#made myself sad with the batman and robin one...

[sunny12th]

🎁 catelyn and/or nymeria the direwolf

Catelyn!

[dc-comics-enjoyer]

So headcanon that Bruce gets softer with his youngest kids. He's still very much demanding, but just that tiny bit less every time. Similar to how parents usually get less strict with their youngest due to them getting older and more tired.

The thing is that Dick sees the way Damian gets so much less in trouble for so much more stuff than Dick at his age. And it hurts, however he - oldest child syndrome™ - does his best to bottle it up. But the seed is planted and Dick's brain convinces him that Bruce just doesn't love him the way he loves Damian, the biological child aka Bruce's actual flesh and blood.

Yes Dick is in his late 20s, but his inner child is hurting so bad and, one day, as Damian gets away with some stuff again, Dick waits to be alone with Bruce to ask him about it. At first, Dick thinks he'll be able to stay composed, but when he hears his own voice crack he knows he's doomed. "Why couldn't you be as lenient with me ? I just-- Why ? What did I do ?"

Cue to Bruce absolutely confused and panicked as Dick is actually full-on sobbing in his arms. When Bruce finally understands what Dick had been thinking, he holds him tighter and a litany of whispered "I'm sorry." and "You are my son." leave his mouth.

And because Bruce is not good with face to face communication, it's later that Dick finds a letter on his bed :

"You'll always been my first son, my greatest pride. You are every bit my kid, as much as Damian, as much as any child of mine could ever be. I am so proud of you, Dick. If you knew how much I love you, you wouldn't worry anymore."

[dizaryswrites]

Tomorrow's whumptober fic has a sad ending and a slightly less sad ending (it's two additional sentences lol)

[cluescorner]

We need to bring back Gun Batman immediately where the FUCK is he

titans of tomorrow

aftermath:

[lilacsandlillies]

I was going through the anti Jason Todd tag because I hate myself and want to understand where people who dislike him are coming from and one thing I kept seeing was annoyance at Jason fans who claim that Jason is female coded and realized that the term “female coded” might not be the best term to describe what we mean.

A female coded character in literature and media typically means a character that has no specified gender or otherwise does not have a gender but is obviously meant to be a stand in for a woman or female. Kind of like how Starfire has no specified race (due to being an alien) but is still obviously black coded based on the way she’s drawn and treated by the narrative.

This is slightly different than what we mean when saying that Jason is female coded. It’s not that Jason is literally supposed to be a stand in for a female character, it’s that the way a lot of characters treat him and a lot of the tropes used on him are things that usually saved for female characters, not big buff men like Jason.

To start with, being Robin is narratively (or at least was) very similar to being a woman in a story. Robin is a role made to complement Batman (who we all know is basically the ultimate male power fantasy). Robin’s role is to be an accessory to Batman. Robin can be smart, but not smarter than Batman. Robin can be strong, but not stronger than Batman. Hell, Robin is often kidnapped and used as a literal damsel in distress, a role often regulated for women as a whole.

What sets Jason apart from the other robins (except for Steph) in this regard is that they were allowed to be characters outside of Batman. Dick might not have been the “man” of the story when he’s with Bruce, but when he’s with the teen titans suddenly he’s the smart one who has all the answers. Jason’s Robin was never really allowed this.

Then we get to the most, controversial, part of Jason’s female coding. The fact the he was effectively fridged. Fridging is usually only referred to as frigding if it’s a female character, but Jason’s death checks pretty much all the other boxes needed. An incredibly brutal death that was more about Bruce’s feelings on it than Jason himself.

This is especially apparent when compared to the other Bat characters. For all the female coding, the only other Robin to actually be fridged was Steph (and we all know about the misogyny surrounding her death). Barbara was also kind of fridged during the killing Joke. The only female character to escape this is Cass (to my knowledge). When you look at it through this lens, the fact that the only other characters to be permanently damaged like this for Bruce’s story are female, it’s not hard to see where the idea that Jason is female coded comes from.

You can even find this in Jason’s origin story. Poor little orphan is saved by benevolent billionaire is a role usually saved for little girls, like in Annie.

Despite what you might think, this even continues after Jason’s revival. Jason is still used less as a character and more as a motivation for Bruce. He’s regularly called emotional and hysterical (terms usually used to refer to women).

Jason is first and foremost a victim. A role performed by women in most media. Men are expected to be stoic and “rise above” the things done to them as to not be victims, as continuously shown by the way characters like Nightwing are not allowed to be effected by the horrific things they go through. The fact that Jason is shown the be angry, and sad, and emotional, constantly, and the fact that he’s punished and vilified for it puts him in a place much more similar to a female character.

There’s a reason that so many Jason fans (that like him for a reason past “antihero with guns”) are female. For most characters, when you swap their genders there would be a pretty clear and big difference in the way their story takes place. If you swap Jason’s gender, the story takes place identically.

A lot of this is best shown in men’s reactions to Arkham Knight’s version of Jason. In that game, Jason is similarly angry and emotional, albeit for slightly different reasons. He is also still unmistakably a victim. You’d think the men playing would like him. After all he’s a big cool angsty guy with a lot of guns and muscles. Instead, a lot of men’s thought that he was whiny. That his feelings were annoying.

There’s also something to be said about how his autonomy is regularly undermined by Bruce (specifically in Gotham war) and how his decisions and feeling are constantly treated as if they’re worth less than Bruce’s, but that’s a discussion for another day.

