#dick fucking HATED selina and talia from the get go

[christopher-bryant]

Nothing bothers me more than fans swapping their personalities. Jason is this calm, centered and surprisingly friendly nerd and Dick is the angry, zero patience anti social one. People seem to think that Dick is just the happy one full of quips and Jason is a menace but like...for the love of god read ANY issue of any run and you'll see page after page of Jason saying the dorkiest lines and Dick saying the bitchiest remarks often unprompted.

"Jason Todd was a menace of a Robin"

WRONG Jason Todd was a sweet lil lad who liked to read fucking Shakespear

DICK GRAYSON WAS 11 YEARS OLD AND LOOKING FOR HIS PARENTS KILLER TO MURDER

He also beat Joker to death after Jason died, Dick is probably the most angry Robin to ever traffic light his way through Gotham.

[hana-no-seiiki]

Good news. Did some decent progress on What’s Up Danger so you guys will finally get fed this Wednesday! Bad news, the quality might not be the best since I’m fasting while writing it oTL

Anyways, here are some Batfam w/ Cat Villain! Reader moments/snippets.

TW YANDERE AND MENTION OF NONCON/SOMNO

Both Jason and Reader’s first words to each other were, “What the fuck.”

Reader referring to Jason being a giant, and violent asf esp in comparison to Dick. While Jason was confused at his heart beating so fast and mildly crushing on you while you were fighting.

Bonus points: You guys did the spiderman point meme.

You have the biggest age gap with Dick. I headcannon the boys to be close in age so there wouldn’t be any not so good implications when it comes to relationships, but it’s almost unavoidable unless Batman switches sidekicks every year or so. (You are younger than Jason but older than Tim)

But that is also another reason why you two didn’t click as well as you did with Jason

You’d often make jokes or use slang and Dick would just be “???” He tried his best though.

On the reverse side of things, and like I mention before Tim and you got along too well as friends. He’s one of the few people you could gush to about literally any fandom and he somehow (through stalking your searches and literally every gadget/appliance you owned) knew everything about it already.

You two have written several theses on fellow vigilantes and villains (mostly ‘dumb’ ones like who has the best cake based on so and so criteria)

Damian is the best when it comes to bantering with you mid-fight. It’s the combined years of sass and assassin training. Went from plain insults to whole ass (not so) subtly being horny when you beat each other down.

He’s also the worst (best?) when it comes to your nicknames. He insists that you two use it on each other. Some exclusive while others he’s usually fine hearing from other mouths.

There was one point in time where you were called Kitten while the boys forced/bribed you to call them Daddy

Tim and Jason have tattoos of you/related to you.

For Jason it’s your name with a few paw prints, and for Tim it’s when he first fought you (and got his ass whooped)

After Jason came back and revealed himself to you, he tattooed the scratch marks you left him on his back after doing the deed.

Damian secretly practices doing henna so he can draw on you during your “wedding” since he doesn’t want anyone touching you. Sort of defeats the purpose, but go off king.

Being the thorough guy he is, he uses lab equipment to make his own blends.

Bruce? Bruce hates your ass. Sometimes it’s in a hatefuckey way but most of the time he blames you for corrupting his kids.

So he corrupted you in turn.

I feel like he gets off to cucking them honestly (blame that one comic) but if Reader is AFAB I wouldn’t be surprised if he impregnated them.

He’s a softie at heart when it comes to you though, courtesy of your similarities with Selina.

Speaking of, Talia adores you.

Like if there was anyone she would want with her son it was you.

She thinks the fact that you haven’t been put behind bars is a testament to your skill, and after getting over your similarity to her “rival in love” she would actively get you to be with her son.

Eventually she realizes she loves you more than Bruce and well, that’s a story for another fic.

You have at least a dozen trackers on you at all times.

Most of them you’ve ingested and pooped out.

It’s mostly Tim of course. But the duty of actually feeding you that stuff usually goes to Dick.

Dick has uh- somnophillia’ed you a fair bit after the break up.

He really, and I mean really likes to watch you sleep.

It reminds him of those ‘catnaps’ you’d take while watching over the Titans.

There would be times where he’d just be in a daze/in autopilot for hours reminiscing about your past together

His favorite memories to go back to were your first fight together, first kiss, and times under the sheets, and a date you guys had before in a festival/circus.

He never takes the antidote for Poison Ivy’s sex pollen and always comes to you for it, regardless of his or your relationship status.

Tim has at least a million typewritten chats with AI you, and around a few hundred hours of voice chats.

You did eventually take his virginity.

He came as soon as he was inside you/you were inside him.

You have been offered to be a part of the bat crew or a vigilante. But,

you massacred many after Jason’s supposed death and feel too guilty to call yourself anything other than a villain.

Chokers with bells. It’s a popular gift to give you. Especially ones that are custom made with expensive ass materials and engraving.

Sometimes Tim just gives you weapons.

Alfred is your best source of blackmail material.

You’ve actively tried cursing him (with immortality). You love the man.

He’s secretly the president of your official fanclub/fansite but you didn’t hear that from me.

You fight a lot with Damian’s pets. Like in a way that you turn into a literal cat and hiss at them.

And last but not least, you’re vv close with every member of the Teen Titans (besties with Rachel and Garfield)

NOT PROOFREAD!!!

@sophiethewitch1

[tumblingxelian]

For the Salty Ask, any fandom:

#1 What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

#6 Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*

#11 Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

(Smashes a glass bottle on my face) Let's fucking do this!

#1 What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

Gosh there are too many to list in a single post, and a few may get me targeted assassins XD

I'm quite lukewarm on Rei & Mina from Sailor Moon, maybe reflecting that I wasn't super into the manga & only watched some of the live action stuff but still.

Reylo, obviously. Other Star Wars would be Obi-Wan/anyone really, and also the fact people actually treat Anakin and Padme as romantic or like they could have a functional relationship scares me.

If we do a quick drive-by on ATLA, I really don't get why Azula & Aang became so popular, or Zuko & Katara. Or more, the best explanations I have for them still leave me going :/ at best. So there's that.

In Warcraft we have Thrall & Jaina, which is just 100% a case of, "Wow, they sure are standing next to each other" as far as ships go. Also for WOW is Jaina & Sylvanas, I only get it aesthetically, kinda.

Felix & Kagami from ML has me like ???? I didn't watch past S3 though so ??? Also that people treat Gabirel & Emile or Gabriel & Nathalie as like.. healthy is just... What!? I get the ships, I don't get the fanon spin on them.

In Dragon Ball, this one also draws targeting fire, but I never really got Vegeta & Bulma, which is canon I know, but still. A fling is one thing but an actual relationship just leaves me head-scratching. Also not sure if this is still the case, but I recall Gohan & Piccolo as being weirdly popular back in the olden days, and like, what!?

In DC, oh boy, gonna piss some people off with this one, but:

Bruce & any long term relationship, I don't care if its Selina, Talia, Clark, or Diana, or Harvey. This is not a man who can commit to another human being, because he's committed himself to staling the utterly uninterested Gotham City. Anything claiming otherwise is positively incomprehensible to me.

Also I don't grasp why Dick & Babs is so popular, or Tim & Steph, or Tim & Jason. The former has some history, but it so often feels like crow-barring two former high school crushes who have moved on together against their will. The latter is just like,... No, just no.

Within RWBY, if we are strictly going by popular pairs then I really don't get Weiss & Jaune, or Ruby & Jaune. I'm not even talking about like, V2 behavior or whatever, they've all grown, but I don't see how they've grown in a way that leads to these being popular ships. I had a similar stance on Blake & Sun when it was a major player; like attraction can be there without me thinking it works as a ship.

Also Ironwood & Glynda is just like... She could not be more utterly not into him if she tried, why are you people forcing it? Same with Winter & Qrow, their dynamic doesn't even have a fun rivals to lovers vibe to it.

Also as I believe you mentioned but Oscar & Ruby doesn't click with me. Again, I can sort of follow the logic, but I always end up at, "Why is this what you want?" Because to get to it, at least when it comes to the more intense advocates, it usually involved ripping out all the interesting stuff from their dynamic and characters for hurt comfort fic material.

You're gonna kill me.

But I have similar feelings about Ruby & Penny. I can see it more than Oscar & Ruby, but at the same time I just... It doesn't click with me and most stuff I see of it removes all the interesting character drama and dynamics so I get bored outside of a purely aesthetic appreciation level.

#6 Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*

Sort of an interesting spin on this, I kind of tricked myself into enjoying a ship I previously didn't like through fandom.

Specifically when writing a Sailor Moon fanfic, I tweaked Usagi & Mamoru's dynamic to be a bit more like their mutual antagonism from the early anime, but cos both were on equal footing, I found their banter really enjoyable to write & started vibing with it.

There might be others but I am drawing a blank right now ><

#11 Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Yamcha.

Always Yamcha, forever Yamcha, my poor sweet victim of character desolation, Yamcha!

He's introduced in the comedic part of the series with this premise being that he's a powerful and dangerous bandit, who is chronically shy around girls and is deeply romantic, wanting a family.

He's shown to be a skilled fighter who developed powerful techniques on his own with zero training. He knows tons of martial arts lore, was a nice mix of sensible but brave and basically Goku's big brother.

But he kept getting used as the WORF and then after being killed via kamakaze after stepping up to protect his younger friend from such a fate, he is memed to death by the fandom. & is later characterized as a cheater despite having been nothing but loyal to Bulma across the series. Has his desire for a married life & family surgically removed & given to Krillin, & basically gets treated like trash for the rest of time.

Outside of DB...

Pretty much every character, creature or faction I find interesting in Warcraft is hated or regarded with indifference so that's fun XD

As to specific characters from other series:

Chloe of ML, people hating on an already hated in universe 14 year old whose neglectful, corrupt father left her to be raised by he staff in a room that makes a dentist surgery look homey & who otherwise only taught her the worst lessons imaginable. Along with an emotionally and verbally abusive mother & who was actively groomed by the main villain of the series who has known her since she was a child are just... For fucks sake she's 14.

Lila of ML, she's a messy, confusing ass character cos it seems the writers don't have a solid idea for her. But like, within the first three seasons at least, she's still a 14 year old who has two adults with cameras plated in her room manipulating and controlling her.

Azula of ATLA, another 14 year old who was treat like shit by the adults in her family. She's a weapon to her father, a monster by birth to her mother, "Crazy" to an allegedly kind old uncle who has killed infinitely more people than her & only felt bad when it impacted him. Seriously, fuck all those doing Azula hate. She's a better villain than Ozia, a more merciful and skilled general than Iroh, and seems to have at least some actual loyalty to her family unlike Ursa who only cared about Zuko.

Mai of ATLA, People hate her for her dead pan affect and the fact she's not cradling Zuko's sof lil baby head, and or between him & the ship for him they like. Fuck off again, Mai's fun.

Cinder of RWBY, villains are meant to do bad things. Villains like Cinder do not appreciate being blackmailed. Villains like Cinder don't appreciate people who know their secrets, like using the Lamp, being around to hold it over her head later. She's not stupid, some people just lack media literacy.

Harriet of RWBY, while I get that she's not super popular, I tend to find the level of vitriol she gets uncomfortable at best. Like, it often feels less like people not getting the characters role & more like, some people running will with the chance to be unrelentingly hostile towards a fictional black woman. Elm gets some of this but is more often forgotten.

Talia of DC, there is so much racism both in canon and fanon and its heartbreaking.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

The Badfamily

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/Ni4LknG by olailamajnoon I started writing this script fic in rehab; it was meant to be about "what if Batman was evil, but, like, still cared for his family" type thing. It helped me release my pent up "evil urges". The only people who beta-read it was my former friend, who realized just how fucked up I was after reading it, and dumped my ass. Now I get up screaming in the middle of the night, because I had a nightmare that I published this fic and was put in prison for writing it. Enjoy! Basically: Why does evil!Bruce/Batman always fall in love with either a child or a dead person? Bruce starts to question his sanity in therapy 30 years after losing his parents one dark night in an alley and turning into The Batman - Gotham's most notorious terrorist and supervillain. Together with his orphan sidekicks, he takes revenge on the city which ripped his parents from him. Features: Bad Justice League, Good Joker, and Bruce's undying love for his family. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED BY GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AND AWFUL, EVIL PROTAGONISTS WHOSE CRIMES GO UNPUNISHED. Comment if you hated this fic! Comment if you loved it! Comment if you feel both ways! Basically, comment! Words: 7778, Chapters: 1/4, Language: English Fandoms: DCU (Comics), Batman - All Media Types Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other Characters: Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Clark Kent, Diana (Wonder Woman), Lois Lane, Jon Kent, Hal Jordan, Oliver Queen, Dinah Lance, Starfire (Koriand'r) - Character, Roy Harper, Selina Kyle, Barbara Gordon, Jim Gordon, Joker (DCU), Arthur Curry, Barry Allen, Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Wally West Relationships: Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Joker (DCU)/Harleen Quinzel, Dick Grayson/Koriand'r Additional Tags: evil!Bruce, Bad Things Happen to Good People, Necrophilia, All Kinds of Tags, Do NOT Read if Triggered by Sexual Assault, Freeform, Play/Drama, Angst, Fluff, Hurt No Comfort read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/Ni4LknG

[man-bat-moved]

HI. PRAY TELL.... WITCHER AU??? 😳 i am listening.........

