#i mean the project did make him that way but still

[too-much-tma-stuff]

Sibling Bonding (Part 5)

Masterpost

Danny went to bed early that night, shooing Damian out of his room and setting up the galaxy projector Bruce had bought him. Laying on his bed under the images of stars he relaxed, tracing them slowly with his eyes to memorize them. Tomorrow he would compare the projection to the pictures in his books to find out if it was really correct and if not he’d make the adjustments when he put up his own glow in the dark stars. Dick was coming back to visit tomorrow as well, hopefully he’d arrive early enough Danny could enlist his help putting them up, he couldn’t exactly reach the ceiling on his own after all. Not without considerable suspicion anyway.

He was looking forward to it! He hugged his alien plush to his chest and fell asleep without turning the nightlight off.

His dreams found him floating, drifting in a void before he heard a distant but urgent call. He flipped over, urging himself towards the sound till he was surrounded once more by toxic green light and ever more urgent need but also safety. It protected him, but it needed him. It showed him portals of swirling green into a realm of infinite doors, floating islands, and stars, it beckoned him home, a bright beacon to follow, all he needed to do was follow the lines and open a portal. The call made it seem so easy but even in his sleep Danny knew it wasn’t so! If he answered the call it would take years! Did they have years? Maybe, time didn’t have much meaning to such a powerful, ancient, mindless force, it could be centuries or weeks.

Danny started awake with a haggard gasp, twitching with imaginary aftershocks of the lightning that had raced through his body when he’d first died. He breathed in, and out, and his breath out tingled with cold on his tongue. He swallowed thickly and leaned over, knocking a familiar rhythm on the wall between his and Damian’s room. After a long moment the knock was returned and Danny slid out of bed, padding out of his own room and down the hall a little to slip into Damian’s. He avoided his brother’s traps with ease of practice and locked the door behind him before going to slip into his twin’s bed.

“Nightmare?” Damian murmured softly, shifting closer and reaching out to hold Danny’s wrist.

“Yes,” Danny sighed softly, closing his eyes.

“About the pits?” Damian asked and Danny hummed an affirmative.

“I hoped once we were so far away I’d stop hearing the call,” He admitted, feeling Damian’s fingers twitch around his wrist. Danny had only mentioned the call a couple of times before. “I hoped it wouldn’t be able to reach me here, but I still hear it.”

“What does it want,” Damian asked softly.

Danny sighed and closed his eyes more tightly, biting his lip as he considered that. “It wants me to come home, it says it needs me.”

“It wants you to go back?... Back into the pit?” Damian asked sounding scared, Danny should have thought about how that sounded.

“Yes. But I’m not going to listen to it,” He promised softly. “We have to stick together after all, right?” He got a hum and a gentle squeeze on his wrist.

“Will you be able to get back to sleep?” Damian asked after a moment of quiet.

“I’ll be fine, go back to sleep Damian. Father will probably take you shopping tomorrow, you should be well rested,” Danny assured his brother, shifting just a little closer. He didn’t think he would be able to go back to sleep if he was honest but Damian should still sleep.

Damian hummed in agreement in a way that said he was already half asleep. Danny settled down again and closed his eyes, but he was afraid that if he went back to sleep he would hear the call again. He didn’t hear it every night, but he heard it regularly, and he didn’t want too. He didn’t think that it was bad, the call sounded like home, it needed him, it was hurt and it needed to be healed. He understood, sort of, that the pit was a wound, and there were many pits, many such wounds. But how? He was too young! Hopefully the experiments on the Lazarus water he was planning to do with father and Tim would help him find how to help.

He lay there in the dark, listening to Damian breath for a long time, thinking about everything and nothing. He finally dozed off but he only slept lightly through the rest of the night and woke up to the sound of footsteps in the hall as Tim left his room. Danny carefully extricated himself from Damian, he couldn’t do it without waking Damian up, they were both too well trained for that, but he could do it without making him panic.

He left the room, closing the door softly, though Tim still turned around at the sound. Danny gave him a little wave and smiled, Tim raised his eyebrows at Danny coming out of his brothers room. Danny shrugged and walked back to his room, he wasn’t really expecting Tim to come back and meet him in the middle.

“Everything okay?” He asked softly and Danny nodded.

“Of course, just a nightmare. I’ll see you at breakfast,” Danny assured before ducking back into his room before he could be asked what his nightmare had been about. He got dressed quickly and headed down to the kitchen, following the sound of soft music to where Alfred was preparing breakfast.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Danny asked, and only the slight hitch in Alfred’s motions betrayed that Danny had startled him. He was going to have to make more effort to make noise as he walked so he wouldn’t startle anyone in the family, he knew was nearly silent when he wasn’t paying attention.

“Do you have any experiencing cooking master Danny?” He asked looking over at the young man with a barely perceptible eyebrow raise.

“Well no,” Danny admitted, rubbing at the back of his neck. “The Demon Head’s Heir’s always had better thing to do,” He said with a little sneer as he imitated his grandfather’s words. “But I would like to learn, and I’m skilled with knives for obvious reason, so if anything needs chopping…” He trailed off with a hopeful look on his face.

“Alright young master, I’ve had to ban half your siblings and your father from the kitchen, but I do try to give every new child a chance,” he agreed. He looked thoughtfully around the kitchen. “Well I’m making oatmeal this morning so there isn’t much I need help with, though I suppose as long as you can be trusted not to injure yourself or others you can help me chop up some fruit for on top.