[glitter-stained]

I'm always thinking about Jason because fixation so my judgement is biaised because every song I listen to makes me think about at least one of my Jasons, but here are some songs though were definitely written for and about canon Jason Todd, and I will take no criticism (but you are definitely welcome to add your own songs):

-Take me To War, by The Crane Wives

>"But I keep snapping at Goliath hands with all of my tiny might"/ "All of the fire I swallowed, all of the sparks that went down in my guts, I am always burning out"/ "I'll be the sweetest thing to ever scare you"

The Robin -> Red Hood transition is so seamless

-Little Soldiers by the Crane Wives

> "On the broken back of all the words we spared, Like little soldiers in the trenches; It was a march we made towards ruin and despair, But we held hands all the while"

I always rant about how how Jason's character and story is centered around love, this is the song that plays in my head while I'm yapping

-Blue Lips by Regina Spektor

> "He took a step but then felt tired, He said I'll rest a little while; but when he tried to walk again, he wasn't a child"

If you ever wanna be sad about Jason's resurrection, catatonia and stolen childhood, this is the song to listen to

-The Horrors and The Wild by The Amazing Devil

"Think of all the horrors that I promised I'd bring, I promise they'll sing of every Time you passed your fingers through my hair and called me child, Witness me old man I am the Wild"

> If Under The Red Hood has one song it's this one

-The Old Witch Sleep and The Good Man Grace by The Amazing Devil

"There's a fire burning/And I'm learning to be/So much more than my tiredness/ So much more than that old witch sleep wishes/ She kisses my eyelids, and I/Breathe"

> If Red Hood: Lost Days (minus the gross bits) has one song it's this one

-Elsa's song by The Amazing Devil

>"And you'll throw some sage and lillies/ And roses where I'll rot/ Of all the flowers you picked/I knew you would forget/ Forget-me-nots"

idk who Elsa is this is about how Jason was grieved but he wasn't remembered

(Yeah I'm pretty convinced that at least either Madeline Hyland or Joey Batey read Under the Red Hood so many of their songs fit so well I restrained myself to three but there are so many)

-A Burning Hill by Mitski

>"I'm tired of wanting more, I think I'm finally worn/ For you have a way of promising things/ And I've been a forest fire"

Jason admitting loss and giving up on begging Bruce is something that can be so personal actually

-Heaven Knows by The Pretty Reckless

>"Now you're on your knees with your head hung low/ Big Man tell you where to go/ Tell them it's good, tell them okay/Don't do a goddamn thing they say"

Crime Alley united!!! Also, "tell the big guy I said hello" :))) (the God/Batman amalgam in Death in the Family is such an incredible one-liner and works so well for Jason omg)

-For the Departed by Shayfer James

>"Now I must finished what I started/I'll write a symphony for the departed/And I have no time for second chances/ So I survive on bourbon blood and backward glances"

The amount of angst, dramatics and intense devotion to his cause at the cost of his life, the literature references, everything about this song? Jason at his angstiest for sure

-Goodbye by Bo Burnham

> "If I wake up in a house that's full of smoke I'll panic/So call me up and tell me a joke/ When I'm fully irrelevant and totally broken dammit/ Call me up and tell me a joke /Oh shit/ You're really joking at a time like this"

exploded warehouse parallel aside, this song feels like not being able to heal because you're not capable of asking for what you really need, wanting to come back but feeling like you aren't allowed to because it would ruin you or the you that was shaped by other's perception of you and most importantly, begging to matter and to have mattered. So. Jason.

[violettavonviolet]

Tim Drake fic recs part 3

All of these fics are finished and amazing! The word count progressively goes up and all the ratings are noted, but def do check the tags for any triggers. all fics that have been stuck in my head since I read them are marked with a star.

Batfamily genfic's

Gotta Roll With The Curveballs

justapoorboy

Summary:

“How’d you cry so easily?” Duke asks, still entirely too awkward because no matter what Steph says, Duke still thinks Tim is kinda cool in a weird way. A really weird way.

“Oh, I classically conditioned myself over winter break when I was eleven. All I have to do to tear up is pinch a certain point on my arm. See?” Tim viciously pinches a spot on his inner forearm. Immediately tears start to well in his eyes.

Or: Duke Thomas dealing with Tim Pod-Baby Drake and what exactly that entails.

4.5k crack gen

A Matter of Trust

KelpieCodyne

Summary:

When Damian learns of an unexpected list of Batman contingencies, he's forced to go to Tim to vent.

And in doing so, might help the two of them find some common ground.

5k tim & dami gen

Days I Have Held (Days I Have Lost)

sepia_stained_sunset

Summary:

“You’ve outgrown me”

Damian frowns when he meets Tim’s gaze. He doesn’t say or do anything that warrants the feeling of loss that crawls up his arms and settles in his bones.

Then Tim is leaning towards him, on his toes, hands automatically going to his hair and mussing up his locks like he can’t fully miss the chance to annoy him. Still, his grip is gentle and his smile is real and Damian is more than glad to pretend that his eyes are devoid of their bitter sadness.

Or, Damian outgrows Tim. It shouldn't change anything, really, but it does. It does.

9k tim & damian gen

Satisfactory Bonding Activities

raven_of_hydecastle

Summary:

“Look, Dick and I had no idea how to be brothers either," Jason said, "but we made an effort to spend time together. If you and the demon brat aren’t sure where to start, maybe you can decide on some things to kick start these bonding activities.”

“Like what?”

“Hell if I know. Play twister, do an escape room, take over the world, learn to knit, I don’t care. Just pick something you can both agree will keep you busy for an hour or two and it’ll be fine. Now hand me that Molotov, these guys are going down.”

12k gen, tim & Damian

So...Rock, Paper, Scissors?

Miss_Lazy_Tuesday

Summary:

His smile widens. “You will pick one to kill. I shall give you ten minutes to decide and say your goodbyes. If you have not killed one of your brothers when the time is up, I will kill all three.”

Jason feels the bottom drop out of his stomach. This was supposed to buy him time, not give him a literal deadline.

