#canon bruce die challenge

[jennrypan]

...Gotham War started cuz..Selina was stealing from Rich people. 😶

Bruce..I hope you NEVER see the pearly gates, I hope your parents never look down upon you and if they do. I hope it's in such disdain you can FEEEEEL it.

[aingeal98]

I do think we've moved far away from the canon evil Cass era that we can think about fun evil Cass au fics without the knee jerk "SHE WOULD NOT DO THAT." response. Like obviously if it's a big family fic and someone is like yeah lol she just loves killing because she was raised by the league its like damn. You didn't even care enough to do basic research huh. But like, among actual fans I think it's fun.

For me if I was doing a killer Cass au I'd probably take the canon divergence from the moment of her first kill, where she sees how the man dies and it terrifies her but instead of flight her response is fight. She doesn't understand what she seeing and it drives her to kill again and again because she NEEDS to know. She needs to understand. She still breaks away from David but this time instead of wandering the world peacefully she's basically having a very long and prolonged anxiety attack interspersed with murder. Her entire worldview has been shifted, there's this new and horrific skill she can do that she doesn't understand. Every kill sickens her but she keeps going because that moment where they die she still sees this horrifying incomprehensible emptiness and in this au instead of trying to make sure she never feels that again she keeps punishing herself and suffering so that she can fully understand what exactly happens when someone dies. Because maybe... If she finally finds an answer for what happens after the emptiness it will absolve her of her sins and her guilt. It'd be challenging to do right, because how much can you turn up the curiousity and self centred dials while twisting her fear of being a monster into... Not exactly acceptance but more like total rejection of this world where killing is a thing that's possible, before it's no longer Cass?

In this au Bruce and Babs find her earlier and are far more horrified. They're tracing a string of murders and the result is a ten year old girl standing over a dying body poking it intently to make it jerk in certain ways. It would be very hard for her to become a Bat after that introduction, but it would be a fun journey

[arkhamochi]

Batman & Robin (2009, vol. 2) #ochireads

BATMAN REBORN By Grant MORRISON & Frank QUITELY

"The new Dynamic Duo uncovers clues involving the mysterious death of Bruce Wayne before facing off against each other in a heated battle that both heroes will regret — if they live through it! Includes THE BLACKEST NIGHT, as well as stories that lead directly into BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE!" [x]

DISCLAIMER: This retrospective may assume that you have a baseline knowledge of some of these arcs. Remember, this is all in the spirit of friendly story analysis and healthy discussion! All opinions are my own.

OVERVIEW:

Hooooo boy, okay, this one is kinda WEIRD. This volume is mostly filler for "The Return of Bruce Wayne", the greater DC event at the time. Damian is out of commission for the first half (due to the events of the previous volume), but whatever Damian moments are in here are more foundational than at first glance, even if it is at the expense of other characters.

REACTION COMMENTARY: (5 minute read)

Talia: "Isn't he magnificent?" Damian: *looking like a soggy piece of naan bread*

Co-parenting moment with your adult ward's ex girlfriend. Alfred's affection/care for Damian is a lot more unambiguous here, and now I really wish we could've seen their relationship grow in the comics (instead of it being implied "off-page")🥺!!!

To be honest, Morrison's narrative justification for introducing Damian still isn't satisfying to me. It's implied that Talia has promised Damian to inherit the Batman/Wayne empire. Now that he's super involved with the Batman gig, Talia is acting all confused and incensed about it. Am I thinking too hard about this?

SO CUTE!!! A little sweater vest moment as a treat 🥺! Another subtle nod to their genuine relationship, where Damian feels close enough to gossip with Alfred (albeit right in front of the poor subject).

I'm not sure if this is purposeful, but Damian's conversation also seems more relaxed and free flowing (compared to the previous arc). Outside of Robin activity, I don't imagine Damian going outside much, and he definitely doesn't have any friends, so he'd naturally spend a lot of time with Alfred.

Context: it really is a zombie clone!

What a smart cookie! It's a brief but interesting insight into Damian using his own unique knowledge of the Lazarus Pit to quickly deduce that this Batman is a fake, compared to Dick. I wonder if this is supposed to be a direct implication that Dick wouldn't have resurrected the wrong Batman if Damian was with him to challenge the idea?

Also, once again showing Damian has immediate and genuine concern for Alfred's wellbeing.

I have to share this whole sequence of teamwork! Could it be, Alfred and Damian are the secret Dynamic Duo!?

That spit is so iconic, so petty, disrespectful even to a zombie... Even when falling to his death, Damian doesn't scream. There's an initial shock, then reservation. Maybe he's even a little embarrassed? Disappointed in himself? Even the -tt- hints at some annoyance.

Damian has lived his life, not for the sake of living, but to achieve great things. It must be a little humiliating for someone like him to seemingly die in such a vulnerable and "pathetic" way. Does this imply that he doesn't fear death, or that he doesn't give himself permission to feel fear at all?

Fear not! Dick arrives just in time to save him! And Damian is immediately back to his quippy self, making sure that Dick knows exactly what he thinks instead of a "thank you".

Of course, Batman and Batwoman defeat Zombie Batman and save the day :)

Who let this 10 year old into the boardroom???

This whole segment is so appropriately silly. It's interesting how this might be the only time (in canon) Damian has been involved with W.E. affairs, and then he's kinda never put in a scenario like this again. Maybe Morrison was getting a feeler for where Damian's strengths outside of vigilante work might fit? Or maybe it's for a one-off gag.

Either way, I can believe that Damian would enjoy scrutinising data like a challenge to be won, but truthfully would have no interest in running W.E. But clearly it's a concept that didn't take off anywhere, so it doesn't really matter THAT much 😛

A/N: Ok so this post has been in my draft for over half a year up to this point, and I'm only picking it back up now. Apologies for the rustiness in my analysis.

Completely unrelated, have I mentioned how funny this batmobile looks to me? It reminds me of the biddybuggy from Mario Kart...

Anyway, uh...

Really beautiful panel here (even though the context behind it is super silly, so we'll just ignore all that).

Damian was raised on the legacy of Al Ghul, but technically that one only goes back 2 generations. Being promised (by Talia) to inherit the Wayne fortune, I wonder how much he knows about the history of his Father's side at this point? With Bruce (assumed to be genuinely dead at this point) out of the picture, is there an added pressure? An added loss? One day, will Damian's portrait be on this wall?

Just imagine if Bruce's portrait was already up, and then just a single beat of Damian looking at the blank space next to it... But once again, the writing kinda glosses over this character opportunity to forward the plot instead (not a bad thing, but just a shame that the potential is now lost).

GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, good food, good food...

They've obviously built up a healthy rapport at this point, so it especially hurts when Dick doesn't realise the depth of his insecurities (he even brushes it off twice, omg!!!).

For all the surface-level boasting Damian peacocks about his superior skills, (arguably) having already proved himself being worthy of the mantle of Robin, Damian knows, consciously or subconsciously, that it isn't enough. Despite how well he's settled into the role, true approval must come from his father in an emotional bid, and Damian is anxiously aware of exactly how Bruce feels about him.

I've always heard about how Morrison "character assassinated" Talia, and to be honest, my uneducated ass always thought "surely it can't be that bad". My god, it really is that bad.

It's unfortunately difficult to separate this characterisation from "canon" since it seems to be the main catalyst for why Damian chooses to stay in Gotham. Damian's motivations in his introductory comics were pretty vague and poorly written imo, so I am assuming this is Morrison's way of establishing something more definitive-- it's just a shame that Talia's writing has seemingly taken the fall for it.

#1 DICK GRAYSON STAN, DAMIAN WAYNE, RAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is...... silly.... this is so silly... And yet, I must admit, this twist had me gagged.

Context: During Damian's spinal surgery, Talia inserted a device that let's her control his body. Slade then takes over (trying to get revenge on Dick as well).

Jesus, this is grim 😻! Slade kinda catching some shade for being an old man tho hahaha. Really emotional panels from the Quitely; the desperation, struggle, and absolute trust between Batman and Robin is so raw and uncomfortable (positive!).

In an era where Damian was still universally hated, it's nice to see in-context moments of Damian's selflessness and maturity, despite the fandom rhetoric of him being a selfish brat.

DAMIAN CONVINCING HIMSELF THAT (he thinks) BRUCE WILL TAKE THE MANTLE OF ROBIN AWAY WHEN HE RETURNS AAUUUGGHHHOOUUUGHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Something else that I love about Damian's character that I don't see get brought up often is the theme of unconditional love (for family). Even after what seems like an ultimate betrayal in love and trust, Damian still respects his mother, calls her as such, and still holds on to the expectations that, in a roundabout way, he could still make her proud.

This is similarly the case with Bruce, where Damian believes that Bruce has no affection or trust towards him, but he still respects him (and their relationship) as his father.

To cap this off, I also wanted to include this "writer's commentary" by Morrison lol.

Overall, this arc had a little more bite than the last! Everything is obviously overshadowed by the "Bruce Returns" event, but we got some really definitive Damian moments... even if it was at the expense of Talia's character...

Anyone else have favourite moments to share? Personal analysis and thoughts? Let's talk about it 🥰!

[kiragecko]

What’s your favourite period of Batfamily dynamics?

What’s the one that you’re most interested about exploring through fanfic? Reading the comics for? Reinterpreting, so that it Actually Works? Not the best one, but the one that gets you most excited (even if that 'excitement' is furious fix-it fics, or long metas about how it COULD have been so good)! You don’t even need to have READ the comics. Choose the period that makes the most interesting fanfic!

(Edit: If you prefer stuff that mixes periods, or non-comics' canons, I've added a follow-up poll in a reblog. Answer this poll based on what's most similar to your interests - which characters tend to be around, is Dick a teen on a superhero team, etc. And then give me the nuance in the next poll!)

I did this in 2023, as well, but 10 options wasn't QUITE enough, and polls couldn't handle formatting. So we're trying again ;) Thanks to @zahri-melitor for most of the post-Flashpoint details! (Any mistakes are my additions.)

