#happy but dysfunctional batfam

[tracidant]

For the prompt Damian meets Haley...

Dick pulled up to the Manor with Haley so she could meet the family. The front door opened while he was still getting her out of the car.

"Grayson, it's about time you got here. You're 4 minutes late, and...WHAT IS THAT?"

"Damian, meet Haley." Dick put her on the ground, and she immediately ran to Damian, who scooped her up in his arms. She began licking his face, and he was giggling.

"You brought me a puppy!"

"Well, no, she's..."

"I must introduce her to everyone!" Damian ran off with Dick's dog, as Dick sighed.

Worst case scenario, he thought, Haley would have a loving home with other animals and with someone who would probably take better care of her than he could. It wasn't like he couldn't visit her all the time here, and Damian already sent him pics and videos of his other animals nearly every day. With Dick's BPD job, plus his vigilante job, was it really fair for Haley to stay with Dick? She seemed pretty happy with him so far, even if she was alone quite a bit. Maybe he was just being selfish because he was lonely? Ugh!

Just then, Alfred and Bruce came to the door, and the three men talked in the kitchen while Alfred made them cucumber sandwiches and tea.

About an hour later, Damian finally returned with Haley bouncing around at his feet, a new half-destroyed stuffed Superman toy in her mouth.

"I have bad news, Grayson. I don't think Titus appreciates Haley. I...he was here first, and I have to consider his needs."

Haley jumped up into Dick's lap, licked his face, then started cleaning his plate. While she wasn't a picky eater, cucumber was apparently not something she like, and she made faces so adorable, that everyone laughed.

"Luckily she likes you, so I think it's best if she stays with you. She'll be alone a lot, so I'll give you a list of canine enrichment toys you should get. I'll check into doggie day cares near you, as well as veterinarians."

"Thanks, kiddo."

"I have to go to see to Titus now to make sure he knows I'm not trying to replace him."

With that, Damian was off.

Bruce looked at Dick with a raised eyebrow. "You brought him a puppy?"

"Not exactly." Dick told Bruce what actually happened and how he found Haley, while Alfred fed her some leftover chicken.

"You're a good man, Dick. And a good brother." Bruce smiled, pride evident on his face. "A good dog dad too."

Dick and Haley left a bit later, with an entire booklet of instructions from Damian, and several containers of leftovers from Alfred for them. Bruce walked them to the door, Haley happily in Bruce's arms, half asleep. Bruce passed the worn-out dog over to Dick.

"Make sure to bring my granddog over frequently. Please."

Dick left with a smile, and happily, his dog.

[hood-ex]

"Love" and "proud" and "family" come up so frequently in bat comics now. Bleh. Bring back something I can relate to like emotional constipation and repression.

[crimsonwolf715]

Parting Words of Regret

(Alternately, Jason left Damian with the LoA to start getting revenge on Bruce and the others who wronged him in Gotham. He reunited with his little brother upon returning to his family, but things aren’t the same.)

Damian’s studying in his room. 

“Hey, buddy,” Jason says from behind him. 

“Hello,” Damian replies, turning to face Jason. “Why do you look guilty? Did you spike Ommi’s coffee again?” 

Jason smiles. “No, nothing like that. I just have something I wanna talk to you about.” 

“What is it?” 

“I have to go.” 

“Go where?” 

“Going to do some training before I go back to Gotham.” 

“So you’re not coming back?” 

“I am coming back, just once I’ve dealt with Bruce.” 

Damian’s face gets hard. “So you’re not coming back. You and I both know that if Grandfather couldn’t beat him, then you can’t.” 

“I know him better than Ra’s does.” 

“Don’t go.” 

“You know I have to. I’m sorry that I have to leave you.” 

“No, you’re not. Go.” 

“Damian…” 

“Go deal with your strife and we can talk once it’s done.” 

Jason pulls Damian into a hug, which Damian barely accepts. “I’ll see you soon.” 

“Don’t make that promise.” 

Two years Later

It’s been a long three months. Three months since Jason joined back into the Wayne family. Damian made no sign that he recognized Jason, so Jason’s been pretending that he doesn’t recognize his little brother. Jason’s reading in the living room of the manor because he’s waiting on Bruce to show up so he can try to talk him out of making him get a GED. Damian storms into the house and goes straight for Jason. He almost gets to Jason when he stops. He gets this angry kitten look, then turns and storms upstairs. Jason feels a pang of sadness and shifts uncomfortably. 

Bruce walks in. “Where did Damian go?” 

Jason points to the stairs. 

“He got suspended for fighting.” 

“That’s what he was taught to do when he has a problem, but I find it unlikely that he started a fight.” 

“Why? I mean, I know he didn’t start the fight, but what makes you think that?” 

“Common sense,” Jason answers, dodging the real answer as best he can. 

Bruce heads up the stairs and Jason decides that it isn’t worth having this fight today. Jason heads into the kitchen and starts making a sandwich. Tim comes down. 

“Shouldn’t you be at work?” Jason asks. 

“Shouldn’t you be at school?” Tim replies. 

“Fair. Do you want a sandwich?” 

“No, I ate lunch at a normal time, not two o’clock in the afternoon.” 

“Lucky you, I guess.” 

“I do have a meeting to go to, so I’ll be back.” 

“Bye, Tim.” 

Tim heads out and Jason ends up spending the rest of the day in his room, skipping dinner. All the little things are really getting to him concerning Damian. He’s used to his little brother running over to very aggressively tell him that they have to spar or he’ll commit a murder. Or that he’s just been struggling with his grandfather’s impossible standards for him. Damian would tell him everything. He ends up falling asleep without coming to a consensus on what he’s gonna do considering he hasn’t slept much the last week. 

The explosion buries Jason in debris. He can’t breathe, he struggles to get out from under the rubble. He feels himself losing consciousness and he cries out for his dad one time before losing consciousness. 

Jason wakes up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He sees a small pair of eyes at his door. 

“Dami?” 

“Are you alright?” Damian asks. 

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Jason answers between breaths. 

“Alright, goodnight.” 

Jason’s door shut and footsteps retreating. Tears spring up in Jason’s eyes and he aggressively tries to rub them away.

I deserve that. I left a little kid.  

Jason lays back down and tries to fall asleep again. Instead, he spends the rest of the night wide awake. He’s exhausted, but he can’t seem to fall asleep. 

“Jason, breakfast!” Dick shouts. 

Jason groans, then gets up and heads downstairs. 

“You look…” Dick starts, but Jason cuts him off. 

“Comment on it, and I’m going to take out your knees.” 

Jason sits down at the breakfast table and everyone’s there. Jason glances at his watch and remembers that it’s a Saturday. Breakfast is rowdy, but Jason avoids talking to anyone. Dick keeps trying to make conversation with him, but he shuts it down with one to three word answers. He gets up and heads down to the Batcave to blow off steam and hopefully tire himself out enough to sleep. He doesn’t tire himself out enough and he spends the day mostly like a zombie. 

That night on patrol, a major villain attacks, bringing all hands on deck for damage control. Jason’s dealing with civilians when he sees Damian running. Damian trips and falls, and he looks terrified. 