“You see, little blade? I have made it so easy for you. You aren’t even really killing one. You are saving two. Your time starts now.”

24k angst mature

i can't let go when somethings broken

pennneminem

Summary:

the sky is blue, the earth is round, dick and bruce fight.

tim wishes it was a little easier sometimes.

or: tims crash course in the remains of childhood, rose colored glasses, and the economics of brotherhood

28k gen angst

Bludhaven Police Department

Lady_of_Lorule

Summary:

Sgt. Amy Rohrbach learns that her partner, rookie cop Dick Grayson, is not what he seems. Or how Amy finds out that Dick Grayson is the heir to the entire Wayne fortune, the vigilante Nightwing, the leader of the Titans, and meets some of the Batfam and the Titans along the way.

31k gen humor

right place, wrong time

Valkirin

Summary:

Twelve-year-old Tim Drake has homework to finish and dinner waiting at home. He even has an invitation to spend time with Bruce before patrol the next day reviewing toxins and antidotes. It doesn't matter that Bruce prefers to keep things all-business and down in the Batcave. Having Robin again is helping, Tim can already see that, and it's always a relief to know when he's invited back.

Sixteen-year-old Tim Drake decides that he'd rather keep his distance from the tempting research project Bruce has across two work tables. It's archaeology and time travel all at once, even more interesting than usual after Bruce's long trip through time, but Bruce probably won't crack that in one night. Getting involved in the project will eliminate Tim's chance to escape to his apartment for a quiet evening rather instead of struggling through an awkward dinner with Jason and Damian and Bruce.

When the Tims suddenly switch times and places, twelve-year-old Tim has an invitation to dinner and sixteen-year-old Tim knows just what kind of ripples someone can leave from the past.

38k teen angst

Say Uncle

Megaerakles

Summary:

Tim is prepared to take the steps necessary to ensure that Bruce will not feel obligated to adopt Tim when a comatose Jack Drake inevitably dies. But what could be better than preventing Bruce from ending up with a son he doesn't want? Bringing back the one he does.

Jason agrees to the Replacement's stupid, stupid plan to invite some strange adult man he's never met to come live with him, if only to keep the idiot alive long enough for him to serve his purpose in the Great Red Hood Revenge Scheme.

Might this new roommate situation have an impact on either of their worldviews? Surely not...

46k teen

Vultures, Squirrels, and Other Flying Menaces

AstraEllis

Summary:

He used to think that Batman needs a Robin. 

Now, Tim’s pretty sure that Robin was only ever a band-aid. 

He never tried to learn Batman’s identity, but he knows it, and Tim has no idea what to do next to save Gotham from Bruce Wayne’s violent rage. 

He becomes Batman’s shadow – never sidekick – trying to clean up the wreckage he leaves behind. 

A vulture, trying to remove decay before it has a chance to poison everything. 

Tim’s quest to save Gotham from Batman leads him to the most obvious victim – the man’s first Robin. But Dick Grayson’s grief is complex and deep, and not something the twelve-year-old has a fix for. 

What Tim Drake does have, however, is the know how to make money difficult to trace and a certain phone number.

51k dick & Tim & jason found family

Option C

CasualGeek

Summary:

Jason had to make a choice.

Enact his vengeance by killing the Joker himself.

Or

Forget Gotham and stay with Talia.

However, there was an option C.

One that could end with the Joker dead, with Bruce proven wrong and with Gotham changed for the better.

Jason took Gotham to court.

78k teen

cards on the table

wesslan

Summary:

Tim's parents faked their deaths and fled the country years ago, but neglected to take him with them. He spent some time on the streets, and now at 16, he makes a living as a fortune teller, stalking and hustling the shit out of Gotham's elite by telling them eerily accurate fortunes based on the information he gathers about them.

His life is peculiar but he wouldn't change a thing. When he gets booked for the big Wayne Halloween party, however, he finds himself getting all tangled up with the Waynes, and the more fortunes he tells, the tighter the snare becomes.

or: Tim just wanted to scam Gotham's elite, not end up on the Batfamily's watchlist. But it seems they just won't leave him alone..

69k not rated

Bruce Wayne

there but for the grace of god

TheResurrectionist

Summary:

From a tumblr prompt. 

AKA, "A Justice League fic where everyone argues about who's the most beautiful and intimidating sexy from the Big Three and everyone has valid points."

3.7k crack not rated 

Aliens Made Us Do It

FabulaRasa

Summary:

Bruce and Hal run into a little bit of cultural difficulty on an off-world mission. This was really, really not supposed to be Bruce Wayne's wedding day. Consider this story the traditional fannish "oh no we have to get married!" with a BatLanterny twist at the end

25k explicit hal/bruce

Acid Rain and Black Umbrellas

heartofhush

Summary:

Clark Kent hates Gotham. The people are weird, it's always raining, and nobody will give him a straight answer about anything.

He's certain that these people know who the Batman is, but nobody is talking. He just needs to find one of them willing to spill the secret. Any one of them. Seriously, there MUST be at least one.

His teenage son-clone-whatever is losing his powers, and Clark is torn between finding a cure, flirting with Bruce Wayne, and trying to figure out who the hell the Batman is under that cowl. 

Maybe this Tim Drake kid knows something useful.

39k bruce/clark timkon

Friends - Definitions May Vary

Slades_Snowflakes

Summary:

Bruce Wayne and Lex Luther are not friends.

However, Bruce Wayne's persona Brucie is about to re-define what friends means. And due to a series of weird and random moments, Bruce is about to learn that Lex Luthor could be a friend. Whatever that means.

154k Bruce/Lex

[garpen]

if ur still doing the Q&a I have one.