Here are our challengers!

1. The Golden Age (1939 - 1960) - Bruce and Dick need no motivation beyond 'it's the right thing to do' and 'we're AWESOME' (and why would they?), Bruce murders people in the (very) early issues, and Alfred is a bumbling fool who isn't yet Alfred - [22 years]

2. The Silver Age (1960 - 1980) - Dick gets fun Teen Titans friends, Bruce goes on space/time travel adventures, Alfred still didn't raise Bruce, and, after a few fumbles with other female 'wholesome heterosexual dynamics here' characters, we get BABS - [21 years]

3. Early - Mid 80s (1980 - 1986) - Dick gets to be oh so melodramatic with his new angsty Titans friends in New York, Bruce says 'Chum' and 'Lad' as he ruffles tiny Jason's hair, Alfred raised Bruce and is his awesome self, we realize Babs will keep adding impressive new jobs to her resume forever (Senator! Librarian! Lawyer!), and they start to be an actual family - [7 years]

4. Late 80s - Early 90s (1986-1992) - The Dark Knight Returns heralds a dark new era, Babs is crippled, and Jason dies. Tim is a new type of Robin - one who supports Batman. Babs rebuilds herself, no child needed. Dick and Bruce try, but mostly fail, to communicate. Alfred becomes the heart of a family that doesn't know it's a family - [7 years]

5. The 90s (1992 - 1999) - Dick and Tim are brothers. Oracle rejoins the Batfamily, while continuing her separate life. Dick moves from New York to Blüdhaven, closer to the Bats than the Titans. Bruce has 2 sons, even though neither realize he thinks that way. Catwoman grudgingly dabbles with heroism. Steph arrives, and exists on the edges, only connected to the family through Tim. A variety of other people come and go through their lives - Jean-Paul, Helena Bertinelli, Harold, Sasha Bordeaux, etc, and Gotham is a whole CITY of heroes - [8 years]

6. Early 2000s (1999 - 2003) - The family grows and becomes tighter knit. Cass continues Babs' legacy, and Steph finally gets a friend. Babs and Alfred are in some ways joint centres of the family, and fight with Bruce about how to raise kids. Dick calls Tim 'little brother' for the first time. Tim starts Young Justice, and Dick is back with his oldest friends - [5 years]

7. Mid 2000s (2003 - 2007) - The era of death. Donna dies, Dick's team disbands, and Tim's team renames themselves the Teen Titans. Bad idea, many teens die, including most of Tim's friends. Steph dies. Tim and Cass get close, until Cass is brainwashed and kills a lot of people. Many, many people around Dick are murdered, and eventually Blüdhaven is exploded. Jason is back from the dead, and exuberantly contributing to the murders. Bruce can't work with equals, and Babs leaves the city. Dick is furious with Jason, Jason is violent towards Tim, and Tim is far less forgiving than fanon pretends. Babs gets colder, Alfred gets older, and Bruce shuts down - [5 years]

8. Late 2000s (2007 - 2011) - The era of grief. Bruce, Dick, and Tim take a year long cruise to recover. Cass, Steph, and Babs eventually return. But the scars run deep. Everyone's relationships are shaky. Jason has a different motivation every arc. Tim is trying to clone people and being head-hunted by Ra's al Ghul. Damian shows up and topples the already unsteady situation. Bruce dies. Cass leaves. Tim fights with Dick and goes off to prove Bruce is alive. Damian and Steph both rebuild themselves in the ashes, while Dick tries to hope for a better future - [5 years]

9. The New 52 (2012 - 2016) - The universe is rebooted. Jason has friends now, and for some reason is the only Bat Tim talks to? Dick spends some time as a secret agent. Babs is Batgirl again. Damian and Kate continue their preboot growth. Tim … exists. Steph and Cass mostly don't. Harper and Duke are introduced, but not really integrated. Everything is centred around Bruce. Most of the past no longer exists, and along with it, most of their relationships - [5 years]

10. Rebirth (2016 - 2020) - A world in transition, struggling for identity. Comics slowly bring in previous continuity, and it's uncertain what exists for who. (Except for Jason, we keep the new Jason.) Both Dick and Bruce spend a lot of time with amnesia. Tim gets a turn being fake dead. Duke finally gets a costume and codename. Selina almost marries Bruce, but editorial explicitly says that Bruce isn't allowed to have nice things. Nuclear family is centred over found family, but everyone is still kept apart. (And Jason should be kept even farther away for his own safety!) Eventually, Alfred dies, and Damian runs away from home - [4 years]

11. Infinite Frontier (2020 - 2025) - Relationships and memories get reestablished. A few characters stay their rebooted versions, some reinstall the old version, and many are an complex mix of both. People start being able to interact without Bruce around. Cass and Steph become Batgirl alongside Babs, and Babs starts reestablishing Oracle. Tim becomes Robin alongside Damian, and they explore the differences in their roles. Tim also rejoins Young Justice and remembers his friends, and Dick regains his relationships with the Titans - [5 years]

[i-care-bout-things-too]

Batfam Ages:

Okay, there is no such thing as an exact science when determining the ages of the Batfam, but the easiest thing you can do is work of the concrete ages that you /do/ know, and make them fit with canon events to the best of your ability. Now, canon changes all the time—which definitely makes this a challenge, but I’m going to just explain my process for determining their ages and you can disagree if you’d like, or you can use this to write fic like I do where ages are semi important,

Let’s begin. I’m going to give you the arbitrary number of 15, this will be important later.

Dick Grayson:

Depending on the canon, Dick is 8, 10, 12, or 15 when his parents die. All of these numbers will have problems depending on which you pick, but I go for the safe bet of 10 years old. Why? Well, a little known fact is that Dick ends up in juvie after his parents die, and he’s not immediately taken in by Batman. Thus, it takes a little while longer for him to become Robin, which doesn’t immediately happen after he becomes Bruce’s ward anyway, because Batman doesn’t immediately go and spill the beans. Thus, Dick ends up in Bruce’s car at around ten or eleven, but doesn’t become Robin until he’s 12.

Now Dick is Robin up until he’s about 18, when Bruce takes Robin from Dick because it’s too dangerous and Dick refuses to quit. Dick joins up with the teen titans full time, and he’s still Robin for a little while longer until we get Nightwing, aka Discowing, for the very first time at age 19. Simultaneously, while this is happening, a little kid is stealing the Batmobile’s tires.

Jason Todd:

Our beloved street rat Robin, Jason Todd, swings a tire iron at Batman and then gets taken out for fast food. It’s great, it’s cute, it doesn’t immediately lead to his adoption though, either. No, instead Jason ends up in an orphanage that is trafficking children. Bruce shows up one day to check up on Jason, and is made aware of this by his soon to be first adopted son (yeah, you heard me, Dick isn’t adopted yet). They take down the trafficking ring, and Bruce adopts Jason. Jason then becomes Robin at age 13.

Unfortunately for our boy, he was widely disliked by comic fans across North America, DC did a little telephone poll, and by a few hundred votes, DC changed comic history forever by killing off a high profile character what seems like /permanently/ for the first time ever. No resurrections this time. (Hah, right!). Which is to say, Jason Todd has the second shortest run as Robin at just two years, dying at age 15.

Tim Drake:

So then we get Robin numero 3. Tim Drake sees Batman getting darker and more violent and goes y’know, someone should do something about that. He tries talking to Nightwing, but he’s in a bad place with Bruce after learning Jason died via a Newspaper (yeah, Bruce sucks for that one), and tells Tim he won’t be going back to Robin. Thus, lil Timmy Drake gets an idea in his head. He looks himself in the mirror and goes, I can fix him, and then, Tim Drake becomes Robin at age 12.

Tim Drake has one of the longest runs as Robin, with only a mild interruption from a lil blond Bat.

Stephanie Brown:

Stephanie Brown starts off as the vigilante Spoiler, whose whole purpose in life is to spoil the plans of her C-list villain dad, Cluemaster. She meets Robin (Tim), hits him in the face with a brick, and then ends up dating him. Unlike most characters who appear a few times and never come back, Stephanie manages to stick around. She gets pregnant at age 15 (it’s not Tim’s, and no she did not cheat, this happened priorly), she gives birth, the baby is put up for adoption, and she becomes Robin after Tim’s dad, Jack Drake, finds out Tim is Robin and bans him from it. Tim is forced to quit and Stephanie picks up the mantle. She’s clocks in the shortest run as Robin, working with Batman for about two months before Bruce forces her to stop. Tim picks up the mantle again, and Steph goes back to being Spoiler—only to get killed by Black Mask, making her the second “Robin” to die. DC does retcon her death, and we later learn she was only badly beaten and sent off to live in a foreign country before she makes her return.

Jason Todd, Again:

While all this is going on, stuff is happening behind the scenes. Namely, Jason coming back to life. A common misconception here however is how long Jason was actually dead. While I wouldn’t be able to find the panels to confirm it, the true number is a “short” 6 months. Yep, while years passed in the real world, possibly decades, actually, Jason was dead all of 6 months. According to the books, he undigs himself from his grave six feet under (because Superboy punched through the multiverse or something?) and ends up wondering around Gotham as a mindless little zombie. Conveniently, Talia al Ghul stumbles upon her beloved’s lost little bird, and she decides to take him home and train him. He’s with them for a bit, gets dunked into a Lazarus pit, comes back very very angry, is shipped off to the all caste for a bit, and upon his return to the al Ghuls, is informed he’s been replaced by little Timmy Drake.

Jason makes his whole plan, and decides to make a splash by returning to Gotham wearing an old moniker of the Joker’s and taking over Gotham’s underworld. He beheads a few criminals, tries to kill Tim, tries to get Bruce to kill the Joker, and doesn’t really have success in those latter two objectives. That puts Jason at age 19, roughly. We don’t really know how to count the months he was dead.

