something.

Lastly, I don't think Tim hates Lex. They aren't close enough for that, and Lex is often dancing in a grey area, and don't forget Tim is already fine with many figures in said grey space. Tim would consider Lex a danger, of course, because getting on Lex's bad side can get him killed. He also considers Lex someone who can and will do good, but Tim isn't gonna be the one to go on that trip of getting Lex to see what his genius can make for the world (that's on Clark).

The only thing Tim could dislike about Lex it's that Lex hurt Kon. And Tim loves Kon (in whatever way you prefer) and Tim comes to me as the kind of person who can't quite forget those things. He would be wary, perhaps, constantly on his tip toes when operating too close to Lex's doings and clenching his jaw when Kon interacts with the man because as much as Tim knows Lex is always in control and won't hurt Kon again... He still did. But if Tim held that against Bruce, wouldn't Bruce lose on the number of children he has hurt? Tim can't quite settle his feelings on that, but Kon got over it, so it's not something Tim keeps against Lex.

Tim is careful around Lex, and he's also a bit of a fan.

And well, he is thankful too. Lex brought Kon into the world, and Tim is thankful for that.

(My conclusion is that some batfam fans have clearly never read Superman comics but also it's funny they haven't read Batman comics either and maybe they shouldn't speak on stuff they don't know but that's just my opinion right)

[hollow-keys]

I think a lot of people don't get that superheroes don't often have the morality of online leftist. They will see Batman go guns bad. Donate to charity. No killing. And assume his anti killing rules are routed in leftist ideology.

This isn't true. He supports state sanctioned killing in many comics. He is anti-vigilante killing. And on occasion even against self defense killing.

In Batman #420 Bruce locks KG Beast in a storage room and leaves him there to either find a way to escape himself or die (not seeming to care which, honestly if I am remembering correctly leaning towards death) but in Batman #422 he condemns Judy Koslosky's self defense killing of a serial killer who had already killed her sister because she lured him into attempting to kill her by following him around and glaring at him. Both give the villains the opportunity to survive KG Beast has to escape and Karl just has to resist the temptation to try to murder a woman.

There is Batman: The Hill where he defends the GCPD killing a 14 year old with a gun as necessary but in Batman: Under the Hood he condemns the death of Captain Nazi. This isn't the most leftist character in the world. Leftists don't tend to be okay with cops killing kids but against killing Nazis. It tends to be the other way around. I read Batman: The Hill and I do think the cops used undue force and should have at least attempted deescalation in that situation.

There is a lot to say about the vague morals of the characters. Batman does a lot for charity but he definitely classist in a lot of his appearances. Characters can be complex and imperfect. Just because he cares about people in poverty doesn't mean he doesn't look down on them.

Also the whole 'violently beat people okay' and 'child sidekick okay' because genre convention while killing bad. It's like . . . killing is also present in superhero comics? Deadpool, Wolverine, Crimson Avenger, the Spectre . . . killing is also part of the genre. It has nuance to it. But heroes have killed at least on occasion since the very beginning.

Yes, you get it! People on here take "doesn't kill/believes in redemption" to be inherently proof of support of rehabilitative justice and leftism when... it isn't lol. I've yapped about superheroes and copaganda before here (I think it's a good post, I'm proud of it) so I'll try not to repeat myself too much but a conservative can believe in people's ability to change and not killing or whatever while still supporting the structures of the police and prisons, still believing that people should be arrested and serve time, even the rest of their lives. And that's what people don't get.

The word cop has been so twisted by this site that people use it to mean "anyone who judges me" or "anyone I don't like." It's used to describe individual behaviour the person has a problem with which ends up obfuscating the fact that a cop isn't defined by their personal ideology or what type of violence they commit, they're defined by the fact they commit violence to uphold the state's power. Their personal thoughts and opinions can make them worse, more violent and more oppressive, but personal opinions do not change what they are. Batman is a paramilitary state operative, not a radical leftist. I'm sorry.

And yeah the charity defense also misunderstands the point because conservatives donate to charity all the time. Charity is used by the rich to launder their reputations. They give a tiny fraction of their wealth back to the people so people don't question the rest of their wealth. Narratively, this works the same way so writers can go "See! He tries helping people via kindness but Gotham is innately corrupt and people just choose to be evil here so of course he has to dress up as a bat every night." Narratively, his charity exists so the writers can justify why he has to be Batman and to make him look better. If he really meant to help people with his money, he wouldn't be a billionaire anymore.

You're right about killing being present in the genre since since forever. Not as consistently as other things, but still present for sure. People defend violence they enjoy as "just part of the genre" but condemn violence they don't as bad and wrong.

I support hitting superheroes with the leftist beam but the fact of the matter is that most aren't in text and Batman even less so than others.

And you can dislike this. Batman is a character who's been through a million different incarnations and interpretations and you can latch on to more liberal, understanding incarnations or make up your own but you cannot defend main universe Bruce by pretending he's something he's not.

Thanks for the ask!

[starsapphire]

Saw mysterycirtus/roseworth’s ranking of the Batfamily in skill and I’m curious of your ranking (if you have one)

obligatory i don't love power scaling but ! i do think abt this i won't lie. in terms of pure combat skill then obviously cass is #1. she was a weapon even when she was but a twinkle in her father's eye. she's the closest to superhuman a non-meta can get. i would say bruce and dick are pretty equally matched. bruce has more brute force and stamina on his side but like greta mysterycitrus said, dick has been a trained acrobat since he was a little kid and he very much uses that to his advantage. i think if you removed emotions from the equation bruce would win by a very very very narrow margin but it would be a pyrrhic victory. (damian's too young to tell but he's also been trained pretty much from birth.) babs and tim were both in gymnastics/training of some sort/etc from childhood and are like the most obsessively determined people ever so they are absolutely forces to be reckoned with. steph and duke are not the world's best fighters by any means but they're not exactly white belts. like they probably seem kind of mid as fighters but u have to remember they only seem that way because they're next to batman and his trained-from-infancy children. they will still kick your ass

that said i would not rank them purely on combat skill bc that's not all they have going on! there's a lot you have to consider. pure combat/fighting skill yes, but also ability to strategise, to improvise, empathy, people skills, and of course detective work. generally i think i wouldn't rank them so much as say that they all have different strengths. i hate the whole trend of "x is the ___ one" but like. they do all have different strengths. it would be a boring story if they all had the exact same abilities or were all so perfect at everything that they never needed to work together to balance out their weaknesses yk? maybe dick is the better fighter, but tim has a better chance than dick does at defeating the baddie of the week if he's done his research. i feel like when everything is measured, they're all more or less on the same level, but they all have different strengths

not going to explain bruce because he's bruce. he's the prototype. do i think he's better than everyone at everything? no. but he's good at a lot of things, and more importantly, he's got decades of experience in balancing it all

dick is a jack of all trades on par with bruce — he's just good at a lot of things. and also like bruce, he has decades of experience balancing it all. ultimately he gets a nudge towards the skill/style axis because he doesn't just fight, he puts acrobatics into it. which is crazy! his absolutely batshit combat style is kind of his greatest strength in a fight, even beyond strategy and knowing how to throw a punch in the first place

cass is a very, very good fighter with a vast skillset, but it's emphasised throughout her time on-panel that she's still learning how to be a detective. that's why the tim and cass teamup is so great (and effective!) -- tim's not a bad fighter, but detective-ing comes more easily to him; cass isn't necessarily a bad detective, but when it comes down to it she's leagues better at combat. they balance one another out.

