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

[sunny12th]

🎁 catelyn and/or nymeria the direwolf

Catelyn!

[tbcanary]

2023 reading list: Under the Red Hood (2005)

“That is a father’s greatest triumph… To have a son surpass his own excellence.”

(ID under the cut.)

ID: Six edits of panels from Under the Red Hood, five of which are animated.

Batman and Nightwing swing on grappling hooks over a nighttime city skyline. Animation rolls through three speech bubbles. Dick: "Good god, he made a joke." / Bruce: "Be quiet." / Dick: "Yes, sir."

2. Batman stands on a roof in front of a sunlit cityscape. He reaches a hand out for Jason, who is suspended mid-air. First, Jason is dressed in his Red Hood costume, but the gif changes to show him as a young Robin.

3. A young Jason, in front of a purple background smeared with red, looks off to the side of the screen. Words behind him read, "He took me away from you," repeated multiple times. The words light up in order, highlighting the sentence.

4. Jason, in his Red Hood costume, perfectly executes a flip from one rooftop to the next. The gif rotates through three poses as he jumps.

5. A still image of Jason in his Red Hood costume. His body is turned slightly to the side, but he looks directly at the camera. He stands in front of a Gotham city scape in blues and purples. He has a faint shadow stretching over the buildings.

6. Bruce holds a bloody younger Jason in his hands. Animated text of the Joker's laughter flashes over the screen.

/End ID.

[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)

[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.

[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

[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

[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

[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

[hashtagonlyingotham]

To the tune of I'll Make A Man Out Of You

yes I know Steph's bit is kinda rough, but I am very proud of myself for this

Let's get down to business

To defeat the rouges

Did they send me metas

When I asked for none?

You probably need mental help

But by the time you've got a suit

Child, I'll make a Bat out of you

Looks cute as an angel

But there's trauma inside

Once you start your training

You'll punch crim-inals

You're an orphaned, sad, and angry child

And you haven't got a cape

Somehow I'll make a Bat out of you

🤸‍♂️ Holy training batman, this is hard!

🔫 I just wanted to steal his tires!

💻 Bruce is just gonna have to take me in!

🩰 This place much better than league

🧇 Hope that Batman lets me be Robin

🐕‍🦺 Alfred is the only competent one here

Be a Bat

You must be trained as a vigilante

Be a Bat

With all the skill of a detective

Be a Bat

With all the quips of a teenage hero

Mysterious as the shadows of Gotham

A mass break-out comes closer

And the Joker's out

Listen to what I say

And you might not die (🔫 f you Bruce)

You're skilled at using a grappling hook

So let's go, punch crime in the face

And now I've made a Bat out of you

(Be a Bat)

We must be trained as a vigilante

(Be a Bat)

With all the skill of a detective

(Be a Bat)

With all the quips of a teenage hero

Mysterious as the shadows of Gotham

(Be a Bat)

We must be trained as a vigilante

(Be a Bat)

With all the skill of a detective

(Be a Bat)

With all the quips of a teenage hero

Mysterious as the shadows of Gotham

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

The Robin Manual

First posted: May 8, 2018

Focuses on: Bruce (with some Damian)

My favorite bookmark: "Dick and later Damian help Bruce with his depressed potato days"

Second favorite bookmark: "do not read if sad"

Tier: Definitely one of my quieter fics by all metrics.

This is my "behind the scenes" series where I indulge myself frightfully by annotating my fics. Link to the fic itself above. Thoughts below the cut.

This was only my third fic ever posted and my first one-shot. As best I can remember, it started because I was procrastinating on Much That Once Was Is Lost (in which Tim is verrrry depressed) and thinking about depression in general. That made me think of the posts about Batman's cape as a weighted blanket, and then I swapped out the cape for a Robin.

Bruce Wayne was having a very bad day that unfortunately had been preceded by a very good week.

This felt important, to set up at the start that Bruce is well-acquainted with bad days and can handle them, but that he also has happiness and that sometimes the light can make the gloom feel gloomier.

