#but bruce and the rest of them are also no longer the same people that he loved and knew

[adelinamoteru]

there is something just so amazing about jason coming back to life, seeing how the world remembered him and hating it. coming back to life and telling the people who loved him that they grieved him wrong. people worry if they’re doing the right thing x person would’ve wanted them to after they died, but no one has ever experienced something like that.

someone who you loved and mourned and who loved you back came back and was disgusted by what grief made of you. they didn’t want anything to do with you. how do you deal with the loss of someone you loved a second time around when they’re standing right in front of your eyes, breathing and alive again?

[monotonesmile]

Damian Wayne Headcanons

————————————————————————————————

[General Headcanons:]

Damian knows a lot of languages so he can and will use them to confuse his siblings (and once on Bruce. Note: This did not work, Bruce started speaking the same language.) in arguments. He will fully switch to a completely different dialect in the middle of a sentence, he’ll go from English to fluent Latin.

Damian definitely isn’t a touchy-feely person or a praising man, so he usually expresses himself through quality time or acts of service. He does care, he’s just had the aspect of “showing emotions is weakness” so beaten into him that he’s just doing everything subconsciously.

I feel like Damian does take time out of his day to actually hang out with his siblings, whether by (begrudgingly) going out with Dick or hanging out with Jason in one of the many libraries in the manor in silence. He does want to be around his siblings, he just won’t admit it as stated before.

Damian is always happy whenever he gets to have authentic food from where he was raised before arriving at Wayne Manor, it makes him smile a bit when Alfred makes it for him, even if it has to be changed a little due to his vegetarianism.

Damian, as Robin, is both a strike first, ask questions later type but also a strategist at the same time. Nobody understands how.

[Romantic Headcanons:]

When it comes down to romantic relationships though, he will definitely not be any different in the first few months of dating, he’ll be cold and blunt as ever but there is a hint of softness to everything he does, plus you’ll find honestly beautiful portraits and drawings in your bag or room at times.

After a few months of dating he’ll let you actually hold his hand in public, although he definitely doesn’t look happy about it (he’s happy, he just has a resting bitch face).

Damian definitely doesn’t tell you about his night life as Robin for a long while, he’s afraid you’d look at him differently and be scared off by it. It takes him probably more than a year, maybe even two, to actually tell you of his secret identity, and even longer to tell you about his true past with the League of Assassins for the same reasons he was afraid to tell you about his life as Robin.

He absolutely has petnames for you in different languages.

If his multitude of pets love you, you’ve just become absolute wife/husband/spouse material in his eyes, especially if you also love animals.

Damian is low key really sweet towards his partner, but it really doesn’t look like that from an outside perspective, from someone else’s POV, Damian looks uninterested and cold towards you, but you can see the small things, the way his thumb runs across your knuckles as you hold hands and how he is keeping his eyes on you.

Damian would be hella embarrassed if you traced any of his scars, it is absolutely one of the best ways to get him to shut up or blush brighter than a tomato.

Damian likes listening to your heartbeat, it’s like he’s reminding himself that you’re real and actually with him. He’s afraid of losing the people he loves and cares for so he does certain things to remind himself that it’s all real.

To leave off on a soft note, Damian’s kisses are always soft and sweet, like he’s savoring every moment of it, he always involuntarily smiles into kisses as well.

[strangersteddierthings]

Childhood friends AU Idea

Steve and Eddie are best friends who make plans to learn the elvish alphabet from The Hobbit so that they can pass notes without worrying about other people reading them.

The end of the school year (Eddie in 6th, Steve in 5th) brings a sadness to the two. Eddie's going to middle school and Steve's not yet, but they can hang out on weekends, and they have all summer so no worries. (Also, it gives Steve a little more time to learn elvish, since it'll be a whole year until they're in the same school again.)

Except yes worries because two weeks into summer, Eddie vanishes. When Steve bikes to his house to investigate, the whole house is empty. Packed up and gone. Steve goes to Wayne for answer and all he gets is a smile that doesn't really reassure and words of "his dad got a job opportunity, had to move on short notice. But don't worry, kiddo. I'll get you the number to their new place so you can call."

He learns elvish anyway. It's harder without Eddie to help but he's determined. Eddie might return, or maybe he'll get an address one day. Send a letter to Eddie in full Elvish.

Steve never gets a number or address. Summer ends and sixth grade comes. He doesn't want to forget all the elvish he's learned, just in case. So, he decides to keep a journal. He can write all about everything that's happening and when he sees Eddie, he can give it to him. It's a double win. Eddie will know everything he's missed out on AND it'll help Steve practice elvish.

Sixth grade ends. Eddie doesn't return. Steve did make friends with Carol Perkins though, so he's not as lonely. He hopes Eddie made a new friend, too. But not a new best friend. That's Steve's position, always.

Seventh grade brings Tommy Hagan, but still no Eddie. It brings a growth spurt and sports. Steve likes the easy camaraderie that comes with sports teams. It's like having a lot of friends, which Steve will only admit to needing in his journal. Needing many little connections of friendship to hold together the big hole Eddie left behind.

The summer between seventh and eighth grade brings him a Bruce Springsteen concert. He'd never thought of a boy kissing another boy until he'd witnessed it on stage but he thinks about it a lot after. The end of that summer brings an awaken he refuses to shy away from even if he has to hide it

Eighth grade brings popularity. Steve's good looking, rich, and liked among his peers. It brings the first (and last) time his dad says he's proud of him.

(Steve will spend the rest of his high school career chasing his father's approval.)

Freshman year brings Eddie back, but he's different. His hair is longer and his clothes are darker and he's distant. Defiant and angry. Steve would recognize him anywhere, dressed in anyway.

Eddie doesn't want his friendship anymore. Avoids him in the halls and cafeteria, but Steve is nothing if not persistent. He writes a full letter in elvish to slip into Eddie's locker, but Eddie catches him. Shoves the letter back, unopened, unread, with a harsh whispered, "Don't you get it Harrington? I don't want to be your friend. Fuck off."

Steve doesn't understand why. Not until the table top rants start. Conformity and jocks and brain-dead rich kids who get by on favoritism.

It hurts. Steve feels his heart break the day he finally gets the not-so-subtle messages drilled into his mind. Eddie hates sports, and rich people, and stupid people. Eddie hates all the things that Steve is.

Eddie hates him.

Sophomore year brings Steve a lot of things. It brings the acknowledgment that he was probably in love with Eddie, the way his heart twists the day he sees Eddie flirting with a girl in the hallway, the way he wants the lights out when hooking up with someone so he can imagine a different person pressed against him, the way he gravitates towards brunettes with brown eyes and the flickering hope it might make Eddie jealous. (The way he'd said the wrong name when Brent went down on him, too absorbed in the fantasy of someone else to get it right. Brent hadn't been offended by it, he'd been thinking of someone else, too. Steve finds solidarity for a little bit, until the school year ends and Brent leaves Hawkins.)

Junior year turns Steve's life upside down (pun intended) with monster's coming out of walls. There's probably a lot more he should write about but his journal's pretty empty this year. Too traumatized to document. (Too afraid of what Eddie would say because Steve still writes in his journal like he plans on sending it to Eddie one day. Better to write nothing than sound crazy.)

And halfway through his senior year (don't think about how he's in it with Eddie, about the 4 classes they share, about how Eddie still won't meet his eye) he wants to fade into the background. Nancy and he break up. She's with Jonathan and he hears the whispers of how pathetic he is to be eating lunch with his ex and the guy that 'stole' her. Steve knows that's a lie, Nancy made her choice, and no one can say otherwise, but it hurts to hear. He can't be bothered to try and make new friends. How would he explain the nightmares? The skittishness. The fear of the dark, of pumpkin patches, of his own damn pool now that he's had time to process last year?

Then, the next year brings him Robin. Well. First it brings him an embarrassing uniform and then Russian torture (don't think about it. Don't think about how he'll shorthand the stock list by writing it in Elvish sometimes. Don't think about how the Russian's almost believe they just work for Scoops until they find the stock list in his pocket. Don't think about how they don't believe that the strange script they can't identify isn't proof he's a spy), but in the end he gets Robin. A Platonic Soulmate who understands the hidden side of him. She asked if he was ever in love, and he thinks of the Eddie he used to know, longs to know again, and describes her instead. She rejects him in the softest way possible and then confesses about Tammy, and he confesses about Eddie in turn.