Tim drake to me gives andrew Garfield's peter parker vibes. Skateboarding, photography, troubled teen vibes, etc. Why isn't Tim an actor??? Why hasn't he made a special appearance or smth on a highschool tv show like?!

Unfortunately, can't answer this one in the Q&A since it's a question related to Tim and not one of the vigilante personas.

But I love this!! I have TOO many unfinished fics but this scratched my brain in just the right place and now I have to stop myself from writing this ahhh

Like right before he confronts Batman and inserts himself as Robin, he's on a school field trip to someplace like Lex Corp, gets bitten by the radioactive spider, and becomes his universes Spiderman??? I love this idea so much!!

And bc of Batman's "no meta's" rule, he doesn't insert himself into Bruce's life and actively hides his civilian identity from him. Tim as Spiderman though still looks out for him and tries to help as he would have as Robin.

And Spiderman is on the scene now helping out, and Batman has to take a second to figure out if this is another rogue. It takes a while but relents that the kid is not a bad guy. But Batman also sees that this is a KID, a kid not too much younger than Jason was when he dies. And after the recent loss of Jason, Batman does not want another kid on the scene. So Batman is actively trying to figure out this kid's identity and trying to get him to stop.

Eventually of course identity reveal would happen, Bruce realizes like "Hey where the fuck are this kids parents?" and they develop a father/son relationship (but bc of how fucked Bruce is mentally at this time bc of Jason's death, sometimes it's Tim parenting/taking care of Bruce and vice versa)

Spiderman!Tim would probably take on Lex as his Green Goblin since LexCorp is where he got bitten. Plus green and tech guy. OOh!! and with Kon as Harry!! Son of the evil guy!! Fits so well!!! (won't make kon evil of course I love Kon, maybe a little mind manipulation arc that made him go off the rails)

Starting to think too of how Jason would react to this new dynamic since Tim wouldn't be taking the Robin mantel? Probably still angry bc his emotions were everywhere at this time + manipulations by Talia (I love Talia and don't agree with a lot of what the writers have done to her character, but yes to an extent she did manipulate Jason to a degree). Jason would probably just be more angry about being "replaced" as a son versus as a Robin. Titans Tower probably wouldn't have happened the same. Maybe more so he went to Spiderman!Tim to fight, but it ended in a really heated verbal fight.

Stephanie as his Gwen!! She "dies" like Andrews, Gwen (but like in the comics Steph doesn't actually die so no sadness forever). And then Kon or Bernard as his MJ. I'm an indecisive multishipper ahh. However if Kon fits the role of Harry, that would more likely make Bernard MJ. (but there is tons of shipping between Harry and MJ AND MJ and Peter so it could of course be a poly situation).

So many ideas running through my head now HOW DARE YOU do this to me. And now I wanna do art I can't ahhhhh

[abrakuxas]

Have been reading Batman/Batfamily books from the 70s up and I'm currently at New 52.

I hate most stuff but that are some gems:

S

- Batman and Robin is great most of the time, I cannot complain. The moments I thought were not very much in character ended up being my mistake and I've managed to understand them as genuinely good moments. The arc of Damian's death and Bruce's reaction to it is great and very consistent with how he reacted to Jason's death so many years ago.

- Gotham Academy is almost perfect. I've read the first 6 issues and all the kids are so much fun for me. I don't really agree with Bruce's writing on this first issues? I feel like he is written colder than he used to be written around children. I feel like the writer is doing it from a place of what Batman/Bruce's vibe is, not really from actual understanding of his character, but that's fine cause the protagonist is biased against him anyway, so I can excuse it as her perspective on him. I'm excited to see Dami in the school, I feel like Robin's school life is probably one of the best ideas ever, it worked for Tim Drake before and gothic academy is a great vibe for Damian.

_________________________

A

- Batwoman is also very nice. I think I could've put it in S tier but I've occasionally found myself a little bored by it or skipping something cause it wasn't very interesting to me. Mostly I think Kate Kane is a great character as she had been pre flashpoint and her book did not suffer much from this terrible change in direction. That said I don't care for Maggie Sawyer, I miss Montoya's Question and her dynamic with Kate. I wish Nocturna was better developed as a character as well, as I feel like conceptually she is a great foil for Kate. Alice and Red Alice were not to my taste. The idea and vibes are good but it sometimes feels like a Harley Quinn ripoff that's trying not to be that? Not a very consistent character and having read Alice in Wonderland I feel like this character deserved far better.

- Batman Inc. is... Complicated. I'll just come out here and say it: I do not enjoy Morrison's writing of Batman. I feel like their writing is sometimes TOO meta to a point where they are talking more about the real world IP Batman™ and not so much about Bruce as an actual character. Everything is a big metaphor to what every character represents in our world and not so much what they feel and think, which makes it feel like everything happens in a dreamlike world of concepts and commentary on comics. It's comics about comics and that's boring to me. It's not badly written, just not my cup of tea. That said, this second volume of Batman Inc. was so much fun and at the time it made me FEEL things, even if they were occasionally bad things. I do not like Morrison's treatment of Thalia at all, but overall I rather read a bold yet controversial book than any of the other VERY boring and safey books that make up Batfamily books up until now.

___________________________

B

- the Batman title was not as bad as it could've been. The New 52 is overall a terrible idea and I've seen lots of people say Batman comics got the better treatment out of it and oh boy, I'm so sad for the rest of DC cause most Batman comics S U C K... The Batman title though is mostly fine. Scott Snyder is a good writer. Am I fan of everything he did with this run? Not at all, but he was bold enough to create things, lots of concepts from his run are very very fun and deserve to be core concepts of Batman. It means a lot that the Court of Owls is that popular when the last big villain we got was probably what, Hush? And Court of Owls for all it's flaws is such a better story than Hush anyway. I enjoy a lot of the relationships and character writing here too.