Most of the time, he could feel them coming the way a swimmer could feel the approach of something huge beneath the surface of the water. The pressure would start to build, tugging at him like undertow by the shore, and it was always a gamble to see how long he could tarry before the pull yanked him under.

My two earlier fics both had water imagery, too, so this third time's charm really cemented things, I think.

As Bruce Wayne, he charmed and cajoled and raised funds and awareness. As the Bat, he worked and fought and bled. 

"Why doesn't the billionaire just—" HE DOES!! THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT! This man has devoted EVVVVVVERY facet of his life to trying to heal his city and to prevent his own childhood trauma from happening to everyone else!!

Then Dick Grayson had come into his life. Bright, irrepressible Dick, who despite all he’d been through shone so fiercely with life that sometimes it hurt to look at him. Days with Dick meant chatter and laughter and so many questions that Bruce’s tongue felt like shoe leather by the end. He loved every minute.

This was also important to me, establishing Bruce as someone so very different from Dick but who loves that boy completely and irrevocably. This was also multiple years pre-Battinson. Get on my level, Reeves, I dare you.

And then, very carefully, a small body had climbed onto his back and lay down.

Confession: I very much wanted Bruce to be on his back when Dick came in, so Dick could sleep on his chest. Idiot wouldn't roll over for me. Turns out stomach-sleeping is the most depressed of poses.

He couldn’t risk sinking, couldn’t risk losing himself, even for a day. He forced himself up and through his bad days, his mind fathoms away but his body up, moving, fighting, protecting. It felt like trying to walk on a broken foot, each step grinding shattered bones further into dust. But he did it, because he had to. And then came the very bad day in the very good week.

Again, the good makes the bad seem worse. Also, Bruce has such mammoth willpower, it makes sense that he would push through mental pain the same way he would physical, because he felt like he had to, even to his own detriment, and only be able to fall apart once he was sure it was safe to do so.

Bruce didn’t know how long he had drifted until he bumped against the reef of that voice. Skeletal fingers scrabbled at its edges, trying to hold fast before he could float away again. His kids needed him. There was an emergency. A case. He needed to pull himself up onto those shattered bones and stride back into the fight.

I am pleased with my own imagery. That is all.

When Bruce woke some time later, he remembered to twist slowly and grab the child on his back before turning over completely. With a quiet, sleepy grunt, he settled the groggy boy onto his chest and tousled his dark hair.

Finally! I got him onto his back! Have a small child curled on your chest like a sleepy kitty as a reward!

Lastly: I forgot that in the endnotes for this one, I already had staked a flag in Bruce being touch-starved. Fascinating.

[brb-on-a-quest]

What's one of your favorite childhood memories?

Hello, friend, good to see you, even if you do hide in the shadows. Hope you are well. <3

Let me tell you about a time I fell in love with storytelling all over again. I grew up on stories; I loved having my dad read to me when I was little (we read Narnia books, the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, Robin Hood, etc. I loved *all* of it). I loved the stories of found families and tight friendships like it was my bread and butter because I hadn't made any friends I could get closed to bc family moved around a lot (a decision I don't resent my family for now, but despised as a kid), and I wasn't really *that* close to my family either due to probably a variety of factors, not excluding mental health issues. I won't delve for the sake of length, you get the point. I was a sad and lonely child and my closest friends were imaginary. Anyway back to more concrete events:

We had just moved from Florida to Virginia, which is about 1000 miles away and over 13 hour drive (for context), and we had just started a new co-op (think like homeschool school, but it only met like once a week, it was one of the ways we'd start building up a new social circle or something). And one of the classes I took in was something music (more likely theater? related but that might have a different semester) and the first week of this co-op I remember they gave us a bingo card with a bunch of famous movie soundtracks and they told us we were going to identify the movie based on the song alone.

