#damian doesn't accept others easily

[elizabethemerald]

Danny is, if nothing else, a magnificent bullshitter. He would almost call bullshitting his way into and out of situations to be his greatest strength, if it weren't for the whole saving people thing. He doesn't know these people. Not the way they seem to know and accept him. But that doesn't mean he can't bullshit like he does.

He takes the time of Nightwing leading him through breathing exercises to come up with a plan. Or at least the approximation of a plan.

Things he knows: His parents cut him open last night, so even if he were to leave the Batcave (Batcave!!) he wouldn't have anywhere else safe to go. And he's still badly injured and in need of medical care and time to recover. Care the Waynes seem willing to give, though he doesn't know how much time he has.

He feels a guilty at the idea of taking advantage of the heroes, learning their secrets, pretending to be someone they care about when they don't really know him and as soon as Desiree's magic breaks they'll remember and hate him.

But maybe he could pay them back? Actually that would be perfect. As soon as he's back in fighting condition, he could help protect them while they are out protecting Gotham. He could infuse their computers with ectoplasm so they could hack through any non infused firewalls in existence. He could make and give them protections against being overshadowed. He could spend the rest of his life paying them back.

With his plan, such as it is, in his mind he relaxed back against the medical bed. He saw the relief on Nightwing's face. And on Bruce Wayne's face, and wasn't that a trippy thought. It's ok, he could do this.

"I'm sorry I made y'all worry about me." He said, his words slurring out of him. Oh, whatever drugs he was on made him speak a little more honestly than he thought.

"It's ok, Baby Spooks!" Nightwing said with a smile. Bruce stepped and put a large hand gently on Danny's shoulder. He had to fight down a flinch at the reminder of what his dad had done to him.

"'Wing, was anyone else hurt?" Danny had to ask, he had to make sure that Desiree didn't hurt Gotham's heroes when she placed him with them. He also hoped shortening his hero name would be an acceptable nickname until he learned his real name.

"Nope, we were able to get you out of there in time. You took quite a beating last night." There was a moment of confusion on his face before it slipped away to acceptance. Got it, don't ask questions about the past, they would put it together faster if he did that. "I'm going to head up, Alfred should be down to check on your bandages shortly."

That left Danny alone with Bruce. Bruce Wayne. Batman. THE Batman! Well Bruce had called Danny his son, so he could play of that. He knew how fathers and sons were supposed to act, even if his relationship with his own dad had been so wrong lately. Danny grabbed the hand that was on his shoulder and placed it on his face, leaning into the gentle touch.

"Thanks for saving me dad." Danny whispered. The drugs in his system were dragging him back to sleep, but he briefly saw Bruce's face twist in surprise before softening into a loving expression.

"Of course Danny. We'll always be there for you."

.

Danny learned a lot in the next couple of days. Nightwing's name was actually Dick (And Danny almost popped a stitch trying not to laugh the first time he heard that. Fortunately he could blame the drugs). Tim was Red Robin, Damian was Robin, Duke was Signal, Oracle and Nightwing had history that everyone made fun of, same with Stephanie (Spoiler) and Tim. He knew there was someone named Cass that wasn't in the manor right now that Steph had the hots for and someone named Jason that Bruce had a complicated history with.

After a few days Alfred, the family butler, but obviously so much more, said Danny was healed enough to return to his room in the manor above the Batcave, but he was still on bedrest for another week. He trusted Alfred even though he wanted to get out and start helping protect the Bats to pay back his debt. Instead he snuck into the Cave and infused the Batcomputer with ectoplasm. Tim suddenly found his multiple hacks and searches that he was running finding results far faster than he had expected.

Not being able to help more was killing Danny a little. He already hated owing people debts, and he hated people he cared about being in danger. And despite his best efforts to the contrary he was starting to care for this strange family. He hoped once he was recovered and could help out more directly they would be able to forgive him for using them, though he doubted they would ever forgive him for learning their secret identities, though he promised himself he would take that secret to his grave, if he actually got a grave the next time he died.

The bats have so many folks around, even if they aren't always working together. Enough that folks like to joke/write about Danny just kinda showing up acting like he already lives there. He just kinda blends in.

I'd love to see more magic motivated versions of this. Some kind of spell that affects the bat's perceptions of the past and present, making them actually miss that this boy wasn't with their family too long ago. Maybe it changes their understanding like it's a time line shift, maybe it fogs their mind just a tad and makes them glaze past something like it wasn't even there. I like the second if only because I feel like that would make it more likely for the bats to realize a spell was a foot.

Imagining this from Danny's side, hes terrified this whole time of getting found out. He knows how and when he showed up here and maybe even how flimsy whatever magic is in place is. Imagining a Desiree wish that was either very carefully worded or Not so carefully worded. Maybe he placed himself with the Wayne family with the expectation that he would quietly mooch of some rich idiot until he was ready to be on his own. Or maybe he wished himself to be a part of the batclan, taking up a mask and patroling with them as a bird that Doesn't Exist.

Ofc eventually the spell has to be broken, leaving the bats confused worried scared angry probably even amused, and a billion other things. WHY did this teenager decide to adopt himself into the Wayne/bat family? Who the hell is he and where did he come from. Someone call Zatanna, there is some magic Fuckery going on.

[gothamite-rambler]

Harley smirked, "I earned my psych diploma, boys." (Batfamily Chronicles Microfiction Series)

Harley (analyzing the wayne boys): You have depression, daddy issues, mommy issues, chaos issues, insomnia, attachment issues, anger issues and a constant need to make people happy even if you struggle with it.

Dick, Jason, Damian, Tim looked at each other wondering who's she's referring to.

Harley (tight smile): All of ya, it refers to all of ya.

Dick: I don't have attachment issues!

Harley: Jason and I talk a lot, you do. Tim and I talk a lot too, you do. It's perfectly normal though.

Dick glared both his brother who averted eye contact with the man.

Cass: What about me?

Harley: Oh you're perfect.

Dick: She has all of the shit you told us we have!

Harley: She doesn't have insomnia or anger issues, and she's fixed her daddy issues thanks to Bruce.

Cass clapped happily.

Duke (pausing a show on his phone): I was good with my mom and dad, but what would you give me?

Harley: Traumatized, social anxiety, no parent issues, but guilt for not savin' them and a tad bit of depression.

Duke (happy): A tad? I'm doing good then!

Duke returned to watching his show.

Tim (bothered): That's not fair.

Harley: It's not my fault you and ya brothers deal with cripplin' depression brought on by numerous traumatic episodes which leads ya to being easily startled at times, avoiding specific situations and leaves the three oldest sexually confused due to switchin' your pain to pleasure.

Damian sighed relived at the last part while the three oldest Wayne boys blushed because she was right. Duke chuckled slowly, turning into loud laughter.

Duke: Didn't miss a beat, did she?

Dick (blushing): I'm not... that into pain.

Harley (doubtful expression on her face): Don't lie.

The brothers left annoyed that Harley was right, while the therapist pats herself on the shoulder for her therapy skills sticking.

Harley: Joker insanity or not I still got it! I'm getting accepted by better help soon enough.

Duke laughed harder causing Cass to shake her head with a smile.

[anxiousnerdwritings]

I can totally imagine that, after getting absolutely no where, Jokerized!twin darling just has an Azula-level breakdown. Especially if the Batfam or God forbid Damian somehow manages to subdue the unpredictable mess. There's no way that Twin!Reader doesn't resent Damian to a degree, especially after everything he put them through... so seeing his twin brother not only be accepted but also find a family that was willing to have him? While Twin!Darling was just used and abused in some shape or form? Absolutely breaking down!

Twin!Reader wholeheartedly holds an immense amount of resentment towards both Damian and Talia. I really like the idea that Twin!Reader was more akin to being that of a normal child born outside of a family full of assassins than to acting like one who was. Like, Twin!Reader was on par with Damian when it came to the proficiency of their training but the mentality just wasn’t there for them. They couldn’t just aimlessly kill, they couldn’t just walk away with someone’s blood on them and not feel something. Not only that, they just weren’t emotionless to any degree like how their mother and brother so easily were. They laughed, they cried, they felt fear, they felt hurt. Like, I’ve had this scenario in my head for a bit of there being a thunderstorm or a blizzard and Twin!Reader seeking out Damian because they’re scared, they sneak into his room and they just want comfort. They just want to be together with their twin brother in their moment of need. And Damian begrudgingly allows it cause they won’t go away no matter what he says but he still makes comments about how weak they are for something as ridiculous as a storm to have them acting like this and that the Reader better be out before mother finds out. I especially like this kind of scenario being what Twin!Reader holds onto when they need something no the better side to look back on. It didn’t happen often, nor did it come without berating, but there were a few moments that Twin!Reader had with Damian that they’ve held onto, that they’ve cherished.

I also really like the idea of Talia having tried to kill Twin!Reader behind Ra’s back, leaving them for dead only for them to survive and that’s where we go from there. I think it really adds to the whole familial betrayal thing and gives more to the Reader eventually going off the rails, especially as they’re in search of somewhere to belong, for someone who willingly and genuinely wants them for them. It makes it even more of a surprise and gut punch respectively for Damian, Talia, and Ra’s when the Reader pops back up. Especially, after being Jokerized.

All their life, Twin!Reader as been used and abused in some way, shape, or form. And even after being Jokerized that’s all they’re met with. Even if it isn’t to the same extent it was with Talia and Damian, these new people the Reader is trying to find belonging in all have ulterior motives. They want to use the Reader against Batman (or one of the other main people the Reader’s been associated with), they want something to have and hold over Batman’s (or whoever else’s) head. That’s all it is, at least in the beginning. Eventually these people do come to have some amount of care for the Reader but by then it’s too late and the Reader is in the wind and on to the next one.

I do really love the idea of Damian and Twin!Reader sharing their love for animals. I especially love the thought of the Reader’s first pet/companion being a hyena Joker and Harley (probably just Harley) gifted them after their initiation into the Clown Family. That hyena would mean the absolute world to the Reader, as far as the Reader was concerned it was their first friend and the first thing that ever stayed around for them. Wherever the Reader went, so did it. I love the thought of the hyena being protective of the Reader, sticking close to them for both security and comfort. The hyena very quickly becomes the only thing that Twin!Reader truly cares about anymore. Not to mention, there’s no doubt that after everything Twin!Reader’s been through before and after being Jokerized they have constant nightmares, even some night terrors, and the only one there for them is their loyal hyena. It’s there to curl around them protectively, to give them a warmth they’re not used to and a sense of being looked over that they’ve never felt before. I can even see the hyena bringing the Reader snacks to remind them to eat and take care of themself.

I can really see the Jokerized!Twin!Reader being thrown into an all out breakdown if their hyena died, especially if it died protecting them (whether from the batfamily or some rogue rando). That was their only friend, the only thing that truly ever cared about them and now they had nothing anymore. They had no one. They were lost all over again. If any of the batfamily members had anything to do with the Reader’s precious hyena’s death there would never be any forgiveness. If someone else were the reason for the hyena’s death than the Reader wouldn’t think twice about killing them and getting revenge for their beloved companion. Either way, no matter who caused the Reader’s hyena’s death I can see the batfamily all trying to subdue them from enacting any revenge on whoever. No matter how feral and berserk the Reader is in the moment, no matter how hard they fight, how hard they hit, I see Bruce, Jason and Damian especially not letting go of them. They hold the Reader the entire time, unrelenting in their grasp no matter how hurt they get in the process. If the Reader is as unrelenting as they are then they’ll have to knock them out. From there the family will take Jokerized!Twin!Reader home, where they’ll be safer, where the family can watch over and be there for them.

After their breakdown, there is no way in hell, Damian and Bruce especially will be able to go on with the Reader not being with them. Seeing how absolutely destroyed they’ve become, how much of a broken husk they’ve been turned into after everything they’ve been through, Damian and Bruce can’t allow anything more to happen to their sibling/child. No matter what it takes, how long it takes, Damian and Bruce aren’t giving up on Jokerized!Twin!Reader. They will save them, they will put them back together again. They will be the family that the Reader should have had all along.

God forbid if Ra’s was there to see his precious grandchild breakdown like that in front of him. Damian and Bruce be damned, he’s taking them home with him and Talia will be thoroughly dealt with for her part in all of this, in destroying his pride and joy.

[lazycats-stuff]

Hi! Could you do a Batfam x teen reader, where the reader does illegal street race, he sneaks out at night to go those race, and the Batfam found out about it !

Thank you ;)

I sure can do!

Summary: (Y/N) races illegally. The family doesn't know.

Warnings: illegal racing, (Y/N) is skilled, Bruce is mad, Jason is impressed, Damian is proud, Bruce is just done,

(Y/N) loved his dad and he often shared his interests with him. He also shared everything with his brothers. But he was harboring a secret that he couldn't tell anyone. He loved cars, which was not a secret to his family.

What was the secret?

(Y/N) raced illegally. Bruce knew that (Y/N) loved cars, but what he didn't know is that (Y/N) knew how to drive. Bruce had plans to get (Y/N) his license when he turned 18 years old, but when he was so young?

Not happening, at least in Bruce's eyes.

However, (Y/N) had an important night tonight. Last time he was on the track, a cocky bastard thought that he was better than him. (Y/N) gladly excepted.

If there was one thing that Bruce has taught him that he uses everyday, it's the fact that you should fear a person who doesn't brag about his skills. You can easily beat someone who brags. But the one who is silent?

Yeah, that will be a much more difficult task. H

Now he had to make a plan on how to sneak out. He had to wait until they went on patrol and until Alfred went down to the cave to make sure that nobody sees him.