That said, unfortunately, A LOT of the stories are kinda too similar to other stories and feel repetitive if you've read a lot of comics. I've SEEN "Batman disappeared and we're worried about him" just before Flashpoint, I don't need Bruce to be away in a maze (even though it's far better written than Batman RIP to my taste), same thing with Endgame... I've read Contagion and we don't really need ANOTHER pandemic in Gotham. But anyway, maybe that's a me problem more than it is the books problem. Snyder is very competent and his stories can be very very fun and even though not every idea works for me, at least he treats characters with respect and care.

_______________

C

Nightwing is the reason I started reading comics back when I met him in the Starfire goes to the future episode of Teen Titans cartoons and he was THE COOLEST GUY EVER. That said WHY is it that everytime they decide to give him a solo book he is 100% solo? Dick Grayson's best traits comes from his relationship. His weird older-brother-turned-father relationship with Bruce, his guilt towards Jason's death, his situationship with Barbara, his brotherly relationship with Tim and Damian, ALL of his Titans relationships. That's Dick Grayson. So WHY is he solo dealing with "the circus you grew up with is actually EEEEEVILLL and your childhood besties (WHO???????) want to kill you"? It's not just bad and boring, it's a weird trend that has started back with Chuck Dixon's run on him. That's a celebrated run that I don't understand, it's kinda fun at best but alienating at worst, which is sad cause Dixon's Batman run is quite good for Batfamily and Dick Grayson in my opinion. Anyway, this book sucks, what's next?

- Grayson. It's not necessarily badly written but who are this people? Give him back his suit, give Helena Bertinelli her suit and put them back in Gotham. Fuck Spyral and all cops are bastards, moving on.

- Batwing: I don't care for David Zavimbe, but Luke Fox had very fun writing and high stakes, I really enjoy this character, I wish he had more time and a better name. I like the idea of rich family boy finds out the reason all this Bat kids work is that they have absolutely no one except other super heroes and doing this with an actual, functional family is so fucking harder. This is not in C cause it's boring, it just had no time to cook better stuff, but I had lots of fun.

______

D

Detective Comics, Batman Eternal and Batman TDK have the same problem: they are not actual stories about actual characters they are excuses to keep an IP. It lacks personality, it lacks anything of interest, it's Batman living through an eternal hell of generic stories that take him nothing to nowhere, you lose nothing by skipping this, this is what people that don't read comics think comics are: nothing happens and every week Batman just fights a guy again.

Batgirl: Gail Simone can write the hell out of Barbara Gordon... As an adult woman.... In a wheelchair.... With the Birds of Prey.... Why is this 35 year old calling herself Batgirl again? Disgusting, ableist and very boring. And the ableism isn't JUST on Barbara, her Brother's treatment is honestly horrendous. And Batgirl of Burnside is not much better with her Oracle persona turning into an evil algorithm that she needs to talk down and destroy??? Fuck you, DC comics. I will not get into the weirdly transphobic story of a guy doing drag as Batgirl being treated as a monster and ridiculous. I will add though: if you really needed a college age Batgirl, you HAD Stephanie Brown AND Cassandra Cain. Oh wait, NO YOU DIDN'T, CAUSE YOU DISAPPEARED WITH THEM, RIGHT YOU MORONS???? I cannot believe how much better this could've been if we got roommate Cass and Steph as Batgirls attending college together and how their different personalities work off each other and in class. Also Barbara Gordon being 21 is probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever read.

Red Hood and the Outlaws: absolutely nothing of worth here except a couple of Jason x Bruce scenes, but barely. Lobdell can't write a villain to save his life and all the characters are just either thrown into the trash or we have Jason who is not necessarily thrown into the thrash but for some fucking reason has random mystic powers and training....? I don't know, I feel like it's the most convoluted type of story I've ever read, he was raised from the dead by the League of Assassins, WHY does he have to go away from them and then train with ANOTHER also league of also assassins? Lobdell is AI Writing before AI writing existed, it's insane.

I've also read Teen Titans and I uh... Rather not talk about.

[sins-of-the-father-au-official]

The Data Base, A Preemptive Q&A:

What Is This?

This is a side blog for my Batman Au entitled Sins Of The Father as the name and tagline might suggest. For right now it is a way to motivate myself through sharing snippets and lore as well post links to the updates when they come.

What Is The Au About?

Sins Of The Father will hopefully be a Jason Todd and Damian Wayne-centric long fic. This fic is my personal take on the Jason Todd and Damian Wayne meet in the League tag on Ao3. Although it borrows some tropes and dynamics I wanted to hone in on the idea of what would happen if Jason was the one the bring him to Gotham instead of Talia. Not only looking into how this would effect the Under The Red Hood plotline but also their relationship with Bruce as the name might give away.

Note: I will post a more informative and concise blurb soon I just wanted to to lay the bare frame work out.

Why Was This Au Made?

This Au was born out of my frustration at Jasons revival and Damians introduction not only being so close to together but the fact both of their shared backstory threads never being interconnected. It’s almost always glossed over except for an extra ending in Death In The Family & Young Justice very briefly. Correct me if I am wrong and there's more I don't know about.

Regardless I feel that is missing out on such a good story opportunity but I digress. Hence this whole Au things may have gotten out of hand a touch.

( Also yes I know the title of the Au comes from A Batman & Robin Adventures episode I named it before I remembered where it had been last used.)

What Continuity Is This In?

I am sad to disappoint the animated Batfans as well as those who enjoy the comics but this is taking place in my own version of the universe. Somethings will be taken from those versions of the plot or character but I wanted the freedom to both write the plot I wanted and reinterpret characters if needed.