“You know, I didn’t get to ask before if you or your brother have any dietary requirements or preferences?” He asked as he laid out some washed fruit on a cutting board and handed Danny one of the kitchen knives, watching him intently as he started to cut them up.

“We’re not picky, we were raised eating whatever was available as long as we didn’t suspect it of poison,” Danny said with a bitter little chuckle. “That being said I would certainly prefer not to eat anything with a slimy texture, or with a lot of vinegar. And I think… I think Damian would prefer not to eat meat. But I can’t speak for him obviously, I wouldn’t make changes unless he asks, but if you find a way to drop into conversation that that might be an option with him, I think we’d both appreciate it,” Danny said thoughtfully as he cut up the fruit to Alfred’s satisfaction.

“Thank you for the information master Danny,” Alfred hummed, nodding to himself as he decided Danny actually could be trusted with the knife and went to stir the big pot of oatmeal on the stove, tasting it and adding a little more honey.

“How come he’s not band from the kitchen?” Tim asked from the doorway with his arms crossed and a performative pout.

“I have yet to see any evidence that master Danny will physically injure himself when attempting to help,” Alfred said with a small sniff and Danny couldn’t help but laugh.

“Don’t worry Tim, I’m sure I’ll get banned soon enough as well,” Danny joked as he poured the chopped strawberries into bowl and moved on to chunking the apples. Alfred grabbed a bag of walnuts and added some to one of the bowls as well as some other potential toppings for the oatmeal.

“If you would like to help, Master Tim, you can begin bringing these bowls out to the kitchen, and set the table,” Alfred directed brusquely, pushing them into Tim’s hands.

“Darn, I should have kept my mouth shut,” Tim said ruefully, but that was his only comment as he started ferrying things to the kitchen and setting the table. When he finished Alfred rewarded him with a mug of coffee Tim gleefully snatched and went to sit down at the same place at the table he had sat in at every meal.

“Is there assigned seating?” Danny murmured to Alfred worriedly, He and Damian hadn’t always sat in the same seats, they hoped they weren’t breaking house rules.

“Not as such,” Alfred said slowly. “But Tim, Bruce, and Cass all find comfort in routine, so they sit in the same places at the table every day. You don’t have to follow the same routine, but I’m sure they would appreciate you not sitting in their seats.”

“That’s good to know, thank you Alfred,” He said with a nod, filing that information away for later. “I’m going to go see if Damian is up and ready for breakfast,” He said, slipping out of the kitchen and trotting up the stairs. He knocked on Damian’s door softly, and got no response. When he opened the door a little, just enough to peek in, Damian wasn’t there and he hadn’t been down in the kitchen or dining room. He must be of snooping, Danny gave a long suffering sigh and went to check the nearest rooms.

He wasn’t overly surprised when he found Damian in Tim’s room but he frowned disapprovingly nonetheless. “Come on Damian, it’s time for breakfast, you don’t want to be caught in here,” He chided, beckoning for Damian to come out.

“I know, usually you would be the one sneaking around to gather intel like this but since you’re shirking that responsibility it falls to me to find out what we need to know,” He sniffed as he ducked back out. Probably just hiding his embarrassment.

“We agreed to wait a while before we acted on anything. So I’m just enjoying being away from the League for a while, you should too,” Danyal said rolling his eyes. “But if you feel that way I’ll have a look around when you go out with father. The fewer people in the house the easier it will be after all.”

Damian harumphed but nodded, with that settled they were quiet the rest of the way down to breakfast, finding Bruce had come down. Danny sat down at the table, Damian sat across from rather then next to him this morning. Cass was the last person to join them that morning and the Alfred started bringing out the oatmeal for them.

“So I mentioned yesterday today I’m planning to take Damian out to get clothes and whatnot,” Bruce said once he’d folded up his newspaper and set it aside. “But before we go out I’d like to have an little meeting with both of you in my office, it’s nothing bad I promise. We just need to talk about how we’re going to handle introducing both of you to the general public.”

“Yes father,” The twins said automatically and in unison, the same way they would respond to grandfather or mother. Danny sighed and ran a hand back through his hair, he didn’t like that automatic response.

Tim seemed to think it was amusing, until he saw the expression on Cass face, who clearly understood the implications, then he frowned. Cass had been raised in the league too after all, Danny wasn’t sure if that made him want to bond with her or avoid the hell out of her.

To change the subject Tim started to talk about the tests he wanted to do now that they had access to some of the Lazarus Water. Danny leaned forward, joining in with the conversation, bouncing ideas back and forth till Bruce had to join in to reign them in a little bit when it was obvious the two of them would go overboard if left on their own. Danny kept his expression blank and didn’t pout about that, though it did worry him that they might not be able to find out what he needed to know under their father’s limitations.

Once they finished breakfast they stacked their dishes out of habit, Tim and Bruce trying it as well though they did a worse job then the twins. They just needed more practice, it was obvious they could be good at just about anything they applied themselves to.

“Alright, come up to my office with me please,” Bruce beckoned to his two youngest sons, leading the way up to his large office with the grandfather clock. He sat behind his desk and gestured to the seats across from him, Danny and Damian settled in the fairly comfortable chairs. Danny wondered briefly if Bruce might switch them out for less comfortable chairs if he ever had to have a meeting here with someone that he liked less.