He took his phone and looked into the hall. Alfred went into Bruce's office a few minutes prior, so he must be halfway down. (Y/N) took the opportunity to quietly walk to the garage. He tapped his pocket for the car key, checking to see if his favorite car key was in there.

That car is his baby and he would be damned if he didn't use his favorite. Bruce bought him this car last year and (Y/N) took great care of it. He cleaned it, washed it and took it outside to drive, but only in the property boundaries.

Now it was time to beat that shit head.

(Y/N) sighed in relief as he parked the car. He walked through the crowds, just enjoying the energy. It was just free, no stress, but it was also buzzing with excitement. Usually there were friendly races and talks about upgrades on your cars.

Tonight, it was a race with (Y/N) and the shit head who challenged him. (Y/N) still remembers how he first started. Everyone was nervous to have a Wayne kid, thinking that he wanted to get on the top with a snap of his fingers.

But (Y/N) kept his head down, was humble and respectful towards everyone and he showed his skills to everyone and he proved himself. He became very well liked and he made a good friend here, named Aaron.

" Hey (Y/N)! " Aaron said loudly to drown out the chatter of the other people. " Are you ready for the race? " He asked, smirking as (Y/N) pushed him away.

" Of course I am. " (Y/N) answered, accepting a water bottle from Aaron.

" I still can't believe somebody is so stupid. " Aaron mused to himself, shaking his head. (Y/N) is the best racer here and the fact that somebody new is so dense to think that he could beat him so stupid. Of course, (Y/N) is not invincible and unbeatable, but new people are often warned that (Y/N) is the best racer here.

But that doesn't stop people from challenging him. (Y/N) never hated being challenged, in fact, he loved it. No matter who it was, (Y/N) liked the challenge. Only if they aren't cocky and obnoxious about their skills.

The shit head is obnoxious beyond belief and there was nothing that could change (Y/N)'s mind. Absolutely nothing.

" Did you check the car? " Aaron said as they turned back to walk back to the car.

" I did. Yesterday, I didn't have a chance to do it today. I can't let my dad know what I'm doing. " (Y/N) confessed to Aaron who nodded in sympathy.

Aaron and (Y/N) are good friends and (Y/N) confided that this secret was a big burden on him. He didn't tell him about their night jobs of course, but he did tell Aaron that his dad has a very set moral standing. Of course, nothing is black and gray, but he would be mad if he found out.

" I know, but lets check it now. John should be somewhere near by to check it. "

John is (Y/N)'s mechanic and his mentor in a way. He took (Y/N) under his wing when he has first arrived here. John loves his job more than anything and has admitted that he sees (Y/N) as a son. The two had a very strong bond and they both cared about each other.

" Hey son. " John said, looking at the car. (Y/N) said hey back and gave him a quick side hug.

" How is the car looking? " Aaron asked, walking up to the duo.

" She looks good. Very well taken care of. Good job. " John praised, popping the hood open. (Y/N) smiled to himself, happy that his mentor was pleased.

" The engine looks good. I want you to wipe the floor with that shit head. " John said, closing the hood down.

" Yup. I heard him bragging. " Aaron said, groaning after seeing the shit head move through the crowd towards them. " And he is coming here. " Aaron said and John frowned at the shit head.

" Here is the famous Wayne. " He said, getting into (Y/N)'s face.

" Yup. I would suggest that you step away from me. " (Y/N) said, raising his chin. He level him with a bat glare that Bruce taught him. The shit head stepped back. " Now, if you are here to brag about your non existent skills, go back to wherever you crawled out of. " (Y/N) said and the shit head huffed.

" Go back to your car and get ready. " Aaron said, leading (Y/N) to sit in the car. The shit head moved, his groupie following him.

" If you don't wipe the floor with him, you are going to be in trouble. " John threatened (Y/N), glaring at the stupid kid who was walking away to his car.

" I will wipe the floor with him. " (Y/N) confirmed.

" Good. " Aaron muttered, shaking his head.

(Y/N) laughed as he stopped the car. He won by a landslide and he proves why he is so good. He got out of the car and hugged Aaron tightly.

" You did it! Ha! Take that you ass! " Aaron yelled at the shit head who walked off.

John congratulated (Y/N), giving him a hug. There was cheering and clapping and (Y/N) smiled. This felt nice. This is what he loved about this place.

" I knew you would do it. " John said, patting his back.

Everything felt nice.

" The police is here! "

Now that is not nice. Everyone scrambled to run away, but (Y/N) froze as he heard a familiar rumble of the Batmobile. Oh dear God no. Shit. Hell no. Not happening. Nope. This is not good.

" (Y/N) we have to go. " Aaron said, pulling him with him.

" Leave me. I will hold them off. " (Y/N) said, shaking his head. Aaron and John looked conflicted, but nodded when they saw the look in his eyes.

Turns out it wasn't the police, just Batman and the rest of the family. (Y/N) took a deep breath as he watched the Batmobile come to a stop. At the moment, (Y/N) was scared.

What were they going to say?

His dad stepped out of the car, in his suit, Batman persona on.

" Hey dad. " (Y/N) said sheepishly.

" Please don't tell me you are racing illegally. " He said and (Y/N) looked away.

" Oh no. " Bruce said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

" Do you at least win? " Jason asked as he walked up to (Y/N)'s car.

" I do. " (Y/N) said, eyes still locked on the ground.

" That's my brother. " Jason smiled underneath his mask.

" Good. You would be a disgrace to the family otherwise. " Damian piped in out of nowhere.

Dick sighed, shaking his head. " (Y/N), that is very dangerous. "

" And what you lot do isn't? " (Y/N) retorted, finally finding some strength to talk back.

" And what do you think Tim? " (Y/N) asked. He just looked at the car, then back at (Y/N).

" I mean, you really aren't hurting anybody. You are smart and you know how to avoid trouble. You know how to not get hurt. " Tim explained and Bruce sighed.

" Okay. We are going to have a talk after we all sleep. I'm going to say something that I will regret later. (Y/N) in the Batmobile, Dick you are driving his car. "

(Y/N) wanted to protest, but was silenced with a glare from his father. He sighed quietly as he went to the Batmobile. This is going to be an interesting conversation.

[cristinacclearwater]

Robin Time Travel AU!!

A fic where Dick or Damian or Jason or all three time-traveled and stop Ethiopia from happening... Only they didn't anticipate the consequences.

With no Ethiopia happening, Jason never dies and neither does Bruce go off the rails... Thus never giving Tim a reason to join the Batfam...

Dick never saw nor tried to find out exactly how bad Bruce got after Jason... And was waiting for Tim to find him again... Even going to Harley's where they met... Keeping the entire schedule for the week very simple for Tiny Tim to easily follow... Only Tim never shows up...

Jason does not know the circumstances of Tim joining and is wondering when Bruce is bringing Timbo home...

While Damian convinced Talia that it is better for him to join his father in Gotham... By 'investigating' and 'arriving' at the 'conclusion' that his father is Batman... Thus he comes to Gotham early... Like months before Tim... Like he coincided with the week Jason would have died...

Again, he does not know the circumstances of Tim joining... Just knowing that this time when he has Robin, it will be on Tim's terms... He is looking forward to a good relationship with him because Dick said Tim always wanted a little brother and now Damian has the chance to be that little brother... No, he is not jealous of YJ or how close they are with Tim, or that bloody speedster... What are you saying!?!!!

Tim never comes.

Now, Tim on the other hand decided to explore Paris and gets caught in shenanigans... Meets Lady Shiva... Gets mentored by Lady Shiva... Unknowingly insults Snake... Gets challenged by Snake... Defeats Snake... Refuses Lady Shiva's offer... And comes back to Gotham... Only this trip was a year or 9-10 months long...

In Gotham, he takes up the cape... Works smaller crimes, nothing with rogues (like Spider-Man) and becomes beloved... Of course, Tim is still that little stalker at heart and keeps updating the Bat's info... he doesn't want to be burdensome to them, Thus, Tim makes sure Bats and him don't cross paths... After all, Batman might feel obligated to take him in as he did Batgirl, Spoiler, and Black Bat... They didn't have training. He does...

Meanwhile, Batfam is wondering where they went wrong and missed Tim... And slowly Dick starts remembering the context as to why Tim sought him out... Not to be Robin but to make him take Robin back up... And when Dick refused to... Then Tim took up the job of keeping Batman in line... Because Gotham needs Batman and Batman needs a Robin...

Dick tells Jason and Damian... They don't believe... Because of course, my info is not wrong... He was replacing me/was an interloper... It takes them that entire year to accept that Tim is not coming... Then scrambling to find him... Then they started hearing rumors... Of this little vigilante who helps with small crimes... And try to intercept him, maybe introduce themselves, to no avail... It was as if Gotham herself was against it, they always missed him...

Meanwhile, Tim's life continues pretty much same as in earlier comics... Batfam, out of the city, Metallo attacks Gotham... Tim calls Superboy... Thus, the first meeting of TimKon, same as comics. Only, instead of Tim, he travels as Alvin Draper, a child who was helped into his seat by his parents and will be picked up by his cousin Shanks at the airport... Actors he hires to help him... And "will you please watch him, we are so scared he will be traveling alone"... The story works for both going and then returning and Cousin Shanks helps Alvin back onto the plane when needed...

School trip for Bart and I do not believe much will change with Bart as he will know Tim's rep from the future, rather than the past, so Bart still believes Tim's awesome... And makes friends...

They still start Young Just Us... And still go on every mission they did in YJ98... Tim still develops a rapport with Batman... Only he is not his Robin or known as his prodigy... Compared to when Batman taught him everything and knew him well, lying to Batman was quite easy for Tim... Because Tim grew up in Gotham society and was his mother's son through and through...

Tim's parents are not bad in this either... Like can Janet put the fear of god in businessmen? YES... But when it came to family and especially Tim, she was soft... I see Tim's relationship with his parents same as Kudo Shinichi's from Detective Conan... Like they have wanderlust and Tim does not... But just because they are not in the same country or continent, does not mean they do not keep in contact... They know exactly what shenanigans Tim gets up to and know better than to stop him because otherwise, he will just hide them... They know all his friends, his interests, etc... Especially his mom, and hiding about Robin probably hurt their relationship a lot...

{I 100% believe the only reason Tim didn't tell Jack he was a vigilante was because he was Robin and thus was responsible for the entire Batfam identities... And that is why Jack believed Tim did not choose but rather was coerced into being Robin because otherwise they would already know...}

So, in this fic, Tim keeps his parents in the loop from the beginning and Janet makes sure a part of DI is dedicated to helping Tim, so he's never without help in Gotham... Also, they know life is dangerous so they get separate mobile/communicators for "just emergencies", like a "Need help! Will die if not given" button... So Tim knew the moment his parents were taken by Obama Man and rescued them with Young Just Us...

Because NO BATMAN RULES thus Tim was able to tell his parents and team his identity much earlier than in canon... He still makes contingencies for fellow heroes, especially Justice League, including the entire Batfam, including Alfred... Because Janet Drake's son is taught better by her mamma... And Tim does not know Wayne beyond being a fanboy and does not have an emotional connection to them...

Just a fic where Batfam lives happily and Tim is successful but they never have more than a coworker relationship... Like Tim is closer to Wally or Donna or Roy or Bisaro or Jon than Dick, Jason, and Damian because they have a familial connection to his team, while Batfam only has the connection of Gotham... Like Oracle has the most influence over Tim's actions in his vigilant life because she sometimes directs him to crime if no one else is available...

Tim is still friends with Stephanie but here Tim's self-respect and confidence are not broken again and again and again... So Stephanie does not get away with treating him like shit on or off the field and that's dangerous on the field, so they mutually decided to not team up unless with a mediator in between that could lead both...

Off-field they are good friends, friends who know their secret life so they can share any grievance, WITHOUT endangering any identities, etc... But they do not date... Tim dates Ariana, yes. And felt Stephanie might be a rebound and knew she deserved better than that. If Stephanie confesses, Tim makes it clear he is not in a position to date yet (don't know if the timeline is right, if not feel free to correct)...

{OK, one thing I make clear, No hate for the character of Stephanie Brown but I just hate how she treats Tim in Canon and everyone acts like it's OK because it's not. It's fucked up and a toxic relationship. Especially how Bruce used their relationship later and Stephanie agrees)...

Tim also seeks mental help for the school shooting and other civilian events, while Jack is looking for a trusted therapist for his son, Janet absolutely approves... When they have one, Tim gets a contract of confidentiality from John Constantine to sign for the therapist and drags his team, kicking and screaming with him...

With the team being introduced to the Drakes early, they spent a lot of time in Gotham, and adults (Janet) understand what is happening with Ross, Tana, etc. And helps Kon before telling him to stay with Tim, "because that boy absolutely cannot take care of himself, never mind he has done so for years, you stay with him, do you want to go to Gotham Academy or do you like your current one"... While Jack is ready to smack some sense into Flashes, with his golf stick... And becomes quite good friends with Max...

Just competent adults who understand they can't stop their wild child but can and will give him every tool to survive.

[missbluesunflowersstuff]

Why doesn't Batfam age? Because they're vampires, all of them except Damian Wayne

Let me explain:

Everything starts years ago when Dick moved to Blüdhaven, he found the Vampire court there and - in one failed mission - he becomes one

Dick starts living as a vampire and adapts himself very well to his new life, Bruce dislikes it and both argue a lot

Dick tries to convince Bruce that becoming a vampire is a good choice, being Batman is not enough, Bruce is still a human, one day he will become old and the city will still need Batman. Bruce needs to do more. Be more. But Bruce rejected this idea and did not become a vampire.

