#let jason grow dc

[kindlingkeen]

dont get me wrong any story dealing with the consequences of Jason's death and return can't be done without including the Joker (and i'm VERY excited about your take on it) but there's also something so satistfying about a story where Jason is allowed to be so much more than the bastard who killed him.

I agree wholeheartedly.

I would kill for a (well done) year one Red Hood comic run that deals with the immediate aftermath of Under the Hood and allows Jason’s character to naturally evolve beyond the Joker, to have honest to god character growth. RHATO tried to do this, and it could have been so great … (*shakes fist at Lobdell*).

The idea of being more was a strong motivating factor when I started writing Asymmetrical Warfare. If I had to guess, I imagine at some point AW Jason will have to choose between his past—his need to right perceived wrongs and prove his worth—and the future he’s building for himself—the possibility of more. 👀

[littlefankingdom]

The Batman fandom infantilizing a near 30 years old white man taking in a child, saying he was a brother more than a father as if he wasn't a full grown adult taking in a child he could have birthed, but parentifying a brown young adult taking in his brother pre-teen for less than a year, saying he was a father more than a brother (only a year is barely enough but ok), or saying he was more a father to his other brothers than Bruce, when he met them when he was 18 and 21 is making me uncomfortable, ngl.

Like, Bruce is a "kid" when he became Dick's guardian when he canonically was over 25 (he started being Batman at 25), and a brother to him when he raised him for 10 years (and Dick probably has not many memories from before Bruce now), but Dick is a "father" to Damian he only had as his charge for less than a year, half of which they were fighting each others??? Make it make sense???

[s-darling-art]

Little JayRose wip between commissions 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

[webshood]

headcanon that Jason Todd has indigenous/native heritage from Willis side, but nobody ever addresses his ethnicity bc Willis never cared about it and Faye Gunn used a 1900's phone agenda to name all the kids under her care, Willis was the name of a pizza place and Todd was their milkman's name.

Roy: So Jason I've never really asked about it, but from which ethnic group are you from? Like I know ur native, but ya never talk about it.

Jason Todd, 21 years old native man who just realized that apparently he's native: Park Row?

[justalittleratsworld]

here are my silly little doodles again of ivy and harley , and this AU of jason as red x instead of the red hood. I wanted to do my take on the red x suit for this 

[geekthefreakout]

“Jason only ever gets Dick's hand me downs as friends and love interests”

I feel like when people say this it takes away that these characters belong to a much bigger universe that is outside of Dick Grayson. Like he doesn’t own them and they aren’t characters that only appear in his comics.

Also relationships dynamics can change especially when characters are apart? Like characters can begin to see other characters in a different light and become friends or romantic interest. I honestly find that Jason and Dick end up in that same circle compelling especially when they are said to look like each other, like it adds to a dynamic that writers can explore between would be brothers.

I agree! Especially with the Timeline Compressing that DC does because they REFUSE!!!! to let these characters get older, we now have a Dick and Jason that are only a few years apart in age.

Jason was a Titan too, however briefly while he was Robin. I thought (using JayRoy as my example because I'm me) that Jason and Roy wound up having a great dynamic together, and it was only made better by Roy having been Dick's friend first (focusing on the positives in RHATO and Red Hood/Arsenal and not the nonsense- I admit I'm more accepting of it because it was the first time I read a book with Roy as a main character).

Or how Jason will interact with Kori or Donna sometimes, it's just adding layers. The way Donna sometimes acts like Jason is also her little brother, the way Kori cares. I think people forget that it is entirely possible for siblings to have a similar friend group, and have unique bonds within that group.

It can get frustrating when writers feel like they can only have one or the other sometimes though- note that we haven't had any interactions between Jason and any of Dick's Titans in ages and ages, aside from the DCU digital exclusive that was going for a while. That was fun.

[lambsouvlaki]

Moments in Between - Keep you Safe

Characters: Jason Todd x fem!OC

Rating and warnings: G, no warnings

Summary: Jason takes Andy shopping for a bike helmet.

Masterlist

Jason walked alongside Andy down a shiny wet street in the Gotham sunshine. The gutters were still gurgling, and run off dripped from shop awnings. Her hair was frizzy from getting rained on earlier, and he thought all the flyaways escaping her braid looked impossibly cute.

Hobby shops and fashion boutiques lined the streets by this part of the college campus.

“I though we were getting lunch?” Andy asked.