“This was in the paper this morning,” Bruce said, handing the paper he’d been reading over to them. It wasn’t the front page with ho many rogue attacks Gotham had, but it was close, a big article with a blurry picture of Bruce and Danny. “There’s really no point denying I have a new ward given how many clothes I was buying Danny. And by tonight they’ll know about both of you, though there will be some chatter about whether you’re the same person,” He chuckled resting his elbows on the desk and lacing his fingers together.

“I don’t want that, and I also don’t ant to funny expose either of you to the media yet. So my plan is to do a press conference announcing both of your existence, as my biological sons,” He inclined his head to Damian who preened a little. “I only found out about both of you recently when you came to live with me, but you came from a bad home and you’ll need more time to settle in before being exposed to the masses. I’ll sign you up for school starting next semester, so in about 4 months. And a month or so before that we’ll start easing you in to going a couple of galas and controlled interviews so the novelty of you existing has worn off some before being integrated with your peers.”

“They won’t be our peers, they’re civilians. They will not be on our level,” Damian scoffed crossing his arms over his chest. “But your plan is acceptable, though I would much prefer to be home-schooled. I’m sure we’re leagues ahead of the other children our age who weren’t put through such rigorous training,” He said with a disdainful sniff.

“You probably are academically but it would help you to socialize with people your own age, if only to sure up your secret identity if you want to join me in the field. We can’t have anyone making connections between either of you and Batman after all,” Bruce pointed out. Damian tilted his head to the side a little as he considered and then nodded, accepting their father’s reasons.

“Would you like to help me write the initial announcement about the two of you?” Bruce asked the two of them.

“I would like that,” Danny said quickly, Damian nodded along.

“Alright, we’ll have to do that tomorrow because I don’t want to start my shopping trip with Damian too late, but I will call you both back in here tomorrow so we can write the speech and I can schedule the press conference.” He looked at them both, waiting for their confirmation before he nodded and stood. “Good, that was all I needed to talk to both of you about for now. Are you ready to go out Damian?” He asked looking at the green eyes twins.

“Yes, of course,” Damian agreed, getting up from his chair, hands folded politely behind his back.

“Good, you’ll be alright Danny?” Bruce asked and Danny gave their father a crooked smile and nodded.

“Of course I will, I’ll try to bond with Tim, and maybe Dick some depending when he arrives today,” Danny agreed easily.

“Hm, like Damian did yesterday?” He asked eyeing the younger twin with a disapproving frown, Damian winced. “Yes I know about that, we’ll be talking about it later,” Bruce told Damian firmly, making Danny wince as well.

“No, not like Damian did,” Danyal assured, softly and a little guilty because it felt to some degree like he was throwing his brother under the bus. Should he do something to get himself in trouble to take the attention off of Damian? It wouldn’t be the first time but… he didn’t really want to this time. “I hope you have a good day!” He said, waving to his brother and father before ducking out and going to go find Tim in his bedroom. The door was partially open but Danny knocked on it anyway to alert Tim to his presence.

“Hey, are you busy?” Danny asked, tilting his head a little. The wary look Tim gave him could only be a result of whatever Damian had done yesterday and Danny had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from wincing.

“No,” Tim drawled, his sharp eyes watching Danny’s movements, his shoulders tensed in case he needed to defend himself.

“In that case I was hoping you’d show me how to play some of you video games?” He requested, edging inside Tim’s room. “I think you and I might have similar tastes, but I know very little modern media, and I have nothing else today?” He asked, giving Tim his best puppy dog eyes.

“Uhh sure, I have some work I need to do for Wayne Enterprises and some cases but I can take a break to show you some stuff,” Tim agreed, closing his laptop and getting up. Danny smiled and came further into Tim’s room as he set up one of the gaming systems and perused. “We’ll have to start with something pretty simple till you get the hang of the controls, so a Mario game with multiplayer would be good,” He mused and grabbed a game.

“Sure, sounds good,” Danny agreed with some idea what Mario was, and settled in for a morning of frustration and fun as he tried to get a hang of the controls. He got it pretty well and started to have fun, though after a couple levels he still got tired and they stopped, switching to Tim showing him a movie Danny ‘just had to see' and talking a bit about what Danny should expect when he and Damian were enrolled in school. It was invaluable information really since neither of the twins had ever set foot in a school, Danny would pass on the information later.

When Danny heard a bit of a ruckus downstairs that indicated Dick had arrived he left Tim to his work and went to greet his oldest brother. He trotted downstairs, bracing himself for being hugged before he came around the corner and smiled at Dick. “Hello again,” He said brightly, and was ready for it this time when Dick gasped and rushed over to hug him tightly.

“Hello Danny! It’s good to see you again!” Dick greeted as Danny laughed and patted the older man’s back. “How have you been settling in? Where’s your shadow?” He asked curiously.

“We’ve been settling in alright, Damian is out shopping with father. I went out yesterday, and while we were out I got some glow in the dark stars. I’d like to put them up on my ceiling in he form of the constellations here, but I can’t reach the ceiling…” He trailed off and gave Dick puppydog eyes that made the older man laugh.

“Of course I’ll help you put them up Danny, I can lift you up so you can reach the ceiling no problem,” He assured, putting Danny down and releasing him.