LMAO uhhhhhhh i started to answer this and then i accidentally talked to @boomtubes about the witcher au for half an hour

ANYWAYS its mostly just incoherent thoughts spawned by fun parallels between dc & the witcher. it all started with regis & clark and how they're both non-humans who care so so much about humanity and are nearly impossible to kill <3 the thinking has just spiraled out of control from there. so here's some of the incoherent thoughts because they are fun:

bruce becoming a witcher after his parents are murdered

all of the rest of the batfam haven't gone through any sort of mutagen stuff but have witcher training (ciri-style)

wanye manor castle becomes bruce's sorta-kinda witcher school. it is very cursed and haunted by everything that happened since being abandoned when bruce left to become a witcher. when bruce comes back after completing the trials its all full of monsters <3

alfred is either an old witcher who left the path and became a butler (and HIGHLY disapproved of bruce becoming a witcher), is just some guy, or has a weird thing going on like marlene from the blood & wine dlc (spoon alfred..............)

haly's circus was a group of elven performers so dick is an elf :)

ra's is a really fucking old sorcerer and talia is a sorceress <3

when jason dies bruce wonders for a long time if it wouldn't have happened if he gave the kids he trains mutagens...... jason is given mutagens after he is resurrected (that's how he gets the white streak).......... ough

clark is a higher vampire... im thinking he either was born on the vampire's homeworld and was yeeted into the kents' field as a baby during the conjunction of the spheres and they raised him OR he was born later and abandoned.

selina.....sorceress >:))))

ummm uhhh bruce and clark meet early on. like in bruce's first year on the path he goes to a town that's freaking out about vampires and in usual The Witcher fashion the monster isn't actually vampires BUT he meets clark who is also working on whatever the real problem is. they HATE each other but end up kinda sorta working together and bruce finally figures out/is told clark is a vampire just when they part ways. the next time they meet is like 5 years later lol

[bigskydreaming]

Here’s a thing:

I’ve seen a lot of Talia fans bothered by various posts about the Dick and Talia scene in Urban Legends, and like.....they’re absolutely right to be, IMO. I get it. I don’t blame them in the least and I’m not a fan of my own part in that.

So yeah...I don’t actually love the joke posts I made about the Dick and Talia thing the other night, or the atmosphere they’ve helped extend around that. They were just reactive shitposts I made in the moment without really thinking things through or how they’d be received or impact they could have. And not only are they not really representative of how I really see Dick and Talia’s dynamic, which DOES diverge significantly from a lot of greater fandom opinions on them....I also just shouldn’t have taken that Talia characterization at face value, and the whole thing (both the story and my own reaction to it) does a great disservice to her character and fans. After actually thinking about it a bit, like, that was A Mistake and one I’m not thrilled about and I can’t really walk it back but hopefully I can course correct a bit with some follow up.

The thing is, I don’t fuck with Morrison’s characterization of Talia, or Talia As Rapist, whatsoever. Hate it with a passion. But that doesn’t change the fact that it informs a lot of how she’s treated and talked about in both canon and fandom, and that awareness needs to be prioritized as a factor in convos about her. I don’t actually like emphasizing Dick and Talia at odds over Damian, as I think Damian has absolutely nothing to do with why they might not like each other. I’m firmly in the camp of Let Dick Be Damian’s Brother as opposed to seeing him as one of Damian’s parents, but I AM aware of how others view Dick and Talia as pitted against each other like rival parental figures where one is seen waaaaaaay more favorably than the other, and I really should have taken that into account before posting stuff that could easily feed into that regardless of whether or not that was my intent.

And above all else, there’s the fact that Talia has long been subjected to racist takes by both canon and fandom in ways that Dick absolutely has not. Even if like me you absolutely do view him and engage with his character as a character of color as well, this is not interchangeable with the way racism has factored into Talia’s writing and reception, and not factoring that in to how we talk about these characters or the dynamic we give them is a problem.

None of that was anywhere in anything I said on the topic the other day, and the jokes I contributed shouldn’t be more central to how Talia’s being talked about right now, than all of that instead.

So, here’s a better exploration of how I view Dick and Talia, or think they can be portrayed.

I do see Dick and Talia as mutually antagonistic but for reasons that have nothing to do with Damian. I think a lot of it is Dick’s fault, actually, and I do think there’s potential for humor in the idea that Dick’s attitude towards her is kinda childish and rooted in resentments he built up towards her as a kid, and that he’s never actually unpacked as he got older. But that only really works if its kept centered that he ISN’T rational about this and shouldn’t be validated for it.

This is as much headcanon as canon because I DON’T like the reasons canon has given for why Dick and Talia don’t get along. But I think that you could go with an angle that builds on Dick’s own insecurities and fears of impermanence about his living situation and relationship with Bruce, back when he was younger (assuming you’re interested in takes that build or assume a history of interactions that predate when they first met in pre-Reboot continuity, as Dick was already in college by then).

Point is, I think there’s angles from which Dick might have felt threatened by Talia’s presence in Bruce’s life in ways he never was by Selina’s, because Selina herself is rarely shown entertaining the idea of actually making her relationship with Bruce a cemented, permanent thing that WOULD affect Dick by extension. 

In contrast, Talia’s presence in Bruce’s life (pre-Morrison) came with more visible conflict for Bruce, because both Talia and Bruce could more obviously be seen as struggling with the desire to turn their back on their respective beliefs/methodologies in order TO be with the other.

(After all, in the original story in which Bruce and Talia had a child, this was literally what happened.)

So, in any fic, headcanon or continuity that has Bruce and Talia engage in a will-they/won’t-they narrative while Dick is Robin....Dick might have worried about Talia’s impact on Bruce - and the impact this would have on him - in ways he never did about Selina. Because historically, there was never really much of a question of if Bruce would give up being Batman or uproot himself to be with Selina. It was a non-factor. In contrast, the eternal conflict in Bruce and Talia’s relationship might well be that they’re both too steadfast in their personal convictions to ever be willing to fully put them aside in order to be with the other, despite all the ways and areas they disagree - BUT the conflict there is more evident, or might have been in a younger Dick’s eyes. Whether or not Bruce might actually do that could very well have been less of a given, from a third party perspective.

And again....this could absolutely be something that Dick worried about and felt threatened by, because he didn’t take it as a given that if Bruce did drastically change his life to be with Talia, he would prioritize or de facto take or keep Dick with him, no matter how much things changed. As I frequently talk about in terms of the juvie origin or headcanons or narratives stemming from it, those things don’t exactly lend themselves to a younger Dick Grayson having absolute belief that his place in Bruce’s life and household was unshakeable. And even when he was younger and he and Bruce were arguably much closer, they still didn’t necessarily have the kind of dynamic where Dick would voluntarily raise his fears or concerns about this kinda thing.

So yeah, I do think there’s room for Dick to default to being a childish asshole about all things Talia, even if the reasoning is he’s gotten used to just being that way ever since he was a kid and he’s never really interrogated himself on WHY that is, or if it...HAS to be that way.

And on Talia’s side of things, it could be as simple as....she’s not the kind of person who’s going to put up with that or being treated that way, no matter who’s doing it. Ironically, you could say her very willingness to regard Dick as being as mature and capable as his vigilantism from a young age suggests he should be or at least COULD be.....this could absolutely be an angle for her being yeah, I’m not gonna try and be nice to someone who’s being an absolute shit to me because I DON’T view him as just being a kid who doesn’t know better. I’m viewing and engaging with him as the chosen partner of my beloved, who fully trusts his capabilities and judgment in the field and when encountering all kinds of enemies and hostile adversaries.

On a somewhat related note, I think it could be argued that Dick ‘gets’ Selina more than he does Talia, because he finds it easier to relate to or understand Selina’s flexibility and adaptability when it comes to fitting into various situations or how she engages with different scenarios. It makes sense to him because he’s the same way about a lot of stuff and how he’s adapted to the major changes throughout his life. In comparison, it could be argued that Talia and Bruce are a lot more of a matched pair there, more obvious foils in the way that they’re a lot less apologetic about planting their feet and stubbornly resisting attempts to change their mind or get them to go another way - they absolutely might have doubts or second-guess themselves internally, but that’s for them to process in their own ways and time, and not something they’re gonna just let anyone in on. 

And its not like Dick or Selina are ‘apologetic’ about their own approaches or convictions, or that they don’t also play their cards close to their chests, its just....it looks different when they do it. So when Talia does it - like Bruce - its not as apparent to Dick, he doesn’t intuit it or innately assume there’s more going on under the surface or that their words or actions might not one hundred percent reflect what they’re thinking or how sure they are about what they’re doing or saying.

What this then could translate into, practically speaking, is that Dick’s always seen Talia as a more direct parallel to Bruce. And the thing is.....we all know Dick has Issues with a capital I, when it comes to how Bruce does a lot of things. How resistant he is to bending on various matters, how unapologetic he can be....his dad pisses him off a lot, is the big takeaway there. But at the end of the day, Bruce is still his dad, and Dick can always look back on the history of love they have between them, the breadth and scope of their relationship as partners and as father and son. Dick’s biased when it comes to Bruce, is the thing. And this factors into how Dick views some of Bruce’s worst acts, how willing or not he is to forgive him for stuff, how far outside of his own comfort zone or personal worldview he’s willing to make an EFFORT to step in order to try and see where Bruce is coming from with stuff or understand his POV. 

How well Dick knows Bruce OUTSIDE of just the areas where they conflict, how much he WANTS to understand where Bruce is coming from when he doesn’t get why Bruce would do something....this of course plays a huge role in how invested Dick stays in his relationship with his father no matter what happens between them. How quick he is to give him the benefit of the doubt even when everyone else is pissed at Bruce and condemning him for something, why he’s so willing to advocate for Bruce even when he feels personally hurt by his choices as well.

But this investment flat out doesn’t exist in his own dynamic with Talia....and vice versa, because again, I think its just as true that Talia finds a lot of Dick’s choices and priorities equally baffling. Where Dick might not get why Bruce does something or agree with his choices, he still wants to reconcile that with the father he loves and knows loves him....but he has no such need or willingness to try and reconcile or understand Talia’s motivations. Similarly, where Talia might be frustrated by how stubborn Bruce is on something, even how naive she might consider him for a divergent point of view or methodology....she makes allowances for it, doesn’t prioritize that in how she views him overall, because she’s invested in the man Bruce is BESIDES just the times and ways they disagree. She adjusts and compensates because Bruce matters enough to her that she’s looking for reasons to find common ground or a workable compromise. 

But even when Dick does or professes something identical to what Bruce would do or believes himself, something he might even have picked up from Bruce or been taught by him....Talia’s more naturally inclined to lean into how stupid she thinks this is or how frustrating she finds it, because she has no real stake in TRYING to do otherwise.

And honestly - I think you could also make a case or a story out of how much Dick’s antagonism towards Talia is because he, well, kinda scapegoats her in order to compensate for how frustrated he is with Bruce when it comes to ways and areas Bruce and Talia ARE alike. Dick might not be willing to LET himself be as frustrated or upset with his father as some of his choices make him.....but he sees no need to make such allowances when it comes to Talia even if what she’s doing isn’t much different from what Bruce would in a similar situation.

Cue up my feelings about Vengeance Academy, and how Dick knowing Talia’s involvement in it is all you’d ever need to explain them being eternally at odds.

Because, for instance, both Bruce and Talia show a history of being willing to train people from a very young age and put them into situations most people would consider them far too young for, because they do view them as capable of handling themselves and see this as a way to empower them or even enhance their chances of survival if they viewed them as inherently endangered because of who they were or other circumstances surrounding them.

And again, I think most people would agree that even with all the good things Dick associates with being Robin and his childhood of vigilantism, that same childhood vigilantism majorly contributed to ways in which he is fucked up. But even when in the throes of PTSD garnered from something that happened when Dick was Robin....the good things Dick associates with being Robin, being Bruce’s partner...those are still there. There’s no way for Dick to ever fully untangle the good from the bad, they go hand in hand. For all that he got hurt, too much of the very foundations of his and Bruce’s bond are rooted in those very same years of fighting side by side....for Dick to ever be able to truly regret being Robin or condemn Bruce for his role in the bigger picture, even when he does resent or blame Bruce for choices he made in specific stories.

But the same influencing or mitigating bias doesn’t innately extend to Talia’s role in enabling (his words) or empowering (hers) other kids from a young age. In fact, Dick’s views of Talia in this regard could easily be fueled or amplified by all the things he might deep down believe about how his own childhood vigilantism impacted him....but will never actually voice or maybe even face, because that risks straying too close to suggesting he regrets things he’s afraid or unwilling to regret, because of all the good he associates along with it.

He CAN’T judge Bruce too harshly, for all the things he associates with his childhood vigilantism....without feeling ungrateful for the stuff he DOESN’T regret, or without risking condemning himself for the mentoring and leadership role he’s had with other young heroes and his own successors.

Its too personal to him, he’s too entangled in it all.

But with Talia, it looks totally different, and he might honestly believe he’s being objective here. 

But TO Talia, this is only ever going to look one way: hypocritical. She’s understandably not going to be down for being judged for a lot of the exact same things Dick gives his father and family friends and himself a pass for, because they all do it ‘for the right reasons.’

And its not like being hypocritical here makes Dick a terrible character, or invalidates any of his own stories or choices, or sacrifices him for the sake of Talia’s character, lol, it just means what most of us are all in complete agreement about: he needs more therapy than he’s actually had! He’s got soooo much more to unpack about his entire life than what he’s actually unpacked! He can’t tell he’s not being objective because he has no clue how truly unobjective he actually is in a lot of instances!