Damian Wayne:

Shortly after Jason’s unmasking as the Red Hood, Damian Wayne turns 10 years old and beats his mother, Talia al Ghul, in combat. His prize is to be taken to his father and given to him for training. We know definitively that Damian is 10 thanks to this we can measure out the age gaps between the others and get their ages at this point in time. Dick at age 19 became Nightwing, while Jason is made Robin at age 13, so they have a six year age gap. Jason dying 2 years later at age 15 leads to Tim becoming Robin at age 12, they have a 3 year age gap. Tim is Robin for 3 years before Jason comes back and Damian trails after him a few months behind, putting Tim at around 16/17 while Damian is 10. I tend towards 16 instead of 17 because DC stopped aging Tim for a while, so it just makes more sense to pick the lower number. Thus, when Damian is 10, Tim is 16 as is Steph, Jason is 19, and Dick is 25.

Thanks to Damian being quite young, DC has kept an active track of how and when they age him. We know Damian is only with Bruce a few short months before he disappears into the time stream and Dick makes him Robin, and we also know that Damian’s 11th birthday is celebrated after Bruce is reinstated to the proper time. However, DC follows this up by killing Damian and making him the third Robin to die, the second to do so in the suit itself, and he’s dead for a significant number of months. In this time, Dick also dies—as in his heart is stopped by Lex Luthor for a few seconds, and then restarted, after his identity is revealed on live TV. Bruce decides to let the world believe Nightwing died and stayed dead, and Dick is sent off to Spyral to do secret spy stuff for Bruce. There is an issue around here in the “Grayson” run that claims Dick is twenty-one years old, which is ENTIRELY incompatible with the time line I just painstakingly established, and I go ahead and outright dismiss it because it clearly doesn’t work with a majority of canon. While Dick is with Spyral, Damian is brought back to life, and he goes on a year of redemption (which doesn’t actually last a whole year, but I digress). He and Dick meet again, and we move into Rebirth somewhere around here with the conclusion of Spyral and Batman and Robin Eternal.

General Events:

Damian turns 12 presumably sometime during rebirth, although not specified, I do believe Truth and Justice issue #6 to be his 12th or 13th birthday, but I lean towards 12 because of the costumes everyone wears in the issue. Steph is spoiler, Cass is Orphan, Tim is Red Robin, Red Hood has yet to don his solo Outlaw uniform, and Barbara is Batgirl.

I can’t name a specific issue for Damian’s 13th birthday, but it’s canonical that Damian turned 14 in his solo Robin series, Robin (2021) while he was off finding himself before the Lazarus Tournament, and since then, there’s been the Shadow War, Batman Vs Robin, Dark Crisis event somewhere around there, the Lazarus Planet event, Gotham War, DC Knight Terrors, and Beast World event, which catches us up to the modern day world.

Since Damian hasn’t yet turned 15 despite ALL of that going on, and is still for now at least, 14, that means Tim and Steph are 20, Jason is 23, and Dick is 29.

I know I mentioned Cass and Babs, and I would love to give you a proper age for them but I don’t know where to place them in DC canon like I do the others, however people do commonly place Cass roughly around the same age as Jason making her 22 or 23, and Babs tends towards being 6-8 years older than Dick, although that is an age gap DC has been slowly bridging over the years. Still, I put her at 35 years old. I don’t have a reference for Duke Thomas either, but he’s commonly placed as being two years younger than Tim making him 18 currently.

Lastly, I bring back the arbitrary number of 15, given that that is the number of years that separate Dick and Damian, I also use that age gap between Dick and Bruce—meaning that Bruce took Dick in when he was 25, and placing Bruce at 44 years old in main continuity.

Overall Ages Currently:

Bruce Wayne: 44

Barbara Gordon: 35

Dick Grayson: 29

Jason Todd: 23

Cassandra Cain: 22

Tim Drake: 20

Stephanie Brown: 20

Duke Thomas: 18

Damian Wayne: 14

[bookburners]

Hear me out. HEAR ME OUT!

Cassandra Cain on Americas next top model.

Okay, so this is based around four things: 1, Cass is canonically very attractive; Tim Drake (he was not her brother yet, still weird but don’t worry about it) and Conner Kent have said so. 2, every time Bruce took her out for a mission he dressed her like a repressed airline stewardess, and I’d think he’d have an aneurysm. 3, the head cannon that Barbara continuously has to hack into different reality shows emails to get rid of Cass’s audition tapes. 4, the head cannon that, despite not caring in the slightest, Cass is really, unintentionally fashionable.

So Steph and Cass are watching reality tv together and ANTP comes on. Cass gives two shits about modeling or fashion but what intrigues her, the insane challenges done in spiked heels. She’s auditioned for every other available reality show except this one, Barbara would never expect it, no one would.

Cass forcefully grabs Steph’s shoulders, looks her in the eyes, and says “I am going on that tv show!”. Stephanie, the ride or die that she is, I’d so down. They go over to Tim’s boat, or whatever and steal his Camera and computer, film her audition and send it in.

The trifecta of them doing it on Tim’s computer, Barbara never expecting Cass to want to be on ANTM, and her having already filmed the season by the time they find out make it so she gets away with it.

[luxaofhesperides]

You know how Spiderman has 'canon events'? And how Gwen would always die? How about in every universe Duke exists in, there would always be Danny. And every time they fall in love! But whenever Duke tells/hints at him being The Signal, Danny suffers an accident or dies.

Like let's say in the DC vs Vampires universe, Duke tells Danny he's Signal and then a few days later he gets turned into a vampire and Duke has no choice but to kill him.

Or something like that yknow?

Earth 26.

The undercity is full of life. People from above refuse to understand it, staunch in their beliefs that the undercity is full of crime and sickness, drugs and filth. But the people down there are more human than any of the ones Duke has met up top.

Though Bruce Wayne can try to bring Duke in all he likes, there’s no denying that Duke doesn’t belong. His heart will always be in the undercity, where he was born and grew up and lived and lost so much. 

The undercity is where Danny is.

Away from the blue skies filled with blimps, tucked beneath the towering buildings and clocktowers and elevated rails for trains leaving trails of smoke through the city, there in the cramped spaces and dark alleys, is Danny. 

He ducks through familiar alleys, cutting across perilously stacked homes and hopping over railings to get to the Fenton Lab faster. 

He’s been excited all day, heart thrumming with anticipation, as he returns to his roots and seeks out Danny. Today is the day he’s going to come clean, tell Danny everything: his feelings, his powers, his identity as The Signal, fighting crime in all parts of the city to keep Gotham safe. He’s sure Danny suspects something is going on with him, likely has already guessed at everything he wants to talk about, but Danny deserves the truth.

It is his inventions that help Duke save people, after all. 

Finding the front door of the Fenton lab is always a challenge. Metal scraps and materials stripped from vehicles litter the front of the building from people leaving all their unwanted things with the Fentons. Miscellaneous inventions and tools are left scattered around as well, creating a labyrinth that Duke has to traverse every time he wants to see Danny while he’s working with his parents.

It takes a few minutes, but Duke manages it, pushing open the door after a quick knock.

“Danny? Are you there?”

He can hear something from the lower floor, a strange, high pitched whirring noise. His powers kick in and suddenly he can see people rushing around the room, shouting in voices that he won’t be able to hear until the time comes. He can see himself, crying.

Duke’s heart drops.

“Danny? Danny!”

He runs down the stairs, suddenly terrified that he’s too late. Something is going to happen to Danny. It has to be Danny, because no one else is home with him; that’s why Duke asked to meet in the Lab, to have some privacy while the other Fentons were out.

The noise is louder, too loud to hear over, and Duke rushes into the Lab just in time to see some strange circle of metal spark with electricity. Danny stands right before, staring up at it.

“Danny!” Duke shouts as loud as he can, and Danny startles, then turns around.

Their eyes meet just as the machine finishes turning on, the metal circle ripping open with a thunderous noise, and Duke can do nothing but watch as it sends electricity and some other energy racing through Danny’s body.

It lasts just a brief moment, and then Danny is crumpling to the ground, eyes closed as the machine settles. The swirling pit of white and green stares out at him and Duke knows without a doubt that Danny is dead. . . .

Earth 41.

Duke’s been acting strange. Well, stranger than usual.

Danny’s not one to go around poking at people’s secrets, especially not his boyfriend’s, but he knows something big is going on. He’s not worried that Duke is cheating on him, but he can see the injuries he comes back with some days, citing all the unrest and the resurgence in crimes following Batman’s death.

He wonders if Duke is going out each night for street fighting, forcing all his emotions into his fists until they’re beaten bloody. Batman’s death hit him hard, and Danny has no idea what to do to help him.

They’re both stressed, on edge and scared, but they don’t fight as much as he expected. Admittedly, it’s hard to fight where they’re always spending time apart. 

No longer. Tonight, Danny is determined to get to the bottom of things so he can help Duke with whatever he’s going through. He even texted Jazz to get some tips about communication and helping someone through grief. He’s as ready as he’ll ever be. 

Right at 3AM, the window slides open. 

“Welcome back, Duke,” Danny says, watching as Duke flinches, then sighs as he closes the window. 

“What are you doing here, Danny?”

“Well, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, I decided to hang out here and wait for you. But you’ve been gone for a long time.”

“Sorry, Danny, but I’m really tired. Can this wait?”

Anger bubbles in his gut and Danny takes a deep breath to force it down. “I’ve been waiting. If you keep pushing this conversation off, we’re never going to get anywhere.”

Duke slumps against the window, rubbing a hand against his face, looking exhausted. “Look, Danny, things have been getting real bad, and I don’t want you to get hurt because of it.”

“What’s going on, Duke? What are you so worried about?”

“It’s… The guy who killed Batman. His name is Karma, and I’ve been going after him.”

“You’ve been what?!” Danny shouts, shooting to his feet. “Duke, are you insane? Anyone who can kill Batman is bad news, there’s no way anyone short of like, Superman, can stop him! You’re going to get yourself killed!”

“Someone has to stop him! And I can do something to help, okay? I’ve been helping the other bats fight him. I can do this.”

Danny clenches his fists, feeling frost crack against his skin. “You could have told me,” he says. “You know I can help, too. You’re not the only one with powers.”