“Thank you!” Danny said, already trotting off towards his bedroom with Dick on his heels. When they reached his room Danny grabbed one of his book of astronomy, opening the book to the two page spread of the night sky. Danny scanned the ceiling quickly, making quick calculations of how the small image would translate to his larger ceiling. “Okay, I’d like to start in the middle and go out in a sort of spiral I think,” He mused as Dick came over to look at the book over his shoulder.

“That makes sense. You really like the stars huh?” He asked, no judgment, just open, good natured curiosity.

“I do! They’re really interesting,” Danny agreed, putting down the book and grabbing the first pack of glow in the dark stars, padding to the center of the room. “Okay, lift me up please?” Danny asked, pointing at the ceiling. Dick saluted with a good-natured laugh, coming over to pick Danny up so he could start arranging the stars. This was going to take hours, but neither of them minded, focusing on the stars the contact bothered Danny much less, and Dick was thrilled to get to bond with his new little brother, and with the excuse to hold him. Sure by the end Dick’s arms were a bit sore from the workout, but that was a small price to pay!

[cripplecharacters]

Hi, 

So, I have written expression disorder and dysgraphia, which means this might be a bit rambly or unclear but I’ll try my best to stay on as clear and as brief as I can. 

I’m currently writing a fanfiction for Wynonna Earp as a way to improve my writing skills without needing to stress about it. Background on the show: It’s a supernatural show based around a descendant of Wyatt Earp who was a legal officer in the wild west and got involved in a massive feud. It also has his friend Doc Holliday becoming immortal and being a love interest for the main character. The primary reason I’m doing this is because I dislike how they portrayed Doc Holliday in the series (often outright the opposite of the reality) and also because they just left out the fact he was disabled completely. Due to a gunshot wound when he was fairly young, probably along with weakness due to having tuberculosis for most of his adult life, which did eventually kill him, he used a cane part time. He also had a cleft lip and palate that was surgically corrected and he got surgery for it as an infant and had speech therapy, which doesn’t really seem to have impacted his adult life much in what I’m writing.

 I do have chronic pain due to an injury which was pretty bad when I was younger, so having a character who’s portrayed as dealing with that and continuing to be brave and selfless would have meant the whole world to me at that point in my life and still will. But as I was doing research I ran into a few things I knew very little about. 

My own disabilities are invisible, which means that I don’t have much experience with how people respond to seeing mobility aids. It would be interesting to show people’s responses, especially since he pretty famously took offense easily and didn’t leave things alone. There’s a fun scene there but I’m not sure what a common response to set it off would be. The biggest problem I have, that I haven’t been able to find a lot about: according to a medical article I read even when it’s cured people who had tuberculosis typically have some lung damage. I haven’t been able to find a lot on how that would impact someone day to day. He was cured of it magically but the idea of there still being damage makes sense based on the in universe rules and also someone being magically cured is generally considered not good. So how would it impact someone on a daily basis?

There’s some things in the research I did that make me think he was autistic (namely literal thinking to the point where he almost killed someone due to not understanding that a duel was meant to be a joke as a teen). Or maybe I’m just projecting because I am. Any ideas for how somebody who grew up in a time where nuerodivergence just wasn’t known would accommodate himself and be helped by friends? How would they understand it at that time?

How in general do friends respond to disabilities and try to help now?

There’s a few other things but they’re mainly just me being a beginner writer who doesn’t honestly. Thank you so much for reading through this even if you don’t end up responding!

[part 2] clarification: I meant the cleft palate wouldn't come up in what I'm writing because he's an adult and it didn't seem to have huge bearing on his adult life. I'm so sorry I left out part of that sentence in my ask bc I have a learning disability! didn't mean to! I'm so sorry and thank you again!

Hello!

People respond in many ways. In the modern west a lot of it involves random strangers being intrusive as shit ("what happened to you??") but in historical times I think it would be more of avoidance, especially if he has visible symptoms of tuberculosis. People still think that "visibly disabled person coughing = plague". If you're going for historical accuracy, it wouldn't really surprise me if strangers didn't want to sit next to him.

Long tuberculosis (affecting 25% of those who had TB) seems to be very similar to COPD, so the main day-to-day effect would probably be fatigue, being out of breath after physical exertion, etc. COPD is an incredibly common disability so you should be able to find a lot of info about it and how it can be managed.

Friends will also respond in many ways, and it also depends a lot on the disabled person. This guy sounds like the "hyper-independent physically disabled man" type and in my experience most of them don't talk about their needs much, especially not with the boys. In this case the accommodation is often just silently agreed on after spending some time together (e.g., after a few times going out they can see how annoyed he gets when they suddenly change plans so they learn to tell him as soon as they know, if he drops something they pick it up for him without saying anything since they know it's tiring for him to get up, etc.). If they know him well enough to know he takes offense easily they probably wouldn't bring up his inability to do something to not upset him and try to work around it instead.

I don't have enough historical knowledge to answer the second question, so I'll leave it to other mods. But I think it'd make sense if they just thought he was eccentric or weird rather than having a medical condition.

Hope this helps,

mod Sasza

Hello, thank you for your ask! In regards to the second question, it would depend on his symptoms, how well/if he could mask, and how other people view(ed) him.