1986 brings Eddie back into his life in the worst way possible. With a bottle to his neck and them both acting like they've never spoken before. It brings twisting guts as Steve lies awake thinking about Eddie alone in a boathouse instead of sharing a bed with him like they used to in elementary school. It brings Steve leading them to Skull Rock (popularized as a make out spot but started as a set of boys' favorite place to play pirates during the summer). Dustin and Eddie make references Steve pretends to not know, despite his own copies of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and the numerous amounts of notebooks turned journals with elvish scrawled throughout.

There's a trek through the Upside Down. In another universe, Steve imagines he and Eddie talk. In this one, Robin sticks to his side like an extension of him (which she is), and glares at Eddie every time he looks in Steve's direction. Robin knows everything, knows it all, because there are no secrets between them.

They make plans to stop Vecna, once and for all, and Robin confesses she has a fear. That it won't turn out okay this time, but they have to try anyway. Steve clinks his bottle against hers and looks across the field to Eddie and Dustin. The stakes feel so much higher this time.

"I'm going to talk to Eddie if we survive. Make it right," he says.

"No. He's going to make it right because you didn't do anything wrong," Robin says, which is more support than he thought he'd get given the grudge she holds in his favor.

Eddie said make him pay and Steve does. Nancy advances, shotgun shot after shot and Steve's bounding down the stairs. Vecna beats him to the ground floor but not by much.

A hatchet's not the best tool to remove a head with but he manages. When he looks up, Nancy and Robin are looking down, both approving.

They find Dustin sobbing over Eddie and- and-

Steve's certain he's broken several of Eddie's ribs but he's breathing again, Nancy finds his pulse beneath all the blood, and Robin's retrieved the cut sheets to make bandages out of. Nothing is clean in this world, infection could kill him later, he might not save Eddie like he wants, but fucking Christ, at least if death claims him, it'll be on the right side of the world in a hospital.

Dustin, Robin, and Steve are at Eddie's side when Nancy leads Wayne into the room. They knew she went out looking for him (Steve was going to but Nancy had shoved him back in the chair with a look that left no room for argument) but even so they're startled by him.

Wayne has always been stoic and reserved, so it's no surprise to Steve when he just lets out a low whistle and says, "of all the people I might see here, you weren't one of 'em."

Steve swallows thickly and says, "well. I am. Here, I mean."

And Wayne gives him a watery smile and crosses the room. Pulls Steve into a hug that Steve thinks he probably wants to give to Eddie instead, but Eddie's not awake and standing and Steve is. But then Wayne says, "I told Eddie he couldn' chase ya away. That if he just talked to ya, you'd understand. He tried so hard to make ya hate him, and for what? For ya to be at his bedside anyway."

And Steve sobs. Loud and ugly and suddenly Dustin's there, and so are Robin and Nancy, and it's probably the most awkward hug for all the others but it's the best hug Steve's had in years. He doesn't even care that he's crying because how can he? Wayne's all but confirmed that Eddie doesn't hate him, maybe never hated him. That Eddie has an explanation, a reason for it all, and all he wants is Eddie to wake up and tell him.

Steve finally gets his apology two days after Eddie's release. It's the first time they've been alone together since- well, since elementary school. Wayne drove him here then lied about needing to check on something and said he'd be back in an hour or so before abandoned them to the awkward silence in Steve's living room.

"I'm sorry, Steve!" Eddie blurts out loudly, then looks startled by his own yelling.

"I know. I forgive you."

"You shouldn't."

"I know. Still do anyway. Would like to know what happened, though."

And Eddie tells him. How his father's debts came calling and they ran. How his mom got sick real fast, and his father's crime spree and prison sentence following her passing. How Eddie discovered the same thing about himself that Steve did but didn't have the same acceptance of himself. Hated that another thing marked him as Other. Freak.

He tells Steve how he couldn't let Steve back in because he was afraid of losing him again if he ever learned.

"I didn't think you'd be okay being friends with a faggot," Eddie spits the word out, dirty and mean and directed at himself.

Steve makes a decision then. "Follow me." And he helps Eddie up the stairs and into his room. Eddie sits on the bed and watches as Steve digs out notebook after notebook after notebook, until they're a tower on his bed. Then he topples them over in his search for the first.

Eddie takes the offered notebook with confusion on his face, looking from the cover, where 1978 is written on it. The summer Eddie vanished from Steve's life.

"Open it."

Eddie does and gasps. "Steve. Is this-"

"Every single one of these notebooks was written to you. For you. About you. I read The Hobbit for you. The Lord of the Rings. I learned elvish for you. I think I've been a little bit in love with you since the day we met on the playground on my second day of first grade."

"Steve," it comes out breathless and awed.

"Eddie," Steve repeats back to him, just as breathless as Eddie tosses the notebook aside and reaches for Steve instead. Hauls him in to kiss him senseless amongst the proof of Steve's devotion.

[minty364]

DPXDC Prompt #61 Part 4

Danny woke up to a stream of sunlight on his face. The room was just as rich as he remembered, he stood up and stretched a bit before he heard a knock at the door.

It was Alfred bringing him a change of clothes, “Breakfast is ready, Master Danny. You can find the dining room down the hall to the left.” the old butler smiled at him. 

“You don’t have to call me Master, Alfred, I’m not your Damian.” Danny said, turning around to address him.

“Ah, yes, however you are still Master Bruce’s son, even from another world.” The butler gave him a cheeky smile.

Danny shrugged and headed to the bathroom to get changed. Once he was decent again, he headed down to the dining room. 

The room was just as fancy as the rest of the house with a chandelier and ornate vases. 

Danny noticed Damian and a few others already seated at the table. Damian wore what Danny could only assume was his rich kid school uniform. He sat across from Damian who made a small ‘Tt’ and turned away from him. 

Next to Damian was Tim who put away his laptop once Danny sat down. Tim was wearing a business suit, a dark red colored one. “Ah, you sleep much longer than Damian does, you must have been tired.” Tim smiled at him.

Also seated at the table and wearing a navy blue suit, was Bruce himself. He was drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

“Stop comparing me to him, Drake, I’m nothing like this imposter.” Looks like Damian still thought he was a clone. 

Whatever, he shrugged it off and filled his plate. 

“I don’t really have a lot of free time,” was all Danny said before he started eating.

Tim kind of watched him for a minute, he looked kind of shocked for a second, “You’re eating meat??” 

Ah so that was another difference between them, “again, I’m Danny, I’m not Damian.”

Damian scoffed, “So that’s what you call yourself, imposter.”

Danny gave Damian a tired sigh, looks like the him of this universe was a lot more prideful than he was. Danny went through way too much to carry the same, dying and being crown prince of the infinite realms wasn’t exactly something he was born into. Danny was a bit jealous if he was being honest with himself. 

“Damian, please at least attempt to be friendly. Danny is our guest for the meantime.” Bruce said, putting his newspaper down. He then turned his attention to Danny, “I know it isn’t ideal but I think it’ll be best for you to stay here until we can get you to your own world. I’m planning a trip to the Watchtower tomorrow so I can speak with some of my colleagues about the situation.” 

Danny sighed but nodded his head, “I get it, you can’t have two of us running around.”

“Quite, you’re more than welcome to go around the mansion and the grounds, I’d also like to invite you along to the Watchtower but we’d need to come up with a disguise for you, secret identity and everything.” Bruce continued after taking another sip from his mug, “Alfred will still take you out today to get some basic necessities for you. We’ll get you a proper disguise so you're able to go with him.”

Danny nodded again and continued eating. He thought things over as he ate, he technically had a disguise they could use for the Watchtower but Danny was still on the fence on what exactly he’d tell everyone here.

It wasn’t exactly an easy conversation to have, thankfully some more people arrived for breakfast.

Master Post:

Last:

Next:

[clockwayswrites]

Both Ways at Once Part 4

WC: 668, Masterpost

Jason inched forward and pressed his ear to the door Tim had just gone through.

“What’s wrong?” Tim asked.

There was silence, then “Where’s Jason?”

That was Dick. He’d been staying at the manor since it all happened. It was a little weird to have him a round like that.

“Asleep. He’s still getting exhausted too easily.”

Dick would buy it, of course he would. For one, it was true; Jason was exhausted. For another, Jason had been good. He rested when he was told. He ate when he was fed. He spent most of his time awake in the library just reading. He was passive.

He may have set them up, but it was their own damn fault if they bought it.

Dick let out a sigh. “Yeah, I know, I’m worried about that. So’s Bruce. They had Constantine bring in another specialist…”

“No good?”

“Don’t know. He sorta…” Dick laughed but it was strung out sounding. “He phased into the cell and then refused to let go of Hood. Or Hood refused to let go of him, we’re not sure. They’re in a meeting room now. According to him, they were basically torturing Hood by keeping him locked up in the Watchtower—”

Jason didn’t hear anything else. Blood was rushing in his ears. They were hurting him.