“I can’t endanger you like that, Danny.”

“So you leave me in the dark instead? You would have rather I wait for you forever while you never come back because you got yourself killed running into a situation you can’t get out of? You think I would have been any safer not knowing? Then clearly you haven’t been paying attention!” He’s shouting by the end of it, shaking with fear and rage and so many things it all becomes a tangled mess in his head. 

“I really think we should have this conversation in the morning,” Duke says, eyeing Danny warily. It’s probably just because he’s been out all night hunting Karma, so used to being attacked while he goes out to try to save a city that even Batman couldn’t lift from the darkness, but that doesn’t stop the stab of hurt from going through his heart. Danny has done his best to be safe for Duke, to be human and comforting and strong enough to protect him. 

And Duke is looking at him like he could be at threat.

“Whatever,” Danny mutters, shaking his head. “You’ll talk to me in the morning by saying nothing but how you need to do whatever this is and then you’ll leave and we’ll both be unhappy. Great. Can’t wait.”

“Danny—”

“Bye, Duke.”

Danny’s up and out of the apartment before Duke can take more than a few steps towards him. He zips up his jacket and pulls the hood over his head, taking the steps two at a time to get to street level. It’s dark and quiet outside, save for the distant police sirens, and Danny barely spares a glance around him before he’s making his own way home, sure that no one would still be out at that time.

He should have been more careful. More vigilant. Not so lost in his hurt feelings.

But there’s no time for that when he’s pulled into an alleyway, knife at his throat.

A man in a black helmet, face fully covered, stares down at him. “Well, well, well,” he purrs, digging the knife in a little deeper, “What’s the Signal’s little lover doing out so late at night?”

Signal?

…Duke. His boyfriend who always disappears in late hours, blows off dates when something big is going down in Gotham, who is trying to pick up the pieces following Batman’s death. 

And here is Karma, the very man Duke is searching for, pulling Danny away into the dark.

He only has a brief moment to regret storming off, for not being more patient with Duke, for not paying attention and avoiding Karma, before the knife is pulled away, tossed into the air, and the hilt comes down hard on his temple, and it is a long, long time before he is seen again.

The Signal does not find him alive. . . .

Earth 53.

The apocalypse isn’t kind even on the best of days. But today it might be coming close to something resembling kindness as Duke approaches the skeletal remains of Gotham. It’s been years since he’s been back here, moving with the Robins across the United States just trying to survive. They’d constantly been moving, searching for other survivors and food and shelter and any sign of hope they could get. 

There hadn’t been much anywhere, too much devastation across the country for anyone to even think of rebuilding. Even now, nature is just starting to recover, little green shoots pushing up through concrete rubble. 

This world isn’t one for superheroes anymore. Supervillains aren’t around either. Everyone is either dead or barely getting themselves through each day; but humanity is still around and wildlife is beginning to recover. 

Duke doesn’t know who’s left in Gotham these days. He suspects Oracle is still there, somewhere, helping reconnect telephone wires and setting up internet and electricity. Lights have been flickering on steadily as the Robins made their way into New Jersey and the sight lifted their spirits so much they decided to keep traveling through the night. 

No one in his group has a working phone any more, but the possibility of getting that piece of the old world back excites them all. 

By the time they reach the outskirts of the ruined city, the entire group is nearly buzzing with energy, speaking in hushes whispers that do nothing to hide the elation in their voices. Gotham was everyone’s home, once. They’re all happy to be back, regardless of what they’re walking into.

Duke volunteers to go scouting with a few others to find a good place to settle in for a bit as they reacquaint themselves with the city. Even before the end of the world, it was never a good idea to go blind into Gotham. 

Much of the city is still abandoned, and concrete rubble carry faded graffiti that show the remains of a gang long gone. The few people he see in the distance are quick to hide and disappear and Duke himself is too wary to approach them. But as he gets closer to the heart of Gotham, picking his way through destroyed streets, he sees more and more signs of life, people who don’t hide, weak lights in hastily constructed shelters.

No one attacks him as he wanders closer. In fact, a few exchange nervous glances then approach him, quietly asking if he’s coming from outside Gotham and what news he brings of the outside world.

Duke tells them about how Chicago is gone completely, unable to be saved at all, but there are settlements all along the shores of the Great Lakes. He tells them of the traveling groups he’s met who rotate through a few chosen states and are willing to take in new members. He tells them of someone who has an entire farm up and running again, full of chickens and cows and sheep and goat and horses, on top of all the crop they can grow. The location of the farm is kept secret and carefully protected, but they give away seeds and young animals for anyone wanting to raise their own.

The news gathers more and more people around Duke, eager to listen, and they’re more than happy to update Duke on what’s happened in Gotham. 

The Bats aren’t around as much anymore, but at least two of them are still in Gotham, helping people from the shadows. They’re fixing everything up as best they can, and most people live in or around Robinson Park where Ivy, who survived, grows food and shelter for everyone in exchange for protection and companionship. The Riddler turned from making death traps and taking hostages to creating new technology and inventions to make life a little easier, taking in a crew of assistants to learn from him.

That is to say nothing of the ghosts.

Gotham is full of them now, walking among the living as if they never died. They help people and stick with loved ones who lost them and fly through the air to deliver things with ease. It’s nothing that Duke has ever seen before, and he wonders how many people who died in the apocalypse chose to stay in such a ruined world. 

He begins to head back to the Robins, mind racing with everything he’s learned, when he sees Danny.

Danny, his friend once, who he loved dearly and didn’t quite realize it was deeper than friendship until after the world ended. Danny, who was always sleepy and soft and smiling, cracking bad jokes and lifting Duke’s spirits whenever he felt down. Danny, who was lively and dreamed of going to space to sit among the stars.

Danny, who is dead.

He never got the chance to tell Danny he was the Signal, but he thinks Danny knew anyways. He could ask now, put that lingering thought to rest, but it was one of the few things left unsaid between them, the only thing he had of Danny for all these years, and he doesn’t want to let go of it yet.

Danny hasn’t seen him yet. Duke could go to him, speak to his ghost, have some part of him back in his life.

But it wouldn’t be the same. It certainly wouldn’t be fair to tie Danny, who is free from the pain and misery of the living, to Duke, who is never going to stay in Gotham permanently. 

He misses Danny so much he feels hollowed out and empty, but he knows this is for the best.

Duke turns, pretending not to see him, and walks away. . . .

Earth 78.

Duke was…

Duke was important to him, Danny thinks. He can’t remember much, not after everything (electricity, screaming, pain pain pain, heavy darkness, a spark, hist chest cut open, where is ___? Why won’t he save—) but without any memory of what his life was like back then, his feelings are without context and easily ignored.

Wraith follows Shrike from a distance, watching as he drops into an alley to kill a rapist. Wraith feels nothing about this, for caring is not in his duties. He is instructed to simply keep Shrike alive and assist in his plans, whatever they may be. Wraith does not care about killing.

Danny, tucked away deep inside the mask, shivers and cries, wishing to hide away and say enough, please, that’s enough, just stop please stop stop stop stop—

Batman crosses the rooftops, a figure of darkness across the city’s skies. The Signal, his second oldest companion, travels through the shadows by his side until they land on the building Wraith stands on. 

The yellow of Signal’s armor is familiar and it feels safe but Wraith knows better. Talia and Ra’s have taught him to see past his emotions, to force away any sentiment and grapple with the cold hard truth. This is the truth: they are here to hurt him and Shrike, because they are dangerous killers and dangerous killers are dealt with swiftly and painfully in Gotham. 

They can do as they please to him. They will not take Shrike.

He engages Batman in battle first, easily slipping past his defense by going intangible, freezing his boots to the ground and icing his fists together. The Signal slips away at first, leaving Batman behind to try to get around Wraith, sending shadows towards Shrike who leaps away deftly, dodging them with ease as he leaves the beheaded body behind. 

Wraith grabs Signal before he can fully sink into a shadow and tosses him back, then flies to Shrike, picking him up and getting them away as quickly as possible.

“They found us faster than I thought,” Shrike says. His voice carries something in it that Wraith doesn’t recognize, but it makes his heart feel heavy. 

“We’re done for the night,” Wraith returns, voice low and hoarse. He died screaming and even the Lazarus Pits weren’t able to fix the damage done to his vocal chords. 

He lets his invisibility wash over them both, and they disappear into the night. The safehouse they set up, far away from the one Talia prepared for them, is small but comfortable. It’s secure, everything created and coded by Tim, which means Danny can relax inside the walls of the small apartment. 

Shrike helps him shed his gear, putting it away carefully. Wraith becomes Danny and he watches as Shrike becomes Tim. 

Gone is the ruthless efficiency, the quickness to cut down the scum of Gotham without remorse. Instead, he’s pale and tired, eyes still a faint green from the linger remains of the Lazarus Pit that brought him back from the dead, but there is no madness in him. Only a coldness that came long before his death, unwanted by Damian, the first of Batman’s vigilante partners, who refused to see him as part of the family or even as a hero at all. Duke had already gone to work with other teams since then and never met Tim properly for more than a few minutes.

But he knew Danny. They must have been close. If seeing The Signal sends such a sharp stab of pain in his heart, it must be for a reason. But the memories are long gone, and with them, any desire to be close to him again. 

They never do well after a run in with the Bats. Though they have won every fight they’ve had, Tim often retreats to bed in order to hide his tears and Danny is left alone, lost, and wishing he had stayed dead. 

Tonight is no different. Tim is making a difference as Shrike, striking fear in the hearts of Gotham’s criminals. Crime has gone down in Crime Alley, his chosen territory of the city, killing as many people as needed before they finally get the message to be better people. Tim is also still only eighteen and had spent three years with the League of Assassins before returning to Gotham and seeing that his place in the Bats is erased and forgotten and replaced by the well-loved Jason.

He only stays in Gotham to kill the people who sold him off to the Joker and laughed as he died slowly and painfully. Once the Joker is dead, he’ll leave Gotham and disappear for good. 