Tiny Jason then shows up, canon stuff happens and then Jason died

This destroys Bruce, "if I listen Dick, Jason could be alive now" he blames himself, guilt eating him inside, Jason could be alive if Bruce was not a coward, if Bruce was a vampire he could save Jason. Jason died because he was weak

And Bruce doesn't want to be weak anymore

Dick then turns Bruce into a vampire days after Jason's funeral

Alfred also becomes a vampire that night, both by Dick

When Tim shows up Bruce is already a vampire, he rejected Tim in the start but afraid to lose Tim in the same way he loses Jason, he asked if Tim wants to become a vampire as well

Tim, desperate for acceptance and to be part of something important, accept

Bruce bites Tim and turns him into a vampire

When Stephanie appears, she automatically refuses the invitation, "you're not my dad, Batman"

Unfortunately, after her incident with Black Mask, Bruce bites her against her will

Bruce finds her covered in blood, pale and breathing weakly. Almost dying. He's losing a child again. Something he promised would never happen again. But then Stephanie is dying. Desperate to save that child and redeem himself, Bruce bites her

Stephanie was very hurt by this and moved away from vigilantism for a while to adapt to her new life. This cursed.

Surprising Cassandra accepts without hesitation, no one really understands her reasons for accepting this

Cass has a slight adjustment problem at first, but she tries to live as much as possible as if nothing has changed

And then Jason Todd returns

He is really hurt (emotionally) for all this shit and hates Bruce for what he did and what he didn't

Jason also hates Tim in the start for having accepted this shit so easily

No Bruce or Alfred can't convince Jason to become a vampire (they don't want to lose Jason again)

Then who bites him? Dick

They fight a lot, but Dick Grayson is charismatic, he always gets what he wants and this time there's no difference, Dick bites Jason

Years past and then there is Damian

The blood son, the heir of the Demon

Everyone is sure that Dick will bite Damian, they're close to each other, and in true Dick almost did it, but then Damian rejected

They fought really bad that night, Dick lost and Damian doesn't talk with him for a month after that accident

No one knows what happened

Why did Damain reject this?

They all thought Damian wanted to become part of the family, then why Damian rejected this?

After a while Duke Thomas joined the family, he hesitated to become a vampire in the start, but in the end he accepted it

This becomes the most funny joke of all time because his powers

And Damian is still the only human

Once again Bruce tried to lure Damian to become a vampire and once again there was a bloody fight, and in the end Damian is still a human and he stopped talking with Bruce for two months after that

All important members of Justice league know about the vampire family and accept it very well (it was a mess in the start but Batman is there for so long, they don't see him and his family as dangerous anymore)

Damian dies and comes back and he is still a human

Jon then becomes his friend, and all Kent house is chocked when they see Damian eat his vegetarian food

"Aren't you a vampire?" "No"

They assume that Bruce doesn't want to turn a kid into a vampire and let Damian grow a little. They're wrong about that

Time passes and Damian is now a teenager, life is own life doing his own stuff, not as Batman, not as Robin either Demon, just he own hero path

Jon is unsure when Damian will become a vampire, then he decided to ask his best friend about this

"tt" Damian is tired of this vampire shit, he knows how his family looks for him, every single one already tried to talk about this stuff with him and this always ends in a mess. Actually he is not surprised with the ask, but who is asking. Jon, his best friend. The stupid half alien and Damian are just tired

then Damian decides to talk the truth, the same truth he talks at Dick, Bruce and Alfred years ago after they stop fighting against each other. The same truth who is always together with the silence treatment

"My mother... She is not perfect, she made a lot of mistakes as well my father too, she turned me who I am and she also told me about this vampire thing, and she said she wouldn't be mad if I became like him, and in the past I also wanted to become like him but now..."

"but now?" Jon started Damian, the half alien is always curious about this fact and he doesn't understand why Damian is talking about his mom

"when I choose to live with my father and give up the league I thought it would be different, but then here we go Damian, there's a vampire cult with people who fear the dead and, even when they deny it, they also seek for power. The truth is I'm tired of cults, Ra's or Wayne's, they're not so different, this is still a cult"

"I... I don't want to live like them, Jon, I want to die as a human, Batman becomes an immortal and the demon head is also immortal. I don't fear the dead, I want to die as a human"

I just like to think about the potential angst with Damian and his family, how betrayed he will feel when he realizes that Dick and Bruce are not so different from Ra's, people afraid of death

In the worst case scenario Damian becomes a vampire against his will, who did it? Tim Drake

It was an extreme a desperate situation, Tim Drake just wants to save his baby brother lives and ignore Damain pleading to let him die

That was the first time that the house saw Damian crying. He understands why Tim did it, but still he feels betrayed and sobs with this curse

Damian is inconsolable for days and isolates himself, becoming exactly what he always feared, an immortal who steals people's lives to gain power exactly what his grandfather always said he would become

[jonathan-samuel-smith]

Lord Jon and Prince Damian is a funny combination because just imagine Clark never managed to conquer all earth because magic and magic user, Talia basically built a huge kingdom to protect her people from the Lords and also accepts some others who are fleeing.

Years past and Jon has always been curious about that place and laughs when he faces Talia's youngest soldiers. He falls in love deeply hard about that boy with green eyes, then Jon starts to try to seduce that cute and smol boy (and Damian hates him deeply)

Just imagine:

Jon: *throws a body at his door like a cat*

Damian: ... Some guys bring flowers

Jon: I'm not 'some guy'

And also

J: "i've killed for you. how many other people can say that?"

D: "... Multiple, actually"

Basically: Lord Jon's love language is being annoying

Took me a while to figure out how I'd write the Super Lords, but eventually I was inspired by another work. I might write a sequel to this but we'll see. Fic under the cut.

Jon was scrolling on his phone, looking to find people talking negatively about him or his father so he could send them death threats. He could probably find them easily and make good on those threats, but then he'd have to get up, and he was comfortable where he was. He was getting a little peckish though, so he might run through a couple if he got up to eat.

His dad came into the room looking flawless. “Jon.”

“Hey dad, can you get me something to eat?”

“What? No. Get it yourself, or better yet, ask Kelex.”

“I thought you took away my voice commands after I killed the wrong general last week.”

“Oh, right. Have the knowledge crystals not taught you how to hack yet?”

Jon groaned ”I hate the knowledge crystals dad, they take so much time. I don't see the point in them.”

“The point is they would teach you how to solve problems, like how to reinstate your voice commands in Kelex’s code. Now get up, I have something important for you to do.”

Jon got up and stretched. “Oh I'm way hungrier than I thought. Hold that thought, Dad.”

“Jona–” Kal started sternly as a gust of wind blew past him. He could hear Jon ferociously consuming junk food from the pantry in superspeed. When he was done, he ran back up to his dad.

“Hey Dad, I'm back. What's up?”

“What do you know about Talia Al Ghul?”

“Oh that's easy. She's like, your archnemesis. Her family's got really strong magic so she can kill us if she gets close enough. She controls the last stronghold of human resistance. She's older than you so she's, what, a million?” He grinned cheekily “Just kidding, Dad. You don't look a day over 500.” He laughed. “Kidding! You should see the look on your face.”

“Jon, I'm being serious here.”

“‘kay.”

“She's just crowned her heir, Prince Damian. He's your age.”

“Oh?”

“He's an even more powerful mage than his mother, and trained in martial arts. He is a serious threat, one that needs to be neutralized.”

“Ok, but how am I gonna do that? You said he's more powerful than his mom, and you can't kill her.”

“He takes his group of soldiers into the Himalayas every month to train privately. I want you to ambush them.”

“Kill them, right? How do you want them dead?”

“Doesn't matter.”

“Alright. I'll be right back.”

Kal grabbed his arm and dug his fingers in hard enough to bruise. “You could die today, Jon. Take this seriously. Run away if you need to. You're no good to me dead.”

Jon nodded. “Got it.”

Jon flew to the mountains and looked for them with his heat vision. He found them fighting each other and flew down and started snapping the neck of the closest person to him. Unfortunately, this was slow enough to draw alarm from the other assassins, who all knew magical attacks. Still, Jon was quick and he fought dirty, letting out a deafening shout and causing an avalanche. The teens fought him with martial arts married with magic, sacrificing their lives so that the final assassin could defeat Jon and place him in magical bindings.

He spat blood. “You're lucky they can be brought back to life, or I wouldn't have spared yours.”

“I didn't ask you to. But thank you– not for sparing my life, but for beating me. I've never lost before. It was exhilarating! Can you do it again?”

The boy looked at him strangely. “What?”

Jon grinned manically. “You're a great fighter. I want you to defeat me again. And again and again until I get bored. What's your name? I never even lose to my dad.”

“... I am prince Damian Al Ghul.”

“Oh no way! I came here to kill you! Well, I'm not doing that anymore.”

“Clearly not.” Damian said, gesturing to the chains around him.

“Oh no, not cuz of that. I meant cuz like–” Jon cut himself off as Damian took off his mask and piercing green eyes met his own. “Wow, you're really pretty. I've never seen anyone as pretty as you in my whole life. Definitely not prettier. I think I was saying something?”

Damian blushed. “Tt. You were saying why you're not going to kill me.”

“I think I'm in love with you.”

“What?!” Damian squeaked.

“That was so cute! You're so cute! You're so small you look like you'd fit just right in my arms!”

“Go back to the ‘I love you’ part because I'm not understanding!” He shouted.

“I'll say it as many times as you want! I love you, I love you, iloveyouiloveyouiloveyoui–”

“Stop! You can't love me, you just met me, and your dad is superman!”

“Um, I'm pretty sure I can. Love at first sight is a thing, and I've known you for longer than that already.”

“So what, just because you think I'm pretty and I beat you for the first time, you're in love with me?”

“Is that not enough? Ok well, I really like the color of your eyes, and you're really powerful, and you make me feel so many feelings I have never felt before! Fear, excitement, curiosity, admiration, respect, awe, happiness, arousal–”

“Stop talking.”

“Whatever you want, gorgeous.”

“That's talking.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

“Still talking.”

“I don't know how you want me to stop talking if you keep talking to me. Oh but uh, don't stop, I like it.”

Damian facepalmed. “I'm taking you back to my mother.”

“Oh I hope she doesn't decide to kill me after you went through the trouble of sparing me, that would be really embarrassing for you.”

Damian was quiet for a few minutes. “...You've never felt curious? Or excited, or afraid or happy? Really?”

Jon shrugged. “Maybe once. But nowadays I'm always either bored or bloodthirsty. Except right now, I'm neither. You're the most interesting person I've ever met and I just killed 5 people. That's like, 1 more than I usually do in a day.”

Damian set his jaw hard. “Why do you kill so many people?”

“Why do you think, assassin Prince? To feel alive.”

“...Who do you usually kill?”

“Dissidents and criminals. My dad's okay if they're dissidents or criminals. There's not, like, a ton of those out there anymore, though, so I've taken to scrolling back really far on Twitter. Oh, and jaywalkers.”

“Tt. Typical.”

“Who do you usually kill?”

“Political enemies, soldiers, criminals.”

“I guess everyone's a political enemy when they're aligned with us and not you. That's a lot more people you can kill. I kinda wanna join your side now.”

“We don't kill frivolously.”

“Why not?”

“Because we value human life.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? Why does your father care about order if not to preserve human life?”

Jon laughed. “My dad doesn't care about humans! He just wanted to tidy things up. He gets mad when I kill other people because it messes with his system. It's one of those dumb parent rules, like keeping your socks in the sock drawer, or cleaning the fortress on Sundays even though we have robot servants.”

“... You're completely insane.”

“Do you want me not to be?”

Damian furrowed his brow. “Why are you asking me that?”

“I want you to get what you want! You deserve to get anything you want, way more than my dad does. I bet you could with your magic! Cast a spell on me, make me sane for you. If you want that, I want it.”

“It's Jonathan, isn't it?”

“Yeah, or you can call me Jon. Or you know, whatever you want. Even if it's mean, I can take it.”

“...Jonathan. I don't want to take your agency away with my magic. That wouldn't be right.”

Jon shrugged against his chains. “If you say so, my prince.” Damian was quiet for a while, and Jon slipped free of his chains to help Damian cart back all of the bodies. “You should let me carry this.”

“What– Jon?! How did you escape my bindings?”

“Magic interacts completely unpredictably with me.”

“I don't– why are you even still here?”

“Why would I leave? It's not as if there's anything more interesting on TV. Twitter says all the shows are boring cuz of Dad. Well, you know, the dead side of Twitter. God do you know how perfect you look? From every angle?”

“Jon, I think you should just leave.”

“Well, my dad is expecting me home soon. What do you think I should tell him about you not being dead?”

“... Is he going to hurt you if you go back?”

Jon shrugged. “If I let him. Which I probably will, so I don't get grounded. But I might be grounded anyway since this meant a lot to him. If I don't get grounded, can I see you again?”

“It's best if you don't.”

“I'm going to be honest, I don't like that answer. If you want me to stay away you'll have to use your magic to harm me.”

“Tt. Do you have a death wish?”

“No. My biggest wish is for you to spar with me and win.”

“What if I lose?”

“Then we'll go again until you win.”

“...Hm. You're very… persistent.”

Jon grinned. “Thanks. Wow, it feels really good when you compliment me. Do it again.”

“Um… you have really unique eyes?”

Jon beamed. “This is great, keep going!”

Damian blushed. “I'd rather not.”

Jon pouted. “Pleeeeaaase? I'll do anything.”

“Will you go home?”

“Fine, yes, after… 3 more compliments. Then I'll go home, for now.”