When he had come to in that basement, Jason had been confused. He hadn’t known how he had gotten there or what was happening. But also he had. Part of him had known, instinctively, that the huge man next to him was important and that they needed to stay close together.

His head had felt like it was splitting in two as what he knew and what was overlapped. His skin had felt too tight, like he had been stuffed into it. Everything had hurt. And so when his family had arrived and whisked him one way and the other man another, Jason had let them.

He had regretted it ever since.

Bruce and Constantine had sat him down the next morning, explaining that he had been hit with a magical spell that affected him mentally and physically. He had been split into two. He wanted to see the other part of him, but they said no. They had to find out more about the situation first, he was told. There could be a magical backlash. It was dangerous. They were keeping him in the dark, that’s what.

Fuck that. Jason had started using his exhaustion and pain as a cover as he worked to find out information. He learned: - The man was called Red Hood (no, not that Red Hood). - Apparently he used to look a lot closer to how Red Hood did. - The memories he knew of the last few years never happened. - They were keeping Red Hood in the Watchtower. - He needed to see him.

Jason was still putting together a plan, and now this consultant had solved one of the biggest problems about how to make it happen, Red Hood was out of his cell. Half baked plan or not, there was no time like the present.

Careful to keep his steps soundless, which was easy enough in the thick socks he wore to desperately try and stay way, Jason crept away from the door and took off to the Bruce’s study. He was grateful that while things about the present overlapped weirdly with his memories, like half dreams and stories, anything before he had… anything before Ethiopia still made sense. Anything after was a crap shoot if it was real.

The hands on the clock turned easily, his thumb print still scanned, and the door still opened. The way to barricade the door from the inside was the same too. It wouldn’t hold any of the Bats for long, but it was enough for Jason to scramble down the steps and over the the Zeta tube.

He just needed Red Hood to hold on.

He would be there soon.

He needed to see him.

-----

AN: So maybe I'm spoiling you all with another update today, but it is dark and stormy and I'm burrowed into a blanket with cats and a headache, and people have been asking about smol!Jason so I felt you all should get to meet him!

Stay delightful and dry, darlings!

I no longer tag people, but you can subscribe to the masterpost to be notified!

[aalghul]

Another thing that annoys me about “Cass, Steph and Damian died too” as a response to Jason just existing (besides that Jason doesn’t bring up his death to use against others nearly as much as people think he does), is that “they got over it, why can’t you?” and belittling him for not being a “perfect victim” is all in such bad taste, for obvious reasons. Then there’s the fact that none of those deaths are the same as Jason’s so the comparison doesn’t work even if we decided to judge characters on how well they fit the mold of a victim that doesn’t make a fuss.

Cass’ death is her being freed from her death wish. She’s not expecting revenge because she signed up for it. I don’t even know what to say about that because it’s all pretty clearly stated in the text.

Steph’s death was retconned into not being an actual Death death, first of all. Otherwise, we see her struggling to piece together her relationships in the aftermath of her return. Also, her death can’t be acknowledged too much because Bruce has been repeatedly absolved of all blame (that being pushed off to Leslie instead, originally) and speaking about how Bruce failed her isn’t something she’s allowed to do as a character who has to stay entirely on one side of the fight (because most characters don’t get to question Batman or believe he failed them, not without being framed as something less than morally sound). Jason gets to openly criticize Bruce but at the cost of never being one of the Bats like Steph is, and the inverse is true for Steph (irt pre-flashpoint).

Damian’s big death should be ignored because there’s literally not a way to have that storyline happen without being racist. We understand this, yes? And the rest don’t last longer than an issue. Let’s not pretend it’s comparable with Jason being dead and buried for over a decade in real time, actually dead and buried for 6 months in-universe, and believed dead for 3 years in-universe.

[phantoms-world-and-more]

I've seen many posts where Jason dates Jazz and realizes there's something wrong with Danny, but what if it's the other way around?

Danny has been ghosting for a while longer, so he knows better how to hide the effects, Jazz who only recently realized he's liminal doesn't do so well.

Then Jason arrives, he met this cute and nice guy who is totally sarcastic but also always willing to help him with a problem, then he meets his sister, who has something strange about her, sometimes her smiles are too big or her shadow moves unnaturally, makes bad love decisions and wants to be a psychologist, cue Jason thinking that Jazz is the second coming of Harley Quinn but more Eldritch

This is amazing!!!

This is kind of an old one because i was away for a while, but thanks for the ask

.

.

.

Jason had made a new friend (boyfriend if he's lucky)

They met when red hood was on patrol and was going to stop a SA in progress when this lanky bruce adoptee to be stepped in and handed the scumbag his ass on a silver platter

After the kid took care of the girl, called the police and sent them on their way he stayed, turned to where he was perched, smiled and said

"What? Couldn't just do nothing."

Turned and left, leaving jason dumbfounded that this kid could see him, beating up an unexperienced scumbag was one thing finding a highly trained vigilante was something else, looks like this kid is interesting.

.

.

.

Turns out the kids name is danny and he is awesome!

He's 19, just moved to gothem from some no where town and was studying aerospace engineering, linguistics and chemistry in gothem university.

His mother was a blackbelt and tought him how to put the fear of God in people 6 ways to sunday, he also has a sister whos an arkam asylum phyciatritrist intern

Danny is cool, knowes how to take a joke and can dish it right back out, was goofy and playful compared to the usual seriousness of of the bats, AND HE WAS SASSY

The colourful way he broke down the batfams characters had him cry laughing

When he met Danny in red hood persona he was mostly the same, though jason nearly had a heart attack when danny called him jason in red hood gear, but dannys cool and easy to talk to, they spent the rest of patrol together

Batman showed up wondering why red hood wasn't responding and red hood thought he had to defend danny from the interrogation that was to come...NOPE

The first words out of danny's mouth was

"I've never met a furrie in person, is it difficult to breath wearing the suit"

By the end of the 'conversation' Red hood couldn't move he was laughing so hard oh he couldn't wait to meet his fanily

.

.

.

Nevermind somethings wrong with jazz

When he met her nothing was wrong per'se but...

she seems nice but her smiles are too wide, too pointy, she moves too stiff and theres something just...off

She made the pit squirm in...not fear or discomfort, more like, she made the pit more agitated, annoyed, angry...thats...never happened before

Then he found out she was having love problems...the last guy she dated ended up in a cutl and was trying to get her to join, and the way she talk about phycology was too...disconnected

Somethings wrong with her

About 2 hours later jason came speeding into the batcave screaming about the next generation of Harley Quin

[dead-living-420]

404 - Title Not Found (pt/chpt 4)

Part 2 - Tumblr Part 3 - Tumblr

Ao3

Summary: Sneaking out of a gala should be easy enough. Well it is when you can use your powers.

AN: This took way too long to write. I’ll probably edit any mistakes later, just wanted to finally post this.

And always, this is crack treated seriously. This is just for fun and shits and giggles. Excuse any ooc moments and all of that.

Also never been to a gala or fancy party before so I didn’t think any of this is accurate but it fits with the crack treated seriously part of the fic.

————————————

Jason laughed a bit at Danny’s insistence of it being a joke. “Relax, just messing with you.” This guy had peaked his interest before he even knew he was Masters’ godson. Maybe is was a good thing he came to the gala after all.

“So tell me why the godson of Vlad Masters is living down in Crime Alley.” He looked Danny up and down subtly, he really was more put together than the times he saw him out on patrol and doing laundry. He watched as Danny took a second before answering.

He shrugged, “It’s simple.” Jason took note of how his tone changed when it was just them talking, it was the same tone from the day they talked in the laundry room.

“He’s a fruit loop and I don’t like him.”

Jason held back a laugh. “A fruit loop?”

“Yes. A fruit loop. He’s not as bad as he used to be when I was younger but still.” Jason made a mental note of him saying “not as bad as he used to be”. That caught his attention. “But now I gotta know why one of Bruce Wayne’s sons lives in Crime Alley as well.” Danny teased slightly.

He should’ve expected that he would have to answer too. “Just a falling out with him and the rest of my family but we’re trying to reconnect I guess.” It was a small lie. Not the complete truth and not a complete lie.

“I get that. Had a similar thing with my parents. At least yours is trying.” It was obvious that the last part was more joking than actually anything serious.

This guy was interesting. Jason didn’t like Masters at all, both he and Bruce were suspicious of him but Danny didn’t seem to be anything like him. He was actually kinda funny, nice and personally, Jason thought he was a bit dorky.