I got 2/20 or something bc I hadn't even heard of most of these movies bc i just hadn't been exposed to it. It was things like Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, maybe spongebob- pop culture stuff that I just hadn't seen. So everyone else was getting excited and I was feeling more and more out of the loop and alone.

I swear this turns happy at the end, bear with me, anon. They play the final music track and I don't recognize it at all but it fills me with such great joy and a call for a new adventure that I hadn't even realized music could do that before (we didn't listen to a lot of our own music growing up, it was mainly whatever my parents found appropriate or what my dad liked).

It was How To Train Your Dragon. Test Drive. John Powell. And then like the musical scores, they showed the scene it was from. A boy and his dragon racing, flying through the air. And I fell in love With the characters arcs per se, but I could tell there was a deep lore there and a story of friendship that I craved so much. It was also right up my alley with stories my Dad had read me so there was also that. But like the music was fantastic, I really liked the visuals at the time (i usually hate most 3D animation films, HTTYD is the exception), and I craved the story behind it.

I saved up money from Birthday and Christmas and ended up buying it. And I watched it. And I fell in love even harder. Cause, in some sense, I related to hiccup too much. I was a creative person, like he was, I had very little friends like he did at the beginning, we had similar senses of humor at some points, and he was fascinated with knowing and learning things. And he had a big dragon friend and i again craved that friendship deeply. So he added to the crew of imaginary friends and I went on many imaginary adventures with Hiccup and Toothless and told myself so many stories that I wish I could remember now for writing inspo.

I ended up moving from Virginia to middle of nowhere Midwest US (not saying where in case the Fey Find Out), and I did end up meeting my IRL Toothless. A little bit scary on the outside at firsts, but with an actual heart of a silly, goofy, dragon. (brb, im getting emotional just thinking about it. It'd be about 7 years now? Coming up? I may be bad at math. I feel old and happy and content.)

So yeh, in short it was a very much right place, right time kind of story and film. I still watch it a lot whenever I need a comfort film that's not as long as LOTR or something. I love the soundtrack and all of the things about it. Sorry, this was probably way longer than it should've been but IDK how to describe my love for this story without giving you some context.

[strawberrytalia]

omg! i wanna do a few:

top 5 dc characters!

top 5 comic series!

top 5 animals!

OMG hi ella!!! 🫶 OH THESE ARE HARD

Top 5 dc characters (omg I feel bad ranking them)

Duke Thomas - who’s surprised 😭 no but he’s without a doubt my fave bat. i think there are just so many inspiring things about him, and he represents the aspect of comics I love most - stepping up and doing what’s right even when all odds are against you

Carol Ferris - I used to talk about her 24/7 when I was heavy in my GL phase, but I never stopped loving her. I love that she’s deeply flawed and angry and passionate, and she gets to be messy. Also she influenced me to be more comfortable expressing myself femininely which was hard as a brown girl ngl anyways carol <333

Ollie Queen - LMAO idk why but I feel so cliche putting him, but he’s my favorite Arrow and he always has been. I relate to him a lot. He’s really introverted, in his own head despite being is outspoken, he loves nature, cares deeply, and he isolates when he’s sad. I also like his very black-and-white thinking, esp when it gets challenged. live laugh love ollie queen

Talia Al Ghul - I won’t say much about her lmao bc talia stans are like sharks here, but she is also very important to me. Like you ever get that character that just seizes your heart???? Yeah that’s Talia for me 🥺 i don’t post abt her often either, but i love her sm

Khalid Nassour - it’s hell being his fan, but i’ll do it anyways 😭 so Khalid is rlly interesting bc i read his “cool” appearances first then read Dr Fate 2015 where he was more of an annoying 22 yr old. And it was so satisfying watching him grow from someone who was more narrow-minded and whitewashed to an intelligent, capable, and enlightened person. I really enjoy his character’s spin on what fate means in regards to one’s identity, heritage, lifestyle, and faith.