“We are getting lunch, after you get a bike helmet.” He stopped outside a sports gear shop and jerked his head at the door.

Manikins in skiing gear were posed dramatically in the window on the left and in motorbike gear on the right.

Panic flashed across Andy’s face.

“I- it’s rent week, I don’t think i can-“

“Don’t worry about that, I’ve got it.”

She didn’t look comforted. Damnit. Maybe he should have given her a heads up after all, but there was a high chance she’d sneak off to pick up some secondhand trash for $50 and be no safer than if she wore nothing. Jason understood. Nobody liked feeling like a burden, or a charity case. He wasn’t going to begrudge her her pride. He wasn’t going to keep putting her in danger either.

He held up his hands, placating. “I’m replacing my current helmet anyway, I may as well get both. You just need to pick out something that fits right.”

Her expression twisted. “You don’t have to do that, Jay. Really.”

“If you fall off my bike and crack your head open, I’ll be the one in court for manslaughter. i’m just helping myself here.” He shrugged. “And I want to.”

Her shoulders hiked up around her ears. “…Just a cheap one. Whatever’s on sale.”

He rolled his eyes and pushed the door open. Well, now his pride was on the table.

“Hey Tony, I need you to help my friend here, she’s looking for the best damn bike helmet you’ve got. If she can’t do a HALO jump in it, its not good enough.”

Tony perked up at the same time Andy whirled on him in horror

“You got it!” the shop assistant said and disappeared to the back of the shop.

“Jason!” Andy hissed.

“Would you buy me a shit helmet if you knew you could get me a good one?” he demanded.

She opened her mouth. Closed it again.

“Look, I do alright for myself. What’s the point in even having money if i can’t get basic safety gear for my friends? What kind of asshole do you think i am?”

She chewed on her lip and lowered her head. He wanted to reach a hand under her chin and to her head back up, and narrowly resisted the urge.

“Let me do this for you, Andy. Please.”

Okay then.” She pulled herself up a moment later. “But it has to be a red one.”

He cracked a smile. “You drive a hard bargain. Why red?”

“So I can look cool.”

He laughed. “Sure. You’ll look like a petite Red Hood.”

Andy rolled her eyes. Tony came back with a couple of different styles swinging from his arms.

“Thank you though. Really.”

He waved her off and Tony stepped in. Jason leaned against the desk while she tried on the options. Having decided to play ball she was confident about it and took the exercise seriously. Something in him felt warm at it the sight.

He could take her on real rides now and keep her safe, more than just five minute drop offs. He could show her the city the way he loved it best, an 80mph blur of sights and sounds. He knew she liked it too, he could feel her laughing for joy, pressed tight against his back.

She caught sight of a price tag and blanched. He’d probably have to give it another couple of months before trying to get her a good riding jacket.

Next>>

[betterthanbatman1]

Quick little sketch of Dukeeee

[phantomskeep]

Fuck it, I've started writing the fic

DC x DP prompt but it's just Danny acting like an ectoplasmic Venom with [insert DC character here]

Danny, after spotting a powerful hero having trouble: Oh no! I should help!

Jason "I've-Had-Too-Much-Of-This-Shit-Already" Todd: what the fuck why am I glowing

Danny, covering this helmeted fruit loop who was trying to fight tEN PEOPLE AT ONCE ARE YOU INSANE-: hi :D We're friends now :D

Jason: internal screaming

[robingivesmemagic]

lmao just realized both jason and terra in my au have a little "cutting their hair short after Going Through It" moment. they would be besties if the plot will ever allow it i think

[littlefankingdom]

Originally, Bruce and Dick slept in the same bed.

I like to twist this around: Bruce, being a young parent, was VERY protective and worried about his boy who wants to go fight criminals with him, and it translated into him refusing to let Dick leave his side after difficult nights. Dick is hurt? He is sleeping in Bruce's bed. Dick isn't hurt but it was a close call? He is sleeping in Bruce's bed. Bruce just got scared but Dick was fine? He is sleeping in Bruce's bed. Dick is scared? He is sleeping in Bruce's bed. Of course, this led to Dick also refusing to leave Bruce's side when Bruce gets hurt or could have been hurt, so he also sleeps in Bruce's bed on these nights. And, as he grew up in a circus, always moving around, he is used to sleeping in his parents' arms or very close by, so it's normal for him.

So, Dick is often sleeping in Bruce's bed, cuddled up to Bruce. And as he grows up, he sleeps less and less in Bruce's arms, and he supports less and less Bruce's suffocating anxiety. Finally, he stops completely.