-

Talking with Jason was better than avoiding Vlad or any of the other gala guests. Danny always forgot how boring these things got after a bit. At least it seemed that Jason was getting bored too. He would rather talk with him than continue to avoid Vlad.

He wasn’t too surprised that Jason also had family issues, it was kinda obvious with how he and Bruce were silently interacting when Vlad had called him over.

Even with him being interesting to talk to, Danny still wanted to leave the gala. He thought it would’ve been fun to mess with guests but Gothimites were used to weirdness, he could maybe at least explore but people kept trying to talk to him and now he was kinda stuck with Jason cause it was still kinda small talk.

“You wanna get out of here?” He asked without thinking. Did he mean to say it? No but if it got him out of the gala, meant as well try. Jason didn’t look like he wanted to be at the gala any longer either.

There was a minute of silence, it looked like he was weighing his options. “Eh, why not. Anything could be better than this.” Danny smiled, glad that he agreed. Now to figure out where to go but mainly how to sneak away.

It would be easy leaving the room but most entrances and exits outside still had press and paparazzi. He could easily just go invisible and intangible but didn’t trust Jason enough to do so.

Danny had snuck out of galas before but that was when it was just him and way more low profile types of galas. “Lead the way out? Like I said, never been to a gala here before.”

He got a small chuckle and an eye roll at that but it seemed like he was going to lead him out.

-

Danny wasn’t too bad of company. It was certainly better than just staying by Bruce and Jason jumped at the chance of knowing him better and hopefully figuring out why he had that strange sense of familiarity from before they had even talked.

He was glad to have been trained by the bat and that Dick told him about all the unseen exits. “Uh huh.” He said a bit sarcastically before grabbing his hand. “C’mon, follow me.”

He led him through the crowds of people, avoiding anyone who would ask questions. Occasionally he’d look and see Danny following closely behind. He looked like a lost dog trying to keep up. Jason thought it was a little funny.

Soon he dragged him out of where the gala was being held and into a dimly lit hall. Fuck, which way did Dick say to turn from here?

“Where to now?” Danny asked, his tone suggesting that he knew well that Jason hadn’t much of a clue at the moment. Sure enough when he looked at him, he had a small teasing grin. It was slightly annoying but he felt his heart skip a beat.

Fuck.

Jason quickly decided to just push that down and aside. No need to dwell on it even though he knew he would over analyze as soon as he got back to his apartment. Right now though, he just needed to remember which turn he was supposed to take in the hall.

Apparently he dwelled on it a little longer when he saw Danny was no longer behind him but now in front and turning right. “C’mon man. Let’s just go this way.” He heard him call out as he disappeared into the hall on the right.

He sighed and reluctantly followed. It wasn’t the most logical choice but it was the more entertaining one.

“Alright, I’m coming.” Jason followed where he went and caught up. “Just don’t get us lost.”

The only response he got from Danny was a shrug and crooked grin.

This should be fun.

[roobylavender]

beyond its perfect encapsulation of bruce and talia’s wistful, tragic dynamic, i really love this page for its subtle depiction of how the roles between them have significantly shifted. it’s no longer a heartbroken, principled talia making decisions for (son of the demon) or lecturing a petulant bruce (no man’s land) to remember that he has responsibilities to people other than himself. he’s the one who makes the decision here, who mirrors her steadfast sense of responsibility and duty to the world, who ends their sabbatical with an affectionate kiss because he’s in a better position now than he ever was before to understand the way they balance their worlds with each other. they’re not meant to be “together” in the most literal sense of the word, unyielding to the rest of the world, constant. but they’re together in the sense that they share the same vision for themselves. trysts are meaningful because they’re an expression of circumstances unchanged. i cannot love you while holding you close but i cherish every moment with you and walk away knowing that we will repeatedly gravitate back to this place and time in our lives because it is also where we are meant to be

[distort-opia]

Tort can I bother with something? Like, I don't know how you feel about people asking your opinion about batman stuff a lot but I since you have read much more comics and for a longer time I always think "well, she must know more about it" 😂 I hope it's not annoying.

So the ask in question is: what's the difference between Joker and Riddler? And not the thing they two had about the difference between a joke and a riddle but in batman's perspective, kinda? What Joker have that Riddler don't? Because this pattern of Batman being "nicer" (as nice batman can be with a criminal lol) with Joker and hating (I don't if he hates him but anyways) Riddler keeps repeating in a lot of media now. It was in the comics with Tom King, in the movie with Batman 2022 and we have the games and books with Batman: Arkham knight and Batman: Arkham knight: The Riddler's Gambit. What's the difference they have to batman? It's especially ironic since also in a lot of media they kinda of two side of a coin (don't know if this sentence apply to these two. What I meant now it's the joke vs riddle thing now jajaja. People sometimes mistake a joke for a riddle and vise versa. So it's like people thinking they're the "same", when actually, there is a difference between a joke and a riddle.) (and when I say "people" I'm talking actually about the people in the DC universe not people actually people)

Hey! I don't mind the question, no worries. I'll say this though, it is a bit of a funny ask because I've had this sort of discussion with people before, and I hope I'm able to find the posts, because it's still funny to me. Here's one of them, with a lot of comic recs and everything. Essentially, how are Joker and Riddler different to Batman in the comics? Bruce is obsessed with Joker, but Riddler... pisses him off.

As you mention yourself, Riddler pisses Bruce off so badly Tom King wrote two comics in which he attempts to kill Edward (The War of Jokes and Riddles, Batman: One Bad Day -- The Riddler). He's similarly peeved with Riddler in the Arkhamverse, especially after Edward tries to fill the vacuum left behind by Joker's death and replace him. And well, I'm not gonna delve into The Batman (2022) because the Riddler of that movie is much different to the comics version... as is Barry Keoghan's Joker. I'm not a fan of the way Matt Reeves took these characters and then mixed their backstories around because he wanted to "put his own spin" on them or come up with a "novel approach". Riddler in The Batman (2022) is quite different to the comics version, so I feel any discussion of dynamics within that movieverse has to be its own thing, and acknowledged as such. I'll put the rest of the answer under the cut though, because things have gotten long enough as it is.

In comics, Joker and Riddler are obviously different individuals, although they've got similarities too. Sometimes writers don't know how to write Riddler well and kind of have him as this bad copy of Joker (because how different are riddles and jokes, right). But the two characters have different goals, different backstories, different dynamics with Batman. Bruce is obsessed with Joker for many reasons: he sees himself in him, he projects onto him, he feels guilty for his existence and also relies on it. Joker is a villain Batman had a direct hand in creating. Joker is Batman's equal and the one to actually want all his anger and his violence. Joker is about making the world realize that it's all a big joke, that nothing matters, which is his ultimate point. He likes fighting Batman and getting beat up... while that's not really Edward's case, who isn't really portrayed as a masochist:

Batman (2016) #32

Meanwhile, Joker:

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #61

Edward's much more focused on intellect-- that's the facet of Batman's psyche that he, as a Rogue, is meant to address. He's meant to challenge Batman's detective brain, his high IQ. One could say Edward is just as obsessed with Batman as Joker is, but it's a different flavor: while attention-seeking is a big component for both of them, it's much more pervasive for Edward. And that's one of the reasons Bruce is so annoyed with him; the fact that he chooses to get people killed over his selfish need to prove he's the smartest guy in the room. That's what probably activates Bruce's mean streak with Edward more than with the others too-- the need for attention and validation, mixed with fear of him. Because the thing is, Bruce requires things to make sense almost pathologically. So many times, the question he poses to individuals wreaking destruction is "What is the point of this?". And he can understand them, when there's a grander purpose he can even remotely relate to, no matter how dark and twisted. He's related to Poison Ivy, to Joker, to Ra's al Ghul... he even gets Scarecrow, because he knows what it's like to be obsessed with fear and the goal of conquering it. Or maybe it's not accurate to say he doesn't get Edward, because he can relate to having a compulsion, but it's that Edward's compulsion is uncontrolled and about himself. I literally just said that Bruce needs things to make sense, and Edward needs answers, so clearly they're similar in that. But Bruce puts his own in the service of something bigger than himself (in his mind), while what Edward is doing is simply indulging his compulsive need to assert intellectual dominance and get attention, making Batman the target of it and getting people killed along the way.