I'm assuming he's level 1 / low support needs, as you don't mention him having a caretaker or difficulty doing tasks. Some of the examples include specific autistic traits that he may or may not have/used to have, they're mostly there to be examples. These are also assuming you're writing him as an adult only, if you want some info on how it would be like growing up during this time let us know!

Without good knowledge of autism, most people would think he's very strange if he cannot [fully] mask. Flat affect, lack of social understanding and other symptoms would make most allistic people uncomfortable, with responses ranging from thinking he's just weird [and would want to avoid him] to believing he's angry at them specifically [and would either want to avoid him or get aggressive themselves]. Most people will probably just see it as character quirks rather than symptoms of anything, or even think he's choosing to act the way he does. His friends would most likely be other neurodivergent people who either experience the same symptoms or don't have enough of a social understanding to realize he's not acting 'correctly' if he doesn't mask.

Unless his friends/family experience similar symptoms to him, they probably wouldn't understand why he does/reacts the way he does. This isn't to say they wouldn't try to accommodate him still, that moreso depends on the individual, but those who don't understand might try to push him to 'get over it' more than someone who gets it. Like Sasza said, over time his friends would be able to accommodate him by noticing what makes him upset/happy and how to help. 'Doc likes to keep his hands busy so I gave him my butterfly knife to spin' or ' the yelling in the hall was bothering him so I asked if he wanted to go to outside with me' could be ways of accommodating him without realizing, basically seeing his symptoms and trying to find an easy solution to help, wether or not they understand them. They could also give him unhelpful solutions while trying to accommodate, which would probably just further stress Doc if given in a stressful situation. Essentially unless he knows what helps and tells them it would be a guessing game for them [if he does that or his friend[s] respect it depends on them]. Try to think of his symptoms and what might be available at the time to help [like stim toys didn't exist back then but butterfly knives did, and ear defenders weren't a thing but he could walk away if needed].

As to how he'd accommodate himself, he wouldn't know words like 'stim' or 'overstimulated,' but if he doesn't care about/understand social norms he would be more likley to 'move in odd ways' or exit an upsetting area. A more socially conscious person might try to hide it, like using small tactile stims [i.e. rubbing a cloth or tapping his foot] or making excuses to leave an upsetting area. He might also be able to mask and try to just bear it, only unmasking around friends or in private.

Also the wiki said he was born in 1851 but died in 2020, and although autism would be named during his lifetime I'm not sure he would identify with it. The first medical documentation of autism was in 1877, and at the time it was called developmental [r-slur]. I doubt he'd want to identify with that, and even later on autism was only ever studied in children, and of course was not thought of well. It was thought to be caused by cold parenting or a form of psychosis/schizophrenia exclusive to children in the early to mid 1900's. For many, many years the only idea of autism he'd have would essentially be that. Because most studies at the time thought autism could be 'grown out of' [with exception to higher support needs people] he'd have lived most of his life at that point believing it was a child only disease. Even if he hadn't heard about autism until the late 1900's-early 2000's, it was still thought of as a stigmatized childhood disease by the public until recently [even by people today, hence the blog's existence]. If he's the type of character to be less set in his opinions at an old age then maybe later he could read on modern autism and identify with it, but I find older people tend to prefer dismissing disability for the sake of avoiding any change.

I hope this was at all helpful!

Mod Rot

[avayarising]

Bruce’s first death: the Death Cheaters

(Part of the Batfam Death Project)

Batman 1:72, 1952

Bruce’s first death happens all the way back in 1952, when Dick is probably somewhere around twelve to thirteen. Some other people who have died (flatlined) and come back to life have started a club, but now the members of this club have started being killed off! Bruce’s solution? Poison himself and then get resuscitated so he can join the club and investigate the murders from the inside!

Because of course that’s a proportionate response.

Poor Dick is the one who has to perform CPR on Bruce. (If he hadn’t been a trained vigilante and acrobat he probably would not have had the upper body strength for it. That doctor certainly doesn’t look as if he does.)

And Dick is absolutely terrified. Look at his little face! He could lose another parent here. He blames himself for ‘letting’ Bruce do this in the first place, as if he could have stopped him. And it’s clear he carries on the CPR long after the doctor had given up.

And he’s so relieved and exhausted when Bruce starts breathing again he nearly faints.

How could you do this to him, Bruce? To Dick, who is already traumatised by the loss of his first parents?

Bruce, by contrast, is fully confident this will work. He never has a moment’s doubt. I really don’t think he realises how much stress he’s putting Dick under. (Nor I think does Dick tell him how afraid he is, but then he really shouldn’t have to!)

Much much later, in Batman 2:39 (2015) Bruce is thinking about his own mortality and his lack of belief in it.

He has deliberately trained himself not to believe in his own mortality, and he did that first, before any of his other training. Which explains how he can poison himself to death so blithely and confidently assume that he will come back. And he has completely forgotten that even if he doesn’t believe in his own death, Dick has no such mental construction.

Yikes.

Now to be fair this is the New 52 when everyone’s backstories have changed. In actual comic time when Dick was Robin I’ve so far only been able to find one other actual death by the terms defined for this project (Batman: The Brave and the Bold 1:115, 1974), though there have been several more fake deaths and near deaths.

But that still means there is some world where Dick, whose parents died suddenly and violently in front of him, had to live with his new parent dying in front of him often enough that he could joke that it happened every weekend.

