#something something who cares about babs vibes

[liesmyth]

also. we don't talk enough about how the og Canaan House gang were doing metaphysical experiments on people. just cramming a dozen souls into one person. five hundred into fifty. yes yes it's tragic that all the cavs died but also they were ALL taking those freshly resurrected batches and squeezing their souls like juice to make creepy priests. Anastasia I just want to talk

[bloomeng]

Shout out to the person who noticed Steph was the only one in heels and said Dick would totally wear heels. You didn’t know it but you were ahead of your time (it was always my plan to put discowing in heels).

Steph originally wasn’t going to get heels but then I got the idea to add the wings and I fell in love but I think the in universe reason is she wanted them for the drama and she was extrapolating design elements from Batgirl’s og outfit and Batwoman. I was going for like a gothic princess sort of vibe which turned out a bit more Fischl from gi than I intended, but I think that actually suits the vibe pretty well.

Another shoe detail: Jason’s shoes are meant to be slight platforms to match his desire to be tall and imposing.

This is a side tangent but I want to talk about it. For this au I’ve been trying to strike a balance between feminine and “would this character actually wear this?” Now the answer is mostly no. The outfits by nature are impractical as hell bc that’s how magical girl media is, so the question I’ve been asking is more “would this character feel comfortable in this outfit?” I want each look to be equally feminine which means I’m hyper conscious of not making the women more feminine than the men. Magical girl designs are hyper fem by default so my goal is to basically make everyone relatively the same amount of fem.

However, I’m also trying to take into account personality. This is where I might lose some people but hell it’s my au. So why are Jason and Cass the only ones so far with real skirts? This is totally my headcanon but I think they’re the only ones who would benefit from skirts:

Dick would be fine with wearing a skirt but I think he’s ultimately neutral about it. He would totally do it though if someone asked and would be fully aware of how nice he looked.

I don’t know if I’d say Tim would like wearing skirts so much as he doesn’t care. He’s more concerned with practicality.

Steph doesn’t have any issues with skirts but I think as a part of her uniform she would feel stifled. As as I said previously I think part of her look is based on Bats she would’ve looked up to but also partly it was secret wish fulfillment for that little girl who would’ve loved to look like a kickass mary sue demon princess from a y/a novel.

Duke in my opinion wouldn’t see the appeal. I think he’d be similar to Dick but just a little more shy about wearing one. I gave him a little ruffle though bc I thought it was cute.

Babs is fine with skirts but tends to prefer pants.

Cass is a bit different because I think wearing something frivolous is so novel to her. I wanted her outfit to be a blend of her canon design and her appreciation for dance. I tried to contrast her more practical elements (like her pants and armor) with the soft things I think she would enjoy (like a flowy skirt.) I still have ambition to go back and design a Black Bat outfit for her but I haven’t quite figured out the direction I want to take with it.

Jason on the other hand— this also very much in hc territory— I think didn’t know how much he would enjoy a skirt until he got to wear one. Stepping away from the universe for a sec; Jason is the most masculine design fundamentally which means that in order to match the vibe I would have to make him the furthest from his canon design. I’m really not trying to make a statement or subvert things by putting men in skirts bc it’s supposed to a silly au with aesthetically pleasing designs. I like feminine things and it shows in my work however I don’t see clothing as naturally gendered. That’s my little context psa back to my point. I think Jason is the most likely to wear a skirt and actually feel empowered by it. At first I think he was embarrassed by it but the outfits choose you so he just went with it out of necessity. And through that he found he really thrived in the juxtaposition between his intentional imposing figure and this unashamed femininity. He’s a drama kid at heart and fr what’s more dramatic than an ill-advised fit that serves. The skirt to him feels like a costume that helps give him the confidence to be Red Hood or ig… Red Bow. (Which is sorta how I think of the red helmet in canon but I also do believe that Jason and Cass would have the most fun wearing a skirt.)

I haven’t decided if Bruce will get a skirt or not but if he does just know that my reasoning is that his artifact was humbling him. Like you take yourself too seriously calm down with the brooding. He would use the skirt as a way to conceal more weapons.

(I think Kon would love wearing skirts but in this au because he built his own outfit I think he was trying to seem impressive and edgy and distinguish himself from Clark. I also think, despite enjoying skirts, he would have to work up the courage to wear them in public and never as Superboy because he would be too conscious of his image.)

Anyway I don’t claim to always succeed with my intentions coming through in my work but this is what is running through my head.

