#i can also actually see him getting introduced when bruce dies

[daisybell-on-a-carousel]

I just woke up but let's throw some thoughts to the wall here :]

Disclaimer: Sometimes I mix up pre and post stories

Quilt Man

Quilt Man. VERY early on, Batman pretty much forced Jason to take on the Robin mantle over Jason having his own hero identity, equating Jason having his own identity to how thats selfish and wanting credit for the work, thus equating it to how he may want to reveal Batman is Bruce Wayne but doesn't. Thus, Jason is officially Robin. Their first foe? Quilt Man, who hates what Dick as Robin did to him, and wants to get revenge. Quilt Man separates Batman and Robin with his lights. And beats Jason up to the point Batman immediately wails about he didn't want Jason dead

Jason could die here! It could be a lovely tragic tale Bruce could be in absolute grief over because he forced the Robin mantle that Jason very much had issues with and Jay died immediately to a villain specifically because that villain was after ROBIN. Dick will also be in absolute agony over this one considering he DEFINITELY blames himself for the death of Jason's parents. Way to kill off the whole Todd family, guys

(There's ALSO a mind control plot in the og story, which you could also do something with)

Black Mask

Black Mask was INTRODUCED during Jason's Robin era! They didn't interact much from what I recall. But we already know what he can do from Steph. This puts it a bit up in the air though, fun connection between them or just taking an important event from Steph? To your discretion. Black Mask at this time had a shtick for killing people by putting masks on their faces using a highly dangerous glue/failed makeup from his company that essentially corrodes the face (a less dangerous form is melting the face, but leaving you alive and your skin still attached to your skull) IF I REMEMBER EVENTS CORRECTLY: Jaybin had been there when they defeated Black Mask, and his house burned down in the process, could also do something with that

Ohh,, I wonder if you could have more parallels to original but having Jason trying to help Circe. Not his mom, but coerced and controlled by Black Mask and in danger. And on his side at some point, I don't remember if she ever turned her back on him,,,

Angry Mob

I know you already mentioned getting trampled, but I GOTTA mention getting trampled!!!! Legends my beloved,,,,, This story was a mind control plot to stir unrest and get civilians against superheros! So it was everyday people doing the harm. And can I just say, I consider crushed by a human mob or stampede VERY viscerally terrifying! This one with the added bonus for jaybin of everyone ACTUALLY being out to get you! And like,,,, man. Words alone can't do this justice here's the pages

(Perfume is what takes him out??)

Jason calling for help while being dragged down,,, probably seeing batman just leave,,,, mwah mwah mwah mwah. Jason is hospitalized after this (and spend quite awhile in the mob considering he's not seen again until the end of the next issue,,,,) Jaybin is found unconscious!! In the hospital we coukd tell he head a head injury, eye injury. A cast on his arm, and a cast on his leg that actually goes from his foot to above his knee and to his thigh

You could go two directions with this!! The mind controlled mob isn't so kind to just leave Jason unconscious, so he dies terrified and surrounded, ripped to shreds with no help amd having seen Batman leave him. Or! You could have Bruce try to run in and save Jason anyway, only for Gordon to actually be right, and the croud is stirred from Batman's presence enough to get more violent. Ohh maybe Bats has to see Jason die right there only to have to be pulled out anyway, so it STILL takes awhile to actually reach his son's corpse,,,,,,

Alternatively alternatively, Jason survives this one but dies in the NEXT mob, he did walk in (from the hospital) (still in casts) (head injury) saying he's gotta help even if it kills him. Of course he did succeed in helping with the other children, and I'd hate to take that away from him, but man imagine seeing Robin die horrifically on like, international television.

BONUS:

Teen Titans team-ups. Specifically the Brother Blood one. (But the others work too! Esp since this one is a bit wibbly wobbly in being pre or post to some if a recall) Jason had to fall back and be support because that was way over his league (he still helped alot! Like, reunited Raven with her mother alot. And i think more i dont remember. He understood his limits and knew he couldn't fight this) tensions were HIGH, the situation was DIRE. He snuck off without telling batman to help the titans (hey I'm noticing a theme here Mr. Young hero who's willing to die to help) and hey!! Fun little bitty connection to the dimension with priest Jason who got mixed up with brother blood!) Plus everyone Dick fan's favorite, stirring up Dick's guilt complex!

Eaten alive by an animal. Joining the rest of the Todd family! Nothing specific in mind, a crocodile to keep up with them. Ooh hey, Catwoman's panther Diablo is a candidate, that was pre crisis right? Wasn't there a story where Diablo was killing people? Or was the panther framed,, ah! Poisoned and acting out of character? ah.. fuzzier and fuzzier.... that was also the story where Diablo died

Out with Nocturna. Leading up to the crisis, Nocturna, Jason's adopted mother Natalia Knight, was IMMENSELY concerned about the sky being red. There was a whole little arc on this. It ended with her in an awful storm and fully just disappearing and very presumed dead (then removed from existence after crisis), we could have Jason die with her

Calender Man. While calendar man's threat to Robin's life WAS a trick to actually get Batman while Batman was focused on protecting Robin. It could still be a fun idea to kill him here!

Any number of enemies in a story after, aka not tied to a specific comic story. Quilt Man's final revenge against Robin! Manbat tries again to make his own manbatling! Throw the Scarecrow in there because Jay fights him alot. And because its so easy to make Dick and Bruce wreaks about Jason due to the flying todd's similarities to Dick, have Jason fall :). So on!!! So so much you can do!!

The start of post crisis. The thing about post crisis is that its not exactly a hard slams it's hand down and tells you reboot. It just sorta starts happening and you gotta figure out as the story goes on. What better way to kill a pre-crisis Jaybin than with the starts of post that you do NOT immediately clock. Have him shot down by the Mad Hatter or have him shot by the Joker (Dick was the robin shot by Joker) (But pre crisis doesn't tell you when it starts so many people (me) blind reading thought it was Jaybin at first until the reveal)

Theres alot of precrisis and alot you can do! Have him die saving Rena! Have him die when pushed away from helping Batman! Use that delightful tendency of his to find someone else to hang out with when pushed away from Batman (hey where have we heard THAT before...). I didn't even MENTION the time Batman went to Montreal for a mission AND LEFT JAYBIN TO DEFEND GOTHAM ALONE. As well as the character Fang, who did nearly kill Robin (he's the dead body Jaybin and Nocturna ended up hiding later) ooh maybe do something with the squid. Do something where instead of smoke inhalation you have Jaybin die from hypothermia because he's always complaining about how cold he is when in the snow and stuck with bare arms and legs due to uniform </3

I do like when it feels like Jason has more agency in his death so it doesn't fully go in the "Jason is imcompotent and died because he just sucks at this" direction. Which some of these in their base forms don't address, but they do put Bruce in agony because they can be very directly tied to his choices so I let it slide

we see glimpses of alternate universe jasons who still die or go through some life altering event (off the top of my head theres father todd and the arkham knight and earth 51 jason) but what about pre crisis jason? what unavoidable fate would befall him at 15 and what would the aftermath look like?

He's happy! He's alright and he grows up and invents a new sports called Acrotheatre which involves performing Shakespeare plays on trapezes, wires, silks and other aerial contraptions and doing flips! He becomes his own hero with a very silly name and goes to college and gets married to Rena and brings Natalia back to life because he deserves to!! They all have family dinner with Waldo the clown every weekend!!!

------

My desperate need for a universe in which Jaybin is okay aside, maybe a darker take on the Manbat kidnapping thing? Like the transformation takes hold and Jason becomes a werebat... And maybe Bruce tries to synthesize an antidote but maybe the person he seeks out for help betrays him or something and Jason ends up maiming himself and in chronic pain with a werebat curse that leads him to hate himself and he leaves in search of a cure?

Honestly this one I find hard because I feel like whether it's post-crisis, Arkham Knight, earth 51, etc. all the universes after the first crisis are much darker than pre-crisis. So while we can and do have angst, I feel like any idea I have from pre-crisis (something to do with crocodiles, manbat transformation, getting trampled in a stamped of mind-control superheroes...) like, those are bad, but they don't have the same vibe as Jason's usual tragic arcs, yk? Idk maybe it's just me 🤔 if anyone has suggestions feel free to contribute!

[oifaaa]

Hey I absolute love your baby damian au and all the Talia Bruce custody shenanigan potential so thank you for introducing that into the world.

I have a niche question tho. Cause in that au, Tim side loses all plot relevance and doesn’t become Robin. And it made me think. What happens to a Tim that doesn’t become Robin? Or actually, what happens to Jack and Janet Drake???

My opinion is that they probs both die in Haiti because the only reason Jack survived was because Batman comes to save them and I don’t think Batman would’ve gone to rescue the Drakes without Tim looking sad at him in the cave. Like not in a callous way but like. They’re not in Gotham. And in the comic itself Bruce is already preoccupied with the money spider stuff. (So much so that he fully like interrupts mid-sentence his comforting of Tim to go hacker fight ms lol). And then I assume Tim gets to live out his sad boy arc without bats or even a fake uncle to adopt him.

But like what do you think would happen? I’m trying to collect the opinions of fandom creators who have actually read comics but no worries if this is a question you have no interest in. Tbf it’s got very little relevance to the au anymore.

Anyways love your art - thank you again for sharing it with the world!

Ive actually talked about this before and see I do actually disagree on the jack dying bc while I know obviously tim wouldn't be there to make Bruce focus on it I still think he'd go save them since Bruce has solved crimes outside of Gotham before and the drakes are famous gothamites so I can still see Bruce being compelled to go and save them - so yeah I do think Jack would still survive and go into a coma and tim probably wouldn't be effected much - jack would wake up 6 months later remarry and life would go on as normal - jack wouldn't even die later on consider he was only targeted bc he was related to Robin and if tims not Robin he's fine - so yeah then I can see one of two things happening either tim still trys to become a hero later on (17 to 19ish) but he doesn't have that bat training so he's more in the way then anything or he just has a normal life

[wondersimp]

He Tries

Unless it's for patrol, Jason Todd rarely leaves Crime Alley.

Most of your relationship together consists of home dates. Going out means a walk around the neighborhood, maybe a trip to the local Batburger if you're feeling adventurous. Anything beyond that is like pulling teeth with him.

He's not exactly a recluse, but his time after the Lazarus pit has made his paranoia reach the same levels as Bruce's and so he's rather stay within his home turf.

Despite the name, Crime Alley was his safe zone. It's where he grew up. He knows the people, the streets, has every nook and cranny there is to find memorized. Outside of the area? It's a minefield. Too many variables for him to account for.

He's already uncomfortable with how others view him. The fact that he's built like a tank alone makes him self-conscious, (We're not even getting into his autopsy scars.) Dealing with his family is stressful enough, so trying to interact with people he doesn't know or trust, and on top of unfamiliar territory? Fuck that, it's not worth the hassle. He'll stick to what he's familiar with, thank you very much.

Eventually, people in your social circle start to notice, and they have questions. Why is it so rare to see you two together at social gatherings? How come you always have to run errands on your own? When will they actually get to meet the guy?

His absence will be interpreted as his not caring, and they'll start to speculate the seemingly low-effort he puts into your relationship. Shouldn't he make more of an effort, plan for more elaborate dates? Maybe he's not as invested in the relationship. They might even hint that he's not worth the time, and it's time to cut your losses. Maybe find someone more dedicated and serious about pursuing a future together.

You promptly tell those people to go and fuck off.