“Damian!” Jason runs towards his younger brother and scoops him up quickly. 

Damian blinks slowly. “Jay?” 

“Yeah, I’m here. You’re safe.” 

Damian grabs his jacket and puts his head on Jason’s chest. “Don’t leave me again, please.” 

“Is Robin okay?” Tim asks. “He got hit with a gas and he made a run for it immediately.” 

“I’ve got Robin, he’s alright,” Jason says. “I’m gonna take him home.” 

“Do that,” Bruce replies. “I don’t want him in harm's way if he’s been gassed. Run blood tests when you get back. If he needs it, get him to Leslie.” 

“I will.” 

Jason takes Damian back to the Batcave and easily distracts Damian so he can get his blood. 

“That’s it,” Jason says. “That was easy.” 

“What was easy?” Dick asks. “How is he?” 

“Still fine, and getting blood.” 

It gets quiet on comms. Jason ignores it and starts running tests, keeping Damian held against his chest. 

“How did you do that easily?” Dick asks. “I need you to teach me that.” 

“Maybe later,” Jason replies. “His blood’s got some drugs, but none that will do any lasting damage.” 

“That’s good,” Tim says. 

“Keep an eye on him, Hood,” Bruce says. “At least till I get back.” 

“Will do, boss. Signing off.” 

Jason pulls his comm out. “Do you wanna change?” 

Damian nods, so Jason puts him down. The two change, then Jason picks Damian back up. He carries him upstairs and they settle down on the couch. Damian falls asleep not long after getting settled. Jason runs his hand through Damian’s hair, careful not to make contact with the healing injury near the front of his scalp. He makes sure to keep up on where Damian’s injuries are. 

“I’m sorry I left you, buddy,” Jason whispers. 

Damian makes a soft noise and turns a bit, but doesn’t wake up. Jason’s chest feels tight and he forces back tears. He pulls Damian a little closer and puts his cheek against Damian’s head. 

“I love you.” 

Jason ends up falling asleep too. He wakes up hearing the door slam shut. The sun is out, so he slept for a while. 

“I’m here!” Dick calls out. 

Jason looks and Damian’s still asleep. 

“Shut up, Dickie,” Jason hisses. 

Dick pokes his head into the room and his face lights up like a Christmas tree. 

“Don’t you even…” 

“Awww. Look at you two.” 

Jason glares at him until he raises his hands. 

“I’m gonna go find Dad. Love you, Jay.” 

“Get out.” 

Dick goes upstairs, so Jason returns his attention to Damian. He gently picks his younger brother up and takes him up to his room. Once he’s covered up and still soundly sleeping, Jason heads to his room. He spends an hour in the shower, then heads down to the Batcave. He starts wrapping up his hands so he can punch the punching bag. Damian comes down and goes right over to Jason. 

“Hey,” Jason says. 

“May I speak with you privately?” Damian asks Jason. 

Jason stops mid-taping up his hands. “You mean without cameras? Because we’d have to take a walk.” 

“That is fine with me.” 

“M’kay, let me finish this up and we can go,” Jason replies, continuing to tap up his hands. 

Damian walks over and holds out his hand. Jason hands him the tape without hesitation. Damian starts taping up his hands quicker than Jason was doing it, but just as carefully. Jason smiles a little as his brother finishes taping up his hands. 

“You’re slow. Let’s go.” 

Jason gets up and follows Damian upstairs to the living room. Damian grabs a jacket and offers Jason his. 

Jason takes it. “Thank you.” 

Once they’re out of the house, Damian sighs. “I don’t want to do this anymore.” 

“Don’t want to do what anymore?” Jason asks. 

“Pretending that we didn’t know each other before. You seem to want to, but I don’t want to keep this up.” 

“Hey, I just did it because you didn’t act like you recognized me when I got back.” 

Damian cuts his eyes at Jason. “I did it when you first came back. Like to Gotham.” 

“Oh. Well, I feel stupid. I never want you to do something you don’t want to do, buddy. Except eat your vegetables.” 

“It’s just cauliflower and it tastes horrible,” Damian replies. “You can’t make me eat it.” 

Jason smiles and puts a hand on Damian’s shoulder. “I was just thinking about how I couldn’t keep this up.” 

“Because of yesterday?” 

“Straw that broke the camel's back.” 

“So we’re going to stop this weird act?” Damian asks. 

Jason nods. 

“Good, I’m far past sick of it. Mother’s been wanting to talk to you since you came.” 

“Oh yeah, not dealing with that right now. I’m still too tired for that. Tell her I’ll call her when I’m up for it.” 

“Sure, that’ll blow over well.” 

“What is she gonna do?” 

Damian shrugs, even though his face says he does know the answer. “We should get back before someone comes looking.” 

“Yeah, come on. You gotta hold my hand while we cross the street.” 

“I will kill you.” 

“I love you too, buddy.” 

“Love you.” 

They head back to the manor, Jason holding Damian’s hand.

[lazydoodlesandfanfic]

There For Me (Harley Quinn X Batsis!Reader)

Characters: Harley Quinn X Batsis!Reader, Batfam X Batsis!Reader

Universe: DC, Batman

Warnings: Unhealthy family relationships (Parentification) Mild mention of a past abusive relationship (Harley & Joker) Mention of stalking, mention of death

Request: A bruce wayne and daughter, she is an adult. Mainly responsible for her siblings. She is sick of being the responible one. She is really good friends with harley and ivy and they take her in. She is secrectly dating harley. Batman comes too take her back but she tells him she is very happy and harley protects her girlfriend. Bruce accepts and lets them be.

Notes: Kind of strayed from the request near the end, I kind of got carried away with this lol

Ever since you were a child, you were well aware that your relationship and role within your family was different to a lot of other families. It wasn’t the norm by any sense, even for Gotham. Your mom was never in the picture, leaving you in the hospital you were born in with a note about where to find your dad, and after a test to confirm it, you were sent to live with your dad, who at the time was the opposite of responsible, and was a mess still, if the whole getting a woman pregnant who then left you without a second thought wasn’t something to go by. It was no surprise that Alfred ended up being your actual primary caregiver for your early years. That, and the whole secret life as Batman he actually had the foresight to know it was best you didn’t know about. 

You found out when you were 10, coming down in the middle of the night for something to drink after a nightmare, finding your dad badly beaten and barely conscious in the kitchen, also looking for something to drink. You stared at each other for a moment in horror, but after a moment, you swallowed, grabbing a cup, getting some cold water, and went back to bed without a word. Bruce told Alfred what happened, and Alfred explained everything after school the next day. That day changed a lot for you. You realised partly why your dad was almost always absent, that Alfred was helping him keep your city safe, and that anytime you needed help with something was basically time taken away from Alfred that he could be spending making sure your dad wasn’t bleeding out somewhere or in need of help. As soon as you got home that day, you immediately began the process of becoming as independent as possible. 