[the-sinful-voice-witch]

I love JAYSTEPH, hear me out! 🙌:

The Robin who died by the fans and the Robin that resurrected by the fans... Is so poetic yet some people is against it, but I just fell in love with them and I want to support this ship after I was finally able to let go Timsteph and I know theres people who will be Timsteph forever and others that strongly dislike Jaysteph but I think there's more people that are just simply unconvinced so I have nothing to lose if I play business woman and try to sell this potential romance to them, it deserves a chance! Let's see the arguments against it that didn't convince me first:

Steph becoming Barbara 2.0... (what a bat-list she had: Dick, Jason, Tim in a video game and fucking Batman 💀 got her pregnant once, but I didn't disliked it when she was briefly with Luke fox) But the only options for Steph that are bat family members aside Tim are Cassandra and Jason because... Dick, Damian, Duke, Luke, Kate, Barbara 😂? Eh NOPE. And even if Barbara and Jason had a thing once it was doomed from the beginning, Babs and Jay only had in common being Joker victims and Babs follows 100% Batman's ideals (while Steph mindset allows her to understand better Jason's point). Also I think Jason idealized her, it felt like they weren't on the same "level"(Timsteph has the same problem, Steph used to kinda idealize Tim too),but with JaySteph feels different, I think they would see each other as equals, the vibes I get are that they could relate to each other better. Not to mention that if they start a relationship now it won't be the same as another Robin-Batgirl attempt, remember that when it was with Babs it was described as a long term crush he had on her (like Dick) while with Steph not only she was also a Robin (that went through a similar struggle as him), first she was Spoiler, her own independent vigilante persona (with a background Jason could totally relate with) that was 100% unrelated to Batman before she even became a Batgirl (a heroine that was independent from Batman but was inspired on him unlike The Spoiler) and currently she uses both Spoiler and Batgirl titles, in anycase this would be another Robin-Batgirl situation if it was with Damian, because Steph was Damian's Batgirl (they even reminded Dick his olds days with Babs) but he was 10 and she was 18 so obviously NOPE. The relationship would start NOW as their current selves by realizing mutually how much they understand each other better than anyone, they aren't joined by the Joker they would be drawn because of their personalities and the struggles they had with their own families and the rejection they suffered from the BAT-family (at different times but the struggle is the same). This is something neither Tim or Babs can fully understand.

They're like "siblings". Ha! NOPE. Strongly disagree. They aren't related biologically or legally and Steph isn't even in Bruce care like Duke, she is basically... " Your kid's best friend who eats your fridge food" and with the issue about her dating Tim's brother, some people who pulls the sibling card are completely fine with Steph being with Cassandra... So dating Tim's brother is not ok but is ok to date his sister? 🤨 And bringing back the first argument the only ones I see as Steph's 100% sibling figures are: Barbara who is the big sister figure and acts like one and Damian who is indisputably his annoying little brother but why is Jason seen as her brother? Because of the banter? That doesn't immediately make you a sibling, you know friends to lovers and rivals to lovers and enemies to lovers also have banter right?

Their respective most popular ships in the past: for Tim I already made a post about it and Artemis... I totally understand Jason 🥵😍, between her and Ravager I prefer her because Rose seems to be more like a very good friend with very sexy benefits but with Artemis there's more emotional connection... But my issue with her is the immortality factor (i mean the fact that she won't die of old age, she being hundreds of years old I don't care) and that Artemis deep down has too much "independent" Vibes, I mean that I don't see her wanting the long term relationship, she can't have it anyway because of her immortality. And there was the problem that it was perceived as another Amazon-bat attempt in a "trinity"(with bizarro) and as much as some people liked wonderbat (not me, it was a bit awkward) in the end it doesn't work well (look at Damian and WonderGirl Cassie in DCeased).

Some sort of fantasy about an "age gap", this one is ridiculous. Some people believe that Jason is super old for Stephanie... Well in that case Stephanie was way super old for Tim too 🙄, I'll just get to the point: Jason died at 15 and only lasted dead 6 months, Tim became Robin at 13 and Stephanie is one year older than Tim, they met when he was 14 and she was 15 so... Do the math, is being one year older than her TOO OLD??🤡 one year and half maybe? If we count the 6 month dead. I mean I know he sometimes looks older because of the way they draw him, like a huge muscle chunk and sometimes he has a beard (ajj I hate beards). And yes, I know they changed their ages currently but at much he is only TWO years older than her and she is over 18 or 19 so... Like I said the age gap argument is a fairy tale.

"They never or barely interacted before", just what kind of argument is this?🤡Do you want Steph to only be attached forever to the Batgirls and Tim or just be alone? Jason has been more allowed than her to interact with other people, how unfair but the point is... they'll have to start someday don't they!? Or just because they barely interacted in the past it means they can't interact more in the future? Is really that unbelievable that they could start hanging out more often and bonding? Is that weird? Have you never suddenly talked with someone you know but you barely interacted before and realized you had more in common with them than you thought? That's something extremely normal to happen! I don't see how it would be out of place with Jason and Steph 🤷‍♀️.

Now let's see how this ship started and it's potential:

The ship existed before they actually met, people already shipped the possibility: the two failed dead Robins and (yes I'm counting Steph as dead because her dead was meant to be permanent), but they never met before the new 52 reboot and when it actually happened... It was a classic not very relevant banter, the second time he was impressed with her with how she dealt with the Scarecrow and after that there was barely interaction... But then we got these exactly interactions that made me ship them very hard, passionately and strongly in Task Force Z:

ok, I'm an anime consumer, this kind of tiny details affect me very seriously, when you are used to see relationships in comics where the couple simply jump to sexy time right away and suck face hard and fall in love or feel attracted instantly we forget about the little things that makes us blush with yearning... you know, the moment something changes in how you see someone even if you still didn't noticed it and you just feel funny and don't know why. In this comic panels the relationship is not romantic and hasn't even begin being romantic, they aren't in love or are feeling attraction yet and that still remains to be seen but what is happening here is a change, is a start! Is the beginning and they way he reacts to her really get me fangirl squealing LOOK AT HIS FACE!!! Specially when she touches his wounded cheek... You can't convince me that this guy isn't touch starved and not so used to receive affectionate touching 😭, suddenly after a big beating he received Kindness from someone unexpected but that we all know... relates to him better than anyone in the bat-family but the best part is that she isn't there to just pamper him a little she just decided to have a nicer approach to him, she gave him coffee, she treated his face wound and she gave him a talk of tough love, she doesn't take his side 100% but she let's him know she is still a friend and then the last pages of the issue:

She was the only one who wanted to say goodbye because once again she understands him and because of that she is more tolerant and forgiving towards his actions than the others while still not being dumb and knowing he still is up to trouble and again... The little touches always get me, the way she caresses his hand with the plane ticket gets me screaming more than their hug 😭😭😭 ah this is also their first hug! And I'm kinda pissed because the height is WRONG! Jason is taller than her! It shouldn't look like she is hugging Tim😒.

All right now my official points about why I love this potential relationship:

This is very important, this needs to be a SLOW BURN, I know jaystephers, I know you want kisses and hot moments but NOPE, that can't happen anytime soon, first we need a lot of little details and little touches, emotional conversations that don't end in kissing but in hugging, a lot of little meaningful looks and gestures, we need the rest of the fans that are not convinced, to get used to see them together interacting but not specifically obviously romantically, it has to be wholesome but we can't jump and shove the ship down people's throats, that's a turn off. Keep in mind that usually DC writers write love like a switch on and off, look at what they did with Nightwing! Just how many true loves has he had? A lot of bullcrap text about how much he is in love and obsessed with every new girl and not to mention Tim (let's hope he sticks to his NPC cardboard walking bisexuality proof boyfriend and stops fooling around with Steph, our girl deserves better). A new love that has hit hard has to be believable, the potential with their personalities gives for a lot to work with: Jason is a tough bad moody broody boy who is actually very emotional and sensitive and so affection starved he fell into Damian trap when he hugged him, Jason just melted into the hug (before he got hit with a taser, Damian you little shit...) and thats where Stephanie comes, Steph is someone completely open, eager, sweet, foward and unapologetic with her affections and here Mister pride and prejudice lover Jason has a romantic side. Jaystephers I'm serious, this can't be rushed, absolutely not and I'm being insistent because I came from reading an insane amount of jaysteph fanfics that almost all of them end up being porn with plot, I mean really good plot and also very skilled written porn... but still! "BONK" 🔨 go to horny jail! That can't happen in the comics 😂😂. With a slow burn unconvinced people will have enough time to process just how good is this ship. Simply it has to become a Romantic friendship before a potential romance and then an actual romance.

They have come a long way on their personalities, currently they aren't the same as they were before so if they started now it wouldn't be like the chaotic kind of toxic mess that it was Timsteph, because at that time they were insecure and irrational teenagers, honestly the writers messed them up a lot and I guess there's still a risk a new writer will fuck them up too but I'd like to think that if some writer goes for it they really have to like this ship and will try not to make it a complete toxic or cringy or a messed up disaster, if a writer chooses to do it I want to think is because they saw how much in common they have, how much their personalities are compatible, how good they would work together and how much they can relate to each other. What I mean is that there is a background where they can start even though they were never that close before and is all starting now, there is a lot of material to work! They don't have to make up things they only have to let it flow naturally, just put them together in a room and let them interact. I mean, right now he is a grumpy bad boy and Steph is a perky ballbuster, let's see how that goes.

The potential Romanticism of this couple is something really underrated, the two failures as Robins that walked on the same path, they own to have yet the "talk" About their respectives deaths and the subject about how Steph failed as a Robin because of being a reminder of Jason, they should talk about had him not died he would have been the one meeting her instead of Tim and wonder how things would have been then... They should team up more often and strengthen their bond, the need to build a romantic friendship, a dynamic that could drive us crazy and by the time they start flirting is going to be the BEST!! Just remember how Steph flirts shamelessly on duty 🤭🤭 but with Tim it was a bit boring, he always turns her down because he is such a good serious soldier 😑 and gets mad but with Jason? Unless he is specifically grumpy about something he would totally flirt back and totally flirt in front of villains while fighting until the villains can't take it anymore and just ask to be knocked out 😂😂😂 and also the chance to piss off Tim is just too good, I need to see it 😂😂😂. I mean, one I love about most Jaysteph fanfics is that Tim is always fucking pissed and grossed out about Jason dating Steph but normally is never about jealousy he is just overprotective (but casually they also add a jealous Damian who can't help but criticize Steph's taste in men 😂😂, I think is canon that he had a bit of a platonic crush on her when they met).

