#poor tim not even being in the discussion??

[casscainmainly]

thank you so much for answering my ask! and so fast too, haha, don't worry about deleting it that stuff happens <3

i'm just curious though, im kinda new to dc and i mostly know stuff from tumblr (ive started reading comics from reading lists tho!)

since you're a cass fan, what makes you think dick is the fav? i love them both ofc but just tryna improve my understanding of the dynamics between the family. i've heard that cass and damian are the favorites? and jason? though apparently jason is only in fanon and ahh im just kinda confused im so sorry for the stupid questions

Trust me, no question about comics is stupid!! It's impossible to know everything (and I'm relatively new myself haha), so don't feel bad about asking anything. Plus I love answering asks :)).

Anyway, fantastic-nonsense's post here covers about all of why I think Dick is the fav. In case you don't wanna go there, here's one of the panels:

From Infinite Crisis #6. As clear an answer as we'll ever get, I think.

The question of 'who is Bruce's favourite?' is always subject to personal interpretation, though. Lots of factors - what a person has read, which character they like, what interpretation they have of Bruce - go into who someone thinks is Bruce's fav. Sometimes it's not even a question of pure canon, but a question of theme. Which character being Bruce's fav is the most narratively compelling? To me, that's Dick - their relationship has the most history, the most depth, and frankly I prefer one of Batman's successors (who to me is Dick or Cass only) being his favourite.

Cass being the fav is compelling too, but not as compelling to me as her not being the fav. Her story, her quest to break free from White men's expectations (both David and Bruce's), makes me not want her to be tied to Bruce's love too much. So while there are great canon reasons for her being the fav, I don't think it's a necessary or even particularly interesting angle for Bruce-Cass.

I actually haven't heard many people argue for Damian being Bruce's fav (it's usually Dick or Cass in my circles), which goes to show how much opinions vary haha. Damian has great reasons too - his entire death/resurrection has strong Bruce-Damian moments - but this is the least interesting fav kid pick to me. He's been raised to think of himself as Bruce's fav, and his arc is about undoing that belief in legacy, being the heir, etc. So being Bruce's fav doesn't do much for him. Having the only bio kid be the fav isn't that interesting either.

Jason definitely is the most fanon-y pick, though Jay being Bruce's fav is genuinely interesting. It's just that Bruce's love for Jason is a lot about the dead kid he used to be, and also half of why Jason is so obsessed with Dick is because he knows Bruce is obsessed with him. So in a roundabout way my preferred Jason-Dick dynamic hinges on Jason not being Bruce's fav. But I'm not well-read on Jason, I think some Jason fans might have good reasons for him being the fav.

These are all my interpretations of these characters, and the fun about reading comics is growing to develop your own opinion about questions like this! To me Bruce's fav isn't a strict right/wrong answer, I'm like one well-written meta away from changing my mind. But I hope this clarified my thoughts on the question!

[dollishmehrayan]

BATBOYS JEALOUSY HCS ── .✦

a/n: I just ate which like now my stomach hurts because I ate this spicy burger (10/10) and my stomach is hurting so let’s hope i don’t die from a burger😭 also request from anon (here) tysm!

(Tags: batboys when jealous of crush!reader)

BRUCE WAYNE ── .✦

Internally Brooding, Externally Stoic: Bruce keeps a calm, composed exterior, but inside? Full-on brooding mode. He watches every move, his jaw clenching just slightly whenever the other guy laughs a little too much.

Passive-Aggressive Moves: Bruce subtly but effectively tries to interrupt. Maybe he’ll walk by and offer you something he never does, like coffee or water, just to make his presence known. ��You looked thirsty,” he’ll say, while the guy looks confused.

Petty Rich Guy Move: He’ll ‘accidentally’ mention something about Wayne Enterprises, as if to remind everyone just how wealthy and powerful he is. “Funny, we were discussing corporate acquisitions the other day,” he’ll drop casually, as if it relates. (Let’s hope he doesn’t drain his bank 😞🙏)

The Comedy: When Alfred catches him glaring, he’ll dryly say, “Master Wayne, perhaps you should try blinking before you permanently furrow your brow.” Bruce will immediately deny he’s bothered, even as he side-eyes you again.

DICK GRAYSON ── .✦

Charm Dial Up to 100: Dick doesn’t even try to hide his jealousy. He’ll swoop into the conversation, throwing in his most dazzling smile. “Hey, I didn’t realize we were letting random guys have all the fun,” he’ll say with a teasing grin, while subtly nudging the guy aside.

Over-the-Top Compliments: He’ll suddenly become your biggest hype-man. “You know, she’s literally the smartest, funniest, and most beautiful person in the room, right? No offense to you, man.” The other guy feels awkward, and you just laugh while Dick grins smugly.

Puppy Dog Eyes: If you keep talking to the other guy, Dick’s smile might falter just a little, and he’ll stand in the background, clearly pouting. It’s so obvious that even you can’t help but laugh.

The Comedy: He’ll mutter, “Didn’t even know jealousy could feel this personal,” under his breath while side-eyeing the guy like it’s a soap opera.

JASON TODD ── .✦

Grumpy But Trying to Play it Cool: Jason’s jealousy is obvious in how stiff and silent he gets. He leans against the nearest wall, arms crossed, glaring like the other guy just insulted his whole family.

Blunt Interruptions: He doesn’t have the patience to be subtle. He’ll walk up and ask, “So, who’s this?” in the least friendly tone possible, with a fake smile that could curdle milk.

Accidental Intimidation: Jason’s sheer presence is intimidating, so the poor guy talking to you will probably start feeling uncomfortable as Jason looms over, cracking his knuckles or adjusting his jacket dramatically.

The Comedy: If you don’t notice, Jason will mutter sarcastically, “Oh sure, talk to Captain Chit-Chat over there. Not like I’m standing right here or anything.” Roy, nearby, might add, “Jason, you’re doing that ‘death stare’ thing again,” and Jason will growl, “I’m not jealous.”

TIM DRAKE ── .✦

Awkward and Overthinking Everything: Tim doesn’t get jealous often, but when he does, it’s a mess. He watches from a distance, wringing his hands, thinking, Should I interrupt? Maybe she likes him? Maybe I’m reading too much into it…

Accidental Sulking: He tries to focus on something else, but his mind keeps wandering. He sits down nearby, pretending to work on his laptop, typing nonsense just so he can stay close without being obvious. “Haha, yeah…no big deal…” deletes everything he just typed.

Passive Observing: Tim eventually tries to casually stroll by, acting like he just happened to be there. “Oh, hey… didn’t see you there. Weird, right?” He’s so awkward it’s endearing.

The Comedy: If Kon or Bart sees him sulking, they’ll tease him mercilessly. “Dude, go talk to her.” Tim panics, “I can’t. She’s busy… laughing… with him…” Kon: “You’re hopeless.”

DAMIAN WAYNE ── .✦

Silent Judgment Mode: Damian watches with narrowed eyes, judging every aspect of the guy talking to you. He might even mutter things under his breath like, “He stands like a fool,” or “He can’t even articulate properly.”

Direct Interruption: Damian doesn’t have time for subtlety. He’ll walk up and flatly say, “Are you finished with this conversation? It’s becoming unbearable.” The other guy is usually too shocked to respond.

Unintentional Comedy: He’ll start critiquing the guy’s conversation topics. “She doesn’t care about your opinions on sports,” he’ll state matter-of-factly, as you try not to laugh.

The Comedy: If you ask if he’s jealous, he’ll scoff. “Jealous? Of that imbecile? Hardly.” But the tips of his ears are turning red, and you know he’s lying.

[mellotunekitty]

hey so how do you think the bat boys would deal with them messaging s/o or coming into their apartment late at night to come to bed and the boys are like “I can’t sleep. Can we talk?” and s/o messages back or says after sort of wake up “I can sleep” and they fall back asleep 😂. When s/o does properly wake up hours later, s/o pulls their man in for morning cuddle, but then their mind starts working and they ask seriously, “… did you want to talk about something last night or was I dreaming it?” Or for messaging, s/o remembers and gives their boyfriend a call and is happy to be talking to them and they ask the same question over the phone “I thought I dreamt it, but I just noticed you message me and I sent that back… I was exhausted and in a deep sleep. Did you still want to talk?”? Basically s/o isn’t very good to interact with or function when they’re tired 😂? (It’s all good people staying up all night for their love of their life, but what about a s/o who’s never able too?. They fall asleep in bed and then are woken up by their boyfriend sneaking in. They frequently pass out after their boyfriend sneaks into their bed. S/o Hair a mess. “What?… oh… zzzz” would be how the boys identity probably stayed a secret for the longest time. Wouldn’t even notice the blurry mask and spandex suits in their tired state).

omg yes, as a sleepy person, i LOVE this idea!!!

----------

Batboys x Sleepy gn!reader

Bruce Wayne

Being home late meant low chances of having an actual conversation with you. He needed help setting up the gala for tomorrow and you guys were supposed to plan it tonight

“My love, wake up for a minute. We have to set the plans, remember.” 

You sat up for a moment, sitting next to him in bed to help him. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long seeing as you almost immediately fell asleep on his shoulder. 

He just sighed and put his laptop away, figuring you guys could plan it later or just use what you had. 

It was a bit funny though, seeing you so out of it trying to stay awake and focus on the plans. 

“And I think we should serve lemonade with the… darling? Are you listening?” “Hm? Yeah…” 

Dick Grayson 

He usually came home to you sleeping after patrol, so he figured he’d have to wake you up if he wanted to discuss tomorrow's date plans.

“Babe? Hey, wake up, I gotta talk to you…” 

It works…for a few seconds. You woke up, but mumbled something incoherent before falling back asleep. 

Dick just chuckled and shrugged it off, figuring he could just talk to you in the morning. The date wasn’t until later anyway, and sleeping beside you seemed more appealing at the moment.

“It’s okay… I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, sweetheart.” 

Jason Todd

Poor Jason couldn’t sleep at all. He tried everything from warm drinks to meditation, but nothing seemed to work. So, he called you. 

“Hey, y/n? Yeah, uhm… can I come over?” 

He got a half mumbled ‘yeah’ before heading over. Of course when he did, you were tucked in, all cute and sleepy. 

Jay slipped in next to you, snuggling against you and had the easiest time falling asleep. However, in the morning, you looked shocked, not remembering him coming in. 

“...when did you even get here?!” 

Tim Drake

It was always a 50/50 with Tim. Either he slept anytime, anywhere, or he couldn’t sleep at all. Tonight, he couldn’t sleep. So, he called you. 

“Hey, baby, I can’t sleep. Can we just uhh… talk for a while?” 

He got all warm and gushy when he heard your muffled little ‘yes’ from under your blankets. 

But he quickly realized you weren’t the best person to talk to when you were tired. You couldn’t hold a conversation at all and eventually, he found out that you sleep talk. It was a pleasant surprise to him.

“What are you saying now, hm?” “The banana… lost my hat.” “Oh, yeah, I bet.” 

Damian Wayne

The second you opened your eyes when he walked into the room as Robin, he thought he had completely blown his cover. Apparently, he didn’t. 

“Go back to bed… you don’t see anything.” 

He was shocked it actually worked, but he shouldn’t have been too surprised. He knew you’d take any and every opportunity to sleep. 

Damian hastily got out of his Robin suit and got into pajamas, sliding into bed next to you. It was a bit of a funny thought to him, the fact that you didn’t even question Robin being in your room… right? 

“I had a weird dream last night.” “About?” “I dreamt that Robin was in my room.”  