This is obviously a coping mechanism on Dick’s part – you can tell because he doesn’t mention anyone he might actually like to hear from, like his parents. It looks like Bruce still has no idea how hard it is on Dick.

But I do find it very interesting that a storyline written in 2015, in the New 52, makes characterisation sense of a story written in 1952.

The Batfam Death Project Masterpost

[gliphyartfan]

Lately I've been feeling bad and feel like I'm going to hurt myself again. I want to know how you think yan Chain would react to a reader self-harming, I just need a little comfort :b

Hey there sweetpea , thank you for trusting me with your feelings. I’ll do my best to bring you a smile!

So, how I think the Chain would react?

Hmm

Well:

TIME wouldn’t let anything slip past his notice. The moment he saw evidence of self-harm, his almost deceptively calm tone would freeze them in place. ‘What have you done to yourself?’

Time would try to keep things calm around Reader.

He wouldn’t demand answers right away, they’d definitely be startled at being caught, he’d let them. come to him.

He’d tell them that when they were doing stoped then and there, like He says it softly, but his tone leaves no room for argument.

Whether it’s his hand resting gently on Reader’s shoulder or sitting quietly in the same room, he’d make sure they know they’re not alone.

he’d kneel in front of Reader, take their hands gently, and assure them that he’s here to stay, no matter what.

He’d quietly remind them that pain is temporary and that leaning on him, on them, is okay.

-

For WIND?

He’d immediately want to take charge, pulling Reader into a tight hug and whispering assurances and how Reader should have to feel so miserable as to want to do that.

He’d go out of his way to cheer them up, his antics sometimes over tha top but always sincere and concerned. Whether it’s telling stories, cracking jokes, or planning little adventures away from the group when they want space, he’d do whatever it takes to see Reader happy again. Cause beneath his playful actions, he’s deeply worried about them.

His yandere tendencies might slip through in how much he needs to see Reader happy. If they seem down, he won’t rest until he’s made them smile again, even if it means going overboard.

—

WARRIORS would mask his worry with charm, trying to keep things, ya know, happy and casual and upbeat to take Reader’s mind off their pain. But his concern would show in the way he watches them, his sharp eyes never missing a thing.

He’d focus on removing anything harmful from their reach while reassuring them that he wasn’t upset, just…worried (and hurt, and scared of the possibilities if he hadn’t caught them)

He’d start to insist on walking them everyone when the others arent around, pulling them close if he senses any danger, even if it’s just his overactive imagination.

He’d be a bit more touchy…holding their hand more, patting their shoulders and head, it’s all casual but it remains him they’re still ok.

——

FOUR would likely notice the signs before anyone else, his observant nature catching even the smallest details. He’d approach Reader cautiously, his voice soft as he asked if tehy were okay.

He’d of course, would be devastated but wouldn’t show it outwardly. Instead, he’d focus on what he could do to help, his hands steady as he tended to their wounds if they had any.

His colors would react differently. All equally worried, all equally wanting to comfort Reader. Maybe they accidentally overwhelm them and after that little mistake they take turns spending time with Reader.

Red wouod make flower chains with Reader.

Green would take them on walks.

Vio and surprisingly Blue, would have quiet moments. The two would just hang around while Reader did their own thing. (Kinda like how cats hang around each other without bothering one another? Like that!)

They’d definitely channel theur emotions into creating something for Reader, maybe a charm, a piece of jewelry? something tangible to remind Readee of their worth. His actions would speak louder than words.

Four when whole would keep close, offering quiet but unwavering support. If Reader needed a distraction, he’d work on a small project beside them, his presence a quiet reminder that they’renot alone.

——-

TWILIGHT would be devastated but wouldn’t show it outwardly. He’d, after making sure they won’t bolt in fear, immediately scoop Reader up in his arms, holding them tightly as if that alone could shield them from harm.

He’d be both heartbroken and angry, at himself for not protecting them better and at the world for making them feel this way.

Reader would feel like Twi’s entire world revolves around keeping them safe, even if it means following them everywhere (on two legs or four) or sleeping by their door at night. (Though if them want him in the room so they can snuggle, he definitely wouldn’t decline)

———

WILD wouldn’t say anything at first, his eyes taking in every detail. He’d carefully tend to their wounds with a mix of gentleness and…I’m gonna say delicate-ness? It’s just very careful. his hands steady even as his emotions were all over the place beneath the surface. his expression unreadable as he took the time to process what was happening. Then he’d gently pull Reader into a very gentle hug, his arms trembling slightly.

He’s become even more protective, Reader would catch him watching them constantly, his eyes always scanning for any signs of distress.

He’d channel his guilt into action, He’ll “accidentally” leave little gifts for them, freshly cooked meals, rare ingredients, trinkets he scavenged. and staying by Reader’s side as much as he could.

———-

LEGEND might not know the right words to say at first, he’s probably really caught off guard at what he catches sight of. But when Reader is looking at him in fear and trying to hide the evidence of what they’ve done, his actions would speak volumes. He’d take charge, patching up any wounds with gentle hands.

(He’d pretend his hands weren’t shaking, taht they weren’t betraying how deeply affected he truly was.)

He’d keep them company, even if he isn’t sitting right next to Reader, he’d be within their view. He’d take their hand and guide them away if he noticed them stressing out. He’d tell them stories of his adventures, small things that would bring a fragile smile on Reader’s face. And even if it isn’t bring a smile, it’d give them something to focus on. Something to ground them as them calm down.