Top 5 comic series (THIS IS ALSO HARD OMG)

Day of Vengeance - this is the one currently living rent free in my head rn bc it’s so FUNNY and random, but also a really interesting storyline in regards to magic in the DCU. It’s just so enjoyable watching this group of mystics handle the hugest threat ever and barely get along, and they’re all weird, and then Lori joins and she’s like the group teenager and it’s so funny

We Are Robin - I honestly wish it was longer ngl but I really wanted to see more of the group together and their stories, especially Izzy and Dre. The premise and duration of this story is SO dear to me bc ofc Duke, but also I love watching kids band together against authorities bc they love their city sm.

Batman: Son of the Demon - as a Talia and sometimes Brutalia fan, how can I not 😭 It’s so sad and actually heartwrenching how happiness was so close to them but taken away, and how much Bruce and Talia sacrificed for each other because they are both loving people, they just love in the wrong way

Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters - perfect Ollie. Perfect depiction of his mind. Really good storytelling. SHADOOOOO she served cunt and dc didn’t like that so they ruined her. Her initial appearance was so charming i literally made it my header. I like ethical dilemmas and the one in this story is so good. Also shoutout to Eddie fr

Green Lantern: Blackest Night - OKAY THIS IS THE ONE I WAS AFRAID OF SHARING 😭 I’m SORRY i love this for so many reasons, nostalgia mostly bc I re-read it over and over again at the peak of my hal obsession era idk why, I like the giant white entity, I like when all the Corps leaders have to team up and they’re all side-eyeing each other sm, and I also love when random heroes get involved and help save the day like Mera, Ray, Barry, Diana, Grant, watching them all try to survive it while battling grief in front of them. It is NOT THE BEST GL COMIC EVER but it’s one of my faves.

Top 5 animals (I love this question!!!!)

CATS 🫶 I used to have a cat when I lived in the states!! his name was austin, he was 8 years old, and he was the cutest thing ever. we had to give him away when we moved 😭 i still hate that my mom did that sm

SEALS!!!!!!! 🦭

Orcas 🐋🐋🐋 I like them a lot, they’re so adorable

Otters!!! 🦦

Flamingos 🦩 (hehe my username for a reason) they’re pink and i like all things pink also they’re so pretty

[bitterrobin]

list of the character dynamics I plan on writing for the TAXONOMY!verse. Mostly here in order to remind myself of the ideas I have.

Bette Kane/Tom Bronson

Have they ever interacted in canon? no. Will I still create a crack ship that probably no one else will like? yes. Unfortunately my brain has latched onto them, so expect to see more of them in the au.

Neither of them are the type to be open with their real feelings, but are casual with intimacy. Maybe a little too easy with it, but they understand each other's need. Bette is straightforward, determined. Tom avoids personal conversation, especially about himself, but he's very observant. They both will feel something, both will side-step and redirect. Bette is inherently lonely, Tom always feels out of place. It takes a while before they actually confide in each other. Tom is still mourning Grant and the idea of what could have been, Bette is tired and lost and still figuring out what to do with her life when so many others reject her resolve. Bette needs to be a hero, needs to feel like she has a purpose. Tom never wanted to be a hero, but he needs the company that being one provides. Gotham is a terrible place to land when you're hurting, but they make the most of it. (Also they have a terrible child to co-babysit on top of all of this.)

Bette Kane, Damian Wayne

Bette takes none of his threats or jabs seriously. Damian is horrified that they're related. Bette loves Damian bc he's somewhat easier to communicate with than other children (who act their age) but also he's a bundle of nerves and trauma - so she's still careful and and little bewildered. She lets him have space, but she's always ready to pay attention to him at the drop of a hat bc no one did when she was a child. She respects his opinion, and tries to reason with him. Because Bette has only heard of the League, not become involved with it, she's able to have a less biased view on his childhood. Damian is aghast at her supposed ignorance. He does not recognize her strength of character. He's used to the fearful or emotionally closed women of the League. In the end, Bette recognizes that she has to set limits and boundaries and Damian learns to accept a life with a degree of normalcy.