[nosyrobin]

IF UNCLE!READER GOT KILLED BY JOKER:

Imagine being the twin brother of Bruce Wayne. Dying by the hands of joker when trying to cover for Bruce as Batman. Damian saw your limp body, breathless, and motionless. It reminded him of when his grandfather died. The poor boy screamed out in agony seeing his beloved uncle die. The joker laughs and runs away, thinking he killed the real Batman. Only for his consequences to catch up to him. 

Bruce started to go to a dark place, his only brother. His brother who didn’t deserve to die, his brother who was the most sane and normal person in the bat family. He starts to break badly, wanting to kill joker at last. Wanting to break jokers face in for laughing at your body. Wanting to torture him. Wanting jokers to suffer in hell.

Dick, who cried hearing the news. His uncle, the uncle that helped him with the nightmares when he was just a little boy without parents. The little boy who would love to watch cartoons with his uncle. The little boy who felt the same as he stands at the grave of his gone uncle.

Jason who feels anger, if he was there with you instead of that little brat. He could’ve shot and killed joker before he killed you. Jason could’ve taken you to the Lazarus pit. But he’d knew you wouldn’t want that. He stays in your cold and lonely house, no longer feeling cozy and warm with you gone. No laughter of you, no uncle to nephew talks. No reading books together and laughing at parts or discussing. No planned book talk. Nothing. Only rage and sadness coming from Jason as he makes sure your house is clean…

Tim who just stayed in his room more, trying to track down joker with vengeance in his eyes. “Justice, not vengeance” is what Bruce would’ve told him. But even Bruce may not listen to himself. As this, was a serious case to the family. Losing more sleep that his body might shut down. Alfred tries to get him to sleep, but Tim cannot bother to not listen to the poor butler who is worried for all of the boy’s mental health. Tim will find joker, even if it kills him.

Damian who feels so guilty, so guilty he stays in his room. Holding a stuffed animal you had given him. When he first met you, he didn’t really want to bond with you. That was until you showed him some of your arts. Your arts made him look up to you. Damian clutched the stuff animal you gotten him from a fair, to make him feel like a real child other than a weapon, an ex assassin, Robin. It was only Damian, and his uncle. Damian cried hard as he felt his heart break. He only wished he was stronger and taller. He only wished he was there sooner so he could’ve saved you from your fate.

All the robins soon planned a plan to kill joker. Seeing their father so devastated and depressed at the loss of his brother gone. The killing rule is no longer needed when the uncle and beloved brother of the family is now gone by the hands of a monster. Now, it’s a terrible life time for joker.

You, who watch the boys with a sad look in heaven. Wanting to return and hug them, tell them that you are okay. Tell them it’s not their fault. Tell them to not go down to the dark path. Tell them to still move one and live their life. But you know it’s hard. Isn’t it?

[daydreamerwonderkid]

I see your vampire!Bruce Wayne AU and I raise you this:

Normal human Bruce Wayne raising his horde of vampire/dhamphir children, but because Bruce is Bruce no suspects any of the Batkids are, well ... bat kids.

Even the Batkids are confused at first when they first meet Bruce. Batman shows up and they're like:

"Oh, shit it's Batman! The very scary, very territorial Vampire Lord who's completely taken over Gotham and has managed to strike fear into the heart of all the most notorious vampire leaders! And he wants to adopt me into his coven? Sounds sketchy, but aight."

Only for them to wake up the next day and realize that not only is Batman in fact NOT a vampire, but he's also the most pitiful and pathetic human they've ever laid their eyes on and there's no fucking way they can leave him now.

Humans are already super fragile and easy to kill as is. And their new guardian is risking his life every night masquerading as an all powerful Vampire Lord!!!!

It's honestly a miracle that Bruce hasn't been killed yet and there's no way they're going to let their clueless human guardian wander off by himself. Especially after they realize he keeps forgetting that humans aren't supposed to be awake for 72 hours straight and his skin is paler than the giant hoards of case file documents he tries to sift through while barely touching his own food.

This poor idiot human is so committed to pretending to be a vampire that he's actually convinced himself he has night vision and spends more time hanging out in a literal Batcave than he does in his own fucking house!

Meanwhile, Bruce is thoroughly convinced he's got a complete handle on the whole raising vampire/dhampir children thing. After all, it's not like he's had to change much about his own personal life to that of a parent taking care of a horde of supernatural children.

He already spends more time awake at night anyway and while the kids don't mind human food absolutely love Alfred's cooking, it's not difficult to get a hold of any blood when they actually need to feed on something more substantial. Considering he's the biggest contributor to Gotham's blood donation centers, it's not like anyone's gonna tell him no.

Bruce also read somewhere that while vampires in the modern age don't actually need to hunt humans to feed anymore (considering the above mentioned donation centers), their hunting instincts haven't gone away, either. So while he was initially against the idea of letting his kids getting involved in his vigilante lifestyle, it was probably a good thing in the end that they had an alternative outlet for their growing vampiric urges. Like Alfred, he would have preferred it if they had gotten into competitive sports or something similar instead, but all his children had proven themselves to be just as stubborn as he is so he made do with what he could.

Especially considering the fact that a parenting article he read mentioned how extremely sensitive young vampires/dhampirs are towards the well-being of those who make up their coven. Dick, ALONE, had proved how absolutely futile his attempts to separate his night time and day time activities truly were. Apparently, it was detrimental to young vampires to be separated from their parents/guardians for too long. Better he trained them and supervised them himself versus having to re-experience Dick, Tim and Cass stalking him like the supernatural predators they were while doing his nightly patrols.

And if any of his children leaned a bit more into their feral nature whenever Bruce happened to get hurt on patrol, that was just kids' instincts reacting to the head of their coven being threatened. It's taken years of training, grounding and long late night discussions to convince his children to try holding back their supernatural strength and bloody acts of retribution. He still finds himself lecturing them from time to time even if he's fully aware they're all humoring him.

He still has the small collection of baby fangs that Dick had somehow roped all his younger siblings into contributing to over the years. For the life of him, he can't begin to fathom why anyone would want to collect teeth or why his children are so adamant that he holds onto theirs. But ever since he jokingly mentioned the Tooth Fairy to a horrified and offended younger Dick when his first set of baby fangs finally started coming in, it seems his children are determined to make sure no one can even attempt to think about exchanging their fangs for mere quarters.

And for the record (and despite what his children and friends keep on insisting), he never set out to actually pretend to be a "Vampire Lord." He just honestly thought designing his costume around one of his deepest fears would be a good way for him to use that fear against the criminals of Gotham.

He also won't admit that he completely forgot about the obvious association people make between bats and vampires.

[galaxymagitech]

Identity Crisis Thoughts

I read Identity Crisis, which is the 4-comic arc where Tim’s dad goes into a coma and his mom dies. Here are some interesting things I found:

Trivia/Fun Facts

Tim is part of the Sherlock Holmes society, and receives their bulletin. He uses a TV in the Batcave to watch Basil Rathborne’s Sherlock Holmes.

Jack and Janet have a personal secretary named Jeremy that they use as a go-between even when sitting a couple feet away from each other.

Jack and Janet call each other darling when they’re getting along.

Drake Industries does indeed have a policy not to pay ransom for any employee.

The Batcave has a library, which includes a book called “Myriopoda of the World”. The library has a glass ceiling, where you can see the cave and bats—I think Jason would appreciate this.

Tim describes doing electronic detective work as similar to meditating.

Tim appears to have a room/PJs at Wayne Manor.

Characterization Notes

Tim: Tim is able to compartmentalize and focus well, working on a case even as he fears for his parents lives, but still gets angry when the situation is fraught. He’s resentful of Bruce for hiding information and not giving his parents’ case his full attention, and screams at him for a few panels—even punching Jason’s memorial, at which point he abruptly calms down. He is also upset about his parents arguing, and says that if it makes them argue less he wants them to stay away for months. Overall, though, he’s cheerful and friendly, even offering to discuss philosophy with Anarky. He displays a lot of skill with hacking/computers and can catch Anarky despite not being far into his training. Tim looks at Jason’s memorial a lot and aspires to be as good as him.

Jack and Janet Drake: Jack and Janet have a fraught relationship with each other, but do care when the situation gets tough. Jack Drake talks like your typical entitled rich guy. They aren’t the best parents to Tim, but they clearly feel affection, sending him a postcard signed “Love, Mom & Dad”. However, they rarely call him and are often wishy-washy on their return date. When scared they’re going to die, Jack tells Janet, “Think of Tim—how he must be feeling. Poor kid must be worried sick!” Janet pretty much agrees that they took Tim for granted. Bruce is aware of Tim’s parents’ absences, and reassures Tim that they care about him.

Bruce: Overall gives “very loving but emotionally constipated” vibes. He wears his costume and cowl in the Manor to talk to Tim, which Tim views as Bruce not wanting to show his real emotions. Bruce states in his internal monologue that he finds it difficult to “be natural” with Tim due to fear. However, he comforts Tim multiple times, and although he foists him off on Alfred to work on a case, he apologizes later. He offers to take the day off to be with Tim while waiting for news about his parents, and hugs him while delivering bad news. When Tim gets angry about Bruce hiding information, Bruce just tells him to “get it out” and calmly lets him shout. He also smiles at Tim watching Sherlock Holmes in the Batcave instead of being mad at the waste of time.

[igotanidea]

Species relationship (Cinnamon rewritten) : werewolf!Jason Todd x werewolf!fem!reader

Yes, I think this is way better than previous one. :D

***

„Where’s Jason?”

All the batfamily has gathered in the batcave, the only one missing being the wayward son, the black sheep.

“I believe he’s with that girlfriend of his….” Damian muttered with the roll of his eyes.

“Girlfriend?”

“Yes, father… a fellow female…. Ugh… I don’t understand that concept either….”

“Hm.”

“Was it like a good hm or a bad hm?” Dick chimed in. “I swear your grunts are sometimes so hard to decipher, Bruce…..”

“Who is she?”

“We don’t really know…..” Dick threw up his hands “He’s very…. protective over her….”

“Is she…..?” Bruce hesitated. Sometimes it was still hard to admit that werewolves and all the supernatural occurrences to come with it were real. Yes, Bruce had an open mind when it came to technology and reality, but accepting the fact that his second adopted son could transform into a hairy beast was… a lot. However, if there was anyone who could pull that thing off, it was definitely Jason with his 6.0 ft height and 225 Ibs weight.

Imagine the heart attack Bruce would get if it was tiny Damian with such skills…….

“Is she what Bruce?” Dick teased “come on, say it… you can do this….”

“Is she…..a werewolf?” Bruce hissed through clenched teeth.

“Good job, Bruce!” Dick laughed

“She is.” Tim answered, trying to mitigate the situation before someone does something regretful. “A pretty one from what I heard….”

“Who is she Tim?” Bruce turned to his third adopted son.

“How would I know?!”

“You have access to all the Wayne Technology and you’re you. Don’t tell me you haven’t googled her”

“I did no such thing! That would be a gravy invasion of privacy!” Tim made an innocent face that no one bought.

“Hm.”

“What?! I’m serious. You can’t just go and spy on people….werewolves… whatever. “ Tim said it with so much belief that Dick couldn’t help it and burst out laughing.

“Dick.”

“I’m not sorry Bruce. You’re definitely wasting your comedian and acting talent, Tim.”

“I’m being serious. She’s just a girl. A girl who turns into a giant animal every full moon and then sometimes…. It’s not her fault she imprinted Jason…. I won’t be searching for that poor unfortunate soul.”

“Imprinted?” Damian and Bruce asked in unison.

“No.” Dick says sternly. “Just no.”

“But…..”

“You’re too young to hear about it Damian.”

“I’m 11 years old, Grayson!”

“Precisely my point.”

“You will tell me everything……” Damian reached for his katana, but before he could actually do something, Bruce held him back by the cape. “Let me go father…… this is humiliating….”