Look, this man has been through hell and back. He's died and come back to life with a serious case of trauma as a souvenir. Before you, he never intended to step foot into civilian life again.

But for you? Oh God does he try.

You can tell when you catch him one morning psyching himself up to pick you up from a group hangout. You can tell in the way he finally agrees to try that cafe by your work and never lets go of your hand. His knuckles will be white from how hard he’s gripping the counter, but the one around your hand could not be more gentle. You can tell when he works up the courage to introduce you to Alfred, despite still having trouble with anything connected to his life in the Wayne family.

You definitely know when one day you find yourself required to attend a Wayne Gala for your job. Surrounded by Gotham's highest elites has you feeling out of place and absolutely terrified of making the slightest misstep, so you call your boyfriend for a pep talk. The second he clocks in on your anxiety, the man's on his way and arriving in minutes, a suit and tie haphazardly thrown on (fitting him WAY too well) and his hair wild from the drive up on his bike as he’s scanning the room for you.

This was the man that would rather take a crowbar to the knee then spend a night among Gotham's socialites. Not even Mr. Pennyworth himself could get him to go. Yet here he is with an arm around your waist as you navigate around the crowded ballroom. He'll be stiff as a board the entire time and speak only a handful of words in total to the other guests, but he never stops the slow circles he makes on your side with his thumb.

You know Jason has his personal demons, and things that were no big deal for others was an incredible struggle for him. You also knew that there was nothing he wouldn't fight through if it was for you. Whether it be an army or himself, he'd always continue to try.

For a life with you, he'd learn to live again.

And that was more then you could ever ask for.

A/n: Was it good? Was it bad? Heck if I know, but gotta show my love for Mr. Jason Todd somehow :P

[rowenllyn]

Batfam meets Carrie Kelley

Ok, I need the main timeline Batfam to meet Carrie Kelley.

And not in a writers just throw all the different timeline robins into one family, or a crack social media fic. I need proper post-Dark Knight Returns Carrie to universe travel or something and meet this Bruce Wayne and his family. Like, her life is wild. She is a pre-Tim Robin. She got introduced before Jason died?! Her characterisation is built up off Dick, off the original concept of Robin, as a symbol and nothing more, not really a mantle, but an idea. She is a whole different kettle of fish from the modern Batfam and modern interpretation and retconning and rewriting of the Robins, the Robin mantle and the Batfam, not even getting into the fact she's from the 80s. She actively lives in the 80s, like Reagan is president, modern technology is non existent and all that.

Like, from an outside perspective, Carrie's Robin is the leader of a guerrilla paramilitary Batman cult and vigilante organisation, with hundreds of "Sons of Batman". And sure, Bruce is behind the scenes, teaching and truly organising, being supported by pirate-coded, one-armed Oliver, but no one else knows that. To the outside world? Carrie's the big boss. And she's this tiny little pipsqueak in scaly shorts who just so happens to swear like a sailor or a goon on Gotham Docks. It's hilarious. The Batfam would be so confused and concerned about this girl. She has almost no training before going out, she literally got boot-camped in the like 2 weeks Bruce had between meeting her for the first time, where she proceeded to jump in the batmobile, set his arm and sass him, and him then having to go fight Superman and have a heart attack and fake his death.

And that's the other part! They would lose their mind about what the hell is going on in her world?? Vigilantism got outlawed?! People got forced to retire, leave the planet/country or face consequences. Oliver lost an arm?? Clark is an arm of the United States forces, acting as an attack dog pointed wherever Reagan wants?? They fought and Bruce had a heart attack and died?! Well he didn't stay dead, which is actually in character, but what the fuck Carrie?? And I just need her to be so nonchalant about everything that happened to her but also absolutely amazed by the technology and how many family members Bruce has. Also, seeing Bruce young is wild. She only knows old man grump Bruce, the true I work alone Batman. Seeing this Bruce and his family would be wild to her.

Also, the way that she would react to Bruce would be so interesting. Cause all of his kids are in fact his kids, yeah, even Steph to some extent, but Carrie? She's his Robin first, his student second. And his child never. Can you imagine the "good soldier" conversation? Whether that be her mentioning him saying it to her or her finding Jason's plaque (which by the way was Alfred's doing, which adds so many more layers to it) and being all like, awww it's lovely. And everyone else is horrified, including Bruce, cause he's realised that that is not how he should compliment his children and that is not a healthy means of declaration of care. But for Carrie that is true and it is what she is and she appreciates it. Because she is not his kid, and I don't think she really wants to be, she has parents, though they clearly don't pay too close attention to her if she's able to jump out windows and fight crime regularly, but she still has existing parents that fill that position in her life and Bruce is much more a martial arts sensei or a favourite strict teacher to her.

Like, she cares about the dude and all, but when they're sat around and Dick or one of the family members starts prodding Bruce about feelings and his personal life or whatever, she gets awkward, cause that's not her business. That's like seeing your teacher at the supermarket. She sees Bruce in the cave, during training and when he's giving advice, he's not a real person with a life, he's an NPC in her life, she jokes that he already fulfilled his dead sensei anime plot device when he faked his death for Superman, so now she sometimes ignores him when he's being pigheaded and pretends he's a ghost. BUT! That would be so confusing for the Batfam, cause yeah, he's their teacher too, their trainer and mentor, but he's also a parental figure in their lives, there's more to him and how they perceive him and having one without the other would confuse them so much. So when they see she's awkward about him being emotionally open they take it as a sign that they need to try hard and bring her into the fold, teach her how to get her Bruce to open up and she's just fully like, nuh huh, absolutely not, I don't wanna know any of that.

I just really want Carrie to be explored more in canon and in the fandom, beyond just an easter egg appearance, she's so interesting and so underexplored.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hi!

Can we go a batfamily x fem child reader?

Reader is like the personification of Gotham

Reader take strolls around Gotham to help people

Reader she's like prim and proper and elegant

Reader who's a little insane and a bit mad

Reader who had a old and dark mansion at the end of Gotham

Reader who's favorite is red hood

Reader who won't hesitate to kill but she stop herself

Reader who got adopted by the batfam

(Can you base reader of this?)

I’ll try my best with this!

-It was strange, seeing such a young child wandering the streets of Gotham so late at night- you didn’t seem scared at all, as you wandered around, almost like you were exploring.

-Batman was watching you from a rooftop, curious about you, wondering where your parents were and wondering why you weren’t scared as you looked out over the harbor.

-His many adopted children were also curious about you- looking down at you, Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin, and Robin as you were skipping down the road past a group of thugs as Robin spoke, “Is she really that brave, or just stupid?”

-When one of the thugs grabbed you by the back of your dress, hauling you up, they were quickly springing into action, rushing to you.

-Red Hood hit the one holding you and when you landed hard on your butt, everything froze as a minor earthquake shook the city. Nobody paid it any mind as Red Hood grabbed you, holding you up in his arms as they all took care of the thugs.

-When someone managed to hit Red Hood from behind, he went down hard and took you with him, but he did his best to protect you, but once again, when you hit the ground, another earthquake rumbled through before tears welled in your eyes as you realized, “You’re hurt!” the skies, which had been clear, suddenly darkened with clouds, and rain fell as the first tear slipped down your cheek.

-Nightwing was the one to take you from Red Hood, trying to calm you down as just as the rain started with your tears started, it stopped when you calmed down. Batman was curious, seeing that it was a bit odd, as he remembered the earthquakes as well.

-You were taken to the roof by the group with Red Robin and Red Hood going to get food for everyone, including you, and you introduced yourself, “My name is Y/N!”

-Batman was very patient with you, “Where are your parents Y/N?” you tilted your head to the side, like you were confused, “I don’t have any.”

-They all froze, realizing that you were an orphan, but you didn’t seem bothered as Bruce spoke again, “Where do you live then?”

-You stood from Bruce’s arms, looking out over the horizon, to a large mansion that has long been abandoned, being condemned but not destroyed as it was a piece of Gotham history, being the first building in Gotham, “In that house- that’s where I was born and raised!”

-They all shared a look, a bit concerned, thinking you were an abandoned child that was delusional. When the food arrived, Bruce handed you a burger and you smiled, “Thank you Mr. Wayne!”

-They all froze in shock, hearing you calling him by his actual name, Bruce cautiously speaking, “You know who I am?” you didn’t look bothered, smiling up at him and that’s when he noticed that your eyes were much older than what you looked like- like you were an old soul, “You know who I am?”

-You smiled, but it was almost unsettling, “I do- I know each person that has been born in, lived, and died in Gotham. It’s kind of my job.”

-Okay you just went from poor abandoned delusion child to scary really quick. Damien was quickly on guard, ready to fight you if you were deemed a threat as Jason spoke, looking curious, “And what exactly is your job?”

-You beamed as you stood, twirling before facing them, the Gotham skyline behind you, “I am Gotham! Or at least the personification of Gotham.”

-They all froze before Tim spoke up, “Wait so those earthquakes we felt and the rain when you started crying, that was all you?” you nodded, taking your seat again, but this time in Jason’s lap, as you liked him because he protected you, “Yup- when I’m happy it’s sunny and clear, when I’m sad it rains, when I’m mad it storms, and if I get hurt then bad things happen.”

-Batman was curious about you, and the more he heard, the more his internal adoptive impulses were flaring up, but so were the others, as they realized this was true- you were Gotham.

-You accepted their invitation to live with them with little to no hesitation, showing them that you had little to no fear, which was a bit concerning, but you were excited to have a family again!

[doingmylevelbest]

Double Lifers as DC Superhero Duos!!

This is for a very niche audience but me and my roommate assigned DC superhero duos to the double life duos last night and I fear we may have ate:

Tango & Jimmy - Blue Beetle and Booster Gold

Now listen, Hermitcraft Tango and other life series tango (hey wild life I'm looking at you, you were so right) is most definitely the Flash (my roomie and I were thinking wally in life series and barry in hermitcraft because there is a distinct difference sh) but in the context of Double Life Tango and Jimmy's dynamic is 1000% Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. Jimmy is simply SO Booster Gold that Tango couldn't be anything else. Because Jimmy would risk the time line to try to get his bro back from the dead like nothing would stop that man. Also: "Bros before Heroes" HELLO??? This is literally the Empires SMP Ranchers reunion if you ask me. Tango's redstone skills & Ted's little tinkering??? IT ACTUALLY WORKS BRO LEAVE ME ALONE.

Impulse & Bdubs - Clark and Lois

Alright. Firstly, they're the married couple. The only ones that said yes we're married and stuck to it. They know everything, and they will stir shit up. They're the homewreckers and they plant seeds of doubt after all. Simply there's no other way to describe this duo they're just that bitch.

Etho & Joel - Green & yellow life: Oliver Queen & Dinah Lance, Red life: Poison Ivy & Harley Quinn

If we want to talk about being obsessed in any capacity we have to mention Ollie and Dinah. I fear that no other main superhero couple obsesses as hard as these two. They have stuck together in every damn universe and I love them for it.

When Harley wants something done, it is getting done (the ship burns everything burns), and maybe Ivy is a bit hesitant at first but when she sees her girl running into the flames she is following behind her with gasoline ready to go!! This one was actually kinda difficult ngl but we've become simply obsessed (haha) with it.

Scar & Grian - Hal Jordan & Bruce Wayne

There is no universe in our minds where Scar isn't Hal Jordan. Grian by himself is not Bruce, but Grian's relationship with Scar in Double Life is so Bruce Wayne and Hal Jordan, except maybe for Grian the Brucie Wayne persona would be real.