Bette is sad to see him go, but she knows how important a name like Robin is. She wants Damian to find purpose on his own, but she leaves him the gift of "normal things" like sports and acting.

Tom Bronson, Damian Wayne

Damian will say the most gory threat imaginable, Tom will reply: "haha ok, little buddy" they are one step away from duking it out. Tom simultaneously thinks of Damian as a little brother and a pain in the ass. But they're not related, so Tom will not feign complete responsibility over him. He observes and waits, wipes his hands clean and sets him loose. Maybe he dispenses harsh truths once in a while, maybe he cuts too deep once. Damian will return the favor. Tom allows himself to be vulnerable rarely, and explains absent fathers and mothers who are there and then gone too soon. Damian reluctantly sees himself, and hates it. Tom recognizes his sarcasm as an emotional outlet similar to his own, and encourages every insult Damian makes. Maybe its too enabling, but frankly Tom doesn't care. Let the kid be an asshole once in a while, as a treat. You do not want to be on the receiving end of both of their ire.

Tom gives him a kitten as an inside joke, an acknowledgement of his personal growth - before Damian goes to live with the new Batman and become Robin.

Damian Wayne, Chris Kent

Way more plausible than the one above. I am a Jon Kent hater. I fully believe in the made up interactions in my head between these two kids instead. Everyday I cope and seethe that they never interacted in canon bc they were introduced so close together!! in 2006!! They have so many parallels and interesting conversations to be had! Damian is angry that Chris is allowed to move on from his trauma. That Clark and Lois are able to give him closure, when Bruce is dead and Talia needs to stay separated from him. He is angry that he will forever suffer the what ifs because he can never confront his grandfather or parents the way Chris did with Zod and Ursa. Chris cannot fathom taking out his anger on other people. He can't imagine pushing others away because he was always alone in Fort Rozz, he wants a family. He is horrified of this aggressive boy, but he's still kind nonetheless. Maybe punches are thrown initially, but in the end they understand each other in small ways other people just can't. They are not their parents, but some people can't look past that. Chris forever denounces his biological parents, Damian is shackled by their expectations and the weight of their romance turned into a battle of wills.

Maybe in the future it'll become a ship but that's a long way off. It would need way more development, more time in-between fics, and Damian needs to mature and figure things out. Their potential friendship is more important than anything romantic.

Cassandra Cain, Jason Todd

Mostly here bc of differences in philosophy, they're the central conflict surrounding the idea of Batman. Cassandra doesn't care about the city, she cares about the people. No one dies. Ever. Not in her watch. She could care less about complicated morality, because if she could change (she, the murderer, the sinner) then everyone can. Batman is not about Bruce Wayne, it is about saving everyone who can be saved. Bruce is the ideal, but Cassandra is better. She wins, no matter what. Batman is instinct, action and duty. Jason cares about the city, this wretched place where he was born. The people are negotiable, ranked and categorized by his own arbitrary rules. You are good, or you are an evil that must be wiped out. Batman is tied to Bruce Wayne, it shouldn't be. It is about controlling Gotham. Batman holds the reins, anything that happened on his watch is Bruce's fault - Jason will be better. Batman is planning, watching, and culling. Both can be right, both can be wrong. They were messy and complicated. They need to beat each other senseless before they can reach a conclusion. Cassandra gains Batman, and Jason gains a fragile understanding.

[wolfverse-stories]

Falling In Reverse

(Reverse robins)

Chapter 1

    Damian stared at the father he met only two days ago. He was currently wearing his batsuit.

     "So when do I get to go on patrol with you?" Damian asked blankly.

     "I work alone," Bruce said changing back into his civilian clothing, "I think your mom made a huge mistake I don't know how to raise kids"

     "Mother says she sent me to help you" Damian stated "and I'm not a kid"

     "How did you even find the Batcave?" Bruce asked curiously.

