#he just wants the kids of gotham ti have a happy childhood

[austenpoppy]

I mean. Personally I think it was a great idea to have Dick be a cop, but apart from that, why is that job more important than others Dick has had ?

First of all, there's the role it plays in the story. Dick being a cop and then being fired from the force is a very important plotpoint over many, many issues. It just lasted longer (both in-universe and out-of-universe), and we have more moments of Dick being a rookie cop than we have of Dick doing almost any other job. Bartender ? It lasted a few months when he was working for Hog. Blackjack dealer ? It was over in one or two issues, Dick was undercover and it didn't have that much significance. Exotic dancer ? It merely lasted hours, it was a way for Dick to get into a building incognito. Trapeze instructor ? A few scenes here and there were included over several issues, but overall it was more in the background. Meanwhile, there are entire issues dedicated to Dick's time as a cop - like this time he was assaulted then accused of murder by corrupted cops.

It also ties with the overall theme regarding Blüdhaven : unlike Gotham, Blüdhaven doesn't have a lot of psychopaths, but the corruption is rampant. Dick had to fight against dirty police officers almost as much as he had to fight against supervillains - it's significant that two of Dick's enemies, Soames and Redhorn, are corrupt cops.

As an aside, as much as I liked the way Dick managed to get his hand on Redhorn's little book, I think that from a narrative standpoint, Dick should have won against the onslaught of corruption as a cop, and not as Nightwing (even if he knew who to trust because he was Amy's partner).

Speaking of which, Amy is one of the most memorable characters Dick's ever worked with - and again, the building of their relationship, from Amy being distrustful and scornful to trusting Dick entirely to feeling betrayed then protecting him at the cost of her integrity, took months, lots of issues, and is very touching.

I like Hog (and that guy never died, damn it, he didn't live in Dick's building) - but he was barely present. Cheyenne and Shawn were above all love interests, more than coworkers (even if we can skip Cheyenne because those three issues she figured in were...weird...and forgettable). Dick's circus friends ? They have names, but they're still more background characters representing the lost childhood of Dick than actual characters with character development. Dennis ? Seemed like a nice guy, I guess ?

Third, Dick put in a lot of effort to get into the B.P.D. He had to go through the entire police academy and take tests. Museum curator ? He got the post through his personal relationships, even if he had the skills for them. Trapeze instructor ? He was noticed when he helped a kid. Circus owner ? Come on, yes, he invested his money, but it wasn't about what Dick wanted to be "when he grew up", it was about Dick keeping his past alive. Model ? An accident. Taxi driver ? First time around it was the first job offer he could find. Second time... *cough* Ric Grayson era *cough*.

Fourth, being a cop had an impact on Dick's other relationships. Bruce hated that he was a cop (for multiple reasons : he loathed the idea of Dick using a gun, was worried about him, and thought Dick was risking their secret identities). Alfred was initially supportive, but he also started to get worried. Babs hated it because she didn't want her boyfriend to risk getting killed 24/7.

And despite this, Dick remained a cop even after the corruption got brought down, in spite of his loved ones not liking him endangering himself all the time. And thus this is the fifth reason for me saying Dick being a cop has a lot more narrative significance than Dick being an exotic dancer or a bartender, Dick loved being a cop. Genuinely. It wasn't something he did because he needed a job to remain connected to people and still be Dick Grayson. It wasn't "just" an undercover job. He was ecstatic when he got hired at the B.P.D. He was happy doing it, and at one point it became more than an undercover job - though was it even a job, guys, considering he was doing it for free (that absolute madman I swear to God) ? He kept postponing the moment he'd have to resign after his "undercover" goal was achieved. He was crushed when he got fired.

You have to see, for Dick being a cop was about helping people at their lowest/learning information about people he'd be able to help as Nightwing. And Dick loves nothing more than doing that, so doing it 24/7 ? Sign him the fuck up. Like, some of Dick's most significant "cases" at the B.P.D. were about 1) stopping an act of police brutality, 2) being there to stop a domestic abuser and getting back as Nightwing to tell the guy to flee the city, or 3) getting a letter from a little girl, Kesia, who wanted Santa to help her Dad, crying, and spending the time before Christmas investigating so he'd be able to track her (and if that doesn't move you nothing will).

So yeah, Dick's time as a cop was significant. Now you don't like it ? Let Dick do something that would have the same effect. Let him be in child protection services. Let him be a nurse in the I.C.U. Let him be a firefighter.

Now I know people will say that the gym he opened at one point in the Rebirth continuity had to be something he held dear. It's not false, but I don't think he prioritized it the same way or that it was shown to be as important to him as being a cop was. At that time in that continuity, doing so was also an act of independence (considering he was younger) and of convenience (it allowed him greater flexibility to be Nightwing, something being a cop did not, at least in terms of working hours).

I'm still angry about "Dick is a cop". Thing going on.

Dick hasn't been a cop in 21 years (he stopped in 2003) He had numerous jobs since and before that and he was doing it at the time to try to fight the corruption from inside (whether that was a good idea is up to debate it wasn't in my opinion) and he was written as cop by Dixon (deregatory).

Devin Grayson continued and stopped that.

His most common job is being a barista followed up by a gym teacher.

[they-reap-what-we-sow]

-in a world where Bruce Wayne is a foster father and takes in emergency placements-

Gotham CPS: okay Bruce, we have another placement for you

Bruce: good, yes, fine, Alfred has rooms set up already

Gotham CPS: Bruce this is an emergency placement only, we will be finding a family for this child

Bruce: yup, okay, got it

Gotham CPS: the kid will be leaving at the end of his time with you

Bruce: sure yeah absolutely

Gotham CPS: Bruce look me in the eyes, this is not an adoption, this is a placement

Bruce: 👀 This is my adoption placement 🫣

Gotham CPS: DAMNIT BRUCE STOP HOARDING THE KIDS WE GIVE YOU

Bruce: Mine now 😤

[inamindfarfaraway]

What are your thoughts on Duela Dent? Specifically her Pre-Crisis backstory—before she was retconned to not even being related to Harvey for Some Reason. I think there could be some interesting themes about generational trauma and how his own childhood severely impacted Harvey’s relationship with his own daughter.

Harvey and Gilda having a kid who becomes a superhero to try to redeem her heritage is a great concept, and like a lot of great concepts, DC dropped it down the drain. But that’s what fanon is for! There’s so much you can explore with Duela. If I were to remake her myself, I’d do away with the whole Joker’s Daughter and Harlequin identities, at least after the initial phase of her trying to get Batman’s attention by pretending to be other supervillains’ daughter; and instead have her reflect Harvey and Two-Face’s themes of duality and justice. Like, maybe her heroic identity has a Lady Justice theme with a symbol of scales, a sword for a weapon and a tied domino mask with coloured lenses to mimic a blindfold. Or maybe she defiantly avoids all things duality-related to disown her father’s evil legacy, only to later incorporate her own version of it as she accepts him as a part of her. I think that like Batman, she’d hate using guns. It doesn’t feel right to have her so associated with the Joker and similar to Harley Quinn when she isn’t even related to them, especially when they’re both very popular and present in DC already (in the Joker’s case, far more than he deserves). Let’s keep her a Dent first and foremost.

Anyway, onto the relationships! I like the idea that Harvey and Gilda wanted kids and them trying before the acid attack and turning out to have succeeded after the dad is a crime lord or in Arkham Asylum is so perfectly tragic. Maybe Harvey “Definitely Not Hanging on by a Thread” Dent wants to be a dad partly, subconsciously to prove to himself that he can be the opposite of his father, to create the ultimate proof that he isn’t doomed to fail and suffer and ruin everything he touches, that he’s capable of having a healthy, happy family and can handle his C-PTSD just fucking fine. In essence, to ‘redeem’ and stick it to his own terrible childhood and paternal heritage. The cycle of generational trauma can’t have that much power over him if he breaks it, can it? No more power than Gotham’s cycle of violence and corruption will have once he, Bats and Gordon take the streets back for the people! A nice work/personal life parallel that mirrors how Bruce doesn’t stop thinking like Batman when he takes the cowl off. But then the trial happens. And then Gilda misses her period. And now Harvey, unable to find a way out of perpetuating Gotham’s vicious cycle, is an absent father with an ever-growing criminal record who perpetuates his family’s vicious cycle as well. He passes that whole toxic mindset down to his child. He loves her so much and hates that he’s failing her! It’s just that you can’t hate yourself into becoming a better person, so the ‘Oh God, I’m just like my father’ stress on top of everything else wrong with him actually makes him spiral lower faster.

Two-Face, I believe, loves Gilda as much as Harvey does (though she doesn’t seem to love him back). I’d imagine he loves Duela too. I bet Duela is the only thing both he and Harvey can ignore the coin for. Two-Face loves in a particularly “If anything happens to her, I will kill everyone in Gotham and then myself” way. Of course, he makes things happen to her. Growing up with your dad, or his alter or whatever, committing murder and terrorism and such on the news is not fun. She could easily be bullied because of Harvey and Two-Face. So she would really resent them, especially the more immoral Two-Face, before gaining a more objective, nuanced understanding of them and struggling to reconcile how awful her daddy issues have felt her entire life with the system who caused of them being sympathetic and not beyond rehabilitation. When she becomes a superhero, does she avoid Gotham to avoid them? Does she never go on patrol while Two-Face is at large? Or does she seek the system out for catharsis or the desperate, painful need to know her father in any capacity? Does she want revenge on him and inspire him to reconsider his own vengeful ways? Do they have incredibly awkward fights? The drama writes itself, but there’s a lot of comic potential too.

Duela: Dad, for fuck’s sake, go to therapy.

Two-Face: That’s my girl! We’re so proud of you, sweetheart! I mean, the way you took out my best muscle, that was amazing.

Duela: (rolls her eyes) Therapy. Now.

Two-Face, still robbing the bank: Right, right. In a minute. And don’t stay out too late again. It’s a school night. A little bit of financial redistribution really doesn’t have to be your problem, you know. Just saying.

Henchman: I didn’t know you had a daughter, boss. Seeing you act like this is so -

Two-Face: Finish that sentence and you’ll get a closed-casket funeral.

Duela: Dad!

Two-Face: Sorry. It can be open casket.

Duela: (sighs) Put your gun down and stop stealing the public’s money, or I will start vaping to cheer myself up.

Two-Face: Alright, Jesus! I’m coming!

Does he kill innocent people, sells drugs and guns and hurt the Batfamily without losing any sleep over it? Yes. Is he absolutely horrified by the thought of his little girl being unhappy? Also yes. Will he stop doing the aforementioned activities that she’s unhappy about? …Later. After she’s done all her homework.

Everything about Gilda is underdeveloped in canon, but she’s usually depicted as unconditionally loving Harvey despite his crimes. Having a child to worry about complicates that. The Dent system are in no condition to coparent. They might even be dangerous, if not directly. Completely cutting your husband out of your life is hard and could hurt your daughter, but so could taking her to visit him in Arkham every weekend. Offering your heart is one thing, exposing your kid’s is another. The conspicuously on-theme name Duela sticks out to me. Did Harvey, newly fixated on duality, get to name her? Was that a concession Gilda gave him while they were arranging for him to have little to no involvement in her life? Does Gilda tell Duela stories about the good in Harvey and their past together? How comfortable is she discussing who he’s become? Is she willing to forgive, or perhaps rather put aside, every atrocity the system could possibly commit except deliberately hurting their daughter? What happens if somehow one of them crosses that line?

One thing I don’t need to question is that Duela is the ultimate mother’s girl. If a villain threatens Gilda to get to her, so help them. She might have no interest in law because look how well that career turned out for the last Dent who tried it, but be an avid artist, in Gilda’s field of sculpting and/or different mediums. Art can be very therapeutic, after all. And Duela undoubtedly needs therapy. (“I’ll go back to Arkham if you talk to the school counsellor tomorrow!” “I’m not killing people, Dad!” “That’s no excuse!”) You could have a fun contrast between her having an archetypical creative type’s disorganized, emotional, eccentric personality as a civilian and her serious vigilante persona being all about rationality, clarity and balance. Chaos and order in one. Her vigilante costume and equipment could even be greyscale, like an unpainted statue, while her casual clothes and art are brightly coloured.

[deathwishy]

×Childhood Friends×

Marinette never forgot the boy with steel eyes and silver tongue.

They met when she was ten. Her parents were hired to do the catering at a party, one to celebrate the opening of the Parisian branch of Wayne Enterprises. Of course the Drakes would be there. They too were planning to expand Drake Industries to Europe, and while it would have been best to be the first ones in Paris, it could still be beneficial.

Tim was twelve at the time, and already knew who Batman was. His parents left him alone most of the time so he had plenty of opportunities to analyze and admire the vigilantes at night. The days were filled with tutors coming and going, a nosy nanny and tons of homework to be done. Thankfully, Batman didn't usually come out in the light of day. He didn't actively try to figure out their identities most of the time, but when he saw the first Robin executing a complicated maneuver, that could be done by only a handful of people, the pieces fell into place. But he kept quiet. He erased every piece of evidence he collected, paper and online data, anything that could lead someone else to the same conclusion.

Marinette was sitting with her parents in the kitchen, sometimes helping her papa with arranging sweets on plates or bringing them to the guests. She liked helping her parents when she could.

Marinette met Tim in the garden of the hotel. He excused himself from his parents to go take photos of the Eiffel Tower, that was close to where the party was. Marinette got out to take a breath of fresh air, the kitchen was hot and her parents didn't need help at the moment.

She noticed him sitting on a bench, looking at his camera.

"<Good evening!>" She greeted him in French.

He was startled, almost dropping his camera.

"<I'm so sorry! I thought you heard me coming.>"

It took a few seconds for Tim to adjust his eyes from the light of the camera display to the darkness of the garden. There was a girl, of mixed descent, in a simple bubblegum pink dress. Her hair was as midnight black, long and tied in pigtails. He gave her a little smile.

"<Not a problem. I was just setting my camera, it needs to be adjusted to capture the lights of the tower better.>" He tried to hide his American accent, but he knew she still caught it.

"You're American, yes? If you'd like, I can speak English too. Mama said it's good to know something else other than French. I would like to practice as well."

Her English was good. Riddled with a thick French accent but still understandable. He nodded and patted the bench, signaling that she could stay too. She sat down with a bright smile. She extended her hand.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"Timothy Drake. But you can call me Tim."

And so they met. They shared their art interests, his love for photography, her love for drawing. She mentioned her growing interest in fashion and he shared his love for IT. They were so different yet so alike. She was form a middle class family of bakers, that loved her with all they had, he was from a rich family, had all he could have ever wanted, except for the love of his parents. But he didn't mention that.