tim: see above. he's a good fighter and absolutely insane with a bo staff, but remember that he did so well in that fight against king snake because he used the staff as a tool to distract and disorient him before he ever landed a hit with it

jason is kind of an enigma to me because he's sort of whatever the writer needs him to be in the moment. like bruce and dick, he's kind of a jack of all trades, but ultimately his greatest strength is just... taking people out. he's a great strategist and a great planner and a great detective, but that's outweighed by his ability to be brute force up close and have good aim from a distance.

i personally feel like i haven't read enough steph, duke, or damian (yet) to rank them on this bit but like... you get it. may revisit when i finish new earth and/or get to my duke reading. we will see

now you may say, cam, this was a one-sentence ask. cam, how did you manage to get several paragraphs out of that. to which i say, buddy, i am so fucking unemployed

[murderbirds]

It is really baffling to me that DC made one of the potentially most dangerous enemy imaginable in the form of the court of owls and they just don't know what to do with it. The concept of the elite group of a city as dangerous as Gotham City forcing Gotham to remain what it is and always has been for the sake of their own never ending greed and cheap work makes so much sense and works so well as a parallel to Bruce who is all about how to use his fortune to try and 'fix' the city, but instead people will dumb it down to just 'oh, we are so scary, we have this maze, you see.' The court of owls shouldn't be just another enemy. They should be the very essence of what Batman fights against because their reach is so great that every single one of the rogues and batman's villains were created by them, directly and indirectly. They are the ones who refuse to allow Gotham to change. You can't have all of this potential and just throw it as "villain of the week!" C'mon!

Gotham almost did it well. In season 2, we are introduced to the Court as this entity that controls all of Gotham, from Wayne Enterprises to Arkham. At this point, Strange is our main antagonist in the season, and even he is terrified of them. Season 2 of Gotham is the Court at its best. You witness how little they care about human lives and just how powerful they are, but of course, in comes season 3 and ruins everything.

Not only does the court of owls become a bunch of idiots in season 3, but they also make no sense. I understand that the big reveal is that 'oh, they are actually just being controlled by the league of shadows', which, mind you, makes no sense. The court of owls is the definition of everything that Ra's hates about humanity, but pop off, I guess. And it is funny because Ra's is probably the most effective antagonist in this show besides maybe Sofia and Strange. Ra's is an actual threat, he feels imposing, he feels powerful and it is gratifying to see him go down. He is a man led by his desire to die and to create a better world though Bruce and I could go on a whole tangent about how powerful of a narrative this can be, but I won't. This is about the Court. Not Ra's. The Court is a representation of greed from those on top and how their actions perpetuate this cycle of hate and destruction. The court is about capitalism. The league of shadows is about nihilism and trying to force the next generation to do what you wish you had. They don't work together. They are opposite extremes.

Now, let's get back on track. In season 3, the court decides that they want to 'start over' by killing off most of Gotham's population through the Tetch virus, but they never really explained why besides 'oh everything has gone wrong so we will now start over' and I just want to understand what exactly is it that has gone wrong. At this point, the court is still almost unanimously the one on top. The one who was actually the biggest threat to them, Galavan, is dead. Bruce is still a kid, so even if you do need to do something about him eventually, wouldn't it be easier and more practical to just get rid of him? Wayne manor has basically no defenses. One almost immortal guy nearly killed Bruce, Alfred and Jim, and you have an entire army of those available. Oswald isn't a threat either, at this point, he is more interested in his own greed than anything else. Hell, if they had offered him to join them, chances were, he would have accepted it. Would he be a problem in the future? Possibly, but if you are willing to try to get Jim "golden boy" joy your organization, the guy who wins a medal for not following rules, I think letting Oswald in is fine as long as you make him think he is on top. That leads us to the only remaining threat, Jim. James Gordon, at this point, isn't a part of the police anymore. He is just a private investigator. He has little to no power. Kill him, arrest him, threaten to destroy everything he loves if he doesn't stop. It doesn't matter, but don't invite him to join you. He has no power at this point, why do you even want him? Because he sorta promised Bruce to help save his parents? What? It just makes no sense that they would want Jim in their organization, who doesn't even have a place of his own at this point in the story, but not Oswald or Barbara or Butch or any actual major player in the city. And the most mind boggling thing of all is the fact that the court would go out of their way to subdue both the Riddler and the Penguin and throw them both into cages and do nothing about it. Why? What was the point of that? Weren't you going to destroy the city anyway? Why not just place them in the blast of a bomb or get rid of them? Or better yet, just kill them and get rid of their bodies! Why do you want them alive?! You didn't give two shits about Edward in season 2, why are you keeping him locked up now?! If you want something from them, why don't you talk to them?! What are you trying to accomplish?!

In any case, what I'm trying to say is, the Court of Owls makes no sense in season 3 and is just there to do what the plot requires them to do, and that is true for most other Batman media I have seen with them. They are there just to fill a role instead of being an actual threat, and this goes all the way back to their introduction, when, once again, they are treated as just a villain of the week with no further development.

[wesavegotham]

I don't know either what DC is going to do with Damian after Batman vs Robin/Lazarus Planet, but I'm a bit confused by some people acting like mostly baseless speculations by some fans are legit rumors about DC's plans for Damian.

I'm talking about "rumors" like "Damian will be a magic user and star in a new Justice League Dark book" because a possessed Damian is using magic items in Batman vs Robin or "DC will put Damian in a Batman and Robin book with Jace Fox" because DC promoted their new Dawn of DC initiative these images:

With Damian and Jace both on the cover for Batman's legacy.

I don't really see Damian as a magic user in BvsR/LP, at least not more than Batman or the other Robins. They are all using magic items, that doesn't make them proper magic users. So far there haven't been any hints towards Damian having or keeping any kind of special power the possession by Nezha might have granted him after he's free. DC literally only said that Damian will call other people for help to deal with Nezha and his son. Twice. The first time one of the people who will answer his call is the Monkey Prince who is the one teased to have a special role to play against Nezha and the second time Damian will call all of DC's magic users together to help set things right, but calling them for help or even coming up with a plan how they could use their powers to fix things does not mean Damian will become a magic character himself. In both cases I think what Damian's role will be is to give the other characters insight into who Nezha is and what his plans are. His part in the execution of any plans against Nezha and his son might turn out very limited.