Danny will follow him. He has no life now and no other direction. And with Tim hiding under the covers, Danny can do nothing but feel his own skin crawl at the need to get away from everything that connects him to his life Before.

It’s a terrible idea, but he goes out again, heading into Otisberg, where he once lived. Only a raised hood conceals his face; the expressionless mask he usually wears is gone, and Wraith feels far away from him.

He hears the Signal land behind him some time later. It could be minutes or hours; time slips by Danny easily these days no matter how hard he tries to hold onto the minutes passing by. 

“Wraith,” Signal says, and his voice is hard. “Where’s Shrike? Out terrorizing the rest of Gotham?”

Danny doesn’t reply. He stares out into the city lights, a cold emptiness growing inside his chest. 

“Well, if you’re going to just sit there, then I suppose you don’t mind if I take you in to let Batman interrogate you. You’ve been causing a lot of trouble around here, and we don’t take kindly to murderous masks in Gotham.”

He doesn't resist as Signal grabs his wrists, hauling him up from where he was sitting on the ledge. Danny allows Signal to turn him around, shadows binding his wrists together and pulling down his hood.

The Signal sucks in a sharp breath, hands falling limp to his side. “Danny?”

Danny doesn’t respond.

“This better not be a joke, I swear to God. If you’re just wearing his face to fuck with me, I’m going to kill you, Batman’s rules be damned. Say something already!”

Danny looks up into the visor of Signal’s helmet. He opens his mouth and a hoarse whine slips out. “I knew you,” he manages to whispers. “I knew you. And then I died.”

The Signal flinches, then reaches up and pulls his helmet off. “Tell me something only we would know. Anything.”

“I don’t… remember. I wanted you to save me. I don’t think you did.”

“If this isn’t really you, Danny,” Duke says, voice thick with tears, “Then it’s a really fucked up joke.”

Danny looks at Duke, helpless. He doesn’t know what to do. What to say. Wraith only knows how to follow and protect and take orders. Danny doesn’t know how to live anymore. There is nothing he can do.

And then, as he stares as Duke, a memory slides into place, fuzzy but there.

“Arcade on eighth street,” he whispers, and Duke’s eyes go wide. “That was going to be our first date.”

“It was,” Duke says. There’s a light in his eyes now, something that looks like hope and the sight of it makes Danny sick to his stomach.

“I’m dead, Duke. Danny is dead. There is only Wraith now. Let the dead go, and stay away so we don’t have to kill you. I… want you to live.”

The shadows have loosened, still wrapped around his wrists but as a caress instead of a restraint. It doesn’t take any strength to pull out of them and drop off the roof, falling towards the ground. Danny lets gravity take hold of him for a few moments, then goes invisible and flies away just as Duke grapples down and searches for him desperately. 

He can hear Duke calling his name, then calling in Batman and Nightwing, but his voice fades away before Danny can make out what they’re saying.

Not that it matters. Whether tomorrow or further down the line, he and Tim will leave Gotham and disappear for good.

The dead cannot stay with the living, and so they will go.

There’s nothing left for them here, anyways. . . .

Earth 0.

Duke has had his fair share of strange dreams. It comes with the trauma and the powers, a terrible mix that leave him shaken and rattled when he wakes up, gasping for breath.

But instead of fear, his latest series of dreams leave him with a deep-seated feeling of grief. The details fade away quickly once he’s awake, but he can remember bits and pieces of worlds that looks so different from the one he lives in, and all of them have a single constant: Danny.

Danny, whose face he never remembers when he wakes. Danny, whose name is permanently etched into his mind. Danny, who he loves and loses every single night.

Danny, someone he’s never met.

Dick asks him if he’s alright the next time he’s in Gotham, eating breakfast in the manor with him and Tim. He considers lying, then tells him about the dreams and how frequent they are, snapshots of other lives where there is someone important to him that he can never save. Tim, who he thought was sleeping with his eyes half open, looks up and mumbles that it might be another universe.

After a few cups of coffee, Tim is awake enough to ramble on about the multiverse, pulling up reports from the Batcomputer on his phone to show Duke how many of them have had run ins with alternate universes. 

“So you’re saying that Danny might be here? In this world?”

Tim shrugs. “Well, maybe. If he’s the only constant, then I wouldn’t be surprised. If you’re here, so is he.”

“But he always dies!”

“Don’t worry, Duke,” Dick says, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, “If you do find him, then you’ve got all of his to help keep him safe.”

“Do you want me to find him? If you give me a description, I can probably narrow it down to a few people in the United States. One of them might be him.”

Duke considers it for a moment, then shakes his head. “Nah, thanks though. If we’re supposed to meet, then we will. No point in rushing it.”

“Alright. Let me know if you change your mind.”

And that had been that. Nothing to really worry about, but the dreams continue and Duke keeps waking up grieving and so love with Danny, carrying the feelings of his alternates over to his own reality. At some point, he wishes that he and Danny would never cross paths in this world, if only so he doesn’t have to lose him.

But he wants to meet him. The universe says Danny is important to him; why else would he be part of his life in every world?

The thought never leaves him. It’s always in the back of his mind as he goes about his life, going to school and fighting crime. He finds himself lingering in the streets, trying to see everyone’s faces, listening for that familiar voice.

It takes over a year before he hears someone say, “Danny!” as he’s patrolling as Signal. 

He bends the light around him, going invisible, and searches for the people shouting the name of the person he hadn’t been able to get out of his mind. It takes some time, but his eyes land on a tall, red haired woman fussing over a boy with black hair and blue eyes, leaning down some so she could reach his face.

He can’t hear what they say with the distance between them, but he knows with absolute clarity that he’s looking at Danny.

His Danny.

Duke takes a step forward, ready to drop his invisibility, letting the light escape his grasp, the pauses when he sees the bright smile on his face. 

This Danny is safe. He is alive and laughing and is with someone he cares about. 

This Danny has a life and a future and as much as Duke wants to know why his alternate selves love Danny so much, it isn’t worth Danny’s life.

Heart breaking, Duke steps back and watches as they walk away, disappearing into the crowded streets. 

He stares after them long after they’ve disappeared from sight, then grapples to a rooftop and releases his hold on the light. He sinks to his knees, trying to breathe through the grief that runs through him, and taps a pattern into his comms to signal that he’s ending his patrol early. 

It’s fine, he tells himself. This is for the best. This will keep Danny alive.

Danny always dies because of Duke. Someway, somehow, whenever they meet, the bell tolls and Danny’s death quickly approaches. It happens in every world, in the many, many dreams he’s had looking into a moment of their lives. 

But not this one.

In this one, Duke will save Danny by doing the only thing he can: making sure they never meet. 

It’s for the best. It has to be. . . .

[send me ghostlights prompts!]

[theskeptileptic]

my dream peter parker/batfam fanfic would be like a borscht of all the best tropes from ao3 with these seasonings:

au divergence after end game. but instead of tony snapping, peter snaps. he’s dead, he’s died, except maybe the stones hear his last wish as “keep them safe” and interprets it broadly to mean him too—so they yeet him to the dc universe.

but he’s not magically healed. so his arm/side is charred and damaged and his healing is taking care of brain damage but only the worst of it. boy’s got amnesia and a paralyzed arm and landed, let’s say, exactly where the NY battle against Thanos was being held but in this universe, that happens to be a Bristol skatepark at eleven-thirty at night

where a sixteen year-old tim drake is angsting pretty hard and struggling with his own recovery post a Rogue smack down that has left him with some newly acquired, long-term physical disabilities

(and tim, who has convinced the batfam that he has an uncle to care for him, is also dealing with all the juicy unreliable narrator tropes these orphan boys seem to acquire like pokémon cards—he doesn’t think he’s part of the family, he can’t be useful anymore, he’s stepping back to give jason and damian space)

(and let’s say, bruce is also missing because, it’s my story, so dick hasn’t been able to look into the uncle thing because he’s dealing with becoming a dad to an angsty 12 year-old assassin kid who is threatening to run back to Ra’s but is also clearly in need of love)

(and let’s also say, jason is trying hard but isn’t talking to dick right now because he thinks tim shouldn’t have been allowed to fight the rogues in the first place, so he’s unreachable for the moment)

but now tim is staring at this boy who has popped up in his old skatepark and has to give first aid but can’t because of his own difficulties

so he calls jason who answers because it’s tim and tim was really hurt, and tim freaks out and jason comes and they call an ambulance for the boy

peter is unconscious but opens his eyes when the ambulance gets to the park. tim is talking softly to him and peter reaches out because tim reminds him of ned.

peter’s sticky powers mean tim has to come to the hospital with him because when peter fainted again, he was still attached to tim’s hand

“who is the boy?” “how did he get so hurt?” ask the hospital, cps, gcpd. so they take fingerprints and blood and dna and low and behold, a match.

because it’s my story

and i’m a genie

granting wishes to myself

and i’m a glutton

and i will die choking on my own sweet, sugary fluff

dick grayson is the father. (because richard parker is richard grayson is my kryptonite) jason realizes his brother will need some major help, so they reunite over this news.

tim sticks around once peter wakes and they all realize peter has amnesia.

“oh, my uncle won’t mind me staying here for a bit. he’s on a business trip.”