Some events make him wants to crawl back in his dad's bed (his multiple SA, the destruction of Bludhaven, the multiple times he thought Bruce died, etc...), but he never dares to. He is an adult now, and he fears Bruce would have a problem with it. Bruce is also not that welcoming toward physical affection since Jason's death (something Cass fixes, but that's another story). So, Dick doesn’t, even when he craves to.

Until Bruce is send back in time and believed dead. When he comes back, Dick just cannot stop himself, he needs to hold his dad, and he is so afraid Bruce will dissappear if he isn't touching him. He is holding him all evening long, and when it's time for bed, Bruce wordlessly goes to sleep holding Dick with one arm, the other around Tim. (Damian isn't close enough to Bruce yet to dare come sleep with them, Cass is in Hong-Kong, but she is jumping on a plane and will join the sleep-cuddle pile, Jason isn't back in the batfam yet but the possibility of losing Bruce scared him so bad, he is going to start to make efforts to not be on bad terms with them)

[incorrectbatfam]

If Shark Tank existed in the DC universe

Jason: Good evening, sharks. My name is Jason Todd, but don't let the fact that my father is on the panel dissuade the rest of you from investing. I am here with my partner in more ways than one, Roy Harper.

Bruce: More ways in one? What—

Jason: Have you ever hung out with your family and thought to yourself, "Damn, we have a really bad habit of dying. What can we do?" Well, look no further, because our product will revolutionize the entire concept of parenting. We call it Responsibility™.

Roy: *walks out holding Lian*

Jason: As my partner is modeling for you, Responsibility will not only keep your child alive, but it will also ensure that your child grows up to be a well-adjusted member of society.

Roy: *spins around*

Jason: Our child safety technology combines your classic Adult Supervision with our state-of-the-art Age-Appropriate Activity instincts. Allow us to demonstrate.

Jason: Roy, is patrolling the city at night in spandex an appropriate activity for an eight-year-old? Without Responsibility™, you might say something like...

Roy: Of course! And while we're at it, let's get this small child a lethal weapon.

Jason: But when you use Responsibility™, you get this.

Roy: Absolutely not. That is reckless endangerment. Let's watch a movie instead.

Ollie, to Bruce: He's taking a dig at you.

Kate: So what do you want from us?

Jason: We propose a $100,000 investment to jumpstart our manufacturing facility. We have a vision of every single family having Responsibility™ by the end of this decade. In return, we will give you a 10% share of the company.

Ollie: Have you patented this?

Roy: We have the main Responsibility™ product patented as of last year and our Dad Reflex™ add-on is currently pending.

Ted: As you might know, kids take a lot of risks, especially in their teenage years. I know as a mentor to a teenager myself. How do you account for this?

Jason: Excellent question. Responsibility™ is a versatile product that evolves with time. For older kids, you receive the additional Conversation™ feature that aids in communicating expectations at a higher level.

Roy: While nothing is guaranteed in life, Responsibility™ is the best safeguard on the market.

Kate, taking notes: And what's your current customer acquisition cost?

Jason: We don't have an exact figure, but right now it's around fifty cents.

Kate: And your profit margin?

Jason: We sell Responsibility™ for ten dollars each and our profit margin is seven dollars.

Bruce: This is too conceptual for Wayne Enterprises. I'm out.

Jason: It's alright, we figured this product wasn't for you.

Ollie: Queen Industries is out too. We don't see it worth the investment.

Roy: Understandable. You have a track record to maintain.

Ted: I see the growth potential in this product. I'm going to offer you $100,000 for research and development at Kord Industries in exchange for 25% equity.

Kate: I'll do you one better. $150,000 for 30% equity and an office at Kane Industries.

Ollie: You guys can't be serious.

Ted: You're missing out. I know revolutionary technology when I see it. I'll raise you $180,000 plus Hollywood product placements.

Kate: $200,000 for 20% equity, an entire floor of Kane Tower, and a Super Bowl ad.

Jason: Sold to the childless lesbian! Looks like we have a deal.

Roy, handing her a bag: Here, take a free one as a token of our appreciation.

Kate, looking at Bruce: Thank you! I know just the person to give this to.

[piedpiperart]

“Look, Danny, you can’t keep breaking into crime scenes,” Nightwing scolds,”Especially not with a vape, and I don’t want to have to tell you this again.”