But bottom line is.....I don’t think any of this has to vilify either Dick or Talia. It can just be conflict that’s born of them both being human and having very different perspectives on each other and their mutual dynamic. Either of them sniping at each other, preemptively or reactively, doesn’t have to be anything other than just....messy. This absolutely doesn’t make Dick her victim, it actually makes him the majority of the problem, to be frank, and I like that, honestly? I’m never going to NOT be one of the most annoying people in the room when I think Dick’s being condemned or criticized for shit I don’t think was his fault or that there’s context for that’s being left out of the conversation, let’s be real. But this is not that, and its actually a really good venue for showing how he IS flawed without asking him to be held accountable for more than his fair share of stuff.

And I think in character, Talia would roll her eyes at the very idea that being antagonized by her boyfriend or ex-boyfriend’s oldest kid is anything other than annoying or inconvenient for her - but it can still be those things! But it only works if things are kept appropriately framed and we’re not tipping the see-saw into trying to hold her accountable for a conflict that even IF you claim Dick only started when a child, he’s still perpetuating in stories where he’s an adult. Like, I’m just not a ‘turn the other cheek’ kinda person or fan and in favor of expecting a person or character to take the high road instead of just paying back in kind, the same energy someone gives them. But that’s a two-way street and it ONLY works as a two-way street.

So anyway. That’s my actual take on their dynamic, or what I headcanon or interpret their dynamic as being in various stories or when I write them myself. But even as the basis for how I view them and talk about them, it was nowhere on display in the posts I made the other night. So there’s no way it COULD have informed the conversation and how it was picked up and passed along and perpetuated by other people. And that’s one hundred percent on me, and not what I’d really like my contribution to the conversation to be.

[batfsm]

I don't play the games but I read fanfic and I know there is tension between the trio's fans...god, sometimes I wish we could go back to FF.net and LJ and etc. None of the fandoms ever seemed as bad as they are now. Hell, looking back, I'll take that hate over what is happening now.

I used to hate Talia until I started getting back into the comics and the Batfam. I learned that what I knew of her wasn't even true, but because it's canon now, I should hate her. (I literally just wrote this on a post about Babs.) Well fuck that. It's still canon and still shows how they changed her character and I adore her now.

I haven't read that series and don't know if I want to since I'm really hating on Selina right now...

Selina's way to much of a Mary Sue and she is literally the only one people see with Bruce, besides Diana but that's not even canon..., So of course any other ships gets hate. Especially the one that gave us the only true biological kid of Bruce's, since as far as I'm aware of Helena isn't even in the mainstream universe. (My one post I reblogged from @itskimchifriedrice points out that the only kids we know of/remember are the Robins, Cass, and Duke. Not even Helena or Athanasia are known as well.)

I don't here her, I hate how she is just a clickbate nobody, in a way, I know it doesn't make sense, I can't remember how to make it make sense. Basically she gives DC views. (I think that's how I want to put it.) Which sucks. Not to mention they had Selina beat Talia in a fight. Selina! That's totally wrong, Talia wins hands down.

Hell, Barbara seems like she's regulated to Dick's girlfriend, which is fine but she's not just that. Or when they did Batgirls again, Cass and Steph are pushed to the side for Dick/Babs when it's all of the Batgirls comic. Not one to just push Babs/Dick on us.

I just hate how certain characters are either redone so they are a totally different character or others are pushed to the side to show that this character is the best (Ahsoka and Rey being great examples of pushing Luke & Anakin to the background.) and the rest are there to bring them up, to show they are the best. That isn't how it should be done.

Speaking as someone who likes both Talia and Selina -

Your post about Selina is, frankly, a pile of bullshit, and I'd be fine with that (I've got no problem with someone not liking a character I do like), except you put it in the Selina Kyle tag. Someone could just as easily make a similar bad argument tearing down Talia, and I'm guessing you wouldn't be happy about seeing that in her tag. People don't repeat the "don't tag your hate" line as often these days but it's still general courtesy for a reason.

Also, that anon had a point, despite you ridiculing them for it. When you say that a female character who goes back to the earliest days of the franchise and has a rich and complex history "only exists to provide a love interest" and is "basically just a fuckbuddy"... well, you might not actually be a misogynist but you sure sound like one. The only difference between your post and something from an early 2000s dudebro forum thread is the absence of the word "whore". And despite you saying afterwards that "Bruce is a fuckbuddy too!" you never reduced him to just that, nor did you say Bruce is a meaningless and unimportant character because he's "just a fuckbuddy."

(Also, a similar argument could be made in regards to Talia. She was literally created to be a love interest for Bruce, and I have seen people reduce her - incorrectly - to "just Batman's babymama". It's a shit argument, but your reducing Selina to "just a fuckbuddy" is pretty much on the same level.)

I'm not trying to change your mind about Selina - if you don't like her, then that's your call - but I am trying to point out how you were being kind of an asshole.

I just saw this so I apologize for the lateness.

What's wrong with putting it in the damn tag? I'll go back and put anti Selina in it if it annoys you that much but I tag everything or at least try to. (I don't think I need to.)

If someone made an argument on Talia, which they have, I either read it and think about it or I scroll on past. Or I do both, read and scroll by. It's not that hard.

Christ, so because I made an opinion, and called her a fuck buddy I'm still a misogynistic? For Ra's sake! I never reduced Selina to that only.

I literally said this:

is that if you consider Selina a member of the family for basically being a ‘fuck buddy’, which I have read comics and yes, I’m not up to date but still, she is basically there to annoy Bruce and give him a partner other than his kids (from what I have read) and give him a love life, which he doesn’t need one,

Which I am not up to date with the comics but she was there basically to annoy Bruce and give him a love interest. Another one.

Selina's around to give Bruce a love interest, which he doesn't need. I've said it before and I'll say it again, they are over done.

I like Selina. I don't like her and Bruce together. Like Dick/Babs. I like those two by themselves but not together anymore.

Give me the characters by themselves and I'll be happy to read about them. Don't make try to just make them reduced to being 'fuckbuddies' to each other. It turns people off.

I don't think I was being an asshole by stating my opinion but I guess people are to easily hurt these days.

[marisandini-chu-blog]

Bruce Wayne is a Simp for Bad Bitch

OmG I can’t believe I’m writing the obvious but the idea is in my head and I need a place to word vomit. 

Okay, so it occurred to me that Bruce has a more serious and intense relationship canonically with three women, as far as I know; Andrea Beaumont, Talia Al’ghul, and Selina Kyle. All of whom are the epitome of Bad Bitch with the capital B. (Yes, I’m ignoring Rachel Dawes from Nolanverse. The only thing I like about it is the Iconic Joker. No batman movie is good enough without the Batfam.) 

Why do I raise this point, you might ask? Well, that’s because I want to rant that Bruce, my boy, my man, my childhood comfort character is actually a SIMP?!?!

Like... I’m just... urgh.... okay... I am very vocal for a healthy relationship with commitment and based on mutual love and respect. So the fact that Bruce has only bad, iffy, or casual relationships really want to tear my hair out. And why my heart don’t want to ship with any of them, even though BatCat is one of my favorite pairing! 

I am a WonderBat shipper because I love watching them in JLAU as a kid and even though I’m not slash shipper unless it’s canon, SuperBat made much more sense to me. Heck even a threesome with the Trinity would have been healthier relationship rather than whatever Bruce had with the three of them and here’s why: 

You might not have heard of Andrea, but she’s canon from the Timmverse movie called Batman and the Mask of Phantasm which is A REALLY GREAT MOVIE. Totally recommend. One of the best Batman movie at all times (Yes, I say Batman movies not Batman Animated movies). Has great plot twist and good pacing. so Spoiler Alert! Andrea was Bruce’s fiancé, making her possibly Bruce’s first love, before his journey and possibly could have stop him from becoming Batman (I would say he’s a simp in this case, but he would have had a much more happier, healthy household so it’s not bad thing) if she hadn’t disappear for being a Mob Boss’ Daughter!!! 

I repeat, a mob boss’ daughter. 

And she came back only to be a mask avenging assassin that went toe-to-toe with Batman.

And she could have choose to stay with Bruce but she didn’t because she choose vengeance over him. Like.... Bats, you should stop with the “I am Vengeance” routine you’ve got going on because she does it better than you ngl. 

So she left and I cried at the end of that movie because trauma wasn’t enough, you put heartbreak after heartbreak to my boy. Thanks DC. 

Then there’s Fucking Talia Al’ghul which is a no brainer why she’s not Bad but BAD. Like, Talia groom Jason, supervise Damian’s harsh, brutal, and abusive training, control Damian through the implant spine to kill Dick, orders Damian execution before regretting it, DRUG BRUCE when CONCEIVING DAMIAN!!! And that’s only the top of my head. 

And if you want to blame it on Morrison’s writing, THAT’S FINE. We’ve bitched about Tom King’s writing enough to know it’s valid. 

But, BUT, bUt... it needs to be address that even before Morrison, Talia CHOOSE to stay in the League of Assassin. People can tell me that she’s a complex character that’s loyal to her father but love Bruce and that her upbringing makes her complicated or whatever. Nuh-uh. You don’t get to make Talia helpless when it suited you. Talia is a fucking Bad Bitch (TM). She’s been taught to do whatever the fuck she wants according to her belief and ideal. At some point, Talia knew she wanted to be in position of power in the League rather than staying with Bruce. 

But it’s canon that Talia, if I remember correctly, doesn’t like Gotham or Bruce’s mission. She thinks being a hero is beneath them or whatever. And doesn’t understand why Gotham is special to Bruce. So yeah, you might not agree how Morrisons write her. But do not fucking tell me she’s not a character who will not be willing to do what she thinks it’s necessary to get what she wants, including training her son as an assassin. I mean, she likes being the Demon’s Daughter in the league. She may not agree with her father but Talia wants to give Damien what she wants. Power.  

Talia loves Bruce. That’s a fact. He’s probably the only person that makes her feel like she’s a person instead of the Demon’s Daughter. Bruce has a knack for that. To make people want to be better, even just a little. Talia could have chosen him, if she wanted to. The fact that she helps him so much when fighting against her father numerous times is proof enough. 

I'm highly suspecting the reason she stays is because she knows Bruce would always forgive her (SIMP ALERT) unlike her father who would straight up stab her if she ever betrays him.

I’m not saying there’s no love for her son, I’m just saying if she even looks at the batfam funny than I will raise my flamethrower on that bitch’s face. Because you can’t rely on Bruce on that. That man would give bullshit excuse for her or want to handle her himself because your “history” with her makes you entitled.  

Aaaah, don’t you just love it when there’s a great villain you can hate on so much?

I'm not saying she can't be a good person. Pre-morisson made Talia more of an anti-hero. But I do like Talia "I'mma cut a bitch" al'ghul. It's just... I like ruthless Bad Bitch like her. Though preferably she could have balance it with more of her maternal side through Damian.

Okay, I’m getting off tangent. Now comes to my favorite girl. Catwoman. Selina Kyle. The famous ship of all Bruce’s relationship sans SuperBat. 

I... am conflicted the most about this. 

See, Selina is one of the few people who understands Bruce. Who was there when he needed a shoulder to rely on. Someone who doesn’t take Bruce’s shit, and one of the constant person in Bruce’s life. 

But not... constant enough. Which is a theme of her, even in her fursona... I, I mean PERSONA, PERSONA!!! 

Anyway, I love seeing these two broken people. One handles it with violence and vigilantism, the other through thieving with a Robinhood-esque thing going on. So of course they get each other. It always helps that they try to make each other better. Selina taught Bruce to be okay of being selfish of wanting to be happy, and Bruce believed there’s good in her that makes her feel she’s not a hopeless case, y’know? It’s even canon that in one universe, they’re married and have daughter, Helena Wayne. So... yeah? Happy end! (Until they died but that’s non issue here at the moment.) 

Then Tom King (Urgh, him again) wrote Bat proposing to Cat, and by the time they’re about to be married. Selina left him at the altar. 

So yeah. 

But then they get metaphysically? Figuratively? married after the Flashpoint which they turn Thomas Wayne into a villain (At least make him from alternate universe instead of timeline!!!) and kill Alfred (WhYYYYYY?! Bruce suffered enough why do you go kill both his fathers dammit!!! Let the goddamn butler rest in peace). And basically Selina and Bruce promise each other forever. Which is sweet. BatCat Forever, am I right??? 

Yeah, here’s the problem. (And I’m just nitpicking here, okay). For all Tom King’s character assassination of Bruce, he did Selina right in one thing. Which is the fact she doesn’t like being tied down by anything.

If Talia puts importance in power. Selina puts importance in freedom and her self-independence. 

I remember as a kid watching BTAS, that Selina didn’t want a relationship with batman if it meant changing who she is. So when Selina left the altar, I wasn’t surprise at the news. Then she actually agreed to marry him, only this time, she didn’t need a judge or a paper to make the marriage legit, y’know. And I thought, yeah that’s so her. 

But the thing is Bruce. Accepts. Her. Every. Single. Time. 

Without a single thought. She asked, “Do you still want to get married?” and he asked “When?” 

Even though it’s not the first that Cat leaves him hanging. 

Tell me he’s not a simp for that. 

It’s great that he accepts her for everything she is. But I’m conflicted because Selina stays static. She stays with the cat theme in the fact she doesn’t want to held back by anything. She takes what she wants. She loves who she loves. And no one was gonna change her. But then where’s the character growth? 

Is it regressive of me to think Selina should be ‘tied down’ or express commitment when she never has been tied down before even though she loves Bruce? 

Is it not-feminist of me to think Selina has to change herself for a man? 

I just don’t like the fact Bruce and Selina enables their masked persona. Their relationship is strongly base on their cat-and-mouse chase. They nicknamed each other “Bat” and “Cat” for God’s sake. Even though yes, it’s canon that “Batman” and “Catwoman” is their real selves and their civilian life is their masks. Heck, she didn’t go for the altar because she believed (though manipulated) that making Bruce happy would make Batman insufficient, or losing him entirely (Thank Tom King for that). 