And when Reader is calm and relaxed, he’d sit close and quietly admit how much he cares, how much Reader’s mere presence is worth to him and his life.

————

SKY would react with a mix of sadness and internal fury, fury at himself for not noticing sooner. He’d gently take their hands in his, brushing over any scars or fresh wounds, his voice trembling as he tells Reader it’s going to be alright.

He’s…not familiar with someone who has gone through this. If there was anyone like that in Skyloft, well…he never caught wind of it. So he’s very very terrified by this.

He’d be sleeping next to Reader that night…tho I doubt he’s sleep, probably watching how their chest rises and falls, scared that the rhythm would suddenly stop if he looked away.

Sky would be endlessly patient once he gathers himself, his warm, gentleness would be a constant source of comfort. He’d sit beside Reader, holding their hand if they let him, and quietly let them know it’s okay to feel whatever they are feeling.

He’d shower them with small, tender gestures, braiding their hair if it’s long, bringing them flowers, or playing his harp softly to them.

Sky might slip up by being overly protective, like insisting they stay close to him at all times. But he’d easily back off (for a little while at least) when Reader brings it up. Just wanting them comfortable and happy.

————-

HYRULE would be devastated.

He’d immediately try to take care of them, healing magic at the ready to heal any wounds. Gentle but practically pleading in a trembling voice if there are any other injuries he should know about.

He’d apologize frequently if Reader shows any signs of pain. He’d hold their hands afterwards, thumbs on their wrists, most likely focusing on the warmth and pulse beneath.

He tries not to hover, but it’s hard not to when his every instinct tells him to protect them.

If Reader ever tries brushes off his concerns to ask him not to worry, he’d..well not accept that.

“Don’t…don’t…lie to me. Please…even if you want me away from you for the moment, I’d rather you be honest…I just want to help.”

Hyrule would shower them with affection, his actions almost frantic as he tried to show them how much they mean to him. But he’s also holding back, scare he’ll push them away when they are already fragile in a way his magic can’t heal.

He wants them better, but he knows how terrible the fight against one’s mind can be. All he can do is be there by Reader’s side.

—————

Reader might not even notice at first, but slowly, anything that could be used to hurt themselves would disappear or get replaced with safer alternatives.

Legend quietly pockets sharp objects or anything suspicious without mentioning it. Four might ‘ upgrade’ certain tools so that they’re less dangerous (and not tell them why).

They are gonna be very focused on limiting access to anything harmless they’re trying not to make Reader feel like their autonomy’s being stripped.

They know nights are hard, so Reader would often find one or two of them staying up a bit later, coincidentally near wherever they’re sleeping.

Twilight might claim he’s just reading by the fire, while Warriors hovers at the edge of camp, but both keep an ear out for any sign of distress.

If Reader wakes up from a nightmare or dark thoughts, they’re immediately there, offering water, a blanket, or just a quiet ear.

They’ll all be aware that sometimes Reader’s thoughts get dark. So they plan little distractions, Wind invites you for a short stroll, Hyrule shares a story from his travels, or Wild asks for help with cooking or someone to tag along as he wanders around (if they’re up for it).

If Reader ever express guilt for worrying them, they instantly (almost too quickly) jump in with reassurance. Because guilt is a slippery slope that keeping spiraling down with great difficulty getting out of it.

They actively hold back on their more intense behaviors. Time wants to command Reader to stay put, but he softens his tone. Warriors wants to lecture them into next week, but he bites his tongue. Twilight’s instincts scream to keep them locked away safe, but he chooses to give them space.

Each hero attempts to give Reader breathing room, but they also catch themselves hovering, exchanging quick looks when Reader moves out of sight

They want Reader to feel cherished, protected, and above all, happy and alive. So they’ll do everything they can to accommodate and accomplish that.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Thank you all for an incredible 500 days of love and support. I offer you: answers to questions that no one has asked.

(As always, more can be found in the tags <3)

[sideblogdotjpeg]

ive been thinking about the red string superstition recently and also sol bufo always and it makes me sick how uncannily caldwell tanner has made sol to perfectly target me personally

(+ cropped versions !)

[thedrotter]

re:kinder doodle dump part three !!! drawings with wildly different moods www they are more polished ans complete than my other doodles because. why not🥺!!!

[radioiaci]

That Michael did not seem to turn and abscond from the conversation was a moderate relief. Enough for Alastor to hopefully straighten himself upright enough to not appear so pathetic. But he knew there was something to the art of sincerity. It was how you cemented things like this. And that was about all he knew.

The angel's question had him glancing at him and then briefly away. Not because he wanted to say no. But because he wanted to be honest.

"I am still learning. What that really means. Not just in general - but in regards to you specifically. What you want and need and what will make you happy. Because that is what I want." To make Michael happy. To keep him content.

To keep him from wanting to return to Heaven, eventually. At the core of his own desire, he knew that was what he wanted.

"So yes. I do want that. So long as you do not find the prospect of... helping me pick my way through it one step at a time to be too daunting to manage."

As he'd said - Alastor did not want to be a project. But he still had things to learn. And it was a hard pill to swallow to admit that. His ego felt every crack this entire conversation was placing onto his armor; his shield. And still, he endured.