“Then stop telling me,” Danny pouts,”It’s not like I’m gonna listen to you this time either.”

Grumbling, Nightwing pockets the vape, much to Danny’s annoyance. He mutters something about bees before looking back to Danny with a frown. “No more crime scenes, no more drugs. It’s way too late for you to be out here on your own, kid.”

“Technically it’s early, since it’s like 2am,”Danny corrects,”And who else is gonna solve Charlene’s murder?”

“I’m trying to, but some kids been distracting me,” Nightwing mutters, giving Danny a look.

“Sucks for you,”Danny smiles, crossing his arms. “But seriously, she says her husband killed her with the flower vase she got from her grandma. His alibi lied and you find his dna on a beer bottle in the living room where he’d been drinking all night. Now can I have my vape back?”

“No,” Nightwing says, not missing a beat. “Thanks for the tip, but you shouldn’t be out here, even if the ghosts want you to.”

“It’s not like anyone else can hear them,” Danny rolled his eyes. “What if I need it for chronic pain?”

Nightwing raised an eyebrow, making his mask warp with the movement.”Do you have chronic pain?”

“… yes?” Danny lies, putting his best puppy dog eyes on. Nightwing gives him a deadpan look, unyielding on giving drugs to nine year olds, unfortunately.

“I can’t even believe we’re having this conversation,” The vigilante grumbles,”Alright, where do you live, I’m taking you home,” Nightwing says, shooing the kid away from the dead body in the dining room.

Danny glares at him as he dodges Nightwings floppy hands. “Charlene says I can have a cookie from the kitchen though, can we get some first?”

“This is a crime scene, Danny.”

“Yeah, so no one’s gonna eat em,” Danny points out, and Nightwing feels like this is what Bruce has had to deal with for years.

“How about this, I’ll take you to Batburger and you can have as much food as you want,” Nightwing bargains, and Danny lights up at the prospect of the kids meal toys.

“Deal.”

“And then I take you home,” Nightwing adds, and Danny groans.

“Can Charlene come?”

Nightwing pauses in his efforts to get the kid out of the house before the police show up again, wondering why Charlene’s ghost would even want to come to Batburger with them. “Uh, I guess?”

“Sweet,” Danny smiles, and Dick watches with fondness as the little kid hops down the steps to the sidewalk like a little rabbit.

When they get to Batburger, Nightwing let’s Danny order a kids meal and gets his own burger and joker-ized fries. Apparently, Charlene wanted a milkshake, so Nightwing got her a vanilla one that Danny ended up drinking.

“Okay, it’s time for bed,”Nightwing says, offering the sleepy kid a piggy back ride so he could roof-hop. “Where’s home, kiddo?”

Smooshing his face into Dicks neck, he feels Danny shrug. “Firehouse on sixth,” he says, and Dick freezes.

“Kiddo, that’s…”Dick trails off, realizing just where the little ghost detective lives. He swallows his protests and heads to the firehouse anyways. He doesn’t know the kid, not really.

Hopefully, Dick thinks, there’s someone looking after Danny at the firehouse. Maybe his parents are just going through a rough patch, he reasons. And if the Wayne foundation offers them some amenities tomorrow, then only Dick would know why.

But when they arrive on the roof, Danny’s nearly asleep, so Dick travels to the fire escape and slides into the second floor. His heart sinks when he sees the lone sleeping bag in the corner next to a pile of non perishable food. Dick purses his lips, no longer able to let the kid stay here if no one else is looking out for him.

“Thanks for the ride,”Danny mumbles sleepily, wiggling to get down but Dick keeps him there and starts walking back out. Danny freezes,”uh, Nightwing? You can put me down now.”

“Nope,”Dick says firmly. “You’re coming home with me instead and sleeping in an actual bed.”

“What?!” Danny exclaims, wiggling more until Dick gives up and holds him under his arm like a sack of potatoes. “That wasn’t part of the deal! This is kidnapping!”

“I’m not letting you stay here, Danny,” Nightwing says firmly. “Do you have anyone looking after you?”

Danny is about to protest until Nightwing adds,”Not including ghosts,”and Danny falls silent. Dick sighs,”yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Hey, I can look after myself!”Danny protests, kicking his feet lightly as Nightwing swings them to another roof. “I’m almost ten!”

“Right,”Nightwing mutters. “Do you even go to school?” He asks, realizing he’s only ever seen Danny at crime scenes at all hours. He’d been trying to keep the kid from putting himself in danger, but the kid was surprisingly great at disappearing.