As for Damian getting a team up book with Jace Fox, I think DC is simply still determined to keep Jace's Batman around and that's why they put both Damian and Jace on that legacy cover. Not because they plan to make Damian his Robin (didn't Jace's sister Tiffany take that spot already anyway?).

The solicitation for Batman vs Robin #5 (set after Lazarus Planet) reads this:

and no matter how this ends, I don't see why Damian or Bruce should reach the conclusion that Damian going to New York to either fight or join a new Batman who they barely know, but also isn't causing them any serious trouble, is the logical next step.

Waid said in an interview that Bruce having to face Damian like this would make him ask the question "was I the dad I needed to be?" and...look. This estrangement storyline has now heavily contributed to a powerful devil taking over the earth and causing everyone to transform through the fumes of the Lazarus volcano. If Bruce had been a better father we wouldn't be here. And unless DC plans to go one step further and Damian needs to end the universe first before Bruce answers the question "was I the dad I needed to be?" with a firm no, then all hope is lost anyway. The logical conclusion to this would be for Bruce to realize that the only way to be a good father is to actually put time and care into raising his child.

So putting them in a book together to rebuild their relationship and show that Bruce learned something from this catastrophe would make narrative sense. Of course that doesn't mean DC will do it. This is just my speculation.

For all I know Damian might also go "Oh no, I caused this, I need to go on a journey, alone, to reflect and atone, that will probably accidentally end in the erasure of time and space this time or something, while my father acts like I don't exist in his own books". But Tim has the Robin solo right now and Damian without the Robin mantle or the Robin name in the title would probably not make the book sell enough, so that might stop them.

[thatscarletflycatcher]

I was watching STAS the other day and getting really smad again about Sn*der's Superman. Rivers of electronic ink have run talking about the cheerlessness of his version of the character, defenses have run back about it being based on Injustice (as if that justified making an AU the core of your main cinematic universe) but besides that, there's really two things that bother me a lot.

One of them is what people call heavy handed Christian symbology. And I'd say that it takes more than juxtaposing Supes and a vitraux of Jesus or placing him over the world with his arms extended. Like all things Zack Sn*der, it begins and ends in superficial visuals, of which you are left with the impression the director does not understand at all. The Jesus symbolism doesn't begin and end in "son of God"; the christic figure is full of compassion for mankind and their weaknesses; it takes upon itself pain and suffering to protect them; it has walked among them and lived as one of them, has laughed and has cried and can therefore understand them and bring them the companionship of shared experience in their joys and pains. A complete example of this is Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, but the superhero movie genre uses these ideas often: Doctor Strange, in his first movie, stands between the darkness that consumes it all and Earth, dying again and again to keep Earth alive, and defeating death in death itself; Batman takes upon himself the sins of another so that the city can have hope and a time of grace in The Dark Knight; even in Josstice League Bruce argues that Superman should be brought back to life because the world needs Superman and the League needs Clark, the one of them that has experience the most human life of them all.

But Sn*der's Superman is none of these things. Superman stands in judgement of humanity, begrudgingly doing things for them, because, well, I guess Lois is human. Superman is pretty much untouchable in his emotions, above the petty concerns of simple humans (that aren't Lois), perpetually alien to the world in which he walks. He never laughs. His first instinct upon awakening is murdering everything that comes across him. Sn*der's Supes is, at best, the sketch of a Greek god.

And the second thing is that, if you really wanted to make a dark version of Superman, there are other interesting ways to do it. Even a storyline similar to Holmes adaptations could work, where his heightened senses bring him pain, and kryptonite brings relief and it becomes an addiction. Or without the addiction you can explore the ways in which Superman might be tempted, stripped of his powers, of fearing pain and dodging the call to help. Of course these wouldn't be versions of main Superman, but for a dark retelling they carry interest because they bring character conflict, something that Sn*der's marble-like, stoic Supes desperately needs.

[unhingedreblogging]

Danny immediately clocks Batman and Wonder Woman, Batman due to his definite Liminal nature, WW because there's hardly any difference between her in civvies and in spandex, Superman takes a bit more time, but he clocks the Man of Steel before the night is over, Martian Manhunter gets a blast of static and really powerful emotions if he tries to read Danny's mind, leading Danny to clock him next. Those are few only JL members Danny clocks though. This holds nothing to really do with the story, but my thoughts on how Danny would figure out any of them. Onto the actual writing now.

Danny was out at a bar, spending a bit of time with a few of his more friendly rogues who look the more human, since they're in a bar and not in Amity, and his actually human friends. Ember, Johnny, and Kitty, as well as Sam, Tucker, and Valerie join him.

Danny immediately detects someone not quite living, and that's a surprise because they don't actually set of his ghost sense, he only feels it bubble, not mist, which is new. Turning to look at where the feeling came from, he spots Bruce Wayne, Diana Prince, some detective looking guy, and Clark Kent, but Bruce Wayne is definitely the one who set him off.

Danny was of course on the outside of their booth, so he stands up after a second. "I'm gonna go talk to them, I'll be back. Bet I can drink one of them under the table." He says, leaving a $50 behind as his bet.

Sam, Tucker, and Valerie of course match the bet, the ghosts don't have money but they do have insider knowledge, Danny can't actually get drunk, so it wouldn't be fair to bet anyway.

Danny saunters over to the table and smiles, not too wide, at the four people. "I don't usually do this, but I want to have a little fun tonight, what do you say to a shot-for-shot as a way to get to know each other?" He's gotten much more confident in his years after high school and into college, so his voice doesn't even waver a bit, and Diana nods.

"I think that would be a wonderful idea, we could always use new friends. Who will be paying?" She asks, pointedly looking to Bruce, who doesn't pale but does roll his eyes and start reaching into his pocket, before being stopped by Danny. "No no, I'll be paying, keep your money Mr. Wayne."

A surprised look crosses his face, but Bruce smiles and nods, taking his hand out of the suit pocket, he's not surprised in the slightest that his young man knows who he is. "Alright, what's your name young man?" He asks smoothly, taking a drink of the beer he had already been served, he's already mentally ready to call someone for the man after Diana drinks him into unconsciousness.

"The names Danny Fenton, and what's yours ma'am? I'd like to know who I'm drinking with and against." He asks, extending a hand easily to Diana, Clark seems a bit concerned about something but doesn't want to bring it up, something Clark Kent shouldn't know but Superman would. "Diana Prince, lovely to make your acquaintance Danny, shall we start?"

And that's how it began, the others at the table thought Danny would go out after ten, he was after all in rather good shape, clearly healthy, but no, ten shots in and he's still laughing and talking clearly, Diana much the same, but a little surprised and even elated.