They have a lot of similarities but they aren't exactly the same, the things they have in common actually was used as an argument against it saying that just like with Babs he only had in common being a joker's victim, people thinks "dying" Is the only thing he has in common with Steph and they are very wrong: They both are members of Gotham's lowest class, both had drug addict mothers and criminal fathers, also Jason's real mom betrayed him and sold him out to the Joker and Stephanie's dad orchestrated a kidnapping of her and in the new 52 he kidnapped her and her killed her (even if he didn't meant to) and had to get revived by Lazarus pit goo, the way they died was also caused by the same stubborn need of proving themselves to Batman, doing something extremely reckless, also I have to point out that Steph has been compared to Dick, Barbara, Tim and Jason but it was her similarities with Jason what doomed her before DC decided to revive her, the writers did a messed up job with the principal reasons Batman rejected her so adamantly at some point but the principal one was that she reminded him of Jason and ironically he trying to prevent her from getting the same fate was what drove her to act and ending up like Jason and they both were officially the first black sheeps of the bat-family. But even with all that their personalities are both opposites and complimentary, I mean that despite having a similar trauma, when Steph came "back from the death" (The first "death") she became more positive and hopeful than before, she used to be more cynical and angry and unlike Jason whose resurrection was just as traumatic as his death and was not in his right mind, Steph returned to Gotham to once again try to belong and be a proper vigilante, she wanted to keep trying and do the right thing and fight to be accepted unlike Jason who at first he only wanted revenge. Steph can understand where he is coming from and be more indulgent to him than the rest of the family but at the same time she would stop him from going too far, she has the bravery to fight off trauma like the fear toxin and the will to never give up, so I see how she would never give up on Jason.

And don't you dare give me crap about this ship being absurd or something because this is not even the most out of the blue couple DC has ever done! I already mentioned Tim and Barbara🤬, Batman and Barbara💀 but also Raven and Damian 😒, Damian and wonder girl Cassie 😐Batman and wonder woman😒, Superman and wonder woman😐, green lantern Jonh and hawkegirl🥰, Superboy and miss martian😍, Lego Batman and Lego Barbara🤪, Martian Manhunter and Rose Wilson😶, beast boy and Rose Wilson🤯 (married and with a daughter), Jason and fucking Taliah (damians mother) had sex with him 💀(I hope he had at least 18) Dick and Helena Wayne 💀, Dick and Zatanna😑, Batman and Zatanna🙄, Jason and Starfire🙅‍♀️ and recently Jimmy Olsen and Supergirl 🤔 so.... Really? Jaysteph is so out of the blue and weird that should never happen? 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 I'm not even asking to make it happen in the main canon! Most of these ships didn't happen in the main canon, who cares about the main canon? THE MAIN CANON KILLED ALFRED (you committed a blaspheme DC) and also the main canon destroyed Jon Kent childhood by aging him up 🤬🤬, this is why the main canon is not important anymore, this is why alternative universe and independent comics are more popular, like Supersons, Family Wayne adventures or the teen Titans series drawn by Piccolo... So is asking for too much to have Jaysteph somewhere? An animated show? An alternative universe comic? A fucking webtoon?? There's not a good convincing reason to not give a chance to these couple! Let them have a chance!! 😣😣😣😭😭🙏🙏🙏

[missbluesunflowersstuff]

Some Duke Thomas headcanon

This is my personal vision . Please respect

No one of the batkids know how Duke's power actually works, then when Duke says random thing everyone believe in him. If Duke says he can fly, then he can fly, that's that

Duke 100% believes that Cassandra and Damian are cryptids (for different reasons)

In Cass side - there was this day when he was watching a movie when he suddenly felt something sitting next to him, it was Cass. He didn't even see her come in, she didn't even make a sound, she just show up in one blink

In Damian side - there one night were only Duke and Damian in the library, Duke then saw something shiny through the window outside the house, It made him anxious, but Damian just looked at him blankly and said with a morbid calm "can you see them too? Today is a really beautiful night, they are dancing" (Damian can see ghost in canon)

After he finds out about the Cow and Goliath (he still have questions about Goliath) he made the decision not to be impressed by any strange animals in the house, assuming they all belonged to Damian. Do they have a chicken in the dining room? Damian's new pet. Is there a snake around the house? Damian's new pet. Is there an ancient squid-like being dressed as a bat walking around Gotham? Bruce should make a rule about what kind of animal Damian can adopt

Duke knows about the dead Robin club (Steph, Jason and Damian) and I die for some minutes (Tim), he made the decision of not die. Just he don't die. And somehow HE JUST CAN'T DIE.

in the future Duke (when Bruce retire and the kids just vibes) is called "Duke the Immortal" by his brothers

He actually still watches movies with Damian when the boy is in the town, Dick and Steph are the one who join them the most

One time Duke finds Jason's library (that house is HUGE), he still don't figure out who that library belong to but that place is so cozy, he really likes it

Also he and Jason are the street smarth duo

On a patrol they don't even need to use words to understand what the other wants to do, just a few slight signals and everything is solved

Even though he is in charge of patrol during the day, he may still be called "Robin" by the ghotamites (he has mixing feelings about this)

He is definitively not "the normal one", he enjoy the chaos in the same way of the others gremlins, he just never gets caught

Since he was adopted by Bruce, he has a list of heroes and celebrities he wants to meet

Like every Gotham child he admired Batman and Robin, but now that he knows them all... Duke has some regrets...

he realized from day one that neither Jason nor Damian has a warm body, but he never said it out loud for fear of pushing a button

Duke and Dick are the most emotionally intelligent in the house, Duke just don't bring this often

he has a sketchbook and likes to draw about his day, random doodles about the villian, some batshit thing and random things he saw on patrol