Danny scoffs, crossing his arms as best he can while still being held under Nightwings arm. “Schools boring,” He says, and Nightwing would laugh if he wasn’t so sad for the kid.

“Kay, we’ll come back to that,”Nightwing sighs, finally landing on his apartment building. “For now, you’re gonna take a bath and go straight to bed. I think some of my little brothers clothes will fit you.”

“You know I’m just gonna leav- wait,”Danny gasps. “Are you- is this your real appartment? You’re showing me where you live??”

“And my identity,”Nightwing agrees. He was pretty sure Danny could see his parents ghosts anyways. The kid was just too polite to mention it, and while Dick was grateful, he had no doubt that it would give away his identity if they ever met outside of crime scenes. And, he was surprisingly okay with Danny knowing.

“Your- your identity?!” Danny splutters, too shocked to stop Dick from hoisting Danny through the window. Still in shock, Dick plants Danny on his feet, watching the kid take in his messy apartment with wide eyes.

Dick takes advantage of this, and leans the kid to the bathroom. “I’ll bring clothes in a minute, but why don’t you take a shower, or a bath if you want,” he says, not waiting for Danny to protest before closing the door on the kid and walking to his guest room.

Feeling almost giddy with nerves, Dick does his best to find clothes that would fit the nine year old. Damian, now twelve, wouldnt be a perfect fit for Danny, but they’d be similar in size than anyone else in his family. On his way back, he smiled when he hears the shower running.

Once he dropped off the clothes, Dick hurries to get dressed in his pajamas as quickly as possible, then started on making some hot chocolate.

Danny exited the bathroom just as the cocoa was done, and Dick had to resist the urge to coo. The kid was dressed in Damian’s clothes, which were definitely a few sizes too big. The sleeves of the shirt covered his hands and the pants covered his feet entirely. Dick was a bit worried he’d trip on them. He almost offered to roll them up when he caught the look on Danny’s face.

“What?”Dick asked as the kid continued to stare.

“Oh my god,” Danny said absently,”You’re Nightwing. Why- you- you know I could tell people, right? Why would you trust me with this?”

Dick just shrugged, smiling into his cocoa as Danny threw his over-sleeved arms into the air. “Geez, are all the heroes like this? You also shouldn’t kidnap kids. I hope you know that.”

“It’s not kidnapping,”Dick protests, handing the kid his cocoa as he sits across from him on the counter.

“So I can leave?”Danny raises an eyebrow. He smiles wryly at Dick’s silence. “Totally a kidnapping.”

“Well, now that you know where I live and what I look like, you should probably know my name,”Dick says, ignoring Danny entirely.

Danny sighs dramatically, then glances to his left. Dick tries to follow him but sees nothing there. Suddenly, Danny blurts,”You go by Dick on purpose??”

Dick laughs, assuming a ghost told him. While he’d normally be unnerved by that, he’d been around the kid enough to get used to it. Besides, if the kid was staying here he’d need support, especially with his ghostly powers. “Yeah, it’s what my parents nicknamed me.”

Danny grumbles a bit, but Dick notices he’d been visibly dropping from exhaustion. “Alright, time for bed kiddo, we can talk more in the morning over pancakes.”

“You know how to cook?”Danny yawned, and Dick would be offended that the kid guessed he couldn’t if that wasn’t true. He was planning to video chat Alfred for advice.

“Of course,” Dick lied, picking up the kid and carrying him to the guest room, much to Danny’s protesting. Dick felt the kid relax against him though, which warmed his heart. “Now get some sleep. No talking to ghosts, no crime scenes, no drugs.”

“I don’t think vape counts,” Danny protests sleepily, but snuggles into the blankets anyways. He’s out before Dick could finish tucking him in, and Dick runs his hand through Danny’s damp hair.

The panic would definitely hit him in a few minutes, but right now he couldn’t bring himself to regret kidnapping the kid. After reluctantly working with the little ghostbuster for the past five months, he’d grown attached. He’d be lying if he hadn’t thought about adopting the kid before today.

Dick just hoped his family wouldn’t freak out too much.

"Probably because they don't have a grave," Danny said, pulling out his vape. "Final resting places are--HEY!"

Nightwing held the pilfered vape above his head. "Where did you get this?" he asked, scandalized.

Danny jumped for it, but Nightwing was too tall! Even at 5'7 he'd have to use his powers to reach the vape; he had no chance as a 9 year old. "We're in Gotham! You're lucky I didn't get cocaine instead!"