That would be true, and stay true if not for one thing. Which is some thing what Bruce has that Selina doesn’t: 

The Batfam.

Bruce’s real identity isn’t just the Batman anymore. He has to be a single father with growing children he never plan to adopt but did anyway because they needed each other. He can’t use his batman persona to be a father at his house, but he will when training them to be his partner. His family became the strength to Bruce’s fight for Justice. 

Bruce is the Batman, but he’s not everything who he is. Selina is supposed to be part of the batfamily yet sadly, I haven’t read or watch anything that has her interact with them in a positive way or actually bond with them. Heck, when Alfred inform the proposal to the batfam they were shocked and thought it was a bad idea even (And they’ve known her for almost half their life by the way.) 

The fact that Tom King implied Bruce was never happy or wasn’t happy enough without marrying Cat when his Batfam should be the source of his pride and joy?! Apparently family means nothing to Batman. Woah DC, what a great message you’re sending here. 

I guess that’s why, I was a bit iffy when Selina “marriage” with Bruce isn’t official. Because she commits to the man but she doesn’t say she’ll commit to the family (though I suppose it could be imply or I just forget stuff). The batkids are grown up enough that they don’t really need a maternal figure, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need more emotionally available people in the family. And that I haven’t seen much of her taking effort to bond with the people that’s the most important to Bruce. 

It just makes her want to commit to Batman instead of Bruce Wayne, in my eyes I guess. 

So yeah, that’s why Wonderbat and Superbat makes more sense to me. Because they’ll make an effort to be THERE for the family and they’ll be just generally be a healthier relationships because, again, emotionally available so they might talk when they have a problem instead of running off the altar when you think a Happy Batman is Bad Batman. But no, DC have to make Bruce is a simp and his life edgy. 

Anyway, I might be wrong in some things because, you know. Canon becomes a blur to me after a while. 

[choco-glow]

Day of the Dead (Robin)

April 27th.

The bed shifted, creaked as Bruce dragged himself up out of the comfort of his way too expensive (and totally worth it) mattress, followed reluctantly by an equally exhausted Selina. He insisted she use the bathroom first, taking that time to rub his face and scalp, forcing himself into an alertness that he didn’t feel…and Bruce ignored his constantly buzzing phone. He could hear Alfred puttering around in his own room down the hall, Damian’s near silent footsteps alongside his dog’s as the youngest Wayne limped down to let Titus out. Tim…Bruce sighed, knowing that Tim one of two places; passed out in the chair in front of the computer down in the cave, or passed out on the couch in the library, his laptop on the floor.

Either way, he was sleeping, most likely, and Bruce was going to take advantage of that.

“Hey.” He glanced up, and the smile on his lips was small, but real; she looked so good leaning against the doorway in nothing but her underwear and one of his old band tees, tousled hair sticking to her forehead from her shower, a sweet smile on her face, those familiar green-blue eyes always so dark in the morning. Bruce dragged himself upright to wrap her up in his arms, hugging her tight, and Selina melted against him, nuzzling his cheek. “Bruce…”

“Thank you for staying…” He murmured, gratitude thick in his voice, and she patted his bicep, popping up on her tiptoes to kiss his nose.

“Of course, sweetheart. Go wash up and get dressed, I’ll head down and help Alfred with breakfast?”

“Selina, you don’t have to…” She shook her head, chuckling, and he chuckled back, ignoring his impulse to just turn away and go brood. Brooding wouldn’t help today…

“I want to. I know what today is…and why it’s so hard.” He ducked his head, swallowing his next word, and she cupped his cheek. “Bruce. I mean it. Jason…” He lifted his head, blue eyes tired but crinkled from a weary smile.

“I miss him.”

“I do too. Go on. We’ll be waiting for you.” He nodded, and after a lingering kiss, despite Cat’s aversion to morning breath, Bruce let her go. The shower was hot enough to wash away some of the pain from his shoulder and upper back, and after washing up, he carefully redressed the bandage on his thigh, then pulled on a pair of old jeans and a tee shirt. It was Saturday, thankfully, so Bruce didn’t have to worry about a suit, and making his way down the stairs, he was glad to see visitors…especially these visitors.

Four years…four years, he’s been gone now. His heart twinged, but Bruce didn’t have to hold up a mask around Dick, who hugged him tight as soon as his first Robin saw him, nor around Barb, who he knelt to hug as well. Steph looked a little lost, a little nervous to be here, and Bruce hugged her too, whispering thanks to her as he’d done to the rest, and if Steph hugged his waist a little harder, her voice a little thick…well, Bruce wasn’t going to tell.

“Father, Alfred the cat is most worried about you.” Bruce paused as he set Steph back on her feet, turning to face Damian, who was holding his purring tuxedo cat and looking concerned…and Bruce couldn’t help the tiny, choked sob, because Damian looked so much like Jason at that age, his whole being focused on “comfort father”.

“So I see. May I hold him?” Damian nodded, and Bruce gently took the cat, smiling as Alfred bumped noses with him and settled on his shoulder, purring deeper still. “Thank you, Damian…”

“This is an auspicious day; we need all the comfort we can receive…” He murmured, and Bruce hugged his youngest tight, tears spilling over now…and Damian hugged him back, clinging to him tight.

“That’s…that’s true…c’mon everyone, we better get into the kitchen before Alfred the butler and Selina yell at us.” He murmured, and Dick chuckled while Barb smiled and took the lead. Damian pulled away from the hug, but not from Bruce, and they walked in hand in hand, taking comfort from one another. Jason’s photo, the last one taken two weeks before he died, was sitting on the counter, as always, with a candle lit…and the new addition of a tin can with the label meticulously soaked off, full of dandelions, and Bruce paused by it, lips twitching up in a fond smile.

“Master Bruce, I hope you don’t mind…I wanted…well…I remember Jason making those bouquets for us when he was a child…” Alfred murmured, and Bruce just pulled him into a hug, tears running hot down his cheeks now.

“I can’t think of a better thing…It’s perfect. Best bunch of flowers that’s ever entered this house.” They all shared a laugh at that, though Selina, Steph, and Damian looked a little confused, and it was Dick who explained, his voice warm and fond as he remembered all the times Jason would prowl the Wayne grounds, plucking dandelions and purple clovers, filling an old coffee can or tin can full to the brim and bringing them back to the house to share, his smile bright and happy.

“…At first, we offered him the flowers from the garden, and Jason just shook his head, looking scared, and said that he got in trouble for pulling those. No one cared about the wildflowers.”

“Oh, what a sweetheart…” Selina breathed, and Bruce and Alfred settled at the table at last, which prompted Dick to pass them the plate of pancakes and motion to fill up.

“He really was…c’mon, let’s eat, best way to remember our boy.”

“Here here! And whatever we do, avoid Buzzfeed today.” Barb raised her OJ in a toast, and Bruce closed his eyes with a sigh.

“God, I hate Buzzfeed…”

“Same here, old man. Same here.”

—-

Six months I’ve been back, and not a Bat to bother me. Jason settled in for a quiet Saturday morning, and ignored cable for a change; he knew what was going to be all over the news today, and he, for one, didn’t want to hear yet another poignant portrayal of his death. At least Bruce wouldn’t be out in public today; he’d learned that from running through the old news stories from the last few years, and frankly, Jason was grateful for it. It…meant that Bruce at least care enough to mourn him. Even if the goddamn Joker is still alive…

He sighed, and pushed away the anger he still felt at that fact, and pulled out his guns, then pulled up YouTube on his TV. He scrolled through his usual recommended list, feeling…restless and a little out of his element; it was the first death day he’d spent back in Gotham, and his normal goofy favorites just…weren’t going to cut it. Then he saw the one video he didn’t expect to see.

Buzzfeed Unsolved: Jason Todd, Wayne or Robin?

A grin split his face.

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

—-

“Welcome to Buzzfeed Unsolved. I’m Ryan Bergera, and this is Shane Madej. Today, we are covering the mysterious deaths of two important people in the deadly metropolis that is Gotham City…or are we?”

“Wait, what?”

“Jason Todd Wayne, the adopted son of billionaire Bruce Wayne, and the second Boy Wonder, Robin, both of whom disappeared the same day, April 27th…and have never been heard from again.”

“Ryan, you said it was one murder!”

“And therein lays our mystery, because the more you hear details of the case, the more you wonder if these two boys were really the same person.”

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh…I smell a conspiracy!”

“Shane, you smell lunch.”

“And a conspiracy! C’mon, out with details, gimme something, Bergera.”

“Hold your freakin’ horses, dude, lemme go over things…” Jason watched with unconcealed delight as he disassembled his pistol, cleaning each part as Ryan laid out the admittedly sparse facts of the case; of course, Jason knew the truth, but he was frankly somewhat impressed with the story that Bruce and Alfred had concocted. Of course, they couldn’t say the Joker beat him to death with a crowbar and blew up a building on him ( and even Bruce couldn’t have guessed that Talia al Ghul had stolen his corpse from the morgue, gave them an equally beaten dead kid to bury, and dumped his ass in the Lazarus Pit). But the story of Jason being killed as a hit out on the Wayne family was all too likely.

Batman had a lot of enemies.

Bruce Wayne had a lot more.

“No one was ever charged for Jason’s murder…here’s the last video of the press conference where Bruce explains things.”

“…Jesus, he’s barely keeping it together…I know he’s a billionaire, but he’s got a lot of heart…poor guy…”

“Yeah…I know we tend to fuck around on this channel, but…this kid died. Pretty badly, from what the evidence shows.”

“Man…so, you said there were theories, right?”

“Yeah, and they only get worse from here.”

“Well, we started the program with a dead kid; can’t get any worse than that.” Jason paused the video and just…stared at Bruce’s face, the tears on his cheeks, his exhausted appearance…and sighed a little.

“Sorry Dad…”

—-

“Theory number one: Dick Grayson killed Jason Todd out of jealousy. It was rumored that the brothers didn't get along and Dick and his father didn't have a good relationship when Jason came to the household.” Jason’s eyes narrowed at that one; whoever thought up that crock of shit had another thing coming. Sure, he and Dick had bickered like brothers, but at the end of the day, Dick was his brother from another mother. Even now, even with everything that had happened…Jason missed those hugs something fierce.

“I mean, that’s a pretty cut and dry one…”

“So it would seem…but if you look at the interviews, there’s nothing in Dick’s demeanor that shows any resentment or anger. And both Jason and Dick were orphaned at early ages and adopted by Bruce, so…”

“Yeah, I dunno. It’s cut and dry, but…at the same time, it doesn’t really make sense.”

“Especially given that Dick every year celebrates Jason’s birthday; I mean, killers can be weird, we know that from the last several seasons, but…I dunno. It doesn’t really fit.”

“Probably some asshole detective looking to close it up.”

“Probably…”

“On to number two!”

—-

“Bruce Wayne killed Jason Todd. This was, actually, the first big conspiracy theory to hit the web. Thankfully, it quickly died when people saw just how devastated Bruce was for months after his death, but apparently there are still some trolls on public forums who accuse Bruce Wayne of killing his son.”

“…That’s utter bullshit. Fuckers.”

“Right there with ya, buddy. Right there with ya. Onto three?”

“Please.”

—-

“Jason isn't dead, because of sightings of a homeless boy who wandered all around Crime Alley and looked exactly like Jason Todd. He was completely battered and bruised and suddenly disappeared after a year in the streets, likely due to a trafficking ring.” Jason raised an eyebrow at that, and turned his AK, Shane and Ryan’s incredulousness a comfort. He wasn’t sure why he was still watching this, but…it was kinda nice. Nice to have people be pissed off for his sake.

“Jesus Christ, Gotham, y’all are so dark.”

“May be why their superhero is Batman, dude.”

“STILL. Could this one have some merit, though, since he was an orphan?”

“This one is one of the strongest theories to date, because Jason was from a place called the Narrows, not far from Crime Alley, and according to Wayne Enterprises official documentation in their family museum, Jason had had issues with drugs and abuse, though to what extent, only the family knows. It’s a pretty ugly idea, but…it’s possible.”

“I think I’d rather be dead, Ryan, than go through that.”

“Same. Same…”

—

“Now. We move onto the disappearance of the second Robin, who vanished the same day that Jason Todd supposedly died. Possible theories of the disappearance of the second boy wonder—”

“Ryan. Ryan. Buddy. Champ. Are you implying, really, that Jason and Robin are the same kid?!”

“I’m just reading the script!”

“You wrote the script!”

“…I may be implying that they’re the same, yes.”

“I KNEW IT.”

“You don’t know shit.” Jason started laughing, and paused to get himself a fresh beer, ordering pizza while he was at it. Alright, this wasn’t so bad after all…

—

“He is hiding. Some say he hid from Batman, and some say Batman is hiding him from others. They don't know what, though. Some even say he quit the job.”

“Alright, I’ll bite, who’s ‘some’.”

“Paparazzi, conspiracy theorists, Alex Jones, etc…”

“Ah yes. The enlightened crowd.”

“Pftt…This is the weakest one, so we’ll go ahead and lay out the second theory while we’re at it. The second Robin died. After Robin stopped appearing with batman for an entire year, the same time Jason Todd died. This used to be a widely spread theory, until people realized maybe talking about the death of a boy in a terrorist attack for a conspiracy theory after his father broke down in public isn't the nicest thing to do.”

“And this is your theory.”

“This…is the strongest one I think, and the one that has the most emotional punch. But let’s be real; if the second Robin was indeed Jason Todd, then his Batman HAS to be Bruce Wayne. And c’mon. We’ve all seen the nightmare surrounding THAT theory.”