By the time your dad brought Dick home, you were entirely independent, but also very emotionally cut off from your dad and Alfred. You didn’t interact with Dick for a few days until he was up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare, and you came down as well, fixing a snack to share and then going back up to his room to keep him occupied till he was ready to go back to bed. It was after that point that Dick started to open up a bit more, especially with you. After Dick had grown into an adult and you two spent a night off drinking and catching up, he admitted to you that when he first joined the family, he wasn’t sure on what your role was in it, thinking maybe you were a recent adoptee as well and just weren’t adjusting well, and it took over a month for him to realise you were Bruce’s biological kid. 

When Jason arrived, you already had a rough idea of what to do as your role as a big sister to dysfunctional traumatised little brothers, though Jason’s anger issues did make it a bit more difficult to bond with him. However, you quickly found that if you challenged his own anger with your silent resentment and frustration with your dad for not actually doing what a dad is supposed to, you two would actually bond over your frustrations, cause a bit of havoc together to blow of some steam. 

Jason exposed you to two things. One, he showed you that you had every right to be more angry with Bruce about the fact that you had to raise yourself and now the kids he was bringing into the manor than you are. Two, it was because of you two causing a bit of mischief that you met Harley Quinn.

You had been doing some art outside to release some of your emotions in a healthy way, or as Bruce would call it, Vandalism in the form of graffiti, when you heard police sirens, and you both scattered to get away from the scene, getting separated and you ended up on the bad side of town, and was just trying to find a safe route home without having to call anyone, especially Bruce or Alfred, for help, and hoping that Jason was okay. Unfortunately, you ended up crossing paths with a group of business students, who decided to catcall, harass, and after you ignored them completely, decided to start following you. Fortunately, it was then that you took a sharp turn to try and lose them and bumped right into Harley, who was with her own posse of goons. You two stared at each other for no longer than a second, and in that second, you two had entire conversation purely through your eyes. Then she heard the men behind you, far enough away to not see who you had bumped into to realise they should run, but close enough for Harley to hear them laugh and tell the men surrounding her to grab you for them. He face contorted to anger for a moment.

“They bothering you?” She asked shortly, and you nodded, honestly scared to mutter a word. She took your arm, pulling you behind her. “Boys, time to teach these men some manners!” She ordered, and in a matter of seconds, Harley’s goons were chasing the men down the street and out of sight. You couldn’t help the small laugh that left your mouth at the sight. “You alright? Did they grab ya?” 

“No- no, they were just being creeps. Thanks.” You told her as she turned back to you, the streetlamp now lighting up your face better, and she was able to see your face clearer, and also now actually identify you, and you saw her eyes widen and realised she knew who you were. 

“Aren’t you Wayne’s daughter? What you doing out here? I’m sure daddy wouldn’t approve of you being out here.” She stated, hands on her hips, almost motherly, which was funny considering that you weren’t even a teenager anymore, now a young woman in your early twenties, only about 5-6 years younger than Harley. 

“I was supposed to be supervising my little brother while he released some stress in some street art.” You told her. She arched an eyebrow. 

“You and the younger Wayne were doing vandalism?” She clarified, and she saw the twinge of a smirk on your face before you tucked it back, and she grinned. “I like you, little trouble maker! Where’s your brother now?” 

“I don’t know, honestly. We heard sirens nearby and scattered. He’s a lot more street smart than me though- obviously.” You said, gesturing down the street to the incident Harley just prevented. 

“Why not call your dad?” She asked, and you couldn’t help the loud and quick laugh that left you, which told her a lot. “You two… not close?” 

“No… never were, honestly… I uh, I’ve always looked after myself, and these days I’m looking after my adoptive siblings. Bruce isn’t good with the whole kids having emotions things, so I’m trying to help Jason get his anger out in ways that don’t involve needing first aid kits constantly stocked up.” You explained to her, hands in your pockets, rocking back and forth, finding it hard to stand still. You had no clue why you were admitting all this to Harley, especially since she was literally an enemy of your dad, but the way she had immediately defended you, and was taking the time to listen to you made you feel safe with her. 

“That sucks, toots… you must be pretty lonely… say, if you ever find yourself back out here or just want a call or something and rant, call this number, okay? I might not answer right away, this is kind of a private cell, so don’t tell anyone, but I’ll get back to you, okay?” She said, plucking a gel pen from a pocket of her loud chequered jacket, grabbing your arm to pull your hand out your pocket and noting down a number on your palm. When she was done, she tucked it back into her pocket. “Come on, I’ll walk you to the edge of the nicer part of town, okay?” She said, wrapping her arm in yours and pulling you along with her. She did as she said, walking you to a safer part of town, reminding you to call her if needed (also if you couldn’t find Jason so she could look for him for you) and you parted ways.

She was the one you ended up calling when Jason was killed.

You didn’t talk to anyone for over a month after his death, other than the odd text to Dick to respond to him or to just make sure he was alright, but one night when things were really bad for you- your dad basically nearly killing himself every night, Alfred locked up in the cave trying to prevent him from actually dying, Dick away doing his own thing after arguing with Bruce, you were entirely alone in your mourning, completely lost in what you’re supposed to do next. You had no little brother to keep your mind busy with worrying and caring for, no one to make you feel needed. No one to make you feel wanted. You were completely alone.

You had called her as a last ditch effort, seeing no harm in at least trying, remembering she was once a psychiatrist. And sure, she was once affiliated with the Joker, but she had distanced herself from him, clearly a victim herself, and had been keeping a low profile ever since. You weren’t even sure she would pick up, probably changing her number, but she did pick up. “Hello?” 

“Harley?” You asked in a whisper. “This is… um, it’s Y/N. Wayne… you um, helped me out a while ago with some creeps, gave me this number…” You recollected to her. 

“I remember… heard about your brother… Not gonna say sorry, I’m pretty sure you’ve heard it a billion times and I’m probably a person you don’t wanna hear it from… you doing okay?” 

“Not really…” You admitted, sniffling. “I’m not doing good… I know you said to call if I needed help with something… I just… I’m alone and I don’t want to be. Is there somewhere we can just meet even if it’s just for an hour?” You asked. 

“Yeah of course!” You weren’t honestly expecting her immediate agreement. “We can have a girl’s night, me, you, and Ivy- I’ve been staying with her for a while now, I’m sure she won’t mind! Where do you want to meet?” 

You met her a few blocks away, and she walked with you to a small one bedroom apartment where Ivy was waiting already, lounged on the cramped couch. She didn’t ask questions as Harley introduced you as Bruce Wayne’s daughter, who was in need of some TLC after everything that happened with Jason, in fact the only questions she asked was “Do you want to get wasted or hold onto the pillow of emotions and tell us all about it?” 

“The pillow of emotions?” You asked, and she held up the pillow right next to her- a blanket, that even in the dim lighting you could tell was as soft as a childhood teddy, the perfect size and shape to squeeze tightly as you cried your eyes out. You pointed to it, and she handed it over, and it wasn’t long till you were on the couch next to Ivy, Harley sat on the floor, both women listening and nodding along as you hugged the pillow, sobbing and ranting about everything. From you basically being raised by Alfred, to you being more like a mother than a sister to Dick and Jason despite not even being that much older than Dick, and how because of that, you felt like a failure when Jason died, like you failed at being his protector, and how now you were all alone- Dick doing his own thing, your dad acting like Jason never even existed, and Alfred being too busy making sure your dad was actually caring for himself to notice you might even need help. 