Twenty shots in and she's ever so slightly swaying, Bruce looks concerned. 30 shots and it's getting ridiculous, Danny hasn't even started to sway or slur his words, Diana is having to hold herself up by the table edge. 40 shots and Danny is still laughing good naturedly, J'ohnn J'onzz looks confused and then as if he was smacked, but no mental connection comes to Bruce, Clark looks deeply concerned. 50 shots and Diana is barely able to hold herself up, while Danny is still as chipper as he was at the start. 60 shots and two hours later, Diana is snoring with her face on the table, Danny stands up and pays for the drinks, everyone's drinks, and two more rounds for the ones who didn't just drink themselves unconscious before walking easily back to his booth, not even a hint of staggering.

Danny is obviously confused as he sits back down, everyone else looking at him with amusement or shock, Danny shrugs and just goes back to his cocktail.

Short DP X DC Prompts #17

Danny cannot get drunk. The Justice League have a night out in civillian clothing and this scrawny kid challenges Wonder Woman to a drinking contest. Wonder Woman in good nature agrees to this challenge. Over the next few hours the Justice League watches in absolute fascination and horror as this kid drinks the freaking Wonder Woman under the table. 

[commenter2]

I watched a video by Youtuber T.M.M. that went over what Lantern Corp Superman's villains could be a member of, and in it he brought up the idea of the kryptonite the villain Metallo has possibly being effected by the powers of a red lantern ring.

This makes me wonder how each individual light/energy of the emotional spectrum could effect kryptonite since that substance has always been easily effected/changed by nearly anything, like how there is magic kryptonite and kryptonite that is safe to Kryptonians but dangerous for something else like plants.

I got some ideas for what I think could happen and I will use Superman as the main example.

Crimson/Red Rage Kryptonite can make any Kryptonian that gets near it grow angry to a point they can act villainous like how it would make Superman act like Regime Superman or Ultraman, as I always recall them being so angry. Red Lantern Supergirl would be immune to this, since a lot of people seem to have forgotten that she was a Red Lantern for a time.

Orange Avarice Kryptonite could give Superman a big appetite, both for food and power, as it can also give him a power similar to his villain Parasite. Unless something is done or until the effects of the kryptonite fade, he will constantly want more energy and power from people.

Yellow Kryptonite (which interestingly was never a real thing) could make Superman paranoid and on edge. The more expose to it the more scared he will become, to a point he will act like Flashpoint Superman.

I don't see the Green light doing anything to regular kryptonite. Same with black lantern and white lantern energy so moving on.

Blue Hope Kryptonite has a calming effect on Superman. I also could see it being able to heal him and negate the effects of actual kryptonite when nearby. He has to be careful though as too much exposure could put him in a heavy relaxed state, to a point he ironically doesn't want to do anything.

Indigo Compassion Kryptionite I think could negate the effects of other emotional spectrum infused kryptonite. Of course Superman has to be careful as too much exposure could make him feel too compassionate, to a point he will cry and freeze up because he feels guilty about all the people he couldn't help.

Violet Love Kryptonite can make Superman love everything, which can annoy people since he could possibly keep hugging them, to a point it becomes creepy like this

Superman: Bruce! (hugs Batman) Batman: ow Superman: Bruce Batman: Yeah? Superman: You're my BEST FRIEND! Batman (grimaces) Superman: I'm going to give everyone here a HUG! Flash: RUN! (is stopped by Superman's hug)

I made some original Lantern Corps a while ago and I'm going to add them here while I'm at it.

Gold Pride Kryptonite makes Superman act cocky, making him a bit like Homelander or worse, Lex Luthor. He will always try to show off and try to make people think they aren't as good at him in things. When someone does, he can go as far as sabotaging them just to look better by comparison. Too much exposure or if his ego gets big enough before the effects of the kryptonite wear off, will make him do anything to protect his pride, even kill.

Silver Happy Kryptonite makes Superman get into a good mood, sometimes too good that he forgets to fight the bad guys just to enjoy the flowers.

Grey Sadness Kryptonite makes Superman depressed and not want to fight.

Brown Disgust Kryptonite makes Superman act like a slob both by having bad manners or make an unnecessary mess just to stop a simple crime from happening.

Beige Stoic Kryptonite can actually strip Superman of his emotions, making it another way to negate the effects of emotional spectrum kryptonite. It can still be dangerous if he wasn't under such influence beforehand as it would then make him only rely on logic to do things, which could possibly put others in danger as he will think killing would be the best result of stopping a crime or wouldn't bother trying to help someone if there was less then a 51% chance of success.

Do you think such an idea would be fun to see in the comics?

[providencehq]

(ShrikeAU) Yo, so I'm guessing that post-reveal that Batman and the batfam still kind of handle Danny with the kid gloves since they don't have a clue how experienced he actually is. His powers are probably pretty useful in certain situations, but I still don't think Danny is totally honest about his double life, how powerful he actually is, and everything he's been through. They know some things, but Danny is still pretty cagey about his life in Amity and how he came to be Phantom. (1/2)

[2/2] Then one of Danny's old rogues comes to town and starts ripping shit up, and the batfam witness their first REAL ghost fight. They tell Danny to get back and let them handle it, but Danny's had enough and just throws himself into the fight. It's one of the most brutal and vicious battles that they ever witness, and then they realize how little they actually know about him. After the fight, they see how ripped up he is, and actually get a glance at his battle scars and realize he's no greenhorn.

Yea! After things get smoothed over with the less than stellar accidental reveal, the family as a whole do still generally treat him with kid gloves. They know Danny is good enough to be a vigilante, after all they did train him but the whole ghost/meta aspect of him, that has to be a newer development right? They've only been seeing Phantom around Gotham for maybe a year at best, that's not a lot of time to understand new powers. After all, it took Clark Kent years to get a hold of his powers and Duke Thomas has been with them for a few years and is still learning about his powers and how to master them. Because of this, they think he maybe developed his powers just before coming/running away to Gotham.

I can easily image someone like Shulker or Freakshow showing up in Gotham and wreaking havoc. The bats think they might have an up and coming rogue in Gotham and due to unknowns, they leave some of the less experienced members out of the fight, namely Danny. They don't want him to get hurt despite Danny claiming he can easily help, that he knows he can be of use. But his protests don't work and he's kicked off from helping, of course he doesn't listen to them anyways and gets tangled into the fight anyways.

The Bats don't know the full extent of what Danny can do, he is very cagey about his past and hadn't budged much about his time in Amity and later, about being Phantom. They get to see a pretty good picture of what Danny used to be, what Phantom used to be. It'll be a brutal fight for sure, partly because he's trying to prove he'd capable of fighting against rouges but also that he shouldn't be treated like he doesn't know what he can do. The Bats never really see Danny/Shrike/Phantom in fights, he usually tries to talk his way through before fighting, so seeing him go directly to fighting and to an intensity they've never seen before must be a little scary, at least to the point where they failed to know the extent of what Danny, their newest ward, is capable of.