“Uh, yeah. No thanks, I do not ever need to write another “But the butts don’t match” article ever again in my life.” Jason snorted at that, cracking up laughing, and when he googled “The Butts don’t match”, he had to pause his boys because the ensuing hyena laugh had him flat on his back for ten minutes, absolutely losing his shit.

“Oh Christ, I love the internet…”

—-

“Next theory. He’s a kid, he took a break from vigilante-ing to do something else.”

“Now see, I like this one; that’s like, the most wholesome version. I hope this is the real one, but…”

“I know, man. I know.”

“Sigh.”

“Sigh.”

—-

“Almost there. Some people believe the second and the third Robin are the same, although many people disagree, considering witness reports that they looked very different, and the Robins were very distinctive in their fighting style and personalities.” Jason snorted at that, shoveling a slice of pizza into his gullet, and even the boys were looking a bit annoyed at that theory, Shane more than Ryan.

“Question.”

“Yes?”

“How the hell do they know about fighting styles?!”

“Gotham City Police.”

“Oh. Well, that makes sense now.”

“Also, apparently Commissioner Gordon likes the third Robin more, which tells me they’re definitely not the same.”

“Yeah, if anyone other than Batman would know, he would. What’s next?”

“This one is kinda great, but also a bit outrageous.”

“Ooooh, juicy. Spill the beans, Bergera!”

—-

“Some even believe that the second Robin is now the infamous Red Hood. Gothamites have been known to try to stalk the dude but it's never successful, and supposedly, even the Batfam won’t bother him.”

“I mean, that’s a cool story, but how true is it?”

“Considering the guy wears a red freakin’ helmet with eyeholes and no mouth, who knows how true it is?”

“Still a nicer story than the butts. And hey, Red Hood is pretty chill, man, I think he’s probably the best thing to hit Gotham in years.”

“You’re a Hoodie!”

“The fuck is a ‘Hoodie?”

“Red Hood groupie.”

“Uh, hell no, I just think he’s cool.”

“Uh huh…Well, folks, that ties up our deep dive into the murder of Jason Todd, and the disappearance of the second Robin. To date, this case remains…Unsolved.” As the quiet music that ushered in the ending screen and credits, Jason sat back, working his second slice of pizza, and chuckled a little to himself. If only they knew…well. His people knew who he was; old man Falcone figured it out the second day Jason had been home. The Narrows had welcomed their boy back…And they weren’t gonna tell anyone. They didn’t trust Gothamites, they didn’t trust the Bats…which was why Jason had carved out his place here again, with gunfire and brutal justice. They trusted him.

He turned YouTube over to something mindless, and padded over to the window, feeling the sunshine, weak though it was, break through the clouds and warm his skin. Jason leaned against the familiar brick, and opened the window, letting in a rush of cool air, reminiscent of spring.

It was good to be home.

[cdelphiki]

Was re-reading ‘In for a Penny’ when I read this sentence “if we do not rescue Damian today, “Clark said, finally speaking up, “I have a feeling we will one day face him in battle”and thought what if Bruce wasn’t able to find Damian, instead meets him again when he’s ten, how would he feel?What would happen? Damian holding a sword to the father he doesn’t remembers throat, dick finally seeing his brother again. Memories, baby things left untouched in the manor. Would love to hear your thoughts-M

The years since Damian’s kidnapping had not been kind to Bruce.

Dick left him. When he was barely eighteen. Packed up and moved to Bludhaven, where he still lived some six years later.  

Bruce couldn’t blame him. Not really. He’d not been much of a father, once Damian went missing.  

Then Jason came along, and Bruce had tried really hard for that boy. He’d worked on himself, worked on his availability. Adopted him, right from the start.

It hadn’t mattered.

Because in the end, Jason had left him, too. In the most painful way possible.

At least Damian was out there.

Somewhere.

Growing up, living his life.

Jason’s had been cut short.

After that, Bruce had sworn off kids. He wanted nothing to do with children ever again, because brining a child in his life just meant he’d love that child, and life didn’t let him keep the things he loved.  

He wasn’t sure how many more times he could go through that.

Those he loved suffered in the worst ways possible, and how could he do that to another child?

Then Tim came around. Kind of forced his way into Bruce’s life. Reluctantly, and completely against his will, Bruce had come to love Tim, as well. Had adopted him, when the opportunity arose, as tragic as it was.  

Talia had made herself scarce in the years since stealing Damian away from him. He’d tried to find them. Many times. But they always evaded him. Were always too well hidden.

He hadn’t… given up.

Per se.

But as Damian grew older, Bruce’s hope dwindled. He’d not even been two yet, when Talia took him away. There was no chance he’d even remember Bruce at five.

Or eight.

Or the ten he was now.

What right would Bruce have to swoop in and steal him away? Rip him away from the only family he remembered?

To him, Bruce was the absent father, living on the opposite side of the planet, and as much as he wanted to see his son, as badly as he wanted to hold his baby in his arms, he was a stranger to Damian.

He had no right over him any more.  

All he had left of his little boy were pictures and a stuffed cow.

He’d given away everything else. To Clark, when Lois was expecting Jon.

To Selina. When she was expecting Helena.

Damian was too old for baby things, anyway. And walking past a nursery was painful.

They’d turned that room into Jason’s.

It wasn’t any less painful, now.  

Bruce tried not to think about any of it. Tried not to think about Damian.

But it was hard, when Talia al Ghul kidnapped him while he was on mission in England.

Strung him up and got right in his face.

Hers was not a face he wanted to see.

“Talia,” he snarled, flexing his hands, testing his strength against the bat-thing that held him tight.

It would take a remarkable show of strength to free himself. He wasn’t sure he could. Even if he did, there were half a dozen more of the bat-things all around him. He knew himself outnumbered when he saw it.

He was just thankful Tim had taken the weekend off, rather than accompanying him on this trip.  

“What do you want, Talia,” he spat, when she came too close, running her fingers across his chest. He had no interest in her. And she should know that by now.

She had killed any chance of there being anything between them eleven years prior.

And then burned it to the ground when she stole their son away from him.  

“It’s nice to see you, too, Beloved,” she drawled, pulling away from Bruce and drawing her sword.  She toyed with it, staring at the blade in her hand, without saying anything further.

“What. Do. You. Want,” he ground out. Games were also not something he was interested in.  

“Hm,” she hummed, still toying with her blade for a moment before finally asking, “You remember our son?”

“How could I forget,” he growled. If she had merely kidnapped him to taunt him…

He might need to call in Clark to hold him back. He pulled at his arms again, and could feel the give in his captors’ hold. Knew, if he pulled his arms in just the right way, kicked his legs back at just the right moment, he’d be able to free himself easily.

“Hm. Yes, well,” she said, waving a hand at him, as if dismissing his anger, “He has grown wild. I can no longer control him.”

His sweet little baby?

Unlikely.

“What did you do to him?” he shouted, seriously contemplating calling in Clark. Because he was not sure he’d be able to control himself if he found out Damian had been mistreated in any way.

And he couldn’t think of a single other explanation for his Damian turning ‘wild.’ Not his sweet little baby who loved animals and was so gentle. So empathetic. So kind.

“Do not be so dramatic,” Talia snapped, “I thought you’d be happy.”

“Happy about what.”

“He needs… taming,” she said, twirling her sword around, a little, before she sheathed it again, “He lacks discipline. I had hoped some time with his father would straighten him out.”

“Time with,” he started, only to fumble over his words.

Was she…

Introducing him to Damian?

Why… why would she… after all these years…?

What was her game?

“You’ll hear from me soon, Beloved, though I’ll imagine you’ll be busy. I intend to hold the whole world hostage.”

Bruce tried to look back up at her, to ask her what the fuck that meant, but his head was pushed forward by one of the man-bats, and the entire world seemed to freeze.

Because a small child had materialized before him.

A… boy.

His boy.

In the eight years since he’d seen Damian, he had changed so much, but at the same time, not at all.

He had the same nose. The same… little button nose he’d had, as a baby. The same bright green eyes.

The same scowl.

“Damian,” he whispered, looking Damian up and down, trying to commit every little detail to memory.

“Father,” Damian responded, pushing his sword forward, almost touching Bruce’s neck, “I imagined you taller.”  

“You-“ Bruce started, but had to stop. Because he was overcome with laughter.

The man-bats let go of him, and Bruce slumped to the ground, right to his knees, only keeping himself upright with his hands as his laughter turned a tad hysteric.

His little boy.

His little boy, was standing right in front of him. Was… Was within reach.

Was coming home with him.

“You are the great warrior Mother has told me about?” Damian asked skeptically, his sword now sheathed.

That was enough to pull Bruce back to the moment.  He sniffed, and sat back so he could get a good look at his little boy.  

“Hi, Damian,” he said, smiling a little, to force the overwhelming urge to weep to go away.

Damian scowled, a little, and shot Bruce as critical look. “How do you know my name?”

“What?”

Out of all the things Damian could ask…

“My name. Mother said you did not know of me. She did not tell you my name just now. How do you know it?”

“I- What?” Bruce repeated.

“You are not as intelligent as Mother claimed. Shame.”

“Damian,” he said, slowly, “You- you lived with me.  For almost a year, as an infant.”  

“Tt,” he huffed, rolling his eyes dramatically, “Now you are suggesting my mother is a liar. She has done a lot of things, but she has never lied to me.”

“Just, come here,” Bruce said, looping an arm around Damian’s shoulders and tugging him close, “I have missed you so much.”

Damian tensed in Bruce’s arms, but didn’t push him away. That is, not until Bruce started crying.  

Bruce didn’t blame him. He’d be uncomfortable, too, if a stranger claiming to know and love him started crying into his hair.  

They had so much ground to recover.  

- - -

Damian was a massive brat.

Bruce felt like a terrible parent for thinking such a thing about his own son, but Damian was downright horrible.

He did nothing but yell and scream and throw things around. He fought with Alfred. Fought with Bruce.

Hated Tim.

Considering the boy had attempted to push Tim off the top level of the cave, that first night Bruce brought him home, he couldn’t trust Damian anywhere near Tim.

And Tim hated Damian in return.

Or, at least, considered him to be the ‘son of satan’ and avoided him at all costs.

Bruce wasn’t sure how to make his family all mesh together. Wasn’t sure how to get Damian to calm down and give them all a shot.

All those years Bruce had imagined, fantasized with it would be like to get Damian back, never once had he considered he might not like the boy.  

He still loved him, of course. Loved him so much it hurt.

His son was finally home, and his home had been thrown into pure chaos.

Handing Damian the cow had been a difficult decision.

For eight years, that cow had been all Bruce had. The only physical reminder he had of the little boy he’d lost.

Damian and Cow had been inseparable, when he was an infant. Bruce had bought three more, the very second he realized how attached to the dumb toy Damian had become. He had four of those cows, and when Talia’s men took Damian, they’d taken none of them.

It’d been a stab in his heart, every time he looked at cow. Knowing how scared Damian would be without it. How upset.

Knowing Damian likely cried for weeks, if not months, for that stupid cow.  

And in the eight years since Damian’s kidnapping, Bruce had become a little attached to the cow, himself. It sat on his bed stand. Right next to his favorite photo of Damian. He pat cow’s head every night, as if doing so would be telling his own little boy ‘good night, I love you.’  

Just like he’d done every single night Damian lived with him.  

Handing Damian that cow was difficult.  Because Damian destroyed everything he was given. He was violent. He threw tantrums.

And he was, above all, not a child.  

But Cow belonged to Damian, and Bruce was unable to put it off any longer.

“Damian,” he said, knocking on his boy’s door, allowing it to creak open as he did, “I wanted to give you something.”

“What is it now,” Damian started, but paused when he got a look at the toy in Bruce’s hand.  Bruce walked over to the bed where Damian was reading and held it out, for Damian to take.

But instead, Damian just said, “That’s… Mr. Cow.”

“Yeah,” Bruce said, laughing a little to cover up the desire to cry.

Because Damian remembered.

“I—“ Bruce started, “He was yours. When you lived here. I’ve— I’ve kept him in my room, ever since you left. To remind me of you. But, he was yours, so I thought I should give him back.”

“Why,” Damian said, slowly, in the least snotty tone Bruce had heard yet, “Why do I remember a stupid toy but I do not remember you?”

Bruce sighed, and sat down on the bed next to his son. He placed Cow down in Damian’s lap, even though Damian made not move to take it.

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. He’d been a little distraught when none of the photos had jogged anything.

He hadn’t specifically expected Damian to remember things from when he was 20-months-old, but to have his own boy accuse him of doctoring the photos, just to “get into his head” and “paint his mother as the liar” had hurt.

“You were young. Most people don’t remember much from before the age of three, and you weren’t even two when you left.”  

“But I remember the cow.”

“Yes,” Bruce said, placing his arm behind Damian as he leaned back, “You couldn’t sleep without the damn thing. My guess is you cried for it every night for months, after you left. It probably stuck with you because of that.”  

“Oh.” Damian placed his hand on cow’s head and stroked. Just once. Before his cheeks flushed and he yanked his hand away sharply.

“I’m really happy you’re back,” Bruce said, moving his hand so it was sitting on Damian’s shoulder. Damian still didn’t let him hug him, but at least he didn’t shrug his hand away.  “I hope you know that. I want nothing more than to get to know you.”  

“Thank you, Father,” Damian said crisply, then faltered before adding, much less confidently, “I have always wished to… know you.”  

Bruce couldn’t help it. He pulled Damian in by the hand on his shoulder, and wrapped his arms around. “Well, I’m glad we have this chance, then.”