As to the difference between a joke and a riddle... sigh. I fully think Tom King brought that up in The War of Jokes and Riddles as something that sounds cool, but not something that actually means anything:

Batman (2016) #32

If it does mean something, to me this is more Joker saying "Do you know what the difference between me and Edward is?"... which is connected to the abstract difference between jokes and riddles too, in a sense. What does a joke want? A joke wants to make people laugh. But what does a riddle want? A riddle wants to be solved. A joke is about the laugh it gets; a joke, ultimately, is an attempt to connect with other people. But a riddle is an intellectual pursuit centred around the answer hidden within; a riddle needs someone to make the effort and chase it and solve it, unlike a joke which is the one to make the effort. A riddle is about itself. In my opinion, Joker is saying that he saved Batman from killing someone and destroying himself, because Joker needs someone to make laugh... he needs an audience for the jokes he's trying to tell, and that audience is Batman. Riddler isn't the same; Riddler needs someone to solve him.

Anyway, can't say I'm an expert on the dynamics between Batman and Riddler, this is just my personal opinion. But I hope this helped with understanding the differences a bit more! Or maybe don't take it from me, take it from Joker's own pep-talk to Edward in Death of the Family:

[space-dreams-world]

Two Graysons for one:

So we all know that Dick Grayson is supposed to become the greatest Talon of the Court of Owls: The Gray Son, Dick wasn't Mary and John's first child.

Enter Daphne Mary Grayson (Danny Fenton) the firstborn Grayson who dissapeared during Haley's tour in Europe.

The European Court of owls (Ecoo) were impatient for their Gray son and couldn't wait until Haley's arrived in Gotham. So they end up kidnapping Daphne, taken to become the possible Gray son, unaware Mary Grayson was pregnant with Dick at the time. Daphne does get small doses of electrum, but the Ecoo are waiting until she is older to fully convert her in a Talon for the court. During one of the plots to assainate an wealthy business person, an earthquake occurs and Daphne, injured ends up falling through a crevasse that connect to a cave system that directly leads to an ectoplasm pool that she accidently falls in.

Now this where things get tricky. Dick life still plays out the same way (Bruce bait, Robin, Nightwing,etc...) As Nightwing, Dick gets into contact with a magical-infused virus that could very well kill him unless he gets the blood of biological family member (John and Mary are dead, William Cobb has more electrum than blood in him and they cannot synthetisize the virus out of his blood to try put his blood back in him) this looks like it could be the very end of Dick Grayson. Everyone in the Family decides to air out their grievances to their big brother, the bird who brought all of them together. It's also worth mentioning that someone has been murdering influential people that are part of the Court around the world but has started to make their way towards Gotham warning them that their time is up.

Now, last time with Daphne, she fallen in an ectoplasm pool. What we find out is that after that fall, she appears in the states (Meddling Clockwork) unaware how they got there. Daphne gets spotted by Jazz Fenton and decides to be her big sister unaware that Daphne is somewhat disoriented from the ectoplasm and electrum sort of melding together giving Daphne some enhanced abilities like, slight healing, speed and able to go longer without proper sustenance. Daphne's electrum is barely visible around her heart and her eyes are blue with a ring of amber or gold with flecks of green ectoplasm.

The Drs. Fenton decide to "adopt" Daphne to please their daughter, and Daphne becomes Danny Janus Fenton. Canon episodes happen, except I want to say that Phantom Planet may have caused the Metahuman appearance. Danny's parents, while not to hate him anymore , can not get over their guilt that their passion killed their child. Danny is still close to Jazz, Tucker, Dani (Ellie and the clones), Valerie and Wes, surprisingly. Danny and Sam sort of split because Sam could understand that Danny was a murderer and Danny thought that Sam reminded them too much of their court days.

Danny would be genderfluid ( somedays it's Danny, others it's Daphne) since Danny always felt she lacked some control over her life.

Now, how do the Graysons meet? Two days before Dick possibly dies, someone is at the door. Alfred or possibly Tim opens it to inform them that they werent taking visitors before being shocked as the person at the door looks almost exactly like Dick (Tim would know as he has seen John and Mary Grayson before their demise) Danny goes to say that they are here to help their Baby brother as it was announced publicly that Dick Grayson has caught something terrible and was possibly on their last legs. Tim and the rest of the family want to get the validity that this is an actual relative of Dick and not some fake. Danny's D.N.A is uncorrupted enough that they can 100% tell that Danny is actually related to Dick on a much closer scale than they realize like an uncle or second-cousin, and they don't want to risk it. And if it didn't work, Danny wanted to see her baby brother alive before he died.

[wolfjackle-creates]

Ghost!Robin Part 13

THE DINNER ENDS!!!!!! Dear god, I need to write something that has less than seven characters present in the currently-being-written scene. This segment will be a bit longer than most previous ones simply because I was so close to the end.

Story Summary: Danny was invited to dinner at Wayne Manor to meet Jazz's boyfriend and his family for the first time. He worked hard to make sure no ghost business would interrupt the evening. But when he arrived, all he could focus on was the ghost of the dead Robin that seemed to haunt Jason. Looks like he was breaking his promise.

First, Previous

Word Count: 1.9k

-----

“Look, I’ve faced both an evil future version of me and have had to deal with mind control.” He looked to Bruce and, serious now, said, “As soon as the Anti-Ecto Acts are repealed and the Guys in White disbanded, I will help you write those plans myself.”

Bruce gave a single nod. “Do you know what caused you to turn evil in the alternate time stream?”

Danny sighed and nodded. “Believe it or not, I cheated on a standardized exam.”

“Okay, what?” asked Tim, incredulous. “What sort of 2000s PSA life do you live? How did that lead you down the path to evil?”

Danny frowned. “I got caught, my teacher met with Jazz, my partners, and my parents at a local restaurant to discuss it. There was an explosion and the entire place blew up killing every single person I was close to. I was then sent to live with Vlad where things got worse.”

Duke let out a low whistle. “Damn. I think I’d go evil, too, under that pressure.”

Robin flew over to him and draped himself over Danny’s back, hugging him as tightly as he could. Jazz reached over and gripped his hand. He gave her a smile and squeezed back.

Bruce nodded. “But it sounds like a future that is unlikely to happen again.”

“Grandpa says the same thing. And since he’s the Ghost of Time, I try to believe him.”

Tim made a noise of agreement. “Be glad you have that assurance. I’ve an evil future self as well. He’s such an asshole.”

Danny forced a laugh, recognizing the attempt at levity. “I’m sure. How’d you get yours to go away?”

He shrugged. “The obvious way. Threatened to kill myself so I could never grow up into him.”

Dick spluttered from his spot next to Damian. “I’m sorry, you did what? Tim! How could you?”

Tim shrugged. “Better than having an evil, gun-using Batman running around.”

Bruce was now sitting with his head in his hands. The rest of the table also started yelling at Tim, the references and names making no sense to Danny who looked over to Jazz. She just shrugged at him.

Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, “At least your in-laws won’t be too freaked out when weird things happen around you.”

She laughed. “Yeah. Honestly, I’m glad this is how the evening ended. It means no more secrets between Jason and me.”

“Guys, enough!” shouted Tim. “Look, I’m fine. This happened ages ago. But I promise I’ll update my incident report so you can all snoop on it later. Now, if you’ve all forgotten, we have guests. And ones who can help us with our League troubles. Danny, you had questions about the Lazarus pits?”

“Yeah, uh, you said it can be used to heal people? How does that work?” To Jason, he added, “And how did you interact with it?”

“I was dunked in it,” said Jason with a shrug. “After I’d been revived. I wasn’t in my right mind and Damian’s mom thought it might help.”

Robin nodded and signed something.

Dick translated for the ghost. “Baby Jason says the pit tied him and Big Jason together, but also prevented them from actually combining into one person again.”

Danny looked between them. “You were submerged in a pool of bubbling ectoplasm? How the hell did that not kill you? That shouldn’t be possible for a human. I doubt it’d be good for a ghost!” No wonder his future brother-in-law was split in two. That was probably the best that could be expected.

Danny hadn’t even realized how hard he was projecting concern until Robin trilled back at him to calm him down. Danny took a deep breath and pulled in his aura. “Sorry, Robin. I do think I’d like to get you both in to see my doctor as soon as possible, though.”

Jazz cleared her throat. “We can discuss that at home.”

Bruce stared at him. “Do you think they can help Jason?”

Danny shrugged. “He knows the most about ghost-human hybrids of anyone. If anything can be done, he’ll know.”

“I will go with you,” Bruce said.

Danny immediately shook his head. “Nope. I won’t bring anyone from Earth into the Realms until the Anti-Ecto acts are repealed. And only Jason can invite people to his private medical check up.”