“You will now go to your room Damian.”

“But….’

“I got some things I need to discuss with your brothers.”

And with those words and Bruce stern expression Dick and Tim knew. They were toasted.

***

 Regardless of what was happening in the batcave, Jason couldn’t care less. He was in fact meeting Y/N, but to say she was his girlfriend or that he imprinted her would be too much. There was something happening between them, but they never really put a tag on it. Besides, the whole concept of finding your soulmate just by looking at them was a false ideology blown by movies like Twilight and Jason scoffed (both internally and externally) every time one of his siblings (or honestly anyone) came as close as even suggesting it.

They felt good with each other, sure, but neither of them were fully convinced whether it was because of the fact that there weren’t really that much werewolves in Gotham and it was nice to have someone to go through the same struggles or whether they liked each other as humans.

Not that they had many opportunities to see one another in that shape.

Werewolf form was… comfortable. It was easier to hide oneself in all that fur and muscle and avoid unnecessary emotions. Being human meant vulnerability, awkwardness and too many words and feelings.

And Jason was not good with feelings. And, to say the truth, he never trusted them.  He was rather used to teasing, deflecting and covering that side with snarky, harsh humor.

At least until he met Y/N.

She was working at the little bakery in Gotham. The only bakery. Maybe that was why it was so easy for Jason to figure out her true identity.

It was not even a challenge considering the fact that as a human, she was always covered in flour and her wolf fur was a mix of tawny and white, almost as if someone sprinkled that ingredient all over her. And what was more, her signature dish was an apple tart with flavoring, and she always smelled of cinnamon. And wolf senses never fails, especially when it comes to nose.

What he didn’t realize what that Y/N was not only a simple baker girl.  And it was amazing what a smart head could do with the access to the Internet and some dot connecting.

Let me repeat: there weren’t many werewolves in Gotham.

For months it was their tradition to meet at the meadow on the outskirts of town to run together or hunt together or just do anything together. He used to swing by her place by the end of her shift, always as a wolf and let her tag along (of course he was not going to admit that he wanted her company. He was an alpha after all. ). So the surprise he felt one day when he showed up at the bakery seeing her as human, not ready for the unwinding was beyond words.

She was just sitting on the threshold of the shop, reading a book, but it was pretty obvious there was something going on in her mind. Again: wolf senses never fails and he could literally smell how distracted she was.

“I know who you are.” She simply said looking straight into his animal eyes.

Jason shook his wolf head. She couldn’t …….

“Jason Todd….”

Whoops.

“Wasn’t really hard to figure.” She shrugs. “You should cut on smoking it’s not good for your health and you reek of cigarettes.” It might have been the first time since they knew each other that he heard her laughing.

The way she acted was… doing something to him. For the hell of it he couldn’t figure why that light reproach made him feel…. Guilty. Chastened. Maybe it was unfair. He knew her identity, maybe he should have told her sooner? It was actually pretty funny that a giant, predatory animal let out a whimper and hung his head in shame in front of a girl, so much smaller than him. It was like at that moment, she got some power over him. A beta!

“Can I?” she asked reaching her hand for his fur and holding back before touching it. Only when he nodded, she tangled her fingers it his silky pelage. “It’s ok, Jason. I know it’s hard to reveal yourself…. Been there, done that… But you’re not alone anymore.” She cooed, caressing his back lightly. “We’re the same kind…..”

In any other circumstances, he would never let anyone touch him like this. But she was… different. The way she talked and comforted him… but surely it was only because of the wolf in her calling to the wolf in him. Kind of a “species relationship”, nothing more.

Definitely nothing more……

So why did he felt the sudden urge to nuzzle her and actually acted on it?

Just a species relationship……

It was month ago and their acquaintance developed.

He learnt that while being a little messy human in her wolf form Y/N was full of grace and gentleness. Acting like one of the Aristocats, even if the werewolves were in fact.. dogs. When she was hunting it was never bloody. She always took care to be clean of the mud, to avoid unnecessary dirt and to choose the nice paths to run in the woods. Each and every of her move were careful, thoughtful and intentional.

Absolutely opposite of Jason who was the perfect definition of running wild and free. But even with her queen-ish attitude she never complained. And he really appreciated that, since Y/N was so different from all the members of his family, who were constantly trying to shape him, tell him what, how, why and when to do (or nor).

With her… he could just be himself.

Just a species relationship.

And after a long night of patrolling he was searching for that freedom he felt with her.

Just like he was doing at that point, escaping the batcave, leaving Bruce, Dick, Tim, Damian and all his Red Hood shit behind, running to the bakery just to spend some time with that beta.

It was purely coincidental that of late she’s been working night shifts, finishing in the very early morning. Her boss found out about the little ailment of her which was hypersensitivity to light. To put it simply, working during the day was nearly impossible for her since she was becoming half-blind, getting clumsy and ashamed of said incapability. But still, she was the best employee, letting her go was not an option, hence the work schedule alteration.

Pretty lucky work schedule alteration.

Pretty lucky work schedule alteration that gave them opportunity to spend some more time together.

But still it was just the species relationship.

Nothing more.    

And his wolf heart definitely did not start beating faster when he saw her turned into that majestic animal, waving her tail awaiting his arrival.  When she senses him approaching she tilted her head playfully, imitating the way she used to do as human when something got her attention and her eyes sparkled.

Jason let out a single howl as a form of greeting. Of course, he had to show off. He was an alpha and had to underline his presence and position. And it scaring the shit out of Y/N’s coworkers came in pair with that, he was more than willing to tease those people a bit. Even if his werewolf female friend shook her head in disapproval and was definitely going to tell him off later.

He knew better. He knew she liked him being like this and her every action was only proving that theory.

However, at the moment they were just looking into each other’s eyes. Two giant animals in the middle of the city, lost in the connection they had. Just a for a second though, because Jason got a bit scared of what Y/N may see in his mind if they were standing like that for too long and started running, signaling her to follow him. 

She just couldn’t ignore the calling of an alpha. Her alpha. It was too strong to disobey so she followed right after him, keeping safe distance to avoid getting hit with the dust he raised. She was a lady after all.

Soon enough, with their speed, they reached the meadow in the forest. Their spot. Their place for relaxation and sleeping after a hard day (night) of work.

Jason just tumbled to the ground not having a care in the world, but Y/N took a few turns to make a proper place for herself and settle down. The sun was about to raise and she needed a spot in the shadows to avoid extensive exposure. Even  if in her wolf form she wasn’t really prone to the light sensitivity, it was a bit of a habit now. Not every human instinct was turned off during transformation.

Unfortunately, the place she choose was too far from Jason for his liking as he raised onto his paws and moved closer to her, laying close enough that if they were humans they would be cuddling. And this time she couldn’t care less about his dirty, messed up fur.

It was Jason.

It was her alpha.

And she was the part of the pack. She had to obey.

Obviously only because of that she let him approach her and lay his head next to her, their noses almost touching, their tails waging happily at the presence and warmth of one another.

Only because of that she felt comfortable and safe enough to close up her eyes and enjoy that fuzzy feeling inside her. 

Only because of that she let him shift his position slightly so that he laid in a way that would give her additional protection from the light. Just in case.

Only because of the pack thing they let their guards down, slowly drifting off to sleep, away from all the people, away from reality, lost in one another. Protected by one another .  

Species relationship, my ass.

[louff4tw]

Younger Bruce Wayne/Batman Headcannons

- He CAN cook. It’s weird to me people are like “he can burn water” Alfred raised him. I Headcannon he taught him and then when he trained he learned how to cook restaurant quality in case he needs to go undercover. He’s not Alfred level but he can cook

- He was a angry teen. The trauma messed with his head and he fought with Alfred a lot. Alfred thought about leaving a few times at the worst of the fighting but cared to much about the child he’s known since birth.

- Bruce adored him growing up. After he became his caretaker it was never discussed what would happen after Bruce turned 18. And part of what triggered the fights was that he was afraid Alfred was gonna leave when he turned 18.

- He left the day before he turned 18. He may give several excuses of why but it was in case Alfred left. He couldn’t face it if he did. The relief he felt when he realized Alfred was staying made him want to cry.

- Until 13 whenever he had a nightmare he would sit outside the floor next to the door to Alfred’s room. It helped to hear him. If Alfred spotted him he would be incredibly embarrassed. Alfred would let him join him in bed (Not in a weird way. Begone you creepy fucks)

- After 13 he decided he was a big boy and instead would stand at the closed door. Hear him snore and go back to bed. He continues this to his day with everyone who is staying the night.

- Autistic. Also he used to follow Alfred around stating different facts. He loves to stim by using a tire swing his dad put up when he was born. Spinning really helps him. Wasn’t diagnosed till after Tim was diagnosed and Stephanie called them autism twins. He was confused and she had to point out all the things in him she’s seen. Alfred didn’t even think of it. The rich don’t usually get diagnosed. After being diagnosed and with the trauma his kids had a better time understanding his communication or lack there off. Poor Alfred felt so bad when he realized so many issues in Bruce’s childhood would not have been a issue.

- The different issues he had were big crowds being overstimulating. The seams in his sucks. The suits we’re claustrophobic and felt like they were choking him. Plus the texture of the suits were horrendous. So much velvet back then. He hated being touched and people wouldn’t stop it. (Hand in hair. Shoulders or upper back. Or old laddies pinching cheeks). Had trouble talking to his peers. Weirdly the only one he could hold a Conversation with was Lex and sorta Oliver. But he didn’t like Lex and Oliver was annoying. He would talk about his special Interest and others would get annoyed. Sometimes only felt like Alfred and some elderly scholars understood him.

- Massive science nerd and loves Sci Fi’s and mysteries. Loves Star Trek alongside Grey Ghost.

- Is pansexual. But has never officially come out until Tim came out and was nervous

- Would sneak out in disguise. He also knew how to skateboard. Would hang out with a bad group. Drank and did pot when he was 16 but stoped when a friend was killed. This helped push him towards being Batman.

- They didn’t really do holidays after his parents died. The main tree didn’t get put up till Dick came around. Alfred would put up a smaller one in one of the lounges.

- Used to carry around a Sony Walkman and listen to albums. Really big into all kinds of music. Would sometimes stare into the abyss as he listened. He eventually gave the Walkman to one of his kids. They pass it around to whoever wants to use it. Currently with Cass.

- He took Karate for years and already was a black belt by the time he left. He also trained in fencing. He would always do things that tried to push his limits and would frequently hurt himself to the point cps was called. Of course they didn’t do anything but it frightened Alfred as Bruce hid these injuries from him.

- Was not rare for him to fall asleep next to his parents Grave and Alfred had to carry him in. He stopped when he was 15. When Jason died he started it up again. While Jason wasn’t buried on the manor cemetery he had a stone. Alfred had to call Dick to help get him inside. He passed out from exhaustion and wouldn’t wake.

- Following the one comic. He did try to kill himself when he was a preteen with his Fathers razor. Alfred found him and called Leslie. Only time she saw Alfred cry. He begged her “please save my boy! Please” this night haunts them both. He spent a week in Arkham. It didn’t help really. They kept it hush hush and used a fake name. Matches Malone. Bruce Still uses this name for undercover. Alfred wouldn’t leave him alone for months. Made him sleep in his room and Alfred sat outside the open door of the bathroom for showers and baths (facing away you sick fucks)

- After his parents death he never really thought he would ever have a family. Or feel happy again. He was so so wrong.

[fae-morrigan]

I Read Bendis So You Don't Have To: The Famed Jon Kent Age Up

Hi! I'm Milas. I've read more Bendis Superman than is probably healthy.