As for Scar: perpetual uncle vibes, constant stripping of his clothes, Hal would also be obsessed with pandas. He can be so so silly but also such a badass at the same time.

When contrasted with Grian's distaste of being paired with Scar is so funny. Everyone loves Hal, except for Bruce. I'm pretty sure if given the option, Bruce would partner up with Guy Gardener before Hal in a heartbeat! He never wants to work with the guy, and God Forbid Hal is ever right about anything! Eventually though, there's a reluctant allyship, and I guess Hal is okay.

Ren & BigB - Conner Kent & Tim Drake

We admit, it's been a bit since we've watched their povs, BUT THE VIBES. THE VIBESSSSS.

Kon would get himself killed by a falling kryptonian stalactite. If Tim and Kon were soul bound like Ren and BigB were, Tim would not be the reason they died. Period. Also the drama?? I fear Ren and Kon might be the same person ruh roh.

Grian & BigB (Secret Soulmates!) - Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne (switharoonie)

Nobody said any of these superhero duos had to be a specific type of relationship, these boys are FAMILY.

You may have noticed, that their roles have switched! But you see, Grian was the one who reached out to BigB, did the whole gesture, asked to be secret soulmates, the whole thing. Nothing was keeping him away from BigB. And Tim? When he thought Bruce was dead? Even before that when he just went big detective mode and figured out both Bruce and Dick's identities?? Nothing was keeping Timothy Jackson Drake away from being a part of the batfam, nothing!

You guys ready... for the Divorce Quartet???

Let me introduce to you.... The Spyral Agent Quartet!! (they're so special to me.)

-- also I know Midnighter isn't technically a spyral agent but he works with them enough and causes them enough issues he counts.

Cleo & Martyn - Helena Bertinelli & Tiger

They work. They’re coworkers. They’re not too hostile. They make sense, ya know? They’re both good at what they do and that’s that, no funny business. When it comes down to it they’ll protect each other, they’ll standup for each other. Also Helena Bertinelli is also a sass master and what about it?

(For some reason, content of Tiger and Helena is really hard to find so enjoy this insight into Tiger and then Helena's in the later part of the quartet mwah

Pearl & Scott - Midnighter & Dick Grayson

Admittedly, the Pearl and Scott dynamic seems a bit more strained than Grayson and Midnighter, HOWEVER, its accurate. Alright, Midnighter is a little shit especially when it comes to Dick Grayson. They're reluctant allies (mostly on Grayson's part), and while they have extremely different ways of dealing with things, they somehow find the space to connect on some level.

I'd like to take this time to talk about Midnighter's ridiculous plan of attack which included handcuffing himself and Grayson to one another (It honestly made for such a unique fight scene and I became very quickly obsessed with the concept), but by God are they a little insane and dysfunctional. They take so much pride in annoying each other relentlessly.

Cleo & Scott - Helena Bertinelli & Dick Grayson

Probably the only spyral agent duo that could have (and did) make it out of that shit. That panel of Helena getting so fed up with Dick's lollipop??? Shall I say siblings? They make it so far out of the spyral agent shenanigans that Helena becomes a part of the batfamily (even if it's on the extended side). The divorce quartet is the spyral agent quartet my good sir, I take zero complaints on this.

We keep thinking about Life series members/ hermits as DC heroes & I hope we aren't the only ones

[brucewaynehater101]

In reverse Robins, technically Steph would be the second Robin, she would be in Jason's pixie boots and come back devastated and vengeful. Tim would either still be stuck at the one who has to put all the pieces together with people throwing all his effort and work back in his face because of the loss of a loved one and him not being them, or maybe in Barbara's position, crippled, traumatized, and having to rebuild himself both as a civilian and vigilante

Then Jason as the Replacement, the one who has to live up to his multiple predecessors, who has to mediate between two (mostly) grown men, who believes that Gotham needs Robin, needs the hope that Batman brings to the city

Bored with Red Hood Tim, give me Oracle Tim, give me a Tim who's forced to create his own mantle instead of taking on someone else's name while he gets the job done

You are absolutely correct. Why didn't I think about it that way? If we are reversing Robins, Duke would be a very temp "Robin" before Damian, who is older, takes over the role. They wouldn't be called Robin, but whatever mantle they end up passing down.

Duke would be it for like a minute or two (maybe his gang is inspired by Batman, wants to help the crusader, and then Duke settles into being his own role). Damian would then come into the picture, take up the mantle Duke discarded, and need to be Batman's partner (Duke doesn't need to. Damian needs the constant presence of Bruce both so he can get to know his dad and so that he is guided on Bruce's version of vigilantism).

Damian goes off to do whatever (maybe he does a few years in the LoA similar to what Bruce did but obviously different).

Bruce stumbles upon Steph, who's Spoiler, and negotiates with her to take up Damian's discarded mantle. Steph, who has her mom, never actually joins the Waynes. She also never truly bonds with Damian (who's away and not approving of her taking "his" mantle). Duke and her get along, but he typically works the "day shift."

Then Steph spots Tim stalking her on a roof. At first, creeped out, she hits him with a brick. Then Tim shows her the photos of the other Bats and the evidence he's collected of cases. Steph begrudgingly grows fond of the little stalker.

She doesn't have the best relationship with Bruce and is still a little miffed he forced her to be a vigilante under his watch (instead of continuing to be independent). Because of this, Steph keeps Tim to herself and away from the Bats. Tim doesn't want to be a vigilante anyways.

Steph shows Tim some moves to keep himself safe while he collects evidence and becomes a stalker. Cass gets adopted around this point and becomes the only Wayne aware of Tim's presence. It's a secret between the three of them.

Tim even introduces Steph to Helena Bertinelli. He met her while he was gathering clues for a case. While Tim and Helena are closer, Steph admires the older woman and her way of vigilantism. Steph can't copy it cause of Bruce, but Steph doesn't find it to be wrong either.

Then the whole mess with Black Mask happens, and Steph "dies."

Tim, who's devastated at the loss, sees Bruce losing it. He, despite the many jokes and promises he made to Steph, offers to take up her role in order to leash Bruce.

Bruce, who finds out the dead person he considered a daughter had kept a whole side of herself from him, pushes Tim away even more. Tim gets sent away, learns from Shiva, and stubbornly forces Bruce into healthier methods of grieving.

In the end, Tim gets captured by Joker, and the Joker Junior arc happens. While Tim isn't physically disabled, the torture and brainwashing makes returning to the field incredibly difficult. Tim has a hard time keeping himself present when he's not at home (and sometimes struggles even then). He has laughing spells and other shit. Tim has to pull himself from the field because of this.

Bruce, on the other hand, goes off the rails again. Tim, who can barely get out of bed some days, gives up. He can't keep managing Bruce's mental well-being on top of his own.

Tim moves out to the clock tower and spends a while moping (understandably). That is until a villain tries to pull some shit online, and Tim discovers another way he can help without being a liability in the field.

Tim nearly orders a hit on Bruce when he finds Jason in the same role that killed Steph and disabled Tim. Duke talks him down and promises to always look out for Jason. Maybe Damian comes back as well.

While Tim isn't able to go in the field, he can still train. It acts as a soothing routine to him. He ensures that Jason is always able to escape and drills into his head that running away is always better than dying. There are worse things than dying, too.

Then, while Jason is "Robin", Steph comes back as "Red Hood." She would probably do a play on words as Black Mask instead for her name. I'm not sure what her training arc would be like, but I like to imagine that she teams up with Helena sometimes.

Tim, through his connections with Helena and Harley, still creates the Birds of Prey.

Anyways, hope this is a decent timeline! There's more that can be added for each of the Batkids, so feel free to add what else you think should happen

[a-god-in-crime-alley]

So I’mma do a quick rant on Tim and the whole “forever 17” thing people are always going on about.

Disclaimer: some of this is based on my own experience with how I changed as I got older and comments from people that I went months and years without seeing.

I’m AFAB so it’s not quite the same. But I’ve never been one to remember a skin care routine and have relied on good genetics and good hygiene to make this point.

When doing some calculations for another post (you’ve probably seen that post I reblogged about the batkids ages) it hit me WHY it doesn’t look like Tim has aged.

Sure it might just be a style choice because DC wants to keep a chokehold on their Teen audience with Tim. (Even though Damian is RIGHT THERE!!! DC stop making Damian look like Tim for the love of GOD!)

A lot of people don’t actually CHANGE that much from ages 16-24 as long as they are keeping to the same exercise routines and diets. With the exception of Tim’s Brucequest, he kept to a fairly stable routine for Years!

The reason most people change so much early on is because they drop off their usual exercise (gym class) and repetitive diet (school or packed lunch). So you see people’s weight fluctuating (this can have an effect of visible face shape) hair either thinning or thickening and skin either clearing or getting more acne.

Add this to Tim probably having pretty good genetics (his mom looked like she was maybe pushing 30 when she died but was probably closer to mid 40s. Both Janet and Jack were around 10 years older than Bruce, who would have been mid 30s at the time.)

Tim not showing any signs of facial hair can also be down to genetics. Some cis men just NEVER get more than a single chin hair, maybe a max of 5 sparsely scattered along their chin. Those guys usually just pluck them out. They never actually have to shave. Though I think we Have seen Tim shaving again one point. Can’t remember when.

Either way, it makes sense for Tim not to actually look his age in any more than muscle mass. He’s noticeably built compared to how he was when Damian was introduced. (When the artists are going for a more realistic art style.)

Then considering his most recent dimensional adventure to save Bruce after the shit with Failsafe, you see just how much older he looks next to his mother (from that universe) and she didn’t seem that surprised with how he looked. Meaning her version of him is probably around the same age, and anyone who read that issue can see she looked pretty young.

Add all this to the fact it’s Canon that Jason is 23! He’s only at most 3 years older than Tim but is probably closer to 2 years older. (With Jason being 15 going on 16 when he died. And Tim was 12-13 by the 6 month mark after Jason died and Tim became Robin.)

So in conclusion, DC needs to stop acting like Tim’s still a Teenager and acknowledge that he’s a lot closer to 21 (hell, if we go by proper calculations he SHOULD BE 21).

What I’m saying is give us Tim going out for drinks with his older brothers. Have him show up at Jason’s after something bad happens and ask if he’s still up for that drink (in reference to that one time Jason offered to get a 16 year old Tim into a bar.)

Give us Funny Drunk Tim shenanigans to balance out that Dick is a miserable drunk! Have Jason get stuck babysitting both of them because he’s the only one that can actually hold his alcohol. Have the Girls be watching and laughing from across the bar because they unintentionally had their Girls Night and the same place the guys had their Boys Night.

Please DC, I am Begging you!

[confused-wanderer]

I like to think that when Cass first was introduced to the batfam she was always shy or just didn’t seem happy cuz she couldn’t hear or understand what they were saying.

This lead to 2 things.

1. The batfam started purposefully making their body language more dramatic and open so Cass could understand better (she could read them no matter what but the gesture really touched her). This lead to theatre boy Todd enacting on a full drama while in the middle of a heated discussion about why wearing soggy socks was a crime. It’s also become an unconscious habit when whenever Cass is around so all the other batfam can know more easily tell if the others upset or not doing well when Cass is present.