(later on in this huge behemoth of a head canon, tim and peter solve the mystery of bruce being lost in time. i’d love to see a red robin au where peter and tim are working together and dick is trying to keep his alternate universe son from spider-manning in front of ra’s.)

lots of angst potential when peter’s memory returns.

potential running away

potential misunderstandings?

alfred is not uncle ben, peter knows this, but sometimes, peter hangs out in the kitchen because alfred will say the same things uncle ben said, just in a better accent

jason and peter bond instantly. damian and peter bond instantly. how does tim handle a kid his age, going through some of the same health, physical challenges, who just seems to have a much easier time getting along with his brothers?

delicious.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Blended in Measure

by Jacey (OncillaBrigade) Bruce put his hand over his eyes and drew a deep breath. “Of course I’m proud of Tim’s improvement in unarmed combat, but I’m also not going to cheer when one of you breaks another’s nose.” “Wow, okay,” said Dick, “So I guess you don't want to encourage Timmy?” “That’s not what I—” Jason interrupted again. “He’s just upset because of the time I almost died.” The Wayne family's Sunday afternoon vibes are shattered when Jason and Tim's sparring session goes a little too far. Neither Bruce nor Tim handles it well, but they have family to help. Featuring Alfred's near-superhuman ability to show up at the right time, my fervent conviction that Bruce Wayne could right a great children's mystery series, and lots of mostly wholesome family bonding. Set in a kinder, gentler timeline than DC gave us where Jason Todd was saved just in time and Tim Drake entered his found family a few years early (see notes below). Words: 8684, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Robin (Comics) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, batfamily members - Relationship, Alfred Pennyworth & Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Alfred Pennyworth, Tim Drake & Alfred Pennyworth, Batfamily Members & Alfred Pennyworth Additional Tags: Jason Todd Lives, Good Parent Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd Calls Bruce Wayne "Dad", Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Batbrothers (DCU), Batbrothers Bonding (DCU), Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Batfamily Dynamics (DCU), Batfamily (DCU), Tim Drake Joins the Batfamily Early, Tim Drake is Robin, Jason Todd is Not Red Hood, it's not mentioned but Jay is Red Robin in this AU, it was his name first and it's so funny that Tim "stole" it after "stealing" Robin, the batbros love each other, Bruce Wayne is Good With Kids, he's also not great at communicating, but he's trying alright?, anyway this is the nicest possible version of this family at this point in time and I love them, dick and jay are menaces together, can you fucking imagine how bad it would be if they'd never had a break in their relationship?, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd are Siblings, Tim Drake and Jason Todd are Siblings, Tim Drake and Dick Grayson are Siblings, tim is slowly being turned to the dark side (roasting his dad), Mentioned Jack Drake, Mentioned Janet Drake, Autistic Tim Drake, Tim Drake Gets a Hug, Bruce Wayne could be a successful children's author change my mind challenge, Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne Have a Good Relationship, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, no beta we die like the parents of 4/5 of the characters in this fic, Canon-Typical Violence, my working title for this was "jay lives but tim breaks his nose" via https://ift.tt/5O8cWRY

[zeroducks-2]

(I hope I worded this right and that it does not come across as rude or snarky, I genuinely want to hear your thoughts) So does that mean your interpretation of Bruce is that he is, how do I say it, “indefinitely fucked/flawed”? That there are not many moments where he did goodness for the pure sake of it? Or it’s something like, 90% flawed 10% good?

It actually depends on who writes him, and on the media we're taking into consideration. I know that this might sound contradictory with my previous post, but I honestly don't think there's one interpretation of a character who's 80+ year old and went through the hands of hundreds of writers.

There are a few things that only "happened once" if you understand what I mean, like Cassandra's story. That story has only one iteration, there are no variants to take into consideration or other Batman media that explore it, so we can judge it by what happened that one time, but this is a rarity among the most important Batman stories. Think of UTRH. Bruce is way less ruthless in the animated version and the ending is very different from what happens in the comics.

Bruce did a lot of good things for the pure sake of it, there's no denying that. He's able to offer a helping hand even to the most monstruous, he will help criminals because he genuinely wants them to better themselves. He will get down to his knees to hug and comfort a crying child, he will use his money and resource and do whatever he can to heal his city.

But he will also beat people to the point of crippling them, he will send folks to jail for the most minor of offences, he considers disabled and "mentally challenged" people as a burden for society.

He loves the kids he keeps around and would die for them. But he also hits Dick and will beat him into a pulp when Dick refuses to do his bidding. He suffered for Jason's death and wanted to kill Joker in the heat of the moment, but will also cut Jason's neck and leave him to die again in order to save Joker's life. As protective and sweet as he is with Tim, he used Stephanie to manipulate him into becoming Robin again, acting terribly towards both kids. And I could go on but you get the picture.

All of these things shouldn't coexist but they do because the character is written by different people with different opinions and understanding of right and wrong, of what is an isn't an acceptable behavior for a man and a parental figure to have, and of who the character is and stands for in general.

It might seem that I don't like Bruce all that much and I surely don't like him as a person, but I also love him as a character for what he represents historically, for the nuance of his many depictions. Though I rarely ever defend him when it comes to people criticising his actions, because those actions need to be criticised. And I will hiss at canon stuff that insists on making Bruce always look like the flawless hero because he ain't it, and at people who claim that nonsense takes are canon (like Cass being his favorite) because I have a personal issue with people taking a headcanon that comes from the fact that they didn't read the comics, and shoving it on everyone's face demanding they accept it as "what actually happened".

I hope it makes sense.

[vee-crytraps]

Hey Vee!! I finally could catch up to GLB and can I just say how much I love how it's going??

First, I have to mention the way Jon and Batsis absolutely melt my heart. I really like the speed at which their relationship is going, and Jon having to go away on a mission is a perfect source of conflict for Batsis as well as a way to "break" the sort of perfect situation they were in, since Jon is a hero too and she'd have these sort of issues w/ him as well.

I really thought it'd be hard to make the batboys feel as good options after them but YOU MANAGED IT. Damian and Jason especially have conquered my heart in the last set of chapters, I just suck for pathetic yearners. I'm also pleasantly surprised by how mature Dick is being? Like, so far I loved his messiness ngl (basically the whole having his cake and eating it too), but it was really nice seeing him reflect in the party chapter.

BATSIS IS MY GIRL FRFR. I love her so much you have no idea. She's so real. I'm so proud of her taking the reigns of her own life. That's it that's all

Oh, and I loved loved LOVED seeing Bruce as a dad in the last chapter!! Although his presence has been felt throughout the whole story, it was so nice seeing him and Batsis interact directly and on good terms! The whole chapter just felt very wholesome to read in a way tbh, especially seeing them be able to connect and understand each other after so long. Girldad Bruce ftw

Sorry for this long read but I wanted to express my late opinions! Also, I'd love to read what you have to say about Dad Bruce lmao. Hope you have a lovely week and thank you for the amazing content!!

- Lore anon

Hi Lore! I'm so happy you're vibing with the way things are shaking out! I have big plans for Jon in the future and I need BB to get in some more Wayne boy smooching before then haha

I have to admit, I dug myself a liiiiiitttle bit of a hole with Dick and Tim, but it's a fun challenge trying to write my out of it. I was mostly trying to differentiate them a little more and stagger their relationships so they're not all progressing the same way/at the same rate. Nadia and Sam were a good way to do it I think, especially as BB is closer with Dick, if she were to tolerate that BS from anyone it'd be him. And Tim is a little freak so she'll give him a pass lmao I'm happy you rock with Batsis! I just love my spoiled little mc to death so it warms my heart that you find her endearing! Dad Bruce Ramble; Basically any person that has kids before they're 30 is a teen mom to me idc and Bruce Wayne has the most Teen Mom energy in the world. Did he mean to adopt those kids? Yes, obviously. He went out of his way to do that. Did he do it with the intention of being a dad? Hellllll no. In my head I like to think that Bruce is trying to be for his kids the figure he thought he needed when he was 8. Some big awesome spirit of vengance and violence to rock the everloving shit out of the bad guy. He was collecting orphans that he saw himself in, not starting a family. ofc Bruce did have what he actually needed, which was a father in the shape of a British butler who lived to serve, loved him like a son and would (and did in current canon) die for him. But Bruce deliberately gives himself tunnel vision, focusing on what he needed in that one moment, to the point where even after the moment was over (got justice for Dick's parents, Jason's dad, etc) he didn't know how to be anything else. So now he's just stuck with these kids (who he adamently refers to as wards and not sons at first) who are desperately seeking parental figures. And idk about you but when I was 8 I did not love hanging out with old people (sorry Alfred). I would have much rather been kicking it with the buff guy all the newspapers say is out racing supercars and skydiving and shit but you're 'stuck with' this strange old man

You want to hang out with Bruce Wayne. You want him to teach you stuff and take you fishing and show you how to pick up supermodels but he's always gone doing god knows what without you. He doesn't have time for you and even if he did, he doesn't know how to raise a child because he doesn't consider himself to have ever been one. He does know how to raise a tiny superhero though. And like yeah, theoretically he could teach you how to play basketball and take you to a baseball game, but he's never really himself when he does that, bc in reality he is more Batman than Bruce. Like Batman is your real dad that you have a fucked up relationship with and Bruce is your estranged eccentric uncle Bruce also totally NEEDS these kids! He can say he likes working alone all he wants, but Robin doesn't just exist to keep him from going too far. Canonically rn, SEVERAL characters including Bruce himself have openly admitted that the only reason he chose Jason was because he was missing Dick. Bruce had fired Dick after he got shot and nearly died on the job and swore off sidekicks. Dick was hurt my this decision and was heavily affected by it, because he'd spent over half of his life as Robin and hadn't really had plans to have a job/go to college/whatever and lowkey washes out of it bc he doesn't know what to do with himself. So Bruce is having this really big dramatic reaction to having an empty nest and he scoops up Jason Todd. Damian is also a lot like his dad which is why he can only really stat leaning into being a kid when Bruce is dead and he largely hangs out with Dick in Batman and Robin 2009/is BFFs with Jon and Elizabeth and dates Flatline who is goth but also really upbeat. Waynes need a grumpy/sunshine dynamic to survive actually theres also this episode of JLA/JLU where Superman is lowkey jealous of Shazam for stealing his upbeat boyscout schtick and he tries to bitch about it to Batman and Bruce is like idk I kinda love his energy man.... and then there's this comic where everyone is out of the house and he's just moping around the manor in his cowl and hanging out with Titus and Ace and gets so bored he like facetimes Aquaman who is like???? do you need something??? none of that makes any sense or is cohesive at all im sure idk i guess thats why we call em rambles haha

[misty-groves]

Talia raises Ivy au!

So in the usual "canon" for my oc verse Talia has Ivy, thinks Ra's will punish her and her baby, and gives Ivy to Bruce with a note of apology and the girl's name when she's like, three months old.