“Tt. Your curls look very nice, your hair makes a nice contrast against your skin tone and you– ah… you… that is, you're very strong.”

“I already knew that last one.”

“I meant muscular.”

“That's not a compliment, that's just a fact.”

Damian’s ears burned. “...I like it. I like that about you. I like that you're muscular. It looks… visually appealing.”

“Oh, I'm definitely in love with you. I'd love to stay and compliment you back, but I said I'd leave, and I want you to trust me! If you ever need me, or just want me, all you have to do is call. I'll come.”

Jon flew back home. “Dad? I ambushed him, caused an avalanche, and killed his squad, but he still beat me.” Jon called out.

Kal walked out to see his son. “You look unharmed. Why did he let you go?”

“Honestly? I think I annoyed him too much. But I'm going back tomorrow.”

“I see… an ambush didn't work, so you'll have to gain his trust and then betray him. I was going to punish you but your tenacity and cunning deserve a reward, so it is simpler to do nothing.

“Oh, yeah, psh, that's totally why I want to go back. I totally want to murder him in cold blood. I mean, you know how much I love murder.”

Kal frowned. “I do know. It gets in the way of your studies. However, this time I approve.”

“‘kay. Thanks. See ya.” He went back to his room to watch Damian with his X-ray vision.

The next day, Jon went to Nanda Parbat and watched Damian from the sky, waiting until he was alone to approach him.

Damian’s hair was slicked back with sweat and he was flushed and panting.

“Prince Damian. You look somehow even more incredible than last time.”

“Spare me the mockery.”

“What? I'm not mocking you. The way your skin flushes and glistens is as enchanting as any of your spells, my lord.”

“Hn. You know most humans find sweat repulsive?”

“I'm only half human. Also, you smell great. Musky. Can I lick you?”

“Definitely not.” Jon pouted. “Do you want something?”

“Yeah. Can we spar?”

“After lunch. Would you like to dine with me?”

“Can I? Won't the servants see me?”

“I cook for myself.”

Jon gasped. “I get to try your cooking?! Yes!” He pumped his fist in the air.

Damian chuckled good naturedly.

Jon leaned against the island as Damian cooked. “What did your dad say about you failing to kill me?”

“Oh I told him I was going back today and he thought I meant that I was going to gain your trust to kill you.” Damian stiffened. “So I'm going to let him think that so I can spend more time with you.”

“Try this.” Damian said, handing Jon a spoonful of sauce. Jon tasted it.

“Hm, that's pretty good! I've never had this before.”

Damian tasted it himself and nodded. “It is good.”

Jon ate at his usual impatient pace and spent the rest of the meal talking at Damian.

“Alright, Superboy, follow me.”

“Anywhere.”

“Tt.” Damian led him to the training courtyard. “Here we are. Remember to be quiet.”

Jon rushed to tackle Damian but he predicted it and dodged, casting a spell to slow down Jon’s movements. It was a lot stronger than the spell Damian intended to cast, and he moved like a sloth. “Wow prince…” he began as Damian took his time pinning Jon to the ground and immobilizing him with a spell. The first spell wore off quicker than expected. “...Damian you're so fast! Oh, it's already over!” Jon giggled. “You did even better this time! I suppose it's to be expected since it wasn't an ambush. You're really impressive…” Jon sighed dreamily, looking up into Damian’s eyes with a lovestruck gaze.

Damian coughed and looked away. “...You wanted me to beat you. Did you go easy on me?”

“I can honestly say that didn't even occur to me. I don't know why I would do that. Would it have made you happy?”

“Hell no. It would have made me angry.”

Jon smiled. “I'd like to see you angry. Maybe I will next time. Though I don't know if you'd even notice, considering how well you beat me this time.”

Damian looked confused. “Why would you want me to be angry?”

Jon raised a brow. “‘Cause I wanna see how you look when you're angry. I've never seen it before. I wonder if it would make me angry, too. I never get angry anymore.”

“You're… impossible.”

Jon grinned toothily. “Is that a good thing?”

“... I haven't decided.” Damian got off of Jon, much to the younger teen’s disappointment, and did a nullification spell on Jon before helping him up. Jon smirked and flipped Damian over his shoulder as he stood, but Damian landed on his feet and cast a sleeping spell on Jon. He woke him up with a water spell, sitting on his chest.

“You got me again! I love you.”

“You're weird.”

“Is that bad?”

“I haven't decided.”

Jon smiled, crinkling his eyes. “Wanna go again?”

Damian laughed. “Sure. I've not even worked up a sweat yet.”

The next time he came to Nanda Parbat he threw down a corpse in front of Damian, face still splattered in blood.

Damian sighed. “Most guys bring flowers.”

“I'm not ‘most guys’”

“Who was he?”

“He criticized your looks so I killed him for you.”

“Jon, I don't care what anyone says about me.”

Jon's eyes flashed red. “I care that he said that. Now he can't say anything like it ever again. What do you think of my technique?”

“Messy, but efficient.”

Jon smiled “Thank you. Do you want to spar?”

“Jon it's 11:38 at night.”

“... Is that a problem?”

“I was sleeping.”

“Oh. Can I join you?”

“Tt. No. Go home.”

Jon pouted. Damian held firm.

“Okay. I'll miss you.”

“Tt. You say such embarrassing things. Goodnight.”

Jon smiled, then quickly leaned in to kiss Damian’s cheek. “Good night, my love.”

Damian slammed the door in his face.

It became somewhat of a pattern for Jon to ambush Damian when he went out on missions, and Damian learned to expect it. Jon was getting faster at killing Damian’s compliment.

“I killed them, so we can be alone!” Jon said cheerfully, gently touching Damian’s cheeks with his bloody fingers and looking at him adoringly.

“Jon. Keep your hands to yourself before I cut them off.” He said, drawing his rune-encrusted sword slightly out of the scabbard.

Jon pouted but removed his hands. “As you wish, my lord. So, what are you out here for today?”

“I was planning on retrieving a magical relic from a temple to the east of here, until you showed up. You’re like a gnat.”

“I can get it for you!”

“Tt, I’m sure you can’t, there are magical booby traps.”

Jon pouted. “I want to do this for you. Please?”

“Jon, I am certain that if you were deathly injured my mother would not permit me to put your body in the lazarus pit.”

“Not even if I died saving your life?”

“Likely not. I shouldn't even be talking to you, you are the enemy.”

Jon grinned. “I guess we both like to do whatever we want.”

“It is human nature to desire freedom.”

“Well yeah but I'm not human.”

“You are as human as you are kryptonian. I wonder, did your father have the same disregard for your mother as with the rest of humanity?”

“I dunno. I was cloned from her dead body and my dad. I never saw them interact. But I know he loved her, and I know he misses her. He's told me it's the only reason he puts up with me.”

“It does not sound like you are very close.”

“We aren't. But he's the only other kryptonian other than Kara Zor-el so y'know, he's important. Not as important as you, of course, but he was previously the most important person in my life.”

“We're here. Don't follow me.”

Jon floated after him. “But I wanna keep you safe! Let me carry you.”

“No– Jon, put me down!”

Jon grinned and flew Damian in. “What's it look like? I can look through the walls for you.”

“Unneeded, I have a map.”

Jon swiped the map from him and read it. “I have a great sense of direction, don't worry.”

“You are infuriating.”

“We cause strong emotions in each other~ how lovely. Okay, hold tight.”

Jon flew quickly down the halls, before being knocked into the wall by a magical hammer. Damian rolled off of him as Jon groaned in pain. “You idiot. Where are we?”

Jon grunted and pointed to their location on the map.

“I can’t even cast a healing spell on you as I have no idea how it will effect you.”

“Don't worry… I have super healing… so the side that hit the wall will be fine. The wall isn't magic, right?”

Damian checked. “Luckily for you, it is regular stone.”

Jon grinned. “Help me up? I wanna help you finish this.”

“It's a bad idea. We need to get you out of here.”

Jon shook his head. “I'm not going. I'll be right behind you. You can handle the magic traps, and I can fly in front of an arrow for you or something.”

“And what if it's a magical arrow?”

“I'll die for you. Did I not mention that?”

“Tt. You're dangerous to have around. But if you're not leaving…” Damian got out a rope and tied them together by their waists with a length of rope in between them. “Stick close to me.”

Jon floated to his feet. “Mkay. Let's go!”

Damian sighed and pulled along a floating Jon. He disabled the traps as they went until they reached the chamber with the artifact. Damian picked it up and the room shook with a deep voice.

“To get out of trouble, face your double. Return the staff to the rack and it will end the attack.”

Smoke billowed out of the air vents and coalesced into shadow versions of Jon and Damian. Damian sighed and took out his katana.

Jon and Damian fought back to back as their shadow versions worked independently. Damian took out his double and Jon defeated his own. The smoke dissipated and Jon cheered.

“We did it! That was awesome! They didn’t stand a chance against our teamwork! Imagine if you came in here with your whole squad! That would have been so much chaos, I really did you a favor by killing them.”

Damian growled and pressed his sword to Jon’s throat, backing him up against the wall. “No. Killing.”

“Mhn, so it's fine if you kill me but not if I kill your squad, who as we've previously established can come back to life whereas I will not?”

“I will kill you if I have to.”

“I would expect nothing less, my prince.” Jon smiled slightly. “So this is what you look like when you're angry. I love the intensity in your eyes.”

Damian narrowed his eyes. “Are you really trying to de-escalate the situation by flirting?”

Jon shook his head as much as he could. “Just saying what I think, my lord. And I think you look beautiful.”

Damian sighed and withdrew his blade. “You're an idiot.”

Jon smiled cheerily and let Damian drag him along by the rope still attached to his waist. Damian escorted Jon back to the entrance of the temple and cut the rope. “You need to stop killing my team every time I leave the palace. It makes me look incompetent.”

“Do you get in trouble?”

“Not exactly, no–”

“Then it's fine!”

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose. “Listen to me carefully. I am telling you that I want you to stop killing my team. Did you not say that I deserve to get what I want?”

“You're turning my words against me! I just want to be with you. Your assassins would never allow it. If I don't defeat them, I'll die.” Jon whined.

“Then learn non-lethal techniques of taking people down. Practice on those criminals or whatever.”

“You want me to… not kill a criminal?”

“Yes.”

“I can try… can I still be violent?”

“I would appreciate it if you did not scar my team too badly. But outside of that, you can be as brutal as you like as long as they do not die.”

“Okay. I will practice not killing and come back to you. Farewell, my prince.”

“Farewell, lord Jonathan.” Damian said as Jon lifted off into the sky, the cut rope rippling in the wind with his cape.

Jon stormed through the palace towards Damian, knocking people out of the way like flies. “Prince Damian! I came back, as I said I would.”

“Yes, I can see that. Are you here to kill more of my people? You know I cannot allow that, Lord Jonathan.”

Jon cocked his head. “Why would I do that? I don’t care about humans.”

Damian quirked a brow. “I am human.”

“You’re better than everyone else, though.”

“Is that so?”

Jon giggled. “Yeah, I think you could even kill me if you tried. That’s so hot. Look at you, not attacking me right now… so romantic...” Jon sighed.

Damian tutted. “I’m beginning to regret that.”

Jon giggled. “Some days I think I love you so much I'd just let you. Would you like me to do that? Or would you want a fight?” He came closer.

“What kind of question is that?”

“A genuine one. Oh… If I tried to kill you, I hope you’d try to kill me too… maybe we could die at the same time. If I am going to die, I want it to be by your hand. And no one else deserves to take your life away but me, and only if you asked me to.” He giggled, twirling his hair. “I really like having you around, so you would have to convince me first, or else I wouldn’t even let you kill yourself.” Jon hummed. “But I don’t see you convincing me that this world is so terrible as to deserve to be ridden of such beauty.” He stroked Damian’s cheek with a gloved hand, and Damian smacked it away. Jon sighed. “I love you.”

“You don’t know what love means. Your father never showed you.”

“I don’t? Well then, you’ll have to teach me. No one else will do.”

Damian tutted, before sighing as if greatly put upon and offering his ring for Jon to kiss. He did so gladly, kneeling at his feet.

“My prince.” Jon held Damian’s hand by the wrist and turned it over so he could nuzzle into his palm. Damian allowed it. Jon locked his violet eyes on Damian’s emerald ones. He kissed his fingertips one by one.

“You are so devoted to me. It’s perplexing.”

Jon kissed his wrist. “It’s simple; the whole earth should bow to you. You are perfection. Every moment you spend with me is pure gold; my greatest treasures.Or maybe it is that I can take anything in the world that I want, except for you. You are the only thing I could ever rightfully earn. The only goal worth pursuing. Everything was meaningless and dull until I met you, my Prince.”

Damian cupped his cheek. “And what if you got me? What then? Do you truly believe that to be love?”

“I would work to keep you and to serve you, to make you happy.” He smiled. “To annoy you, to pester you, to laugh with you, to see you cry. To hold you. To learn everything there is to know about you until you’ve changed so much that I have to learn you all over again.” He sniffed Damian’s wrist, at the cologne there, and deeper at all the smells that made up Damian. “Intoxicating.” Jon puffed out a laugh. “I don’t know what love is supposed to be like. Have I got it wrong? Do you think it matters? I ask out of curiosity, ‘cause even if it were really something completely morally unacceptable to you, I wouldn't care. It feels better than anything ever has. It’s what I live for.”

Damian’s lips parted in surprise. He schooled his features to ask his next question. “How many people have you killed since I last saw you?”

“None.” Jon smiled. “I’m learning, see? I can do better. I must be of some use to you, haven’t I?”