He is also, after Dick, who can take care of a kid with no problem

If he has some questions about some vigilant stuff (like the pit, owl people and others crazy stuff) he asked Alfred or Babs. The motive is: he doesn't trust that the others will give him the complete answer (after the "they're big evil" or "the things made boom near them" Duke was tired of asking and decided to go to Alfred to know the correct information)

He doesn't see Bruce as a father, more like a weird uncle, but he really bonds with the kids, he still doesn't know how to label this yet but he enjoys their company

Some batkid headcanon: Damian || Duke || Cassandra || Stephanie || Tim || Jason || Dick

[necrotic-nephilim]

Is you think each of the batclan is a dom or a sub in bed (also add if they're a top or bottom if you want)

oooh good question. typically my answer depends entirely on the fic i'm writing and just. what makes the most sense for the scenario, so i don't see any of them as hard and fast subs or doms bc that's the joy of fanfic. *but* if i'm ignoring ships and just headcanoning based solely on the characters themselves, these are my thoughts-

Bruce Wayne: dom/top. it's the boring answer, but it's the true one. that man demands complete control of every situation and i think that extends to his wants and needs during sex. sex can be a lot like fighting in the way you take control.

Dick Grayson: switch, but i think he prefers bottoming whether he's the dom or the sub. he'll top if his partner prefers that, bc his nature is to be a giver. but he prefers bottoming and really enjoys getting to ride his partner.

Jason Todd: sub/bottom. listen. in fic 90% of the time, i *will* write him as the dom bc i *love* him as a mean dom. but Judd Winick did not tell us that Jason Todd cries during sex just for us all to make him an emotionless dom. he insists he's a dom and will dom, but deep down, he's a sub. i think he both wants soft praising sex and fucked up CNC shit, just for different reasons.

Tim Drake: dom/bottom. power bottom Tim. that's the whole headcanon. much like Bruce, i think Tim needs control in sex. i'm obsessed with him being fucked but still having *complete* control of the other person. controlling when they get to come, how they fuck him, etc. it just. suits him.

Damian Wayne: i can really see Damian go either way. but given i'm a fan of Damian having a mommy kink, i think my answer is sub and vers. he talks big game but he folds like a house of cards the minute you get your hands on him.

Stephanie Brown: sub/bottom. i think Steph just wants to be taken care of during sex, yk. she would enjoy bratting and sparring a bit as foreplay, but in the end she does want to be forced to submit and just give in to the person she's with.

Cass Cain: dom/vers. soft dom Cass supremacy. that's the whole take. i think it's fun for people to expect her to be a sub bc of her inexperience, but when Cass wants something, she'll take it. and she likes having control of her own body, it makes her more comfortable.

Helena Bertinelli: dom/top. idc who she's with but she's wearing a strap. she will fuck anyone. i think she'd be willing to bottom for the right partner, but she'd have *no* interest in being submissive in bed for anyone she's dated.

Jean-Paul Valley: he's tricky for me, bc if we count the Azrael personality, then dom/top. but if we're talking Jean-Paul, sub/bottom. he likes being told what to do and how to do it. also just. worshipping his partner bc brrr religious kink.

Alfred Pennyworth: dom/top. i think Alfred should be included in the batcest scene more. i wanna see him dom ppl. something about the control a dom has not needing to be physical but instead mental fits Alfred very nicely in my opinion.

Barbara Gordon: dom/bottom. similar to Tim, i think Babs prefers being in control from the bottom the most. giving clear instructions and telling her partner how to please her. for her it's less about the control and more about having someone submit under her that's fun.

Kate Kane: sub/vers. i feel like this is my most controversial take. but i think Kate is a sub. Kate gives energy of someone who talks *big* game about being butch but ends up a pillow princess in bed. i cannot explain it. it's just a vibes thing.

Bette Kane: switch/vers. either she's a very bratty sub or she's a very mean dom, there's no in-between. i think she genuinely enjoys both and likes to mix it up for fun. like Bette just gives me vibes she'd get bored of sex being the same every time.

Duke Thomas: switch/top. i think Duke prefers to top, but he's fine with going with the flow of what his partner wants. he gives me vibes that he slightly enjoys domming more, but still enjoys getting to sub for the right person, it just requires a lot more trust.

Harper Row: she's harder to pin down for me, but i would say switch/vers. Harper gives me "I'll try anything at least once" energy, even if she thinks she won't like it, she's willing to experiment a lot. bc of that she has a lot of weird experiences and enjoys whatever her partner does.

Luke Fox: he depends entirely on who he's with, i think. but i do think he leans toward being a dom/top just because of the energy he has in relationships. he easily takes control in the bedroom unless it's challenged by his partner, he'll default to assuming he's the one in charge.

Onyx Adams: dom/top. listen that's the only answer that makes sense for her. she takes what she wants when she wants it and i respect her for that. i think she just enjoys having someone underneath her, at her whim.

Julia Pennyworth: sub/bottom. definition of a woman who's convinced she's a dom until someone actually fights her for it and she folds like a pancake. she's not even a brat, she 100% is a service sub but does not realize it.