Steph pouted. “But Jason is from Earth. Sure, he’s got some weird thing going on, but why does he get to go exploring other dimensions?”

“Cause he’s dead. He belongs to the Infinite Realms just as much as he belongs to Earth. I’m not gonna block someone from accessing their home.”

“I’m not dead!” yelled Jason. “I’m alive.”

Danny winced. He’d have to talk to Jazz about that. Death wasn’t really a thing that could be recovered from. Not fully. But it wasn’t his place to tell Jason he was still dead if he wasn’t ready to hear that. Jazz or Frostbite could have that conversation. “Of course you’re alive. And Earth is your home, too. But you’ve got one in the Realms if you ever need or want it. Think of it like dual citizenship.”

“I don’t want it.”

Danny sighed. “Look, then the part of you that is manifesting as Robin has a place there and you two can’t be separated so you’re allowed to follow him. It’s the only way I’ll be able to get you in to see the best doctor to help you out.”

“Jason,” Jazz spoke gently and rested her hand on his forearm, “you’re still alive. Nothing about your situation has changed. You just have some more information and more help. Which is a good thing.”

Jason frowned and didn’t answer, choosing instead to glare at his dinner plate.

No one else spoke up until Alfred cleared his throat. “Well, I believe that we should wrap the conversation up here. We’ve all received quite a lot of information and will need some time to review it and consider our next steps.”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, I think— Wait, um, before we end this, would you have a sample of the Lazarus Water I could take to Frostbite?” At the confused looks he was given, he added, “The doctor I mentioned. I think it’d help him figure out how best to help Jason and Robin.”

Bruce exchanged looks Danny couldn’t interpret with Damian and Tim before speaking. “We’ll have to discuss it. Would we be able to give you our answer in two days? At the very least, we’d like to have the report from your friend first.”

Danny shrugged. “Sure. The sooner the better, though. I’ll call Tucker on the way to Jazz and Jason’s. We’ll put something together for you tonight. I’m not sure exactly how long it’ll take, though. Depends on how much sleep Tuck’s running on.”

Bruce merely nodded.

Dick laughed and got to his feet. “Well, it’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know you. Welcome to the craziness of the Wayne family. It sounds like Jazz and you will fit right in. Let me walk you out.”

His words seemed to be a signal to the rest of the family. Most of whom also rushed over to try and insist on walking them out.

Until Jason shouted, “Enough! We don’t need a crowd to follow us to Jazz’s car. You can say goodbye from here just as easily.”

Dick pouted but acquiesced. Only after pulling Jason into a hug, though. Jason forced Dick to let him go only for Robin to rush in and take his place to Dick’s delight. After separating, they signed something to each other that had Jason blushing and scowling.

And then Dick moved on to hug Jazz, then Danny. “Come back anytime,” he told Danny. “Whether or not those two are with you. B meant it when he said you would have a room here.”

But then Steph was pushing Dick to the side to give Danny a hug as well. “What’s your phone number? I so want whatever blackmail you get on Jason. And I’ll share some of what I have.”

Danny laughed, but did agree to exchange numbers before the Duke was in front of him.

“Dude, you have to come by more often. It’s so annoying being the only meta around here.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Danny promised.

When Tim came over, he insisted on adding both Danny and Jazz to some of the family group chats. “If you give me your sister’s number, I’ll add her in, too.”

Jazz shook her head. “We’ll have to confirm she wants to be added in first. And ask her if she’d like an introduction to Superboy.”

“His name’s Kon. Kon-El. I’ll message him tonight, too. I’m sure he’d love to meet her.”

“Dani will say yes,” said Danny, “but she doesn’t always reply right away. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear from her.”

Then Tim was being pushed aside by Barbara who wanted to make sure he knew how to send them the information about ghosts and the Realms. And Cass was waving goodbye.

Bruce was the last of the group to approach them. “Remember, if you ever need a place to stay or want to lay low, you can come here any time. Even if you just want a warm meal. Your sister as well.”

“Thanks, Bruce,” said Jazz. “We do really appreciate that. You don’t have to offer it.”

“But I want to. Jason…” he trailed off before trying again. “I would like it if you kept me informed with any updates to your condition.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Right, because you want to know how much of a liability I am.”

If anything, Bruce’s face became more closed off at those words. “That’s not… Hn.”

Robin rolled his eyes, somehow visible despite his mask, and flew over to hug Bruce around the waist. Danny couldn’t make sense of the expression Bruce wore as he looked down at the ghost and though his arms twitched, he didn’t return the hug.

Alfred smoothly stepped forward before anyone could say anything. “Well, now that the goodbyes have all been said, I will walk you four out.”

Jason shook his head. “You don’t have to, Alfie. I know the way.”

“Of course you do, Master Jason. But I insist. We’ll stop by the kitchens and I’ll send you home with leftovers.”

Danny tried to hide his smile as Jason merely turned and walked in the direction of the kitchens. It seemed no one argued against Alfred. Once in the kitchens, they were given so much food to take home it required all three to carry it, then Alfred was leading them out a side door which brought them to the drive where Jazz’s car was parked.

Jazz nudged him and nodded her head towards the car. Danny nodded and followed her in while Jason, Alfred, and Robin remained outside to talk for a minute.

Danny took the back seat and met Jazz’s eyes in the rear-view mirror.

She gave him a wry smile and said, “What a night, huh?”

Danny snickered before bursting out into full-on laughter, Jazz joining a breath behind him.

-----

Next

Tim totally spilled the beans about Gun Batman to get people distracted from Danny. He's just being a good new friend.

I'm thinking I'll put this on a temporary hiatus as I work through how I want arc two to go. I know the story beats, but the pacing will absolutely have to change. Not gonna spend 16k words on a single evening again! (Did you guys realize it was that long? I certainly did. XP) In the meantime, I'll keep working on Bring Me Home and rewriting the Wrong Number AU.

Bonus points to anyone who can guess my favorite line from this segment!

And sorry for not replying to comments on the post from two weeks ago. I got caught up in irl stuff and wasn't able to get around to it.

Tag List Part 1

@addie-lover-of-stories, @justwannabecat, @gin2212, @amercurio, @regonold, @overtherose, @readerzj, @sjrose1216, @echoednonny, @deeterzz, @blu-lilac, @number-one-jew, @rowanaway-fromthisbs, @vythika96, @tired-yet-awaken, @themirrorghost, @emeraldcorpral, @all-mights-asscheeks, @darkhinauniverse, @blep-23, @phandomhyperfixationblog, @larkcoe1, @thegatorsgoose, @job-ross-the-second, @britcision, @lenacraft, @bubblemixer, @androgynouslordofescapism, @purefrickingspite, @leftmiraclechaos, @lizisipancardo, @starlight-sparks, @miraculousandmore, @gildedphoenix, @sometimesthingsfallapart, @letmesayfuxk, @phoenixcatch7, @skulld3mort-1fan, @abaowo, @dhampir-princess, @idkmrpianoman, @sarina-elais, @ballzfrog-blog, @undead-essence, @spookytragedyshark, @flyingpansaurus, @akintoabitch, @marivictal, @8-29pm, @justreadingthefanfics, @happybear135, @kisatamao, @spoopyspoony, @adorablechaos, @sara0055, @screamingtofillthevoid

[thebigbadbatswife]

Day 7 - Virginity

Pairing - Knight!Bruce Wayne x F!Reader

Warnings - 18+ content, if you're under 18 leave immediately! First times, loss of virginity, fluff.

Summary - You've fallen for the knight that you've been travelling with. And, to your surprise, he feels the exact same way.

The fire crackled, sending small sparks up into the night air. The sky was clear, letting you see every twinkling star and the full moon high above the clearing you’re in. The air was still and it wasn’t so cold that the fire was needed for warmth, only for cooking. It was the perfect summer’s night.

You weren’t paying attention to any of it though. All of your focus was on the knight you were currently kissing.

You had been travelling with Bruce for the past few weeks, ever since you had managed to convince him to help you get out of the village you were certain you would spend the rest of your days in. He was a good travelling companion, albeit quiet. Ever focused and alert of everything that was going on around the two of you. He was also incredibly good looking with a sharp jawline and piercing blue eyes. It had you feeling ways that you had never felt before. Particularly between your thighs.

You didn’t think that he liked you. That he found you an annoyance and was looking to get rid of you as quickly possible. Clearly, by the way that he was kissing you, you had been wrong.

His hand cupped your jaw as his lips moved against yours. Your initial thoughts were right, his lips were extremely soft. You melted into the kiss, letting him take the lead. He was certainly far more experienced than you, so it made sense to let him take charge. His free hand gripped your waist. You weren’t sure what to do with your hands so you left them in your lap, nails digging into your trousers. It turned out that dresses were no good for horseback riding, so you had opted for boots, trousers and a white shirt.