Damian got a strange look in his eye just then, and Jon became excited at the prospect of learning that expression. “Get up.”

Jon wilted. “Have I offended you, my Prince?”

Damian shook his head. “Stand up. Don’t. Float.”

Jon bowed his head obediently and stood up. Damian stepped close and put his hand on Jon’s shoulder, pulling him down into a slow and gentle kiss. Jon did not know his heart could race so fast. Damian pulled away with an unreadable look in his eye. “Alright, Jon. I accept. I will teach you how to love.”

Jon beamed. “Oh, this is so much better than murder.” He whispered.

Damian smirked. “It is, isn’t it? A lot of things are.” Damian took his hand off of Jon’s shoulder and put both behind his own back.

“Could you excuse me for just one moment? I feel the urge to go fly.”

Damian nodded, and Jon flew off, laughing brightly like a child.

Jon returned a moment later. “I love you! It feels so triumphant!” Jon gasped. “Does this mean we are dating? Boyfriends?!”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes. My mother will not be pleased.”

“I can kill her for you, if you wan’t.”

Damian glared at him. “No. No Killing.”

Jon looked at him for a long time. “Okay… Okay. But if someone tries to kill you, I won’t spare them. Even if you get mad at me. Even if you don’t believe my explanation. Even if you can take care of yourself. I promise, I won’t let you die.”

Damian scowled. “Just…kiss me, you idiot.”

Jon flew to his side in an instant, but was much more apprehensive about actually kissing him, so Damian grabbed his head and dragged their mouths together. Jon purred and pulled him closer. Damian nibbled on Jon’s bottom lip and he gasped. “Damian!”

“Yes?”

“You’ve done this before! And I can’t kill whoever you did it with!”

“You don’t have worry, they are already dead.”

“Woah, do you kill people instead of breaking up with them?”

“Tt, no. They betrayed me. I made an example of them.”

“Wow, I can’t imagine killing you if you betrayed me.”

“Hm. I can’t say it was pleasant, but— we are supposed to be kissing right now, Jonathan.” He pulled him in for a few more smooches.

“Is this part of learning how to love?” Jon asked dazedly.

“No, this is for me. I’m just glad I found a way to shut you up.”

“Dami! That’s–” More kissing. “That’s mean. I love it when you’re mean to me.”

They had their arms wrapped around each other by now. Damian rubbed between Jon’s shoulder blades. “You really shouldn’t.”

“Nobody is ever mean to me but you! How could I not like it? I love when you give me attention.”

“To have everyone afraid of you, your whole life… Let’s change that, hm? You are terrifying in the way that you move, talk, smile, laugh, and behave… But we should be able to change at least two of those.”

“Am I so scary, even to you?”

“No, not to me. You’re even… cute.”

“Isn’t that a bad thing?”

Damian furrowed his brow. “No, why would it be?”

“My father always told me to stop acting so cute, that it was distracting.”

“Everything about you is distracting. You’re currently distracting me from my work. I didn’t think you cared.”

Jon smiled. “You’re right, I don’t. And like I said, you can be mean to me, as long as you don’t ignore me. Well, even if you tried to ignore me, I’d cover your eyes until you had to acknowledge me. Or… maybe I could bite you, like Krypto used to do when I was little and I’d ignore him. Hm… come to think of it, you did just say I was distracting, I’m sure there are lots of ways I could get your attention. I like being distracting.”

Damian arched a brow. “Surely you’ll allow me to get my work done.”

“Well, that’s not ignoring me ‘cause you’re mad! So it’s fine. I can just watch you.”

“Do you watch me when you leave?”

Jon nodded. “And I strain my ears to listen. I love the sound of your voice, my prince.”

“Oh Jonathan, your life cannot only be me. I want you to stay in the palace so I can show you other things you might find meaningful.”

“Like what?”

“Friendship, learning to cook, making art. Things that are worthwhile because of the struggle. I think you will enjoy pottery.”

“What's so interesting about making pots? Plenty of people can do that.”

“They can do it because they put in the work, and they are better than you at it. Don't you want to impress me with an excellent piece of pottery?”

“You would like it if I gave you something I made?”

“Jon, the only person who can make the art that you would make is you. If you do not make it, it will never be known. You can give me something no one else can.”

“Who cares? Everyone will say they love it so I don't singe their eyebrows off…”

Damian arched a brow. “I won't.”

Jon blushed and smiled at Damian. “That's right, you're not afraid to tell me what you think. You're my equal.”

“I may even decide to encourage you with kisses.”

Jon rumbled a purr. “I love you. I'm going to make you the best pot ever.”

Damian kissed him again. “Good. I eagerly await it.”

[elementalwriter67]

Bat Family Olympics

I came up with this based off of all the stuff I've been seeing about the Olympics and a few posts about the bat-family participating in the Olympics. And I couldn't help myself because I'm slowly being pulled back into this fandom (not that I ever really left, I basically just went on holiday.) So here is a very quickly put together list of the bat-family, and friends, and the Olympic sport I think they would participate in.

Bruce- I think Bruce would be really good at Sport Climbing because of all the grappling and parkouring he does around Gotham. I just don't think that he would come in gold though, maybe bronze, and it's a hundred percent because he's trying not to give the citizens of Gotham any more reasons to suspect that he's Batman.

Alfred- He's one of the older competitors at the Olympics and everyone expects him to be competing in a sport that would more suited for his age. So they're all incredibly surprised when he walks out to compete in Boxing. Even better is he wins Gold and the entire crowd goes nuts because it was the absolutely most nail-biting fight they've ever witnessed because it's Alfred against this young guy who looks like he could run circles around Alfred any day of the week. Little do they know Alfred has more than enough experience from having lived in Gotham and having experienced his fair share of break-ins at the manor. Side note: While everyone else is cheering the rest of the bat-family (while thrilled for Alfred) are busy remembering why it is they fear Alfred more than Bruce.

Selena- I went back and forth on a couple of different sports for Selena before I ultimately decided that she would kick ass at Surfing and absolutely take Gold in it. I have no other reasons for it other than I just think she would be good at it, that she would look good in a bathing suit (obviously,) and that she probably had opportunities to learn when she was taking her eccentric vacations outside of Gotham.

Dick- This one is going to be obvious but honestly it's his fault and that is Gymnastics. I believe the reasons behind this are self explanatory honestly. He does take gold though as to be expected.

Jason- Again another self explanatory one because hello he uses guns and he gets the gold. He is the only one however that has to participate under a different name because while Gotham may have accepted the fact that Jason just miraculously came back from the dead and that the rest of the Wayne family are just pretending that nothing every happened. The rest of the world and the legal system have not so as far as the rest of the world is concerned Jason Todd is still dead. He does however have a twin brother named Peter Todd who is an Olympic champion in shooting.

Tim- I didn't really know what to give Tim because there's no Olympic sport for hacking yet so I decided to give him Cycling Mountain Bike. In part because I thought it would be funny, and also in part because I think he needs the adrenaline rush of hurling himself down a mountain with very little protection to feel alive. He places Silver and oddly enough still doesn't feel anymore alive.

Steph- Does weightlifting. She doesn't look like she does so everyone just assumes it's kind of a joke when she steps up for the weightlifting portion of the Olympics. But little do they know that she weight training with the fridge of man we call Jason Todd, she's just all lean muscle. So when she lifts this weight that is easily three times her own body weight the crowd looses it much like with Alfred, and Steph goes home with the Gold. And Jason is standing off to the side beaming with pride.

Damian- Again self explanatory because he does fencing. He does it mainly because it's a good, approved, way of hitting people with a sword. It may not be his katana but it'll do. He also thinks it's one of the more dignified and better sports of the Olympics. And yes he does take the gold. An Al Ghul and a Wayne would settle for nothing less.

Babs- I think she would do Equestrian and I think it would be a hundred percent because she had a horse girl phase growing up and she always wanted a horse of her own but was never able to get one growing up in the city and on a cop's salary. She doesn't get the gold, doesn't even really place if she's being honest, but boy howdy is she happy she got to participate in it to begin with.

Cassandra- She went back to her roots (I think they're her roots, I'm a little rusty on my knowledge outside of like the core five) and decided she was going to do Taekwondo. And she absolutely kicks ass at it and easily walks away with Gold.

Duke- I didn't know what to do for Duke, and I didn't want to do something stereotypical like basketball so I went to the left field and decided that Duke would play Handball. He stumbled across the sport on total accident through tik tok but now that he's started playing it he absolutely loves it. It's also a good way for him to get better at throwing things (i.e. batarangs) with more precision and accuracy. His team actually manages to take the Gold at the Olympics too.

Kate- I admittedly don't know much about Kate outside of one batman animated movie that I vaguely remember and what I vaguely remember is that she was angry and grumpy. So I feel like Hockey would be a good sport for her to work out some of those emotions. I also understand that this is a Winter Olympic sport (pretty sure anyways) so she spends the Summer Olympics cheering on the rest of her family. However when the Winter Olympics come along she absolutely dominates on that ice and for sure wins Gold or Silver.

I did these next ones for funsies.

Harley- I think she would do wrestling and she would be a little terrifying at it too honestly. She gets silver but it's only because of a technicality .

Ivy- She does volleyball if only because it's the most environmentally friendly one and doesn't involve riding over/trampling plants like Tim's sport does. Plus she enjoys being in the sun after being stuck in the smog and fog filled city that is Gotham. She gets bronze but only because she kept getting distracted by the sun and would just randomly stand there soaking up rays.

Roy- He does Archery. Side note: Oliver also does archery and him and Roy have mad beef and are constantly trying to one up each other when they compete against one another. So far their amount of Gold medals are tied but Roy maintains that he's still the only one who hasn't ever gotten a bronze medal unlike Oliver which is a whole other story in of itself.

[kieran-granola]

Sweet Sorries

(This is a little JayTim Chanukah gift for @silver-snow-77! Thank you for being a lot of fun 💕)

“We missed you at the Manor.”

Jason doesn't flinch but he tenses, his shoulders drawing up as he sets his helmet down on the table. Slowly, he turns around to find Tim sitting at his kitchen table all bundled up in a cozy sweater and scarf. The plate of sufganiyot that Jason cooked and abandoned earlier that day is waiting in front of him, the shape of it somehow accusing in the semi-darkness.

“Who’s we exactly?” Jason asks as he unholsters his guns. 

In the kitchen, Tim shrugs. “Alfred. Bruce. Damian. Me. Take your pick.”

Following his well-practiced routine, Jason unloads his weapons and puts them away in his safe. He'll need to clean them later — to make sure everything will be in working order tomorrow when he heads out into the streets again — but he's got more pressing concerns for now.

“You see me practically everyday, birdie.”

“We don't celebrate Hanukkah everyday, though.”

Jason shrugs off his leather jacket and sprawls on his couch to work on removing his boots. “Technically, for a week, we do.”

Tim's tongue clicks. “Jason.”

“Timothy,” Jason deadpans.

They stare at each other in silence for a minute, then Tim sighs. His shoulders droop, hurt clear on his face. When he speaks, his voice is thin.  “Why didn't you show up? I wanted to spend the night with you. I thought—I was hoping that you wanted to celebrate with me too.”

Shame and guilt bloom in Jason's stomach. Fuck. He's an asshole. He was so caught up in his insecurities, so worried about Bruce's judgment and Alfred's disapproval, that he didn't stop to consider whether Tim would be hurt by his absence. Stomach turning into a mess of knots, he kicks his boots off and stands up. 

“I'm sorry. I was planning to go. I mean—” he gestures to the plate of pastries, “—I even baked. But then I just… I don't know. I couldn't do it.”

Tim bites his lip. “You got scared.”

“I guess.”

“You could have told me. I would have spent the evening with you, we could have—”

“No!” Jason blurts out. “No. It's—You shouldn't have to skip family celebrations just because you decided to fuck the local pariah.”

Tim goes stock-still, his expression smoothing out into an impenetrable mask. “Is that what we're doing? Fucking?”

Dozens of memories flit through Jason’s mind — Tim's smile over shared fries, his strong fingers digging bruises into Jason's hips, heated debates in front of the TV, and days spent curled up together in bed — and his heart stutters. Dammit. He didn’t mean to imply that what they have isn’t serious. 

“No, it's not,” he says slowly. “You know it's not. You're as much of a detective as I am. You’ve got to know how I feel about you.”

“By that logic, you have to know how I feel about you too. But you still left me hanging at the Manor tonight.” 

Jason looks away. Maybe he does know. Maybe he remembers the way Tim took care of him when he was sick despite his own weakened immune system. Maybe he can picture the smile that blooms on his face whenever he wakes up next to Jason. Maybe he knows the shape of Tim's feelings intimately. Maybe he's let him write them across his bones with every kiss and touch.

Maybe it's not enough to compensate for his fear of Bruce anyway.

“I'm sorry,” he repeats. “I should have warned you. I was too caught up in my issues with B to think about you and that was unfair of me. I'll do better next time.”

Tim gives him a long, inscrutable look. Then he sighs. “Alright.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’ve got my own hang-ups when it comes to Bruce, so… Apology accepted. On one condition.”

“Anything you want. Just say the word.”

“I want a sufganiyah,” Tim replies lightly. “And a kiss.”

Gratitude fills Jason’s chest with sunshine. He doesn’t know what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t Tim’s playful answer. To be forgiven so easily and reminded that Tim cares for him all in one fell swoop… It’s a gift he never thought he’d be given.

Eyes stinging, he moves closer and pushes the plate towards Tim. “Take as many as you want. Hell, eat them all. I can always make more.”

Tim grabs a beignet. He takes a bite, and powdered sugar sticks to his mouth, bright and enticing. 