No matter if you liked the age up or not, most fans are in agreement: this run was bad. Pretty dang bad. And I agree- this run is often hard to parse through all the... er, bendisisms, and often mangles what little themes it has through poor storytelling and lackluster use of page real estate. However, I unfortunately have become an expert on this particular story due to how many times I reference it in analysis, and I do not wish my suffering upon anyone else. So, to spare us all from said suffering while writing meta, I encourage Jon fans, from whichever corner of his fandom you come from, to use and link to this series as shorthand if you so need to.

This installment will be going, objectively as possible, beat by beat through the actual events of the famed 2019 Jon Kent age up.

Issues covered are Superman (2018) issues 7-10, as well as briefly covering the events of Super-Sons of Tomorrow (all issues) and The Man of Steel (issue 6).

Before we can get to the actual mainline Superman run where this event occurred, we should real quick go through the events leading up to this.

In Super-Sons of Tomorrow, Jon is confronted by Savior, an evil version of Tim Drake from a future where Jon accidentally causes a massive loss of civilian life via an explosion of his powers. Savior is travelling from back in time to try and prevent this from occurring by killing Jon, therefore stopping the catastrophe. This causes infighting amongst the Teen Titans, even more fighting with people from this alternate future timeline, and concludes with a vote being held to decide if Jon is welcome amongst the Teen Titans. The vote decides no, Jon will not be admitted onto the team.

Though the Teen Titans tell Jon that this is because the events of the book gave them a lot to think about and work out, this is not what Jon takes away from it.

In Man of Steel, Jor-El shows up and invites Jon out to space with him. This is meant to be a journey where Jon will be able to learn things that Clark has "neglected" to teach him, as well as connecting with his Kryptonian heritage.

Clark and Lois are vehemently against this at first. Clark, especially, does not change his mind on this being a bad idea, even after Jon leaves.

However, the reason Jon goes is because, in his own words, he feels like there is something wrong with him.

This is a feeling, that, in text, Jon feels specifically sparked on by the events of Super Sons of Tomorrow. Feeling lost, and like he needs to explore himself, Jon (and Lois, who does not want to leave her son unattended, and intends to write a book about the experience) join Jor El in space.

(I highly do recommend you all read Man of Steel, because it's about as close as Bendis gets to writing genuinely well in this whole collection of books, and I can only screencap so much of the sheer amount of discussion that happens between the three Kents about Jon going on spacecation. Trust me, they didn't just shoo Jon off! They talked about it for what in comic time was AGES.)

This is where we get to issue 7 of Superman, where Jon returns from his vacation... as a seventeen year old.

As Jon himself says, he didn't get aged up magically- He lived those years. So, what actually did happen to him while he was out there? What happened during those six-to-seven years (depending on who you ask)?

First: What happens to make Lois leave?

The House of El suit Clark lends her to keep her safe makes her a target, a target that puts her in active danger (in exact opposition to what Clark intended), and so for her own safety she departs.

Leaving Jon alone with his grandfather. Who, as Jon says, has gone completely insane.

The nature of Jor El's insanity is revealed in the next issue, issue eight, as we reach what I and friends call the Jor El Nihilism Speech:

Jon follows Jor El's line of thinking for most of the conversation- He understands what it feels like to not belong in the story, because that fear of being somehow wrong was what brought him out here in the first place. Jor El, Jon Kent, both men outside of time, outside of belonging. Neither should exist. But Jor El takes it to a conclusion Jon doesn't accept: That it's a hopeless existence.

This makes Jon want to go home. Concluding Jor El has utterly lost it, he decides he needs to make a break for it somehow. Because of how far from Earth they are, he can't just fly off, so he attempts to get some help from some Green Lanterns:

It doesn't go well. At this point, Jor El stops speaking to Jon for awhile, and they spend... an indeterminate amount of time fighting through the galaxy, trying to solve people's problems. While not talking to each other. At all.

But when Jor El finally does try and talk to Jon....

Well. Here's the part you're probably reading this post for:

Yay! Its volcano time! An unexpected black hole throws Jon (and Jor, but we'll get to him later) through dimensions, landing him on Earth-3. At the feet of the Crime Syndicate.

If you're going to read ANY issue for yourself, I recommend it to be this one. The Ultraman stuff is not only perpetually relevant to Jon's story, its LIKELY going to be relevant again when Absolute Power: Super Son releases. Ultraman is the one member of the Syndicate who claims Jon as 'his':

And proceeds to imprison Jon in a volcano. As I am sure all of you know by now. The Volcano.

Ultraman and Jon trade some conversation back and forth, establish who each of them are, before Ultraman tells Jon he is never going home, and that this is home now:

It becomes quickly apparent that due to the lack of sun, Jon has no protection, no way of escape. He tries to fly out, but no dice:

And so stuck he is. For multiple years. With nothing but pigs to feed on, stuck with a monster who intends to 'train' him to his full potential:

But eventually, Jon escapes. He takes a rock, bangs a hole in the side of the Volcano, and gets himself out, relying on what little he has left of his invulnerability.

Now is a good time to mention a small misconception I see peddled around a lot: There is actually significant evidence pointing to the idea that Jon did NOT spend all six years in the volcano. After wandering Earth 3 for an indeterminate awhile, going from city to city and stopping to help people along the way, there is a strong suggestion by the way Bendis frames it that this was also years. I'd personally estimate Jon's time on Earth 3 was about half and half- Three ish years of the volcano, three ish years of surviving out in the wild. Anyways, Jon finds his way to the Syndicate's headquarters, encountering an evil version of Lois who tries to attack him. But surprise! Onto issue 9, we finally get to Jon's rescue!

Jor El was also displaced in the multiverse, of course- But we have no idea for how long, where, and what he did during this time. All we know is this: Jon wasn't just thrown across space and time, he was thrown backwards.

I think this is where the source of the most misconceptions come from: Its complicated to grasp! But very simply, the reason why Jon was able to live six years while everyone else stayed the same age was because he wasn't just thrown TO Earth-3, he was thrown backwards as well. Here's a chart I made about a year ago to try and visualize it:

If you're wondering how Jor El found him... we actually don't know. All we know is Jor El apparently made some fucked up arrangements in order to accomplish it.

And that kind of brings us back to the beginning, where Clark and Jon reunite. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, namely how Jor El managed to get Jon back in the first place, but this is essentially the rundown of the age up. So to recap very quickly: 1. No, Jon was not magically aged up. He lived those years. Its spacetime travel, not just space travel. He is mentally 17-18. 2. No, Clois didn't just 'let him go' with no conflict. It was actually a huge argument that ended up also really mentally fucking with Clark in later arcs. He goes to therapy with Khalid Nassour about it! 3. Jor El has a lot more to do with all this than he reasonably should. I could explain why he's alive but it would give us both an aneurysm- Just know in this story, he kind of serves as a foil to Jon.

Now, why did Bendis write the age up? Here's a post by a friend that gets into the metatextual reasons why this was a thing.

[ghostberrie]

Soft as the rain

My first reader insert fanfic. Going to discuss mental illnesses, schizoaffective, major depression, PTSD, and Anxiety. Reader is already p messed in the head before the boys find her and make it worse. Ofc blood gore and murder. Manipulation and some other fun stuff. NSFW down the line so this will be 18+. I’m a whore for Hoodie/Brian, Toby and Masky/Tim thrown in for fun too. LMK what you think and how to tag this! Enjoy!

Eyes blearily, head pounding, your body stiff. You get up and your joints creak as the world spins. What did you do last night? You become vaguely aware you’re in an alleyway, having wormed your way behind a dumpster, you look like shit, smell like shit, and feel like it too. Stumbling to your feet, legs weak and very numb from being bent under you for what you guessed to be a long time. You notice as you trip over yourself that your heels are broken. Looking down at your little black dress, its covered in a slick substance. Residue leaking liquid garbage on the pavement where you took your little power nap.

As soon as you step out from behind the dumpster the smell hits you, making your head pound even more, making your vision blur your surroundings. You double over and hurl. Stomach tensing so hard it hurts. Reaching a hand on the dumpsters cold and sticky metal, you lean your weight on it to support you as you empty your stomach. Another hand reaches to try and pull your hair away from getting even more disgusting than it is. As the bile burns your throat you have the fleeting thought that you may have not eaten before or during your little night out, exacerbating your fucked up state. Tears prick at your bulging eyes as you retch up another bit of bile. Taking a few heaving breaths to steady yourself, you can’t help but think this night couldn’t get any worse. Not knowing how you got here, still a bit messed in the head because of whatever you took, god you hoped it wasn’t coke, a huff of a laugh bubbled out of you. You can’t imagine how bad you must look. You wipe your mouth with the back of the hand no longer holding your hair and lean back. Staring at the dark night sky, the view partially obstructed by the tall buildings surrounding you. Light pollution making the sky look starless and void.

Your head snaps back as the bang of a door slamming open echoes through the air, cutting through the background noise of bumping dance music you didn’t fully register until it was overtaken. You quickly duck down, crouching and cowering behind the dumpster you were fully leaning against moments before. Peeking your head around your hiding place you saw two men. One pressing the other to the dank brick wall of the space you occupied. The smaller man seemed scared, eyes wide and panicked. He was slurring his words as he spoke, no, begged the larger man holding him by the front of his white button up a few feet off the ground. He was obviously intoxicated, maybe as much as you. Poor bastard would have a pounding headache in the morning, just like you.

“Please, I swear I wasn’t going to say anything, I didn’t see anything, I don’t know anything. I’m just a little guy, you wouldn’t hurt a small little guy right?” His head snapped to the side, he was punched in the jaw hard, his babbling continuing and getting more pathetic. The larger man would apparently very much hurt a small little guy. You’re not sure if it was the wild night you’d clearly had or your weakened mental state that led you out tonight, but the scene laying out in front of you didn’t scare you absolutely shitless, if anything you found it kind of funny. Of course this shit would happen to you, getting caught in a potential drug deal gone wrong, having to see some poor sucker get jostled around stuck where you were so their attention wouldn’t turn their violence to you. Tugging at your phone which you had tucked into your bra, and struggling with the lock screen, eventually you opened your camera app. With a last blurry thought of ‘worldstar’ you pressed record and filmed the act of violence unfolding before you. Probably not the smartest move, but fuck being smart, this could be fun.

The bigger man, the aggressor, didn’t speak. His back turned to you, you noted he wore a murky yellow hoody and dark jeans. You barely registered the dark gloves covering his hands, gloves that would ensure no fingerprints would be left behind. The smaller man realized after a few more hits that his begging was getting him nowhere. He started to struggle, limbs seeming heavy and uncoordinated, he attempted to claw at the hand that migrated to holding him by the throat. Kicking his feet trying to use his legs to jam the bigger man away, maybe his kicks were weak or maybe the other man was just that strong but he held firm, pulling his other hand back and cracking the head of the small little guy back into the brick, punching him square in the nose. He cried, fat tears pouring down his cheeks, mixing with the blood pouring out of his very broken nose.

The Bigger man reached a hand to his waistband, a glint catching your eye, you realize dully he had pulled a gun. This was no longer a bit of fun violence, your gut churned, wanting to throw up again. Holding it up to the babbling man’s temple, point blank, he waited for the begging to start up again. “Please, I promise you, I won’t say a thing, I’ll disappear, you’ll never have too worry about me!” Finally the bigger man made a sound, a low chuckle rumbled, the sound barely reaching you. He really seemed to enjoy the look of fear and the broken whimpers of someone who’s life was about to end by his hands. Shoulders bounced before he stiffened again. And just like that he pulled the trigger. A resounding bang thundered off the walls. The large city not being the safest, so the gun shot wouldn’t really raise alarms. Just another night that got a little too wild.