Honestly, a part of you expected these women, who themselves had been through hell and way worse than you, to roll their eyes, point out how you had daddy’s money to buy a therapist and figure it out yourself, but they didn’t. In fact in the end, when you finally got it all off your chest, both wrapped you in their arms, promising you that they were there, that they cared, and that this apartment always had space for you if you ever wanted to get away. You found yourself there at least once a week. When Bruce brought Tim home, you fluctuated between spending almost every day there or being at home keeping an eye and trying to care for the new brother, until Tim expressed his independence and you went back to spending more time with the girls. 

5 years after Jason’s death, a lot of things changed. 

One, your friendship with Harley became more than a friendship, and you three mutually agreed that it was time for an upgrade in apartment, and you officially moved out, creating much more distance between yourself and your dad, though with Tim around and Bruce now getting more of a grip on his self-destructive behaviours, you were able to call and come visit Alfred, Tim and Dick who had moved back in on occasion, though you now mostly interacted with Dick and Tim (who had warmed up to you a lot more) outside of the manor. 

Two, Jason came back. It was shocking for everyone involved, especially since he was full to the brim of rage and fury, especially against Bruce. He worked with Scarecrow to poison the entire city, and the second you heard it was him through Dick, you tried to leave the safety of the apartment that you had promised your girlfriend you wouldn’t leave to try and find him, only for Ivy to find you quickly, seeing you in a panic and trying to run into the city without anyway to protect yourself, and in fear that you’d been affected by the fear toxin, she sedated you herself until it was all over and hopefully the toxin had left your body. When she woke you up with Harley there, your immediate question was if Jason was okay. Harley thought you were having issues with your memory due to the sedation and the toxin, but after talking with you for longer, explaining the call you had gotten from Dick, and also letting slip that your family was also the bat family, and that Jason was the Robin that had been killed, the girls gave you the rundown of what they knew. Bruce was alive. Dick and Tim were alive, and the Arkham Knight, who was apparently Jason, had disappeared, not confirmed alive or dead. Harley escorted you back to the manor to get answers on what happened, and to try and get in contact with Jason. You got confirmation that he was alive, but was still pissed off at Bruce and was not contacting the family for the time being. 

That didn’t sit right with you. So you went out into the city to one of the places you two would hang around, mess around, graffiti, where you’d complain about Bruce together, and had the best time of your lives. And you waited. And waited. You ignored all your phone calls and texts, simply dropping a text to Harley promising you’d be home soon and you were alright before turning your phone off, and waited more. When the air started to become too nippy for you as you continued to pace in the small snicket, head low, arms crossed and noticing you could see your breath now, you finally thought about leaving. Giving up for now, trying another day or another technique. It was then you felt something heavy drop on your shoulders, and someone pat you on the back. You looked up, startled at the tall man beside you, but even more so at his features that you could recognize instantly. “Jason?” You asked, getting a faint smile from him. That was all you needed, pulling the man into a tight hug, his heavy leather jacket nearly falling off your shoulders. 

You caught up with Jason. You told him how you’d moved out of the manor, how no one in the family actually knew where you lived, and you let the cat out the bag about your roommates being Ivy and Harley, who was actually your girlfriend, and how you met Harley that night where you two got separated in the city, and how she was the one you came to when he died. In classic Jason style, he was far more angry over the fact that Bruce totally left you alone to mourn him and you had to turn to another victim of Joker’s for comfort than you living with two criminals and dating one. In fact, he warmed up pretty quickly to it, knowing they at least can protect you ‘unlike Bruce’. He walked you home, promising to be in touch. You went inside, seeing Harley beside herself with worry, and after her throwing herself at you to hold you close and make sure you were alright, you told her everything, and after Jason and you got a form of communication, Harley and Ivy gave Jason the thumbs up to be allowed into the girl cave, the only real rule being to not tell Bruce or the others about the living arrangement in any way, which was easy enough. 

For a while, things were tense but working in the Wayne family. Jason was still limited to no contact with Bruce, only talking to Dick on occasion when they ran into each other, but almost all contact between them was through you, which resulted in you having more contact with Bruce, though things were still incredibly tense between you two, so often Dick and Tim became a filter for you both, which you despised. Still, the boys would always called you when they needed you, and so it was them who called you to let you know that Bruce had another child- this one biologically his. Your half brother. Damian. 

You let yourself into the manor, quickly rushing down into the cave to hear everyone bickering, Dick and your now youngest brother in the midst of a fight, though when Bruce spotted you and called your name, they stopped and looked at you. Damian stepped towards you, and Dick immediately held one of his Escrima sticks in front of him to stop him, and Tim stepped forward to be in front of you slightly, telling you that those two didn’t trust him to not hurt you. You patted Tim on the shoulder to tell him it was alright before stepping around him, and then you looked at Dick. “Put it away.” You told him. He did as told, though hesitantly. Damian remained still, though he glared at you. You showed him the palms of your hands casually. “No weapons on me, other than a taser, but that’s for creeps in the street.” You told him. 

“Who are you?” He demanded. “Another stray my father picked up off the streets?” Ah. Volatile, lashing out, not caring about hurting feelings. Reminded you of a certain someone…

“In a way, I guess. I’m your sister. Your half sister. Biologically related.” You explained, nodding your head in your father’s direction, who was stood off to the side. His eyes widened, before his eyebrows knitted together and his frown deepended. 

“I wasn’t aware father had an older child.” 

“Yeah, he had me pretty young, and I’ve mostly been out of the spotlight- I like keeping a low profile.” You explained to him, stepping forward casually. “I always joked that father dearest never wanted a girl and always wanted to only have boys- why he had Dick, Tim and Jason, so hopefully now you’re here, I don’t have to worry about raising anymore boys on his behalf.” You joked, offering a hand to him. You felt Dick and Tim tense at your action and proximity. Damian stared at your hand, then back at you, before taking your hand and you shaked it with a smile. “Welcome to the family, Damian. I’m Y/N, the eldest Wayne sibling, and your big sister. If you need anything, anything at all, you call for me, okay? I’ll be there.” 

You kept that promise to him, like you had the boys. He didn’t call you or contact you for a good few months. He only really interacted with you when either Bruce, Alfred or one of the other boys called for you and you went to the manor to negotiate, or to meet one of them on patrol to talk, and he was tagging along with them because Bruce didn’t trust him alone, but he witnessed his ‘brothers’ call you the second they had a problem, especially at home with Bruce, and every time you picked up, arranged to meet them, and came over. At first he hated how you got into fights with Bruce, especially when advocating for Jason, but when he realised that you were doing it on the boys behalf, especially when you got into a fight with Bruce for him regarding his grades and getting calls from teachers, he finally asked Dick for your phone number, and he asked to speak with you while he was on patrol. You agreed, arranging to meet him nearby. 

“You okay Damian?” You asked as soon as you saw him in the snicket. He nodded, not saying anything at first. “You haven’t ever called me before, so something big must have happened.” 

“Why do you fight for me and the others on our behalf to father?” He asked bluntly. You stared surprised for a moment, before walking closer to him. 