Claire Clover: also sub/bottom, similar to the above. except she is a brat and will make you earn topping her. she seems like the type to like violent sex that's a fight as much as it is fucking. like she's subbing but she is going to be kicking the whole time. very CNC vibes.

Minhkhoa Khan: dom/top. pretty sure this one is just canon. no notes this man is just like that. he fucks for meditation. does he look like a bottom.

Carrie Kelley: sub/vers. i could see Carrie being a switch, depending on who she's with. but mostly she just likes to give and serve her partner, giving them control. she wouldn't mind spicing it up in the bedroom every now and then tho.

Helena Wayne: this can depend heavily on the version of Helena Wayne, but i'm going to go broad and say dom/vers. most versions of Helena very much have dom energy, *especially* New-52 and JSA (2022). she 100% enjoys a "fight for dominance" type sparring match to decide who gets to dom, except she literally always wins bc she will play dirty.

[demethinkstoomuch]

A Survey of House Leadership Titles

We know just enough about each house and its founders that I think there might be some threads to pull at in terms of what different house titles say about the house intends of its leadership, or some other interesting observation  -- in some cases, not a lot, but I’d say enough that there’s enough for me to play with and gnaw on like a naughty cat who should not be chewing embroidery thread.

The Second: No Known Title????

This is so interesting to me. Like, Judith is heir to the House of the Second, and this is a fact that, nevertheless, never at any point makes anything about the internal structure of the second even the slightest bit clear. What is she even heir to? I’m assuming it’s hereditary, because that seems to be the case across the board except for the Sixth. But what is she actually heir to? The training facility? The cohort command within the system??? Something else???

We don’t know, we just know their cohort ranks. Judith’s father was an admiral -- but I am sadly forced to conclude not Sarpedon, because Judith’s father projected a career for her that would force her to stay mostly within the system, and Sarpedon’s career has mostly kept him out of system. This constitutes the entirety of what we know about the Second... But, there’s information in this non-information. What this all says about the Second is that they try and present their cohort ranks as the important ones, the ones that Really Matter...But, then again, Judith, a mere captain, is the heir of the house, so...Are they what Really Matter, really? We don’t know the rules about which contexts things matter in, which I would call not encouraging. That said, I’m betting that Judith a) tries to avoid this contradiction sincerely and steadfastly by honoring the Cohort’s chain of command, and b) she isn’t the only one. If there’s an illusion that there is no mess or complication or strangeness here, it’s a precious illusion that no one intends to disturb until push comes to shove. What the Second cares about most, between their hierarchy and the cohort’s, is a question they do not want to answer.

The Third: King/Queen(?) of Ida, assumed

Man, that is such the most attention-whore title. The pageantry! The showmanship! Crown princes! Princesses! I bet there’s a literal crown, don’t you? (Also, while I’d assume from numerical order that the 5th came after the 3rd, I get the vibe from the general atmospheres of the houses the title order might have been different, that the 3rd picked King and Queen because it’s like Lord and Lady, but bigger and better. If it isn’t, then this is what would have happened if the chronology had played out differently.)

By the way, I do want to know why Babs is a Prince. Like, is that a family rank? A cavalier primary rank? A combined Cavalier-Family rank? A courtesy title? Answer the question, Naberius Tern!

The Fourth: Baron/ess of Tisis

I don’t have much to say about this one, except that my guess is that it’s kind of like the Third or Fifth titles, but, like, different (and a little bit Less Fancy.) I think that is not a coincidence even a little. Also, Baron sounds very cool.

The Fifth: Lady/Lord of Konniortus

Oh, man. I have takes on this one. For one, this is 100% an Augustine decision. For two, Oh, good heavens, he was so smug about it for centuries. It’s powerful, yet understated. Grand as all hell, but not showing off. Everyone would have wanted classical nobility titles, but the specificity of some makes them a bit weaker. I’m thinking of, like, the Lady of the Mercians, or Empress Matilda going by “Lady of the English” as an uncrowned queen for the way the term can sort of gently elide over questions of specific rank. It’s simple, classy, brief.  Augustine is judging half the titles on this list and laughing with a sad shake of his head, like it’s cute that you tried to go as hard as “Lady of Konniortus” and you absolutely failed. And those are the ones where he’s not actively rolling his eyes. But more on that in, oh, about 3 houses from now.

The Sixth: Master Warden

OK, but you know who deserves to be smug for her rad naming skills? Cassie. And I say Cassie, to be clear, because I know it’s her name. Or, the name someone who knew the things Cassie knew about the Sixth. Because, really, I think this refers, in an oblique way, to the Break Clause. Because that clause is, well, it’s the key. It’s the key to the literal and metaphorical lock binding the Sixth House to the empire and to the planet. The whole facility is a prisoner, in a way, overseen by its warden. The whole facility is a lock. And do you know what we call the internal jaws of a lock?

Nothing, actually, because there isn’t a part of a lock that one calls “the internal jaws,” I’ve looked up locksmithing terms when google could not avail me. But...I do know that, if Palamedes and the Sixth thinks of a part of the lock as the Internal Jaws, he’s talking about the little metal pieces inside the lock that the key’s teeth and cut are meant to fit into and around, so only the right key will fit. They are jaws in the sense that teeth fit into them.  When Palamedes makes this little riddle during the Fifth’s dinner party, he’s talking about The Wards. And that it can be unlocked, if a key that fits the ward(en)s is produced, is how the Sixth House is like a lock.