2. Bruce taught her sign language. It had helped him when he was younger and still does when he shuts down and doesn’t have the energy to talk. Alfred had always encouraged him to find a different medium to express himself when this happened so he’d picked up this nifty skill. It was torture at first, but her face when she realised they could actually have a conversation was worth it in Bruce’s eyes. He taught her how words could also be weapons, and that’s why every motion and thought should be precise. It makes use of her skills and feels like familiar territory for her.

Dick knows about sign language, and Bruce had taught him too when he was and still struggling to put some thoughts or talk in English rather than Romani. He still uses it on occasion, even when he’s upset. The rest of the OG Titans also picked up enough to get by to better understand Dick.

The only other person aware is Tim because after Jason died Bruce didn’t speak for months, and once when he was Robin and was having an intense argument after an exhausting operation Bruce repeatedly kept signing the words “STOP PLEASE NOT NOW” before walking away.

Clark knows about this too because sometimes when Bruce thinks no one is around he sometimes signs to himself. He says it helps him think, and Clark has even caught him signing the words while listening to his favourite songs. Bruce unconsciously also sometimes makes brief hand signs that can translate into what he’s thinking and how he’s feeling. It’s come in handy for battle, and if Clark also uses it to check in and see if Bruce is doing okay well the Worlds Greatest Detective can live without knowing a few things.

Dick and Cass both converse in sign language sometimes and when Damian entered the family they’ve both been teaching him pieces so he can better communicate and express himself.

[egglantine23]

Titans part 4

Wow it’s been a while with this one! I wanted to sort of lay out a few good ideas for the first season of titans since I never touched it in my first posts. So without further ado here it is:

Let’s get this out of the way nightwing is nightwing from the very beginning no stupid still robin stuff he is nightwing and he moved out of Bruce’s manner.

Cory’s memory loss is fine but I want badass alien star so she is shipwrecked on earth and hiding from her crazy sister

Raven can keep her name for a civilian identity but she goes by her nickname raven, she stays the depressed goth kid who witnessed her moms murder.

And gar is mostly fine but I want to add some things to him since I only really remembering him being very bland, first he’s the theater kid, you don’t have to lie about green hair in theater dyed hair is the norm, but i don’t know if I want to put him in tech or as a actor. Nope great idea he’s in tech which makes him a jack of all traits, the April has a crane license in rottmnt.

Now I of course will now be adding the wonderful and amazing victor stone aka cyborg! Man I missed this guy, he was probably my favorite character in the animated show. He plays high school football and is friends with gar and knows about gars powers, he also knows raven from poetry club

In titans they also introduced Jason Todd as a recurring character but I don’t like that so we will push him to later

Time for PLOT!!!!

In the beginning not much will change for raven and dick, her mom still dies and dick is trying to help her get to a safe place and there being chased by something evil like demons that dick has been searching for for months

Now the deviations gar and victor and walking home from school and they are just about to meet up with victors dad, dr. Stone at his job when Cory’s ship crashes and victor gets caught in the blast, the group rushes him inside and dr. Stone has them bring him to his lab, cyborg is here!

Raven and dick also witness the crash and rush over to help by this time they where able to shake the demons but the crash makes them come back, they are getting destroyed by these demons when star sees them and comes out to help, cyborg is still processing what just happened with his dad and gar, somehow they end up coming to the conclusion that since gar and his family knows a lot about being an outsider cyborg might stay with them a while, we have a heartfelt scene with cyborg and his dad before

Star crashes into the window after being thrown by the demons!

Star gave the group an upper hand but after a while it wasn’t enough, gar and cyborg now join and we get a epic fighting as a team battle

Afterwords dr. Stone comes out to see if his son is ok and recognizes dick from the many times he has worked with Batman, and we have a catch up scene with the group and they realize that there are going to be a lot more demons and someone need to stop them this transitions into the titans tower and the team is now formed.

This is rather a two part episode with more plot I didn’t go over or above is part 1 and below is part 2

Now next episode

Titans tower is an old Wayne building that is sadly unprepared for its new job so dick calls Alfred, no not Bruce he’s still mad at Bruce for whatever reason, Alfred can’t make it so he sends Jason to drop of the stuff instead.

Now time for Jason Todd, now you might ask oh egglantine how will you integrate Jason one of your favorite Battfam members into the story?

I won’t

Yea I love the guy but this is titans and in order to avoid the transition into a Batman show Jason Todd will not be a recurring character. There will be cameos but any story that involves him will be a dick Grayson storyline.

I actually have the idea that as the show progresses the Batfam will be more comic relief or a running gag of no one knows how many siblings dick actually has and dick never tells

*titans in a later season calling batcave* Dick: hi Jason! Gar: wait Jason!! I thought he was dead!!! Jason eating a bagel: yea I’ve been good for like 6 years now Dick: that time you tried to kill us was pretty crazy though 😊 Titans: 😦

This is getting long enough and I have homework so I will see you next time! Also I am more than happy to answer any questions inbox should be open!

[justhereforsomethingnice]

“Great, welcome mr. Wayne.” Danny sighed when a man who introduced himself as Bruce Wayne entered the shop. “So happy you could make it. I’m Danny, I’ll be doing your reading today.” God, one ounce of energy less in his words and he wouldn’t be only dead on the inside anymore.

The man beamed at him. “Amazing to meet you Danny. Say, I’ve never seen you here before, are you new?” The man asked jovially.

Danny grimaced. “Yep, now please follow me.” He was going to get so nauseas from those damn fumes back there, he just knows it. With how shit had been going, he’s going to throw up that one sip of milkshake he managed before yesterdays disaster on those fancy ass shoes. And that man couldn’t stop smiling and touching every damn little trinket on his way to the back.

“And what is this,” Wayne asked holding up a shiny trinket, immediately dropping it and picking up the next one, “fascinating, and this? Is this a spell book, how peculiar.” Danny was going to add another shade to the collection here.

He finally reached the room. “Sit down over there please mr. Wayne. Now, what exactly did you want to achieve when coming here?” He asked. The only thing miss. Claire told him to actually do before the reading.

The man actually seemed to become bashful at that, a bit nervous. He wrung his hands before rubbing one of his hands over the opposite wrist. “I was actually hoping to talk to some resently deceased people. A friend of mine died and but was very fond of this shop you see.”

Danny held in the sigh. Great, it was most likely the woman with the pearls floating behind him. “Let me guess, lady, dark hair, nice pearly necklace.”

The man seemed caught of guard for just a second before becoming it seemed angry. Or just very very sad. “See here young man, I will -,”

“Yeah yeah, save it.” Was he being an ass? Yes. Did this man deserve it? Most likely not. Did he care? No. He just spend the entire night trying to find shelter for the rain just for it to either crumble, leak anyways or in one kinda memorable occasion, blow up. So no, he did not care that he hurt some Vlad’s 2.0 feelings. The woman eagerly began speaking so he just repeated what she said. “Great, so she wants you to not let the Matt hatter ruin Alice in wonderland for you?” Danny looked at the lady like she had gone crazy. “Really, that’s what you’re starting with? Anyways.” He sighed.

The man had become silent at that. “Also, we I ask Alfie?” He looked at the spirit lady who nodded enthusiastically. “Give you the book he wrote named ‘how to navigate social situations: a step by step guide’ and use it to finally have a good talk with her grandson.” Okay, so rich dude had family issues. None of his business. “And, in her words, ‘chance the time on the grandfather clock, this is just getting depressing’ whatever that means.” The man was just silently staring at him now.

Another ghost tapped the lady on the shoulder before he turned to Danny too. “And great, another one joined.” They linked hands. “So it’s a date now, great.” He grumbled more to himself. So it was two friends who died and not just one. Okay, he could deal with that. “He says that they will always love you no matter what.” So it was a lovers affair instead of just friends? “And that the name you’re looking for is Edward Colson? Sheesh, was this a murder or something.” The two were getting more exited and talking his ears off.

“One at a time please.” He glared to mr. Wayne’s left. The man glancing behind him, predictably seeing nothing. “Anyways, was that what you came for? Or do you need anything else?” The man seemed to have actual tears in his eyes.

“You can see my parents?” Danny snapped his eyes to the two who looked sadly at their apparently son. Well, that explained the fashion choice. Also, that was almost worse then a love affair murder case.

Danny just stared at the man and didn’t really know what to say. He was translating this guys dead moms words to him. Ancients, he was an asshole. Stupid, idiotic, moronic move Fenton. Great, how to cut this off as soon as possible. “Only for a while. The power in this room will fade in a bit.” The man was a totally different person now. Danny hesitated. “Do you want to say anything to them?”

He thinks he had much more tact just now than in the past 10 minutes. “I’m sorry.” The two ghost seemed to decent on the man. Cooing at him, telling him he was not at fault, that he couldn’t know, couldn’t have done anything, was only a child when it happened.

“Ah screw it.” Danny said before making just the tip of his finger invisible. That should contain the spirits becoming visible in the area, right? He was still debating wether this was a mistake or not while the spirits of Martha and Thomas Wayne became visible to their sons eyes. Ancients he needs Jazz.

I’m a Size Medium, Thanks.

Danny is irritated. No actually he is beyond irritated. He is annoyed, he is frustrated, he is…. He’s really fricking irritated and can’t be bothered to remember any more of Jazz’s SAT words.

He continues his glare out the window as he searches for his straw with his mouth.

He just- where is it- thinks it’s a stupid fricking-stupid ass milkshake-he shouldn’t have to basically-gah! Danny snaps his head down to find his suddenly missing straw, only to successfully poke it directly into his eye.

“Ow! Fricken-“ He groans, throwing his head back, and putting his hands to his face, “Mother-tucker, Holy Taming of A Shrew!” He pounds his free hand not cradling his eye on the table, trying not to make more of a scene. Of course, this utterly fails because it immediately tips over his milkshake glass with a clatter as it spills onto his pants, making him jump up with enough force to knock the table over and drop the milkshake glass the rest of the way to the floor.

Danny stares at it with blurry vision and a watery eye. He sighs, “At least-“

The glass shatters.

Danny sighs again, deeper. “Of course.”

He looks up at the restaurant around him. Noticing the many, many people staring at him.

Wonderful.

Danny grimaces, “Sorry, I so didn’t mean for that to happen, uh-“ Danny reaches to straighten the table, fumbling for a second before it stands upright, he steps away from it, “If there’s any way I can help or.. like fix it. I can pay for the cup..” a server comes over to him, “if you want..?”

The server’s dead eyes don’t waver as they silently place a wet floor sign over the spilled milkshake.

“Thanks.”

“Uh huh.”

The server walks away, leaving Danny to sigh all on his own. He leans over to grab his backpack from the booth, checking it over for milkshake before slinging it on his back, thankfully clean.

He makes it one step forward before he feels the floor go out from under him. Ah gravity. His greatest enemy. This is karma for all those times he’s ignored it, isn’t it?

The wind is knocked out of him when his back slams to the floor, cushioned by the dulcet sounds of his bag crunching against broken glass.

He looks up at the wet floor sign.

The man on the yellow plastic mocks him.

Danny sighs.

He curses his stupid luck.

He curses this stupid city.

Then he curses himself because he knows any of this stupid city’s curses end up affecting him anyways.

Danny gets to his feet, ignoring the feeling of milkshake on his hands and his… everywhere.

He trudges out of the diner without looking back. At least he’d already paid for it.

He grimaces at the milkshake handprint on the door, trying to wipe it away with his shirt and only succeeding in making it worse.

Danny catches the eyes of the server inside, staring at him, eyes progressively more annoyed.

Danny puts his hands up in surrender and backs away.