Your mind struggled to make sense of the scene, his head was there and then it was mostly gone. A huge hole taking an entire side of his face off, blood and chunks of brain and muscle staining the wall behind him. His body going limp immediately, neck letting his damaged head lull to the side with the bullet that tore into it. The image of a water ballon bursting ran across your mind. And for whatever reason you laughed, maybe it was the nerves, or the thought that you’re shitty night that couldn’t get worse did just that, but a bark of a laugh ripped from your throat. Oh shit. He’s looking this way, oh fuck oh shit. He wore a kind of ski mask, uneven red circles and a frown stitched into it. He was huge, tall and very obviously built, bringing the gun down and pointing it towards the floor, still using his other hand to hold up a grown man in the air, he stilled. While definitely scared now, it all seemed so ridiculous in your mind that you seemed to take your leisurely time to click the recording off and stand on wobbly feet, you gave him a wonky smile. He turned his head to the side, an unsettling movement, slow and calculated.

Before he could even drop the body and make a move towards you, you turned on your heel and ran, as fast as you could in your physical condition. Bursting from one alley to the next, before making it onto the busy street of downtown on a Friday night. Still letting out nervous giggles you melted into the crowd. Ignoring the looks you pushed past people for a few blocks before finding a cab and hopping in. Promptly knocking out after giving him your address, not questioning the lack of foot steps behind you as you hightailed it away from the scene. Small details being lost in your hazy mind. You didn’t take time to account for your ID that was no longer on your person, or the keys to your apartment that were lost as well.

He on the other hand, was so kind to find them laying on the floor behind the very dumpster you took shelter behind, and with your address in hand and a way to get inside he was very happy to return them to you. But not quite so soon. He found the dazed look of fear in your eyes, your lips, shiny from lipgloss that clung to you, pulled into a nervous smile and the way your legs pumped under you as you ran very cute. He couldn’t wait for the fun you would have together, but like any good game he had to be patient. Knowing his victory was guaranteed, he still wanted you to squirm.

[adjit]

So what really happened in Red Robin between Dick and Tim?

Because I am constantly seeing misrepresentations of it, I want to talk about the actual events of Red Robin, and Dick and Tim's relationship during it. It's a favorite storyline for fandom to use and riff on, and so for people who haven't read the source, it's hard to know what is canon and what is fanon.

Honestly? It might be easier to just go read the issues. The majority of what I'm going to discuss here all happens in the first 4 issues of Red Robin (though I cover some stuff through the first 12), and I enjoyed that entire run, but if you'd rather hear a random internet user tell ya their take on it, read on.

This is going under a cut because it's long. But TLDR? Dick is not the bad guy in this situation. No one is the bad guy in this situation. If we had to name one... poor coping skills? And though they do fight, they ultimately reconcile because Tim and Dick are brothers who love each other.

Damian

First things first, let's talk about Damian. Did Dick give Robin to Damian without even informing Tim, so Tim had to find out by Damian showing up in the Robin costume? Not exactly.

So, some technicalities. Damian had worn the costume before the infamous Batcave scene. In Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3, he's given it by Alfred and goes with Squire to save Tim. So, not only has Damian worn the costume before, Tim has seen it.

However, arguably this is also before Dick has accepted the mantle, so the scene in the cave is still notable as it is Dick specifically informing Tim that Damian will be his Robin. And Tim had also worn the costume out for a one-time rescue months before he officially became Robin (also enabled by Alfred), so I'm still of the idea that the cave scene is The Scene about the Robin mantle being passed down.

That being the case, I'm still going to defend Dick anyway.

Firstly, he told Tim before Damian showed up. But it's true that he didn't give Tim a choice, and that Tim was NOT okay with it.

Damian shows up and talks some shit, Tim punches him in the face, and then storms out.

Overall, it went pretty terribly! But I'm of the opinion that there was no good ending here. Damian needs the family connection that the mantle of Robin would give him in order to feel accepted, not to mention the close supervision that the duo of Batman and Robin would provide. But Tim is extremely attached to Robin 14 years after this comic and he still hasn't given it up and would never be happy being asked to give it up, especially when he's already lost so many things. One of them was going to end up unhappy. (Fwiw, I'm of the opinion that Dick is right, and Damian needs Robin a lot more than Tim does. But that doesn't mean that that decision wouldn't hurt Tim, too.)

Arguably, Dick could have been a bit nicer when doing this, but let's be fair to Dick: his father figure has just died, and suddenly he has to be Batman, and he now has a young child he is partly in charge of. That's a lot to be dumped on his lap, not to mention that he didn't want to be Batman (he initially refused despite Bruce's wishes, and only took it on after basically being forced to after Jason tried to take on the mantle, killed a bunch of people, and injured both Damian and Tim), and said child is a highly traumatized child who is still in the process of basically cult de-conditioning! So Tim could also be asked to be a lot more understanding than he's being. But Tim's too wrapped up in his own grief to see that. Just like Dick's too wrapped up in his own issues to properly deal with Tim.

He has a lot of shit going on and he can't juggle it all. Tim is coping incredibly poorly with his own circumstances. They clash and neither comes out happy. It sucked. But to say that Dick is the bad guy here... He made the best decision he could when given no right options. I do think that he made a mistake here in his approach, but to call his entire relationship with Tim into question due to it... doesn't make as much sense to me (especially because of the events which follow!)

Self-isolation

So, did everyone abandon Tim? Did his family forget him and leave him out to dry?

Absolutely not. The opposite, really. Tim pushed everyone away, despite them repeatedly reaching out to him.

One thing to note about Tim here is that he is self-isolating extremely hard. Even after their argument about Robin, Dick keeps trying to reach out to Tim. Tim pushes him away. Tim pushes everyone away. And this is not even subtle- it's shown in the text very clearly.

Multiple people try to talk to Tim, and Tim absolutely refuses them.

Tim is pissed even at the idea that Dick might be checking up on him. And Tim and Steph's relationship is super rocky right now, and he takes her concern for him poorly. Part of that can be attributed to an ongoing fight between them, a lack of trust implicit there, but combined with everything else it's also clearly Tim pushing away all of his lifelines.

Cassie also comes to try to check on him- after he dodges her attempts to contact him, she flies all the way to Gotham. But when told that a man who everyone knows as dead, and whose body was recovered and buried, is still alive, she doesn't believe him. (And considering Cassie has already dealt with Tim's grief regarding Conner and his suuuuuper rational reaction there, one might understand even more why she doesn't believe him right away.) And Tim immediately pushes her away for it. He doesn't try to give her any explanation, doesn't respond to her concern, he just immediately cuts the cord.

(And just a note that when Cassie doesn't know who else to turn to about Tim? She turns to Dick! Because she knows how important Dick is to Tim. And yes, right now Tim is mad at Dick and resents that Steph and Cassie go to him, but that doesn't change the fact that when people think about caring for Tim, Dick is the first person they go to.)

Dick and Tim's argument

Did Dick refuse to believe Tim, despite Tim having evidence, call him crazy and threaten to throw him in Arkham? NOPE.

That is entirely fanon. And one of the more pervasive, and annoying, misrepresentations of Dick's character, as it causes people to talk shit about him.

So. What actually happened? (We're getting into full pages here because I am not letting anyone get this conversation twisted.)

Dick shows up and speaks to Tim compassionately, though decisively, about the fact that Bruce is dead and they need to learn to move on and deal with that grief in a healthy manner. He then offers help to Tim once more, and is rejected, Tim instead opting to start a fight in classic emotionally-repressed Bat tradition. (Which, sidenote, do you think they do this just so that panels during a long conversation are more dynamic instead of two people standing there talking to each other?)

Tim pleads his case to Dick....to an extent. Notice, however, that he never mentions that he has any reason to believe what he does. Doesn't even try to convince Dick to believe him, really. Just insists that he's right after he makes a good case on why he does in fact sound crazy.

And then, Dick offers help. He suggests that Tim talk to a therapist. This person is, notably, NOT ARKHAM ASYLUM. Isn't even secretly Arkham, because they're in Metropolis!

And, frankly, the idea that someone suggesting therapy to his brother who is dealing poorly with grief has been equated to "calling him crazy and trying to get him thrown in jail/committed" is absolutely bonkers to me. I know that it's more likely that someone escalated the stakes for drama in their fanfic or something, and for some reason that's the version that circulated, but from here to there is a LEAP. And for people to claim it's canon is frustrating to say the least.

And finally. Tim tells Dick to let him leave. And Dick does. Dick stops trying to stop Tim, and lets him go. He trusts in Tim enough to let him do what he thinks is right, even if Dick himself disagrees. He does it because Tim asks him to.

Is it a mistake? Maybe. Does it make Tim forgive Dick for choosing Damian as his Robin? Definitely not. But it's very clearly not because he doesn't care, not because he's too busy to pay attention to Tim. It's an act of respect, of treating Tim as an equal who is capable of making his own decisions. In that way, it's showing his trust to Tim.

I have an entirely separate post on the subject of why Dick not believing Tim is narratively supported to make later (EDIT: posted here!), so I'm gonna go on a little Tim rant here instead. Because this post isn't long enough.

During this time, Tim is consistently begging for people to believe in him, while also refusing to play all his cards. The picture that started his hunch is never brought up. Frankly, I'm not sure that even if he did show it to everyone that people would believe him, but I think it's telling that he doesn't.

First, I kind of see it as Tim engaging in a "relationship test". They're the kind of thing that only people who are deeply insecure or in a bad place think to do- if I stop talking to all my friends, how long will it take people to notice? Who's going to notice that I'm upset without me saying anything, who really cares about me? If I share an insane theory, who is going to believe me point blank?

They're the kind of thing that is....not healthy in any way, shape, or form, and really aren't fair to the people you're testing. Sure, someone "passing" the test may show that they care for you (and, ultimately, the only person who believes Tim without reservation is Kon, once he comes back- and that unquestioning belief and loyalty is meaningful), but "failing" the test doesn't mean that they don't care. And they're ultimately a sort of self-sabotage, because you know that most people are going to fail because you know the test is unfair.

And that's exactly what it is: self-sabotage. As previously mentioned, Tim is massively self-isolating during this part of the arc, and pushing people away because they "don't believe him" is just one facet of that self-isolation. But he also doesn't try to get them to believe him, doesn't even give them that chance, because his ultimate goal is not to actually get anyone on his side, but to push everyone away. That's not to say that he secretly doesn't want people to believe him, but... he's acting mostly irrationally. He wants people to believe him but won't let them close enough to meaningfully give them the chance to do so.

Second, as much as Tim says that he's positive he's right and he's going to prove it, he's straight up lying, and he's actually not that sure at this point. And he's probably terrified that if he does show his proof, that someone will see it and still not believe him, and he'll have to face the fact that his only piece of evidence is extremely flimsy and that his conviction is based much more on grief than it actually is on logic.

So. Yeah, no one believes him. And that does suck, and it's a hit to him. But he didn't exactly give them a chance. He's preemptively cutting people out before they have a chance to hurt him or point out where he's wrong.

Tim is still a pitiable character here. He's a disaster and a wet puddle of a man who is living through the worst time in his entire life. But he's not a poor victim, scorned by his family and the world at large, thought to be crazy for no reason at all! Instead, he's (much more interestingly, imo) a kid dealing with his grief incredibly poorly, self-isolating and refusing every outstretched hand, clinging desperately on to his last hope that maybe his world hasn't changed as much as it seems like it has.

Blackest Night

Blackest Night is a huge crossover event that happened during the Red Robin run; technically speaking, you can skip it without missing anything in the plot of Red Robin, but it does have some good moments that highlight Tim's mental state and his relationship with Dick.