I like to personally think the only one in the whole family who would have seen Danny's scars in any regard would have been Alfred when helping with medical things but he wouldn't say anything to Bruce in order to keep what little trust Danny has with them. So after the fight and getting his costume destroyed, they finally see the damage a teen, a teen who managed to survive by himself until they forced him to accept their help. Must be gut wrenching to realize how hurt he was in the past and to never notice.

[impyssadobsessions]

So far from what I’ve read from your DPxDC fanfictions I’m in love. Danny would just thrive so much having other supers/vigilantes to bounce off of.

BUTT it got me thinking… What about Dani? She doesn’t have the ghost crown tying her to Amity Park nor is she responsible for any ghost containment. If she’s really stabilized she can go wherever she wants in the world. Heck if she’s feeling drained she could take a dunk in a Lazarus Pit for all we know. Plus she’s got the black hair blue eyes too. AND a very good reason not to trust rich men wanting to adopt kids.

Danny would become top tier hero if he had other heroes to rely on >w< He already has the powers and from experience knows that life is in his hands, plus natural leader. I thought a lot about Dani's dynamic in DC crossover. There is a lot you can do with her, plus it be easier for her to run into heroes because she's roaming around. Also think it be fun if someone did a story of Catwoman semi-adopting Dani.. She be so proud of her little thief. XD I can see them both jiving well together. Meet while stealing =w= With the bats in particular, can see her wandering into Gotham and running into them. If she gives any of them a time of day its because one of them reminds her of Danny, so that little bit of security... (Which wouldn't be Bruce because Batman scary XD) Tim or Dick more likely.. or even Jason because he has that ghostly feel. Anyways Dani I see as a loner mischievous type, she's still fresh to the world so she doesn't have strong morals. I think Batman would actually be really good for her to grow, plus Batman actually has experience with kids that act like her. Once he overcomes her trust issues with billionaires of course. Dani also I don't see as the heroic type, anti-hero at best. She just rather be free and have fun, so I can see her running around as robin just for funs but decide heroing isn't for her. Her getting excited about doing normal things until she realize they're boring like school XDD. Can see Cass being a good mentor/older figure for her too. Dani would wreck havoc at galas.. and Bruce couldn't prove a thing. =w=' Kek. But like I said I see Bruce being a good figure for Dani because of his experience with the other kids.. and having strong morals. Which encourages Dani to start revaluating her own morale and what she is or isn't ok with. What crosses the line for her. Idk if her and B ever be close but she definitely would love all her family members and fight for them in a heartbeat. Ooo can also see if Batman doesn't know about Danny yet... Dani probably confusing the heck out of them.. when she mentions Danny.. because Dani is her name XD... but also them finding out about her "cuz". In DC crossover I see like Danny being good for Bruce's growth more than his own and Bruce being better for Dani's growth. Because Danny isn't like the other kids he's adopted.. despite looking and acting similar. He KNOWS the dangers, he knows how bad a screw up can change everything. He's half-dead, so he's very well aware that death is a possibilty. So Bruce would have to change his approach if he ever want to get close to/mentor Danny. Kek sorry for long post. I had the Dani thing explained better in my head, but anyways. Dani is perfect to use for a dp x dc especially for the bats. Tim bringing over Kon... Connner? ......k or c? ANYWAYS brings him over and she can relate to another clone. If going off from what I have written from my own fanfic.. can see Dani existing makes Danny and Bruce argue.. because Bruce like why haven't you told me and leaving her alone like that was irresponsible. Danny like WHAT YOU EXPECT FROM ME BRUCE?! I'm 16, she doesn't have a cellphone, and the only place that ISNT safe for her is my home town. Well until now.. AND WE HAVE A VENDETTA AGAINST BILLIONAIRES! Why would I tell someone I'm still trying to learn to trust?! Plus I like to make sure she's ok with it before telling you. Because its HER LIFE that's at risk. Anyways Danielle has so much potential. She just hyper little op demon. Chaotic little girl. ..again sorry for the long thing XD

[thevindicativevordan]

Since you wrote about Livewite recently, do you have any thoughts on Volcana, the other villainess introduced in STAS?

Other than "wow she's really hot and I like her design"?

I'm always wanting more women supporting characters in Superman's world, whether as heroines in their own right, civilians in key roles, or villainesses going up against him. Claire Selton is another character I really like that originated from the DCAU, and I am a bit bummed she never made the jump to the comics continuity like Livewire did, even if it's easier for me to understand why she didn't, than why it took so long for Livewire to do so. Volcana only appeared a handful of times, and mostly as a cameo outside her debut episode. Plus while I think electricity works fine as a force that can hurt Supes, fire is a much harder sell, especially since Superman walking through flames unharmed is such an iconic part of his imagery. Then there's also the difficulties with her characterization and background.

She actually works pretty great as his "Mr. Freeze" villain if we use her DCAU incarnation (which pretty shamelessly rips off of the Stephen King novel Firestarter now that I checked it out again). She was captured for her pyrokinesis powers by the shadowy Men in Black from Cadmus and was trained to be a government weapon. She busts out and escapes, but can't take care of herself other than using her powers for petty crime. Just like the obvious ending to DCAU Mr. Freeze is Batman funds a cure for Nora in exchange for Victor giving up his criminal career, the obvious ending for Volcana is that Superman intimidates the Cadmus thugs pursuing her into backing off or else, and then takes her somewhere she can live her life free of their influence. Preferably also somewhere she can get therapy and not just dropping her off on a tropical island like he did in the DCAU.

I'm sure the problem is obvious right away: you can't really use either one of those villains again without ruining what made them great to begin with can you? If you use Mr. Freeze again after Batman tells him to give up crime while Bruce Wayne funds a cure, Freeze isn't really sympathetic anymore, he's just an asshole using his tragedy as an excuse. Similarly with Volcana, if she's out killing and robbing people again, which is what happened with the DCAU version when she was brought back, it really detracts from her sympathy. The audience can only accept so much wrongdoing from a villain before their trauma doesn't excuse their actions anymore and they lose that sympathy.

What I Would Do With Volcana

So powers wise, *just* being a regular pyrokinetic isn't enough to keep you on Superman's level, we have to upgrade her powerset. Luckily there's already a character in a Superman related franchise who offers the perfect blueprint: Mano of the Fatal Five (he's the guy who blows shit up by touching it in the JL vs. FF animated movie if you need a refresher). Mano has an "anti-matter touch" that I would copy the basics of for Volcana. She doesn't just create "fires" she creates "anti-matter fires", and those can actually hurt Superman as a way to differentiate them from normal fires. This lets her be a threat to Superman because anti-matter can actually hurt Clark. I don't see any reason anti-matter wouldn't hurt him, he's still made of regular matter after all.