Both of you were breathing heavily when you finally parted. He stayed close to you though, your lips still gently brushing against each other. There was an ache between your legs that made it hard to sit still. It was also hard for you to describe the feelings that you were feeling. All that you knew was that you… wanted him. Though you weren’t quite sure what that meant. He noticed your fidgeting and you felt him smile.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I… I don’t know,” you replied truthfully.

“What’s wrong?” There was a playful tone to his voice, almost like he was teasing you. Like he already knew the answer and wanted you to say it.

“I…” You didn’t know how to put it into words. Not without sounding stupid. Would he judge you? You must have been silent for longer than you had first thought because he spoke again.

“It’s okay. We don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to.” He had taken your silence to meaning that you were uncomfortable and Bruce didn’t want you to feel that way.

You shook your head. Why were words so difficult for you all of a sudden? Normally you just kept talking and talking and talking until someone finally told you to shut up.

“I want you,” you told him, moving away a little so that you could look him in his eyes. “I just… I don’t…” You averted your gaze from him, feeling your cheeks heating up. Though there had been plenty of people in your village, you had not felt like this for any of them. Even those that the older men and women thought you were certain to marry. It was only during the last few weeks, with him, that these feelings had started.

“You’re sure?” His hand came underneath your chin and moved your head so that you were looking at him again. He wanted to make sure that this was something that you wanted to do with him.

You nodded. “Yes.” You were sure. You were comfortable with him and you trusted him. You were positive that he wouldn’t do anything that you weren’t comfortable with.

He kissed you again, slow and softly as he pulled you closer to him. Your hands came to rest on to his chest. He wasn’t wearing his armour right now. Leaving it propped up against his horse’s saddle, on the ground. It left him in just a simple shirt, black trousers and boots. A similar outfit to your own.

You could feel your heart start to hammer against your ribcage as warmth started to spread through your body and lower stomach. Your hands slid up from their position on his chest and you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer and kissing him deeper. As your tongues explored each other’s mouths, he pulled you up onto his lap. Below you, you could feel his cock starting to press against you through his trousers. Excitement ran through you and your heart started to beat harder.

Before long you found yourself laying in the grass, Bruce on top of you. His hand gently squeezed your hip, while his mouth pressed kisses to your jawline and neck. Piece by piece he removed your clothing, checking in every once in a while to make sure he was going at your pace. His own clothing was quick to follow as well. The ache between your legs was growing and the sight of his cock made it worse, your walls trying to clench around nothing.

He settled between your legs. There were butterflies fluttering around your stomach as you could feel his cock, hot and heavy, against the inside of your thigh. You knew that he could tell you were nervous by the way he was nuzzling his nose against yours and peppering your face with kisses. He was trying to distract you and it was working. You didn’t notice that he was lining himself up with you until he was already pushing inside of you.

You gasped as the head of his cock stretched you. There was a burning sensation as he carefully worked you open, but it was quickly replaced with pleasure as he gave a shallow thrust. Inch by inch he gave you more of his cock and with each thrust he got deeper and deeper. All the while he kept kissing you. His tongue eagerly exploring your mouth.

He moved sweetly and passionately as he… made love to you. That was the only way you could think to describe it. Of course you had nothing to compare it to so really what did you know? Well, you did know that it felt good. Really good. You moaned softly. Your fingers were buried in his hair. Your body reacted to his, your hips moving with him. You mewled his name, your fingers having moved onto his back and were now digging into him.

There was a tension building inside of you. Getting tighter and tighter with every thrust. It was a foreign sensation to you and, unconsciously, you were pushing against it. Something that he picked up on. 

“Let it happen, sweetheart,” Bruce murmured, his hand squeezing your hip once more before it slipped between your bodies. His calloused fingers parted your folds and pressed against your clitoris and he started to rub it. “Let it happen,” he repeated.

Your orgasm crashed over you, your mouth falling open in a wordless cry. He kept thrusting and playing with your clit, prolonging the intense pleasure that was currently burning through you. He pulled out of you, his hand wrapping around his cock as he fisted it. Bruce groaned deeply as came, spilling his seed across your stomach.

He caught himself with both hands, so that he didn’t crush you beneath his weight, before rolling and landing next to you in the grass. Both of you were breathing heavily as both slowly came down. As you could feel his seed cooling against your skin, Bruce moved, grabbing a piece of scrap cloth to clean you up. 

He was then laying down next to you again and he gathered you up into his arms before covering him and you with a blanket. You rested your head against his chest, letting your eyes close. You were tired now and you felt sore.

“How do you feel?” he asked. His fingers were tracing random patterns against your skin.

“Sore,” you replied. He hummed in response.

“There’s a town nearby, if we set out a dawn we should arrive by noon. We can stay there for a few days, have a bath and rest.”

“And have more nights like tonight?”

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “If that’s what you want, sweetheart. Of course we can.”

[puppetmaster13u]

Bird-Bat Language [Part 2]

Previous Part: H E R E

A majority of the language has to do with things in Gotham There's several calls focusing on the dangers found in the city, especially with how many chemical attacks there can be even just hours apart

Fear Toxin: long hiss-click (This call can't afford to be too long or extravagent due to the danger of the toxin) Joker Venom: short hiss-click-click (The hiss is higher pitched than the one in the fear call) Ivy Pollen: hiss-cluck-high (Thankfully not nearly as dangerous later, nor used as often as it once was) Fire: warble-click-high (A mimicry of wavering flames and the crackle of wood on fire) Ice/Blizzard: trill-click-low (Similarly to Mr. Freeze's call, it's meant to mimic the cracking of ice, though at a smaller scale) Earthquake: screech-low-low (While not hard to miss, there's always a risk if they're in certain buildings or caves) Storm/Lightning: low-chitter-high-high (Mostly a warning for if someone is high up or out late) Water/Flood: click-low-low-warble (Flooding is pretty common and usually only a risk if one is in like, say the sewers)

Maneuver & Location based words are important Very self explanatory in concept, and rather obvious why such things are needed, especially for vigilantes

Up/Above: rapid high-high (I think it's pretty obvious why these sounds are used lol) Down/Below: long low-low (Same with these ones for going low lol) Right: rapid low-high (The low is rapid but the high trails off) Left: rapid high-low (Similar to the previous sound, but the low trails off instead of the high) How Far/Long: extended low-high (Difference between them is if the low or the high is extended longer than the other) Leave (No Emergency): chitter-high-low (The high whistle is more of a whining noise as though to say 'leave me alone') Home: long low-low-high (Whistle ends in a twittering sort of high when talking about the manor specifically) Patrol: repeated coo-low-chitter-click (Used as both a 'Get back to work' and a 'Can we go out now' sound) Inside: warble-chirp-low (Usually used when following someone or when telling where they're going) Outside: hoot-chirp-high (Similarly used to the inside sounds, though the hoot is quite rapid)

There are a couple distinct noises for very basic locations These are limited to their territory of sorts & doesn't include specific locations within the city

Gotham: clatter-low-trill (Clatter is made via claws, armor, or via the stone around them) Bludhaven: chitter-cough-coo (Cough noise varies in loudness and length depending on the individual speaking) Ocean: warble-low-click (The noise is supposed to invoke the sound of waves, or as close as they can do) Outside City: hoot-high-shriek (The shriek shows their wariness to the idea of leaving their areas, or one of theirs escaping to the outside world that's not prepared)

There's also a few close-quarters patrol words These are mostly descriptive or actions/orders, but can't quite be described as such either

Friendly: tap-tap-click-coo (Originally just used when introducing people, hence the quietness) Questioning/Don’t Understand: cluck-coo-peep (This is usually used by the kids at first while learning) Understood/Acknowledged: coo-warble (At first was just an understand noise but they started using it to show they were listening as well) Be Quiet: tap-coo-tap (The tapping is usually against stone or their own armor) Don’t Move: tap-tap-click-coo (The coo is very soft and quiet, as is the rest of the noise) Hide: tap-hoot-tap-tap (The hoot is sharp and short, while the taps are faster the more imperative it is) Being Followed: hoot-click-click (The clicks are loud and echoing, especially compared to the hoot)

The batfam also have 'complaining' noises These are used in both patrol and whenever to get across their point