So, Tim leaves Gotham, but when Black Lantern Rings start bringing a bunch of people back from the dead in the form of zombies, including Dick and Tim's parents, Dick calls him back to Gotham. And Tim, looking at the decaying zombie corpse of his parents, is also arguing that he can save them.

When faced with an evil zombie that is trying to kill him, Tim still says "I can still fix this, I can save him". And Dick, as compassionately as ever, tries to talk sense into him. It's the exact same situation as with Bruce, but this time Tim is absolutely wrong.

And with this situation as a parallel, I think it's a lot clearer how unreasonable Tim's mental state is. He might seem like he's just a misunderstood genius in Bruce's case because he happened to be right, but the fact of the matter is, he's not thinking clearly. And he'd cling onto the same hopes even when he's wrong. With Bruce's case, he got lucky.

Also! This panel.

Even with all of this between them, Tim still answers Dick that he trusts him, with no hesitation. Of course.

Reconciliation

So, does Tim come back to Gotham, replaced and forgotten, and become isolated from the rest of the Bats?

Nope! There is, actually, a reconciliation of sorts between Dick and Tim. Admittedly, there is no scene where Dick outright says he's sorry, and Tim says he forgives him. But in my reading, there are interactions that serve a similar purpose, if you read between the lines.

After Tim finds proof of what's been going on with Batman, had a whole thing with the League and the Council of Spiders, and blown up a bunch of League bases, he returns to Gotham where Ra's is enacting a plan to get revenge for Tim acting against him: destroying Batman's legacy. Everything he loved and everything he built is in the crosshairs.

And when he's trying to figure out what Ra's is planning, he meets back up with Dick.

Tim is spewing crazy theories, and with absolutely no proof or explanation, he turns to Dick and asks him to trust him. And this time, Dick tells him, Of course. The fraction between them that preceded Tim's departure from Gotham is repeated, and this time Dick tells Tim he trusts him, and asks what he can do to help.

(This time, Dick does call Tim crazy, while he's muttering to himself. And then he chooses to trust him anyway.)

Granted, this is not an actual apology. But it feels like a second chance. One more bid for connection, and this time Dick meets him in the middle and reciprocates.

Anyway, since when do siblings actually verbally say "I'm sorry"?

And then... quick summary, in case you want the real details for the following events:

Ra's sends assassins after all the people Batman cares about to distract Tim from the fact that he's getting Hush (who is impersonating Bruce Wayne) to sign over Wayne Enterprises. But Tim wins because he finally stops self-isolating and gets his many friends to protect everyone who needs protecting while Tim faces off against Ra's. (Which is, ultimately, a climax of his character arc for this story- reaching out and trusting people again. Team up guy back in action!)

Tim's able to keep Ra's busy long enough that Lucius can file the paperwork to make him the majority shareholder of Wayne Enterprises, thwarting Ra's' attempt at a takeover. However, Ra's wins the fight, and Tim ends up plummeting to his death out of the window.

And then Dick catches him.

Later, Dick asks Tim how he could have planned for Dick to be there to save him.

And Tim says "You're my brother, Dick. You'll always be there for me."

This scene has been talked to death, because most people are at a consensus: this is a fucking lie. Tim didn't know that Dick would be there, and was fully prepared to die.

However! I'm not here to rehash this. I just want to add my take. It's a lie, but. Tim is a good liar. And every good liar knows that the best lies have a grain of truth in them.

I do believe that Tim didn't know that anyone would be there to save him. But I also believe that he fully means what he says here, that it's not just to placate Dick. Tim is telling Dick that he trusts him, that he believes in him, that they're brothers. It's forgiveness.

I could keep citing all the places where Tim shows an unconditional belief in Dick that happen after this arc, to prove that their relationship is truly mended after this and that they don't continue fighting, but that happens often enough that you could just read any comic including Tim and Dick and I'm sure Tim will say some fanboy shit eventually.

So, that's it! If you take nothing else from this post, take this at least: Tim and Dick LOVE each other, and they might fight, but they forgive each other, and if you try to talk shit about Dick Grayson, Tim will be one of the first to fight you, guaranteed. Suffice to say:

[rinnsverse]

COFFEE: PG.00 — 8 Shots of Espresso

COFFEE: Tim Drake x gn!reader

SYNOPSIS: Tim meets a barista that gives him what he needed most - a large coffee with way to many shots of espresso. Though what happens when just a single action changes the other’s life, forever?

coffee master list || next

SUNDAY, MARCH 19 2023 — 11:32 PM

'WHY WAS I scheduled these hours? Hell, why did I even decide to work here?’

Oh, right, you need money. Just living in Gotham was expensive, not to mention the fact that villains and vigilantes stormed the street at hours like this and insurance can only cover so many villains. You’re almost bound to have a window or two broken. Though luckily, most of the vigilantes offer to pay for the damages caused or someone else offers to pay for them.

Checking your phone’s lock screen, you see that the time was 11:34. The cafe you worked at closed at midnight but there were still a few customers scattered around, most of them being students studying for upcoming exams or projects most likely.

Hearing the ding from the door you turn to look at the person who entered the door, “What can I get for you?”

The boy that stood before you was wearing wearing a dark attire - black pants, matching boots, and a simple red hoodie - all of the dark tones complimented his light blue eyes but they were clouded with something you couldn’t put your finger on; it didn’t help that their were dark bags underneath them as well.

Snapping out of your daze you look at him for his order, “A black coffee but add fives shots of espresso to it,” he deadpans. Before adding that to his order, you pause.

You slowly turn to look up at him to see if he was serious. He was very serious. “Um, y-you do realize that you’re asking for seven shots of-“

“Yes.”

“Alrighty then, um,” you swallow thickly out of pure fear at what had driven this poor boy into needing that much espresso in his coffee. You have met some insane individuals in your lifetime - mainly because you live in Gotham - but none of them have been driven to this extent, “Anything else?”

“No, that’s it,” he replies, shoving his hand into his pocket for ( what you hoped to be ) his wallet.

“Name?”

“Tim.”

A few seconds of processing payments and discussing sizes later, you’re on your way to creating a large drink that could possibly kill the very customer you’re making it for.

Meanwhile, said customer is actually relieved and really grateful for you on the inside. Tim had been running at max four hours of sleep for the past week while working on a case nonstop, and on top of that, he had patrol duty in 20 minutes.

Originally, he had left at eleven for his cup of coffee but unfortunately, his previous requests have been denied because apparently giving customers that much of espresso in their coffee was against company policy even if a Wayne was asking for it.

Multiple coffee shop stops and rejections later, he came upon the cafe you worked at and was able to get the coffee he so desperately needed.

A few minutes later, you gently slid Tim’s drink towards him with a small, “Enjoy.”

Thanking you with a nod of his head and a small smile, he took a look at your name tag - Y/N L/N.

TIMESKIP

The next morning later, you wake up at eleven thirty, feeling like a bag of shit. Turning over on your back with your arms extended outwards and legs barely touching each other; like a shy starfish.

'Is this my punishment for not applying for colleges the moment I graduated high school? Probably.'

After a few more moments of doing absolutely nothing, you decide to attempt to be a productive member of society. Grabbing your phone from your bedside table, you see that you have multiple message notifications, twitter notifications, and that it was now 11:42.

Checking Twitter first, you see that Tim Drake had tweeted something.

'Wait hol' up, wait a minute. Why am I mentioned in that tweet and why am I mentioned by so many other people? Also, how did he manage to find my twitter?'

Smiling at the comments that replied to your tweets, you decide to try and attempt to be a productive member of society.

Starting by brushing your teeth.

SPECIAL NOTE: this is a repost of my old post but I’ve now re-created it in a slight smau format that it was originally supposed to be in this could be read as a standalone oneshot still tho so yk

Also please ignore the fact that none of them are verified, I was to lazy to change them so I apologize once again

[phoenixkaptain]

Hello and welcome to Kacie Reread ‘A Lonely Place of Dying’ And Is Making It Everyone’s Problem

Over the course of five issues, those being Batman #440-442 and the New Titans #60-61, I could discuss any number of things. Did Tim call in the tip on the Ravager to Gordon, or was it somebody else? Did Dick backpack to Haly’s Circus, or did he take a bus? How far did Tim go on his little bike? How is it possible for Jack Drake to be so obnoxious that I already hate him, even though he was only on maybe two pages? A lot of things to discuss.

Instead of any of those, I’m going to share my favourite Tims.

Batman #440

This is Tim’s photo collection. I can’t imagine it’s all of it, that would be unlikely from something we learn later, but this is a glimpse. This is most likely why people started the headcanon that Tim stalked Batman and Robin. While most of his pictures are clearly newspaper clippings, some of them aren’t, and some of the ones that aren’t are also candids. While not foolproof evidence for that theory, I think this is foolproof evidence that Tim is weird. He has framed pictures on his nightstand.

The New Titans #60

This is the cover. That shadowy figure is Tim. I just think it’s kind of funny.

The New Titans #60

See his liddol face? His liddol hand?? He peek, it’s so cute. Yes he is hiding behind a dumpster, that matters little.

The New Titans #60

I think he’s really cute here. “Sorry, I can’t leave. I’ve got things to do.” Adorable. And his leapfrog? Perfect form, 10/10.

The New Titans #60

These are all from the same page. I just wanted to put them here to highlight my favourite aspect of Tim: he’s smol. So tiny, I swear, how did he get so itty-bitty?

Batman #441

I just really like this panel. Tim’s nonchalance, Dick’s face now that someone else has to deal with the weird stalker kid too, Alfred’s reaction. Perfect. The perfect panel.

Batman #441

“I’m not twelve, I’m thirteen” He’s a baby. I call this one Piano Tim, because I think he’s adorable.

Batman #441

I just wanted this one here to highlight the height difference between Alfred and Tim. Alfred is leaning down in this frame. Tim is so tiny.

Batman #441 I like Tim’s increasingly manic smile. And poor Dick looks so lost.

The New Titans #61 More tiny Tim and Alfred.

Batman #442

I just think his pose is really cute, sue me

Batman #442

Tim next to Batman is the height (badum-tssh) of comedy. He barely goes up to Bruce’s shoulder!

Batman #442

All of these are added because of his little smile, I love his expressions. His goofy grin! He is so tiny! Also, Bruce pouting is always funny

[lonesome-witching]

Marry Me

Another Rich Robin x Poor Nancy one. Last one for a while (mostly judging by the amount of prompts I currently have.) If you want to read the previous parts, you can find : Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here and the last part here .

Do you have any prompts yourself? Or do you want to dive into what I wrote before? You can read my previous prompts or send me some new ones.

Robin’s fingers tapped against the surface of the kitchen table. She was nervous. Like, very, very nervous. She wasn’t sure she was prepared for this.

“Here you go, darling.” Karen placed a glass of water in front of Robin. “Nancy isn’t here right now. I’m afraid she’s at work.”

“I know that, ma’am. I’m not here for Nancy.”

“Oh, alright. What can I help you with?” Karen sat down.

“I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“I know you are aware of my relationship with your daughter,” Robin started.

“Yes, she told me. I might not fully understand it, but you make my daughter happy and that is all that matters to me.”

“So, what I wanted to ask you was, I want your blessing to ask Nancy to marry me. And I know that might be a little weird with you getting a divorce. Shit, I shouldn’t say that. This might have been an awful idea.”

“Robin, breathe.” Karen placed her hand on Robin’s arm. “You have my blessing. And I don’t think this is an awful idea. Nancy loves you. You might have to be gentle with her when you ask but I think she’ll say yes.”

-

“What’s the occasion?” Nancy asked when she got out of Robin’s car.

“What do you mean?”

“We’re at the mall. So, unless this is some form of emotional torture where you’ll show me all the things I can’t have, you’re going to buy me stuff. And we discussed this. You’re already helping with the bills and that’s already too much.” Nancy had a smile on her face.