[ailithnight]

DPxDC prompt #15

Demon Twins Fic

But!

Okay, so something I've seen floated a time or 2 from DC is that when using the Lazarus Pits to revive, a person emerges completely healed of all previous injuries or illnesses. Including scars.

Now obviously fandom often plays fast and loose with this rule, given how we like to give Jason an autopsy scar and some folks also like to make him keep the J from the Joker. But let's lean into it a bit here and make it play nice with the DP side of things.

Let's say that it's the ectoplasm, even the rancid stuff in the pits, that heals all scars except Death Scars.

So if Danny was, say, revived in the Pits by Talia before she disappeared him away to an orphanage in Illinois? The Danny that shows up in Amity Park wouldn't be covered in scars from his time in the League. He'd only have the one, the Death Scar.

Similarly, the Danny that stumbles out of the portal wouldn't have any scars from his time in Amity Park. He'd only have 2, the original Death Scar and the new Lichtenberg Death Scars.

Now I've seen it done many times where the Bats/Damian realize that Danny isn't a clone because you can't clone scars. So if Danny doesn't have those scars, and if his DNA is too messed up from the ectoplasm in him to check for any "regular cloning markers"...

Danny, fresh from an autopsy table, runs to Gotham to hide. And because of his inability to walk away from someone in danger, gets found by the Bats. Whether or not they know about Damian's twin beforehand, they are quite confident that Danny is a clone. An exceptionally good clone with nearly perfect implanted memories, but a clone nonetheless. Damian is particularly enraged about this

And poor Danny, already all sorts of fucked up from growing up Damian's lesser, then Dash's punching bag, then an experiment; in the face of Bat certainty and lacking any tangible evidence to the contrary; Danny starts to believe them.

[bodybaggage]

Ghostly Heir or Batty Custody?

DP X DC

———

The Justice League Watchtower was an advanced piece of technology, housing the world’s greatest heroes. But even in a place dedicated to protecting the Earth, some things were simply unavoidable—like gossip.

It had started innocently enough, as these things often do. Superman, having just returned from Gotham, was discussing the latest developments in the Batcave with Wonder Woman over a cup of coffee. The conversation was meant to be private, but when you have people like the Flash who can be in and out of a room before anyone notices, privacy is a relative term.

“So, Batman has another kid?” Superman had said, trying to keep his voice neutral.

Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow. “Another one? Are we running a daycare now?”

Superman shrugged. “Not sure. But he’s different from the others. White hair, glows a little. Bruce is being… secretive.”

“Bruce is always secretive,” Wonder Woman pointed out.

“Yeah, but this one seems—” Superman’s words were cut off as the Flash zoomed by, pretending to be busy with something else. The two superhumans exchanged a glance but said nothing more, knowing that once the speedster got wind of something, the whole League would know within the hour.

And they did.

Back in Gotham, Bruce Wayne—better known as Batman—was oblivious to the brewing storm. He sat in the Batcave, going over the latest reports on Gotham’s criminal activity with his usual intensity. Beside him, a ghostly figure floated lazily, occasionally glancing at the screens with mild interest.

Danny Fenton—known to most as Danny Phantom—had been in Gotham for a few weeks now, lying low while he figured out how to deal with some supernatural issues back in Amity Park. Clockwork had suggested Gotham as a good place to lay low, citing the city’s reputation for attracting all sorts of weirdos. Besides, Clockwork had argued, Batman wouldn’t care as long as Danny didn’t cause trouble.

And for the most part, Danny hadn’t. He’d stayed out of Gotham’s wayward criminal elements, kept his ghostly powers under wraps, and only occasionally wandered the streets at night to stretch his legs (or float, as it were).

Of course, he hadn’t counted on the Bat Family.

Damian had challenged him to a duel within minutes of their first meeting, insisting that he prove himself worthy of staying in the Batcave. Danny had countered by turning intangible and letting Damian tire himself out, which only seemed to frustrate the young Robin more.

Tim had interrogated him about the nature of ectoplasm and ghost powers, scribbling notes furiously as Danny tried his best to explain without giving too much away.

Jason had simply grunted, muttering something about “another brat” before disappearing on his motorcycle, while Dick had been the only one to offer a somewhat normal welcome.

“You’re like, what, the seventh kid Bruce has taken in?” Dick had said, clapping Danny on the back. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

“I’m not staying here permanently,” Danny had replied, but Dick had just laughed, as if Danny’s words were the punchline to a joke only he understood.