Adding on to that let's swipe a bunch of powers from other pyrokinetics elsewhere that I don't think Volcana had in the DCAU. So she can fly like the Human Torch and is of course immune to fire in all its forms (so Superman's heat vision doesn't work on her). If you really wanted to give her a boost she could cause anything to explode by superheating the atoms with her anti-matter, basically making her a walking nuke. I remember some firebenders in the Avatar universe being able to use their powers to heal (in Korra's time I think), so maybe give Volcana the ability to reconstruct her body from any source of fire? With all of that now she feels like a Superman-level threat in her own right.

So how do you keep her sympathetic while still allowing her to be used? Should she be kept sympathetic at all? Hot take but I don't think Freeze necessarily only works as a sympathetic bad guy (I watched The Batman cartoon's take on Freeze growing up though, so I'm not a DCAU diehard). I think Volcana likewise can work as a more sinister villainess.

If we're abandoning the sympathetic angle, then the route that seems the most obvious to me is that Claire actually really enjoyed her role as a weapon. She enjoys burning things down, whether that's buildings, or people, or civilization itself. She's a pyromaniac who gets a thrill out of using her powers, and doesn't want to stop. But she utterly loathes her government handlers for how they control her life, and there is nothing she wants more to do than to put every single one of them and their families to the torch. Volcana sees her role as the equivalent of a controlled burn, she burns away the old, the stagnant, and the rotten to make way for new forms of life.

To her, there's a clear parallel between what she does and what Superman does. Both of them act as cleansing forces, Superman purifies Metropolis of evil in the form of supercriminals, he was a force of change that ushered in the Age of Metahumans. Volcana sees herself as the next step in that Age, she burns down the structures and people that act as barriers to keep society from undergoing the rebirth she believes will rise from the ashes. Whether Superman is a part of that next step or someone she has to burn so a new hero of the new Age can come around to replace him is a position she's unsure of. Regardless, if he stands in her way she won't hesitate to fry him.

She's a foil for Clark then in terms of their wrath. Both are disgusted by the evils they see, and both think people can be inspired to change. Superman simply thinks its possible to inspire people to change the way things are without violence, while Volcana believes that's impossible. Some people need to be reduced to ash in order to build a better life, whether that's her government handlers, the group of supervillains who wouldn't follow her, or the corrupt politicians running Metropolis, or even Superman himself if he can't be made to see that truth. Clark channels his wrath towards constructive purposes while Volcana channels hers towards destructive ones.

If we want to keep the more sympathetic angle however, then I think there's still a way to do that while carrying over the basics of her DCAU origin. The big difference is that Volcana doesn't have control of her powers due to the mental trauma she endures as a result of her time with Cadmus. Periodically she will "flare up" even when she doesn't want to, and this hurts those around her who aren't wearing protection. The only safe place for her is STAR Labs where they are working on a way to control her powers and give her counseling, but because of her PTSD Volcana regularly attempts to escape. Living in a laboratory and being poked by scientists again, even though this time they're trying to help her is simply too much for Claire to endure. Regularly her temper explodes and she burns her way out (not killing anyone though). What happens next is always varied as Claire is constantly trying to gain her freedom while others exploit her for their own ends.

Superman thus has to constantly try to track her down and get her to go back to STAR Labs. Clark feels an enormous degree of sympathy for Claire, recognizing that it could've easily been him being trained as a weapon if someone less scrupulous than the Kents had found his rocket. He has a temper himself and understands the frustration Claire feels about her lot in life, while also appreciating the difficulty of constantly keeping your destructive powers under control. In that regard Volcana is a foil for Clark in regards to control: Clark has control of his powers and his life while Volcana has neither, something she envies and resents him for. Whenever she breaks out again, it's a reminder to Clark how few people truly get to take charge of their own destinies.

Probably more than you expected huh? Sorry I tend to get carried away a bit. TL;DR she's a neat character who could work well as an ongoing foe for Superman with a bit of work.

[melony-lemony]

people make batman too mentally unstable

like damn I get that some stuff never leaves like the pain of his parents death and the guilt of making mistakes but he's not that unhinged

he still believes in the good, that's why he never kills, that's why he's ready to lend a hand to any rogues, that's why he's continuing to help a city as corrupt as Gotham

he's shown to repeatedly care for rogues, for villains, for his children, for his city, for people, you know, positively, actively

and yes I get it if the story was meant to be darker, that's fine, it depends on the situation, but just, in general? it's so unfair to his character

people just love to bring up his mistakes and make it like it defines him, like hello?? keep in mind that there's many variations of Bruce because of several different writers and of course he's going to be different IN EVERY DIFFERENT SCENARIO. HES NOT GONNA ACT THE SAME WHEN EVERYTHING IS FINE AND WHEN THE WORLD IS ENDING. and they mention and bring up Bruce's shittier moment written by shittier writers and then be like oOOo he's such a bad dad uh huh and???? as if all the batkids and every fucking character hasn't been a shitty person once in their entire comic book career???? why are you focusing on the shitty part? it's not like the batkids are entirely innocent???? it's a different story if they were forced to do this BUT THEY WERENT. THEY WERE THE ONE WHO INSISTED ON IT. SO WHY IS IT BRUCES FAULT???

people make him be too mentally unstable like.... he carries a lot of guilt but he also has a lot of hope and love oh my gOD HE WOULDN'T HAVE TRIED SO HARD TO HELP VILLAINS WHO TRIED TO KILL HIM. BE CONSIDERATE OF CHILDREN AND TRY HIS BEST NOT TO SCARE THEM. TAKE IN CHILDREN THAT NEEDED HIM.

people actually need to see him in canon instead of like, stereotyping him and/or taking versions of him from darker storylines

he jokes around a lot and not in the haha laugh kinda way but the deadpan sarcastic one, and he also smirks, and he also trusts his team a whole fucking lot. he doesn't scold them because ohh the mission could be done better he scolds them because THEY COULDVE GOTTEN INJURED OR EVEN KILLED THEMSELVES

are you telling me this man who dedicated his entire life to making the world a better place, both within the law and outside of it, both as Bruce and as batman, who keeps on supporting homeless people and orphans and holds charity a lot and supports too much and expect nothing in return, who keeps moving forward even after all the shit he was put through, who sees the best in everyone and if they're willing to better themselves he will help them along the way, who provides a safe space for aliens and heroes and vigilantes and metahumans and children, a man who does all that, is shitty?

without him, justice league wouldn't be possible, and yeah they could become a team without him but they wouldn't be as organized as him. they may say he's too strict but what he says is right, they rely too much on their power, there's countless of times where their powers were stripped away from them, or when someone copies their power, and what do they do now? not to mention there wouldnt be anyone to fund the watchtower, the resources, the help and medicines and the zeta tubes that makes help so easily accessible

he gives gives gives but refuses to take

he's emotional, his heart is too big and it's bleeding, that's why he's like this, you think "oh parents dying is such a lame backstory" and yet he became one of the best heroes ever. because he cares, because he knows how it feels like to be surrounded and drowning in pain, and he doesn't want that to happen to anyone else.