She was entranced by his fervor when talking about his local heroes, or vigilantes, as he called them, and found that she could listen to him all night. He found that he could talk to her just as long, easily, as he could never before. He was happy to bring that sparkle of interest in her eyes.

But the bubble of happiness was soon burst by one Janet Drake.

Tim knew he was in trouble. Others couldn't see the fire behind her gray eyes, only Tim could. He shot up from the bench, startling Marinette in the process.

"Timothy. We have to go." Marinette shivered under her cold gaze, even if it wasn't directed to her. But what mother could look at her own son like that?

"Good evening, Madame." Marinette tried, but soon stepped back, almost cowering under the woman's gaze. Even if it was only for a second.

"Now."

She made one motion with her head, turning on her heels, and heading back into the building. Tim only waved and soon disappeared with his mother. Marinette didn't even get the chance to say goodbye. But she felt like it wasn't the last time she would see Timothy Drake.

                                                        ...

The next time they met, he was Robin. She was Ladybug. She was thirteen, he was fifteen. They didn't know who each other was. Being in Paris brought a longing in Tim's heart for a lost friend, but he knew he couldn't search for the pigtailed girl. Marinette felt her heart ache, missing the American boy she once befriended.

Batman came to Paris shortly after Stoneheart. After speaking to Diana, she granted her passage into Paris along with Robin and Batman to try assess the situation and develop a battle plan.

They set the meeting in the outskirts of Paris, in a abandoned building to try and hide the presence of the Justice League and keep their involvement a secret. They didn't need Hawkmoth on watch 24/7 after an angry superhero he could akumatize.

Ladybug swung through a broken window, Chat Noir jumping through moments after. They both landed at the same time, in front of the American heroes.

"Ladybug, Black Cat, it's an honor to meet the new wielders." Wonder Woman greeted with a slight bow. Robin followed suit, even if a little wobbly. Batman only bowed his head.

"There is no need for that," Ladybug blushed, bowing in return. "We haven't done any heroic feats worthy of such respect yet."

"Being chosen is always a reason to pride with, Ladybug. And the defeat of Stoneheart is quite remarkable for someone as young as yourself."

Batman frowned. Just how young were they?

"My lady is always modest. She doesn't believe me when I say she's incredible."

Ladybug rolls her eyes and punches Chat, making him giggle. Robin was eyeing him, scrutinizing every aspect. He had an extensible staff, like his, but obviously magic. His fighting style would match the Bats better, and Ladybug's yo-yo was very much like Wonder Woman's lasso. They already knew she would go to Themiscyra to train with Hippolyta but a bit of the Bats teachings would not hurt.

"As you know, miraculous magic protects our identities. It's the same thing for Hawkmoth. It will be hard to find and figure him out, unless we have irrefutable evidence." Ladybug began, opening her yo-yo.

"What we know so far is that he wants our miraculous, the Ladybug and the Black Cat. Our Kwami said that by merging the two, the wielder is granted a potentially reality altering wish. Unfortunately for now, that's all the information we have on him. It's going to take some time."

Through all her explanation, Batman was already thinking. They couldn't stay in Paris, even if the chance was small, they could be akumatized, that wasn't a viable option. Even an akumatized Robin would be a major problem. He had two years of training, the new heroes had almost none. He could see that Chat Noir had some, maybe fencing or swordplay by his posture and slight gestures. The girl maybe had some light self defense training. Maybe gymnastics recently.

"Ladybug shall come at times to Themiscyra to train with the Amazons, Chat Noir, you will go with the Bat."

Chat Noir began fidgeting.

"Um, my home life doesn't allow me to introduce intense training into my schedule. The best I can do is go out at night. My d... My parents don't know about this and with my obligations I can't just leave."

Robin, no, Tim knew as soon as Chat Noir opened his mouth. In that moment, he could see himself in the leather clad superhero. The controlling parents that had such high expectations of him, the suppressing nature that made him not even dare question their word. He was going to say that his dad doesn't know about it. So either his mother knows, which is unlikely, or he only has his father.

Tim was almost sure that Bruce came to the same conclusion. It would have been harder for someone that didn't personally know but he was the world's greatest detective for a reason. Batman nodded.

"Actually it is best if we do it at night. Maybe there will be less of a chance for someone to get akumatized. But not much, you still need sleep."

Chat Noir nodded vigorously, now smiling.

After going over some details regarding the training, the two teams went on their ways.

Chat Noir, happy that someone understood and actually made a compromise that worked for him too.

Ladybug, with a heavy heart, thinking about the battles ahead. And maybe about a certain boy.

Batman and Wonder Woman, both trying to not burn down every building in Paris in search of Hawkmoth.

Robin, with sorrow in his heart, for the boy that is like he once was, for the girl that was so close yet so far, for two kids that had to fight the battles of adults.

                                                         ...

This time, they met as Robin and Marinette.

It was in the same year, only a few months later. Robin was perched on a rooftop, waiting for Batman to finish the training session with Chat Noir. They had to zeta tube back to Gotham that night to go on patrol with the rest. There was an unusual rise in criminal activity and they needed all hands on deck.

"Mister Robin, sir!" there was an almost whisper from a balcony on the building next to the one he was sitting in. One on top of a bakery. There was someone there. They looked around and then signaled with their hand to come over.

There was a girl there, one that he recognized almost immediately. She didn't have the same long hair, but it was still tied in pigtails. She was taller and her voice changed a bit but he knew it was her. The girl from the garden, Marinette. He leveled his breath and jumped the narrow gap between the buildings on her balcony, on a shadowed portion.

"Is there a problem?" He asked, checking out the surroundings at the same time.

"No, sir, I just wanted to give you something." She reached to the table and pulled up two boxes. They looked like pastry boxes.

"I don't think people are supposed to know about you being here but I saw you a few times already. I don't know if anyone else did, I didn't ask around and haven't heard anything, but I wanted to thank you for helping Ladybug and Chat Noir, assuming that's what you're doing, so I made some pastries as a 'Thank you'. And, ah, again, thank you. I know that maybe things in Gotham can get pretty hectic and you are coming here too so, ah, I thought these can help, even if a little bit."

Robin listened through her rambling. She got flustered and started fidgeting midway through so he took the boxes from her hands when she stopped to breathe.

"Thank you, that is very considerate. We prefer to not make our involvement in Paris known so it would be appreciated if you still kept quiet."

She nods, smiling, then adds. "I sometimes leave some out here for our heroes too. Feel free to pass by anytime."

He gives her a little smile, then cups his ear when his com comes to life.

'Robin, rendezvous point. I'll be there in 5.'

"I have to go now. It was nice meeting you."

She takes a step back, he pulls out his grappling gun, boxes secured at his chest, and with small waves, he leaves the balcony.

                                                            ...

When they came across each other again, it was a year later. He was Timothy Drake. She was Ladybug.

He started working at Wayne Enterprises with his father. The parisian branch had some odd numbers so they came to Paris as Tim and Bruce to investigate, but didn't go out as Batman and Robin. Unlike Ladybug and Chat Noir, they didn't have magic to protect their identities. Unless there was an emergency, they would lay low.

Then there was an akuma attack.

They were walking to the hotel when Dark Cupid attacked them. He only shot Bruce. Ladybug took him out of his way when he froze in place, shocked by his father's sudden hatred.

"Are you alright?" The heroine asked him when she saw that he didn't move. He was still thinking. "Don't listen what he said. Dark Cupid's power is to transform love into hate. There was nothing real about those words, trust me." She pulled him into a hug when she saw tears rolling on his cheeks. He embraced her back, for a few seconds, the pulled away.

"Go and kick his ass."

She grinned, made a salute, then threw her yo-yo, going full speed towards the akuma.

She swung with a new vigor, recognizing her old friend. She was happy to see him again, even if only for a little bit.

Even though he knows that Bruce didn't mean what he said, it still stung a bit. He didn't remember what he said or did after the cure was cast and Tim didn't want to tell him. But Bruce still knew that is hurt him.

                                                          ...

When Hawkmoth was finally defeated she was 18. She decided to join Batman in Gotham. The balance had to be restored in the city that drowned in chaos and destruction. A year later, at the beginning of her first year of university, they met again.

It was in a nice coffee shop, not far away from the campus. She waited in line with Adrien, who was rambling about a blue eyed boy he met when he was in Metropolis with Chloe for an interview with Lois Lane.

The bell at the door rings and sort of by instinct she looks over. Two boys enter. Both black haired, one with blue eyes, one with green.

When they make eye contact, she knows that he recognized her too. She smiles and waves. He does too, now coming towards her. Adrien leans towards her, whispering. The other green eyed boy does the same to his brother.

"Who is he?"

"Who is she?"

They both smile, eyes locked on each other.

"A childhood friend."

Some fluff, some angst, a lil' bit of everything. I'm not good at writing outright romance but I'm a sucker for friends to lovers. And Adrien sugar is my jam. He is a smoll cinnamon roll that needs to be protected.

Do comment, constructive criticism is always welcome.

@timari-month-event

[elizabethemerald]

"Do you think he's dead?"

"Nah, if he was dead he would make more work for daddy."

"Oh wait! I think he's waking up!"

Red Hood woke up with difficulty, his ears still ringing from the explosion that he had been far too close to. Fuck he hated how explosive happy every rogue in Gotham was. Himself included.

He opened his eyes and was eventually able to focus them to see two kids with black hair with their faces inches from his. He tried to raise his head to get a look at his surroundings past the kids but it felt like it weighed a hundred pounds.

"Is my helmet still on?" He slurred the words out, but the two kids, one boy and one girl seemed to be able to understand him.

"Yeah, I wanted to play with your helmet, but Daddy says its fucked to brim with explosives." The girl said, and he could hear her tapping on his helmet which did nothing good for his helmet.

"Hey, language."

"Seriously? Aren't you a crime lord?" The boy gave him the most condescending look Hood had ever experienced. Why the hell did a kid have the ability to give a dirty look like that?

"Just because I'm a crime lord doesn't mean I wasn't raised right." Hood said as he tried to sit up. Neither of the kids were very helpful as the boy continued to sit on his chest as he flailed and the girl kept grabbing his arms and moving them around like she was dancing with him.

"You know, I think you being a crime lord exactly means you weren't raised right." A new, older voice said. "Look at you, people who have good childhoods don't dress like you do."

The new person walked into Jason's field of view, and revealed himself to be the mysterious, yet helpful Danny. A new person in Crime Alley who had made a name for himself by helping people out. Giving kids a place to stay and a warm meal, protecting the working girls, repairing just about any broken appliance he could get his hands on. Hood was keeping an eye on him to make sure he wasn't a rogue in the making, and to ensure that if he was just a good guy, that he stayed safe.

"Hey, I'll have you know that exactly one person tried to raise me as an upstanding gentleman and I will be back in my grave before I let his lessons go to waste." Jason said.

Danny lifted his kids off Jason's chest and he was finally able to sit up and look around at the apartment he was in. He could feel heavy bandages on his torso and arms and vaguely remembered one of his guys pulling him out of some rubble and saying they were going to bring to someone who could help. He had kind of expected to wake up in Leslie's clinic, but maybe Danny was closer.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure he's very proud of you. Now you pretty haggard when you were brought in, but I think I've fixed everything that can be fixed. You'll still need a couple days of rest before you hit the streets or rooftops in your case."

"Thanks kid. What do I owe you?" Jason asked. Now that he could see clearly he could see that Danny was at least 4 years younger that Jason was. This kid really is a teen dad out here in Crime Alley taking care of his neighbors. Gods above Jason hoped this kid would make it to adult hood.

"There's no need for repayment-"

"Shut it daddy!" The girl said pressing herself into Jason's space followed by her brother.

"You can make sure The Bastard can't hurt daddy anymore!" The boy said, the meanest glare ever on his face. The kid could give Batman a run for his money with that glare.

"Now, Dan, Ellie, we don't need-"

"The last time The Bastard took daddy he tied him up and made him scream!" The girl, Ellie said. Tears flooded her eyes as she grabbed Hood's shoulder and weakly shook him. "Please Mr. Hood, you gotta stop him from hurting my daddy!"

Jason stood with difficulty without shaking the girl off. Oh he had heard rumors of "The Bastard." The other parent of the two little mites, some fucking piece of shit who knocked up a teen transman.

"Don't worry kiddos, if this fuckwit shows his face in My Alley, it will be the last thing he ever does. You have my word on that."

Jason could feel the Pit bubbling and churning in his gut as rage filled him. Yet he didn't feel out of control. For the first time Jason felt fully in control of his rage, and he had a target to aim it at.

DcxDp prompt

Teen dad Danny Fenton moving into Crime Alley and getting a reputation for helping. Street kids willing to babysit Ellie and Dan while he’s job hunting can spend the night, have a meal, get cash, whichever they choose. Sec workers who do Ellie’s hair/nails/babysit some nights also get the same benefits. He will treat anyone with injuries for the low price of showing Ellie and Dan their guns/taking them to the observatory/getting him job opportunities.

All of the people in Crime Alley know the single meta dad with two kids, who has helped half the alley at least. Everyone is also aware of how Ellie calls her other parent ‘The Bastard’, and how bad their nightmares are, the ones they have to call Danny for(A few of his repeat guests have seen the scars and burns on his arms. Some of the older street kids recognize that hunted look he gets when people touch him when he doesn’t know they are there. Some of the sec workers notice how protective he is of his kids, and the younger workers. No matter who they are, they all notice how Dan gets quiet and angry when asked about his ‘other dad’. They all have sworn never to let those kids go back to the other dad, Danny included. They are a part of Crime Alley now, and they protect their own)

Danny doesn’t realize how far his reputation goes/how much everyone trusts him until two of his regulars bring in an injured Red Hood, promising him whatever he wants in exchange for him helping their boss.

[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. 

[justfangirlthings2003]

Wally loves everything about Dick - his eyes, his smile, his butt personality - but the one thing that he finds positively adorable about the acrobat was his obsession with elephants.

It was no secret that they are his favourite animal; everyone that knows him well knows that Zitka and Eleanor were his best friends back at the circus. His favourite pyjamas growing up were the elephant print ones Bruce got him (his second favourite ones were his Superman ones. 1. Because Uncle Clark is awesome. 2. Because that twitch Bruce got in his left eye whenever he wore them always intrigued him), he never went to bed without Zitka (his stuffed elephant) until he was 10, he had elephant socks, ties, towels and underwear, and even to this day, Wally can’t think about that time 9 year old Dick spent 15 minutes ranting about the ‘unfairness of hellhole zoos’ that wouldn’t allow him to pet the elephants without smiling (and when Bruce pitched in that Dick would give people heart attacks by climbing up the walls of the enclosure, he lost it). Hell, he wouldn’t go anywhere near a piano (even though he loved playing them) unless he knows for certain an elephant didn’t die for it to have been made.