For once, Damian didn’t fight him. He did fidget, a little, with Cow started to fall, but he caught the little toy and held it a little more securely while Bruce rested his head down on Damian’s hair.  

And when Damian didn’t push him away for several minutes, Bruce started to think… maybe Damian wasn’t a hopeless case, after all.  

[bigfan-fanfic]

Who is Batdad closest to outside Wayne manor? Does he have much of a life outside of the Wayne's? Who would Batdad consider his closest friends besides his family?

Honestly, Batdad doesn’t have much of a life outside of the Waynes. He doesn’t really have anyone other than the League to talk to. Clark would probably be his closest friend outside of his family because in a lot of ways they are similar.

Okay, let me talk about this. ( I came back up and decided to answer more concisely above and put this under a read more because it’s very, very long, and I cried three times while writing it and I have never had any visceral reaction to what I write ever before... oof. Just be warned if you ever feel anxiety or pressure that basically, that’s what follows)

Batdad basically denies his own wants and dreams because he wants to help Bruce. What this means is that no matter what Batdad wanted to be before (maybe he and Bruce were dating and he confessed his desire to be a writer and Bruce allowed himself the fantasy and said they’d buy an island somewhere, and Bruce would lounge on the beach and supply Batdad in kisses while he writes the best book ever), by the time Bruce gets back to Gotham from his training, Batdad has had to become what Bruce would have been if Thomas and Martha were there. 

He’s a public figure and philanthropist, carrying the legacies of Martha and Thomas on his shoulders. He has to keep Martha’s business running - no, not just running, thriving - and deal with corrupt officials, corporate espionage, and greedy businesspeople all but threatening him to take Wayne Enterprises public so they can trade stock, all while making sure Thomas’ charities are well-funded and the money is actually going where it should (see earlier greed, corporate and personal). This is all while having to attend galas and functions and fundraisers and events or risk pissing off any one of these people who can turn his life into hell - missing one event can lead to being blacklisted and then that means nobody goes to a charity gala, which means that there’s no hospital built for those in the Narrows.

All this and also consider that everybody in high society sneers at you because the only reason you’re there is because you’re engaged to Bruce and you lived with him ever since Martha and Thomas died. You’re besieged on all sides, because the snobs hate you, the press wonders if you’re even qualified to run a business, and there’s always envy and hatred from below because why aren’t you doing MORE to help them? You haven’t been trained in this - your parents were upper-middle-class at best; you met Bruce by chance, so it’s just you and Alfred and this crushing, all-consuming PRESSURE and the fact that none of it is enough, you aren’t doing enough, it’ll never be enough.

Oh, and at this point, you’re probably only in your mid-twenties at the latest. And it only gets harder because Bruce is back and crime fighting and now you have to worry about him dying on patrol, so every night you’re there to assist him (sleep? don’t know her) and patch him up and support him every day even though he pretends a little too well to be a drunken boor and a cheating asshole (sometimes he isn’t even pretending) and help him when he gets frustrated and then you adopt a kid after your first day off in years (day off, what’s a day off, you haven’t slept enough since you were eighteen and Bruce left you and Batman came back but you haven’t said a word about it) and now there’s school and making sure Dick eats enough and is happy and doing good and doesn’t get overworked on patrol and stressing on whether or not Dick is okay whenever he leaves the Manor and again, none of it is ever enough.

You feel like you’re in your fifties by the time you hit thirty and the Justice League forms and that means SO much more work not just physically but emotionally because Bruce can’t meet anyone new without determining a thousand different ways to kill them if necessary (except for Talia, apparently. And Selina. And Silver Freaking St. Cloud. And Julie Morrison. And any number of dalliances Bruce has had because somehow they’re all smarter. or stronger, or maybe he just has a weakness for tall women who don’t take his crap. Is that what you do? Is your loyalty and consistency and unconditional love actually what lets Bruce walk away so often to a woman’s bed? Is it because he knows you will still be there? Is it because you have put so much of yourself into this life, into your children, into the Wayne Legacy of Perfection and Excellence that it would kill you to leave? Is it because you’re just another tool to him, one that will be quickly replaced when you succumb to sleep-deprivation, or that thing you’ve heard about in the news where people are dying from overwork so often the Japanese have a name for it, or the fact that you’re doing the work of ten, no, twenty people and not once have you ever complained to Bruce or begged him like any reasonable person would to stop this vigilante nonsense and actually LIVE), but now you have to coordinate meetings and a thousand different secret identities and make sure everything’s kosher and nobody’s fighting and of course Bruce has a beef with the nicest freaking guy in the League and Clark keeps coming to you to see if you can help them work it out.

Oh, and then there’s Talia, aka the thorn in your existence and her child who literally has tried to murder you for the crime of being married to Bruce years before he had even heard of Talia, and now on top of all the above, you have to balance getting to know the kid and be reminded day in and day out by him that you aren’t enough, that Talia has such a deeper connection to Bruce, that you are an obstacle to his happiness, that she’s so much smarter and stronger than you, that you are weak and everything you touch becomes weak and tainted by you. And not to mention that you still aren’t doing enough because Gotham’s underprivileged are screaming in pain from everything they deal with and at least you are fed and clothed and you have a family you can support and you are rich and you need to be doing MORE. 

And nobody else in the League can even come close to understanding you because wow, you do so much, do you ever take a break? You come this close to crying when Oliver remarks that if he had to do that much work, he’d go back to the island he was stranded on for five years because he’s joking. For anyone else your life would be a living hell and he’s joking. How do you do so much; do you ever sleep; hah, Bruce, your husband is showing you up! And this is when they even acknowledge you, and you feel like a major-league prick for even thinking these thoughts because Bruce and the League put their lives on the line every day (oh god they’re always in danger and the stress of losing your boys - which has happened to you already - and Bruce and your friends who are the only ones you can ever actually talk to without worrying that you’ll give away someone’s identity) and you’re complaining about a little bit of paperwork? You get to go to parties and meetings while your husband fights to save lives and you’re complaining? How selfish are you? All you do, everything you do, it isn’t enough, it’s never enough, there’s always MORE MORE MORE and it never ever stops.

Jason is dead, Jason comes back, Dick is beaten within an inch of his life, the Joker kidnaps Tim and you are hanging by a thread because the last time the Joker took one of your kids and you couldn’t find them meant that there was an empty bed and too many memories but no time to grieve because Bruce threw himself into work without a care and you needed to do even MORE because you can’t lose him too. And even the League was supposed to help with this but it doesn’t because you can’t bear to lose anyone, because they’re family and not only that, the world has gotten careless because the supers will save them and crime is actually going UP somehow and if even one of the League dies, a city could be overrun by now because the police and government are all but useless and the skies are filled with supervillains and the only thing stopping the world from falling into utter disrepair is the League, and thus you. And through all of this you have to be doing better, have to be doing MORE because every new thing means all the rest of your work becomes that much harder and you haven’t slept properly in a decade now and you feel ancient but still, you can’t complain, you haven’t earned the right to complain because you are never hungry and you never go without and there are so many people who need your help and charities that depend on you to function and kids that need fatherly advice and affection and a League that needs managing and you don’t have time for a breakdown because if you’re gone for too long everything collapses and everyone you love suffers and forget about therapy because who the FUCK could you ever talk to about any of this without either revealing a hundred secret identities and putting everything at risk or sound like a whiny crybaby?

Selina and Talia are back and hovering around your husband again and they flirt with him like you don’t exist and it’s not his fault and you love him but you see Talia every day in Damian’s voice and manner and don’t even think about talking to Bruce about his infidelity because he has so many more important things to worry about and he’s already apologized profusely and anything else makes you feel selfish and you HAVEN’T SLEPT in what feels like all your life and every moment not filled with work is filled with stress about work and worry because every time you don’t see your boys is a moment they can be dead and you don’t know it and every moment Bruce isn’t at the Watchtower is another moment Lex Luthor has to enact some horrifiying plan or the Joker gets ahold of a nuclear weapon or something else unforseeably terrible happens and it is TOO MUCH but you still need to be doing MORE because it isn’t enough and you aren’t enough and nothing is ever enough.

Is there even a you anymore? There used to be a kid there who just wanted to help his friend when he lost his parents. A kid who got left behind to stay with that friend. A teenager with dreams and hopes and wishes and a sweet boyfriend who could maybe get past his grief and lead a good life with you. A young man with the chance to stop his lover from leaving, to stay with him and not give in. Where did he go? Is he still there, underneath the years? Or is he gone, and this being made of stress and fear and feelings of inadequacy and stifled complaints and sadness gone unsaid and trauma left to fester all that you are? That kid you once were gets further and further away with everything you do to help, every time you keep silent  because what good would it do to scream the way you want to, the way you’ve needed to for so many years but never let yourself?

And yes, your boys and your husband make it better, make it worthwhile, but it remains that you feel old, you’ve been tired since you were still 19. Your days are consumed with stress and your nights are filled with fear. And you can never say this now because it has been years, and you’ve lost that chance. The guilt would throw Bruce off his game and if he’s off his game, he could die and all of this would be for nothing. Quite against your will, you’ve been trapped in a no-win situation, and even death is no escape because you know that without you, it all comes crashing down and game over. You are Atlas, holding up the world and knowing that you have just enough strength to hold it up for eternity. And no one will release you from your prison.

But you have to endure it, and smile while you do so because if Bruce ever knew (or if he even cared to look), it’d all go falling down. You are the support, and the support’s support, but no one ever thinks that you might need assistance. What do you have going on? Being a dad? Working? Attending parties? It isn’t enough and you know it isn’t enough and everybody knows that it isn’t enough and they always, always need MORE.

I wonder now how Batdad does it. How he doesn’t break down crying. And part of that is because he is fictional, and I never thought about what it would be like to go through that level of pressure every day of your life. I hope someday Bruce comes to his senses. That even if he doesn’t let go of his grief, maybe he stops being Batman. And stops training Robins. Because yes, he gave them a home, but he manipulated them into being what he is. Who knows what good Dick could have done if he had just been Bruce’s adopted son. Maybe a philanthropist. Maybe he just would’ve had a happy life instead of one where he could die every day. Where he constantly has to reopen the wound of his parents’ deaths to convince him to keep at it. I want them to realize that they don’t have to, anymore.

But they won’t. Because they aren’t real. And they exist for our entertainment. And because we’ll keep reading the comics and watching the movies and playing the games, Bruce will always be Batman and never come to terms with his parents’ deaths in a healthy way and there will always be more threats to existence and even just to him personally.

And Batdad too, is trapped.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

The Badfamily

by olailamajnoon I started writing this script fic in rehab; it was meant to be about "what if Batman was evil, but, like, still cared for his family" type thing. It helped me release my pent up "evil urges". The only people who beta-read it was my former friend, who realized just how fucked up I was after reading it, and dumped my ass. Now I get up screaming in the middle of the night, because I had a nightmare that I published this fic and was put in prison for writing it. Enjoy! Basically: Why does evil!Bruce/Batman always fall in love with either a child or a dead person? Bruce starts to question his sanity in therapy 30 years after losing his parents one dark night in an alley and turning into The Batman - Gotham's most notorious terrorist and supervillain. Together with his orphan sidekicks, he takes revenge on the city which ripped his parents from him. Features: Bad Justice League, Good Joker, and Bruce's undying love for his family. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED BY GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AND AWFUL, EVIL PROTAGONISTS WHOSE CRIMES GO UNPUNISHED. Comment if you hated this fic! Comment if you loved it! Comment if you feel both ways! Basically, comment! Words: 7778, Chapters: 1/4, Language: English Fandoms: DCU (Comics), Batman - All Media Types Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other Characters: Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Clark Kent, Diana (Wonder Woman), Lois Lane, Jon Kent, Hal Jordan, Oliver Queen, Dinah Lance, Starfire (Koriand'r) - Character, Roy Harper, Selina Kyle, Barbara Gordon, Jim Gordon, Joker (DCU), Arthur Curry, Barry Allen, Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Wally West Relationships: Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Joker (DCU)/Harleen Quinzel, Dick Grayson/Koriand'r Additional Tags: evil!Bruce, Bad Things Happen to Good People, Necrophilia, All Kinds of Tags, Do NOT Read if Triggered by Sexual Assault, Freeform, Play/Drama, Angst, Fluff, Hurt No Comfort via https://ift.tt/Ni4LknG

[goldandbluesmiles]

Bloody Courting

Summary: "There are two types of omegas that make it in our world and especially in Gotham. There are the ones like me that wrap Alphas, Betas and even other omegas around their finger, make them dance to their tune. You will not be that omega. You are too brash and forward to it. You will be the omega that goes ahead with the sheer force of will. They will respect you and if they do not, they will fear you,"

Jason had nodded, listening to him with rapt attention.

"And remember, if any of them think they are worth you, make them prove it no matter than their designation. Do not ever settle for less than what you want,"

These days he was really wishing that he hadn't driven the last point very hard. Because really the dead bodies were getting a bit ridiculous.

Ao3

Note: This is part 1. You can read part 2 here.

TW: Mention of body parts. Nothing graphic. It’s Earth 3 so things are a little messed up.

XXX

Jason was the only pup that was truly his.

Not that the others weren't but he couldn't call any of them just his own, all of them having responsibilities elsewhere, having ties to someone else. Dick was an Alpha and they usually took toward their Alpha mentors. Dick had grown into Talon and was now one of the most vicious forces on this side of the globe. Bruce was proud, so proud but Dick would always be more Thomas then Bruce, no matter how much the young Alpha hated the older Wayne.