Directly into a person. Only his milkshake covered self prevents him from being hit with anything more than the man’s scathing glare.

He puts his hands back up and moves away to dodge everybody else on the sidewalk. Along with the occasional ghost. Visible only to him of course.

By the time he has managed to escape the sidewalks into an alley, he is certain there is a trail of slightly sticky businessmen behind him.

Danny crouches to swing his backpack down in front of him and take stock. Okay, he could put his sweatshirt on over it… but it would also get ruined… damn it.

Danny looks around, checking every inch of the alley for cameras and then backing himself into a corner just to be safe. The flicker of intangibility is barely noticeable except for the wet squelch of milkshake remnants dropping to the alley floor. Lovely.

And of course, the flash of every single Gotham ghost in the area becoming visible and almost tangible for a split second. Also… lovely. There’s a couple startled shouts on the street.

Maybe an alleyway was not the best place for that.

Danny slides his sweatshirt on over his shirt to at least pretend like he was covering a mess and then shimmies out of the alley while trying to make as little contact with ghosts as possible.

He’s almost completely certain he looks crazy as all get out if the stare he gets from a passerby means anything.

Of course… now he’s left glaring across the street again.

He can feel the Infini-Map burning a hole in his backpack. It said this was the next place a natural portal would open and get him back home.

It just didn’t say… when that portal would open.

But of course, it’ll be right in the middle of somebody’s store. Usually not an issue. Except again, this stupid city’s curses are attracted to his energy, so of course the store couldn’t be literally ANYTHING ELSE!

Danny glares at the stupid fricking sign and the stupid predictable pun and the stupid neon hand in the front window waving at him.

‘The Claire Witch Project: psychic, medium, and Claire-voyant’

Danny is on day three of simultaneously avoiding the entire building while remaining close enough he can be there when the portal forms.

He is dirty, tired, and running out of money. In short, Danny is starting to lose hope on this endeavor.

The worst part?

He has the perfect solution.

There’s a pathetic little piece of printer paper taped to the inside of the window.

‘Help wanted’

When he’d first gotten here, Danny had followed the infini-map all the way to this horrific city, seen the sign, and turned a quick 180. He’d rather die again thanks.

He’d smacked into two billboards just coming into the city, and there was literally no stars, why would he want to stay here till the portal opened when he could just find another?

Except.. Danny’s eye twitches dangerously as he thinks back on it- except there wasn’t another portal. This was it. For the foreseeable future, he either caught this portal or was stranded for whoever knows how much longer.

Danny sighs again and dreads his continued existence. He looks both ways on the street, takes a step forward, nearly gets run over, steps back, and turns for the nearest crosswalk.

Fine. He could follow rules if it meant increasing his chances of leaving.

He tries to hold in the sigh this time, he really does, he swears.

Not the one before he opens the shop door though, that sigh deserved freedom from his trials. It joins the myriad of whispy translucent shades lingering in the store. Because of course there was just enough spiritual energy in here for them to be visible to him.

“Hey there!” A girl in loose fitting colorful clothing appears from behind a corner, “I’m Claire! How can I help your life journey today?” He can see the way her bulky crystal hair accessories sway with her movements. What was he getting into here again?

Danny tries to ignore the incense shoving itself up his nose as he speaks, “Hey, I was…” He was really doing this huh? “Hoping that the help wanted position is still available?”

The girl looks him over as she moves to the back of the checkout counter. The clear observation makes him nervous, and he takes his hands out of his pockets to try and look marginally more… candidate-able.

“You have experience?”

“Sure d-“ He wants to throw up in his own mouth, ancients this is so cringe, just let him die, “Sure do!” He says through choked back vomit and false cheer, “I’m a…” -barf- “I’m a medium.”

“Oh don’t worry about that, you don’t need a uniform, I don’t need your size silly!”

Danny blinks. What? Also. What?

“Wait-I’m hired?”

Claire pauses from getting something from under the counter, “Didn’t I already say that?”

“Uh…” Danny’s eyes dart around the shop, “No?”

“Oh well, you are, you have the right vibes, don’t worry,” she slides a few papers onto the glass counter, and Danny is abruptly, horrifically reminded he has no legal documents to speak of here. He thinks. He hasn’t actually checked.

Crap.

“Of course, most of my clients pay in cash, so I’ll pay you in cash too just to make it easier, and any crystal sales I’ll just add to it. Sound good?”

“Sure?” Oh no, is this gonna be Danny’s first real job? “But I don’t know anything about crystals. I have a goth friend but she’s not into that stuff.”

Claire waves his comment away, “Oh no worries, I can leave a packet.”

Danny nods, “Thank- wait, sorry. Leave?”

Claire laughs, pulling out a bag from behind her counter, “Yes I leave for a trip in two days. Family things you know,”

Danny feels like his brain is being scrambled, “Oh, what, what happened? Is everything okay?”

Claire looks at him, blinking wide, “What? Why would anything have happened?”

“Because… you said, you were leaving for-“

“Just don’t want to get caught in a bad position, you know how it is.”

Some of the shades stir in the air, their misty movements twitching with agitation enough to draw his eye for a second.

“Right. Well I’m glad I came when I did then,” Danny says, because he still doesn’t want to be rude.

Claire smiles at him.

Danny pats his hands against his sides awkwardly, trying not to look up at the movement of the shades intertwined with incense smoke at the ceiling.

There’s a little jingle behind him, which he belatedly realizes is the door when Claire moves to greet them before he can even turn around.

“Ms. Jives! Wonderful to see you! How’s the goldfish?”

Ms. Jives turns out to be a slightly older woman, maybe early seventies with a cane but she looks good. The coffee brown hair is almost certainly a dye job but it frames her wrinkled face well.

“Oh Jim is lovely dear, much better this way, I bought him a new plant just the other day, he just loves it.”

“Good, here for your reading right?”

“I am! But you can finish up with your customer first if you need,” Ms. Jives says. Claire waves her concern away.

“No need, this is Danny, I just hired him, he has a similar mystical connection.”

“Oh that’s lovely,” Ms. Jives says as she passes by him, “Would you like to come with dear? Claire is going to do a reading for me.”

Danny grimaces, “Sure.”

In the end, by the time Ms. Jives makes it slowly to the back room, Danny is trying to think of where he’s gonna sleep tonight. He mostly zones out when Claire dims the lights and starts talking nonsense.

All he heard was “something something card, something something magician something reversed something something balance something something chihuahua.”

Ok, maybe he wasn’t listening. But he was trying to focus on not staring at the movement of the shades, and the incense was mega strong and Claire had some weird ass music playing. He’s almost certain she’s faking everything. Down to the atrociously bright bead earrings.

Danny sags when she finishes, all too happy to leave the weird little curtain covered room.

He stands in the front awkwardly while Ms. Jives pays, twiddling with the various crystals and trying to figure which ones are actually y’know.. mystical or whatever.

Answer? Surprisingly most of them. That he could tell, at least, but it’s not like he actually knows how to sense that out on purpose. He’s pretty sure a couple of the heart shaped rose quartzes are complete duds but what does he care.

He’s thoroughly bored by the time Claire calls him back over. Apparently to tell him that he’ll do a reading tomorrow.

“Tomorrow?!” Danny blurts, “Don’t you want to like- I don’t know, make sure I can- or like.. I don’t know, but tomorrow?”

Claire just smiles at him, “I believe you can handle it, trust me.”

‘Trust you? Lady, I just met you and you’ve been nothing but crazy the whole time!’ Danny wants to say, instead, he keeps his mouth shut and nods with what he’s sure is fear in his eyes.

Then she’s pressing something into his hands and when he looks down it’s a key. A key. There’s no way-

“So be here 9am sharp, Danny! You can open up and I’ll come in later!” Claire starts pushing him towards the door, “And Mr. Wayne should be waiting for you when you get here!”

Danny turns around to catch himself in the doorframe, “Mr who will be what now!? Wait, Ms. Claire, Ma’am- why-!” He stops to lower his volume and ask politely, “Why am I doing this? You don’t even know me,” Danny says, one leg still in the store.

Claire smiles, “Because the universe told me to silly! See you tomorrow! Here’s my number!” Then she slaps a sticky note to his chest with enough finality that Danny takes a step back. The door closes with a click and ring of the bell inside.

Danny stares at the door with his eye twitching for at least a minute.

What the hell did ‘the universe told me to’ even mean, you kook!?

Danny sighs and looks down at the sticky note, quickly inputting the number in his phone before something happens to it.

He’s barely hit save when he finally steps away from the shop front and…. is immediately drenched to the bone.

Because apparently it’d been pouring rain and he simply hadn’t noticed from under the awning.

He watches as blue ink slides off the sticky note in little sad face streaks.

Danny sighs.

[mikuhats]

what dc comic runs would you recommend to someone starting out?

Okay so for my answer i need to preface 2 things:

1) This list is not really what you asked . It's more of a short chronological list to getting into Batman than a more simple list of comic runs. (This is because of how I interact with comics, I don't pay attention to individual runs really at all.) 2) You said DC comics as a whole which I unfortunately cannot give you...! I truly have only read enough Batman to give you anything for that 😭 That being said, it is really easy to find lists for any big characters in the DC Universe. If you want anything in specific, I bookmark a lot of reading lists so I can see if I have anything to link you.

Also this is going to be very long because I cannot be concise, but at the bottom of this post I will have a bulletin list you can quickly look at if you don't care about my long-winded explanations...

Ok.. ok... Starting out I would suggest one reads Batman: Year One. This is a classic for good reason! That being said, it's also not really canon for long, existing as it's own kind of thing. But it's a nicely written, dark & grimy take on Bruce's first year acting as Batman & an introduction to Detective Gordon. the tone of this comic does not carry over really at all to, like, Main batman comics.

After this a lot of people also like to recommend the comic duology Batman: The Long Halloween & Batman: Dark Victory. You can read these if you want! I read Long Halloween and decided I wasn't interested in reading Dark Victory, personally. Basically Long Halloween is a kind of introduction to a lot of Batman's rogues as well as a origin for Two Face. Dark Victory, despite not reading it, I know introduces Dick Grayson.

For some Dick-as-Robin I would recommend reading Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet, Robin: Year One & Batgirl: Year One, & if you want something Very recent (still ongoing!) Batman & Robin: Year One only has 4 issues out and they're all quite good.

Now, immediately after Batman: Year One is Batman #408 which is basically a huge jump to where Dick Grayson gets fired as Robin and the introduction to Jason Todd! Jason was a character pre-crisis who gets entirely reworked post-crisis . They are completely different characters. For Jason I would recommend you read Batman #408, #410, #411, #416, #424 & #425. Some warnings: #424 is written pretty racist, I only recommend them because character-wise they are important to Jason's character before he dies.

Around here is when Batman: The Killing Joke happens. I mention this because it's a very popular comic & I think it's important to place it chronologically, but unless you really want the original context to Barbara becoming disabled, I wouldn't recommend it.