Jason leans in reflexively at the sight. Every inch of him longs for a taste of Tim’s sweetness. As clumsy with his words as he can be, he knows exactly how to touch Tim by now. How to handle him with the care and reverence he doesn’t know how to express when he’s not borrowing a poet’s words. 

(Art commissioned from the lovely @coffeexrage)

Tim notices him staring. He lifts his chin and gives Jason an expectant look, his blue eyes impossibly bright. “Well? That’s only half of what I asked for. Where’s my kiss?”

Laughing quietly, Jason crosses the distance between them and kisses the tip of Tim’s freckled nose. “There.”

Tim scrunches up his nose. “I meant a proper kiss.”

“Finish eating, you gremlin. I’ll kiss you as many times as you want after.”

“You sure about that?” Tim grins slyly. “Because I might need a kiss every day until I die.”

Jason rolls his eyes even as his heart misses a beat. “You drive a hard bargain.”

“Oh, I can drive it harder.” Tim gives him an exaggerated wink.

Flushing, Jason takes a sufganiyah and pushes it against Tim’s lips to shut him up. “Eat or you won’t get any kisses at all.”

“Yessir.” Half-laughing, Tim takes a bite and the two of them share a smile. 

Jason doesn’t know what tomorrow will be like — whether Tim will insist on going to the Manor to light the candles again, and whether he’ll have the strength to accompany him if he does. What he does know, though, is that Tim’s gentle warmth is enough to make him want to keep making an effort. He might never be able to mend things with Bruce, he still damn well intends to nurture his relationship with Tim.

One kiss at a time.

[zahri-melitor]

I think one of the interesting things about comics is the depth of characterisation. And one of the ways characters get that depth is by effectively ending up hypocrites. And how they get there is by taking a story where often people are yelling that it's bad characterisation, and looking at it to work out 'okay, but it happened, how do I fanwank that into fitting?'

It's the next line on from 'he would never say that!" Okay, but now he has said that. What made him say that, and why? What do you have to do to the character to set him up to say that?

Because generally, I would in most circumstances find a way to make the story fit, rather than discard it. Because by working out how to fit it, it can deepen characterisation, by showing when and why they cross a line.

For instance, take Dick. Dick in Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul is convinced that trying to resurrect loved ones in a Lazarus Pit is a lost cause and you won't get back the person you lost. Dick in Batman & Robin 2009 however puts what he thinks is Bruce's corpse in a Lazarus Pit to try and get Bruce back. That, on the surface, is an obvious contradiction. Why is Dick crossing that line? Well, Dick's a hypocrite, because when it's Bruce, he has to try, even though deep down he's aware it's a lost cause. A contradiction that almost certainly occurred because Morrison fundamentally does not pay attention to what other writers are doing with characters leads to a situation that gives more depth to Dick and Bruce's relationship, because we see where Dick had to struggle with his own instincts.

Take Tim. On the face of it, Tim and Damian's rivalry was unexpected and out of character. Tim is a character who makes friends easily, has worked with difficult characters and antiheroes on multiple occasions, who is good with children and known to form solid bonds with them. Yet Morrison clearly wanted Tim off panel and unavailable for their story, and so...Tim's reaction to Damian's arrival turns into a rivalry. And the reason why it works? Because we find that Tim and Damian are simultaneously occupying the other's biggest blindspot and insecurity. Tim has to work hard to accept Damian (and Damian equally has to work hard to accept Tim) because of how much they press the other's buttons. And it's a huge part of their long term relationship now! But on the face of it, it was not an expected reaction on Tim's part, especially since in the same period, Tim is extremely sweet and welcoming working with Chris Kent and Helena Kyle.

Take Barbara and Helena. The thing I love most about Babs and Helena's relationship is the layers of conflict that build up between then. Because while some writers gloss it as "Babs is jealous that Helena and Dick had a one-night stand", that's not all of it or even the largest part of it. Helena, by becoming The Bat in No Man's Land very specifically did something calculated to piss Barbara off: she saw Helena as trying to be Batgirl, and a Batgirl who was violent and ready to kill if necessary, of having assumed the mantle without asking. And Babs hated that. But equally, Helena had reasonable grievances: she wasn't thinking of Batgirl, she was trying to be BatMAN, and Barbara is rude to her and often refuses to work with her even as Babs will support other violent characters (Jean-Paul particularly in that period) and sides with Bruce against Helena. Helena doesn't like Babs because she sees Barbara as too close to Bruce and not getting called out for her behaviour (almost shooting Black Mask in No Man's Land!). Barbara doesn't like Helena as she won't follow the rules that keep vigilantes safe and working with the GCPD in Gotham (and because she's got a jealous personality and yeah, doesn't particularly like people who've slept with Dick). And this complex net of perfectly reasonable dislike between the two makes their relationship far more interesting, even as it built up largely via writers who did not care why they disliked each other and just wrote them as 'jealous' because women don't like other women, right?

Take Bruce and his varying reactions to his children dying. Because even as some of it is tied up in Dc's changing approach to the finality of death between the 1980s and present, it says such interesting things about Bruce, because Bruce was torn up but put in the work to move past his grief over Jason's death, to move on and keep living, to the point he rejected a villain offering the opportunity to resurrect Jason (Neron, in Underworld Unleashed). And that contrasts to the way he reacted to Damian's death, where he tried to accept it, but kicked and fought once a villain offered the opportunity to resurrect Damian and worked to get Damian back alive, in the most desperate circumstances. And that also contrasts to Tim's 'death', where Bruce is again horribly cut up and guilty over it, but accepts the death and doesn't investigate it like he does Jason or Damian's, leading to the situation where Tim is certain that Bruce will come to rescue him, but Bruce isn't even looking because he's sure Tim is dead and he's not fighting to get him back. And that's hypocritical! Bruce fights so much harder to get Damian back than the other two! Tim has to rescue himself, and Bruce is horrified when he realises that he should have been looking for Tim, especially when Tim fought so hard to find him when he was missing. It's a contradiction! It says things about Bruce's reactions to the deaths of loved ones around him and how far he'll go to get them back. Because Bruce will not resurrect his parents (Tower of Babel you will always be famous). He won't resurrect Alfred or Jason or Tim. But he did resurrect Damian.

And so, when I read Damian getting stroppy in Batman #149 over Bruce's Zur-Clone, I both see why people who are very fond of Damian think it's bad characterisation, but I also see it and think: Damian's being a hypocrite, and he's hurt and cut by the fact that Bruce's focus isn't on him.

Yes, Damian has a fascinating relationship with his own clones in Robin: Son of Batman. I've read it, and I saw his growth and acceptance of his disfigured clones, who he saw as representations of the bad parts of him that also deserved acceptance. That's some powerful imagery. But just because Damian accepts his own clones, doesn't mean he is going to be accepting of someone else's. Damian's rude and pointed about Kon's existence as a clone. For Damian to be grumpy and disparaging over the personhood of a brand new, fast aging clone who attacked him? Yeah, that's a personal hypocrisy I can see.

Everyone was just fine about beating up and destroying the Failsafe robots and ZEA robot Batman, who also had transplanted personalities. There are plenty of robots in DC who are awarded humanoid status (the Metal Men and Red Tornado just for starters). What is the line that makes ZEA robot Batman not 'human' but Bruce's Zur-Clone human? If Damian's mentally categorising the clone with Zur rather than in the set of 'human', of course he thinks Bruce is dwelling and obsessing over a clone that is shortly going to die, and who he doesn't see as being worth fighting to save.

And so what is a bit of characterisation largely for narrative reasons (Zdarsky wanted someone in the scene to go 'why are you fighting for this, Bruce') turns into another layer of the Damian story: where he can be a little hypocrite, who often reacts very differently when an issue is personal to him to when a similar issue is affecting someone else. That's repeated behaviour for him. Damian doesn't tend to react well to other characters getting attention that he sees as his.

I dunno. I see the complaints but it's also something that I can very easily fanwank into my perception of the character. It gives Damian more depth. Contradictions often do.

[lorkonsghost]

another post okay giant Jason relationship with the bat family.

Dick Grayson/nightwing

Talks about as decent brother when around other,

Dick

when they talk about jason like he's a baby a big angry baby who can do no wrong and everyone thinks he's crazy since Jason is easily the scariest thing they ever met

Bruce

it's similar to Canon but Bruce is more active in trying help get along with him and the family since Bruce thinks fighting as he has is enough.

Cass use Jason as a jumping off spot when they fight together it pisses Jason off but Cass doesn't care also Cass as shortest BatFam after Damien is not a fan of fighting Jason since if she gets grabbed its game over so when she fought Jason she was playing defensive in this au

Tim if titans tower happens is terrified of Jason for how easily he was beat tossed around like a rag doll in this au and but when gets over his fear their probably the closest siblings.

Tim if titans tower doesn't happen he is Jason number one defender simply because a few dead or fight Jason again is easy decision in his book like he remembers when in this au when Jason was fighting multiple bat at a time every week like it was nothing and he would rather not.

Steph has the most fun teaming with Jason since that means the brick house can take on most fodder no problem so the only real problem are big bads and they have craziest prank wars

Duke is weird since dc wants nothing with him at all. Though I think he has the most potential character growth in dc comics along side Cass and Jason of course if dc gave a shit about any of them dukes powers are so intriguing and dc does nothing with him sorry mini tangent but him Jason would be bound over being protectors of the daylight and crime ally respectfully

Babs is a weird character in general when it comes to Jason but I feel like though in this au she had the hardest time accepting Jason was red hood because while Bruce was in thick of it so he had to face it more directly and dick was just glad he could finally make with up Jason. Babs was watching from sidelines and the difference between kid Jason and adult Jason can give you whiplash but that sweet little boy is now bigger than a brick house a kills people so yeah although she helps Jason the most when she comes to accept that their the same Jason

Damian respect for Jason is a lot since he easily one scariest fighters on earth all though you could argue certain people are better and more skilled fighters but Jason used his powerful build with all skills he's learned over the years let's Damian a certain respect for him

Honorable mentions

Talia al-ghul / Ra's al ghul

Are terrified of Jason if he finds out how much of the truth they manipulated so he could attack Bruce because if Batman needs back up then so they

Short king dick au

That's his baby brother godamit he doesn't care what others think

Justice league

What do you mean a human is justice league level threat Bruce what do you mean he has access to almost all of your contingencies what do you mean you can't track him Bruce what do you mean he rules most Gothams crime bruce answer us bruce

[zeynyukine3011]

how would damijon first kiss go in your head?

After years of being best friends, they start to pine for each other. It shows from their longing looks, Soft touches, kind words and vulnerable moments... But they never say anything. Neither of them make a move.

But then Damian gets hurt, very bad. And Jon, seeing him covered in bandages, lying unconscious on a hospital bed, snaps. He reliases that with the life they are living, he can lose Damian so easily. He is scared. As Damian is a mere human, fragile and vulnerable. He can die and never come back. And Jon doesn't want to live in regret.

After Damian recovers, Jon makes the first move. He tells Damian that he loves him. Jon tells him that he wants Damian to be his, and he want to be Damian's. Jon tells him he want to marry Damian and live the rest of their life together and happy.

Damian smiles warmly. And maybe cries a little. He accepts gladly. For his beloved could finally be with him.

Jon wraps his arms around Damian's waist as Damian wraps his arms around his Kryptonian's neck. They kiss.

It's soft, a little clumsy, but full of love and passion.

It is a new page in their story. A story that has a happy ending.

[moider-time]

Trans Bruce Wayne? Male to female? Like she loves wearing Martha Wayne's dresses.

Anon you're speaking my language???

Bryce grew up watching her Mama get all dolled up for galas and always connected with that in a way that people say boys shouldn't. Listen Thomas and Martha were definitely the type of parents that didn't care abt gender norms and would let their kid dress however they want. Thomas probably rocked a few dresses in his time.

So Bryce tells them that she feels more like a girl than a boy? They're so accommodating. They get her whatever she needs. The surgery, the drugs, the clothes (but she prefers to wear Martha's too big dresses). Alfred switches from Young Master to Young Madam. It would hit even harder when Thomas and Martha die because those were two of the three people who truly understood her. And now they're gone.

After they die, people feel a bit more comfortable bringing up her 'changes' to her face. Alfred is right by her side but she did have some uncomfortable moments with people. Thomas and Martha definitely protected her from a lot of the media attention and stares.

She still becomes The Bat. I can see her going by Batman to protect her identity even more but also sticking with gender neutral The Bat. People can't tell if The Bat is man or woman which elevates the cryptid vibe she's going for.

The day Martha's dresses fit her perfectly is a bittersweet day. All Bryce has ever wanted is to wear her Mama's dresses properly and now that she can, her Mama isn't there anymore. She sobs into Alfred's arms that day but after that, wears Martha's dresses with pride.

By the time she adopts Dick, she passes so well that he doesn't know she's trans. And it just kind of never comes up? He calls her Mama (which she cries at) or B and that's what all the other kids end up doing. There's some LoA magic/tech involved in Talia giving birth to Damian. He shows up at the manor and upon finding out that Batman is actually a woman, he's impressed.

They find out when the batfam decide to dye their suits for Gotham's Pride Parade and Bryce's suit is the trans flag and her cape is the demiromantic flag. There was a lot of screaming that day.

Jason tries but he just can't fight his Mama, no matter how angry he is at her for not killing the Joker. He spends some time away from the manor but after a lot of talks, screaming, tears and hugs, he comes around. He is also very protective over his Mama, I won't accept otherwise (they all are tbh)

Also let her be tiny?? 5'2, buff Bryce Wayne picking her 6ft+ sons up easily. A tabloid got a picture of Bryce holding Dick up after an attack at the museum by The Riddler. She's in a pretty floral dress, with pink pumps and soot all over her face and her muscled arms covered in blood and scratches. The internet went insane.