“I just wanted to go out with my girl.”

“Robin.”

“Fine, I occasionally want to spoil you and I know you’ve been working hard. And there is a reason.”

“What is the reason?”

“You got into college, full scholarship and all.”

Nancy poked Robin’s chest, a dopey smile on her face. “Alright, I’ll allow it.”

Robin laughed. “You should be proud, babe.”

Nancy shook her head and pulled her girlfriend towards the building. She noticed Robin’s sweaty palms, but she didn’t comment on it. If something was going on, Robin would tell her. She told her everything.

They didn’t go to the mall often. Nancy had never liked the mall much with its big, neon lit reminders of what she couldn’t afford. But today was different. Today she’d indulge in all it had to offer. Within reason of course. She still felt guilty taking Robin’s money.

“Where would you like to go first?” Robin asked.

“I don’t even know where to start.”

They ended up passing through every single store in the mall. Book stores and clothing stores and a quick stop at the ice cream shop.

“You look great in that, Nance.”

Nancy twirled around in the flowy beach dress. “It feels nice. It makes me want to travel to California or… or Italy or something.”

Robin chuckled. “Say the word and we’ll go.”

Nancy turned towards her. “I think it could never live up to my imagination.”

“Italy is pretty incredible. I’ll take you sometime.”

“I’ll get out of this dress now. Thanks for being patient with me.”

“Alright, I’ll go pay then?”

Nancy halted. “Robin, this is way too expensive.”

“You haven’t picked anything yet, Nance. And you like the dress.”

“Are you sure?” Nancy bit her bottom lip. She wanted to take this. She wanted this damn dress.

“Yes! It would be perfect for the date I have planned for us.”

“What date? You haven’t told me about a date.”

“It’s for when we get to Massachusetts.”

“Oh, is it?”

-

“Where are you taking me?” Nancy laughed. She felt like she had been walking for hours. It probably hadn’t been that long.

“Just a little bit further, we’re almost there.” Robin’s hand was holding hers. It was comforting.

“Have you been here before?”

“Yeah, I just to come here as a child. It was my favorite place growing up. One time, I ran away from my parents and just stayed on the beach. It took them 37 hours to notice I was gone.”

“That’s awful.”

“It was quite alright, I had a blast. And I vowed to take the love of my life to that exact spot that night.”  

“You’re flirting again.”

“Am I not allowed to flirt with my own girlfriend?” Robin asked, stopping as her feet stepped on the sand.

“You can, in fact, it’s encouraged.”

Robin smiled brightly. “We’re here.”

Nancy looked around, noticing the sandy beach and the bright blue ocean. At one point she had compared Robin’s blue eyes to the ocean not knowing she’d be so right. “This is incredible.”

“I used to sit right there and watch the boats go by.” Robin pointed towards the ocean, walking towards it. Nancy followed.

They sat down, side by side on the sand. “Thanks for sharing this with me.”

“I’m only just getting started. If my calculations are right, there should be a boat approaching right now.”

Nancy watched as a guy in a paddle boat came closer and closer. “You’ve got something planned, don’t you?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Robin said with a smirk on her face. But she got up, pulling Nancy up with her, and walked towards the water.

They got into the boat. For once, Robin was silent. Just grinning like a little kid. It was infectious.

Slowly they approached a much larger boat. “What’s that?”

Robin turned around. “That is my parents’ boat. The Mona Lisa. They named it that because in their words it’s such a work of art.”

“Of course, your parents have a boat.”

“We’re borrowing it for the night.”

The Mona Lisa was a nice boat. That much was sure. Even with Nancy’s limited knowledge of boats. She’d never been on one before now. There was a table set up on the deck with a nice white tablecloth and a candle.

“So, Nancy, I know you don’t like these extravagant dates or expensive gifts. But you gave me an exception for special occasions. And today is a special occasion, to me at least. I hope it will be to you too.” Robin poured some wine in Nancy’s glass.

“Thank you,” Nancy said automatically as she grabbed for the glass. She was confused, very confused.

“I also know that this is not the most opportune moment for me to do this. But I had been planning this for a few months and it does take a lot of planning. I had to get a guy with a paddle boat and a chef to prepare a meal. I just wanted it to be perfect, for you, and then Ted goes and screws it up.” Robin sighed, falling down on her chair.

“What? Robin, I don’t understand.”

“Nancy, I love you. You know I love you. For the longest time you’ve meant everything to me, and you still do, for the record. I just­— I’ve planned this speech, I promise. You just make a nervous.” Robin took a deep breath. “I know life sucks sometimes. Your parents’ divorce has been heavy on you. But sometimes life is amazing. I’m hoping this moment is amazing for you. But God, Nance, to me every moment with you is incredible. Whether we’re on a fancy boat together or I’m helping you and your mom clean your house. I just want to be with you all the time. I’ve never felt like this before. And I don’t want to this to ever stop.”

“Neither do I,” Nancy agreed, placing her hand on top of Robin’s on the table.

But Robin pulled her hand back. A flash of fear crossed Nancy’s mind. And then Robin fell of her chair, on one knee, and retrieved a small box out of her jacket pocket.

“Will you marry me, Nance?” Robin asked, opening the box. “You can say no, I’ll be okay if you say no. I get that now really isn’t the time. Of course. I’m an idiot for even asking, just as your parents are going through a divorce.”

“Yes,” Nancy mumbled.

“I know, it’s ludicrous.”

“No, Robin,” Nancy laughed. “I meant, yes, I will marry you. I want to marry you.” Nancy dropped down in front of Robin, in her brand new beach dress and grabbed Robin’s face to kiss her.

“You do?” Robin asked when Nancy pulled away.

Nancy nodded. “I do.” She pulled the ring from the box and slid it on her left ring finger. “I love you, Robin.”

Robin leaped forward to kiss Nancy again. And again. And again.

[bronx-bomber87]

Good Morning! Super excited for these next set of eps to review.

We’ve reached the iconic and pivotal DOD eps. I’m nervously excited to review these. I want to do them justice. They are momentous for not just Chenford but the entire series. Rosalind Dyer is one of my fav recurring baddies. I loved Annie from Castle as well. Was psyched she would be joining The Rookie. This was a rare one where I got to use all the gifs I wanted to. Yay. Kid in a Chenford candy store haha Thank you to all the wonderful gif makers out there. You are the real MVP's. Let’s get this started :)

2x10 The Dark Side

We start with Lucy and the guys out for a post work drink. Armstrong is there as well. They’re talking about Jackson dating a celebrity. Asking how that is? Lucy says they’re happy if he’s happy. Nick calls her bluff and says ‘Liar.��� LMAO Lucy cracks and says men suck ha They sure can. That the single men in LA suck. That whenever they find out she’s a cop they freak out. (To touch on not dating a cop bit. It is only a mistake when it’s not Tim. Let’s be real.) Especially while she's still a rookie just not a good idea (cough Nolan cough) He was never a good decision though....not even a little bit. I'll die on that hill haha

Armstrong joins the convo and comes in with some solid advice. ‘Those aren’t men they’re boys. Real men are not afraid of a strong woman.’ Your real man just isn’t ready yet my dear. Nor are you. I really love this scene though. I enjoyed Nick a lot as a character. Poor Lucy she goes on her 'Sister Officer Lucy Chen' rant ha Classic. Oh the irony of this convo. In S5 she definitely isn't in a nunnery anymore heh. That is quite awhile away from this point though. Have to note how pretty she looks in this scene. Her outfit is simple but she looks stunning.

Lucy leaves the table to get another round. That’s when Lucy runs into Caleb….really unfortunate that’s his name. That’s my BIL's name haha He seems normal enough with his flirting with Lucy. Both of them being ignored for another drink by the bartender. He's making her laugh and appearing nice and kind. Ugh run Lucy run…Their moment gets interrupted by Lucy noticing a guy stealing tips. She walks away from the convo and apologizes. End ups arresting the thief. The way she takes him down is bad ass I have to say. (Tim would be proud) Says 'Surprise I’m a cop’ haha

Roll call comes around and they find out about Rosalind Dyer. A rare unicorn in their world. A female serial killer. She’s agreed to show them the 3 bodies that were never found. In exchange she gets life with no parole instead of the death penalty. Everyone’s day is now centered around this. Tim and Lucy discuss her past murders. Lucy telling Tim she was in college when they found the first victims.

That it was all anyone could talk about, wondering how a woman could be so barbaric? Tim shares his own story about it. How he worked a scene for the 4th victim. That he was advised not to look at the body. How he wish he hadn’t… The hindsight of watching this scene unfold right before they run into Caleb. It’s bone chilling to think about. Their convo being framed around this before he shows up.

Caleb shows up and Tim is immediately suspicious and does not like this guy. His face has me rolling the entire time. Gives Caleb a hard time about the word 'Perp'. His facial expressions I can not LOL Now part of this reaction is his cop gut. I truly believe that. Not trusting whoever this guy is for Lucy. His default is suspicion. The fierce protector coming out to play in this scene.

I think the rest of his reaction is him just not liking this guy being interested in Lucy. Jealously thy name is Timothy Bradford. Its seeping out of him and he can't stop himself. He's completely forgotten he's dating one of her closest friends in this moment. Written all over his face how territorial he’s being right now. I always love me some protective/jealous Tim. This scene and honestly this entire episode is full of that.

Lucy’s face is screaming ‘chill out’ the entire interaction. She's basically scolding him with her eyes above. They have a mini silent conversation with their eyes before the scene continues. If that isn't the most married look they've had so far. I love it so much. He definitely looks reprimanded in that second gif above. Tim is as transparent as person can be in this scene. Not even trying to hide it a little bit. Caleb has shown up and Tim's guard and protective nature are out in full force. Doesn't like this guy just showing up and sniffing around at all.

Caleb is clearly nervous around Tim (as he should be..) It's too funny he keeps trying regardless to talk to Lucy. Tim deftly snags the paper out of the air. She didn't have a chance of grabbing it. Caleb has to sense how much Tim doesn't want him here. He could not be less welcoming of this man. Tim reads the paper and he asks if Caleb has a last name LOL He says Wright. The irony of that last name...

I doubt our boy even knows why he’s reacting this way to Caleb. Only that he is and very strongly at that. All his feelings when it comes to Lucy are muddled and confusing for him. Yet he acts on them anyway. From the moment this guy showed up the green eyed monster was present. Tim continues to grill him. He asks what he does for a living? Says if it’s a screenwriter he’s going in a cell. He really hates screenwriters haha A theme through out the show for him.

Eric’s facial expressions during this entire scene truly is perfection. Look at the way he looks at Caleb as he leaves. If looks could kill he would be a dead man. Also you can see the mask on Caleb drop when he turns away from them (shudder). The immense distrust written all over Tim's rigid body language. You'd have to be blind not to see it. Both of their faces above are a summary of the entire scene. Lucy is happy to have caught the eye of a 'decent' guy. Tim doesn't trust this guy as far as he can throw him.

Tim doesn’t even think he’s done anything wrong till he turns around and sees her face. Kudos to Melissa for the great reaction. He says 'What?' All innocent like he didn't just drag that guy through the mud. Treat him like a criminal they deal with on the daily. She is so affronted and honestly confused as hell with his reaction. Her face basically saying 'What the hell was that?'

From the moment Caleb shows up to the moment he leaves Tim is NOT pleased with his presence. Lucy is truly confused as to why he is acting this way. She can’t put together why he was trying to kill that entire interaction. We all know Lucy included (deep down) this was jealously thorough and through. But she chalks it up to him being stressed about how crazy everything is right now. Sure that’s it Lucy…She demands the paper back with just her face and outreached hand. Tim is shocked she wants the number of this doofus. He relents and unwillingly hands it back to her. Almost rolling his eyes as he does so.