THEN we get to: Death in the Family! I have a very complex relationship with recommending you read this genuinely. Cause it's NOT good, but it's very important to read. I would say it's up to you. All you need to know is that Jason finds out his mother who died is not actually his birth mother, he & Bruce go to Lebanon & Ethiopia to look for his birth mother. (#426) They find her. She's in cahoots with the Joker because he has blackmail on her. Jason finds out his mom is in trouble, and Batman makes it very clear to Jason to NOT fight the Joker by himself and to wait until he gets back. Jason does not do this. Jason reveals his identity as Robin to his mother, who brings him to the Joker to be brutalized & left for dead. The Joker locks both Jason & his mother in a room to be blown up. (#427)

Afterwards I would recommend you read Batman: Year Three (#436-439). This comic focuses on Dick mainly, but shows how Bruce is dealing with Jason's death (or more importantly, how he isn't). It goes over Dick's origin, juxtaposing his relationship with Bruce from when he was a child to now. Bruce is off the handles since Jason died and Dick is trying to talk sense into him. It is also the informal introduction to Tim Drake!

Immediately after is Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying! (#440-442) This is an amazing comic. If LITERALLY nothing else, you should read this. It's the formal introduction to Tim Drake's character and it is wonderful.

and to interject, if you care at all about Barbara, Oracle: Year One (Batman Chronicles #5) happens around here and it is an amazing comic.

After ALPoD we get to Detective Comics #618-621 where Tim Drake's mother dies & his father is hospitalized. There are some good moments in these issues, and I would consider them essential reading for Tim, but if you don't really care I don't think it's that bad to skip. Warning if you do read: the portrayal of Haitian people is racist!

Then there is Batman #455-457 these on the other hand I would not skip. This leads up to the funeral of Tim's mother and has some very interesting & important text regarding, since putting himself in Batman & Robin's world, how it has affected him. It ends with him donning the new-and-improved Robin costume!

Around here is where you can stop honestly and do your own thing, but if you want some short, early Tim-as-Robin comics there is Batman #465, #466, Robin II, Detective Comics #647-#649 (Stephanie Brown's introduction!), and Batman #480.

Shortly after this, Knightfall/Knightquest/Knightsend happens. This is a long running arc, and I wouldn't recommend reading it if you're not invested in Batman by this point.

So that's my funny little list for you. Sorry it's not really what you asked, but I hope it's of any help to you or someone else. 😭

BULLETIN LIST:

Batman: Year One

Batman: The Long Halloween & Dark Victory (optional)

Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet (optional)

Robin: Year One + Batgirl: Year One (optional)

Batman #408, #410, #411, #416, #424 & #425

Batman: A Death in the Family (optional only if you know what happens)

Batman: Year Three (#436-439)

Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying (#440-442)

Detective Comics #618-#621 (optional)

Batman #455-#457

Batman #465, #466 (optional)

Robin II (optional)

Detective Comics #647-#649 (optional)

Batman #480 (optional)

[dragonflight203]

Latest DC comic is Batman: Hush. It’s another comic I frequently see referenced and feels like vital reading for the Batman mythos.

It’s also by Jeph Loeb, so it made sense to knock it out as another of his works.

Comic

Title: Batman: Hush

Author: Jeph Loeb

Artist: Jim Lee

Year: 2002-2003

Overall Opinion

-A fun read that once again stumbles over itself at the end.

It’s not as complex as The Long Halloween or Dark Victory, but it’s a good romp.

Art

-This is the first comic with art that I liked. Jim Lee is a fantastic artist.

General

-After Huntress rescues Batman, he says he should speak to the others about accepting her. He never does this on page.

-There is no way Bruce should be back on his feet so quickly after brain surgery. That’s just ridiculous.

There really is something in Gotham’s water.

-Bruce suspects Perry White knows Superman’s identity, and that Jim Gordon knows Batman’s.

-These iconic lines I see frequently quoted are from this comic when Batman and Superman fight:

“Deep down, Clark’s essentially a good person… and deep down, I’m not.”

-Great lines when Gordon prevents Batman from killing Joker:

Batman: How many more lives are we going to let him ruin?

Gordon: I don’t care. I won’t let him ruin yours.

-This comic justifies “Jason’s” return as from a Lazarus pit. Is that where the idea to actually revive Jason came from?

Jason’s grave is empty. It’s possible Edward found it that way.

-This line will haunt Bruce later: “Even in the end… Jason knew how much I loved him.”

-Two-Face is supposedly gone, but Harvey Dent doesn’t hesitate to kill Thomas Elliot.

Yeah, I doubt that Two-Face will never be seen again.

-This is also the comic where Superman uses his heat vision to perform brain surgery on Batman.

-Why is Edward wearing his Riddler outfit when he meets with Batman in Arkham Asylum? Shouldn’t he be in inmate clothing?

-This comic has so many moments that would make any one comic memorable:

Batman vs Superman

Batman nearly killing Joker

Two-Face’s scars being repaired

“Jason” returning from the dead

Bruce revealing his identity to Catwoman

It feels like Loeb went all out to make it as spectacular as possible, but at the same time this rapid pace means some points don’t have much time spent on them. Barely anything is done with with Two-Face’s scars being repaired, for example.

Story

-Loeb’s trend of complex build up that can’t quite pull itself together for a finale continues.

Elliot’s the driving force of this plot, and I’m left scratching my head over his motivations. All this because Bruce Wayne’s father saved Elliot’s mother?

Logical enough for a madman, I suppose, but that feels like yet another excuse for the story Loeb wanted to write rather than a true reason.

-It’s obvious that Elliot’s death isn’t real. Too much time is spent introducing him and building him up in the first half of the comic to kill him off like that.

-The audience finding the Harley Quinn fight part of the show is ridiculous. This is a Gotham audience; they’re accustomed to the Rogue’s bullshit and showing up everywhere.

-Bruce nearly killing Joker because of Elliot’s death feels forced. He’s held back after Barbara and Jason, but Elliot is the snapping point?

I suppose it could be considered one last straw, but it doesn’t work for me.

-Riddler’s introduced about half way through the comic, but he still needed to be introduced earlier to be the main villain.

Besides the Lazarus pit dirt, I also don’t recall any foreshadowing that it’s him.

-Harold needed to be introduced earlier for his betrayal to work. He just comes out of nowhere. That’s sloppy writing.

Characters

-Bruce can be so bitchy. He notes that he’ll drop by the Daily Planet because it’s always good to see Lois. No mention of Clark.

-Bruce gets pissy when Wallers takes Killer Croc, and promptly drags Poison Ivy back to Gotham. He does not like the Rogues leaving his city.

-At the funeral, Bruce notes how there are many people in his life and how he’s better for it. Tim, Dick, Alfred, etc.

Selina also repeatedly notes how Bruce has many “strings”, i.e. people he cares for (that can be used against him).

-Bruce is horrible about Jason in this comic:

“Jason never had the skills that Dick had. I should never have let him put on the costume. No matter what differences we’ve had through the years, I’ve always know that Dick had a gift. Jason only had… rage. And I thought… hoped… that if I could channel that rage into something more productive…”

“Dick saw being Robin as a thrill. It’s probably why he outgrew it. Jason saw being Robin as a game. It’s probably what got him killed. But.. Tim… I have to hand it to the boy… He wants to be the world’s greatest detective. And from what I’ve seen so far… he will be someday.”

“My opponent is counting on Jason’s appearance to affect my abilities. Play on whatever guilt I harbor for Jason’s death. His coordination. His speed. The acrobatics. It’s all… too familiar. Bottom line… Jason was never that good.”

-Why is Poison Ivy obsessed with money?

That feels out of character for her. Isn’t her deal an obsession with plants?

-Loeb writes Thomas Wayne as a bit of a dick.

In Dark Victory, he refused to comfort Bruce because he had to learn to stand on his own.

In Hush, he disapproves of Martha getting Bruce into literature and cinema because they’re not real.

Opera’s fine, though.

-I have mixed feelings about Riddler’s involvement in this. He’s certainly clever enough, but I question his people skills to get everyone onboard.

Also, one of Riddler’s key motivations is attention. That’s why he leaves riddles at crime scenes. This plan does very little to put the focus on him.

One can blame it as a side effect of the Lazarus pit, but that again feels like a cop out.

Edit: Added Comic section

[obsidianwolfxredux]

Watched Batman caped Crusader

Okay under a cut to avoid spoilers

Now let's see okay when this series is good it's really really good. That said there are some fumbling parts.

Let's start with how this honestly reminds me more of early post crisis Jim Starlin Batman than a lot of modern portrayals. Stuff like Batman not killing but being willing to jump out of the way while two goons gun each other down and I'm fine with that but it is a slight tonal shift from some of Timm's other Batman work.

I like this take on Barbara Gordan and while I hope Timm won't go there again this is a Barbara I wouldn't be completely opposed to having a romance with Bruce because she's far more equal feeling than BTAS Barbara ever got to be before Batman Beyond.

Catwoman is a lot weaker this time around though. She's not bad for a one shot character but if they were going the playful way they played it I'd have rather she be just a recurring bit scattered over other short scenes in multiple episodes instead of introducing her and dropping her in one of such a limited number of episodes.

I also enjoyed the blending of some old classic takes on some villains along with the blending with more modern ones like how they handled Clayface.

Now onto the more reimagined characters I feel the new Harley Quin really works for this series as a departure from some of the more recent modern takes on her. Her earlier appearance seeing through a lot of Bruce's bull shit set up the reveal of this dark take on her Psychiatric practice much better than letting him completely fool her while also not making her too smart and her friendship with Barbara and crush on Renee helped to show hints of modern more redeemable Harley without downplaying that she's dangerous.

The same is true for Alfred as strained as his relationship with Bruce is there's something incredibly tragic in the hints that he desperately wants to fix things so Bruce can be normal and healthy and that he just can't that he knows he missed his chance when Bruce was a kid. His lien about always thinking Therapy might help was just so tinged with regret. . Plus the tantalizing hint at something he desperately doesn't want Batman to know. It's a good hook going forward and seeing things change from Pennyworth to Alfred is an interesting arc to follow on Bruce's side.

I'm not as big a fan of this Two Face since I found Harvey a bit too crooked already to really see it as a good man pushed to the breaking point and as a result Alfred's speech contrasing him with Bruce felt really forced. The fact he died also bugs me as it robs us of Two Face going forward and while I'm fine with villains getting killed to serve the story it just felt a bit incomplete

But the big one is I find myself so torn on is the Penquin. The Penquin as presented is a phenomenol Mob boss character who actually gets to get one over on Batman with the umbrella trick and the cold way she dealt with her sons was chilling.

I just don't feel Penquin from her. Other than the Iceberg lounge, outfit and Umbrella. She screams more showgirl gone bad mob boss than a female version of the classic Penquin and I'm a little disappointed she still has such a classically feminine hour glass figure with a pointed nose instead of a woman with a body that could realistically be nicknamed the Penquin.

Another part I really wasn't feeling was the Cameo by the Robin themed Orphans. It was already pushing it when Dickie and Jase appeared at the start but then we had Stephanie Brown and Carie and it just got too blatant as an in joke which will make it really awkward if this series ever does Robin and has to either dove tail back to these orphans or ignore their existence.

One last thing that last scene was not surprising in the least. I think everyone called it that no Batman series can leave him out of it for long. I will say the voice was an interesting choice and I actually kind of like it.

[robinasnyder]

What I love about this most isn't the normal time travel stuff I love, like future knowledge, but the damn skill gap between the first time Bruce was Batman and now. Because he knows so much, so much that he actually postpones Batman for a month to do some upgrades.

He spends two full days overhauling the Batcomputer to make it a lot closer to what he used to have. He added a ton of notes about what he could remember to the computer the second it was done. He entirely redid his Batsuit so it was stronger, more reinforced and better for his non-fucked up body while also providing extra support for say, his knees and back.