Things had been relatively quiet since then—until now.

It started as a low hum, a barely noticeable vibration in the air. Alfred, the ever-watchful butler, was the first to notice something amiss.

“Master Wayne,” Alfred said calmly, setting down the tray of tea he’d just brought in. “We appear to have… company.”

Bruce looked up from the Batcomputer, his eyes narrowing as the hum grew louder, evolving into a low rumble that seemed to shake the very foundations of the Batcave. Danny, who had been floating upside down, lazily spinning in midair, suddenly snapped to attention.

“Please tell me that’s not what I think it is,” Danny muttered, his expression turning from bored to annoyed in seconds.

“I’m afraid I cannot,” Alfred replied, his tone as even as ever, despite the growing disturbance.

The rumble turned into a roar, and suddenly, with a burst of green light, a swirling portal opened up in the middle of the Batcave. The vortex crackled with energy, and from it stepped a towering figure clad in ghostly armor, a crown of ectoplasmic fire atop his head.

Pariah Dark, the Ghost King, had arrived.

“BATMAN!” Pariah’s voice boomed through the cave, rattling the glass cases that held the old Robin suits. “I, Pariah Dark, King of the Infinite Realms, have come to challenge you for the custody of my heir!”

There was a moment of silence as the words hung in the air. Danny facepalmed, groaning audibly. “This is not happening.”

Bruce, for his part, remained as stoic as ever, though his eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. “Your heir?”

“Yes, my heir!” Pariah bellowed, his eyes glowing with ectoplasmic energy. “The boy you have taken into your care! I will not allow this—this mortal to usurp my claim!”

Bruce’s gaze flicked to Danny, who looked thoroughly unamused. “Is there something you forgot to mention?”

“Oh, come on!” Danny threw his hands up in frustration. “This isn’t what it looks like! I’m not his heir, and I’m definitely not up for custody!”

Pariah seemed undeterred by Danny’s protests. “You defeated me in battle, boy. By the laws of the Infinite Realms, that makes you my heir! And now this Bat-creature seeks to claim you as his own! I will not stand for it!”

Bruce’s expression remained impassive. “I’m not trying to claim him.”

“See?” Danny gestured to Bruce. “Totally not trying to claim me. So you can just go back to the Ghost Zone, Pariah. No custody battle needed.”

Pariah’s eyes narrowed, his fiery crown flaring. “The only way to resolve this is through combat! Batman, I challenge you to a duel for the boy!”

Bruce glanced at the portal, calculating the odds. “And if I refuse?”

“Then I will take the boy by force!” Pariah declared, raising his massive sword, which seemed to materialize out of thin air, crackling with ectoplasmic energy.

Danny floated down between the two, trying to keep the peace. “Guys, let’s just calm down. No need for a duel. I’m fine. No one’s taking anyone by force.”

Pariah looked down at Danny, his expression a mix of paternal concern and royal indignation. “Do not worry, my heir. I will defend your honor.”

Danny groaned again. “I don’t need my honor defended. I need you to stop making this weird.”

Before Danny could protest further, Bruce stepped forward, his voice as calm as ever. “Very well. A duel, then.”

“Seriously?” Danny looked at Bruce, incredulous. “You’re just going to agree to this?”

“If it ends the situation quickly, yes,” Bruce replied, his tone as dry as ever. “This isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with an overprotective guardian.”

Pariah raised his sword, clearly satisfied with the outcome. “Prepare yourself, mortal! I will not hold back!”

“Hold on, hold on!” Danny zipped between them again, clearly exasperated. “We don’t need to do this! Pariah, go back to the Ghost Zone. Batman, you don’t have to fight him.”

Pariah looked genuinely perplexed. “But… the honor of the Infinite Realms demands it.”

“No, it doesn’t!” Danny insisted. “The Infinite Realms don’t care about some weird custody battle! Besides, I’m not a kid, and I’m not staying here permanently! I’m just crashing for a bit!”

Pariah frowned, lowering his sword slightly. “You… are not staying?”

“No!” Danny said, exasperated. “I’m not staying! I’m not your heir! I’m just Danny, okay?”

The Ghost King looked around, as if trying to process this information. “But… you are under his care. It was reported by reliable sources.”

“Reliable sources?” Danny echoed. “Who told you that?”