Now please do be warned this could be a bit ooc at times but comic cannons is like a slinkie falling down stairs into play doh anything can happen and I want to build something. So sit back and relax as this isn't a official comic but Ao3 & Tumblr where cannon goes to die. Lets have fun!

What Will This Be Posted On & What Is The Rating?

Sins Of The Father will be posted on Ao3 and I will share the link when updates are posted. For now there is none yet as I am still writing the first few chapters. I do plan to update once I am done writing them so they might be a bit spotty.

As for the rating I am planning on Teen. it does have some cannon compliant violence, dark themes/ moments and possible exploration of generational trauma.

Is This A Batcest Thing?

No, there is no shipping between any of the brothers with the only ships that play out being things like Barba X Dick and the like. I really wanted to focus on the family bonds such as Jason being a semi but not really Father figure to Damian.

Will The Outlaws Or Extended Batfamily Show Up?

Sadly this is a second no as I don't know enough about them nor really have any plot points for them as of now. The cast consists of The Al ghuls/ a handfull of The League related characters plus the core Gotham or Batfam characters. ( I.e Alfred Jim, Bruce, Babs, Dick, Jason, Tim & Damian) as well as a few rouges.

Can I Send Asks?

Yes of course I would love to gush or share info based on the Au that has taken my brain over. You're more than welcome to ask the Batcomputer something!

That’s All Folks! (For Now…)

[dcdreamblog]

As someone who's a Bat-Watcher and intrigued by Golden Age super heroes, I have two questions.

Years ago when Batman had the Robin who wore shorts with no leg coverings, there was briefly a girl who dressed very similarly to him and I've always been intrigued by her. Was she Robin? Or was she Red/Green Batgirl in a prototype costume? Asking for your thoughts I found a grainy picture of her from the Gotham Gazette and it sparked my curiosity so I did some digging.

I love the Phantom Lady and have always kept up with the various iterations of her (was very sad when one of them got killed by Deathstroke, another reason to hate that guy). I myself think they're a family lineage because they look so similar. But anyway, my question is what happened to the recent one who was operating in Metropolis with a new Doll Man? I got so excited when she debuted and then she vanished so quickly and a new one hasn't popped up since. I hope we get a new one someday.

For those of you who don't know, because its a very niche and fascinating subculture. A "Bat-Watcher" is a resident of Gotham and the surrounding neighborhoods who makes a hobby out of personally capturing and documenting appearances of the Bat Family outside of major news items. Photographing Nightwing on the rooftop across the street or seeing Batwoman investigating a back alley. I would like to personally thank these people on bended knee for the sheer fact that we would know about 60% less of what we do about the Bats at any given time without them. Seriously, Bat-Watchers are 90% of the reason we know for a fact there's been more than one Robin. Anyway!

(The "File Photo" of this original Bat Girl, when she is rarely trotted out on television this is the photo that gets used)

This young lady is, indeed, the first woman to call herself Bat-Girl (yes, it was hyphenated. Yes it was ONLY her name they did this with. No I don't know why). Honestly there's very little I can tell you about the woman personally. Her identity, her origin and the like are all private as expected. She was a partner to the equally mysterious original Batwoman who operated in a red and gold ensemble for a short period near the beginning of Batman's career. The vanishing of this original Batwoman is a long sought after mystery in my profession but it does give us the direct link to when this Bat-Girl eventually reappeared after a few years of absence because she would take on her original mentor's red and gold colors when she made herself known in Los Angeles as Flamebird one of that city's protectors and one of the founders of the original Titans West which would then be subsumed into the Titans proper when that team itself moved to the west coast. Since then she's been active enough, gaining a following in the neighborhoods she patrols while also making on again, off again appearances in her native Gotham alongside the new, darker Batwoman. Whether this suggests that this new Batwoman and the old Batwoman are one and the same, suggests some other relationship between the two or is simply an act of broad coincidence is a VERY open topic of debate.

On to question 2 (Which, in future, I encourage you to submit as a separate ask for the sake of readability and my work flow but since you're a new follower, thank you btw, and you also sent me a followup question, I'll allow it)

(A portrait photo of the new Phantom Lady and Doll Man released by the Freedom Fighters Foundation when the two officially joined)

This newest Phantom Lady and Doll Man are both vigilantes out of Metropolis who made themselves known by going up against the modestly sized but deeply ruthless Bender crime family and going toe to toe with freelance necromancer and Freedom Fighters foe Funerella.

Like with Batgirl above nothing personal is known about her because her actual identity is a secret but I CAN say that she has been officially inducted into the Freedom Fighters which at this moment in time is mostly a legacy organization that connects, communicates with and supports those carrying on the legacies of the team's WWII era members. Which says at least that this new Phantom Lady has gotten on the good side of her namesake's original team and probably that original namesake herself since Ms. Sandra Knight IS still alive though not very publically active.

As for your theory of them being part of some kind of superheroic dynasty, well, you're kinda already half right. Sandra Knight is cousins with Ted Knight, the original Starman making her once removed cousin of Jack Knight. She was also 'married' on paper to the original Atom, Al Pratt though this was mostly a smokescreen to provide a workable lifestyle to her son Walter when his birth father left Sandra to have the child out of wedlock. Knight has a granddaughter, LA prosecutor Kate Spencer and a great grandson named Ramsey. Those of you of a more political bent may remember that Sandra Knight's father was famous and beloved New Deal senator Henry Knight of the MUCH larger Knight east coast political-industrial dynasty going all the way back to the Mid Atlantic's earliest days. I have made a much more in depth post about Sandra Knight in specific.

Whether or not this NEW Phantom Lady is a member of the Knight family directly, I truly cannot say but she does share their raven dark hair that's been a trademark of the family since at least the 1840s so anything is possible

[llamaisllama777]

Fan theories that I like that are just WAY TOO SAD to be canon from different fandoms I'm in.