I love that for the Sixth. I got so excited about this realization that I went to some lengths to include this line of thinking in a sixth-house centric fic, because it was simply too good to leave out.They went for an elaborate, multilayered self-created reference that refers back to their secret secession plan, and they’ve stuck with that for 10,000 years without giving away the Bit. Good for them. Really, just delightful.

The Seventh: Duchess/Duke of Rhodes (Assumed)

So, this is more or less just like how I read the Fourth’s nomenclature, except they went with Fancy over Cool. It’s very nearly as important as King/Queen, but not quite, which suits them well enough.  Unless there’s a higher rank and Dulcie’s parents have that rank, which they might. It seems implied. They also keep up the theming, with Pro being a Knight of Rhodes. Point is, they, the Third, the Fifth, and the Fourth are all a part of a system of names, with the Fifth a tiny bit set apart, and the Third probably clawing for the top.

The Eighth: Master Templar of the White Glass

I love this title, and part of what I love is that I know Augustine hates it and rolls his eyes every time he hears it. Because I think it’s a Christabel idea. And I say that for a couple of reasons. The biggest being, it sounds very cool but it makes no sense. Like, flash your mind through literally every point at which Silas or the Eighth house are mentioned. How many of them refer to, in any way, anything pertaining to White Glass? Once, only once. Harrow refers to “White glass mysteries,” but that’s it. It’s a mystery. Outside of that, this title only exists, is only referred to, is only acknowledged at all, in the Gideon the Ninth Dramatis Personae. Sure, the Eighth get described with White, and Templars seems reasonable. They are even referred to as White Templars, because, sure, sensible. But White Glass? Is a throw-away concept here, one only Harrow seems to ever think about. It is a cool-sounding title that refers to nothing of any significance. Its only justification is that it’s rad. It’s just a little stupid, but joyfully so.

Which is not a Mercymorn thing. But I can totally see it as a Christabel decision, one she got very excited about. Like, this is the woman who made One Flesh, One End a thing for the next 10,000 years. Christabel seems to love this stuff, and I think if she got cheerfully enthusiastic about it, Mercymorn would go along with it, and that would enshrine it forever.

The Ninth: The Reverend Father/Mother

So, this is another very good one. Like, Anastasia and Cassiopeia are over here thinking of legitimately good and clever titles, ones which contain a duty, and a secret, and it’s the duty at the core of the house’s leadership, at that. Obviously, the idea of a Reverend Mother is one suitable for the Abbess of a nunnery, so that checks out to begin with, but there’s another layer to it, too. A reason why it’s Reverend Mother and not, say, Abbess, that catches my eye post-Nona, but really ought to have caught my eye before that. “Reverend Daughter,” as a position of heirship, is something important because it’s a Ninth invention. The existence of a Daughter or a Son, as opposed to just having Sisters or Brothers and Mothers or Fathers, creates a direct family line within the ruling family. It becomes a bloodline and an abbey in the same breath.

Harrow insists from the Pool Scene onward that it was critical, the whole future of their house, to have an unbroken bloodline of necromancers descended from Anastasia. And at the end of Nona, we see why: Because Anastasia made a pact with Alecto that is recognized as being attached to Anastasia’s descendants, known by blood. They are the unfulfilled vow, Harrow is right! A line of parents and children, reaching back to their original parent, who made a promise. Mothers and Daughters, all the way down. That’s what the House is really for.

A+ Naming, Anastasia. Fantastic. Beautiful.

[prismarts]

Hiiii Prism. Hey so. Wanna introduce me to Epic The Musical???? I see it on my dash all the time now but I never bothered to look up what it actually is. On purpose lol. Because at first I totally skipped over it thinking it was some Percy Jackson fanart, and then I thought it really wasn't that big of a deal, and now it seems to be a HUGE deal to so many people on Tumblr. And I enjoy the kinda not-in-that-fandom-adjacent tea-sipping vibe veeeeeery much. So. I literally do NOT know what it is. Is it like Hamilton??? Is it a Percy Jackson fanwork??? Is it neither???? You have now been given the absolute power over whatever you let me know. Because I have no clue.

Go wild. (Please haha.)

OH HI FRIEND!! HI BAB!!!

Okay okay uhhh finedje. I NEVER had to pitch something to someone without the ability to just physically sit them down and like show them before cause I'm generally bad at explaining things but LEMME TRY!!!

So so, Epic the Musical is a musical concept detailing the Odyssey that is being made and like chopped up into 9 sagas! We have 8 of them now so one more to go!!!

Made by the wonderful, and very silly, Jorge Rivera-Herrans, Mr. Jalapeño himself. He wrote it with the theme of ruthlessness in mind, as in when do we adopt the philosophy of being ruthless to other people and when do we show kindness and mercy. (I may be explaining this wrong, Jorge has so many little videos explaining his process about creating Epic, i might leave a link so you can hear from the man himself)

It's not like a Percy Jackson fanmade thing, I know Jorge has read the Odyssesy and is essentially adapting it into this musical in his own way (I say this cause some people just can't comprehend it being its own thing as an adaptation). I don't think Jorge has read PJO? I could be wrong.