     "Oh please, I was raised by the League of Assassins" Damian pointed out as if that explained everything "Also I'm the grandson of the demon's head so there is no reason I can't come on patrol with you"

     "The answer is still no" Bruce groaned rolling his eyes 'are all kids as annoying as this one' 

After months of the Kid sneaking out

     "Fine,"  Bruce said pinching the bridge of his nose "but you need a costume"

     "Already taken care of" Damian nodded running upstairs seconds later he came back down wearing a red Keikogi with dark brown pants and a light brown cape. 

     "You look like a bird" Bruce mused "We should call you Robin"

     "Like the tiny bird not" Damian glared at him but the name was kept and eventually an R symbol was added to the costume.

Time skip a few years

     "I could have handled that myself" Damian snapped.

     "Damian You almost cost the mission because of your stupid pride" Bruce yelled behind him.

     "I wonder where he gets that from," Alfred said walking into the room carrying a tray of cookies.

     "You don't trust me enough" Damian glared "I could get more respect anywhere else"

     "No one is keeping you here" Bruce opened the door.

     "Fine" Damian snapped walking out. Bruce stared in shock, his only son was gone.

Days later

     Tim Drake pulled out his camera to take a quick picture of Batman standing on top of the police station. He noticed that a figure was missing. Where was Robin? Or Damian Wayne as Tim had figured out both Robin and Batman's identities. He decided to do some snooping.

5 hours later

     "Hello, Mr.Wayne," Tim said in a shaky voice he was standing in front of the Batman. Bruce stared in shock.

     "You know" Tim shook his head yes "Have you told anyone?"

     "No sir" Tim felt his chest tighten up.

     "Good" Bruce paused seeing that the boy wanted to ask something "Is there anything you want to know?"

     "Where is Robin?" Tim asked curiously.

     "I think you'd better get back to the party," Bruce said looking away. Tim hadn't set out to be Robin. He saw that Bruce was getting careless and taking way more injuries than he needed to, so he tried to get Bruce to make up with Damian. When that didn't work he started following Bruce.

     One night Bruce got shot pretty badly and Tim came to his rescue applying first aid and helping him get back to the cave. After Alfred to care of Bruce he immediately took the kid home and told him to stop. But Tim being Tim refused to listen and no matter how hard Bruce tried the kid always managed to sneak out.

     Eventually, Bruce gave in and told Tim if he was going to going to be out on the field he would have to train. Tim became Robin to help watch Bruce's back 

Now let's see Damian's reaction

     "You did what?!" Damian glared at his father "I'm the only son the one true Robin"

     "You left the role" Bruce reminded him "You were the one who quit"

     "I..."Damian felt his blood boil "So that gives you the right to replace me and with this idiot no less! I bet he dies before his first mission!!"

     "Damian" Bruce sent his son a glare. Tim couldn't believe it, his hero, the one he always looked up to had just said that.

     "I trained my whole life for this" Tim felt anger and sadness course through him.

     "He can handle it " Bruce yelled. As Tim stood there and watched

     "I'm sorry!" Tim closed his eyes "I never meant to take your place but Batman needs a Robin!!! I'm sorry..." Tim's voice got softer. Damian sent Bruce one last glare before walking off. Not too long later Tim's parents were killed and Bruce took him in. At first, Tim and Damian were always fighting. Bruce feared walking into his house to find that one had killed the other but after a long and I stress the word long time they finally started getting somewhat along. They still argued a lot but no major injuries. They even started patrolling together making a completion of who could take at the most criminals.

Time skip

     "I took down twice as many as you" Tim smirked.

     "I took out the guys with guns" Damian pointed out.

     "I'm the smarter son" Tim pointed to his head.

     "I'm the blood son" Damian smirked very happy with himself.

     "I'm the favorite son" Tim matched his tone. Bruce groaned.

     "Robin, Nightwing shut up" Bruce made a mental note to himself 'Don't have any more kids' "Stop fighting each other and fight the bad guys" Damian rolled his eyes as Tim lowered his head.