He's actually got a decent work-life balance compared to last time because he has a baby to raise. He'd already started on the playboy bit the moment he got back, and it's super easy to roll into "playboy suddenly has a kid" and just be a dotting father in the press, even if he still pulls dumb shenanigans occasionally.

For a couple months, most of his detective work is just finding out the locations and getting proof bc he doesn't have to investigate what he already knows. He's working more on the police situation and trusts Gordon immediately this time.

He knows about members of the JL but just chooses to not deal with it. They can handle themselves. They did last time.

When Danny is two and suddenly Superman's made his debut, Batman takes a trip to Metropolis to introduce himself. He's kind to Superman, friendly. He tells him to stay out of Gotham unless Batman calls for him, but that Batman will come if he needs help and gives him his number and a JL comm (or what will become a JL comm when the JL comes into existence) .

Superman is so excited and happy, and Bruce lets him in on his identity early. The two even pretend to date for a bit so that Clark can hang out more often.

Danny starts to develop his ghost powers at three.

Superman moves in for a few years to try and help contain Danny's abilities so no one finds out.

Bruce takes Danny and Clark to see Haly's circus when Danny is four. He plans to rescue Dick's parents. Or he means to have Clark do it. He doesn't care how it gets done.

Clockwork freezes him and Clark so that he can't do anything but watch it happen. Clockwork says something about how it's no good to change every event, something Clark hears. Bruce can't give him an explanation immediately because there's a crying, devastated child and Bruce has to help.

He got himself approved to foster ages back, just in case. It's so important for Bruce to be prepared, now more than ever. He's grateful for his foreknowledge, foresight, and paranoia.

Dick never goes anywhere but the hospital, police station and then right to Wayne Manor.

It takes a few days, but eventually, Bruce does explain to Clark what's going on. And he tells him *everything*. He tells Clark about the Justice League, about how Superman dies and comes back, about Conner, about Jon, about Lois. He tells him about Bruce's children, the fights where they stood against each other for, and the ones they fought side by side. All of it comes out.

And then he talks about Clockwork and the deal. And the fact that Clockwork had intervened, which means there are some things that just will happen, and Bruce won't be able to stop it. But he's always going to try.

Dick still becomes Robin, still needs to fight. But he has a new grandfather and two new foster parents and a little brother who calls him "Dididididididi" as he follows along behind him.

Dick is 9, and Danny is 5 when the Justice League forms.

If Bruce was able to beat the JL before when he was still new to all of them, at this point it's easy. He knows them too well. He knows their weaknesses and strengths. Barry and Ollie think he may be a god. Clark tells them about Nightwing, the Kryptonian god of justice and darkness. And then people *really* think Batman is a god, just an alien god. (When Dick takes up the name Nightwing, this doesn't help those rumors at all.)

It suits his purposes.

After a few meetings, Batman calls Captain Marvel to Gotham. He tells him straight out that he knows who he is, he knows he's 9, and also that his own son is 9. He'd always known Billy Batson was small as a child, but seeing him de-transformed, standing on top of Wayne Tower, well, it about kills him.

He takes Billy home, offers him a home or at least safe houses in Fawcett so he can still protect his city, but he doesn't have to be homeless.

Gotham has a lot of unexplained lightnight strikes for about 6 months until Zatara can properly teach Billy how to open teleportation circles.

Billy and Dick get on like a house on fire. Billy thinks Dick's acrobatic skills and self confidence is so cool, and he wants to be just like him. And Dick respects Billy's magic and wishes he could be respected like an adult the way Billy is.

When Billy and Dick are 11 and Danny is 7, Clark finally moves back to Metropolis. All of the boys are heartbroken, but there's no changing it. Clark's in love and wants to marry Lois soon. Clark continues to sleep over two nights a week and is over every day for a little while. This lessens with time, but he never stops being over for multiple hours a week.

Dick starts the Teen Titans when he's 13. Bruce does everything he can to support this endeavor.

When Dick turns 18, he moves out. Bruce tried, but he still has a temper, and so does Dick. Bruce does manage to continue to offer gear. He doesn't ban Dick from coming home. He sends a batch of sweets to Dick's apartment every week. He doesn't try and make him go to college (that much). It's not great, but it's a lot better.

Billy moves out at 18 as well. Because of the way heroing calls him away, he does online classes so he can go at his own pace. He comes home a couple times a week to bake with Alfred and play with his little brother. He doesn't talk to Bruce much, having taken Dick's side in the fight. Plus, Billy is old enough to care for his own city, too. If it weren't for Danny and Alfred, he might not come home at all. (Or at least that's what Bruce is afraid of.)

That same year, in October, Danny wakes up screaming in agony. He remembers how he died. He's starting to get his memories back. And all those powers he had on lock start to go haywire.

One month later, Bruce finds Jason jacking the Batmobile tires.

"Please," he whispers to Clockwork, "does he have to die this time?"

The only answer he gets?

"We'll see."

He brings Jason home.

He calls Dick. He calls Billy. He calls Clark.

He finally lets Dick and Billy in on his big secret. He doesn’t ask them to come home. He tells Dick that he is going to give Jason Robin. He doesn't think he has a choice this time.

He doesn't tell them Jason dies. He doesn't tell them that Clockwork blocked his memories of Jason until he saw him again, so he couldn't try to save Jason's mother. He doesn't tell them about all of their siblings and friends.

Clark heard everything. Besides Bruce, Clark is the only one who knows the full truth. He's also the only one who's been held hostage by Clockwork's machinations.

Bruce couldn't tell the boys everything, as in literally was unable to tell his boys all of it.

He doesn't ask them to come home. He tells them even if he didn't know already what great heroes they were, that he'd know because of everything they've shown them up until that moment. He does ask them to help him with Danny's powers and Jason's abandonment issues.

Neither older boy is happy. But they're smart enough and knowledgeable enough to know that there isn't much arguing with Father Time.

Dick's still bitter about Bruce giving away Robin. Bruce manages to whisper to him that many more people wore the title, and that it was a beautiful legacy, something built on Dick Grayson and his parent's love. It helps the sting.

Jason loves Danny. Danny's grieving a whole life he lost and everyone he loved. He's 14, he's moody and angry and quiet in a way he's never been before. It frightens Bruce. But when Jason's around, Danny loves on him so much. He's two years older than Jason and loves him so much.

Jason still runs away at 15. In the weeks before It's like Jason's having arguments with Bruce that Bruce isn't even a part of. Bruce is begging Clockwork every night to please, this time, let me save him. Please don't make him die.

Jason dies anyway.

Bruce holds his son's dead body and weeps. Clockwork appears at his side.

"Can I have him back sooner?"

"Yes."

"When? Can I just keep his body on ice?"

"No. He needs to be in the ground for it to work."

"Can I find him right after?"

"No."

"Can I find him before he comes back?"

"No."

"What can I do? What use am I?"

"Care for your children. Be patient."

Bruce is just as destroyed as the first time, even knowing Jason will be back. He doesn't bother trying to go after the Joker this time. Clark stays with him, going back and forth between his job and Gotham for a few weeks. He reaches out to the Green Lanterns to try and bring Dick home for the funeral. He's the one who holds Billy when he can't keep up a brave face for Bruce and Danny. He's the one who makes dinner when Alfred can't make himself move for those few days.

Danny is nearly catatonic. He's 17, and his one friend is dead. He'd closed himself off from everyone at school years back. The only person he let in was Jason. And then Jason died horribly, brutally, and practically at Clockwork's hand. Danny doesn't go back to school. He drops out by proxy. Bruce has to help him do everything for a little while. Even when Danny manages to be able to care for himself again, he's so quiet.

Billy, Dick and Clark leave, go back to their lives. Alfred pulls himself together but seems more like a ghost in the manor. (Or better to say that Bruce and Danny are the ghosts, and Alfred can't reach them to help them).

It takes a couple of months, but finally, Danny opens up to Bruce. His silence breaks, and all his fears spill out as gut-wrenching sobs and admissions.

He talks about Dan and the first time he met Clockwork. He talks about everyone he loves dying, him turning evil and killing everyone. When Bruce points out that Vlad doesn't even exist in this universe, that Danny can't become Dan, Danny tells him that he's already older and stronger now than Dan ever was. In his own world, Danny didn't get to exist beyond barely 16. This is the oldest he's ever been.

Danny goes back to his silence, but it's not as heavy. Bruce telling him about how many universes he's seen where Bruce turned evil does help.

Bruce breaks down one evening after beating a couple of muggers far too hard. He hates himself, knows he's better than this, knows what Tim gave up to help him be better, knows that Jason will come back to them, so why can't he keep himself together? Why does this hurt worse somehow? Is it because he knows everything Jason's going to suffer now? Is it because he still can't give Jason what he needs?

That's when a tiny hand grabs onto his gloved hand. There's blood on his glove from the men he'd beaten to the point that Bruce is afraid to check if they're even bleeding. It soils the small hand that squeezes his fingers so tightly.

"I've called the ambulance. We need to go," Tim says to him. "They'll survive, but the police can't see you like this. People can't see you like this."

Batman kidnaps Tim Drake that night. They're both soaked with rain when they arrive to the Batcave. Bruce has to pull off his gloves so he doesn't get blood on the towels, and still has to be careful after that. He gets Tim bundled up, and goes to shower and change.

The surprise on Tim's face when he emerges isn't because he doesn't know who Batman is, but because he couldn't believe Bruce wasn't hiding who he was. But Bruce is so tired of his life and so sick with his own disgust and so, so weak.

"I know who you are. I know you knew who I was. I know you're about to go bother Dick and ask him to be Robin again. It won't work. I know you'll come back here and take Robin instead, because Batman needs a Robin and I'm not able to control myself the way I should be right now. No, I haven't seen you before tonight, even though I've known you're there. You're still my sneakiest child and Damian was raised by ninjas and Danny doesn't need to breath or walk or use doors."

Tim's stunned. He's never heard of Damian, for one. For another, how did Batman know all that?

"Do you have future sight?" Tim asks like the clever boy he is.

"Time Travel," Bruce said. "You were my Robin for a few years, and then you took your own mantel. But you've always been one of my sons. I'm somewhat bound by the contract I signed that let me have a second chance. I'm sorry I couldn't get you before now. I'm sorry you've been alone for so long."

Tim doesn't fall into his arms and sob, but Bruce knows he wants to. He does move into the Manor the next day, and he doesn't move out. Bruce doesn't let Tim live alone this time. He'll make up charges if he had to in order to sever the Drakes' claim to Tim and keep him as his own. He needs Tim too much.

For once, Danny's the one who's pissed. He's pissed because all he sees is Bruce replacing Jason. It's almost laughable, really, hearing Danny shouting the same things (almost verbatim) that Jason shouted at him so many times when he came back.

Danny leaves and he doesn't come back. None of them can contact him. Tim is crushed and offers to leave, apologizes for ruining everything. Bruce holds him for the first time in this world and promises him that isn't true, that Danny's grieving and he doesn't mean it like that.

They don't see Danny again for two years.

Clark's died by that point, and Clark's come back. Superboy's been found. It's cute watching Tim be smitten with the other boy, in a pulling pigtails kind of way.

Clark's prepared for Superboy this time. He accepts him immediately, offers him a place with his wife and son. He tries to help. The two are actually close this time. Bruce is grateful for that. Clark's doing better learning from the past than Bruce is.

One day, not long after Danny's 20th birthday, he shows up through a rip in the fabric of reality. In his arms are a nearly rabid Jason and a surprisingly calm Damian.