They’re driving in a caravan to the first burial site. Lucy is looking at Calebs online profile in the car. Tim snaps at her to focus. That this is going to be most dangerous day she’s ever going to spend on the job. Oh the weight of that comment when you know these eps….They both have no idea how true that’s going to be. Might seem like he’s mad when really he’s protecting her by getting her to focus. It’s his way of doing it. I also think it's a little frustration bleeding over from the whole Caleb thing. Not that he's going to put that together right now. Hell doesn't even realize how territorial and jealous he just was.

We rejoin Tim and Lucy once they arrive at the first spot. They're talking about Rosalind during this 'Hike' to find the remaining bodies. Tim asks if she’s less scary in the light of day? Lucy tells him no…but mentions how smart she must be. To have gotten away with this for so long undetected. Lucy smartly mentions there’s a play here they’re not seeing.

Tim tells her it’s just to jerk them around. Oh my love it is far more than that. Lucy is so sharp to observe this hike has to be more than just her deal. She is proven right when they find a fresher body in one of the grave sites with the old one. It’s obvious she has a partner on the outside they just don’t know who…

Lucy is looking at Caleb’s “profile” again. Watching a video of him with a puppy. Jealous/Protective Tim makes his next appearance. Could not be more obvious if he tried. Not a fan of her being enamored by this guy. He makes a snide remark saying I bet that’s not even his puppy. It’s scary how spot on he was with Caleb the entire time. It’s mainly from jealously and being protective of her, but it’s frightening how dead on his cop gut was. He turned out to right about everything with him.

Lucy naturally gives him push back and says she just wants to enjoy a cute puppy. That it’s been an awful day. Can't she just do that? Jealous Tim won't agree with her. So he is a little shit and says 'This your first decomp right? ' Watching her face go from happy to grossed out LOL Oh Tim. He knows how bad this smell is going to be for her and is enjoying it haha The way she follows after him is too funny. Melissa is also amazing at expressing so much as well.

The eerie part of this scene is it’s them being the ones to discover the DOD tattoo… There are so many forewarnings in this episode for her. For them. Literally smacking us in the face with them. That could’ve been her if things had gone wrong... Ugh my heart. They find out the newer victim was suffocated…What an awful way to die. I’m asthmatic and it gives me a pre-asthma attack just thinking about it.

A light hearted part of this scene is once again the lack of personal space. Ah personal space. They don't know her and never will. We're all ok with this notion. Nolan ends up getting Rosalind to lead them to the second site. They find a new body in it with a DOD Tattoo. The freshest one yet. They realize it’s every three months. That 12/09/19 is the the next DOD. John notes it’s 12/08 they have a day to find the next victim.

Tim and Lucy join Armstrong at the jail to search Rosalind cell once again. Trying to find some connection. A way her and this person have been communicating. Nick asks where her books are and they say they sent them back. He asks for every book she's read in the last 6 months.

They’re searching all the books and of course Lucy is the one to crack the code. I love it. Finds something in the binding. Its a coded piece of paper. She figures out the cypher fairly quickly. You know Tim loves how damn smart she is. He’s impressed. She figures out a name from the code. My girl. Bryan Coleman. Funny that doesn’t sound like Caleb Wright….

Harper and Nolan end up saving the next girl. They find out he’s been using the old abandoned zoo as his staging ground. What kills me is them saving her condemns Lucy. They stopped him from scratching that sick itch. Grey tells them all to go home and rest. Lucy spins around and tells Tim she’s just going to go home and crash.

Tim tells her that’s a mistake and gives her the advice that will haunt him in the next episode. Hell for quite awhile if I’m being honest. He will carry this moment with him for a long time. Says after a hardcore assignment she needs to blow off some steam. Find a way to decompress. If she doesn’t she’ll never get any sleep.

Lucy is super cute asking if he's really telling her to go get a drink instead? He tells her yes. Preferably a strong one even with another human being. We all know who that human being is going to be….Side note I adore the fact that he always opens the door for her. Doesn't even realize he's doing that. Just does it out of habit. Her real man standing right in front of her but it is far too early for that hehe

Literally makes me sick to watch her scene with Caleb. My skin crawls knowing where it’s headed. He took advantage of Lucy with her guard down. Her cop eyes we're retired for the night. Just trying to decompress. We go back to the station where Grey tells John and Nick they found a body at the old zoo. Bryan Coleman. Which can only mean one thing as we go back to Lucy. That Caleb is the apprentice….

She goes from giggly and relaxed to sheer terror in a matter of moments. He drugged her and Lucy is slowly realizing the situation she is now in. He also snags her phone before she can use it. Sadly she is over powered easily due the drug he gave her. Then sticks her in the trunk of his car. The ep ends there.

It’s a crazy stressful two-parter. So damn good though. I remember when this first premiered how hard it was to wait for the next episode. I’m pre emotional just thinking about analyzing the next episode. Can’t wait to do it though.

~~~~

Side Notes-Non Chenford

Wopez good scenes not many but really good. Wes clearing not handling his post traumatic stress well. Mixing his prescription with alcohol. Angela coming home asking if he was trying to kill himself. He says I don’t know… Not a great answer bud.

The whole Rosalind SL. It’s so dark but so good. Getting a deeper look into Nick and seeing some chinks in his armor. What he sacrificed to catch her. It’s very good. I enjoyed his character a lot and getting more depth with him as well.

Thank you as always to those that like/comment/reblog these reviews. It’s means the world to me. I love doing these and they take time to assemble. But they’re so worth doing to enjoy this rewatch together. I’m also enjoying the hell out of analyzing these eps and our beloved couple. I’ll see you all in 2x11 :)

[synchodai]

Just finished the Fallout TV show! Observations and spoilers under the cut:

GOOD: It's actually pretty lore accurate and canon compliant.

I don't understand the complaints that it retcons New Vegas? People argue that the Battle of Hoover Dam and "the fall of Shady Sands" both happening in 2277 renders FNV non-canonical, but that's not necessarily the case? It was clear from the chalkboard the fall of Shady Sands and the nukes dropping are two separate events? Meaning Shady Sands "falling," whatever that entails, doesn't necessarily contradict the NCR presence in the Mojave. Shady Sands is the capital of the NCR — not the entire NCR. Even without control of Shady Sands, they would still have rangers and citizens in their other settlements.

I think this is because people are so invested in this narrative that Bethesda hates FNV, and yes, they could have treated Obsidian way better and shafted them in numerous ways during game development, but developer Tim Cain himself said that Todd Howard loves FNV.

Yes, certain details in the show can be contradictory to its source text, specifically with how they handle ghoulification, but it wasn't like the games ever had a clear canon explanation for ghoul biology either. Fallout 4 showed that exposure to radiation isn't even the only way to turn into a ghoul — and I was certain the previous games emphasized that ghouls are ghouls because of overexposure to radiation.

All in all, the little details they do get right — the brand names, the music, the general vibe of how each faction operates — vastly outnumbers the ones that are a bit iffy.

BAD: They revealed who dropped the bombs and it doesn't make sense.

The twist of the entire series is that Vault Tec dropped the nukes because it wanted to increase sales and recreate the USA as a utopian, monopolistic corporatocracy. This doesn't exactly contradict established canon. In fact, with Mr. House being part of the corpo meetings discussing this, it explains how he was able to predict the nukes and shield his beloved Vegas before the bombs fell.

What this mainly contradicts for me is just...logic. This show clearly wants to tell its audience that corporations will prioritize profit over public welfare every time. It's a good, clear, and necessary message. However, corporations — no matter how evil they are — just wouldn't wipe out their own customer base, right? Who would they make profits from if 90% of Americans were dead? And let's say they don't care about the poors who couldn't afford their products and services anyway — they've just significantly reduced even the one-percenters' purchasing power by basically scorching the earth. Capitalists want to extract as much resources as possible. They will abuse and torture their golden goose so that it'll lay more eggs, but they will never just...kill their own goose.

There could have been a more logical scenario here. War is a one of the most lucrative times for corporations like Vault Tec. And American corpos ARE known for orchestrating wars and destabilizing entire regions, BUT they always do so outside the US — a safe, far distance from the paying customers and away from the company's executives.

If that board meeting talked about purposefully disrupting the hardearned peacetimes they were in and dropping a bomb ON ANOTHER COUNTRY just to incite people to buy more vaults, then yes, I can see that happening. I can even see them anticipating nuclear retaliation, but they're too blinded by greed and the need for infinite growth that they're willing to take that risk. Add some dialogue about how this is their way of manufacturing and exporting American nuclear annihilation anxiety so they can take their tech global, and we have something that's closer to reality than just....one-step self-immolation.

House in FNV more or less had the same motivations to recreate the world as a technocrat dictatorship, but FNV handled it better in that House knew that people, even rivals like the tribes, were better kept alive and converted to paying customers and/or employees than outright exterminated.

Unfortunately, since the entire theme is about how corporate capitalism can lead to the destruction of the world, the show portraying the "fidicuiary incentive" as akin to an ideology (a set of beliefs on how the world should be structured) is misguided I think. A corporation profit motive isn't ideological because only people can have ideologies and corporations are not people. They don't prioritize profit because they think this is the best system we have to achieve a utopian society — they do it because it is what corporate systems are designed to do. They do not care about societal good anymore than a cancer cell cares about the body it is in. All they want is to grow exponentially.

Corporations like Vault Tec and its ilk are more like machines made to churn money, and that has resulted in sometimes progress and sometimes destruction. But it is always uncaring of those consequences and the methods it has to utilize as long as it fulfills its end goal of continually making profit — and THAT'S the problem of capitalism. Not that corporate execs want total political control. Because if lax control meant they could continuing exploiting and siphoning resources and pleasing shareholders, they wouldn't care about governance or politics at all.

STRAY THOUGHTS

Mr. House at that table gave me everything I wanted. I'm so excited for season 2 being New Vegas centered.

I love the portrayal of vault dwellers. They all had quirky and distinguishable characters and there wasn't a vault dweller character I wasn't entertained by.

Vault 4 is such a good episode! It was so funny and such a good way to show Lucy and Maximus that kindness is still possible in the wasteland without making it uncharacteristically sappy or too after-school special.

Norm is such a compelling character. I didn't expect him to be such a big part of the story but I'm glad he was.

They did justice to the scenery. I love the deer because it shows it's been a while since the atomic bombs and how life inevitably recolonizes the land.

The twist that Hank Maclean helped nuke Shady Sands because his wife escaped to it? It's kind of a weak excuse to nuke an entire area again. I hope this gets elaborated on in season 2 and why Vault Tec decided to let the NCR become a full-blown national power before taking action.

Cooper Howard? No notes. Perfect performance.

I'm not a big fight scene person, but I appreciate the tribute to the games with the splattered body parts and how main characters didn't just curbstomp their opponents.

The vault scenes were the funniest but I hope they also lean in more to how weird the wasteland can be too.

A lot of threads left hanging. Who is Lee Moldover and why are the refugees of Shady Sands worshipping her? Why did she need whatever was in the Enclave scientist's head? Whatever happened to Vault 33's problem with their destroyed water chip? Why did Hank give Moldover the code just because Lucy told him to? WHERE IS FINAL PAM???

CONCLUSION

Amazing adaptation. Well-written characters that felt very at-home with the setting. It understood the games deeply enough to know that Vault Tec is the overarching villain of the series. Plot has holes and logical inconsistencies, but aside from what I've already discussed, these aren't egregious enough to take away from character arcs and the show's themes for me.

**Fallout games I've played:

Fallout 2

Fallout 3 (only got through half of the game)

Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout 4