“I don’t have a good relationship with…father. Never have, and I’ve accepted I’ll probably never will. A long time ago, I just kept my mouth shut, let him ignore my existence despite living in the same building, and I was mostly alone. The Dick came along, and he was far more present for him than he ever was for me, but still, he wasn’t… there, there. He was still lacking, mostly emotionally, and I found myself just… filling the gap. Making up where he missed the mark. I looked after Dick when he was going through mourning of his parents, I was the one who helped Jason get some of his anger out, I was the only one who accepted Tim into the family from the get-go… I’m the one the boys call when they need help. Not Bruce… My girlfriend- don’t tell dad about her- is a psychiatrist, and she calls it parentification. It’s when a child, often the oldest, takes on a role similar to that of a parent, caring for younger siblings, and at times, the parents themselves. It complicates relationships between the younger ones and the eldest as well- like you boys turning to me rather than Bruce when you have issues. It usually damages the relationships in the family later on.” You explained to him. 

“Do you resent father for doing that?” He asked. You knew you couldn’t lie to Damian- he wasn’t naive by any sense, and you guessed he’d tell you were lying. 

“Honestly? Yes. Absolutely. I didn’t have a childhood, and I had to grow up quickly to care for the boys he chose to have.”

“Do you resent Dick, Jason and Tim? Do you resent me? You said yourself you think he only wanted boys, and while I’m biologically his like you, he’s present for me like he was Dick.” He inquired. You stepped even closer till you were both straining your necks to meet eye contact. You reached out, holding his face with your hands, warming his cheeks with your calms. 

“Never… Those few years before Dick came home… were some of the worst years of my life. I was… so alone. When you boys showed up, I wasn’t alone anymore. I had purpose, something to keep me busy. Whenever I get a text from Jason complaining about Bruce, or Dick asking me to stop by, or simply Tim asking to get him coffee… I don’t mind, because they need me, and they trust me, and they love me, and I love them. They’re my brothers. Your my youngest brother, and I love you unconditionally, okay?” You promised him, and he nodded, before stepping back, turning on his heel, and going to leave the alley, before he paused, turning and looking over his shoulder at you. 

“I won’t tell father about your girlfriend… Does anyone else know?” 

“Only Jason. I don’t trust the others to not freak out about her, especially Bruce.” You told him. He nodded, and carried on his way. He started to text you from time to time like Jason did. Short and blunt. He never told you straight out he loved you- Dick said it all the time when saying goodbye, Jason said it on occasion, usually concealing it with sentences, Tim said it usually in the middle of the compliment, but never Damian. Instead he would simply text you ‘hope you’re safe’ at the end of the beginning of a conversation. When you realised that was him saying he loved you, you realised he said it the most out of the boys. 

More time passed, things were going good in your family if you ignored Bruce, and things were going extremely well with you and Harley. You were both now looking for a new place to live away from Ivy- her idea, she was planning to move in with Selina. However, the move was postponed when signs of Joker being near your current apartment started to show up, and Harley became anxious, and with very good reason. You hurriedly moved Harley and Ivy into Selina’s apartment and you temporarily moved back into the manor. Just in time it seemed- your old apartment complex was the victim of arson, the substances used to light the fire making it burn green. It was obvious who set it. 

Jason heard first, rushing to the manor, ignoring Bruce’s calls to come and find you, holding you tightly, relieved that you were safe, before he explained what had happened, and that it was an attack by Joker. He said that, in front of not only Bruce, but all your other brothers. They all, including Bruce, freaked out.

“Joker targetted you?!” Dick freaked out.

“No he-” 

“You’re staying at a safehouse for now, alright? We’ll fit it up and make it homely.” Tim decided.

“No, that’s not needed-”

“Y/N, you’re in danger, you can’t leave our sight.” Bruce ordered. 

“He wasn’t targeting me!” You snapped, making them all stop. “He wasn’t targeting me. He was targeting my roommate… my girlfriend.” 

“Your girlfriend?” Bruce asked. 

“Why?” Damian asked. You glanced at Jason anxiously, the only person who knew all the details. He instantly wrapped an arm around your shoulder, ready to put himself between you and everyone else if they tried anything, and get you out of there in a timely fashion if necessary. 

“My girlfriend is Harley. Quinn. We’ve been dating for a few years.” You admitted. Everyone stood stiff for a moment. 

“What?!” Bruce finally snapped, moving forward. Jason immediately held his arm out, pulling you behind him. 

“You stay the fuck away from my sister, Bruce.” He glared. 

“You knew?” Tim asked at Jason. 

“I did too.” Damian spoke up, trying to show solidarity with you and Jason, jumping to be beside you as well. “I didn’t know it was Harley, but from what she’s told me, she treats her well and loves Y/N.” Damian defended. 

“I’ve met her. Harley loves Y/N. She was there for Y/N when I died, unlike you. She looks after Y/N.” Jason defended. Bruce stared at you. 

“Where’s Harley?” 

“I’m not telling you. Her life's in danger, she’s in hiding… we’re going to meet up soon and… we’re leaving Gotham. Temporarily. Just until Joker forgets she exists, then we’re getting a new apartment, maybe somewhere closer to Jason.” You explained. 

“You can’t leave Gotham with her!” Bruce snapped. 

“Why not?” Tim asked. Bruce’s head snapped around to him. “If Joker gets an inkling that Harley has a girlfriend, especially if it’s Y/N Wayne, he’ll go after her. It’s better safe than sorry.” 

“Anything we can do from here? We can get you two a safehouse in another city till things calm down.” Dick offered. You smiled at him and nodded, and he smiled sadly. “We should cause a scene to keep him occupied so he doesn’t have time to realise Harley’s gone off the grid. One of us should also escort you both just in case. 

“I’ll do that.” Jason decided. “Atleast you know if worst comes to worse and Joker tries to stop you leaving, I’ll fucking kill him.” 

“Do none of you care about what I think?” Bruce asked. 

“No. We don’t. This has nothing to do with you. This is to do about the safety of Y/N and her girlfriend from her girlfriend’s abusive ex. This is about what is best for them, and what we can do to make things easier for them. You’ve never cared about her. You’ve never put her first and done what’s best for her. Leave us to deal with this, and stay out of it.” Jason snapped at him. Bruce looked around, seeing to see if anyone- even you- would tell Jason off. No one did. Without another word, Jason pushed you to go with Damian and Tim to go pack some things while he went to get a car from the garage for you and Harley and your things, and Dick got his phone out to start making calls for somewhere safe for you to stay. Bruce stared at Dick, the only one left in the room. He saw that Bruce was waiting for him to talk to him, say anything to him. 

“Y/N has always been there for us, no matter what. This is the only time she’s ever said she’s needed our help. We’re taking it.” He told him simply, before putting his phone to his ear and leaving the room, leaving Bruce alone, unsure on what to do or what to say. 

Hope you like it! If you have any questions, please send them in!