he cares so much and it hurts that people don't see it

it's another one of his contradictions, people think he's unfeeling and uncaring, and yet he feels the most pain out of them all, and yet he cares the most

he knows how it's liked to be suffocated by the darkness, and yet he uses it to his advantage, hides in it, strikes in it, make a symbol of pain and suffering into one of hope and safety

and yeah maybe he's worse when he just started out as batman, but he's better now, he has his family and he has his friends, of course he's getting better, and it's like, another thing with him is that he's trying to move on from his parents death, aka moving towards the future, and yet people are always stuck on his origin story, stuck in the past he so desperately tries to move on from, stuck when he was in a worse place mentally

and it's so unfair to him, let him heal, let him be happy, please

[6rookie-writer0110]

Breathe, pilot inspector

Reader x Bat Family

Request - For said Kingdom imagine, the Reader can be one of the following: Kingdom!Superman's son/daughter (so add "dead mom" onto that trauma list), Kid Flash (who is also Kingdom!Flash's son/daughter), a member of the Kingdom!Batfamily, a member of the Kingdom!Wonderfamily, a member of the Kingdom!Titans, or a hero of their own right. how about a story where Reader (Male or female;

You can randomize or just use gender-neutral pronouns) is a hero from the Arrowverse's version of The Kingdom who ends up (on The Flash's Earth/on Supergirl's Earth/with the Legends) and joins with them on a mission, but is haunted by the fact they're receiving signs of the incoming Crisis?

Lately, you have been having trouble sleeping and you are not sure why. You have been having bad dreams, you haven't told anyone about it. You try not to stress about it but you are.

You live in the mansion with Wayne and Selina Kyle. You grew up in a privileged lifestyle, but Bruce and Selina most times we're busy. But they tried to make time for you but wasn't easy, but Alfred always took care of you. On holidays, he would write Bruce and Selina’s names on gifts but you knew it was Alfred’s signature.

”Where are you going?” Dick asked.

”Going out but I will be back soon,” You said.

”Don’t take long. We have to meet the legends and Supergirl” Dick said.

”I know,” You said.

You leave on your motorcycle. Dick has told you that Barry is trying to build a team to defeat The Anti-Monitor. Throughout the years, you have seen Bruce be a mentor to others. You did become a hero but you didn't want to Bruce mentor you.

You get off your motorcycle and you walked inside the store. It's a fortune teller store, small place, with neon lights on the window, a black cat stares at you. On the door the sign says it closed, but you still went inside.

”We are closed!” She yelled.

”Madame Xanadu, I was told you can help me,” You said.

”Y/N Wayne, about time you come to see me,” Madame Xanadu said.

”Yeah, you those crows didn't take no for an answer,” You said.

”Come closer, my child. Do you want tea?” Madame Xanadu said.

”Sure,” You said.

For two weeks, crows have been bugging you to see her. You followed the clues to find her and you saw her in your dreams. You sit down and she gave you the cup of tea and she sits across from you.

”Now my child, tell me your questions,” Madame Xanadu said.

”How do you even know my name?” You asked.

”I can see the future. I know everything about you, I know you been having trouble sleeping. Your mother died when you were twelve and she was killed by the Joker, he almost killed you. But you don't like your father’s girlfriend Selina, you haven't opened up to her. You don't like her at all” Madame Xanadu said.

Your eyes opened wide.

”No way, you can know that,” You said.

Since your mother died, everything changed for you. You barely spoke to anyone about what you feel. Dick and the others became too busy being heroes. You were going to kill the Joker but he escaped. You don't care what anyone says, one day you will kill the Joker.

--

” It's written in the cards for us to meet. The worlds across the multiverse are in trouble, you are the only one who can save us” Madame Xanadu said.

”My dreams, I see many people dying even people I never met. I wake up in the middle of the night, I sweat and I always feel terrified to live or tell anyone about it” You said.

”Infinite Crisis is here. Every earth will be destroyed, you are the only one with answers” Madame Xanadu said.

You shake your head.

”That can't be. I'm not a hero anymore. I couldn't save my mom now I have to save the whole universe! I can't...” You said.

”You will do it. Your mother would want you to do this” Madame Xanadu said.

You start to cry because you miss your mom.

-----

”This means I can see the future? I can't have powers. No one in my family has powers” You said.

She grabbed your hands and she sees the abilities you will have.

”Mastery of magic. Your mother, grandfather, and your ancestors all mastered magic. Your mother didn't tell you, because she was protecting you from someone dangerous. You must accept your abilities to see the future in order to save everyone” Madame Xanadu said.

”If I don't?” You asked.

”Infinite Crisis will end everyone including you,” Madame Xanadu said.

She kept talking about why you should accept your abilities.

✧ ✯ ✧ ✫

You keep thinking about what she said. Back at the mansion you and the others go to Prime earth. Kate introduced you to everyone when you touched Oliver's hand then you got a psychic vision. You see everyone is dead including your family.

”Y/N are you okay?” Bruce asked.

You didn't say anything and you just ran away. Everyone is confused about what just happened.

You are in the bathroom washing your face. Your heart is racing then you get another psychic vision. This time you can see everything.

You can see The Anti-Monitor killing Bruce and Jason. You see dead bodies everywhere and you are nowhere in sight. The Anti-Monitor does sinister laughter and Sara is gasping for air and she is losing blood fast. You see her eyes and she begs for help.

Bruce knocked on the door and the vision is gone. You are breathing hard and your heart is beating fast like crazy.

”Y/N what's wrong?” Bruce asked.

”I-I”

You start to stutter and he can see you are freaking out. He starts to rub your back to calm you down.

”Breathe in and out” Bruce said.

You start to breathe in and out. He waits for you to say something.

”I can see the future. I saw everyone be killed by The Anti-Monitor and I wasn't around” You said

”Since when you can see the future?” Bruce asked.

”For a while now. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want anyone to think I'm crazy. You don't seem freaked out” You said.

”Your mother had the same ability. I was going to tell you when you first had your first vision. But you didn't tell me and I understand. We should tell the others, we have the upper hand fighting against The Anti-Monitor” Bruce said.

You sighed and agreed with him. You told them about your abilities and they want you to help. But you said no and walked away.

-----

Everyone went to fight The Anti-Monitor. You haven't fully accepted your powers and you keep getting new visions. Snart walked in to grab his gun.

”I thought you left” You said.

”I was grabbing my gun. Only because you can see the future doesn't mean you can’t change it. I don't have powers and I don't understand what you are going through. My team, we always mess up the timeline but doesn't mean we give up, we will try to fix it even if it means messing up again over and over” Snart said.