Bryce Wayne: *exists*

Gothamites: mommy- sorry mommy- i mean mommy-

Also rip the batkids cause Bryce mothers all their friends too. Shit hits the fan when Jason nearly strangles Garfield cause Bryce gave him a forehead kiss to check if he had a fever.

[greelmonte]

I wanna talk about the dynamics in the batfamily, but not actually the dynamic in its own, but the way the members of the batfamily acts towards it.

Tim and Damian are the most aware of the existence of a dynamic within the family. Dick's also very conscious of it, but he prefers to ignore its existence, tries to step outside the box and encourage others to do so while pretending that there is no such thing as a family dynamic.

Tim's very aware of the dynamic, and at first he tried to get out of it, but eventually he gave up, resigning himself to his role in the family. Sometimes he gets fed up with it and tries to get out of it, but he does it by trying to get away from the family, like going with the Titans or just his friends, over time also with Bernard or by moving out. Damian, on the other hand, was very aware of the dynamic and his existence since he arrived in the family, and at the beginning he followed his role without hesitation, believing that it was what he should do and that way he would fit in. But I feel like as he grew up and started creating his own sense of identity (probably since post-Lazarus Island) He began to try to break off of his role and get out of the dynamic, which I think is one of the things why he clashes so much with Tim, not believing that Tim (from whom he least expected it) would surrender to his role so easily (it wasn't actually easily, and Tim still has problems with it). But unlike Dick, Damian tries to break down the dynamic by pointing it out and acknowledging that it is there, highlighting that it as a problem.

Jason, for his part, I think he is aware that there is a dynamic, but he is completely unaware of the real one. He believes in a dynamic where he is the 'bad one' or the 'black sheep' and completely loses the true dynamic that affects the family by believing in a reality where he is the villan, but not because he thinks to be the victim or because he wants to blame the others, but because he honestly thinks that it's like that.

But the worst of all is Bruce, who dispite everything, is unaware that there is a dynamic at all and completely denies the existence of such a thing, even though without knowing he is the main cause of it. But not because he's a bad father, I completely believe that Bruce is a loving father (leaving certain comics aside) but more because he simply cannot accept the idea that it's that way and prefers not to acknowledge it at all. Come on, he's a denier, which bothers Damian a lot, since when he points out the dynamic directly to Bruce and brings it to his attention, Bruce completely dismisses it without missing a beat, which is really frustrating for him. This it's also the reason why Tim has resigned himself to his role, he has tried, like Damian, to confront him, but seeing that it had no point with Bruce, he decided that it wasn't worth it.

Duke's not very aware of the dynamic, mostly because he is the most recent addition to the family, he's still not completely up to speed with it. I think he knows it exists, he just hasn't quite figured out how it plays out and works yet, but he'll get there at some point.

Steph knows about its existence and is the one who refuses the most to play along with the dynamic, she completely refuses to participate in it, because she would never allow someone to tell her what to do or act within a role. She is the bravest when it comes to stepping out of her role and pointing out everything wrong with it, and has even confronted Bruce about it, although it didn't help much, but at least she's independent.

Cass is the only one who managed to completely get out of the dynamic and her role in the family, although she did it unconsciously, she is not aware of a dynamic in the family, nor does she recognize it, since she was able to snap out of it before she could even notice it. Her role changed over time, and she is now able to control it, even without realizing it.

Barbara doesn't have a role, nor is she part of the family dynamic, but she knows of his existence, and she is the one who tries to convince Dick to stop pretending that it isn't real, trying to get him to acknowledge its existence, telling him that pretending that nothing is happening isn't going to change anything.

[beybladefanboy]

Updated MFB Characters Tier List!

Check below the cut for extended thoughts on every character. Just a fair warning it's REALLY LONG. Like 12 pages of a Google doc long.

I know this tier list doesn't have Shogun Steel like the old one (which I couldn't find this time sorry) did but honestly, it's been so long I don't have much of an opinion on Shogun Steel or its characters anymore. I'd have to rewatch it to know how I feel about them now.

Hate: Ryo

Four years and multiple rewatches later, this remains unchanged. Ryo's a bad father, a bad plot twist, the worst part of Metal Fusion and a big detriment of Metal Masters. I hate his story and how much the narrative straight up justifies child abuse and when he's not problematic, he's annoying.

Painfully Boring: Pluto, Rago

I discussed the latter two in a recent post but Pluto and Rago are the most boring villains in the series. Hardly anything stands out about them and they could've easily been consolidated into one character. I don't hate them but the characters in the dislike tier are at least memorable to me, hence why I dislike them more than the ones in that tier.

Dislike: Motti, Sora, Busujima, Chi-Yun, the Garcias

Motti makes me uncomfortable. it's not the character's fault, it's the writers' but still. I don't like watching her or her interactions with Johannes. Sora I honestly just find annoying. I like the idea behind him, of a kid for Kenta to mentor but his personality and voice are annoying to me. Busujima is just a one note douche, not interesting in any way. Chi-Yun again I just find really annoying. He's such a snide unsportsmanlike jackass to literally everyone in Masters and Fury and I don't feel like he gets any comeuppance for it. The Garcias meanwhile are just such painful missed potential. I dislike them all equally for this same reason. There was an interesting idea in Fury of them falling out and they just. Did nothing with it and made it a fakeout. They're very static in a frustrating way. But Argo's bey is kinda cool so at least there's has that.

Conflicted: Masamune, Chao Xin, Doji

All three of these can pretty much be boiled down to "I like them in one season and dislike them in another." Masamune is extremely irritating to me for most of Masters, with his development going in circles until the American arc, where I do actually find his conflict with Zeo to be engaging. And then in Fury I mostly like him. He has his annoying moments but I like his friendship with King and his arc of accepting that he's not a legendary blader. Good stuff.

Chao Xin is similar. I hated him at first but he becomes much more tolerable when they scale back his womanizer attitude and mostly have him play off of Mei Mei as sort of an exasperated older brother figure. Seriously, those moments gave me some of the biggest laughs on my recent Masters rewatch. I have way underrated that dynamic in the past but I love it now.

And then there's Doji... I think throughout all of Fusion he is a "love to hate" sort of character for me. He's a manipulative sociopath who moves the plot along and affects other characters well. And then Fury brought him back... knowing that Doji was even more recurring in the manga does make this make more sense but it it still feels pointless, though not obnoxious. It's his inclusion in Shogun Steel that I feel really diluted his character and made me sick of him.

No Feelings: Nowaguma, Anton, Jigsaw, the Kumade brothers, team Desert Blaze, team Chandora, Faust, movie villain (forgot his name), Rago's boring henchmen

This is self explanatory I think. None of these characters appear enough or are enough for me to care about them one way or another. The two teams from Masters especially feel like throwaway characters just there to fill space. Prolly could've been more but it doesn't anger me that they're not.

Kinda Like: Damian, Ziggurat, Mei-Mei, Aleksei, Dan & Reiki, Bao, Hokuto

Yeahhhh I kinda like Masters. Damian still feels like a less interesting version of Reiji to me but he's different enough that I wouldn't consider him a rip off and he's still engaging. I mean come on, he drags bladers into Hell. That's just cool. Ziggurat also kinda just feels like Doji again but again different enough and was never diluted at any point so ya know. He's a "love to hate" kind of character. Mei-Mei I mostly like for her silly dynamic with Chao Xin. Still wish she was treated better though jeez. Aleksei I honestly just remember as Madoka's silly crush but ya know. That's funny. And his story is mildly engaging. Not the most interesting part of Masters but oh well. Dan and Reiki are cool conceptually and good opponents for Kenta in that one episode but don't do much outside of that. Bao gets nothing compared to Aguma but again, still mildly engaging. And Hokuto is just funny. Not terrible interesting but funny enough for me to like.

Like: Aguma, Tobio, Nile, Sophie, Wales, Klaus, Hyoma, Helios, Gingka, Ryuto, Demure, Toby, Lera

Going roughly in ascending order from this point on. I enjoy Lera's spunky confident attitude and wish we'd gotten more of her. Her using her special move in Fury was the coolest thing anyone on the Russian team ever did, don't @ me. Toby is... more a plot point than a character in Masters but I still like said story and his attitude, especially in Fury. Ryuto and Demure I don't have much to say about: I just think they're cool. Ryuto for more laidback scoundrel attitude and Demure being skilled for something other than brute strength, both of which are nice changes of pace.

Gingka has problems a lot of anime protagonists have but I think they let him lose just enough to keep him balanced and make the story interesting. Plus he's just such a dorky little creature I can't bring myself to dislike him pretty much at all. I also like how he starts as someone Kenta idolizes only for Kenta to later realize that Gingka is just a kid like him. That's a nice arc.

Helios is pretty much the reason I ever rewatch the MFB movie. I like fire boys and redemption arcs what can I say? Hyoma DESERVED BETTER. He's weird and funny and I like his dynamics with Gingka, Kenta, and Kyoya. Klaus is just kinda neat and I enjoy his battles. Not much to say. Sophie and Wales I wish we spent more time individually but they're still neat. They're like a perfected version of what Dan and Reiki were going for. Nile I appreciate for telling Masamune to shut the fuck up. And playing off Kyoya well. He's a more level-headed guy for him to bond with and that's fun. Tobio is really cool conceptually but gets overshadowed by other DN members for me.

And finally Aguma. I like his story more than his personality if I'm being honest. Yeah, I find the two schools plot interesting, dammit! Also Aguma plays off characters like King and Tithi and even Dynamis well and I wish we saw more of it.

Really Like: Tithi, Zeo, Madoka, Daxiang, Benkei, Dynamis, Yu

Tithi is another silly little guy that I simply enjoy, especially in his battle against Aguma. Maybe could've done with more screentime (especially for the dynamic between him and Dynamis that should have been) but what we get is still good. Zeo is reason number 1 Masamune became a good character. I love their conflict in Masters and while Zeo is way out of line and definitely in the wrong, it's easy to still feel bad for him and get where he's coming from.

Madoka is the backbone of this entire show. She's fantastic and deserves more respect. Daxiang has one of the best glow ups in the entire show. I love his arc of getting back up to lead his group and the way it ties in with Julian's arc and goddammit he's just damn cool. I did not expect him to defeat Julian when I saw that battle as a kid but I'm so glad he did. It's a great battle, and honestly underrated from what I can tell.

Benkei is a silly guy and I love him. I love his early redemption arc and his friendship with Kenta and Kyoya and yet again, his battle with Kyoya in Battle Bladers is peak and WAYYYY underrated. That said, Benkei does peak in Fusion. That's where he got all his compelling development and afterwards... he's just kinda there. Still being fun but not interesting admittedly. It disappoints but doesn't surprise me that he fell from relevance a bit.

Dynamis is... maybe a ridiculous character to put so high but I just think he's cool. His bey might be one of my favourites in the show and he's the chad that said destiny is a choice. Based as hell. And finally Yu. Yet another just silly lil guy who is also one of the biggest menaces known to the series. Like Benkei, he's at his peak in Fusion but unlike Benkei, I found Yu's involvement in Masters and Fury more substantial, even if he's in way less of Fury than Benkei. He just plays off the characters, especially Tsubasa and Tithi, so well it doesn't matter much to me. He's a fun addition to any episode he's in dangit.

Love: Julian, Tetsuya, Johannes, Yuki, Ryutaro, Hikaru, Teru, Chris, Tsubasa

Top 15 let's go! Julian is a character whose story I relate to immensely, as a former gifted kid who still struggles to cope with failure, and as previously discussed, his battle with Daxiang is peak. The only thing keeping him so low is the fact that I kinda hate what his bey did to the lore of this series. It's a neat bey with cool symbolism but dammit the left rotation makes me angry.

Tetsuya and Johannes are both just hilarious to me, no notes. Johannes being surprisingly competent as a henchman (carrying way too much Fury's villainous edge on his back) and being associated with cats is the only thing boosting him up a little higher.

Yuki is relatable to me as someone with anxiety issues. It's mostly just shown in one episode but it's one great episode. I also love how, similar to Demure, Yuki is strong, a legendary blader in fact, but not for brute strength. It's his precision and strategy and ability to bring people together that gives him strength and dangit I just love that and can't stand when people call him the weakest legendary blader just because he doesn't have as much physical strength. That's not the only thing that matters in a bey battle or otherwise, dangit.

Ryutaro I'll admit I mostly love because of The Deck is Stacked, aka: the most underrated episode in the entire series. His story, of having no hope but having to fight anyways to live just a little longer, is primarily just in this one episode but it's damn engaging. Also his whole fortunetelling gimmick and causing illusions in battle by manipulating the air flow and density is damn cool.

Hikaru I'll admit is tricky. In a bubble, I like her arc a ton. I like how throughout Fusion, she was only beyblading for her dead mother's dream and struggled to really have fun with it when she wasn't winning. I like how after Battle Bladers, she decided to take a step away from beyblade for the sake of her mental health. That's really mature and different for a story like this and should be encouraged more in just. General society. And her reaction to the trauma Ryuga inflicted on her is so painfully realistic it gets to me every time. I will concede though that this arc, while really good, being given to the only female blader who battled in Fusion is... not great. On its own though, I still like Hikaru's story and character. She serves as a reminder to myself that sometimes, perseverance isn't the only option and it's okay to step away from something that's hurting me if I need to. Yeah... we're getting to the point where I might start to sound cheesy or preachy because a lot of these characters mean a lot to me personally. In fact, I think I just talked myself into ranking Hikaru higher. In the middle of writing this. DAMMIT.