After Dick moved out and was given free reign to design his own apartment. Literally everything he gets is elephant themed: matching elephant plates, bowls and cups (they are bright blue with baby pink elephants and are obviously for kids), elephant curtains and cushions and an elephant wall hanging thing (you know those dangly things with bells and feathers that look like the ends of dream catchers) (all of these things were really cheap - he got them at the sale aisle of a store) (everything else in his one bedroom apartment is very very dirt cheap [he wanted to distance himself from Bruce so he didn’t touch his trust fund but allowed Clark, Louise Lane, Barry and Diana to pitch in {read they practically forced him to take some of their money after he left Gotham} if they allow him to pay them back after he got a job {they refused to accept his money} so he allowed himself to go a bit crazy with the elephant theme - he spent eight years growing up in a cramped two-room trailer, he knows how to live on a small budget)

His coworkers at the BPD know that he loves elephants so they always gift hims something elephant themed for his office: he’s got an elephant calendar, an elephant print bean bag and a mug with a cartoon elephant on it. Secret Santa for him is really easy (one time he got a knitted scarf with elephants sewn on the edge. He wore it for four months straight). One day he got sent to the hospital for getting shot on duty and the whole precinct (by that I mean the officers that weren’t corrupt) sent him an elephant plushie (he even got a few knitted woolly ones) so that when Wally arrived, he saw his boyfriend laying in his hospital bed, in the middle of these toy elephants, looking like he was heaven.

Wally knows that it isn’t just some quirky little obsession though - his love for elephants comes from his love for the circus. All of his happiest memories came from his past in Haly’s where his life wasn’t tainted by death and murder and the horrors that Gotham had to offer. So he surrounds himself by what makes him happy - his connection to his childhood with his mother and father. So Wally hasn’t got the heart to say that it’s too much because his love for animals is one of the few things this world hasn’t taken from him, so he’ll be damned if he makes Dick lose that as well. Even if he has to buy nine canary yellow pillows with bright green elephants on them after buying an elephant themed bath curtain (the smile on Dick’s face is so worth it)

And when Wally comes home after a mission that lasts for more than one day and sees an 18+ year old Dick clutching onto Zitka in his sleep, he just smiles.

BONUS:

A few days before their anniversary, Kid Flash was in Central City fighting a bad guy when he saved a toy store that sold huge stuffed animals (you know in Hotel Transylvania 2 when it shows Dennis’ bedroom and he’s got this enormous bear that reaches the ceiling, yeah it’s like that - also in Iron Man 3 when Tony gave Pepper a giant bunny, yeah that was there). The owner was so grateful that his shop was saved, he promised to give Kid Flash anything he wanted.

On the day of the anniversary, Dick walked into their apartment to see the biggest stuffed elephant plushie in his life. It was bigger than their couch and TV (how the hell did he get it through the door) and had a red ribbon tied in a bow around his neck and a tag that said ‘Happy Anniversary, Babe’. He spent three hours clinging onto it and almost fell asleep on it.

Let’s just say that Wally was very lucky for the next few days.

[fleckcmscott]

Comfort & Joy

Summary: Arthur & Y/N celebrate their first Christmas together. Not everything goes as planned.

Warnings: Swearing, Angst

Words: 4,645

A/N: A request from the mind of dear, sweet @ithinkimawriter​. Special thanks to @sweet-nothings04​ for being the wonderful beta she is!

If you have any thoughts or questions, please comment, feel free to message me, or send me an ask. Requests for Arthur and WWH are open!

If you’ve sent me a request and I haven’t responded, it’s because I am working on it and will once it’s posted! 

Arthur was on his way to Y/N's apartment when the storefront's window captured his attention. Batting covered the floor, imitating fake snow. A plastic fireplace, painted yellow, orange, and red, was angled against the left wall. The artificial tree, bedecked with multi-color lights and a plethora of wrapped gifts underneath, shone prettily. To the right, a cardboard cutout of a couple wearing Santa hats and embracing stood in front of a brand new refrigerator. The large sign suspended from the ceiling, tied in a red bow, advertised low-interest store credit: "Make all your Christmas wishes reality!"

There was a sweetness to the display. A festive cheerfulness. And it induced in him an ache borne of dejection. With Penny in her parallel universe and their lack of resources, his life had never had a place for holidays. Seven or eight years ago, he'd made his last attempt at doing something special. They'd shared the turkey dinner he'd sprung for at a nearby greasy spoon. She'd been mildly cognizant of the make-up compact he'd given her, one he'd gotten off the clearance rack. Then she'd gone to bed, leaving him alone to watch the television special he'd picked out. It had been one of the rare nights he'd poured himself a drink in an attempt to sleep.

Smoke swirled in Gotham's cold, night air as he exhaled around his cigarette. The heaviness in his stomach, his hint of indignation perplexed him. Why on earth did he feel shitty when he had a chance to have the type of Christmas people wrote about? That Sinatra, Cole, and Martin sang about? The type he'd dreamed of, despite knowing he'd never have it? He frowned as he trudged down the street, hoping he wouldn't fuck it all up.

Y/N's greeting was warm as always; the refuge of her arms, the smile she reserved just for him dulled his sharpest edges. He tried to take pleasure in her simple courtesies. How she hung his tan jacket next to her coat, all the while insisting he get a hat and mittens. The hot mug she handed him, the way it thawed his slender fingers. The taste of cocoa on her silken lips as they kissed and she declared she'd missed him.

There was quiet conversation. She did most of the talking; he did his best to pay attention through the distraction of his anxiety. The cards had to be finished, she said. Just for her colleagues, a couple of family and friends, and, if he didn't mind, Penny. He didn't react to that last name, letting Y/N draw her own conclusions. She moved to sit side-saddle on the floor to work, next to her coffee table. As her hand crossed the cream cardstock, he noticed she was signing both their names. He gaped slightly in shock, delight spiking through him. But then delight twisted into unworthiness, and he averted his gaze to his hot chocolate.

He'd believed he was doing okay, though he still didn't have his medication. Especially since Penny had been transferred from Gotham General to the nursing home he'd chosen two weeks ago, and it had clicked that he'd never have to see her again. There were days he woke up (if he was fortunate enough to sleep) energized and confident. He had slipped into delusion once or twice. A call to Y/N or the feel of her hand had helped ground him and bring him back to lucidity. But his negative thoughts were bearing down on him. It was getting harder to separate what was intrusive and what was Arthur. If only he could find it within himself to be better.

Once she finished addressing the envelopes, Y/N extended a hand his way and smirked. Unsure if she wanted him to help her up or join her, he sat on the plush, cream color carpet. "I can hear you thinking. I'm surprised smoke isn't coming out of your ears," she said, laying a palm on his thigh. "You haven't told me what you want to do for Christmas."

He picked up one of the cards, traced his fingertips along the corners. He was bereft of his own traditions to draw from; all his points of reference were from popular culture. It was difficult to know what he'd actually like doing. He gave it a go, anyway. "I dunno. A tree? Listening to music? Being together?"

Chuckling, she put her head on his shoulder. "Of course we'll be together. And we can do the other stuff, too." Her voice lowered as she continued. The caress on his leg became a massage. "I get out early Thursday - Christmas Eve. How'd you feel about me being your guest for three days?"

"Hm." He loathed the possibility of exposing her to what was going on in his brain, his darker notions and malaise. He wanted to hold on for her. To be the gentle person she claimed he was, the man she claimed made her happy.

The man she was mistakenly convinced deserved her.

A kiss on the sensitive skin of his neck. "I'll bring dinner and everything."

Fuck. She thought he didn't want her, that she had to sell him on the idea of her company. He had to put a stop to that assumption. Didn't she know she'd become a brick, a building block in his unstable foundation? He couldn't deny her - he didn't wanted to deny her. Taking a deep breath, he turned to her. The warmth in her eyes buoyed him enough to use what little confidence he could muster. He took her hand, ran his thumb over the back of it, and he forced the corner of his lips up. "I'd love that."

~~~~~

There wasn't normally a spring in Y/N's step, but Arthur had a habit of causing one. She was smiling like a fool, too, walking with her suitcase and canvas bag. The happiest woman in Gotham. It couldn't be helped, even as she struggled to climb those damned concrete stairs to finally reach his block. This would be the best Christmas in ages.

The holiday had been her childhood favorite. But it had become taxing as her father's dementia had worsened, and her sister and she had grown apart. Not being able to leave her father unattended had forced them to celebrate at his house, which Y/N shared with him. A couple of slow cooker dishes would be made, ones her niece and nephews liked. She would do her best to make the large dining table festive, using a red tablecloth and making a centerpiece out of a wreath. Once everyone had sat around it, she'd alternate between taking a bite herself and trying to feed her father, trying to convince him to eat.

The final year had been the hardest. Distress had been clear in her sister and brother-in-law's faces, in their stilted conversation. The middle child had asked why grandpa wasn't talking. Y/N had never learned to communicate on a child's level, and had waited for her sister to take the lead. That hadn't happened. So she'd tried to explain the most painful, complicated situation she'd ever been in in terms a four year old could understand. When her father had started spitting out his mashed potatoes and crying, everyone had packed up and left.

It was understandable. Handling him was exhausting and she didn't want the kids to be traumatized. But it had left her resentful and grief-stricken. She'd cleaned him up and changed him. Then she'd sipped the nice wine she'd bought for the occasion and taken down the tree, tearing up with each bauble she'd put away while her father stared at the television in his wheelchair.

After dropping off a card at Ms. McPhee's, she hurried around the corner to Arthur's building. He was waiting for her at his door, dressed in the red sweater he knew she loved on him. She pecked his sharp cheekbone as he bent to take her luggage, and watched as he made a show of putting it beside the sofa. "Did you pack your whole apartment?"

"Almost," she said, already digging out the food she'd brought and placing it on the kitchen counter. The ham and pineapple casserole had to be popped in the oven for forty-five minutes. The two pieces of pie were from the diner near her office. Lastly, there were a carton of eggnog and a small bottle of whiskey.

He didn't say a lot, but she had a pretty good notion of what he was thinking: a variation on the refrain that she'd done too much. "Arthur, this is for me, too. Besides, you got the tree." Then she pulled him in for a kiss. Though his lips were soft and returned her affections, she could sense the apprehension in his shoulders, her palms sweeping across them. He was probably excited, she figured. And a little nervous, too. This was a milestone for them, after all. She smiled up at him encouragingly. "We're going to have a great time," she said. His nod was gentle.

Dinner went by quickly, which was a blessing because it was terrible. ("I swear, I followed my mother's recipe.") The apple pie was a good substitute for her favorite, blueberry. There wasn't any nutmeg to add to the eggnog. And Arthur covered the top of his mug when she wanted to spike it. He appeared to like it, anyway, and was soon pouring himself a second serving. GCR was playing Christmas music non-stop instead of news, so she turned on the radio. She led him to the living room and admired the tree he'd gotten.

The fir was maybe four inches taller than he was, probably six feet. There were plenty of branches, but it was slim enough to fit into the rear corner of the room, by the windows. The sharp, fresh scent of pine was wonderful. "You picked a great one." As she got into her luggage and dug out the white mini-lights, Arthur searched for an extension cord. Once the bulbs were in place, she knelt before the tree and handed him one of the tins of ornaments she'd packed.

Arthur tackled the upper half while she took care of the bottom. Her gaze turned up to him and she grew fuzzy all over. Concentration was plain in his squint, his handling of the glass-blown, red bulbs cautious. His fingertips carefully closed the hooks over each bough. How long had it been since he'd last done this? She reached out, giving his leg a reassuring squeeze before going through her own box of baubles. A soft sound stuck in her throat as she discovered what was inside.

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

The shellacked, round cookie was in surprisingly good shape, its ribbon firmly attached. "My sister made this for me when we were little. I'd forgotten about it." She cradled it in her palm, a peal of laughter bubbling up. "One year I got a toy oven. Set the smoke alarms off, scared my mother half to death." Sipping her drink, she shook her head. "Mabel - who's younger than me, remember - decided to show me how it was done. She was always better at that stuff."

The memory prompted Y/N to continue. She mentioned her parents taking them to a department store a few towns over to visit Santa. How she'd been completely boring and asked for a typewriter and doll, which she'd gotten. The milkshake she'd had at the restaurant on the top floor. She felt uncharacteristically wistful. "That was a lifetime ago."

Most of the tree was adorned when she noticed he'd stopped responding. It was as though he was frozen in place, his face turned towards the floor. Y/N stood, taking in the clenching of his fists at his sides, the quiver of his frame, the twitch of his cheek. "Arthur?" She reached out to take his hand.

His arm yanked back as if she'd hit him. Then he marched around the sofa, past the television, and went straight into the bathroom. The locks slid into place as soon as he closed the door.

She was stunned. And, if she was honest, disappointed. All she'd wanted was to share more of herself with him. Gingerly, she walked to the door. No light shone from beneath it. The picture of him sitting alone in the dark on Christmas Eve pained her. She knocked.

Laughter broke up the strain in his voice. "I need a few minutes." After a pause, a hushed plea. "Please don't go."

"I won't."

Her lips pursed. The last few times she'd visited, she'd made a note to check his usual spots for prescription bottles. There hadn't been any. And there'd been no indication he'd used any of the doctor appointments she'd paid for. They'd have to discuss it. But not now. New Years was next weekend. She'd mention it then, as well as her hopes they'd be living together soon, treating it as something positive.

Beyond his laughing, he hadn't yet gone into any level of detail about his afflictions, his diagnoses. Since his appearance on Murray Franklin, she'd read almost the entire "Loving Someone With" series to learn how to handle problems when they arose. It had advised kindness, calm, and providing regularity. Discussion of normal things, plans for the future. That was what she had been trying to do. Why had Arthur reacted so poorly?

Then it dawned on her: the experiences that were normal to her, to most people, hadn't ever been so for him. Her thoughts went to the terrible details in the Arkham file he'd brought over. The unspecified categories of abuse he'd suffered. His severe head injury and its permanent effects. The radiator...

She recalled his reaction to the journal she'd given him for his birthday. He'd tried, in vain, to hide how affected he'd been by it. And it was only a few weeks ago he'd meekly asked if she'd ever stop loving him, as if it was a chore for her instead of bliss. It was tough, knowing how hard he had to work to accept her kindnesses.

Rubbing her eyes, she concluded she'd been an idiot. Well-intentioned, but an idiot regardless. She'd so looked forward to making new memories with Arthur, to being able to spend the holiday with someone who could enjoy it, she'd overwhelmed him. Set him off.

He needed space and, so far, she'd always paid the respect of giving that to him. It wouldn't be easy tonight, however. Every fiber of her wanted to rush in there, hold him, and tell him to confide in her. To allow her to support him. But she needed to listen to her brain instead of her heart (which Arthur made hard to do, being the one who'd helped her unlock it). She checked her watch. Fifteen minutes would be a good compromise. She could give him that.

The music had become deafening. After turning it down, she made her way to the kitchen and put away the rest of the food. Every scrub of the dishcloth on the beige plates they'd used, every wipe as she dried the cutlery, expressed her concern. Ornaments still littered the living room floor. A few more were hung before she put their boxes in her suitcase. She worried her lip when she came across the presents she'd gotten him, wrapped in luscious greens and golds. He'd like them, she was certain. If he was up to receiving them. She placed them under the tree, adjusting the tags so he could clearly read "Arthur," written in her looping cursive.

The clink of the bathroom door being unlocked was barely audible. Not wanting him to think she'd been hovering the entire time, she waited before approaching. Then she stepped forward and slowly opened it.

The light from the hall spilled into the room, sufficient to see Arthur sitting on the pink, tiled end of the bathtub. She took in the slump of his shoulders, his arms slack and folded in his lap. He spoke and his miserable rasp split her heart. "I'm- I'm sorry. I'm ruining everything."

"You're not." She turned on the floor lamp in the corner, then sat down on the closed toilet. "It wasn't fair of me to babble on and on like that. I didn't think abou-"

"Don't." It was clear the harshness of his tone was directed at himself. His dark brows creased in the middle as he wiped his nose, embarrassment clear in every gesture. "I just... I wanna be able to enjoy this like everyone else."

The skin of his hands was pink, likely from wringing. And his nails had been freshly chewed. Her chest tightened. "May I touch you?" she asked. At his curt nod, she smoothed his sleeve up to stroke his forearm. The grimace he wore was tight enough to show his dimples.

She'd learned it was vital to speak to his virtues in these moments. That was an easy thing to do - he had many. The compliments she paid him were true, and reflected what he valued in others. "You're so caring, Arthur." Her fingertips drifted down his laugh line to his thin lips. "And good. And funny." She blinked away the tears that threatened, the news articles from his mother's file fresh in her mind. "And strong. Stronger than anyone should have to be."

A dry, hitched sob left him and he shook his head. "You don't need to tell me lies."

"I'm not. I never will." Her kiss brushed the shallow wrinkles on his trembling chin, and she took his hand between her own. "You don't have to talk about it. But I'm here if you want to." A long silence followed, interrupted only by their soft breathing. Eventually, he trailed lines down her thigh, to her knee, caressing her as if she were gossamer.

She considered how he could have gone through such brutality, yet be the gentlest person she'd ever known.

Releasing a long sigh, he leaned his forehead to hers. "I can't," he whispered, lifting one shoulder.

"It's all right." Her grasp slid up and down his sides comfortingly. "I love you. It's okay."

It was awhile before he stood, pulling her with him and against his chest. She nestled into him and soaked up his heat, carding her fingers through his loose curls. "I- I picked out a movie. I think it starts soon." He held her hand as he walked towards the living room.

The analog TV sounded with bells and strings as Y/N got a blanket from the bed. She scurried to him and saw the names Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire flash on the screen. Of course, she thought. He'd picked a romantic musical. After turning off the lamp, she situated herself next to Arthur and draped the cover over them. The opening credits were rolling, but she could feel him watching her instead of the film. Then his touch grazed her bare ankle. She shifted towards him, a smile spreading across her face at the softness of his features. "What?"

His gaze dropped. "I wish I knew how to say how much I love you. Show you somehow."

The lights from the tree were giving his skin a warm glow, and reflected beautifully in his green eyes. She tipped his chin up and kissed him deeply, until they both had to pull away for air. Pink dusted his cheeks and he grinned bashfully, crooked tooth on display. "I know, Arthur." They snuggled closer under the cover and he entwined their hands. "I know."