Like is a strong word, maybe interest me? Peak the morbid part of my brain? Anyways he's some fan theories from different fandoms I'm in.

Last one left standing theory

This is a theory I saw a while ago on here. The theory basically said that What if all of the TSAMS and LAES has already happened and the videos we are watching are just recordings made by Sun trying to make himself feel better and still bring joy to people even after all his family are gone. Basically, Lunar, Moon, Earth, Solar, Dazzle, Jack, Monty, all gone. Either all died or moved away or moved on in Dazzle's case. And now Sun is the last Celestial left standing and, in his sadness, decided to upload the videos online to make himself feel better to make it feel like they're still here. When in reality, it's just Sun. All alone.

(TW//Miscarriage)

Batman accidentally killed Harley's baby.

So, this is a pretty dark one. So, in Batman Arkham city near the beginning of the game, Batman walks into the church where Joker is supposedly when Batman walks in there. Harley jumps out from behind an army of guys with guns and tries to attack Batman, but as Batman, you grab Harley's leg, throw her, and slam her and her stomach into a wall. Harley walks it off like everything is fine and leaves the goons to watch Batman while she goes back to Joker.

Later, after you escape the church and make your way through Joker's fun house after the boss fight with Hammer you can find a baby crib with a positive pregnancy test on the floor. Harley is pregnant with the Joker's child.

(Rut Ro Raggy!)

After you beat the game, and if you have the Harley Quinn's revenge DLC, you play as Robin trying to rescue Batman, who's been captured by Harley. As Robin, you can find that same room where you found the crib and the positive test from the base game, but this time, it's... different. In the crib is a puppet of a child Joker with the positive test in the crib while scattered around the room is dozen upon dozens of negative tests. And while the box warns of the possibility of false positives, some fans myself included have come to a darker conclusion.

(Now, while I don't believe Batman is responsible for the child's death, I have a different theory on that this theory is decently popular in the Arkham fandom)

Theory basically says when Batman threw Harley into the wall, it caused her to miscarry.

This theory is super messed up! Not only does it mean Batman unknowingly broke his one rule (no killing), Harley lost her child, that's... this theory is all around sad. But at least in Batman Arkham Knight, it's hinted Harley is pregnant again.

Literally any "is in a coma/is all a dream theory"

Pokémon, Ben 10, Adventure Time all have the infamous "The main character is in a coma/everything is a dream" theory. Look, I think theories like this. They're neat.

If not slightly morbid and kind of a let down

But imagine if you spent years/decades enjoying this wonderful/crazy world only for it to be revealed, it was all fake! An illusion made in the mind of the bedridden main character.

No thank you. Interesting theory. I like it but please no.

So, these are just some dark theories from different fandoms . I hope you enjoyed these dark theories I have stumbled upon.

[t4tails]

oh thank god i thought i was the only one who thought that the dark knight trilogy felt sterilised

oh no yeah thats like one of my main problems with those movies. insert obligatory theyre competently made films comment, but the thing with the dark knight trilogy is that they are just so uninterested in the universe theyre adapting. a common thing dc fans will say about them is "theyre good movies, but not good batman movies," i think ive even said that myself before, but its a simplification. the fact is that they really ARE trying to be batman movies, but when i say "batman," i mean as in bruce wayne. they love bruce wayne. what they do not care about is any of the context surrounding bruce wayne. gotham is just chicago, all of the villains (except joker tbh) get at least part of their entire character gimmicks ignored, robin is an adult man, etc. and it leads to a very shallow depiction of a rich well of stories and lore! sad.

[marauderundercover]

For some reason, I had managed to convince myself that I didn't write at all this year. (Which would be okay, but the thought made me sad, so I looked into it).

Not only did I write this year, but I also came in 3rd in the Secret Writer's bracket over the summer. To celebrate the fact that I did, in fact, write, here's what I published this year (new fics only, I'm not including updates in this post)

you're on your own kid (Percy JacksonxBatman crossover)

Look. He didn’t ask to be stuck in some scummy city in New Jersey of all places. If it was up to him, he’d still be in his mom’s apartment in New York, in the only home he’d ever known. But that was over. And sure it sucked, but it was fine. Percy was a New Yorker, and more importantly, he was a Jackson. He was more than capable of taking care of himself. Besides, it was New Jersey. He wasn’t going to let it best him.

---

In which Percy Jackson ends up in Gotham City and things change

Twisting Smiles into Snarls (Maribat, pre Jasonette)

Marinette Dupain-Cheng isn't a huge fan of Batman and Nightwing. She's even less of a fan of the infamous Red Hood, and that was before he attacked her mentee.

Or,

“We got married last fall"

"Oh, that's great"

Something in the Green (MaribatxDanny Phantom crossover)

Marinette didn't expect to become the guardian of a halfa right before moving to Gotham. In her defense, she didn't even know what a halfa was until a month ago. But she knew now, and she'd be damned if she let anyone touch a hair on Danny's head.

---

Jason Todd wasn't sure what to make of the newest residents of Crime Alley. They were different, but he knew that didn't matter to him. He'd do anything to protect them.

the way i loved you (Maribat, Jasonette)

Marinette remembers the last night she saw Jason before he died. She has a lot of feelings about this.

memories feel like weapons (Maribat, Jasonette)

Marinette "deals" with Jason's death.

it still hurts underneath my scars (Maribat, Jasonette)

Jason is back. Neither he nor Marinette know how to feel about this fact.

wonderstruck, blushing all the way home (Maribat, Jasonette)

Marinette is a secretary at Wayne Industries. One day, Jason Todd comes in. And the rest is history.