In this one, Talia chooses to be selfish and raise her baby herself. She never tells Bruce.

Ra's is like "Holy shit, a piece of Batman for the leauge? Make this infant my heir!" Except he's like 9 thousand so he's more pretensious.

Ivy is raised as the heir of Ra's all Ghul. She is taught to be stealthy, silent, and deadly.

She earns the nick name "Demon's Hawk" through the leauge and their enemies.

By seven she is better than most people in the leauge.

She is Talia's pride and joy. She's spoiled but like, also traumatized becuase ypu can't be raised by Talia and her dad and nor be kind of fucked up.

Then Damian is born when Ivy is about nine.

Despite what many expect, she is FASCINATED by Damian as an infant. He's so squishy and soft. And he can't do anything?

The first time Damian grabs her finger with little 4/5 month old hands and squeezes she is smitten. He's just so cute and he's stronger than she expected

Ivy is actually really good with Damian. And he is just enamored with her.

As a baby Damian likes to grab her curls and tug.

So now Damian and Ivy are close, she's super protective.

Damian is raised to be Ivy's bodyguard this time. By age four he is always at her side even if he isn't the official body faurd.

Jason shows up and is angry at everything.

He's flipping out and throws something towards a wall but it almost hits Damian. Ivy catches it before she throws it back "Don't throw things at my baby brother!"

Jason turns, haf angry half surprised.

Ivy is like 5'4 at her full adult height. So She jas never been tall.

Jason just stares. "What?"

"You almost hit Damian." Ivy levels a glare that could freeze over he'll.

Damian just crosses his arms and imitates his sister's glare. "You almost hit me."

Jason is like "who is this angry girl and her chihuahua brother?"

But he takes to her quickly becoming she's so fiercely protective. She's kind- in a warped way.

Talia appoints Jason Ivy's official body gaurd when she sees the two are on good terms.

Ivy hears how Bruce (supposedly) abandoned and eventually replaced him. She's a ride or die person as always and goes "fuck him"

So now we have Jason, a feral pit fueled bodyguard who's quickly attached to the only people who challenge and protect him. Damian, a bodyguard in training with too much sass and a problem with hiding knives sin his sleeves. You also have Ivy, who has been taught violence and is so fiercely protective of her people it is a sight.

Ivy, Jason, and Damia and Ivy are like Hella co-dependant. They don't know what healthy patterns are.

They love eachother so much but like also- violently?

Someone upsets Damian? Ivy cuts off their finger and gifts it to the boy.

Jason sees some creep upset Ivy? They're dead.

Damian is as likely to throw a knife as he is to demand an apology for the other two.

Talia is thrilled. Her three children are super close and also probably won't stab eachother in the back for power.

When Jason goes to Gotham on an Approved Vengeance Fieldtrip Ivy and Damian end up sneaking along.

Talia knows they did, she just let's them and plays dumb later.

So Ivy (16 1/2), Damian (7), and Jason (19 ish) are all in Gotham.

Jason is like "I can't believe you two snuck out and risked Ra's Al Ghul's wrath. That was so dumb" except he's actually really touched because he's never had people go so far for him with so little hesitation.

Ivy is out grabbing something and runs into Bruce Wayne, who reacts- well he reacts.

Ivy looks a LOT like Martha, but with a darker skin tone and Talia's nose. (Bruce looks like her to but his features are a little more square and his nose his father's)

Bruce is like "OH HI- UH!"

And Ivy is like "Playboy Billionair Bruce Wayne? What ate you doing at a shotty motel?"

Bruce is just like "gotta go teenager wearing my dead mothers face!"

Ivy goes back to the little apartment she's renting under the table with Jason and Damian, amd is like "met our shitty dad, he was weird."

At this point Ivy and Damian are creating their own mask personal because they're not just letting Jason go out and commit crimes alone

Ivy leans into the bird nicknames she's gotten over the years and starts going by Corvid. She wears mostly black and grey with small accents of crimson.

Damian is like "My siblings have such cool names I want a cool name!" Except he's an edgy traumatized blood thirsty seven year old.

So Damian chooses the name Demon Spawn, thinking the nickname Jason gave him was Super Cool

Batman is concerned about all of the crimes but especially the new criminal that is very clearly a child under ten. (Robin aged!)

Ivy has heard Jason's view on things so she is just anti Batman. She's also against the new Robin. She has a grufge against Batgirl, Oracle, and Nightwing on principal but to a lesser degree.

Damian still has a sword by the way.

Batman is really concerned.

After the big reveal and blow up Something happens to Ivy and Damian that makes Jason have to go to Bruce for help.

Jason is like "you owe me, you're saving the only two ride or die people I have."

Bruce is like "not only are they children but you ASKED ofc I will help."

They go to wherever Ivy and Damian ended up being held only to find the two have unkidnapped themselves, and for Damian to attack Bruce immediately.

If you know how feral Ivy and Damian and Jason are in the usual verse, they are worse and more toxic but like, put of love.

If you separate them they are NOT okay, they get feral and mean and jumpy and cruel.

But like, there's (lovin) manipulation all over the place. If Jason is endangering himself Ivy just stops eating until Jason stops.

Damian will take away their things to get what he needs them to do for themselves.

Honestly Jason post pit and full of rage is still better at healthy relationships than the Al Ghul siblings.

Once they're out they start learning that apparently they are not doing things right?

They start therapy (and traumatized their therapists) and start healing.

[mastcrmarksman]

I loved the other one so ooooh thoughts on hawkdevil then 😊

Send me a potential ship with my/our muses, and I’ll give my thoughts on it.

also influenced by you.

a litle 616 canon context, although we aren't going fully with this four some event pulled from 616 some pulled from nmcu, you know the fusion universe. 616 canon, they actually don't have a lot of content history. besides the fact, they met in 1973; in daredevil vol 1, issue 99; because Daredevil had been dating Natasha at the time, and Natasha had Clint's only major love interest (besides his little crush on wanda and somee other flings) at the time; so as the decade goes, Clint was incredibly jealous and challenged Daredevil. You've probably seen the panels.

So first, they are kind of rivals and rub each other the wrong way. They don't really intersect a lot besidees Hawkeye and Daredevil existing in the same spaces after that. When Fractin/Waid era was going on, they seemto have reconciled whatever differences had, given DD would go to Hawkeye/Clint for leads and information; probably had some working relationship as Clint kind of plays both sides of the same coin. He is both an Avenger and hero who sticks to major teams, while also doing his own private "pro bono" hero work and acts as a street vigilante himself; so that's probably how DD and Clint got along, from mutual work spaces and such.

Finishing off this brief 616 canon look; we obviously have them being at odds again, and this is when Clint probably only major reference for knowing Matt as Matt (he probably knew matt a little through matt taking on other hero cases) is when Matthew is the PROSECUTOR / "For the People" attonery on the case and trial of Clint killing Bruce; which originally was looking at a possible death sentence, and heavily swaaying in the prosecutions favor. So much so that when brought up to Matt, he realizes that trial has not been fair/just. And the final time that DD and Hawkeye have crossed was when Matt headed the "Task Force" to hunt down and ended "Ronin's" activities in the city (this was when wilson fisk was mayor; so there was a major crack down on superheroes, both registered/super team and vigilantes with private/secret idenities).

So canonly, they don't have a lot going to thm, but like there is deftinitely something to be said between the two. As fanon expresses, you know they are Blind and Deaf, heroes with disabilties. That would be something for them talk about, to relate to in different ways, and ways with which means they do not mesh with the abled world. Additionally, and comics and otherwise, they are both kind of jerks who are disasters, who ultimately are at fault for their romantic relations failing. Additioanlly, they were both young boys mentored by older men (trickshot & swordsman, and stick), who manipulative and pseudo replacements for their dead fathers; whom ultimately when faced with their mentors again later in life, don't immediately see the manipulation or grooming done to them, or even forgive their mentors or their mentors are their weakness. i could also throw throw out. they both have major girlfriends that die that affeect for literal years in their comic canon. (bobbi & karen).

Going more specific with our boys, whom I love, and they havee a very time with each other. Clint's got some not unpacked religious feelings, because he grow up in middle of midwest, small conservative town iowa; he went to an orphange, Saint Ignautis, which sounds Catholic; and so there is something there that I have been thinking and exploring with Clint. I think he is raised under God, and he loses some of that faith and distance himself, andd more athetist in the sense that, he'd be anger with and think that god iss dead or abandonned, than anything else. So that's something that could be something between the two that gives them a deeper link, or thing to talk about with each other.

I think that with them, Clint and Matt kind of just happen, in this well that is the lawyer hired by the Avengers or other superheroes this one time or another; and Clint happens upon his offices or him in a bar, and Clint's a neighborly guy; teases Matt about lawyering for superheroe, but generally thinks he is an okay guy, and Clint doe his new age old gimmick of just "me? i'm just a guy" and that's how it is.

Then obivously, he knows Daredevil, DD's been invited to superhero functions and gatherings (i literally was just reading an issue where thre's a weddding with janet and yellowjacket who is hank; and you see DD in the background) cause vigilantes do get to weight and have a working relationship with super teams; and then Clint tends to cover Brooklyn and Manhattan (which hell's kitchen is a neighborhood in the manhattan borough) so he and DD end up running into each other, and on the occasion work together.

which only makes things awkward and funnyl; when clint is maybe dating one of Matt's idenities, and then runs into another. (the funniest thing is the idea of which clint finds out matt is dd. or dd is matt. is caue clint's "lips dont lie" (this is canon. this is canon. clint kissed "fake wanda (loki)" and immediately outed her as "not wanda" because he just knew by that kiss. has to kiss the other and he's likee "shit that's my boyfriend's lips" that'd be funny; but you know. eventually matt and dd are gonna collide in clint's life. but clint is good about secret idenities with people, and he tends to take reveals very well too.

i think of them just vibing on late nights, only form of communication between the two is touch; becaue clint's aids are out, so the only way matt reaches clint is touch, and through the same clint will reach matt with touch back. and both of their couchs are very familiar, and clint's allowed matt to rearrange his apartment and that's how everything stays, for the sake of matt when he's there, and clint will if asked ultimately givee up his apartment (not the building. he just won't be a live-in landlord) and be where his partner is. and just once they get over their (clint's) little egos and reasons to butt heads, soft and respecting, and i love them and it's your fault, ce (affectionate) <3

[lazaruspiss]

do u think jason’s similarities with bruce (they r so v similar imo, e.g their absoluteness, their “i know whats best for gotham”) plays a factor in how dick handles/views him?? whether dick is conscious or not abt those similarities

Oh that is an interesting point. To me Jason and Bruce manifest their absoluteness very differently? The simplest way of putting it is that Jason challenges where Bruce demands. Bruce asserts his way of doing things and expects others to follow bc its his way and hes in charge. Jason tells others that their way is ineffective and that they should leave him to do it right. Neither are very likeable in how they assert themselves, lol.