~~~~~

Since she'd returned to him after Murray, they'd spent an increasing number of nights together. Arthur usually let Y/N sleep as long as she needed. Insisting she wake up with him wouldn't have been fair. She worked hard and the extra hour or two was helpful. But he couldn't hold back Christmas morning.

He made a valiant attempt to pass the time. Really. He'd already shaven, smoked a couple of cigarettes, retrieved her presents, and plugged in the tree. He noticed she'd placed gifts under it, labelled "Arthur" and elegantly wrapped in paper nicer than what he'd been able to pick-up at the drug store. He glided his fingers over them. The corner of his mouth lifted. Written in her script, his name was beautiful.

Thankfully, he was in better sorts than the night before. Enthusiasm for her gripped him. He tip-toed to the bedroom and watched her sleeping form from the doorway. It was still dark - the sun wouldn't be up for another hour - but he could picture what she looked like. Her wet breathing and slight snore meant her pillow had a spot of drool near her mouth. There was a fifty-fifty chance her nightgown had twisted up just beneath her breasts. The blanket may have slipped below her waist, leaving her hip exposed. He knelt next to the bed and palmed the side of her neck, planting kisses to her face until she groaned.

"Your hair tickles," she mumbled. Her arm went around his back and brought him closer. "What time is it?"

"Early." Before standing, he gave her one last peck on the mouth. "But I couldn't wait any longer." He padded to the kitchen to start the french toast they'd decided on.

He was in the middle of cracking eggs when she sat across from him on the other side of the breakfast bar. "It's nice to have someone to celebrate with again," she said, leaning up and forward to peek in his bowl. "I'm happy it's you." He cocked his head at that. She'd had a family before, a sister and brother-in-law. Nieces and nephews. A father. He asked her to elaborate but she shrugged it off. "Just a few rough years. That's all. Don't waste your time on it."

Learning about her was one of the things he liked about having a girlfriend. As sappy as it sounded, even to himself, it made him feel like she was a part of him, and he a part of her. Dr. Sally said open communication was important. If he was going to be a good boyfriend, Y/N should be able to talk to him without fearing he couldn't handle it. He grasped her hand and borrowed her phrase from last night. "You can talk to me." Their gazes met as he ran the pad of his thumb over her knuckles. "I'm okay today."

A wry grin appeared. "Let's just say we've both experienced difficult family situations." She took his fork and finished beating the eggs for him as he turned on the stove. "This is a big step in putting that awfulness behind me."

The way she seemed to understand him, even if she was talking about herself, prompted him to clear his throat. "Me, too." He dipped the bread in the bowl, then placed it in the frying pan.

When they were finished eating (it'd been so much better than the casserole she'd made, and he'd never had real maple syrup before), Y/N poured them both more coffee and made her way to the living room. Arthur offered to turn on the news, aware she was still waiting for coverage on the Wayne Foundation case, but she waved dismissively. "I don't want to think about that today. God knows I already think about it too much."

They took turns opening gifts, sitting on the floor by the tree, close enough for him to feel the heat she was emanating. Y/N immediately opened her chocolate Santa and broke off a piece for him. The musk oil perfume he'd picked up for her at Helm's Pharmacy had been on sale for $1.79, and he was grateful he'd remembered to remove the price tag before wrapping it. She dabbed it on her wrist. It was different on her than it was in the bottle, a bit stronger than expected. But she was wearing something he'd given her, so it was lovely nonetheless. Her favorite of the three presents seemed to be the old, tapered, white vase he'd found. She needed it, he explained. That time he'd given her a rose, she'd stuck it in a drinking glass.

What he'd given her were simple trinkets, born out of a vague idea of what women were supposed to like. Despite her apparent delight and the kisses she'd bestowed on him after opening each one, they felt inadequate compared to what she gave him. There was a teal sweater, one she claimed would bring out (in her words) his "beautiful eyes." He pulled it on over his thermal shirt, tags and all. She'd gotten him a book on comedy writing. He wasn't sure how to take that - had she decided his jokes weren't very good? But then she told him she expected more material for his next stand-up show.

Picking up the last gift, he studied it with mock seriousness. Its shape and weight gave away it was a record, but he had no idea which one. They often enjoyed quiet evenings with his collection of older standards, but she preferred more modern songs. Maybe it was an attempt to introduce him to what she liked. He'd gladly listen to it, at least once. He peeled the pretty paper back and exhaled sharply. The LP was old, the cover worn. It was the soundtrack to Modern Times, a film he'd caught once or twice and loved the music of. Holding it to his chest, he murmured a quiet, "Thank you." Eagerly, he got up and put it on, letting the orchestra and his love for her wash over him, soothe his battered soul.

Y/N followed and splayed a hand on the small of his back. "Gotham Pops played this at the Wayne benefit last month." Giggling, she tousled his hair. "I spent the evening wishing you were next to me. It would have been nice to show you off, all dressed up and handsome." He stiffened for a second, wondering if he should tell her he had been there. If he should practice the honesty he'd been working on since Murray. Perhaps knowing he'd accompanied her, in his own way, would please her. But she interrupted his thoughts before he could speak. "The Christmas parade starts in an hour. We should go now if you still want to see it. Neither of us are very tall - we need a good spot." Her lips brushed his ear. "I brought an extra hat and mittens for you."

He spun to face her as he nodded, and she nuzzled at his nose and sighed. The wide smile she wore halted his breath. It would have been nice if this hadn't been his only real Christmas. If his first thirty-five years hadn't been a cruel joke, a tragedy. But he was glad to have this taste of happiness with her.

He hadn't longed for a paralegal from another part of the country, a woman who couldn't dance well and never guessed the punchlines of his jokes. But what he was about to say was true all the same. He cupped her face and kissed her firmly. "You're the one I always wanted," he whispered against her. "Merry Christmas, Y/N." The words felt unnatural - he was unsure when he had last said them.