*Not my gif

TAGS:  @freyathehuntress  @courtneychicken​  @graysonmalfoy​ @bellero​ @originalpottervengerlock @supernatural-pan​ @esoltis280​ @lady-of-lies​ @lenaswritingandstuff @macbetheliza @mandywholock1980​ @cdwmtjb8​ @caswinchester2000 @determinedpines​ @huntheimpossible @automaticbakeryfreakshoe 

[doraambrose]

Trying to find good jason todd fics has led me to make this list:

Worst batfam fanon takes

Bruce calling his sons "sweetheart"

Tim being a weak helpless baby that everyone goes out of their way to protect

Dick being OVERLY sunshine happy best brother in the world, loves everyone, never gets mad, treats his brothers like little kids

Batcest of any kind

Jason taking Bruce's last name

Any of the kids other than Damian taking Bruce's last name

Jason and Bruce having a relationship that isn't dysfunctional

Bruce being a super parent and a good dad of the year

Tim being super shy, timid, needs everyone to walk around on eggshells around him

"Dami" "littlewing" "replacement"

Danny phantom, miraculous, white collar cross overs

De aged Tim (going back to him being the helpless baby everyone dotes on)

Cass not being able to talk at all

Jason being brother of the year and basically erasing all of his flaws

Jayroy, joyfire, dick/wally, bruce/Clark, anyone/slade Wilson, anyone/joker, damian/Jon

Feel free to add any I missed

[phantoms-world-and-more]

There are so many fics out there where Danny is either adopted by or the biological son of Bruce. In many of these he might have an existential crisis but other wise he is fine and happy to be part of the BatFam. Where are the ones where he fights against this just doesn't want to connect with Bruce of the rest of the family.

One: Bruce is a billionaire and Danny has had some bad experience with Vlad trying to adopt/get him as a son. So even if Bruce is one of "the good ones" Danny does't like billionaires.

Two: Danny for the most part grew up in a mostly normal family and home, with two Parents and a sibling. Most of the BatFam were only children and parents are dead or came from dysfunctional homes. I think Duke is the only one who really had a normal childhood.

Three: The Fenton family is pretty openly affectionate with each other and are pretty normal emotionally. Danny has a great relationship with all of them (Danny went evil in the timeline where they all died). Most of the Batfam is emotionally constipated.

Four: Danny is used to his boundaries being respected. I don't think that the Batfam is great at that. With Bruce needing to know everything, Tim's stalking tendencies, Barbra's hacking, just to name the obvious.

.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

I hate hate haaate the way people try to smash the Batfam into a happy nuclear family. "Bruce is the dad and Selina is the mom and the Robins are brothers and Cassandra is the sister and if you think otherwise you're disrespecting adopted families" NO! No their relationship is heavily convoluted and they all suck in their own unique way! That's what makes it interesting!

I just fundamentally don't understand coming to Batman comics and deciding that you want nice nuclear family relations instead of high octane emotionally repressed dysfunction and chaos... it's like going to an aquarium and going "wow this would be SO cool if all of the fish were on land and had fur." like what are you doing here lmao

[sunlitlemonade]

very, very important tags:-

i want bruce’s problems to cause problems the way it did in the 90s-00s again i’m SICK of the bats being a big happy family

[coupleoffanfics]

I'm happy to see that people are liking the "My Friend y/n Wayne". The main idea was going to be Norah going off on the Batfam since y/n is…y/n (I mean that in the nicest way y/n is like a child to me).

But it eventually evolved into what it would look like from an outsider's POV. You have this wet cat of a friend talking about her dysfunctional family. You obviously try to help her get away from that and it seems to work. The next few years are alright, until the family suddenly comes back into the picture. A while putting up a perfect family facade as they try to drag your wet cat of a friend back home.

[susandsnell]

🔥 Batman comics in general

Send me a “ 🔥 “ for an unpopular opinion.

Oooh! I do think a lot of my saltier Batman comics opinions aren't exactly unpopular in nature (too much grimdark and never in the right direction, the misogyny, Killing Joke was a mistake, BruceBabs was a mistake, stop misusing Rogues), so I'll try to bring up some less-discussed ones! (Or at least ones I see discussed less, lol.)

Batfam is conceptually good, but nobody is handling it well. As I've previously expressed, Batfam content constantly oscillates between "Bruce is an abusive kidnapper of traumatized children he trains into child soldiers despite having the means to have them live in luxury, does not provide with love or positive reinforcement, and regularly pits against each other" and some of the most facile, cringey, early 2010s Tumblr conception of found-family to be seen, when I think it's more dramatically effective to find a happy medium between the two. A loving superhero found family with its share of dysfunction, hurts, and mistakes and appropriate nuance being brought to these conflicts is apparently too much to ask for (as is writers remembering Robin(s) and Batgirl literally exist as kid appeal characters).

Likewise, canon Harlivy is seldom handled well. As I said on Twitter the other day, "corporate Pride ate Harlivy". Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy's relationship, both back when it was subtextual and later on as it became Harley's main ship in iterations where she's able to get out of her abusive relationship with the Joker was groundbreaking and important. It was absolutely crucial to middle school me. But somewhere along the way, people lost the plot that they are indeed villainesses (whose queerness was meant to make them more endearing/sympathetic/relatable, but not change this status), and it fell prey to the respectability politics traps that plague just too many sapphic ships once they go canon. In order to be 'good representation', their villainy extends to 'haha RANDOM' irreverent chaos, and their personality gets boiled down to the shallow archetypes of 'chaotic and perky' Harley and 'snarky and sexy' Ivy. Their relationship to one another is 100% fluff, because God knows any nuance, tension, flaws, or friction between two master criminal characters with canonically tragic histories can't possibly be allowed. Because of the misogynistic expectations of Women Being Soft And Good coupled with the homophobic respectability politics of being as toothless, soft, and desexualized as possible to appear nonthreatening, sapphic ships are held to such unfair standards wherein the slightest conflict will be termed abusive and bad representation, and as such, they're written cardboard-flat, and unfortunately, this has befallen Harlivy in most canons where they're together. Even if it's realistically exploring things like recovery for either lady, because that's messy, and complicated, and nonlinear, and who wants that when you can have a memeable 'be gay do crimes'? Oh, but don't worry. Sometimes they will be sexually active - for the titillation of straight men. In-universe. (Don't get me started on the Harley Quinn show...) And poor Selina gets roped into third-wheeling/cheerleading the most boring possible version of them too often...

A lot of the most popular/famous titles are not the better ones. (Not you, Long Halloween, you're a delight and everyone loves you.) Everything that's there to say about The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns has been said better by people smarter and better-versed in comics than me, but Batman: Hush is just contrivance upon contrivance, everyone and their mother is tired of the shit-billion stories about Joker fridging yet another person, and perhaps my most unpopular opinion is that Batman: Year One is entirely overrated. I like the noir atmosphere, the truly corrupted Gotham it gives us, and the sweet triumvirate between Gordon, Harvey, and Bruce, but seeing adaptations like The Batman (2022) and even The Dark Knight (yes, I'm saying something nice about Nolanverse for once lolol) take these elements and do so much more with them really highlights the weaknesses in this story. There's some really good origin/character work for Bruce becoming Batman and the psychology behind it, but past that, not a whole lot happens beyond a very thin and confusing police corruption plot, and everyone is just too damn mean for the sake of the grimdark setting. Bruce injures an already exploited child in the red-light district and sexually harasses the Gordons to throw them off his trail for being Batman, and the latter is played for laughs. Jim cheats on his pregnant wife with a coworker half his age and both women are portrayed as stereotypically in these roles as humanly possible. Selina Kyle is...there, to be angry and sexualized and not much else. It just feels like a lot of buildup without much payoff.