     "I'm sorry" Tim whispered apologizing over and over. Damian half laughed at his younger brother.

     "Kiss up"Tim stuck his tongue out at Damian. Bruce put his hand on his head, he gave up.

     "Boys I am at the point of handing you over to the Joker!" Damian smirked.

     "Let's give him Drake as a present" Tim's eyes got big and full of fear. Damian suddenly felt a stab of guilt.

     "No names on the field," Tim said in a shaky voice. Damian couldn't help but smile a little. Tim was always more worried about the job than his own well-being. He never admit out loud but he had grown attached to kids.

The last time Damian saw Tim

     "So how are things with you and Starfire going?" Tim smirked at his older brother.

     "What!?!"Damian glared at him. Tim pointed to a picture of him kissing Starfire"How did you get that, You little imbecile?!"

     "I have my ways" Tim smiled proudly "Who would have thought fire and Ice?"

     "Whatever" Damian jumped onto his bike "I hope the Joker beats the heck out of you" and with that, he zoomed off.

Tim's death

     "Let's make this quick okay sugar plum" What hurts more forehand or backhand" Tim's scream of pain made it impossible to hear the rest.

     "...mhm" Tim mumbled the Joker bent down next to him.

     "What's that Lamb Chop you're going to have to speak up I think you have a collapsed lung"

     "..." Tim spat blood in Joker's face causing Joker to immediately slam his head into the ground.

     "Well at least you have more manners than the first boy blunder maybe I should teach you a few things to keep you from following in his footsteps" He smirked "Nah I'm just going to keep hitting you with this crowbar"

     After a while the Joker stopped hitting him and started towards the door "Do your homework and be in bed by ten and say hello to the big man" Tim stiffened noticing the bomb in the corner. He struggled to his feet only to fall back against the wall. He could defuse it so easily if his body would just cooperate. 

     'Tim why don't you take a rest' Bruce's words rang in his mind 'I don't think your fit to be Robin right now"

    'He was right I'm not fit to be Robin' Tim sighed looking at the bomb, 70 seconds left 'Damian would have gotten free by now but I can't even lift my freaking arm, I failed how can I can I look them in the face after this'

     "Beep" the timer now read eleven. 

     'Maybe I won't' Tim realized with dread. He was going to die alone complete failure just like his parents said, just like Damian said.

     "Boom" Bruce searched the rubble finding Tim's limp body. He broke down right there, hugging the body of his youngest child 'How could this happen Tim was just a kid'

Damian learns of Tim's death

     "Yes, Father what is it?" Damian snapped. He couldn't believe Bruce was calling him during a team meeting.

     "It's Tim" Damian rolled his eyes Of course it was Tim that idiot always seemed to mess up.

     "What did that imbecile do this time" Damian huffed not having the time for this.

     "Tim's dead" Damian's eyes widened as the world around him went in slow motion. He tried to remember the last time he had a good time with Drake.

     "No how could he die he was just a kid" Tears ran down his face. "No, he's my brother"Guilt hit Damian like a wave."It's just a nightmare"

     "Damian I'm sorry" Bruce didn't know what to say. "He went after the Joker and-" Damian dropped the phone this was all his fault.

     "I killed him" Damian felt himself shake "No I never wanted this" For the first time in forever Damian felt alone in the world.

     "It's not your fault," Kori said hugging him tightly as he broke down.

Tim's grave

     "I'm so sorry" Damian placed a Batarang on Tim's grave "I was never a good brother I always hated your guts"

     "Damian?" Kori walked up next to him "He would have loved it, he always knew you cared for him"

     "Thanks, Beloved" Damian smiled sadly "I never called him by his name" Damian looked down.

     "I'm sure wherever he is he can hear you" Damian turned to Tim's grave.

     "Tim you were a great little brother I'm sorry... You were smart, kind, and a better Robin than me" Damian took a breath "I'm sorry this world was a nightmare you had to face alone"

More Stories / Next

Falling in Reverse tumbler