The love in her look let him know he'd done all right. "You're the man I never knew I needed. And I do, Arthur." He closed his eyes at her embrace, laying his cheek against her temple as she cuddled into him. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Fleck." Her next sentence and the touch of her mouth to his jaw made him shiver. "Maybe next year we won't have to choose whose apartment will have the tree."

~~~~~

Tag list (Let me know if you want to be added!): @harmonioussolve​ @ithinkimaperson​ @sweet-nothings04​ @stephieraptorr​ @rommies​ @fallenstarsabyss​ @gruffle1​ @octopus-plasma​  @tsukiakarinobara​ @arthur-flecks-lovely-smile​

[disniq]

Sure! I'm sorry for the delay, it took longer than I thought to make my thoughts into something vaguely coherent lol

Also, this got long, so it's going under a cut and, fair warning; there be spoilers ahead.

Titans has two big failings for me; one is pacing, and the second is, as you sort of mentioned in your ask, that the interpretations of these beloved characters are trying so hard to be dark and edgy that it mostly just makes them supremely unlikable hypocrites.

Both of these come to a head in season 3's Red Hood arc.

It makes sense that they can't do a faithful adaption of UTRH, because Titans is the Dick show, not the Bruce show, and they don't want to try to do the Joker. That's fine, it wouldn't really make sense for this version of Jason anyway - he's older; his childhood trauma is a different flavour; he hasn't been with Bruce for as long; and everyone in this show is more violent and reckless, so Bruce benching Jason for being "too violent and reckless" wouldn't really make sense.

So they kill Jason off in the opening episode, and then they have Bruce kill the Joker and peace out of Gotham because, again, this is the Dick show. We have episodes 2 and 3 of Red Hood causing problems for Dick and the Titans - up to and including killing Hank which apparently we're supposed to be sad about - and then ep 4 where Dick figures out that Red Hood is actually just a pawn working for Jonathan Crane to break him out of Arkham Asylum.

Then we get episode 5, the flashback which shows us that an already suicidally depressed Jason also developed PTSD from the incident with Deathstroke and it's aftermath. He's having nightmares, panic attacks, and is unable to fight anymore. Bruce suggests therapy, which Jason commits to, but then Bruce benches him anyway, which leads Jason to go to Crane because a guy who makes fear gas can probably make an *anti*-fear gas, right?

Well. Sort of.

Crane gives Jason the wrong formula on purpose, and the result is a gas that makes him feel nothing at all. While he's under the influence of this drug, Crane manipulates Jason into proving he's no longer scared by going after the Joker, and then revives him to make him even more indebted to him.

This is all pretty sympathetic, and the next few episodes make a point of confirming that most if not all of what Jason did in ep 2 and 3 was Crane's plan. There's a scene where Jason questions Crane, and is promptly shown that Crane has other underlings who would be happy to replace Red Hood as his second in command.

When Jason undermines Crane again, Crane drugs him (uhh...double drugs him?) and ties him up. The Titans figure out where Crane is hiding and show up to wreck shit, and Jason (now detoxing from the drugs) seems almost pleased about this. Crane escapes, dragging Jason with him, but Jason has had enough of being used, knocks the creep out and runs. He broods on his own for a bit, and then contacts Dick because he realises he maybe fucked up.

So far so good.

I'm not gonna say it's perfect, because there are some really strange choices being made just in general (*cough*confessing that you murdered your teammate to a pair of hookers*cough*), but I can see where they've drawn inspiration from Arkham Knight and tried to connect the dots between the way Jason was treated in season 2 and said well, hey! A kid with RSD up the wazoo is gonna look for approval wherever he can get it, even if that's from a known supervillain who likes fucking with people's heads.

Now, if I were writing the show, this is where I would have Jason's redemption arc start. He walked away from Crane of his own volition, he made the choice himself to reach out to Dick. Crane is desperate and erratic, so having Jason on the titans side isn't any kind of deux ex machina "I know his whole plan and how to stop him" situation.

But because this is Titans, and they so love a bizarre 2nd act team breakup for increasingly stupid reasons, they don't do that.

Instead they pull a fake out, where Crane is evesdropping on Jason and Dick's conversation, and uses that information to lead the Titans into a trap that puts him back in control of the situation. It's never 100% confirmed if Jason was in on this plan or not, but I tend to think he wasn't. Either way, the Titans think he was, so his hope of redemption is dashed and he's drawn back into Crane's circus for another 3 episodes of lacklustre rivalry with Dick that goes nowhere before finally helping the Titans in the final episode.

What's more annoying to me is the way the supposed heroes talk about Jason during this time. When other Titans had been brainwashed, magically controlled, or even just had a violently emotional outburst, they get the benefit of the doubt. Jason doesn't. Gar is the only person asking how this happened, asking how they can *help*. Everyone else is ready to straight up kill Jason for his crimes, even KORI, whose b-plot this season is LITERALLY ABOUT FORGIVING HER SISTER FOR MURDERING HER PARENTS!!

Ahem Anyway.

I'm definitely rambling now lol, but yeah, I think they wrote a decently solid Red Hood plot that fits the Titans-verse, they just tried to make it last a full season when it was a half-season type arc.

Hello yes hi which are these Jason-centric episodes of Titans please? Because I tried it previously and gave up after like 3 episodes because literally every character’s characterisation was annoying me. But I wish to enjoy the Jason hours if that is possible without having to speed run the rest of the 4 seasons. If you please 💙

Oh that is entirely valid, and I would be delighted to help!

So, even though it's not technically Jason-centric, I really do have to recommend season 1 episode 6 "Jason Todd" which, as the name suggests, is his intro episode. It really sets the tone for his and Dick's relationship, and I don't think either of them ever fully recover from this first interaction.

Season 2 is a little trickier, because Jason's story takes place in the background of a couple other episodes - ep 2, 3, and 5, if you did want to skip through them for his bits - but this culminates in season 2 episode 7 "Bruce Wayne", after which Jason leaves the Titans.

Next, you want season 3 episode 5 "Lazarus", which is the flashback episode that bridges how we get from disillusioned Jason to the Red Hood. This is the only fully Jason focused episode, and for unrelated reasons also happens to be my favourite.

The rest of season 3 is... Complicated. It could almost have been good if they'd cut it off halfway through, but they drag it out and flip-flop too many times on Jason's stance for me in the end. I'm happy to give a more detailed breakdown if you want, just let me know!

And last but not least: season 4 episode 11 "Project Starfire" has the Jason Tim interactions, and is well worth skipping through for that alone imo. Jason is so much more settled in himself here that it makes all the suffering almost worth it.

[bigskydreaming]

I know the usual go-to boy names for Dick having a son tend to be some variation of Tommy, John or Jake, after either Dick’s father, Bruce’s or Jake from that future timeline he had a son in after Ma’ri. 

I’m however reeeeeally attached to the idea of Dick naming a son after his paternal grandfather, whatever name you go with for him. For me, its Daniel, though I have NO idea where that came from and I could have sworn it was canon but apparently its something I made up which is weird because usually I have a reason for names I make up and I can’t for the life of me figure out why I would have deliberately picked Daniel specifically, if I didn’t already think for sure that was his name? But whatever, that’s just a weird me thing that’s been bugging me forever. 

 ANYWAY. 

Yeah, I could see Dick naming a child after his grandfather, Cobb’s son that he gave to Haly’s Circus to be raised....the direct ancestor of Dick’s who in his perception was the true patriarch of Dick’s first family....the Grayson trapeze artist lineage.

I actually have a lot of headcanons about Cobb’s son as part of the completely gratuitous expansive backstory I have for Dick’s first family and their history in the circus over the past century, that hopefully will make it into some fic or another one of these days, lol....but in a nutshell, I’ve always been drawn to the fact that Cobb handed his son over to Haly’s ancestor while describing him as the Gray Son, someone destined to live between the opposite extremes of Gotham’s starkly differentiated classes or whatever he was babbling on about, I fell asleep, shut up, Cobb, nobody cares....

But point being, he didn’t actually ever claim that the baby’s last name was Grayson. So I like to headcanon that everybody in the circus as that boy grew up there just called him Gray Son or the Gray Son, and he embraced that and willfully made it his last name....and that this directly ties into him becoming a trapeze artist and the bright colors that became the Grayson family legacy.

Because imagine an unclaimed orphan boy being raised in a circus a hundred years ago with nothing but mysterious rumors about where he came from, who his parents were, and maybe some quietly muttered rumors here and there about some mysterious destiny he had that tied into the title Gray Son.

Imagine being a boy who likely spent most of his childhood invisible....an eagerly helpful pair of hands trying to make himself useful, trying to make himself seen, as eyes continually skittered away from him because the tidbits about his past and origins made people nervous and wary.

Imagine that boy, who had no parents inducting him into a legacy of acrobatics himself, who had to willfully and with purpose decide himself to learn how to fly, maybe even largely to teach himself how to fly....practicing in secret and with every acrobat or passing troupe willing to teach him little tricks of the trade...

And then imagine when that boy becomes a man and finally makes his debut as a talented trapeze artist himself, takes center stage, all eyes on him....because he ensures that. He works to draw all eyes to him, to keep all eyes on him....

To never be lost in shades of black and white or fade away into some lackluster gray.

Because this man rejects any destiny he’s supposed to have, any destiny that required he grow up alone and unloved. If no one wanted to claim him as theirs before now, then no one gets to lay any sort of claim to him ever.

And he broadcasts that to the world, via his stage, in every way imaginable...

With even his clothes, his costumes always being brilliant colors, the brightest hues of red, yellow and green...eye catching, eye searing, forever popping against the background, whatever that may be....

The complete antithesis of everything gray.

Because that may be the only name he has any tie to, the only piece of his mysterious past he has to carry with him, like it or not...

But he will not be defined by it. He defies the very idea.

And he makes sure everyone knows that as he soars above crowds, drawing all eyes to him, the highest point in everyone’s vision, making them look up, forcing them to see him, to acknowledge him, a master of the sky no matter that he and his descendants’ ‘true destiny’ was to be as servants hidden away in secret labyrinths beneath the earth....

And always, always, always the brightest thing in sight.

Never to be lost and muted in shades of gray.

I think this headcanon of Dick’s grandfather, who I view as the one Dick would truly see as the true originator of the Grayson family line, not Cobb himself, never Cobb...

I think someone like this, Dick would view himself as having a lot in common with.

Because after all, wasn’t that as much Dick’s motivation when he became Robin?

Not just to fight crime by Batman’s side....but to be seen while doing it. To stand out, even as Batman sticks to the shadows. To never be dismissed or banished and locked away in some juvie center or orphanage like the people who looked down on him and his circus family tried to do. Never to be erased or forgotten or overlooked.

Soaring above Gotham in colors that drew attention, demanded attention.  Recognition. Acknowledgment.

Forever declaring:

I am still here. My family is still here. Our legacy still matters....no matter how many people tried how many times to stamp it out or make it otherwise.

They said Dick wasn’t allowed to leave Gotham, that the circus was no place for him, inferring that how he’d been raised, how he’d been HAPPY was wrong and somehow more objectionable than the way Gotham treated him. They tried to clip his wings and force him to remain on the ground, take away what made him special, what made him not the Gray Son, but a Flying Grayson.

And Robin was Dick’s way of saying: “Well here I am! Still flying, still free, still making everyone crane their necks and look UP to see me, unable to miss me cuz I’m the brightest speck of light in Gotham’s night sky.”

Its always been significant to me that Dick so often insists that he’s Batman’s PARTNER as Robin, rather than sidekick. And yeah, that’s easy to look at and think oh that’s so cute, in the sense of kids trying to put themselves on the same level as an adult counterpart....

But I think it takes on an entirely different connotation when you consider that Bruce and Dick’s approaches to vigilantism, the specific mantles and methodologies they created for THEMSELVES....were deliberately distinct and never aiming to be interchangeable or cut from the same cloth.

Dick always considered himself Bruce’s partner, because he didn’t see himself as being Robin to assist Bruce with Batman’s mission....because Dick had his own mission. Batman and Robin were each their distinct ways of honoring their parents and fighting on in their name....its just those took different forms for them. Bruce ultimately saw his mission as honoring his parents by fighting to ensure what happened to them didn’t happen to any other family so long as he stood a chance of preventing it. Dick, on the other hand, I think ultimately saw HIS mission as honoring his parents by fighting to keep their memory alive, their spirit, in a city that seemed to have no place for that. By bringing light and laughter to the shadows of Gotham, and hope for the future. 

With Robin more naturally suited to stopping to lend a helping hand to the Gothammite they just rescued while Batman fought off the last of their attackers. The younger hero practically carrying his own spotlight with him as he shone it on everyone they helped, as a promise that nobody was going to be forgotten or overlooked or left to slip through the cracks on his watch, even as Batman used the shadows to overwhelm and intimidate and drive off the dangers threatening those they saved.

Two distinctly different, but extremely complementary pursuits, personal missions. Neither mission actually in service to the other, but both enabling both at the same time.

And bringing it back around to Dick’s grandfather, the baby Cobb handed off to be raised in the circus and pave the way for future generations of Gray Sons to be mined as future Talons whenever the Court decided they needed them......

Think of the poignancy inherent in the fact that his entire EXISTENCE was intended to be nothing more than a bloodline of talented athletes for the Court to use.....and he basically said well fuck THAT nonsense, and without even knowing what his supposed ‘destiny’ and that of his descendants’ was supposed to be.....he took his existence and accidentally sculpted it into the very antithesis of everything they meant the Gray Son to be. Because all he needed to know is nobody but him was going to get to define him, decide what his future was, and his past was only as relevant as he decided to let it be.

(Remind you of anyone?)

And then think of how completely and firmly OPPOSITE the Court’s intentions for Dick were....to his personal crusade as Robin.

And the dramatic irony in how Dick has so often been instrumental to thwarting the Court’s plans and bringing them down....by doing nothing more than adhering to the same path he’s walked ever since his first days as Robin.

The path he chose to honor and keep with him what he could of his family....his parents before him....and theirs before them.

I maintain that Cobb never actually had a prayer of getting his great-grandson to follow in his footsteps.....

Because Dick had already set out to emulate his grandfather’s path instead, before he was even ten.

*Shrugs* Anyway, just random headcanons I have about Dick’s family, but yeah, I really like the idea of Dick naming one of his kids after his paternal grandfather at some point, because I think for Dick that would be an extremely auspicious and symbolic name....a tie to the family history Dick welcomes and claims as his own.....and an homage to the ancestor who first willfully forged a path for himself that turned out to be the complete opposite of what the Gray Son’s destiny supposedly was always meant to be....and exactly what Dick, his descendant, needed to fight off his ‘fate’ when it came calling for him, and to stay in the spotlight of his parents and grandparents no matter how much his great-grandfather tried to drag him into the dark. 

[breath-of-void]

So, I guess I’m an agent of chaos now

I just watched Joker (2019) and, can I say, holy heck it was good. Spoilers to come. 

While watching it, I found myself comparing it to what I knew of the Joker from the comics and the animated series. The Joker is more force of nature than man; he has no rhyme or reason to what he does. He exists in Gotham, not to make a statement, but to put on an act. 

In that regard, I was sorely disappointed. This Joker had a name, he was Arthur Fleck. He had a job and family and, based on how often he got the piss taken out of him, plenty of reason to put on a mask and try to blow up parliament.

They even went the route of making him mentally ill so that his madness was not a conscious choice, as I’d always consider to be the Joker’s case.  

About halfway through, I decided to stop doing that and watch it as its own product. Not an adaptation, but a new origin. After doing that, I found that he started to hit a lot of the same beats that I’d originally expected.