Damian Al Ghul and Helena Kyle-Wayne were his little miracle pups. Born as fraternal twins and sired by two different Alphas. However, Helena was, again, an Alpha. And while Selena was much more lenient than any other Alpha about Helena being with her omega bearer, Helena was an Alpha and would naturally gravitate toward her Alpha mother. Damian was an omega but he was the heir to the League, so really, Bruce was lucky that Talia had stood up to her father, otherwise, he might not have gotten to know the little pup at all.

Tim Drake was another little pup he had held close, much like Dick, except that Tim's loyalty was to his parents. He was the only omega child to an alpha father and a beta mother. There were many parents that chose to have heir child mentored by another person if their designation didn't match and the Drakes had chosen Bruce to mentor theirs. Tim would always come to Bruce first with his achievements and grievances but it wasn't the same.

Cassandra was already trained in a certain manner by her biological father, one that Bruce did not agree with but could not change. He supported her when he could and completely adored her but she was a flighty dancer and had come to him while she was already grown.

Stephanie, Harper, Cullen, Barbara, more protege than children and really that was how it was always going to be.

But Jason. Jason was all his. He was a crime alley omega which meant that none of the Alphas around would take him under their wing and no one in Bruce's circle wanted to 'taint' their blood with an omega mate from the alley. He was Bruce's to raise, to cherish and to hold close. Bruce's to teach and mould.

It was Bruce's job to make sure the omega pup made it to the top of the world and he would do a damn good job of it. Their world bowed to the powerful and strong and he would make sure that Jason was the best.

He has told Jason that much when he has taken the little pup in.

"There are two types of omegas that make it in our world and especially in Gotham. There are the ones like me that wrap Alphas, Betas and even other omegas around their finger, make them dance to their tune. You will not be that omega. You are too brash and forward to it. You will be the omega that goes ahead with the sheer force of will. They will respect you and if they do not, they will fear you,"

Jason had nodded, listening to him with rapt attention.

"And remember, if any of them think they are worth you, make them prove it no matter than their designation. Do not ever settle for less than what you want,"

These days he was really wishing that he hadn't driven the last point very hard.

Because really the dead bodies were getting a bit ridiculous.

XXX

The first sign of what was to come had come when someone had asked Jason to the Halloween dance in his sophomore year.

"Hey B," said Jason while expertly hitting every target with his blades, "I need a costume for the Halloween dance,"

"Huh," said Bruce, "Don't you already have one? The pirate one?"

"Oh yeah, but I got asked to the dance by this really cute alpha girl and we're matching so we're doing Zorro,"

Bruce grinned at the young omega, "So someone asked you huh? How? Did they present you with a gift?"

"Yeah," said Jason, throwing the last knife and heading to where Bruce was standing, "Wanna see?"

Jason took out a small wooden box. Inside, nestled in velvet was a small white ring. Bruce had to admit it looked quite nice, strong and well crafted, the light barely touching-

"Wait," he said, "Is that made of a human finger bone?"

"Yeah!" said Jason, "Cool isn't it. We were talking about people keeping trophies from their kills and I said making something pretty out of it would be the best insult since they're still serving you in death and she gave this to me today and asked,"

"Huh?" said Bruce, not knowing how to feel about the thing, "It's an interesting gift,"

"Right," said Jason, "Some other people asked me too but hey all gave boring gifts so I ignored them,"

"Boring?" wondered Bruce

"You know. Flowers. Candies and stuff," said Jason, "This is much cooler. Now about the costume,"

Bruce shrugged as Jason started listing supplies for his costume. It was just a bone ring. Nothing to worry about.

He really should have thought better.

XXX

There was a box at his doorstep.

And it was dripping blood.

That could not be anything good. Someone had actually gotten close to their door to leave this here and from all the blood the message could only be a threat.

Bruce carefully opened the box and-

-found a perfectly cut heart inside with a note.

'Be my valentine?'

Bruce sighed.

"Jason!"

Jason came running down and grinned when he saw the box.

"Oh god, he actually did it,"

"Explain," said Bruce, having some idea where this was going.

Jason laughed, "He asked what it would take to get my heart and on a whim, I said 'a heart' and he actually did it,"

"Is the same person that asked you out with patches of tattoed skin?"

"Nope, new guy,"

"Of course," Bruce sighed

"Anyway Valentines tomorrow," said Jason, grabbing the box, "I have an outfit to get ready,"

"Watch for the blood!" he called out but Jason was already gone

"Human bone jewellery, tattoed skin patches, an actual bloody heart," muttered Bruce, "What's next? A severed head?"

He really shouldn't have asked.

XXX

There was a severed head in the box, eyes still open and tongue sticking out of their mouth.

The words 'Prom?' were carved into its forehead.

Bruce heaved a sigh and decided to take the box to Jason himself. He found the young boy sitting in the library, reading a book.

"You have an invite to prom," he told the omega

"If its another cake, I don't want it," said Jason, not even looking up from his book

"It's a severed head,"

That got his attention.

"Oh?" said Jason, "Who's is it?"

"See for yourself," said Bruce, handing his son the box

"Ah," said Jason, looking at the head, "Jeffery. He likes to mess with younger omegas. Or well 'liked' I guess,"

"Did he do anything to you," asked Bruce, the protective instinct rising inside of him

Jason snorted, "No. He wouldn't have had the balls to. Anyway, I like to deal with my problems on my own,"

"Right," said Bruce

Jason hummed and then looked at Bruce, "Do you think I could wear a dress to prom? I'm still pretty slim and it would look nice with my developing curves,"

Bruce looked from the head to the bright smile on Jason's face and resigned himself to seeing bloody gifts in the future.

"Sure Jay, you can wear a dress,"

XXX

Once Jason graduated high school, he got into Princeton and stayed there for the next four years, barely showing his face in Gotham. People started to wonder if he would ever come back.

Bruce knew better though. He'd seen his son's plans, the fire in his eyes and the blood behind his teeth.

Jason was a Gothamite, born and bred.

He would come back.

And come back he did.

Red X rose through the ranks of Gotham's underbelly with a viciousness that even surprised Bruce. The people of crime alley and the narrows worshipped him and those that opposed him feared him. He made everyone bow to him and his meetings with the rest of Gotham's big players, including the elite, were a sight to behold.

Really, Bruce couldn't have been prouder.

His son's newfound popularity also meant that there were a lot more people trying to gain his favours. And while Jason no longer lived with Bruce, he, however, did come to visit often.

And bring his gifts along.

"Look, Bruce! It's a torture wheel. Still has a bit of blood on it,"

"Here! Look! it was used to decapitate the rogue gang a couple of months ago. I think I might spend my heat with this one,"

"Another heart Bruce! You'd think I'd be over getting hearts by now but really, never gets old,"

"Dad! Dad! A skull!"

"Remember that Beta we were talking about, someone cut off his fingers for me. I think I'm gonna meet them,"

"Why can't he like normal gifts?" Bruce wailed, "I liked normal gifts,"

"I brought you stolen jewellery Lover," said Selina, running a hand through his hair

"And I brought you blades," said Talia, "There were flowers too but mostly weapons,"

"Still normal gifts!" insisted Bruce, "This one likes actual human hearts, and fingers and skulls!"

Talia laughed and gave him a kiss, "He's happy, Beloved. That's what you want for him, right?"

Bruce sighed. She was right of course. He wanted his son to be happy. He could put up with a few torture devices and clean body parts.

And then Roy fucking Harper happened.

[ao3feed-superbat]

Sensible madness

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/34NkxPp

by Anna12aot

What if Kate and Bruce were born around the same time? What if the tragedies that made them the heroes they become, also happened around the same time? What if the two of them ended up living together? What if the two of them ended up as huge theater nerds? What if they had some actual healthy coping mechanisms along side their totally not super unhealthy vigilante detective hobby that nearly kills them on a weekly basis? What if everything wasn't a shitty cheap ass drama show written by racist, misogynist, homophobic, all the bad ism's and phobia's and ist's?

(No disrespect to the individuals who try to give us good diverse content. Actually, all the respect because DC as whole is a weak dumb ass bitch and kudos to those people for tolerating that bastard.)

Here is my sad, pathetic attempt to fix the DC universe that I am very much under qualified and under prepared for. Enjoy. (And I'll get to finishing the relationship tags soon, it's just not on the agenda right about now. There is just so many fucking characters. The character tags are technically unfinished because that won't be all of the characters showing up. Do I really hate myself and DC that much?)

Words: 633, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types, Superman (Comics), Wonder Woman - All Media Types, Wonder Woman (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Under the Red Hood, Red Robin (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon), Justice League - All Media Types, Justice League: War, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017), Teen Titans (Comics), Harley Quinn (Comics)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Kate Kane, Alfred Pennyworth, Lucius Fox, Jim Gordon, Helena Bertinelli, Harold Allnut, Hiro Okamura, Vic Sage, Renee Montoya, Patrick "Eel" O'Brian, Zatanna Zatara, Basil Karlo, Talia al Ghul, Selina Kyle, Holly Robinson, Kitrina Falcone, Dick Grayson, Slade Wilson, Rose Wilson, Grant Wilson (DCU), Joseph Wilson, Damian Wayne, Barbara Gordon, Gus Yale, Wendy Harris, Jacob Kane, Catherine Hamilton Kane, Diana (Wonder Woman), Jason Todd, Koriand'r (DCU), Roy Harper, Bette Kane, Duke Thomas, Tim Drake, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Stephanie Brown, Billy Batson, Harper Row, Cullen Row, Shawn Tsang, Natalia Knight, Sasha Bordeaux, Carrie Kelley, Jaina Hudson, Cassandra Cain, Cheyenne Freemont, Tiffany Fox, Luke Fox, Barry Allen, Wally West, Bart Allen, Jay Garrick, Iris West, Max Mercury, Clark Kent, Kara Zor-El, Kara Danvers, Lois Lane, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Jonathan "Pa" Kent, Martha Wayne, Martha Kent, Thomas Wayne, Sam Lane, Lucy Lane (DCU), Donna Troy, Cassie Sandsmark, Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, Akila of Bana-Mighdall, Queen Hippolyta, Atalanta, Antiope (Wonder Woman), Bana-Mighdall Amazons, The Amazons (Wonder Woman), Grace Choi, Anissa Pierce, Jefferson Pierce, Jennifer Pierce, Oliver Queen, Thea Queen, Emiko Queen, Dinah Lance, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Jon Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Jade Nguyen, Jennifer-Lynn Hayden, Artemis Crock, Ra's al Ghul, Nyssa Raatko, Silver St. Cloud, Wildcat (DCU), Tatsu Yamashiro, Jason Blood, Jason Bard, Crispus Allen, Kate Spencer, Onyx Adams, Boston Brand, David Zavimbe, Calvin Rose, Jean-Paul Valley, Santiago Varga, Baber Shah, Percy Sheldrake, Cyril Sheldrake, Jiro Osamu, Lonnie Machin, Harriet Cooper, Agatha Wayne, Vicki Vale, Harley Quinn, Pamela Isley, Harleen Quinzel, Harvey Dent, Joker (DCU), Jonathan Crane, Waylon Jones, Bane (DCU), Roman Sionis, Floyd Lawton, Hugo Strange, Thomas Elliot, Drury Walker, Jervis Tetch, Victor Fries, Oswald Cobblepot, Edward Nygma, Cyrus Gold, Solomon Grundy (DCU), Shauna Belzer, Peyton Riley, Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong, Vandal Savage, Noah Kuttler, Julian Gregory Day (DCU), Thomas Blake (DCU), Arthur Brown, Count Vertigo, Garfield Lynns, Warren White, Charles "Chuck" Brown, Zeus (Wonder Woman), Onomatopoeia (DCU), Peter Merkel, Peter Merkel Jr., Deever Tweed, Dumfree Tweed, Victor Zsasz, Ben Turner, David Cain, Titus (DCU), Lady Shiva, Lazlo Valentin, Barton Mathis, Matilda Mathis, Mark Desmond, Mortimer Drake, Alfred the Cat (DCU), Ace the Bat-Hound, Bat-Cow (DCU)

Relationships: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan/Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan/Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan/Clark Kent, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Kate Kane & Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth & Bruce Wayne, Jim Gordon & Bruce Wayne, Diana (Wonder Woman)/Kate Kane, Kate Kane/Renee Montoya (past), Talia al Ghul/Bruce Wayne (past), Kate Kane & Jason Todd, Helena Bertinelli & Kate Kane & Jason Todd, Kate Kane & Clark Kent, Kate Kane & Alfred Pennyworth, Kate Kane & Oliver Queen, Kate Kane & Damian Wayne, Kate Kane & John Stewart, Bruce Wayne & Kara Zor-El, Barbara Gordon & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Zatanna Zatara, Hal Jordan & Bruce Wayne, Talia al Ghul & Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox & Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox & Luke Fox & Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Bruce Wayne, Cassandra Cain & Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Kate Kane, Cassandra Cain & Kate Kane, Luke Fox & Kate Kane

Additional Tags: No Smut, No Incest, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Rape/Non-con, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Not Canon Compliant, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, will try to remember to add them later, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, I am trying to fix the entire DCU while very much trying not to, This was supposed to be like just about the Batfam, But I started doing research, and it was really confusing, Then I got angry, and then hyped, and this happened, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Author Regrets Everything, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, How Do I Tag, Batfamily (DCU), Protective Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Domestic Batfamily (DCU), fuck you dc, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, Please Kill Me, I Tried, I Don't Even Know, some people die, no one stays dead, but god, God is Dead, Cause I killed him for letting DC continue this shit show, Nothing makes any fucking sense, This doesn't make any sense, It's a fucking mari go round of bullshit, enjoy, Explicit Language, To Be Edited, Not Beta Read, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Young Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne Has Issues, Growing Up Together, Romani Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Kate Kane is a Good Parent, Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Good Parent Alfred Pennyworth, Good Grandparent Alfred Pennyworth, Jim Gordon Knows, Everyone Needs A Hug, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Is Gay, And they're all panicked gays, Fluff and Angst, Family Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Feels, Humor, Gallows Humor, Bruce Wayne's Sense of Humor, Jason Todd’s Morbid Humor, this is gonna get long, Like over a few hundred thousand, Or this will die after it's reached 3k, Don't Like Don't Read, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma, Psychological Trauma, Childhood Trauma, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institutions, Because of arkham, Arkham Asylum, Eventual Romance, Eventual Relationships, read the tags, Tags May Change, Tags Are Hard, Body Image, Jewish Character, Canon Disabled Character, Canon Rewrite, Hispanic Character, Black Character(s), Native American Character(s), Arab Character, Arab Damian Wayne, We Die Like Men, Everyone is a minority in some way, This will have all the representation, Racism, Racist Language, They will suffer because of their racism, Don't worry, Don't Have to Know Canon, Hopefully you won't have to know canon, Because if I don't do this right, Than you will be so confused, Better Than Canon, I take most of my inspiration from the justice league cartoons, and from the harley quinn movie soundtrack, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Trans Character, Gay Panic

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/34NkxPp

[thebisexualdogdad]

Sidekicks and sex pollens chapter 3.2

Ao3 version with gifs

Co-written with @inhumanshadows

Word count: 3.8k

Tags: @18aquamarine-flower18 @lordparadox @russiangeckosexparty @heartbreaker6995 @mischievousmouse

It had been 4 months since you, Jason and Dick began this relationship of yours. 