”I didn't think about it like that” You said.

”You only kept thinking that you can't do anything to change the future. I have to go now” Snart said.

You watched him leave and you know that he is right.

----

Again you start to remember what Madame Xanadu said about your abilities. You must accept it in order to change the future.

”I won't be scared anymore” You said.

You take out a picture of your mom and you stare at it.

”Wish you were here helping me,” You said.

You put the picture away.

”Gideon, help me create my suit” You said.

”Of course, Y/N” Gideon said.

You and Gideon race against time to create your suit.

✧ ✯ ✧ ✫

Everyone is losing against The Anti-Monitor but they won't give up. You have on your new suit, usually, you wouldn't pick those colors but you didn't have enough time, literally. The mask is red and white and the rest is light navy blue along with red and white. You did a superhero landing and everyone is surprised to see you.

”It’s about time!!” Jason yelled.

”Shut up!” You yelled.

Jason glared at you and you glared back at him. You see The Anti-Monitor, everything is playing out like in the visions you had.

You haven't had enough time to learn your magic. But you start to save everyone, you used the Batman Batarangs to distract him and save the others. The Anti-Monitor starts to attack you but you can dodge his attacks. They got the perfect moment and you helped them with the infinite shrinking prison gadget. It worked and everyone is happy about it.

✧ ✯ ✧ ✫

After saving the world, Barry created the justice league and asked you to join. But you said no to his offer for now.

”Why did you say no?” Kate asked.

”I’m going to be trained by Dr. Fate to understand my magic and get stronger” You said.

”So, we won't see you for a while?” Kate asked.

”Yeah. I don't know how long it will take but I will be back soon. He is the only one who can help me understand my powers” You said.

”I get it, Y/N. I will call you to check up on you now and then” Kate said.

”I’m okay with that” You said.

Kate hugged you. At the mansion, there is going away party for you. You hugged everyone and everyone is at the party. Alfred hugged you and you will miss him.

[martyrbat]

og tags: #bao making friends and protecting the narrows as he moves on from his tragedy can be very interesting and fun! #but my expectations in dc writers is. low. like I'll still read it because thats my shithead nephew but its that frustration of knowing #and seeing a premise for art that could be wonderful and then getting a too glossy too boring product instead #and jason's is just because i think red hood is stupid and that his character is boring and spinning his wheels in the same 3 plots #that he just keeps going through again and again. like let him actually be interesting again and put him in new situations PLEASE.

@pendulum-north yes yes!! fully agree!! this is gonna get slightly sidetracked because i was just writing as i think but i PROMISE i'll loop around to it being sorta relevant:

i think a big problem with jason is the rinse and repeat cycle they have with his character. he's either arguing with bruce on the killing rule and pushing for him to kill the joker or he's the black sheep of the “family” and is bruce's greatest failure in not being able to be saved or he's a tool for the joker to use. his character constantly revolves around bruce (and the associates) or the joker—he's an extension of them or any other bat character instead of being allowed to grow and be established as his own character.

batman is gotham's protector but he's also allowed to be in and out of big leagues. the justice league(s), the outsiders, batman inc, he has more than a handful of powerful allies and he's established and well-known as gotham's primarily hero. you know im a filthy bruce stannie but as comics evolved, more and more of the featured stories are about those big threats—the end of the world ones, the city is going to be destroyed ones, the arkham escape ones instead of how the 1970–90s had a lot more random ones of him helping people he just came across in gotham.

the stakes are constantly being raised and pushed—its the saving the world/millions vs saving a few—theyre obviously and technically higher in the former. but... it loses something that makes it more personal, in my opinion, and makes any tension a bit lackluster despite the increased risks and action. of course its great that the world is saved, a failure would mean this horrible tragedy where millions of unknown faces would be dead!

but when a story focuses and is centered around people in a more personal situation where yeah, the world will keep turning if you don't help but their world will be destroyed? or they'll just be dead and you'll directly feel and see the impact of their death on the community if you fail? to me, that grounds it and makes it more personal and enjoyable. it's why in movies where the stakes are that high, the main character is usually given a love interest to fight for or to personally be motivated by and it makes the audience more invested in seeing their happy ending despite the bigger risk being the entire world gets destroyed if they fail.

but jason todd is bitchless and possesses zero rizz. my aroace king. so instead of a love interest to save, it's a neighborhood <33

instead of having him join a big league of these unbelievable heros with powers or tackling world ending events on a casual tuesday afternoon, i STRONGLY think his character needs to be grounded (or as grounded as a comic will allow, you get my premise) and that's what will allow his character to actually grow the most. he needs to be involved in the narrows and protecting the streets directly. i can still see him having a mask or little emblem on a jacket or something that could get tagged on walls/street poles by the people he saves but... i think he shouldnt really have an alias. it just wouldn't make sense to. hes not hiding and he doesn't have a personal job or responsibilities outside of this. he doesn't have a secret life to protect. his life was already destroyed all those years ago but through his work and heroism, he finally builds a new one (ideally, for me, the most personal life he gets is he helps leslie in the clinic and gains a bigger medical knowledge. this allows him to pay for an apartment to operate from and be more involved with the narrows and protecting/helping the people who live there and get direct information from injured people who come in)

but he doesn't have super[man/boy/girl/dog/etc] on speed dial but he does have a guy who wants to defend his home and is pretty handy with a wrench if you need some work done on your bike. he has a single mother who's in college and will grant access to a lab because todd saved her kid. he (may) have leslie's clinic. he has a big fucking bag where he can just build his own base resources with stolen shit because he's crafty and resourceful. he's not a cowl, he's just a man doing his best for a community that needs it most. let batman and the ninth regrouping of the teen titans or young justice handle the larger than life threats as he's primarily focusing on the people who would normally get overlooked.

i think it'll benefit his character in the premise of going back to where he originally came from to help in any way he can. as a boy he lost his first life to ‘the bat’ and by trying to track down his mother—trying to find out who he is and to find the woman who was supposed to love him. but as a young man he's able to recognize the community that he once was part of and the people who did help raise him, even if it was more indirect. and now he's dedicating his second, unasked for life to protect said community (and allowing the healing of reconnecting with said community and being able to finally find and make the answers for all those questions he had about himself even before his death.)

but i also think it'll allow his character that growth, like i mentioned!! instead of focusing on bruce and joker and being in that boring cycle, he'll be making decisions and his actions will directly impact these people in a way he can see and how that will effect him and his methods will vary. it gives this character a great, open sandbox to play around in and present different challenges for him to handle. the main concern it may bring for me is i dont trust the writers (or fandom...) to behave when it comes to poor people or addicts in a sympathetic and respectful manner but like... we already get that so im used to it lol

re last post tags actually ill allow a jason and bao team up but only if theyre both allowed to change their main aliases 👍