Arthur Fleck, for one, checks most of the boxes for ‘societal trash’. He was poor, single, mentally ill and not incredibly attractive. He was largely inoffensive and not prone to violence or even self defence. He had no dreams of grandeur, he only wanted to get by and be happy doing so. Arthur was an entire demographic wrapped up in one neat package. He wasn’t a person, he was an archetype; a symbol. Until the turning point of his character, he was like all members of society that shared even one of his traits: a joke.

When Arthur kills the three boys on the subway, his symbology took off. A clown, a joke of society, was powerful enough to take out the creme de la creme. Of course people took this as a sign. They were jokes too and they could absolutely overthrow the bourgeoisie. Even better, they didn’t need to be ‘normal’ to do it.

The best part of the whole thing, and my main point, is that Arthur didn't care. He was a symbol and, like most symbols, didn't give a damn what he was used for. Arthur went through his life, picking up the scraps life tossed him, while, around him, Gotham churned and swirled with madness underneath a thin skin of normalcy.

My point thus far, to clarify, has been that Arthur is tied to society. His madness forced down to facilitate an air of ‘okay’ is mirrored by the Gotham citizens rearing to eat the rich, but resigning themselves to peaceful protest. In that vein, when Arthur snapped, so did Gotham. 

At no point did Arthur, now named Joker, decide to do anything about Gotham’s financial inequality problem. He kills several people in the film, all for personal gain. Three kids on the train for assaulting him, his mother for lying to him and facilitating his childhood abuse, a former coworker for aiding and almost being entirely responsible for him being fired and a talk show host for humiliating him on television. Joker only ever killed people he was angry or upset with. Likewise, the people of Gotham did the same. They rioted. They stole and destroyed and killed the people that they were upset with. 

Most of all, and my ultimate point about this Joker, is that the ideology was infectious. I found myself cackling alongside him. He wanted his own brand of chaos and I wanted mine. The citizens of Gotham wanted their chaos and my friend beside me wanted hers. We didn’t necessarily want the same thing and we didn’t have to, we were all a little Joker inside and Joaquin Phoenix’s performance inspired us all to act on that without ever committing and saying that it was the right thing. At it’s core, it isn't the right thing, but the Joker isn’t concerned with morality.

The best part was that he set the groundwork for the Spirit of the Joker. Arthur Fleck is not a very intelligent man. He’s not stupid, no, but he isn’t concoct-a-chemical-that-makes-you-die-laughing smart. And he isn’t evil. He isn't concerned with eating the rich or stabbing the poor and he certainly doesn’t care for money. But other people do.

By the end of this movie, I could see how every single iteration of the Joker could have been inspired by this one. How, after each one died, another took up the mantle. This first Joker, a reasonably aged man when Bruce Wayne was 10, is not necessarily the one who fights him in his career as the Batman. 

In conclusion, Joker was an amazing piece of cinema and proof that DC knows what its doing if it stops following in the shadow of Marvel.

On a side note, did anybody else notice that he had a lot of black women in his life? Like, damn.

[lucispietate]

Dear Hurt/Comfort Exchange writer

Hello, fellow writer! First of all, I really want to thank you in advance for taking up the challenge to make something for me, I appreciate it so much. I really enjoy being surprised (especially with pairings where Canon leaves a lot to the imagination and everyone has their own headcanon) so you're absolutely free to write anything you wish and mostly take this letter as suggestions if you need inspiration.

I don't have much to say for likes, I have some fandom specific ones but overall I'm fine with anything. I tend to love heavy introspection, conflicted relationships and angst with an happy ending/bittersweet tone, but I'm really fine with anything. I also want to point out that you're free to combine my tags/prompts however you wish and that while I didn't bother to include "both hurt" for any of these ships, it's absolutely always allowed. As for dislikes: - any kind of dub con and on page rape unless otherwise specified. I can accept harassment and such, but not too graphic - AUs, especially fluffy modern AUs and supernatural ones (Canon divergence within the original universe is fine and encouraged) My only real exception is Romeo and Juliet where I do enjoy modern AUs as long as they still keep the violence/hate/gang war element of the play - sex described in any detail. I'm not bothered by it and I don't mind allusions, jokes or fade to black, but the scenes itself hold no interest for me - cheating (jealousy is fine and so is crushing on more than one person at once with all the guilt it entails, as long as it leads to poly, healthy or not, or stays a frustrated wish) - unrequited love that doesn't get resolved either by the two getting together or the pining person finding their true love - eating disorders or tbh even dwelling on appearance related insecurity is a no no

GOTHAM

I want to preface I'm a DC newbie, so I can't really appreciate crossovers or influence from other media and I wouldn't want futurefic, especially not involving BatCat, I just want to see them as kids For BatCat I would prefer something set between season 1 and the first few episodes of season 3, before they start their weird on/off relationship. The one exception would be the killing for the first time prompt, in relation to what Bruce does in the beginning of season 4, and that horrible plot line with Selina's mom since it's such an ansgt/hurt comfort goldmine . I think canon offers a lot of possibilities with them already, they do a lot of rescuing each other and I'd like anything that is cute and sweet. Something from their time living on the street together would be adorable too.

For Selina/Bridgit I would be happy with anything: a cute moment of them living on the streets as kids, Selina helping Bridgit to work through Dr Strange's conditioning, or something angstier while Bridgit still thinks she's a goddess and Selina her servant and Selina trying to show how much affection as she can while in that framework and things that blur the lines between comfort and act of service/worshipping like washing, taking of care of poor little Bridgit's burns etc.

For Oswald/Ed... Wow, there's so much potential. Any moment from their first meeting, a What If where Oswald regrets his deeds and decides to thaw Ed himself and then nurse him back to health, the two of them adopting Martin... Anything really, I haven't read much on these two

GAME OF THRONES

What I want with Yara/Dany is mostly something to give me joy after that godawful ending. So I would love something set post ending, with Dany being exiled/imprisoned, in a terrible mental state and only Yara who's still loyal/taking care of her. Though also Yara coming to terms with her last brother's death would be something wonderful

SIX OF CROWS

No particular ideas here. Any moment pre—book with them getting hurt in missions, Inej's first kill, the tattoo removal, or something like what happened in the prisoner cart, with Kaz having a serious breakdown and Inej being the only one to notice and try to comfort him, knowing most of her instinctive reactions would make everything worse because of his issues

INHERITANCE CYCLE

Murtagh and Nasuada are my childhood otp and I would honestly squeal to get anything at all about them would make me giggly. I like the idea of an AU where Murtagh is rescued early with baby Thorn in a tow before Galbatorix can completely break them with the torture, or something more emotional/psychological post saga, where they must help each other heal from their Shared Trauma and mental issues they both seem to have in the last few chapters. If and only IF you feel like it, this is the one fandom where I am ok with sexual abuse as a past event as I used to occasionally write Galbatorix as having had a relationship with Morzan in their former days and viewing Murtagh as a replacement in more than one sense.

ROMEO AND JULIET This is somewhat complex. First of all I want to say I made somewhat of a mistake in nominations phase by nominating some d ships as All media types while others nominated some as Shakespeare, but I'm absolutely ok with fic based on Shakespeare or any production of Presgurvic's musical. Exceptions are the 2010 revival and ensuing tour and Takarazuka productions. Also while I said I am okay with AUs here, I'd prefer they not be based on the 1996 movie in aesthetic/characterization, though the stakes/situation of the feud is a good example of what I imagine for modern au. Now going specifically about each of my prompts:

For the Romeo/Juliet ones I mostly want emotional hurt/comfort, either set during their wedding night or in a AU where they manage to leave together. It always bothered me that it's assumed they just went straight to fucking on their wedding night: I love the idea that they, well, somewhat fought over the Tybalt issue, snuggled, comforted each other for their losses and imminent separation and Romeo's obviously very traumatizing murder experience, maybe got to know each other a bit more and shared about their insecurities, their clearly a lot to unpack family baggage... There's lot of potential here. I am very attached to the play, so I do like to believe in them being soulmates/true love rather than a random fling, silly as that is, so I'd like the tone of the whole thing to be according, and I am pretty attached to the canon ages too (almost 14 as per canon for Juliet and please not too much older Romeo) so ofc the no sexual stuff beyond the vaguest throwaway mention rule holds especially true here.

Regarding the Montague boys anything tied to the pretty self explanatory prompts is perfectly fine, either set in the present or as a cute childhood flashback. I would definitely appreciate some kind of AU where they all live but are badly hurt or mentally scarred in the course of the events Now, for the various combinations of Benvolio/Mercutio/Tybalt... again, plenty of self explanatory tags. I think these three characters and which tags would best fit which of them are very dependent on personal headcanons and I don't want to limit that at all, especially for individual relationships as opposed to the ot3. I'm definitely very interested in exploring the dynamics of their love triangle and possible polyamory and the obvious hurtful effects it has, (I generally see Mercutio as the center with Benvolio and Tybalt somewhat disliking each other at the beginning, though that can absolutely change, later! ) jealousy, feeling of inferiority by each of the boys, guilt, abandonment issues, the like. My first instinct is to imagine Bencutio as together and Tycutio as bitter exes who may or may not go for another round at any moment, but the reverse or any other combination of Drama is fine too. I also love scenarios, for either individual ships or ot3, that explore the effect of the feud on their lives: someone having to be nursed back to health after a duel gone too far, someone being traumatized by their first serious act of violence, the unrealistic expectations/responsibility/toxic masculinity Tybalt and Benvolio are loaded by their families and so on. An AU where Mercutio survives the duel but is very badly hurt and Tybalt is guilt stricken by his own deed and starts to realize his feelings for him as he helps take care of him would be lovely.

[felicitykings]

☕️ BATCATBATCATBATCAT

AHHHH THANK YOU!

this is going to be really long, i can feel it, so i’m putting it under the cut. 

Send me a ☕️ and a topic and I’ll talk about how I feel about it

okay, here goes: i loved the way that this show had these two entangled from the start. having selina as the sole witness to the wayne murder besides bruce was an interesting twist and it felt almost like fate. of all the alleys she could have ended up in she ended up here, and while she was witnessing the most horrific event of bruce’s life - as awful as that was -, their destinies were now entwined.

having them meet and develop a bond as children really added depth to the bond that they inevitably share. other than me being a sucker for the childhood freinds romance trope, it made their connection feel more emotional and mental rather than just physical. they just connected. like the reason they know and understand each other so well is because they’ve been there. they’ve seen every single shade of each other and stuck with each other through all of it. it’s safe to say that (with the exception of alfred on bruce’s side) they know each other better than anyone else. and it’s clear in the relationship that they share. frequently over the course of the show, they’re able to get through to each other in a way that no one else does. they call each other out on their shit and (i believe david and camren have said this as well) they each leave their arguments taking on board what the other has said. bruce realises he’s been an ass and strives to do better and apologise for it, and selina makes an effort to make more of herself (’i’m tired of just surviving, i want more’) and opens herself up a little more.

the parallels between to two of them were also really well done. you always got the sense that they were both walking the line, and while bruce always fell on the ‘right’ side of this line, selina could fall both sides. and this in itself gave them an interesting dynamic. that they could be so similar and yet so different. and this is just another reason that they worked as a pairing (in whatever form that took). selina could always pick up the tasks that bruce couldn’t (stealing things for him and using violence in a more extreme sense than bruce). and they both influenced each other - selina helped bruce see that things weren’t always quite so black and white sometimes and that some things are necessary for survival and bruce often pulled selina back towards a moral centre if she fell too much the other way.

and even with all of this they always remained individuals and they never lost sight of that individuality no matter how strong and deep that connection was. they didn’t sacrifice any part of themselves to be together and most of the time they respected each other’s differences. selina did her best frequently to ensure that bruce didn’t have to kill, because she knew that that wasn’t who he was and that he wouldn’t be able to deal with it (even if she herself would be able to) and while she encouraged some of his darker side, she made sure that he stayed the same pure hearted kid that she met (it’s good you’re changing just don’t change too much’). and while bruce struggles to accept some of selina’s darker acts in favour of insisting that they’re the same, he never tries to force her into being anything other than herself, even if it hurts him to watch her spiral. another thing i loved about them was that, while they were amazing together (a true power couple honestly), their stories never revolved around the other. they remind me lot of that post that compared soulmates to a pair of socks. they’re each a whole complete sock on their own and can manage perfectly well on their own, but they’re amazing when they come back together as a pair. they had their own storylines going on and yet that connection remained very strong regardless. no matter how far away from each other they drifted, they always came back together. their bond is inevitable. they could have not spoken for months or been so mad at the other but even they, they still protected each other. we saw this in season 3 with selina. she breaks away from bruce in the fallout of her mother’s return and hasn’t seen him for months and yet when five shows up and she realised bruce is missing, she stands up for bruce and decides to tell alfred so that he can find bruce. and selina at various points throughout the show saves bruce’s life. even if it almost breaks her rule of self-preservation. she often tells bruce that she’s unwilling to go somewhere that puts her life in danger (’i’m not going back’), but when bruce is the one in danger, more often than not, she does. she checks on him in 2x03, helps save him from galavan in 2x11, stays behind to get him, gordon and lucius out of arkham at the end of s2, comes to help him in 3x11 and proceeds to stand protectively in front of him and alfred when they’re threatened, she goes to the diner in 4x16 and saves him from the fear gas in 4x21. and bruce similarly puts his own life in danger to save her. and it never comes across like selina is a damsel for him to save. most of the time she saves herself. they’re true equals and i love that about them.

also this show gave them so many lighthearted moments as well which truly emphasised that love is at the basis of their connection. they truly care about each other and make each other happy. you see that the connection they share isn’t just based on destiny or their similarities, there’s a genuine emotional bond there which is truly what ties them to each other. they flirted/bantered, went on dates, comforted each other, and selina was the first person to get bruce to act like a kid and just have childlike joy in something since his parents died (despite alfred’s best efforts for the first part of s1). jim told bruce that there would be light and selina gave that to him. so much so that even alfred knew how connected they were regardless of his own feelings about selina, and he let her stay at the manor after all.

as you can probably tell by now, i have a lot of feelings about gotham’s batcat, they were really well written and brilliantly portrayed by david and camren. they worked really well together on screen and brought the writing to life. they made you believe that these two loved each other through everything they went through. the good, the bad, all of it. what they meant to each other was never in doubt. there’s a whole lot of a soulmate feel to them. the fact that they always come back to each other, the fact that selina could calm bruce even as he’s living his worst fear (4x21), how similar they are and the fact that even after a 10 year separation, they can sense each other’s presence still and their connection has not dimmed. and while it hurt a little to know that they weren’t together at the end of the show, their rooftop scene gave me a lot of hope. selina finally verbalised her feelings for bruce (to him)  - a rarity - and asks what will happen now. he tell her that he doesn’t know (it’s up to her) but that he’ll never leave gotham (her) again, before telling her to ‘return the diamond’. it sounds almost playful and their game has begun. he knows she won’t return the diamond and she knows he won’t force her to, and now she knows that he did see her steal it and didn’t do anything to stop her. (after all she’s got him wrapped around her pinky.