Lastly, and jumping off the above, I'm taking away the Gordon family from writers until they've learned to play nicely with them. I don't know what it is about Jim Gordon that makes writers - men in particular - work through justifying their weird issues about women, but my God, the poor man has been character assassinated to hell and back. (Everyone has in comics, but it's always in the same way with Gordon that properly grosses me out.) If he's not cheating on his housewife with a much younger coworker he's presented as oh-so-noble for not outright workplace harassing, he's neglectful, abusive, or otherwise aggressive to his loved ones in ways that are almost always justified or excused narratively because he's 'dealing with a lot' or xyz past trauma. He's frequently made into a mouthpiece for misogyny, calling women "bitches" in the Arkham series and making other such delightful comments, fetishizing Harlivy (in the Harley Quinn show!), or putting down Barbara's capabilities. If he's written to be struggling with addiction, it's always played as a joke. And for Barbara's part, since The Killing Joke, she's always such a favoured writers' punching bag/doll to put in uncomfortable relationships, often having her talents, skills and intelligence undermined in favour of portraying her as a sex-crazed, overemotional disaster who's in it for the thrills until she is narratively punished in some gendered way. I don't get it! I'm all for what makes characters tick or challenging them or giving them flaws or new horrific situations to work through, but why is it always the same tired, offensive hows and wherefores for the Gordon family? Let them rest!

[im-not-buying-it-ether]

basic one for the character ask game: Batman

Oohh hohohoo-ok

First impression: Cool hero, kinda stupid (I say this being a too smart kid watching BtAS and some segments he didn’t seem like the Worlds Greatest Detective, lol)

Impression now: Such a good character and so smart but also so so horrible at conveying the levels of care and dedication to the poeple he cares about in any sort of healthy way. I want to see him happy but also he’s never going to be happy, mans just can’t retire

Favorite moment: You want me to pick? Ouuuggghhh, god okay… that dream sequence in BtAS after Harvey is turned into Two-Face and he’s pleading with him to let him help him.

Idea for a story: Comics wise? I’d find it hilarious if he had to work on Jason’s terms for a run or so, like infiltrating some crime ring with his help or sponsorship for a case as Matches or something of that nature. Just a nice reversal of “the BatKids have to play by Batman rules of Batmans cases in Batman city” sorta thing just for the laugh

Unpopular opinion: Any opinion on Batman is Schrödingers opinion but… Bruce Wayne is an important part of his work as Batman and he isn’t entirely “The mask” or the persona everyone in this fandom likes to poke fun at him for being. Bruce Wayne is the other side he uses to work the system to help Gotham and the lack of importance that side of him has been getting just makes him feel weaker to me as a character

Favorite relationship: I can never not sing my love of BatFam— they’re lovingly dysfunctional and insanely codependent in the best and worst ways.

Favorite Headcanon: Knew Harley from medical school and post-“some semblance of reformation/redemption/chilling out” later he and Harley are old college friends

[t4tails]

yes there is a VERY harsh canon vs fanon dichotomy in the Batman fandom - a lot of the source material has dark themes, the characters (even the good ones) tend to do very shitty things and Batman's 'family' with the Robins and Batgirls is usually super dysfunctional but a lot of fandom just completely ignores that in favor of super fluffy 'batfam' stuff where everyone is nice and happy and never yells at each other ever. That dichotomy happens because a considerable part of Batman fandom refuses to consume canon material and only reads fanfic or tumblr posts and another part does read canon but ignores it entirely. DC's playing into that part of the fandom more and more too which is why the characters get increasingly more similar to eachother and get their bad traits removed in favor of happy family situations, they even released a webtoon that is almost pure fandom-trope inspired fluff and it is super popular

ah... see on one hand i dont see a problem with light-hearted, "fluffy" content since comics are pretty much always going to contradict and make shit up and i think expecting them to always have the same tone is unrealistic, but on the OTHER... "fans" who are actually just fans of the fan content and not the actual source material my fucking beloathed 😦

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Moments That the Words Don't Reach

by Nation_Ustria *Major spoilers for Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton* Things still aren't the greatest between Jason and the rest of the Bats, but they're good enough that Tim manages to get Jason to come to family movie night. Jason is the resident theater kid, after all, and Tim is making them all watch Hamilton after discovering that exactly none of them have seen it. It starts out okay. Unfortunately, there are more than just a few lines that end up hitting pretty hard... and Tim might have forgotten to consider how watching the protagonist's son die in the protagonist's arms might affect some people. At least everything turned out okay (or better, even) in the end? >Or, the Batfamily watches Hamilton, and it inflicts emotional damage. Words: 2282, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Batman (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Batfamily Members & Jason Todd Additional Tags: Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily Dynamics (DCU), Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Domestic Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily Angst (DCU), Batfamily-centric (DCU), Father-Son Relationship, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne Needs a Hug, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd Deserves Better, Good Sibling Dick Grayson, Good Sibling Tim Drake, Good Sibling Cassandra Cain, Good Sibling Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne Has a Heart, Batfamily Need A Hug (DCU), Hamilton Lyrics, The Batfamily (DCU) Watch Hamilton, and it causes emotional damage!, Movie Night, Lazarus Pit Madness (DCU), mostly in the form of a Titan's Tower mention, Tim Drake is a Menace, Dysfunctional Relationships, Jason Todd is Bad at Feelings, Crying, Panic Attacks, Hamilton spoilers, Basically Bruce has a bad time when Philip dies, and that finally gets the idea that Bruce does still love Jason through the Pit Madness, they're all trying your honor, they're just also all messes, Y'all would not believe how many lines in this musical can cause the Batfam Pain, and I am making them listen to all of them, Tim just wanted to have a movie night, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, POV Multiple, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending, Timeline What Timeline, Family Feels, Popcorn, Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Theater Nerd Jason Todd, Title from a Hamilton Song, Fluff and Angst, there is in fact fluff, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, one guess whose, Jason Todd Has Issues, You do not need to be familiar with Hamilton to understand what's happening, but I will admit that it helps, does this count as a song fic? via https://ift.tt/zNcXlZY

[gautierprotectionsquad]

I could have gotten into tmnt if i wanted a happy family to obsess over but instead i chose a dysfunctional family and am choosing to ignore their dysfunction even though i tend to hate when ppl make characters more palatable.

Sorry i chose to change the genre of batfam to something family friendly and pure; it doesn’t change my ability to appreciate and enjoy fucked up media ->do you still think i’m hot?

Ysee ‘cause there’s so many iterations of batman, bc he’s been around so long with so many writers having a hand at him, all you need to make batman is an orphan vigilante in a bat suit. There’s no consistency in characterization, personality, or morals. So you can either pick your favorite version of batman and say “that’s the real batman” or you can gather all the versions of batman you know and get a character out of that.