I think in his right mind and thinking logically Dick would understand that Jason and Bruce, despite any and all their similarities, are very different people. But that's just when he's in his right mind.

Depending on the type of stress and what Dick is dealing with at any current moment i think Jason has the potential to accidentally trigger him in a lot of ways and the potential to remind him of a lot of different people. There's the resemblance in the shallow ways, like his blunt way of talking and his Bruce sized shadow. Then there's Jason and Bruce's mutual tendency to brush people off rather than listen to whatever concerns they might have. Those things that could make them blend together in Dick's mind when he's too tired to manage it.

But I'd argue Jason's connection to Dick's moral dilemma over Blockbuster is more pressing. It's the most direct and easy connection for Dick to unconsciously slip into. Brothers in Blood might've unintentionally created a great reference point for that. Jason comes to NYC where Dick is trying to reestablish himself and starts killing in Dick's name. At one point Dick considers if it would be worth saving him when he knows Jason will continue killing. It's on a much smaller scale, but the resemblance to Blockbuster is there and I think that's the connection that puts Dick on edge around Jason the most. There's several parts where it is explicitly stated that Dick still cares about Jason and doesn't want him to be hurt. But the stress of Jason continuing to kill gets to Dick so badly that he considers letting him die.

I am still an absolute sucker for fics and art that have Dick see aspects of Bruce in Jason, but when I think about the canon surrounding their relationship I'd imagine that Dick might actually make more subconscious connections between Jason and Blockbuster which is. It's not something I've thought about much until rereading BiB recently but it's there and it makes me emo.

[ihatechosingnames]

The victim blaming is also why I dislike Alfred, unlike the majority of the fandom. What a piece of a classist.

That Bruce was a piece of shit it was obvious. He just needed an excuse, someone to tell him "it wasn't your fault" and he got that in Alfred. He is never held accountable for his actions (side eye to Zur).

And let's be honest, Bruce may be a good hero but is a shitty mentor and an even worse father.

The victim blaming is so intrusive that it's also part of our reality. Jason didn't just die. He was murdered. He didn't have a choice or a chance out of trusting the wrong person and it's not like anyone could blame him without knowing about Sheila. The Joker chose to kill Robin (as an opportunity, if he had time to think about it he would have done worse than just kill him right there), it's not like Jason went to Joker and asked him to kill him.

Bruce chose to give Robin to Jason and not because he wanted to steer the poor child from a life of crime (he knows that Jason had a moral standard and didn't want to steal for the sake of it, the classist rhetoric was really bad), he did it because he was missing Dick. And projected all of his relationship troubles he had with Dick to Jason, by always comparing the two (something that even Alfred noted and pointed out). He kept Jason isolated, close to Gotham, because if he didn't want to repeat the same mistakes he made with Dick, after all one of the times Dick was fired was because he spent too much time outside of Gotham and not with Bruce. (Great job)

Victim blaming was a coping mechanism, a really bad one since he twisted all of his memories of Jason to the point he only remembers a few likes and not who he was.

Another thing he did after Jason's death was to erase his presence from the Manor completely, with the exception of the Case (which should still be around even with Jason around and alive again) and a photo he kept in a pocket as Batman.

The list of crimes Bruce did to Jason is long, starting with the victim blaming, continuing to contaminate the crime scene and erase proofs, ending once again with trash-talking about Jason.

Seriously, telling a kid, your son, is a failure, but precisely your failure is fucked up.

The community didn't know Jason when he was Robin and Bruce didn't help with his victim blaming. Jason's bloody return didn't help in challenging the status quo, but by that point even the authors believed in the lies they have written.

And they changed his background to better justify this treatment, like making Willis more abusive, Catherine just a druggie, Jason being more violent, less intelligent than the other Robins, like hello, you wrote him that he made a very complicated plan to get both Batman and the Joker in a specific location without anyone else.

Anyway, Bruce in canon literally dragged Jason's body to the mud, the writers at DC desecrated what was left with the retconning of his past.

Jaybin victim blaming was originally started by Alfred, not Bruce. Alfred thought he could bury the hatchet with Jason and tried to get Bruce to stop wallowing in guilt because he prioritised Bruce and his wellbeing over the truth.

Because it's Alfred that made the comments about Jason being just like Willis. And I see a lot of people saying that Jason spent more time with Alfred than Bruce, so it's natural that Bruce also believes this. If the man Jason loved so dearly thinks this, then how can it be wrong?

However, it is ABSOLUTELY Bruce's fault that jaybin was blamed for his death by the greater community. Why would you ever say that? A kid DIED, you don't need to blame him to make sure other sidekicks are more careful. You're rubbing salt into the wound. This is genuinely the most unnecessary thing to ever happen, because you don't need to change the circumstances to make sure the message gets through

All you're doing is confirming biases and dragging your kid's memory through the mud because you're too 'manly' for therapy.

The reason this was also effective was Bruce intentionally isolating Jason as robin. Jason had to sneak out to work with the Titans, and never managed to make his own hero team because Bruce didn't want to give him that freedom since Dick did the same and doesn't speak to him anymore

If Jason had ANY friends at all, then the victim blaming would've been shut down really early. Bruce isolated Jason and used that fact to push the narrative that Jason deserved to die. Because if that's what everyone thinks, that makes it right. Right? He's not making it up, everyone knows that. I mean, sure, Donna herself said that Jason acted way older than he is, but she doesn't know him. They don't share a bond. How can she be sure that he really was smart?

Victim blaming Jason is shitty. Always will be. But making it standard within a whole community to not be like him is genuinely one of the most cruel things I've ever seen in a comic book, and we're supposed to gloss over it, because Bruce is 'grieving.' This is why I genuinely don't think Bruce-as-Batman is ever going to be a good person. Good hero? Sure. Great even. But a piece of shit outside the suit

[not-another-robin]

What do you think are the justice league member's favorite snacks/meals they like to cook/eat?

Dear anon, I am so glad you asked. Allow me to explain

J'onn - literally everyone is concerned. J'onn eats stuff that's not food just because he can. He will snack on drywall. He eats bugs off of leaves. The actual food he eats isn't much better - his diet consists almost entirely off of processed sugar. Obviously chocos/oreos, but also just the kind of things a seven year old would pack for lunch. Twinkies, sugary cereal, actual candy, donuts, popcorn, chips, etc. He tries, half-heartedly, to insist that Martians nutritional needs are different than humans, but there is literally no evidence to suggest that. Someone in the JL takes him out to eat/brings him food almost every day to make sure he doesn't die.

Wally - only marginally better than J'onn in that he won't eat chalk unprompted. We all know speedsters, they need a lot of food to keep up with their metabolism and energy, but Wally is especially ludicrous in the "will eat anything" category. He will put anything and everything in the fridge into a sandwich, which sounds like a fun thing to ask about, but eventually everyone realizes they just don't wanna know. Also a connoisseur of wild food combos ("icing in chili??" "Hey don't knock it til you try it")

Shayera - A little bit more normal but the bar is in hell so that doesn't mean much. She will try anything at least once, especially on a dare. She also just has an insane pallete for space food. Meals on thanagar were really just anything slightly edible thrown into a trough, so anything that's cooked is fine dining. Also sometimes things that aren't cooked. Raw chicken is one of her favorite snacks - She likes to chew on (and eventually eat) the bones

Bruce - now we're reaching slightly normal human foods, but that doesn't mean Bruce's diet is normal. Honestly, he's just autismcore with a splash of "do rich people really eat that?". His schedule is so fucked he rarely ever has time for an actual meal, so mostly he eats what he can when he can. I have fully adopted the fandom canon that he eats shredded cheese right out of the bag. When he does eat a real meal, it's part of a carefully crafted food schedule developed over decades. He essentially has 31 meals, one for every day - a good mix of recognizable foods and "some guy I traveled the Amazon with made this for me in 1986".

Diana - we have now reached the "can cook" section. One caveat for Diana though, she has no idea how kitchen appliances work. If the oven isn't made of stone she may set something on fire. She's used to the best Themyscira has to offer, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and elaborate feasts. She can't really manage a feast in her apartment, but she knows a good few meals, she eats well. However, she's often too busy to make her own food, so it's like 60% take out.

Clark - this boy eats three square meals a day no matter WHAT. If you sleepover with Clark there will be pancakes and eggs on the table by the time you wake up. He's just a big country boy, his ma taught him well and he uses it. He cooks for himself pretty much every day, the only exception being occasionally going out for lunch during work or picking up a hot dog from a cart (he loves them, no one can understand why).

John - John is your uncle that got really into meal prep. He is religious about his food intake, he only eats the best and has every meal scheduled like a month in advance. He picked up a few recipes from his mom, but he really just picked up a passion for cooking well at some point just to challenge himself. He also eats really healthy, he's known to occasionally go on some weird keto diet that everyone makes fun of him for. He's the kind of person who eats overnight oats. He lectures Wally about his eating habits daily.

So. That was a ridiculous amount thought and effort for a simple headcanon question. This is what they inside of my brain looks like 24/7 thanks got asking <3