just some thoughts to finish off with. there are a few lines in this show that i feel really sum up their relationship. the first: ‘why can’t we just be us?’. selina doesn’t like the label of ‘girlfriend’ or ‘couple’ but on a deeper level the ‘us’ fits them a lot better. bruce and selina’s relationship transcends a lot of these labels. they’re more than just a couple and they are a lot of different things to each other. so many things that ‘girlfriend’ and ‘couple’ doesn’t seem to do their connection justice and feels like and oversimplification. secondly ‘i’ll be here whenever you need me’ and ‘whose side are you on, bruce?’/’yours. always.’. this is what their bond is. they’re almost on their own side. no matter what selina is always there when bruce needs her and vice versa. as i’ve said no matter how far they drift apart, it doesn’t matter because they are always there for each other.

[two-baes]

Just gonna, leave this here for myself.

Main Batfam (ie; the ‘core’ fam) :

Athanasia - Sparrowhark - 14

Barbara - Batgirl - 29

Bruce - Batman - 42

Cassandra - Black Bat - 19

Claire - Gotham Girl - 18

Colin - (work in progress) - 14

Cullen - No superhero identity - 17

Damian - Robin - 14

Dick - Nightwing - 27

Duke - Signal - 16

Harper - Bluebird - 20

Helena W.- Huntress - 21

Jason - Red Hood - 22

Matt - (Flame) Robin - 13

Maya - Nobody - 15

Maxine - Oracle - 20

Stephanie - Spoiler - 19

Nissa - Batgirl - 16

Terry - Batman - 21

Tim - Red Robin - 18

Extended Batfam (ie; cousins / like family) :

Basil - Clayface - 37

Beth - Brightbat - 40

Bette - Flamebird - 24

Carrie K - ‘Robin’ - 13

Charlie - Misfit - 17

Helena B. - Huntress - 26

Jean-Paul - Azrael - 27

Kate - Batwoman - 40

Kitrina - Catgirl - 16

Luke - Batwing - 30

Maps (aka Mia) - No superhero identity (as of yet) - 14

Mary - Strix - 19 (physically)

Selina - Catwoman - 35

Tiffany - Sugar Glider - 12

Outer (ie; not quite Batfam but Batfam adjacent / Batfam friends) :

Calvin - Falcon/Falco (I’m undecided) - 31

Lonnie - Anarky - 20

M - Midnighter - 36

Tatsu - Katana - 33

Violet - Mother Panic - 21

Zatanna - 39

Other (ie; people I haven’t decided what to do with yet but they exist) ;

Lincoln (aka Thomas Jr) - Owlman - 39

Thomas - (currently undecided) - 62

----------------------------------------------

Breaking things down a bit - The inner fam ;

Dick, Jason, Tim, Cassandra, Harper & Cullen, and Maya have all been officially adopted by Bruce in this universe

More or less in that exact order.

They’ve all kept their respective last names, but will occasionally hyphenate and tack on ‘Wayne’ to the ends of them.

Maya was brought home one day by Damian, who insisted Bruce take her on as a ward. Bruce was more than happy to oblige, tho noting how close of a bond the two children already had (and how they were already referring to one another as ‘brother’ & ‘sister’), he decided to just adopted her.

Barbara and Stephanie are not adopted

Steph is however a ward.

Bruce did ask to adopt her but she feels that it would be too weird for her to be legally adopted, since her and Tim are dating. ---She is however, considered by most of the family (in particular Harper, Cullen, & Cassandra), to be an ‘honorary sibling’.

Barbara’s father is still very much alive, altho Gordon and Bruce often joke about shared custody. (Also Babs agrees with Steph in that it would make dating Dick awkward)

Bruce still thinks of them like his own, and they’re considered as a core part of the family by everyone else.

Both also have their own respective rooms at the manor. Steph because she lives there, and Babs because she visits so often.

Claire is more or less an unofficial ward of Bruce’s.

In this verse he took her in after the death of her brother, and has been helping her to get the help she needs to recover; she’s been healing slowly but surely.

She’s formed a close bond with Duke.

She’s been getting training so that she feels less inclined to use her powers and won’t shave any more years off her lifespan.

Duke and Colin, while not officially adopted by Bruce, are his wards

Duke’s parents are still alive (though Jokerized), in light of this Bruce has offered to adopt him, but Duke politely declined. The offer remains open should he ever change his mind, however.

Colin similarly has been made an offer to be adopted, but turned it down for unspecified reasons. (ie; I haven’t decided yet if I want to go the ‘Tiny Boyfriends’ route w/ Dami&Colin in this AU, so I’m holding off on making them adopted siblings)

Helena, Damian, and Athanasia are all biologically Bruce’s children

Helena is from the future (or at least a possible future) in which Bruce and Selina have a child together. She refuses to tell them what year she’s actually from, or reveal much about her timeline.

Damian is Bruce’s son by Talia. He came to live with Bruce when he was 10.

Athanasia is Bruce’s daughter by Talia, although she was more ‘created’ than ‘conceived’ (ie, very much like those spare clone babies Talia had floating that she showed to Damian in the comics).

For clarification, she isn’t a female-clone of Damian. Talia used a sample of her own DNA and a sample of Bruce’s to create a new embryo.

When Damian was sent off to join his father, Talia had Athanasia born; aged up to ten years old to match her brother. She kept her a secret, hidden from Bruce and Damian, training her in the ways of the league for the next three years, before having a change of heart and sending her daughter to meet her brother and father.

Terry, Matt, Nissa, and Max are all from a future timeline that was wiped from existence somehow, they managed to time travel back to the past to survive.

Terry and Matt are (because of genetic tampering done by Waller) biologically Bruce’s sons. Terry is aware of this information. Matt is not.

Since they didn’t arrive with them, Terry and Matt believed Nissa & Max had died. However it turned out that their device had been damaged somehow, causing the timing of their arrival to be off by a year.

Breaking things down further - The extended fam ;

Kate and Beth are identical twin sisters, and are Bruce’s cousins.

In this verse Beth recovers from her ‘Alice’ persona and adopts the mantle of ‘Brightbat’, working alongside Kate as a vigilante.

Bette is the youngest cousin of Kate, Beth, and Bruce.

Jean-Paul isn’t related to anyone, nor is he adopted by, or a ward of Bruce.

He does however work closely with the family, and is considered an extended part of it. He’s like an honorary cousin more or less.

Luke also isn’t related to anyone, but works closely with the batfamily, earning him a spot as an honorary member, even if he's not a part of the core family.

Tiffany is Luke's youngest sister.

She's taken to training with and helping him out on the field. Don't call her his sidekick though, she hates that.

Helena B. has close ties to the batfamily, although she isn’t part of the core family, she is always welcomed by them, and in turn will always aid them when they need it.

She’s particularly close w/ both Barbara & Dick, as well as Cass. She also gets along well with Jason.

Mary isn’t officially integrated as a part of the core family, but she does live with them, having been brought to the manor to live by Babs, who she has grown close to.

She appears to be around 19 years old, in actuality she is much older. Because of the process she underwent when being made into a Talon, she doesn’t age physically.

She was taught sign language from Cassandra, although she still prefers writing as a means of communication.

While Babs fills the role as an older sister type figure for her, Mary seems to have latched on to Secret Six team-member Thomas Blake as something of a (reluctant) paternal figure.

Charlie isn’t exactly a full fledged part of the Batfam, so much as Babs has taken her under her wing and started to mentor her.

She lives with Barbara, and is generally introduced as her cousin.

Carrie is Barbara’s second cousin on her mother’s side, who randomly showed up on her door one way after finding out she had a relative in Gotham.

Eventually she discovered Babs was Batgirl and pleaded for her to mentor her.

Basil has gone from a former Gotham rogue, to a redeemed and trusted member of the batfamily.

He's particularly close to Cassandra, and has become somewhat of a second father figure to her.

Selina really is on the family friend/extended family cusp, with Helena’s arrival edging her a bit closer to the latter. --She’s not quite a part of the core family, but with a daughter from a potential future timeline showing up her dynamic definitely changes.

Her and Bruce have, as you can expect, had a thing. They have in fact, had several things. They’re very on-and-off.

When they’re 'on’ their relationship is sometimes left open (bc y’all kno I’m all about that poly)

Selina being the alleged long-lost daughter of Carmine Falcone is canon in this verse.

Kitrina isn’t quite a part of the batfamily on her own, however as Selina’s protege she’ll make appearances here and there during times of need at her mentors side.

Kitrina is Selina’s niece (unbeknownst to her, tho Selina knows.)

Maps is one of Damian’s very best friends, and has taken full advantage of that to worm her way into the (at least somewhat) inner bat circle.

She’s is --as Damian keeps reminding her -- a vigilante in training and is always asking him to mentor her so she can join in when he goes on patrols. She's even volunteered to be the Robin's sidekick.

Breaking things down even more - The outer fam;

M is for lack of better explanation, like that close family friend you have who is sort of like the cool/fun Uncle. He helps out here and there, gets along w/ most of the fam, and pops into the manor uninvited every now & then to get a rise out of Bruce.

Gets along well with Dick and Jason. (Tends to team up with the latter to tease the former)

Cullen seems to have taken a real shine to him, and has asked if M would mentor him since starting to consider becoming a vigilante. (M however is unsure he's the right fit as a mentor for the kid, since his crime fighting methods tend to be a bit brutal)

He’s not married to Apollo in this verse, though they do have an on-again-off-again type relationship (so I can occasionally hook him up with other people w/o leading to drama).

Zatanna also falls into the category of close family friend.

Her and Bruce have been friends since childhood, making her one of his oldest and closest friends.

Also her and Bruce have had a thing once upon a time. (There might still be some feelings on both sides, I’m keeping options open here...)

Violet isn’t part of the core batfamily, and she doesn’t work quite closely enough with them to be considered part of the extended fam either, but in this verse she’s close friends with (and maybe dating) Harper. which has lead to her working a bit more frequently with the bats than she usually would otherwise.

Calvin is an ally of the Batfam & comes to help them when called upon.

He gets along really well w/ Dick. Circus boys gotta stick together! ...No really, they've got like a whole act worked out together.

Tatsu is another close friend and trusted ally of the bats. Though she doesn't work often with them under normal circumstances as she usually has her own things going on, when they're in a real pinch they can call on her, knowing she'll answer.

Lonnie's position within the batfamily is...complicated, as he doesn't always see eye to eye with some of them.

Despite not always getting along (with Bruce in particular), he does help out the family from time to time when they have need for him, and has admitted that he prefers being friend over foe.

Gets along best with Stephanie and Harper.

Had somewhat of a rivalry with Tim when they were kids. They're both (mostly) over it now.

Sort of awkward around Jason since it's highly possible Lonnie's biological father is the Joker... in this verse it totally is canon

Whatever is left to break down ;

Lincoln - aka Thomas Wayne Jr - Bruce’s younger brother that he was unaware most of his life that he even had.

(I’ve not really decided what to do with him yet, he’s only been fleshed out in this verse far enough for me to have decided that he definitely exists here, his backstory will mostly follow comic canon but after that I don’t know yet)

Thomas is Bruce (and Lincoln)’s father from an alternate timeline where he didn’t die (so, again, also not a huge divergence from comic canon, except this one isn’t an asshole who tries to ruin his son’s life and break his spirit whilst claiming it’s to help him...)

(I haven’t decided yet what to do with him. Do I want him to also be Batman?? Do I want him to have retired??? We’ll see... He, much like Lincoln in this verse, hasn’t been fleshed out beyond ‘he exists’, yet.)

[sunaddicted]

Lilies 1/2 (nygmobblepot, tw: mentions of past child abuse)

Once again, with his heart full of dread, Oswald realised that hadn't paid a visit to his mother's grave in months; falling from his throne and the subsequent struggle to claw his way up to the top - a viciously painful cycle he had went through a little too often for his tastes - had driven his mother's memory to the back of his mind, shadowed by more immediate problems that required his attention unless he wanted to join her in the afterlife.

Which he highly doubted it would have made his mother happy - Oswald could imagine her gently scolding him for having such morbid thoughts as if she was standing next to him, her fingers petting through his hair stiff with pomade.

Still, it didn't erase the fact that he was a terrible son and guilt tied tight knots of his squirming insides, making Oswald feel nauseous just at the thought of his ungrateful behaviour: he should have been able to spare a few minutes for the woman who had raised him in a house that, while poor and lacking when it came to the most material things, had always been full of love and acceptance.

Gertrud hadn't batted an eyelash when he had tentatively implicated that he wasn't remotely interested in those scandalously painted women she was afraid would take her son away from her.

She hadn't tried to drive his most flamboyant habits out of him, teaching him instead how to style his hair and put eyeliner on without poking his eye out.

Despite being unable to afford it, his mother had fought with Oswald for months and taken up all the odd jobs she could to persuade him to stay in high school until graduation.

And Oswald knew that she deliberately had chosen to never speak out aloud about his unsavoury career of choice: she wasn't a stupid woman - a little untethered sometimes, but far from obtuse.

His mother had been a rare breed, as plenty of Oswald's acquaintances had showed him: it seemed that too often the love of a parent was denied to children who were different.

Freaks.

Oswald knew that amongst them, he was one of the few who could boast about having had an happy childhood and nurturing parents - even his father, who he had met too late to form the deep bond he had with his mother, had loved him despite his plentiful flaws.

He also recognised that it probably was the reason why he had the slightly unhealthy habit of collecting unique people that had only known hatred in their lives to give them a semblance of a family to count on - a support network of sorts. The fact that his kindness - not that he purposefully broadcasted it as such: he needed to be feared and respected, not regarded as some sort of mothering figure by all the villains around town - was repaid with loyalty, it was an added bonus that he obviously wasn't going to turn down, seen as most of them had abilities that helped Oswald to keep his hold onto Gotham's underground firm and tight.

Oswald shrugged on his coat and went to the kitchen where he could hear the steady murmuring of Fries' voice talking science to Martin; he hated to interrupt the tutoring sessions, but he had quickly learnt that the boy would restlessly look for him around the Manor and become antsy when he couldn't find him: when Oswald realised that Martin probably acted out of fear of being abandoned once again, his heart had done a little painful summersault and he had promised himself to always warn him when he was going out.

Silently leaning against the doorframe, Oswald took a few seconds to admire the scene playing in front of his eyes: Victor Fries was surprisingly good with children - or maybe he just particularly liked his ward - and, apparently, also very good at explaining maths without being boring if Martin's captivated and focused expression was anything to go by.

He cleared his throat, smiling as he limped up to the table to squeeze Martin's shoulder "I'm going out for a bit"

Immediately, Martin retrieved a discarded scrap of paper with a big question mark doodled on it - the symbol briefly made the blood in Oswald's veins freeze before he realised that Martin must have used it to ask questions to his impromptu teacher to better clarify a piece of information - and thrust it in Oswald's hands. They had both been working on sign language, learning it together in the evenings after dinner, but Martin still hugely preferred to use his notepad.

"To the cemetery" Oswald answered, handing back the note "I'll be back in an hour or so"

/Can I come?/

"Aren't you in the middle of solving a problem?"

"It's fine, Oswald" Victor reassured, fingers already quickly gathering their notes to put them away until the next lesson "He's been coped up inside the whole week: take him out for a bit of fresh air"

/So?/

Oswald wanted to argue that a cemetery wasn't the best place for a child for a trip but relented when he looked down and saw those big brown eyes studying him hopefully, waiting for an answer "Alright, go get your coat" Oswald relented with a sigh "How is he doing?" He turned to ask Victor, peering down at the neatly scribbled notes.

"He's a sharp kid" Victor answered "I'm still not sure about homeschooling being the best option but he's not going to have problems passing his examinations"

"I know, I have a bunch of geniuses teaching him" Oswald retorted with a proud smile.

"He needs to interact with his peers, Oswald"

The smaller man sighed "And I agree but he needs to build up his confidence first" he pointed out "I'm not going to send him to school before I'm sure he won't let himself be bullied"

"I suppose that's true" Victor admitted, bringing the conversation to an end when he heard the distinctive pattering of excited feet running over the parqueted floor "Well, I'll see you later. I'm leaving your notes on your desk, Martin - work on the problems we haven't solved today"

Martin signed a quick 'thank you' before he tugged on Oswald's coat, clearly impatient to get out of the house - even if that meant taking a walk amidst graves.

"We're going, we're going" Oswald reassured, rolling his eyes fondly as he led him to the limousine and opened the door for him "Don't squash the flowers" he warned, settling next to Martin's quietly comforting presence.