Gimme: repeated peep-coo (It started when Bruce started carrying sweets for the kids & never stopped) Pay Attention: peep-cluck-peep-peep (This is more of a pay attention to me sound than a general pay attention one) Hungry: repeated peep-peep-chirp (Bruce carries snacks and they know that) Tired: repeated coo-cluck-cluck (The noise was needed, seeing as children do eventually get tired during patrol) Thirsty: repeated peep-peep-click (Sure they have their own water bottles but it runs out sometimes if it's a long night) Cold/Wet: repeated coo-cluck-peep (Practically a 'let me go under your cape dad' noise)

Noises for different injuries are needed Especially if they don't want others to know if they're injured or weakened, even if not by much

Injured: shriek-high-high-high (This is a general injury sound, alerting others that they are as so) Grounded/Can’t Fly: shriek-cluck-click (Mostly used for AUs but can also be used in the context of injured without a grapple) Bleeding: shriek-buzz-trill (Less of a slightly bleeding noise & more of a 'might be bleeding out & come get me') Broken Bone: shriek-coo-coo (This is less of a minor break for them and more of a 'can't walk or use an arm' one) Shot: shriek-low-high (They needed the sound after Bruce panicked after one of them got grazed, so they made a noise for if they've actually gotten shot) Poisoned: cluck-trill-high (This isn't uncommon what with the different chemicals all around Gotham)

They have sounds for emotions when they don't want to talk Most of the time these are used when trying to explain what they're feeling is too hard or frustrating on its own

Happy/Pleased: hum or chuff (also doubles as an 'I'm proud of you' noise or an idly amused) Angry: hiss or roar (hiss is a more sulky sort of anger while a roar is 'I want to hurt something' angry) Sad/Distressed: whine or scream (a whine is no less distressed than a scream, it's whatever they can communicate at the time) Love/Affectionate: purr or croon (usually used when they can't speak at the time, like during a stakeout, works as both a 'good job' and an 'I'm proud' noise as well) Startled/Confused: squeak (less of an 'I don't understand' & more of a confused about something around them) Amused: giggle or chitter (similar to if someone burst out in laughter albeit far quieter) Threatening: clatter or growl (clatter is made via armor in most cases but other things might be used)

Other noises I didn't have put down in a previous section but probably should've lol:

Commissioner Gordon: high-warble-high (a mimicry of a police siren in birdsong) Officer Martinez: low-chirp-high-high (usually accompanied by audible mischief-making) Justice League: twitter-hiss-high (the hiss shows their annoyance, mostly as the sound is used if it's the league that tries to enter Gotham) Day: high-high-warble-low (both highs are rapid while the low is drawn out) Night: low-low-warble-high (both lows are drawn out slightly while the high is short) Wayne Tower: trill-click-click-coo (the noise is more affectionate compared to other location noises due to being associated with family, also because it's a good very tall perch) Clocktower: click-click-click-low (a noise mimicking a clock ticking and then chiming)

[dwreader]

I gotta say I'm shocked that people are saying Louis doesn't feel anything for Armand. That producer whos not Rolin Jones said Louis is falling in love with Armand while Lestat manfiests to pass judgment on him.

tbh i think there is an ambiguity which i mentioned before in my femme fatale post! femme fatales have historically been maligned for being evil manipulative heartless self-serving women often times bc they are subjugated by a powerful man and use the only power they have to achieve their aims. you can certainly interpret some of them as being completely unemotionally manipulative, they're just not the ones that interest me personally.

i think louis's motivations are complex because the situation demands it. he cannot just let himself fall head over heels in love with armand without caution bc in the previous episode armand nearly killed him and has the power to kill him & claudia at any given moment. in ep2 and for most of ep3, they clearly have a real connection and are falling for each other. like the flirtatious chemistry and lust are leaping off the screen idk i feel like you have to be blind not to recognize it but once we get to the end of ep3... the danger is now intermingled with the love/lust. they can no longer be ignored like when louis was still pretending his maker was bruce and everything was fine & dandy for him and claudia. once armand has that power over him, it makes the relationship murkier and murkier. you can't put the genie back in the bottle and revert to their "wholesome" dating phase. and the more dangerous the relationship is, the more it reminds him of lestat and all the red flags he's seeing again. i dont think its unintentional that dreamstat shows up in the bedroom when armand starts pressuring louis about companionship. cause lestat did the same thing to him in 1x01 when louis also wasn't ready (albeit in a very different way). in the museum, dreamstat shows up when armand is "apologizing" yet at the same time flexing his powers and going vintage lioncourt.

and it parallels the same consent questions btwn lestat and louis in s1 where they had a genuine courtship/romance but when push came to shove, the moment louis was forced to make the choice to actually be with lestat and accept his proposal, it was after a show of brutal violence and murder and lestat literally having killed the only friend louis had in the world. then he spends the rest of s1 wondering about paul as well. love & horror co-exist and the horror was for love. its been a very jessica chastain coded week.

[cactusspatz]

December recs

Whew, I read a lot of fic in December! My Yuletide recs are here and here, and I winnowed down the rest of them to a mere ten recs.

Click on for Batman, Murderbot, and Goblin Emperor fics!

BATMAN

The Time Before by @cdelphiki

One moment, Red Hood was fighting with Black Mask, listening to the idiot go on about how he'd murder Jason long before he'd become a problem. The next… Jason was ten years in the past, nine-years-old, and fending for himself on the streets of Gotham. Bruce might not know about Jason yet in the timeline, but Batman was the only one who could protect him against Black Mask. If only Jason didn't hate him so much…

Excellent time travel fic!

this kind of weather by r_astra / @heyy-its-skip

Jason’s at school when his mom dies, and that’s the only reason any of it happens. If he’d been home, if he’d been with her, he would’ve been in the wind before anyone else even knew. Even if they looked, no one ever would’ve found him. He’d have taken to the sewers if that’s what it took, man-eating crocodile guy and all.

I love Jason in this, and his friendship with Stephanie, and the identity secrets.

seventeen going under by @bonerot19

"Where's your pops?" Terry shouted down the sidewalk. "Dunno," Jason said. "Haven't seen him in a week. I stopped goin' lookin' for him a long time ago." Hell, Jason was happy with the man's absence. Maybe it would stick, this time. "He owes me fifty bucks." Terry, closer to Jason now, was still shouting. Jason spun around and started walking backwards. "What'a'ya know," he said. "Me too." AU where Jason is seventeen, his parents are alive, he works nights at a convenience store, and everything is about to go to shit.

Loosely inspired by this kind of weather (in that Jason's parents survived longer) but much heavier on the angst and h/c. I'm loving the WIP sequel as well!

coconut and aloe by merils (Tim/Kon)

Tim still doesn’t sit. “I washed it like three times, but my hair still smells like vinegar and death,” he says, and gazes intently into Kon’s eyes. …Ah. Now Kon gets it. “Tim, buddy,” he says, amusement bubbling up in his chest, because apparently Tim can’t just ask like a normal person. It’s stupidly endearing. “Do you want me to wash your hair?”

Soft and sensual and sweet.

MURDERBOT

An Unexpected Quarter by @ilovedthestars

Murderbot is captured by the company, with no one to come to its rescue. Help comes from somewhere it doesn’t expect.

Aimed directly at my id, and a great outsider POV. On a similar theme, I also enjoyed Salvage or Repair by the same author.

words left behind by torpidgilliver

"How do you stand it?" Dr. Gurathin's tone is slow and even when he asks, "Stand what?" SecUnit 3 shares its feelings with someone who might understand.

Beautiful exploration of Three's grief, and a lovely look at Gurathin's life.

Terrible Tactical Strategy by audreycritter

Three is behaving oddly. There's a surprisingly ordinary explanation, it's just that the explanation isn't fun for anyone.

In which Three has feelings about media in an entirely new direction, and a mini breakdown. Achy but kind.

Un/Safe by John_lzhc

Ayda Mensah was in her office cubby, reviewing the last of the council dispatches, when she received an urgent assistance request from Secunit. That… had never happened before. Murderbot has a close encounter of a 3-year-old kind. It is not impressed.

*cackles* Look, Murderbot is so competent that I just can't resist stories where it panics in social situations.

GOBLIN EMPEROR

The Search for Marneise Amalo by Sphragis

"Before we may attend to the truly important aims of our account, we must address a matter that we had rather not. Were it not for the prurient curiosity of the worst kind of people, we would not deign even to introduce the following subject. As we are obliged to speak, we shall keep the point brief: Pel-Thenhior was not marnis. The accusation was always and only vicious rumor." On the (in)ability of love to find expression in the historical record.

Gorgeous fic using historical research (letters, academic writing, and video/interview) to explore the edges of Thara and Iana's relationship and future. Creative and wonderful.