Personally, I prefer superheroes to be for kids. I like it when they’re colorful and fun and child friendly, trying to present and achieve ideals of goodness for people to look up to, even if they don’t see themselves as doing that.

ex: superman presenting a jewish and immigrant ideal and aware that he needs to be happy and perfect all the time or else he’s on thin ice with humanity vs batman thinking of himself as “bad” and a “necessary evil” but he refuses to kill, is compassionate even to the worst of villains, is a symbol of safety to kids, and outside of uniform he’s friendly and kind and just wants to prevent the same tragedy that happened to him from happening to others. So I like the wholesome batdad with a horde of children and they’re all a big happy family bc it fits with the batman I like.

I don’t care if i’m getting the characters "wrong". I’m here to have fun. And there's so many versions of these characters, the only difference between canon and fanon is the DC logo.

[refloralisation]

#severely disproportionate responses are not cute character quirks #and headcanoning that a black man is prone to aggressive and disproportionate outbursts over minor inconveniences is...not a great look tags by @maligatorthealligator

I'm just jumping in here, because of the accusations of racism here. Not to be, that person, but I'm literally POC. And I didn't headcanon Duke as such because he's black, but because the incongruity of the "sanest", poetry loving, daytime hero with a relatively stable and happy upbringing signal also being salty/cunty as fuck was extremely funny to me. I didn't state or imply that Duke is this way in everyday public interactions because that wouldn't be funny. People are multifaceted, with public and private faces.

This is a piece of fiction. This is how I imagine Duke would be in private, among family members and people he trusts. If it helps, I also imagine in this scenario the recipient of Duke's takedown also find it extremely funny.

you don't have to necessarily find this realistic, or canon compliant, or particularly funny. that's okay. it's fiction. this headcanon was based on MY interactions with my siblings (there's nothing 'off limits' between us. we joke about everything from our parents' abuse to traumatic incidents.) and what I've read of Duke in fanfic, comics and so on.

In my head, the batfam is close enough to say these things to each other and not get murdered by each other. If your interpretation of the batfam is different, that's okay. To each our own. This probably wasn't meant for you.

I hope this has clarified my intentions as well as where I'm coming from. I'd be happy to discuss more in private, if you so wish.

------

as for the whether Duke would survive saying something like that to his siblings, I think he would. This is strictly based on my interactions with my siblings, mind you. I mean, just last week I stole my brothers socks and he told me "no wonder our father beat you". if a stranger said that to me, I would for sure commit a crime. but its my brother.

I think this boils down to how each of us interprets the batfam. I feel they're a close, dysfunctional family held together by purpose and the common consensus that Bruce Wayne is an okay dad at best. They'd die for each other but also kill each other for the last oreo. Maybe your interpretation is different. That's okay. Plenty of space for all of us to play

my firm and very sincere belief that the wayne family initiation orientation docket has many points, and addendums but the one on the top is:

"Don't start shit with Duke. God as his witness, he won't start shit but he WILL end it. "

and why?

because duke doesn't give even half a fuck, he can and will e v i s c e r a t e you.

Jason steals the last cookie? "no wonder your mom sold you out, you stupid bitch. not even death could bear you so you're back trying to make the rest of miserable. loser bitch. i'll crowbar your fucking face."

Tim makes a snarky, harmless joke at his expense? "Your mom probably drank that poison in Hawaii to get away from you. The constant flying about wasn't enough. She needed to get off the literal existential plane. all those times you thought you're a burden and no one loves you? you were right. fear toxin aint showing you your worst fears, its showing you the fucking truth. loser virgin. get the fuck out of my face"

so on and forth. Not even Bruce or Alfred are spared. Duke won't know proportional response if it hit him in the face. Regularly, daytime villains send batman complaint letters (!!!) about the signal, because damnit they're just robbing banks, no need to bring up their mommy issues into it??? with Duke, there is no passive there is only aggressive. You won't think it, looking into his warm brown eyes and his lovely, easy smile. but you will know it. by god, if you start shit, you will know it.

[tracidant]

The Robins Meet Lex Luthor

Bruce: I want you to come to the WE board meeting with me today.

Dick: Ugh, you mean bored meeting.

Bruce: Lex Luthor will be there. It'll be a good chance for you to study him. Besides, I may need a distraction.

Dick, standing on his hands at the time: Oh, so put my detective hat on, huh? Ok, this could be fun.

Fifteen minutes into the meeting, Bruce gave Dick the "need a distraction" signal. Dick jumps up on the long meeting table and yells, "Ok, how many backflips do you think I can do on this table?" And then proceeds to backflip down its length. While everyone is distracted, Bruce manages to swap out the sim card on Lex's phone.

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Bruce: I want you to come to the WE board meeting with me today.

Jason: Do I have to pay attention? Can I bring a book?

Bruce: That's fine. Lex Luthor will be there. It'll be a good chance for you to study him.  Besides, I may need a distraction.

Jason: Oh, so it's like patrol. Cool.

Fifteen minutes into the meeting, Bruce gave Jason the "need a distraction" signal. Jason jumps up on the table and proceeds to sing and play air guitar to Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." Bruce is able to drop a tracker into Lex's briefcase.

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Bruce: I want you to come to the WE board meeting with me today.

Tim: Um, ok. Sure. Can I bring my homework?

Bruce: That's fine. Lex Luthor will be there. It'll be a good chance for you to study him.  Besides, I may need a distraction.

Fifteen minutes into the meeting, Bruce gave Tim the "need a distraction" signal. 5 seconds later, the lights in the room all went out. Bruce was able to grab Lex's LuthorCorp key card and swap it with a dummy copy. He signaled to Tim, and the lights came back on. Tim winked.

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Bruce: I want you to come to the WE board meeting with me today.

Steph: I know nothing about all this business stuff, but I'm a fast learner, Boss.

Bruce: That's fine. Lex Luthor will be there. It'll be a good chance for you to study him.  Besides, I may need a distraction.

Fifteen minutes into the meeting, Bruce gave  the "need a distraction" signal. Stephanie clutched her stomach and feel to the floor screaming. "I think it might be my appendix! I think it burst! My mom's a nurse, so I know these things!"

Bruce grabbed Lex's phone. "I need to call 911, and mine's dead." He managed to get the data he needed and signaled Stephanie.

She stopped yelling and stood up. "Oh wait. Sorry. Think it was just gas. That cheese tray was way too good. Lactose intolerance sucks, amirite?"

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Bruce: I want you to come to the WE board meeting with me today.

DAMIAN: Gladly. I'd like to speak with the regional VPs about a few things.

Bruce: That's fine. Lex Luthor will be there. It'll be a good chance for you to study him.  Besides, I may need a distraction.

Fifteen minutes into the meeting, Bruce gave  the "need a distraction" signal. Damian walked up to Lex and slammed his little fist on the table. "What are you doing about the environmental impact of your drilling in the Andes, Lex? Do you know how it's badly affecting the local wildlife? The environmental impact statements you filed are incomplete. I would also like to discuss..."

Bruce had gotten what he needed and practically had to pry Damian off of Lex. (But he did make a note to have Lucius look into Damian's accusations.)