***

Edward had always been a creature of habit, routines were so deeply ingrained in his brain that, with their disruption, his thinking process halted and he felt like a fish out of water - choking on thin air, gills gaping obscenely in a gain vain attempt at survival; it was in those moments that his mirror self had used to take control, the Riddler slipping through the cracks as sleek as an eel to ensure that Edward Nygma didn't do anything idiotic while weighed down by panic.

Not that the Riddler had been any less fixated on patterns - otherwise, Oswald wouldn't have been able to play him so well, predicting his actions with with almost clairvoyant ability. No, the only difference between them was that the Riddler handled the unexpected better than Edward Nygma did and managed to fiction even when their safety net was snapped.

"Are you hoping that taking up old habits will dislodge the psychological block that's keeping you from using your brain to full potential?" Lee inquired, frowning; Nygma's reasoning made sense - proving to the man that he wasn't actually stupid, if only he bothered to see- but she did worry about what the other man's emotional instability could push him to do.

Living in the Narrows didn't mean that she suddenly condoned criminal activity and she wouldn't turn a blind eye to her patient going on a murderous rampage just to kick his brain into working like it used to. Lee was slowly growing fond of Edward - it rankled her: he had killed one of her friends, after all - but she wasn't yet so fond that she wouldn't hand his arse at the GCPD if he started spilling blood.

"It can help people suffering from memory loss"

"You don't have memory loss" which had been one of the first signals that had made Lee suspect that Edward's damage had been more psychological rather than physical; it didn't make sense that Nygma would loose something as significant as his intelligence but had retained every single one of his memories up to the moment when he had been iced over by Fries. Various tests and scans had proved her right "What did you have in mind?" She asked, noticing the defeated expression on her patient's face.

Edward immediately brightened at the question: doctor Thompkins wouldn't have asked for further clarification on his plan, if she had thought that it was completely stupid; it almost made him feel like his old self "Something small" he reassured "But on which I truly relied on to calm down whenever I felt particularly under pressure"

"Such as?"

There came the embarrassing- and potentially dangerous - part of his plan "I used to bring flowers in Gertrud's grave, every other Thursday" he admitted. Even after discovering Oswald's betrayal - even after shooting him off of the pier - Edward had kept visiting Gertrud Kapelput with a handful of the whitest lilies he could find, critically inspected to ensure that there weren't any brown speckles to blemish the petals.

It genuinely was surprising that every single florist in Gotham hadn't banished him from their shops.

There was no need to know Penguin particularly intimately to immediately link that name to his mother and Lee's frown deepened as she shook her head, lips slightly parted as she looked for the right words to tell Nygma that he couldn't possibly go on Oswald's mother's grave "Really?" She blurted out instead.

Much to her chagrin, Lee was endlessly fascinated by Edward's conflicting behaviours: he claimed that he wanted to destroy Oswald, take everything away from him in retaliation for ruining his last shot at having a normal relationship, but then he had also admitted to using drugs in order to hallucinate his former best friend and have a chat with him whenever he needed moral support or was feeling lonely - and now she discovered that Edward brought flowers on Gertrud's grave.

It made absolutely no sense.

Unless her little theory was right.

Edward flushed a bright pink "Really. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son"

"Have you just quoted the Bible to prove your point?"

"Ezekiel 18:20. My parents were very religious" Edward offered as an explanation, dismissing her slightly teasing smile and stared at her with a resolute and serious glance. He needed something more than the puzzles and exercises she gave him to train his mind; they stressed and depressed him, made him wonder about whether he'd been an idiot all along - a lying cheater, just like his father had claimed him to be for his whole childhood.

Maybe he had deserved every hard punch against his heaving ribs, every sharp lash of the belt to his quivering back, every cigarette butt burning the tender skin of his inner arms.

No, he couldn't afford to let such doubts take root in his head: Edward Nygma knew he had been abused by his parents, he knew it hadn't been his fault if they hadn't loved him because he was a little odd.

"Nygma, are you alright?"

Edward took a deep breath, fingers pressing down his lowered eyelids "I need to do this" he just said, trying not to sound too desperate.

"Breathe"

"I am breathing"

Lee rolled her eyes, somewhat fondly even as she still recognised the usual feeling of annoyance that Edward would have managed to awaken even in a saint "Do it properly" she retorted with a gentle murmur "I didn't mean to discourage you from this plan" on another plan? Sure "But.."

"But?"

"Two conditions"

That didn't sound too bad, he could deal with two conditions; Edward nodded, eyes following doctor Thompkins as he forced the ferocious thoughts spinning in a whirlwind in his mind to slow down "Alright"

Pleased, Lee leaned back against her chair "I'm coming with you and we won't go until we have Oswald's schedule pinned down to a reasonable level of accuracy"

Edward shook his head "He doesn't plan this sort of things" which had always drove him insane to no end: how could someone as powerful as Oswald stand to live his life in such a.. disorderly manner? Didn't he understand that structure was needed to manage his time as best as possible, avoiding waste? Apparently not, Oswald had always been adamant about the importance of... improvisation.

Edward wrinkled his nose at the thought, just as if he had tasted something that had gone off.

"Then we'll have to go when it's most unlikely that he will do so" Lee insisted; hadn't Nygma been purposefully rallying the Narrows up against Penguin with his little comedy act, maybe she wouldn't have worried so much about the two of them meeting on Gertrud's grave - on the contrary, she would have hoped for such a thing to happen so that, helped by the tenderness of the moment, they would finally talk and stop their ridiculous pining before they became the city's laughing stock.

Because Penguin was still so painfully in love with Edward - had someone of Oswald's goons actually believed the whole "out of revenge" spiel when he had let his enemy go? - and to anyone who bothered to look past Edward's rantings about how much he hated the other man, it was so clear that he still cared.

Personally, Lee thought they just needed to be honest with themselves and pull their heads out of their asses.

Not that she was going to be so blunt: she didn't even think Edward realised that it was alright being bisexual and being attracted to both genders - and it wasn't a realisation she was going to help him to have, he had to work it out on his own.

"Doctor Thompkins?"

"Sorry, I was distracted" Lee apologised "Could you repeat that?"

Edward scowled in annoyance; it already was difficult to string sentences up together sometimes, the least his doctor could do was listening to him without zoning out after thirty minutes "I said that Oswald is too unpredictable - even going out at night, which logic suggests to be the most unlikely time of the day to find him bringing flowers on his mother's grave, wouldn't work since he's quite the nocturnal creature" between working at the Lounge until the wee hours of morning and his insomnia - they had shared many cups of tea in front of the fireplace whenever they had found one another wandering around the Manor, sleep eluding them both - it wouldn't have surprised Edward if Oswald picked a ridiculously late hour to visit his mother "Why are you so concerned about us meeting? I'm not worth wasting any time on, now that I'm stupid"

Was it dejectiom that Lee could detect in Edward's voice? "Is that the reason behind your taunting?"

Edward gritted his teeth, voice leaving his mouth through them in a hiss "No, I'm not begging for his attention"

Except that he was. Lee sighed but let the subject drop, not wanting to make the other man even more upset than he already was "Alright"

"Alright?"

Lee nodded "Alright. When do you want to go?"

A sheepish smile slowly appeared on Edward's lips, dimpling his cheeks at the corners "Now? I already have picked the flowers up"

[wearetakingthehobbitstogallifrey]

Thanks for the tag, @theamiableanachronism!  I really enjoyed this one!

rules: choose any 3 fandoms (in random order) and answer the questions. then tag some friends.

i choose: • Batfam • Scarlet Heart Ryeo • The Walking Dead

the first character you loved:

• Bruce Wayne and Alfred.  My first real intro to the Batfam and DC was Batman Begins, and I thought Bruce Wayne was the coolest, bravest guy ever.  And Alfred was THE BEST.  Kind, fatherly/grandfatherly, loyal, sarcasm lord

• Wang So.  Obviously.  Even before I had actually seen a single episode, because I heard he had a tragic story, and he was also as beautiful as an angel.  A dark, wounded angel, but an angel none the less.  When he stormed onto the scene and revealed himself to totally be a murder angst cupcake, as advertised, well, I was bewitched

• Dear sweet Glenn, who sasses the heck out of Rick while saving his butt.  Yeah, Glenn, the pizza delivery boy who was the bravest, most unselfish of them all.  Who became one of the most trusted leaders.  He could have turned and left Rick to die, no one would have known or cared, but he didn’t.  He helped out a stranger, and saved a heck ton of other people by that simple act.

the character you never expected to love so much:

• All the Robins, honestly.  Look, when I watched the Dark Knight trilogy, all I knew about Robin was from a clip or two I had seen of the old campy Batman show, and I kind of was glad a legit Robin never showed up in the films just because I thought it would be ridiculous.  I was SO wrong.  I had no idea.   I had no idea what dark, tragic, beautiful, light, funny, DEEP stories surrounded the MANY kids who would take up the Robin mantle

• Eun, I guess. I never hated him, but since he was always rather immature, it was easy to laugh at him and make fun of the things he did.  Then things happened, and while he remained naive in many ways, it was rather sweet and sad at the same time.  My dorky son deserved better

•Daryl Dixon.  Starts out seeming like a rough, angry, slightly racist redneck whose one redeeming quality is his concern for his even more messed up brother.  And then I realized how much of a softy he was underneath everything, how much he cared about Sophia, and how it destroyed him what happened to her.  I saw him connect with Carol, and befriend Rick and Glenn, and become Rick’s brother essentially, and be softened by Beth.  And as the seasons go on he becomes more badass, more caring, more indispensible to the group, and he loses the undesirable traits he picked up from his childhood.  We find out what his childhood was.  Daryl with Glenn is Rick’s right-hand man, and HE JUST CARES SO MUCH ABOUT EVERYTHING DON’T EVEN TRY TO DENY IT MAN

*I’m gonna cheat and add another person for TWD: Carl.  In the first season or two he is a little kid, kind of annoying at times, but boy does he grow up and mature.  It’s a terrible tragedy what he goes through, the things he sees and has to do that no kid should ever have to.  But he is so freaking strong, and he respects his dad so much, and I love his friendship with Michonne.  I love his concern for his little sister.  I love how he shoulders responsibility, how he does what he thinks is necessary, how he worries sometimes that he is becoming a monster too.  I FREAKING LOVE HOW HE WILL nOT PUT UP WITH NEGAN HE HAS NO EFFS TO GIVE FOR THE GUY HE IS TOO MAD AND HAS SEEN TOO MUCH

the character you relate to the most:

• Well, I can relate to Jason’s love for books, to Tim’s often more quiet and reserved nature.  However, I definitely relate to Dick Grayson the most.  He is more outgoing than me, more outspoken, but he has such great love for his friends and family.  The care for his little brothers (in canon and fanon) is something that particularly calls my attention.  You see, besides two older siblings, I have four younger brothers, and I have helped raise them, I have fought against them, fought with them, fought for them, laughed with them, and busted with pride over their accomplishments.  I have been the person who tried to organize them, to tease them, to keep the peace, to enforce the peace.  And maybe I am projecting but I just really see a lot of myself in Nightwing.  The man who hopes, the man who tries to bring light to the darkest of places, the man others trust to help them when they fall.  (I also just hold him in the deepest admiration and its a thing, I try to be a better and braver person so that if he were real I would be worthy of his friendship and respect...)

• A little bit Hae Soo, because I also would get increasingly frustrated by the culture at the time.  We also share a deep love with Wang So :)  Seriously though...maybe Baek Ah?  Because he is the quiet and introspective type, he suffers quietly, he listens and hears things and tries to help those who need it, he tries to bring the outcast brother back into the family.  He is a healer of sorts, a healer of the heart, and he loves little kids and everything beautiful.  He sees things.  

• Maybe this is me projecting again but Glenn?  Kinda small and nerdy, scared of a lot of things, but bravely keeps on trucking.  And slowly rises to being one of the most integral parts of the group.  A man who has strong morals and isn’t afraid to punch an ex-military man twice his size if that man gets between him and the people he loves

the character you’d slap:

• I’d say the Joker but honestly he deserves something more like a bullet to the head.  I would totally slap a lot of the writers who don’t know what character development means, and I would slap at least half the Batfam because sometimes they just don’t know how to communicate feelings properly.  And they frequently hurt each other even without meaning to.  After all of this, however, I would pull them all in for individual hugs.  Oh, I will also totally slap anyone who ever so much as tries to give Dick Grayson grief about the awful things that happened in the Blockbuster and Tarantula incident

• Wook.  UGH.  Also his sister and Queen Yoo.  The king, whatshisface.  Taejo?  also the little creep Won.  I would slap Yo but I would be afraid to mess up his eyeliner, which is on point at all times and is too wonderful to destroy

• Andrea.  I am so sorry but I could not stand that woman ever.  I rarely actively dislike a fictional person, and I apologize to fans of the comics, I realize that the show screwed over her character, but I despise Andrea with everything I’ve got.  Mostly because she runs around proclaiming how much better she is than everyone while at the same time making colossal mistakes.  And honestly her end was ridiculous.  If Glenn can take out a walker while beaten up and duct-taped to a chair, you can figure out how to pick up pliers with your feet

three favourite characters (in order of preference):

• Dick Grayson is the love of my life, and then I guess Bruce, Jason, Tim, and Damian are tied for second place, and then directly behind them are Barbara, Cass, and Steph (I need to read more comics and fics about them, and I am sure they will advance to make the second tier even more crowded).  Alfred is in a special category all on his own

• Wang So (love of my life), Bae(k) Ah, and I guess a tie with Hae Soo, Jung, Woo Hee, and Lady Oh

• Glenn is first in my heart now and forever, and Carl, Daryl, Carol, Michonne, Maggie, and Rick all hold second place.  I like a lot of the other characters, but I’m going to give third place to Tara, and she doesn’t have to share with anyone.  She is just that cool (also awkward and adorkable)

a character you liked at first but not anymore:

• I love every single member of the Batfam to with all my heart.  (The ones I am familiar with, don’t know much about Duke and Harper yet.)  To go beyond, to characters in the universe, well I won’t say I ever liked the Joker but I thought he was a really great bad guy, Batman’s ultimate foe, someone who should always be around throwing wrenches into things and whatnot.  This was after I had seen him in the The Dark Knight.  Then I started actually reading comics related things and HE KILLED JASON TODD.  MY SON.  NOW I DON’T CARE I WANT THE JOKER DEAD I WANT HIM DESTROYED, OBLITERATED, AND NEVER LOOKED BACK ON. 

• Wook. I thought he was occasionally sweet, if not exactly the strongest of persons.  And then I met his wife, who deserved SO MUCH BETTER.  And then Wook revealed himself to be a jealous little eggshell

• SHANE.  He’s kind of like The Walking Dead’s version of Scarlet Heart Ryeo’s Wook.  Originally a decent guy, a good friend, but when things go south, he gets selfish and self-centered and bad things happen.

a character you did not like at first but now do:

• No one really?  I think?  Unless you want to bring the show Gotham into this picture...which I don’t, because that would also make me want to write a book about my love for it and certain of its characters

• can’t think of anyone this applies to

• Hmm, I guess Herschel? He was kind of annoying with his whole “let’s round up walkers and take care of them in my barn.”  Then tragedy and a near death experience and eventually he winds up being the cool old grandpa

3 otp’s (in order of preference):

• I actually don’t have a strong preference as of yet...I kind of like BatCat, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle.  I haven’t experienced much media with either pairing yet so I have read and enjoyed both DickBabs (I still say it should be Dabs) and DickKori.  Ooh I like Tim/Steph (is there a ship name for that?).  I ship Jason with happiness.  Actually I ship the whole Batfam with happiness and peace and a good night’s sleep.  I don’t ship Damian with anyone because he is just a bby birb :)

• SoSoo, Baek Ah x Woo Hee, Eun and Soon Duk (Deok?).  Also, So x Happiness/Peace/A Living Family Who Loves Him

• GLENN AND MAGGIE FOREVER.  TO INFINITY AND BEYOND.  Richonne is great and I definitely like Caryl.  (I shipped Bethyl just a little, once upon a dream.)

this was fun :) if any of y’all want to do this @itspileofgoodthings @thelonelybrilliance @nalavistahlia @blackaquokat @castieltaking-hobbits2gallifrey @camsthisky @abadpoetwithdreams @tabbyofwisdom ...I feel like there are other people I want to tag but it is way late (early) and my brain is dead forgive me if I left you out and please consider yourself tagged!