Do not stand at my grave and weep (i am not there) (Maribat, past Brucinette)

No parent should have to outlive their child.

"Grief is the price we pay for love."

Rewrite the Stars (Maribat, Jasonette)

Marinette Dupain Cheng falls in love easily, it's easy for her to do. But what comes with that, is the hard part.

Where the Lines Overlap (Maribat, Dickinette)

Marinette Dupain-Cheng's best friend is Dick Grayson. Her biggest enemy is Robin. These two things aren't connected at all.

waltzing back into rekindled flames (loml) (Maribat, Jasonette)

Ladybug and Robin are best friends. Then Robin dies. Marinette heals with the help of her mentor, Dick Grayson (a random man that had worked with Batman and Robin once). Three years later, Marinette moves to Gotham for college and meets Jason Todd.

Or, where Marinette and Jason get a second chance at happiness, without realizing it's their second chance together.

[panfluidme]

Incorrect Quotes

Do note that all of my DC knowledge comes from friends, text posts, and three shows (Young Justice, Teen Titans, and Teen Titans Go)

— Damian: I like saying no. It lowers their enthusiasm — Tim: I’m fine Tim: It’s just that life is pointless and nothing matters and I’m always tired — Damian: Do you think that marrying penguins made some kind of statement? Tim: Yes Tim: The statement was that you're really lonely and you need a pet — Jason about Dick: Suspect is... obnoxious and irritating, even from a great distance —

Dick: I'm too young to die and too old to eat off the kids' menu Dick: What a stupid age I am

— Robin!Jason: Look. I might not have been a saint, but it's not like I killed anybody. I wasn't an arsonist. I never found a wallet outside of an IHOP and thought about returning it but saw the owner lived out of state so just took the cash and dropped the wallet back on the ground Batman: Okay, that's really specific, and that makes me think that you definitely did do that

— Alfred after setting up one of the Batkid's birthday parties: I would say I outdid myself, but I'm always this good. So I simply did myself — Jason: I came up with hundreds of plans in my life, and only one of them got me killed — Jason after acting like he was Tim so he could stay up later: Why do bad things always happen to mediocre people who are lying about their identities? — Bruce: how did you get my children to gang up on me like this? Alfred: I asked them if they wanted to embarrass you, and they instantly said yes — Bruce: Until I was 25 I thought the only response to ‘I love you’ was ‘Oh crap' — Tim extremely sleep deprived: You know what’s weird? Donald Duck never wore pants. But whenever he’s getting out of the shower, he always puts a towel around his waist. I mean, what is that about? Jason drunk out of his mind: Jason: I've never thought of it like that— — Jason: It hurts my Jason’s apple! Tim: For the last time, it’s not named after each individual man! — Tim: You didn’t cry when Bambi’s mom died? Bruce: Yes, it was so sad when the guy stopped drawing the deer

[triscribeaucollection]

Slowly losing my mind, there are now six whole stories I want to write that involve dropping people from future timelines/alternate universes into the DCAU, mostly specifically between Justice League Unlimited seasons one and two, but I can't settle on which I want to write fiiiiirst

Within the shared universe:

-Batman Beyond's Justice League comes back in time for an unintended visit, the usual handful plus a few of my OCs, including a new Amazon princess aka Bruce/Diana's grown daughter, who argues with Terry incessantly but she will dropkick the first person who says anything disparaging about the next Bat, that's her psuedo little brother thank you very much (and also her half-sibling but shhh they don't know that yet)

-I've got this very convoluted AU for a Batman Beyond Nightstar that I won't bother explaining all of right now, but I want to take that iteration of a 14yo Mar'iand'r Grayson from the future and toss her waaay back to Batman: The Animated Series, when her dad is still Robin and her grandpa hasn't really socialized with any other heroes yet, and this poor kid is not well versed in the past that's now suddenly the future, but as long as she's stuck with this much younger and smaller version of her family she is Going to Do Her Best to make sure things work okay

-There exists a background character in the Elseworlds comic of Kingdom Come confirmed to be the daughter of Supergirl and Brainiac-5, and I have thoughts about this kid, I want to make a DCAU version of her to be yoinked from the 31st century back a thousand years to meet her Uncle Kal-El, BUT with a friend with a mystery background and this one is sad, guys, I made myself cry at work thinking about ultimate sacrifices and failing to save someone at the last moment and honoring the memory of those who are gone but not forgotten

Then from *alternate* universes, I've got the newest brainrot of picking up 22yo Clark with Lois and Jimmy from My Adventures with Superman to gently deposit in this world, and let all three of them squeak over the differences (older Clark! Plus Kara! The whole League!) and this includes a moment of Jimmy seeing this more mature Superman and immediately going "Ohhh no, nononono, you are not allowed to get BIGGER and BEEFIER! I am putting my foot down!" to the general amusement of everyone else nearby.

Not quite as shiny but just as funny is the thought of nabbing Jon Kent from the comics and tossing him across the path of DCAU Lois Lane, give her a chance to shine while getting the kid in touch with someone who can help send him home, only to find out Oh Hey there are a bunch of other superhero kids who came along with him, including a rather prickly Robin who demands "Where have you been, Kent?" which causes Lois to bluescreen for a minute (cue Clark somewhere off screen going 'oh I'm in danger')

And then, I want to go back and do a re-write of my old Young Justice S1 dropped into JLU S2 fic, my skills have improved a fair amount over the past, oh, six-ish years, and there are some different ways I'd handle various introductions. Not to mention I think I'd actually include an ending, this time, instead of losing steam over a plot I didn't really vibe with and leaving the whole thing unfinished...

Just. The DCAU, folks. I'm stuck ping-ponging between ideas that I sadly don't have the energy to work on right now, but eventually that will change and then WATCH OUT