Teru is definitely the character with the least screentime that I put this high, having only one episode where he has a major battle as opposed to Ryutaro's two (three if you count Ryuga). However, that episode is undeniably one of my favourites in the entire series. Like Hikaru, Teru's story is one that is so powerful and stuck out to me so much throughout my life that it serves as a reminder to myself: that even if I fail or am unable to continue something I love, I can get back up and even when I least expect it, find that spark again. It's cheesy but genuinely inspiring to me. Not to mention him being a male ballerina. Absolutely fabulous and yet another reminder to myself as a trans man that I don't have to fit into society's boxes of what defines a man to still be a man. Absolutely incredible character.

I think it’s safe to say that I am quite possibly the biggest fan of Chris on this Earth. I just don't see anyone else talk about this guy or again, how relatable his story is. Or at least, when I watch Fury, I see myself in Chris. I see this guy burnt out by his obligations that he struggles to have fun with anything or make connections. This guy that puts on a mask of "completely fine with doing anything asked of him" for the people around him and just wants to get by, passionless, direction-less, unwilling to let himself feel truly passionate lest he be let down again. It's an arc that I didn't get until I got older and now that I do, it hits me hard and I think they devote just enough time to it. I do wish we'd seen more of him after his battle with Gingka because his simultaneously snarky and socially awkward personality is one I honestly find really appealing and had a blast writing back in the day. That's really my only complaint with Chris: I wish we got more of him, which isn't really a bad thing.

And finally Tsubasa. I've ranked him higher in the past and while I do still love him, he absolutely peaks in one particular season and while still engaging in the other two, is a tad vanilla. The mystery of his allegiances in Fusion is a fun one and I love his battle with Ryuga (and what it sets up) and while he's far less prominent or deep in Fury, his unique cool-headed personality is still intact and engaging. Buuuuut yeah. It's Masters where Tsubasa really shines. The Dark Tsubasa arc is the best take on this sort of “dark possession” story I've ever seen and one of the greatest character arcs in the entire series, if not the best. It's tense, it's interesting, it tugs at all my emotions in just the right way and it is resolved perfectly. The darkness remains a part of Tsubasa, because everyone has darkness in them but everyone has light as well and I just find that to be way more thematically rich and engaging than him simply driving the dark self out of himself like say Marik in Yugioh Duel Monsters did. Tsubasa’s arc is the most engaging part of Masters and a story and character that stick with me for all the right reasons.

Favourites: Jack, King, Reiji, Kyoya, Kenta, Ryuga

Top six time woohoo! I didn't intend this, but the top three are in every season and the three below that are mostly prominent in one of each season, starting with the Masters one: Jack. Silly artsy peacock boy really should not be this high but goddammit he's so entertaining. His bey is beautiful, his battling style is unhinged in the most memorable, hilarious way possible, the fact that like Teru, he's another male character with “feminine” traits that I, a trans man, can find comfort in. He's just so funny and fabulous and also kind of pathetic and I am obsessed with that. Also I appreciate the small but meaningful return he has in Fury where he finally got off the drugs- I mean, stop taking arrangements. Great character.

And the best character exclusive to my favourite season Fury is none other than KING. Yeah, that's not a shock if you know me. I wouldn't ship Ryuga with just anyone but even prior to that, I've just always loved King's positive attitude. He's very confident in himself but shows his opponents as much respect as they give him and is just so happy and grateful to be battling and that ties in so well with his little backstory. King is, personality-wise, what I want to be. Confident in myself, grateful for what I have, easily able to make friends… And also on my most recent viewing I realised it is incredibly easy to read him as trans masc coded and that's fun. 10/10. Love a guy with blue hair and pronouns.

And finally the best character who only appeared in Fusion: Reiji Mizuchi. My opinions have… shifted on him over the years to say the least. Now that I’m over all the past grief I have with this character, goddamn do I fully appreciate how hard they went on this antagonist. He is, I guess, a one note psycho but it’s the extent of his sadism that makes him so memorable and intimidating. It’s something no other character in the show does as effectively as him in my opinion. Characters like Tetsuya, Selen, or Johannes who don’t play fair, more so use trickery to distract their opponent or trick them into battle conditions that put them at a disadvantage. Reiji though is a whole other beast. He’s flat out torturing his opponents, forcing them to watch helplessly as he cuts their beys to pieces, because he knows no one outside the battle can stop him. He’s scarily perceptive of Kenta in particular, being able to use the kid’s insecurities against him to torment him and get the upper hand in battle. Reiji is a character who is meant to be hated and it’s that hatred of his actions that makes his battles so engaging to watch. He’s someone whose actions are so horrible it makes you hate the Dark Nebula and want to see them defeated even more. I cannot imagine Battle Bladers without Reiji. And this isn’t even getting into how fascinating it is for me to analyse the deeper implications with his character: the fact that Reiji seems to believe that his viewpoint of “beyblade is for destruction” extends to himself as well. He never once states himself as an exception. So if his opponent isn’t the one being destroyed, he is, an implication that I feel is made very clear by his breakdowns when Kenta and later Gingka gain the upper hand on him. Reij is a brainwashed pawn of the Dark Nebula, it’s something that’s backed up well enough for me to consider it true in universe and not just a headcanon. And what Reiji’s presence as this brainwashed pawn who behaves as a destructive one-note sadist (in his mind to protect himself from being destroyed) says about the Dark Nebula and Doji give this show an extra layer of darkness and intrigue that I wish they’d gone even further with but what we get is fascinatingly twisted. Reiji will now always be a tragic character to me. And one I’m probably more invested in than the writers of the show. The only thing keeping Reiji out of the top three is a lack of screentime, which is more of a missed opportunity than a detriment but still a disappointment to me personally.

And now for the top three. Kyoya is a tricky one for me. I really REALLY love him in Fusion and Masters. I think screentime-wise, he did peak in Fusion but Masters still continues his character development really well. You can see how he's matured from the events of Fusion but still retains that core “Kyoya”-ness I love so much. He’s still incredibly arrogant and willing to do batshit insane things in the name of defeating Gingka but he’s much more gracious in accepting loss and has become a better leader for his new team, Team Wild Fang, which all play off him in fun ways. Kyoya is less funny in Masters, sure, which I think does make me prefer him in Fusion by a slight margin but he’s still great in Masters, keeping his core personality while still balancing that with subtle but engaging character development. And then Fury happened… listen, I'm not gonna go into this here since I have so many times in the past and since he's in my top three and Fury is my favorite season, it's obviously not a deal breaker for me but Kyoya feels so off for a little but still just enough of his screentime in Fury to bother me. Still, the moments where he is still a really good character in Fury are there. His overinflated ego during his battle with Ryuga on the volcano feels like a mistake Kyoya would make and seeing him grow from it in the following episodes was a nice character arc. I also still enjoy the other major battles he got, most notably Johannes, Aguma, and Dynamis, Kyoya’s battles are something that are consistently kept fun and more insane across all three seasons which I love (except the Tithi battle). And finally, Kyoya's speech to Gingka during the final battle is genuinely touching and a nice way to wrap up his character for the season. The speech for me does ultimately forgive his selfish actions earlier in the season and so, while I have my problems with Kyoya in Fury and he still doesn't feel entirely congruent with how he was written in Fusion and Masters, I would still consider Kyoya in Fury a good character for the most part. So while he's clearly at his weakest in Fury, I still love Kyoya overall and within Fusion and Masters, he has some of my favourite episodes across all three seasons. He's a great character. His arrogance is often funny as hell, his character arc over the course of the series is engaging, I love how he never gives up no matter how impossible the odds, I love that he can be easily read as trans masc, he's just wonderful.

Second place! Kenta! Yeah, probably not all that surprising that I still love my Beyblade son. He’s just such a consistent source of positivity in the show. He’s the first character we meet, he has the cutest friendships with just everyone he meets. Ryuga instantly comes to mind as someone who’s made a better person just thanks to Kenta’s presence in his life but there’s also Gingka, Benkei, and Yu, whose character arcs all involved Kenta in some way. Not to mention that Kenta is debatably the character that grows the most as a blader throughout the series. He starts off as a novice but by the end, being respected by the strongest blader of all time, Ryuga and evolving into a Legendary Blader and one of the heroes that saved the world. It’s just satisfying to see that journey, even if Masters hardly contributed to said journey at all. Still, he’s a great character, and the odds are against him more than just about anyone, which for me, just makes him more engaging to watch.

Do I even need to explain my number 1 pick? Not only has Ryuga been my favourite character for four years straight now but he’s nearly everyone’s favourite character. Everyone agrees that he’s a total badass, the best villain in the show, hilariously over the top in Fusion, still amazing as an anti-hero in Masters and… actually I’ve seen some mixed thoughts on his character in Fury but unlike Kyoya, I actually think Ryuga still felt consistent in Fury. Yeah, I think Ryuga was being a hypocrite in Masters. A fascinating badass hilarious hypocrite but still a hypocrite who was still just as susceptible to being blinded by a thirst for power as Team Starbreaker, who he hated so much in Masters predominantly due to the association with Doji. To be honest, I think Ryuga peaks in Fury. Unlike some other characters who peak in one season or have one season where they get less screen time or feel off somehow, Ryuga starts off amazing in Fusion and only gets better throughout every season. His speech about how he overcame the dark power in Masters, how he concluded that because it was a problem created by humans it could be overcome by a human, was the moment where it really clicked for me that Ryuga is something special. He’s not just physically strong: he has the “never give up” mindset that many of these bladers have cranked up to 11, as well as the ability to admit to his mistakes and work to overcome them. And that’s genuinely admirable, the most admirable to me out of all the characters in this show. I wish I had even a bit of Ryuga's confidence. And I think the fact that Fury shows he’s not infallible and is capable of making similar mistakes is a good way of showing that progress is not linear and gives him more depth. And. God. Everything with him and Kenta still gives me the feels. The way their friendship develops is subtle but it's honestly sweet and the payoff is legendary. I CANNOT get through those episodes of Ryuga dying then giving the last of his power to Kenta without crying my eyes out. I wasn't exaggerating about my most recent viewing of those episodes making me cry so hard I got dehydrated. If that ain't the mark of an amazing character I don't know what is. Ryuga's still alive in my heart, dammit. And also the fanfic series I wrote a few years ago now. Those aren't factored into this ranking obviously, I just bring them up to make a point of how much I love Ryuga.

[auberge13]

These two moments are taken from the conversations Jon has with each of his parents before joining the Legion of Superheroes. There is one particularly interesting difference between how Lois and Clark each view the decision.

(Lois Lane 2019 issue #4 and Superman 2018 issue #16)

"doesn't leave you much of a choice, does it?" vs. "I am jealous of... the choices in front of you"

Now, if you're like me, this is the kind of thing that makes you very excited about characterization and storytelling so let's get into it.

Clark is a character who never really felt like being good was a choice that needed to be made. He was raised to be good by Ma and Pa and he is so inherently good that he can't imagine being anything else, let alone choosing to be anything else. Meanwhile, Lois intimately understands that being good is a choice that you have to make over and over again, even when it's hard. Doing good the way she does is constantly challenged, particularly by her father. Her choice to do good costs her that relationship with him, and she isn't able to fully reconcile with him before his death, which is explored intimately in this book (read Lois Lane).

As my friend @fae-morrigan put it while we were discussing this, "I feel you could easily read it in a way where Clark is jealous that Jon's been shown he could be Other Than Good and make an informed choice about Being Good. Where Lois knows that choosing to be good often comes at the expense of other good things (in her case, her relationship with her father)"

There's a key moment in the issue after the above screenshot that really showcases this.

(Lois Lane 2019 issue #5)

It's important to acknowledge that there is no part of Clark that would choose not to be Superman. They're the same guy. Clark would do good anyway in whatever capacity he could, he just happens to have a really large capacity. When he says he is jealous of the choices in front of Jon, it is less about doing or not doing good, but rather about how he's going to do it.

(Superman 2024 issue #1)

My friend @ultfreakme explained this really well. "comparing LOSH to college works like that because Jon's going to college (learning to be a hero), but he gets to pick from a million different majors and fuck around for a bit with a support system to fall back on if he fails. Clark went from high school (regular dude) and straight into a job (being a hero) with no ability to like....try something different."

So that's what we can learn about Lois and Clark from this, but what about Jon? The comics do a really cool thing where they break up Jon's complex thoughts about this choice into multiple conversations with different people. With Lois, Jon expresses the sense of obligation he feels. With Damian, he's able to share his hesitance, even telling him that he doesn't think he wants to accept the invitation at first. Finally, with Clark and Imra, he's able to feel his excitement about this new step in his life. It is all very college! I felt all of these things before I left too! But beyond that, this is also a great example of the way Jon will compartmentalize his issues and limit his vulnerability depending on who he's talking to. He has a tendency to minimize his own feelings in order to make other people more comfortable, which you can really see in the different things he's willing to express with each person.

Anyway, I think there's more to be said here and I'd love to hear what other people think about these moments, but I'll call it here. Moral of the story, read Lois Lane 2019 and then create something for the Jon Kent Week Mama's boy prompt- the Jon and Lois in that book are top tier. Also, if you've gotten this far you clearly like this kind of analysis so here's my post about why they aged up Jon. When I posted it Tumblr had put me in jail and turned me into a robot (wow Absolute Power is so immersive!) so it didn't show up in the tag. Sorry for the plug but I'm a little bitter about it lol.