The radio demon fixed his gaze back up towards Michael. Watching. He wanted to approach - but he was not sure if that was welcome just yet. Or if his own words and lack of knowledge would shove another wedge between them. If Michael wanted someone who knew these things - could navigate them like an expert, then...

Alastor did not want to accept that as a possibility.

ㅤ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎Michael took a calming breath and tightened his arms around himself, gripping the sleeves of his button down shirt as he tried to hang onto what Alastor was saying. The temptation to run was still there, but he would admit it was quieter than before. Patient and worried. He was trying to focus on the moment rather than anything else, not wanting to make this worse than it was. Give Alastor a chance to explain himself like he seemed to be begging to do.

ㅤ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎Michael got his chance to talk, it's only fair that he does the same.

ㅤ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎And talk he certainly does.

ㅤ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎What Alastor finally gives him as an explanation is more than he could have ever expected, more than he ever thought he would hear from the Radio Demon's lips. They had talked before, about what they meant to each other. He had asked. What Alastor gave him then was safety and comfort, words that were more than enough to hear in the moment. That had certainly escalated these confused thoughts inside his head. Believing in seeing more than what was there.

ㅤ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎What he gives him this time seems so very different form all of that. In fact, what Alastor says certainly—well, it sounded like he wanted a relationship? Wanted what Michael had already thought that they were doing. Wanted what he thought they were.

ㅤ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎He takes a steady breath and wills his heart steady, feeling the small rush of it but still with that worry that was clutching at him. Afraid of assuming again and getting them once more stuck in this endless circle they seemed to have caused themselves to dance inside. That isn't what he wants to happen. He's tired of repeating himself as he's sure Alastor is tried of hearing it.

ㅤ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎"Alright." Breathe. In one and out two. "Then, for the sake of asking and clarifying everything, Alastor. Are we in a relationship?" He swallows and carefully picks his words one more time. "Or, perhaps more proper, do you want to be in one?"

[plan-3-tmars]

okay i know I preach about voting however you want because that's the point of milgram but I genuinely don't know how you can listen to kazui's voice drama and then vote him guilty

kazui is litteraly asking es to give him a reason to stop lying (cough cough an innocent vote)

an innocent vote is NOT going to make Kazui think what he did was right, nor that lying was a good call. He didn't think that in Trial 1, he hasn't shown any signs of thinking that in Trial 2 and that is not the thought process he will go down in Trial 3!!!

He's not asking for his lies to he forgiven, he's asking to be FREED from them. The guilt of what his lies caused now more then ever is waying so heavily down on him that he just wants to see a reason that tells him that telling the truth will be okay and that his 'sin' is not this horrible thing that he or others around him chalks itself to be

[beeholyshit]

"The Moon looks beautiful tonight doesn't It....?"

[daz4i]

I'm gonna let you in on a badly kept secret. most of my dazai analysis is truly just me projecting. but being decent enough at bullshitting to make it sound convincing so ppl usually end up agreeing with my takes

[todayisafridaynight]

if i think bout ichi going to jiro kasuga's grave and arakawa accompanying him Maybe At Least Once i just might explode

[infizero]

also his drawings. make me insane. im pretty sure ive made a post about this before a while ago but i just love looking at his silly little drawings it adds so much to his character. even after everything he's been through he's still got some humor and lightheartedness in him. and he's really good at drawing too!! so it's likely something he's been doing since he was a kid

[obeymeow]

being neurodivergent is all fun and games until you remember those hourly quote bots on twitter and think well maybe I can't make a bot anymore but I could schedule a few quotes a day, that shouldn't be hard. it sounds fun to have a bunch of quotes of my favorite character Thirteen from hit mobile game Obey Me! and its sequel Obey Me! Nightbringer. and then you think about how arduous collecting the quotes is going to be but she's only been in the games for maybe a year and a half with little screentime and you love collecting things so you start but then you remember that you love collecting things so naturally you have ALL of her screentime in the game and suddenly you have 45k characters of quotes and are several lessons into season 4 (which is truly a trial in and of itself) but not nearly close enough to the end but you refuse to just stop collecting the quotes and make the account with the EXCESS of what you have already because you literally only have season 4 to get through and if you don't do it just seeing the bot (because now you've been informed you can make tumblr bots instead) will haunt you with that knowledge even if nobody else would ever know. this is a general anecdote of a situation that could easily happen to anyone though and not in any way related to my life

[samuraisharkie]

It’s funny how some things can just instantly transport you back to the times you felt small and helpless. Getting iced and ignored in a group/ group chat. Struggling to understand something. Feeling lonely. Getting weird looks. Being laughed at. Suddenly I’m back in elementary school wondering why everyone picks on me, middle school wondering what’s wrong with me and why I can’t make friends, high school being pushed and shoved and ostracized. And I know I’m an adult now, and if people want to act immature and treat other people like garbage then it’s their loss not mine, but it always shocks me that for all of those things I repeat to myself, for my years of working on my self confidence and growth and understanding, how quickly I can be brought low from others. The little kid that felt like no one would ever care about them is still there somewhere. Realizing the struggle will never be over is depressing

[dirt-str1der]

WHY DID YOU FEEL THE NEED TO TELL ME ABOUT YOUR AROACE SENKU HEADCANON ON MY GAY SENKU AND TRANS REI POST

Just finished Dr Stone Reboot