It took Bruce a while to fully understand it all but he grew accustomed to the amount of time you were spending at the manor or more like the number of nights in a row you would sleep over in either of the boys beds.

Right now the three of you were hanging in Dick’s room, cleaning up after having sex as had become the norm you jacked a pair of Jason’s underwear and one of Dick’s hoodies.

You propped yourself on your elbows, legs kicking behind you, waiting for Dick and Jason to get out of their respective showers.

Eventually Dick stepped out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel, water dripping down from his wet hair onto his chest. 

"Wow Grayson, you sure you want to go to bed already?"

Dick chuckles and shakes his head.

“Don’t tell me you’re still horny?”

You smile at him.

“Maybe I am? Maybe I’m not. Or maybe I wanna lay here with my squeaky clean boyfriends?”

 "Did you call?" Jason says strutting back into the room, shirtless but in sweats. 

Dick laughs and grabs a pair of shorts, putting them on under his towel before tossing it to the side. 

They climb into bed with you, Dick settles easily but as always Jason takes a moment shifting around until he finally finds a comfortable position to sleep in.

“This is always so nice...” You say, putting your nose in the fabric of the hoodie.

“Agreed” Dick and Jason say at the same time. You all laugh a little.

“I cannot believe it’s been four monthes...” Jason points out.

“I know. I still remember the first time we met...”

"Are you getting soft Dick Grayson?" You chuckle. 

"Only for you two," he smiled. 

"Well there's one part of him that's certainly not soft," Jason grinned. 

"Don't ruin the moment Jay," you said playfully slapping his chest.

“Can’t help it if my boyfriends are hot as fuck!” Jason says.

You lay your head on Jason, feeling the vibrations as he laughs.

“Hey Dick... you never told me how you figured out you know who was you know who.” 

“Of course I did...”

"Nope I'm pretty sure you didn't," you replied. 

Dick's cheek turned red from the amount he was blushing. 

"Oh this is gonna be good," Jason said suddenly intrigued.

"Well...” Dick looks to both you and Jason. 

“It was after you and I had sex in that park, Y/N. When you... uh came I realized that you sounded exactly like... Mistletoe.”

"You're joking," you said holding back your laughter. 

"I wish i was," Dick said biting his lip. 

"Can i confess something?" 

"Anything."

"Before I saw you in the alley I did sort of notice that you and Nightwing had quite similar asses," you said slightly embarrassed. 

"Spend a lot of time staring at my ass now do you?" Dick teased.

"I hate to see you go but I love to watch you leave,” you say, punctuating the sentence with a smack to Dick’s bubble butt.

Jason was laughing his ass off, clutching his stomach.

"Don't make me kick you out of my bed," Dick huffed. 

"You wouldn't dare," you said pretending to be offended. 

"Watch me," Dick said rolling on top of you and tickling your sides.

 “Ah! No no!” You bust out in a fit of giggles. “Jason Help!”

"Don't look at me, you dug yourself into this hole," Jason said rolling over away from the madness. 

Suddenly there was a tapping on the door. 

"Uh come in?" Dick said confused, getting off of you. 

Bruce then came in shyly, avoiding eye contact with any of you clearly knowing what you three had been up to earlier. 

"I know it's late but Dick, Jason, we have some...  business to attend to," he explained.

“We’ll be right there.”

You weren’t a fool. You eventually figured out that Bruce was the big ol bat. So the “business” was business of a sort. 

“Go. I’ll be okay. I’m a little beat.” You say, pecking each boy on the cheek.

The boys leave and soon your phone dings.

Ivy: We need to talk, Y/N

Oh boy

--

Reluctantly you left Dick's bed and made your way downtown to Ivy's place.

"You wanted to see me?" You asked cautiously. 

"I'm just going to say it, you're distracted Y/N," she said bluntly. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"You know I want you to be happy but dating those boyfriends of yours has thrown you off your game," she went on.

“What gives you that idea Ivy? And don’t say it’s because we’ve been losing against the bat. Cause we haven’t done anything much lately.”

“No.”

“Then what do you mean Ivy?”

"I mean I'd hate to have to replace you because you can't keep up with my standards," she said coldly. 

"Are you seriously doing this?" You questioned. 

"Take this as your first and only warning Y/N, I was just fine on my own before you came along and I'll be just fine again if need be."

Meanwhile on the other side of Gotham Bruce was having a similar conversation of his with his sidekicks.

The Bat and the Birds were perched (pun intended) on the roof of a skyscraper.

"What's this about, Batman?" Nightwing asks.

"I know who he is." He answers

"What are you talking about?" Robin replies.

"I know that Y/N is Mistletoe."

"That's- that's ridiculous" Jason stutters, "Y/N isn't-"

"I've known for months Jason," Bruce stops him. 

"How?" Dick asks. 

"You don't get to be where I am without being hyper aware of what's going on around me."

"Wait... so you..." Jason starts.

"Yes. But that's besides the point. I don't think it's a good idea for you two to see him any longer."

"Why?" Dick shouts, uncharacteristically. "If you've known for so long... why only tell us now?"

"Because I thought you'd figure out by now that sleeping with the enemy is never a good idea" 

"You're one to talk Bruce or need I remind you about Selina Kyle and Talia Al Ghul," Dick quips back. 

"We're not kids, you can't tell us who we can or can't be with," Jason adds.

"I'm just trying to look out for you Jason," Bruce tells him. 

"Maybe I don't need you looking out for me," Jason states. 

"Y/N isn't Ivy, he still has humanity left in him," Dick quips. 

"Until the day he doesn't," Bruce says bluntly.

"That's not really fair to say that Bruce..." Dick retorts.

"Dick's right. Y/N hasn't done anything to hurt us."

"And who's to say he won't in the future," Bruce goes on. 

"Because he wouldn't do that," Jason shouts. 

"Maybe Bruce is right Jason," Dick says low. 

"You're really siding with Bruce?" Jason gasps. 

"I mean he is a villain," Dick mumbles.

"He's a fucking forensic botanist that Poison Ivy took advantage of," Jason retorts.

“We don’t know that for certain.. or how he came to work for Ivy...”

"Then why don't we just ask him," Jason huffs.

[dilfdoctordoom]

What were Bette's first impressions of Selina, Vicki, Talia, Julie Madison, and Silver?

I want you to know that I adore all your asks. Mainly because I cannot shut up about Bette Kane, but also, ‘cause they’re just really nice.

ANYWAYS. LONG ONE AHEAD, SO LET’S GO.

Selina:

It’s probably important to remember that Bette first meets Selina when she’s, like, eleven & Bat-Girl & Catwoman is trying to rob a museum. You know, normal stuff

Bette’s not even mad at the criminal activity, she’s mad that Selina called her adorable and pinched her cheeks when she was trying to be a very serious crime fighter

So Bette’s maybe a little biased against her. It’s not anything serious, it’s just that Bette mostly remembers Selina from fighting her & unlike Dick, she wasn’t really exposed to her much outside of that environment, until she & Bruce were in a serious relationship

Bette & her do form a better dynamic, but that takes a lot of time & honestly it’s more due to Holly’s influence than anything else

She does like that Selina legitimately loves Bruce. I mean, Bette’s not gonna accept anything else, to be honest, she adors her older cousin & she just wants that idiot to be happy

Also very much approves that Catwoman seems to care about the assorted Batkids

Again, Bette... very much knows Catwoman, but not Selina. And, yeah, that’s gonna affect how they interact a lot

I mean, Bette approves of her more than she approves of others, but, eh, Bruce’s choice in woman is all over the place, so. Hm.

Doesn’t really like working with her, to be honest, but that’s... Bette doesn’t like working with anyone that she & Kathy fought. That’s not on Selina, that’s on childhood trauma

Vicki:

Bette really likes Vicki

She’d met her a few times before Bruce & Vicki were together, when she was way younger & Vicki was just... nice ginger lady at galas who approved of Bette’s mischief & promised not to tell anyone. 10/10, great approval rate from local idiot

When Bette’s in her teens, she interns at the Gazette for a few months & Vicki helps her out a lot there. Like, Bette never makes a career out of journalism, but she’s a damn good photographer (blame a childhood of hanging around crime scenes & gathering evidence for that one), plus she always had a way of getting good leads on stories... interesting

So, yes, Bette likes Vicki. She thinks she’s awesome. A great reporter, a nice person...

She just. Doesn’t approve of Bruce and Vicki. As a couple.

Mainly because Bette thinks that whoever Bruce is with should know about Batman, but Vicki doesn’t??? So, like, Bette can’t get behind that. It’s absolutely not Vicki’s fault & is more to do with Bruce’s trust issues & Bette judges the hell out of him for it

Bruce & Vicki do obviously break up & Vicki goes back to being her favourite reporter

I think that when Bette becomes Hawkfire, Vicki does find out about it! They have, like, a Ben Urich/Matt Murdock kind of dynamic, I guess?

I’m definitely just saying this because I think Vicki Vale would make an excellent addition to Bette’s supporting cast. If Bette even had a supporting cast

Talia:

You know, I put myself through the torturous experience of Morrison’s Batman recently, so let’s get into this

Now, obviously, no matter what, I’m not gonna act like the r*pe thing is canon. It is not, nor will it ever be, in my mind. Let’s just establish that, first

Because Bette’s got other reasons to dislike Talia! Yay!

Like, according to Batman Inc, Talia... ordered the hit on Kathy. Kinda think that this might have been faked by Kathy herself, but since Bette didn’t know her aunt faked her death... Bette hates Talia for this

And Bette... Bette doesn’t hate people. She usually doesn’t have it in her, but all the clues point to Talia hiring Bronze Tiger to murder the one person to truly, unconditionally love her. She can’t help but loathe her for it

Talia’s not the biggest fan of Bette, but that’s mainly because, while she never assassinated Batwoman, she did have her suspicions about her & she hasn’t completely ruled Bette out as an associate of Kathy’s

They, uh, both realize they’re wrong about the other, but Bette’s well into her twenties by then & it’s like, there’s too much history for them to ever truly reconcile

Talia does respect & appreciate how ride or die Bette is with Damian from the get-go. She likes knowing that her son has another person in his corner no matter what happens

Bette’s never not gonna be impressed by Talia. Like, even when she hates her guts... Talia’s a fucking badass. End of conversation.

But honestly, out of everyone on this list, Bette & Talia have the worst relationship. There’s a lot of bad blood between them & while they can work together for Bruce/Damian’s sake, they won’t like it

Julie Madison:

Bette & Julie never truly get to know each other

Bette first meets her when she’s dating amnesiac Bruce & that’s, like, a whole other thing that Bette’s finding hella stressful (seriously... imagine having to explain the Kane family history. Dear god)

She thinks she’s sweet though!!!

Like, these two never had a chance to form any sort of dynamic, because Bette wasn’t around for when Julie & Bruce were first together & when she finally was there, the relationship was pretty shortlived? And surprisingly, Bette doesn’t keep in contact with all of Bruce’s exes, Viciki excluded

Silver St Cloud:

Bette meets Silver in the socialite circle & they’re more aquaintances than anything else for years

They don’t spend much time together, until Bruce drops the bomb that Silver discovered he was Batman & that they broke up

Bette’s respect for this woman goes up considerably. Like, Bette was pretty indifferent to her before, but now? Damn. Not just everybody discovers Batman’s secret identity

Again, though, Bette doesn’t keep in contact with her cousin’s exes. They meet a few times at events & stuff & make small talk, but never really go beyond that

Bette does think that Silver is easily one of, like, Bruce’s best relationships, if that makes sense? And she’s kinda sad they didn’t work out

She wouldn’t have minded Silver joining the family

When Bette’s an adult, in charge of the family company, she always hires Silver to plan events, because that woman is a miracle worker. Bette honestly doesn’t know how she functioned without her, oh my god

Silver knows vaguely that Bette’s a vigilante, but she doesn’t make an effort to know which one. She wants to respect her privacy

These two never get particularly close, but they’re friendly & Silver’s definitely got Bette’s respect