"Dad, take this one. Jay and I need to fight this out."

"Try not to break anything important or disturb the bats."

"Got it!" Danny chirps with a wide grin. He's gotten so big. He's not that quiet, broken teenager anymore. He's a man, an adult, and bright and happy the way he was before he got his memories back at 14.

Bruce doesn't know what happened, but Danny's better than before. And Bruce is holding Damian, who's even smaller than he remembers.

"B, what even?" Tim asks, half in and half out of his Robin suit, too stunned to finish changing one direction or the other.

"Meet your little brother, Damian," Bruce says.

"The one raised by ninjas?" Bruce didn't talk about Cass, Damian, or Duke. But he'd let slip about Damian once, and, like always, Tim never forgets.

Damian immediately starts talking about the League and his whole thing about being the blood son. Bruce places a hand over his little mouth, stopping him before he gets too far. Damian's even younger and his eyes fill with fear he can't quite hide.

"I love you all equally. I've been wanting to meet you again, Habibi. It's been too many years since I last held you. At least for me."

"You met me?" The question Damian's really asking is "why did you leave me?"

"In another life," Bruce tells him. "You were a strong partner and one of my beloved children. I'm grateful I get you two years earlier this time."

Damian, who's confused, but who's grandfather is practically immortal, rolls with it and just lets Bruce hold him while they watch Danny poke and prod and goad Jason, flying and staying *just* out of reach. He keeps it up until Jason's suddenly flying too. Jason's nearly frothing at the mouth with rage when Danny starts to lead him on a chase, but the more he flies, the more Danny coaxes him to use ghost powers, the more Jason relaxes.

That's how Bruce learns that the crap that makes up a Lazarus Pit is ectoplasm, and that Jason isn't the same as Danny, but he's halfa too.

When the fight finally ends, and his middle sons land nearby, Bruce hands Damian to Tim and goes and grabs Jason into a bone breaking hug. Jason ends up sobbing into his shoulder before it's all over.

Danny has to take Damian from Tim before he gets too squirmy. And while Bruce is focused on Jason, Danny gives Tim a heartfelt and sincere apology for everything he said. He was hurt and angry, and Tim didn't do anything wrong, and in fact, it seems like he held the family together really well.

Bruce hears about this from Tim later, who's so excited and proud to be recognized for the work he's dond. It hurts Bruce because he knows he leans on Tim too much. It hurts that even Danny can see it. Bruce suggests Tim ask Danny about his old life. After all, Danny knows a few things about having to hold a situation and a group of people, which is and who are, rapidly unraveling and pulling at the seams.

Jason finally gets an explanation, about Bruce's experience in his old life, about the way Bruce failed before, about the way Bruce tried and begged and pleaded and bargained, trying to save Jason, or not bring him into the situation. About Jason having the arguments he had with the Bruce he was before that the current Bruce wasn't participating in. He talks to him about Red Hood and their family and his knowledge that Jason probably does need to go back to Crime Alley and that he is a force for good and that Bruce loves him.

It's healing for both of them.

Jasom stays for a month before he leaves. He lets Dick and Billy constantly hug him and ruffle his hair. He follows Danny around like a duckling all over again. He carries Damian around on his shoulders. He cracks jokes with Tim.

They can't stay like that, but it's a good time.

Bruce refuses to let Damian have Robin at 8. Tim's got it for at least another two, three or four years, thank you very much. Dick, seeing the same trouble he saw last time, takes Damian as his sidekick in Bludhaven. It's not Robin, not yet. But Bruce is grateful, because Damian and Dick's relationship was always so special.

Danny and Bruce talk. Danny gets everything on Cass, Steph and Duke, and collects them early. Bruce couldn't save Barbara from the Joker. He couldn't stop Harvey from becoming Two-Face, he couldn't keep Harley away from the Joker. He couldn't stop people from becoming who they were before. But he could help them sooner, encourage them with what he knew. For instance, he could help Harley and Ivy meet. He could try to talk to Harley about healthy relationships. He could offer understanding that was more pointed. He could save lives he hadn’t managed to before.

He could help.

His body had been honed to a sharp knife back in the old world. But with the amount of experience and skill Bruce started with this second time, the injuries he was able to avoid, he was a much more effective hero.

Then the worst came, the threat that killed so many, including Bruce’s entire family. Well, this time, there isn't the same type of distrust. There's no hesitation.

When Billy's voice is stolen by a magical enemy, he's able to fight in other ways, and manages to steal it back and defeat his foe, when he'd simply been killed before.

When the invasion happens in Crime Alley, Steph and Tim are right there with Jason. None of them die alone like they did before. None of them die at all.

When the monster drags Bludhaven into the ocean, Dick and Damian had already been evacuating people for a while. They aren't trapped with everyone else when the city sinks. They're able to rush back to Gotham when Tim calls for help.

When the invader nearly rips Superman in two, his two sons are there, and able to rescue him so that the three of them can defeat their enemy together.

When Darkseid arrives, Danny is at Bruce’s side, willing and able to be a hero when he's shied away from it before. Bruce gets to see just how powerful Danny really is.

It ends in death. It ends in victory.

There are casaulties, people Bruce cared about. But this time is family is alive, and bigger than before. Bruce grieves the loss of life, but for once he accepts that he did everything he could, that there's only so much he could do, that he saved so many lives, that he's just a man. And he accepts that he can be okay with that.

The heroes have lost.

Superman, Wonder Woman, and Shazam are dead. The only thing that’s kept Batman alive was his wit, but that’s not enough.

His wit didn’t save his children.

His wit didn’t save Alfred.

His wit didn’t stop the world from burning.

He’s become desperate for a miracle. He had never been desperate before, but all hope had been lost. He was one of the last teams of heroes that had survived the initial onslaught. He had no contingency plans, nothing he could invent. No weapon, no weakness.

His desperate plea was so strong it went through the fabric of the dimensions. Clockwork, who normally had no intention of looking into that dimension, decided to look at the timeline. He didn’t like what he saw, so he appeared before Bruce Wayne in the middle of the night. After a brief discussion, he decided to send Bruce back in time.

When Bruce opened his eyes next, he scrambled to find the date. He almost laughed in relief when he realized that this was the day he had become Batman. The day he had first donned the cowl. He was over twenty years in the past, and he still had the knowledge of what had brought the timeline to the brink of disaster last time.

Clockwork gave him a gift. A son named Danny, to be raised by Bruce. The boy was a newborn infant, with a head full of black hair and startling blue eyes. He didn’t know what Danny’s backstory was, or why Clockwork had possession of the infant, but he wasn’t going to ask questions. His world was safe, and he had another chance to prevent the end of the world twenty years early.

He would love his son as if he was his own flesh and blood. Then he would be the best Batman the world had ever seen.

[thehitchhikerguide]

Season 1, Episode 1: Shattered Vows

Many times the first episode of a series isn't the best example of the show. It may not have figured out what it wants to be yet or maybe the characters haven't been fully realized. But let me tell you, this episode as a first start was fantastic. It pretty much had everything you would expect - the semi famous actors, supernatural forces coming out of nowhere, the crazy scenarios and the sexy results.

What I did notice though, in these early episodes, they seem to not really know what to do with this Hitchhiker character and how to relate him to these stories. I also need to mention that Page Fletcher was not actually the first Hitchhiker and the first few episodes were filmed with an actor named Nicholas Campbell playing the title character. The only version I can find of this episode was the version where they re-filmed his shots with Page Fletcher, so I'm not sure if anything was changed. In this particular episode, the Hitchhiker is shown hitchhiking and the main character's car drives past him fast, not bothering to stop for him. This appears to be his first mistake, possibly contributing to his downfall at the end.

But let's get into it. The episode starts with Jeff, played by Bruce Greenwood. This actor has been in a lot of things, but I mainly know him from the mostly forgotten late 1990s movie Disturbing Behavior. Yeesh, not even that awesome Harvey Danger song could save that movie. Anyways, he's apparently a professional water-skier, who doesn't like picking up hitchhikers. The Hitchhiker describes him as "not a bad guy" but comments that ambition can take people places they wouldn't usually go. This water-skier is soon to be in water way over his head.

After almost hitting the Hitchhiker with his car, he goes to an old Eastern European woman's house. We find out this is his grandmother and she is giving him a wedding gift, a old figurine of an old couple.

Thanks grandma, I'm sure this will totally fit in with my freewheeling, waterskiing lifestyle. He mentions something about how he is going to be living in a big house after he is married, so we can assume he is marrying for money. Waterskiing doesn't pay too much I guess.

Then we meet his wife-to-be or the old bag I guess. She is a very attractive semi-older woman played by Alexandra Stewart. She looked so familiar to me, but looking at what she's done, I realized I was remembering her from a couple episodes of Highlander, the series. They have sex while a bird watches.

It's hard to tell from this screenshot, but this bird is definitely forced to watch their intimacy and if you think that doesn't come up later, you are wrong.

After the soft core, we get a nice establishing dinner scene. Introducing, the sexy step-daughter, who says...well I have no idea. Let's just call her Mushmouth.

This is the old bride-to-be's step-daughter and you can tell there is some friction between the two and maybe some heat between her and Jeff?

He's just watching his favorite TV channel, the pool, when what do we have here? They have sex in a jacuzzi while there are no birds watching.

Then the blessed day arrives! The wedding day is here and I mean I know this was filmed in Canada but why is this bride dress like Anne of Avonlea? We get it, she's old.

This is where we find out all about Mushmouth's inheritance which she only gets if her step-mother dies. Hmmm interesting.

Then the maid, Edith Bunker lights candles on the wedding cake right near that old figurine from Grandma.

The wedding couple suddenly feel like they are burning up and then...

The couple also falls over after this figurine falls and gets a face full of cake. You know, I'm getting some serious Teen Witch vibes from this when she makes that voodoo doll of her teacher. That bird is watching this too by chance. Is this like The Crow, and the Hitchhiker is seeing all this through from the bird's point of view?

After another experiment involving the figurine, Jeff has now pieced together the connection and has a brilliant plan for being able to have his cake and eat it too. He will kill his new-old bride using the figurine so that he can have the young girl and all the money...wait did she say she was going to stay with him after she got her inheritance? Boy this guy is confident.

The plan starts with Jeff taking his new-old wife's friend scuba diving. Because you know he's a water-skier, so he's an expert. They don't get far from the land while Mushmouth is taking part in the other part of the plan, placing a glass case over the figurine.

Jeff has his regulator in, so he can breathe fine, but his wife suffocates and dies. Wow, I can't believe that worked.

After the funeral, it's time to have sex, and that bird is kept from the action yet again. He must not be happy about it because he squawks like crazy, escapes the cage and makes his way towards that figurine. You would think if this thing was basically the cause for his life and death, they would keep it in a safer place.

Blood starts pouring out of Jeff. Before you can say "scratch his eyes out", the bird does just that. By scratching the figurine of course.

He runs outside and then...shattered vows.

Mushmouth has nothing left to do but stare confused at what happened. Well at least she's rich right?

The Hitchhiker doesn't have anything too clever to close this, by voiceover only at this point. Something about stumbling into Hell.

Okay, but my question is why didn't the waterskiing come up again? Wouldn't it have made more sense if he was a scuba diving instructor at the beginning? It never comes back around.

All in all, a great start to this series. You get deception, someone wanting too much and a horrific, confusing ending. I can't wait to see what's next on this Hitchhiker's adventure.