Pariah seemed to hesitate for the first time. “A rather talkative sorcerer in a trench coat. He mentioned it while muttering about ‘bloody bats’ and ‘undead nuisances.’”

Danny blinked, realization dawning. “Constantine. Of course.”

Bruce’s expression remained unchanged, though there was a faint glimmer of irritation in his eyes. “This… Constantine has been spreading rumors?”

Danny sighed heavily, feeling more tired by the minute. “Look, can we just forget this whole thing happened? Pariah, you go back to ruling the Ghost Zone. I’ll handle Constantine. And Batman, you can go back to doing… whatever it is you do.”

Pariah Dark seemed to mull this over for a moment before finally lowering his sword completely. “Very well. But know this, boy—if ever you require my assistance, you have but to call.”

“Sure, sure,” Danny muttered. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

With one last, dramatic sweep of his cape, Pariah Dark stepped back into the swirling green portal, which closed behind him with a final, ominous crackle.

For a moment, the Batcave was silent. Then Danny turned to Bruce, looking both sheepish and annoyed. “So… I guess I should have warned you about that.”

Bruce simply nodded, his expression as unreadable as ever. “Next time, try to keep your interdimensional family disputes to a minimum.”

“I’ll do my best,” Danny promised, floating back toward the Batcomputer. “But with my luck, that’s not gonna be easy.”

“Luck has nothing to do with it,” Bruce replied dryly, already turning back to his work. “And tell Constantine to keep his mouth shut.”

“Yeah, good luck with that,” Danny muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he floated back to his usual spot, thinking about the supernatural messes that seemed to follow him wherever he went.

As the Batcave returned to its usual state of brooding silence, Danny couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, Gotham wasn’t the best place to lay low after all. But with the alternative being another encounter with Pariah, he figured the Batcave wasn’t so bad—at least, not until the next interdimensional incident.

[nightwingsgypsyrep]

One of the things which really annoys me about Dick Grayson’s characterisation by both DC and the fandom is how they treat his being Romani (I say this as a gypsy from the circus myself) also before people cancel me for saying gypsy - I am not American and it’s not a slur where I am from. I am a gypsy myself so please don’t freak out about my using this term which feels comfortable and accurate to me

I know this is a common complaint, but being a gypsy or Romani is such a niche ethnic identity, and so often I see people treat it almost like a nationality. For example, the idea that Dick Grayson grew up not knowing English is so bizarre to me… of course he knew English, he may be Romani and speak it, but he is also American. The shopkeeper who he is buying food from doesn’t speak Romani, nor do the local authorities whose permission we need to even put on a circus/fair, so it makes sense that he’d speak English to them. He works in the circus: his family’s livelihood depended on his being able to draw a crowd - if he can’t interact with the people he’s taking the money from, how does he expect to make it in what is essentially a customer service job (I speak from experience here). Also, historically, by the late 18th century, the vast majority of Romani-speaking gypsies also spoke another language as a first language, and by the 20th century, I could argue that this is about 99.99999% of us, if not all.

The other thing I often see is how Dick Grayson is portrayed as being the Bristol-raised kid who doesn’t understand Jason’s Crime Alley upbringing. And yeah, whilst Dick lived with Bruce from a young age, and might (even based on his personality) have a better chance of mixing with the rich kids, let’s not act like Dick didn’t know struggle as a kid. Even if his parents were fairly comfortable economically, he spent at least half the year living in a trailer/vardo, which people associate with being working class. All gypsy kids are taught to fight from a very young age because whenever we pull on somewhere to open (aka put on the show), we expect a hell of a lot of racism from the locals, which often included getting jumped, often by multiple older gadja/gorja/non-gypsy children - and hell, even adults! As well as knowing how to defend ourselves, this also leads to a lot us developing a bit of a defence mechanism wherein we can talk ourselves out of a situation, or endear ourselves to people quickly in the first place so we don’t get fighting (keeping us safe, and keeping us in the good graces of the locals so we can continue earning a living there) - perhaps this could be explored as part of the reasoning behind the famous Dick Grayson charm? Anyway, all this to say, Dick would fully understand what it’s like to be the poor outsider who has to fight at every corner just to exist, and justifying his existence to others who view themselves as his ‘superiors’.

My final complaint is a small one: every single gypsy I know grows up absolutely BELTING Cher’s ‘Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves’ and the fact that I’ve not seen Dick pouring his heart into that song, screaming the words ‘I was born in the wagon of a travelling show’ is honestly a hate crime which must be fixed immediately.