It could be compared to Hadestown the Musical? BUT THE ONLY SIMILAIRITY IS THE LIKE ADAPTATION OF A GREEK MYTH INTO A MUSICAL, OTHERWISE THE GENRE AND STUFF ARE VERY DIFFERENT.

I will uhhh keep note that Epic takes heavy inspiration from video games and anime which has the musical take several creative liberties and not be a one to one of the actual Odyssesy. One example of like the video game inspirations is every saga having some sort of boss battle esque song at the end, as if you are going through a video game, level by level.

And the anime inspirations are heavy in the ways Jorge uses iconic anime imagery or like I guess visual tropes in his references whenever he commissions artists to do animatics or animations.

THAT'S ANOTHER FUN THING TOO!!! Aside from the thousands of fan animatics that come out with each saga, Jorge also just commissions art, animatics and animations from artists with each new saga that he'll debut during the album's live watchparty where we listen to the whole musical up till the latest saga. So we have like fan animatics but also in a way, canon animatics and animations on how things go down.

He puts so much care into the music and the like themes and and uhhh musical terms escaping my head but he carries over chracters and their musical motifs so well throughout the story.

He also uhhh does open auditions to EVERYONE like ANYONE could audition for Epic with just leads to so many hidden gems of singers and songwriters that he just hypes up so much, he hypes up their work in Epic and their own personal musical endeavors.

Some of the amazing cast are: Teagen Earley who plays Athena, TROY who plays Hermes, Steven Dookie as Polites, Talya Sindel as Circe, Barbara Wangui as Calypso. Of course, Jorge himself plays Odysseus and he is also just incredible vocally.

HE ALSO uhhh casts his family members in this which is super fun and wholesome and I won't spoil who they play cause its such a fun treat to discover as you listen.

Aaaaaaaaaaa what else-

It is also very silly, we get quite a few silly moments and I really enjoy that. Jorge is really good with sprinkling the silly moments in between the songs and just delivering such a good experience. A lot of the silly moments just become memes and that's also a fun time.

I just love the way he adapted the musical in this very very unique and amazing thing, it's this phenomenon of like story telling and music and also just a collaboration of art between not just the cast who come from so many places but also the HUGE community and I think that's the most special part, y'know?

I think that's all? Imma try to link some of Jorge's shorts and videos here just for fun and because he might explain things better lol.

Thank you for the ask bab! Hope this helps explain, I'm not that good at it lol xD 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙 *hugs*

[zahri-melitor]

For the writer thing: James Tynion IV

Oh this is going to be fun as I've actually read a variety of things written by James Tynion IV. At present I have 164 issues marked as read on LOCG.

8. Talon 2012 #0-14: Oh wow do I not care about Calvin Rose. This is like a turbo combination of 'what was HAPPENING' during n52, 'new writer' vibes where he's still learning in places, and just really fanficcy vibes in places? He grows from here.

7. The Woods 2014: Early installment weirdness again. I'm enjoying it so far in terms of the concept of the plot, but I get why nobody talks about this title.

6. Batman Eternal 2014: These were a toss up, but I had to put Batman Eternal lower because it just drags so much. 52 issues is such a lot of story telling and there are clear sections of this that could easily have been excised into their own miniseries. It's got some interesting plotting, it has some characterisation I hate, I hope that Babs never has a mental breakdown like that again to the point that she decides trying to kiss Jason because she misses Dick was a good life choice.

5. Batman & Robin Eternal 2015: it's shorter, for one, and there's a handful more stand out scenes in this over Batman Eternal (Bruce talking to Damian about being Robin stands out of course). The plotting is tighter. I don't particularly like the concept of Mother and I think it overwrites a lot of important background for characters like Cass and JPV, but also I suspect that was scripted by someone else, given Tynion gets straight into fixing that as soon as he's on 'Tec.

4. Something is Killing the Children 2019: Just stylistically so much smarter and better considered. I want to dig into this further.

3. Batwoman 2017 #1-6: Tynion cowrote this with Marguerite Bennett and honestly it's such a juicy reset for Kate Kane. Now I do want to fist fight Tynion over a few issues (like locking Kate to Bruce's age even as we're getting the timeline extension put back in) but the Lost Year is just a glorious idea for Kate and the world and character building in this is very satisfying.

2. The Nice House on the Lake 2021: oh gosh I am head over heels for this title. It's just such a really nicely constructed horror piece, and interestingly in conversation with being very much a 'this was written during COVID' piece; it's less aggressively Hi I Am Processing My Feelings About Lockdown than a lot of COVID response stuff, particularly that came out in 2021, but it's also...it's about a group of people who have a friend in common trapped together in a luxury house in the middle of nowhere during the end of the world, where everything arrives by delivery and they can't leave a very specified area. The parallels are obvious.

1. Detective Comics #934-981: Rise and Fall of the Batmen. Is it perfect? No. Do I have things I would have done differently? Yes. Is it doing an incredible amount of work and storytelling in far less space than you would think? YES. I am in awe of Tynion's ability to compress decades of comics and hundreds of issues of storytelling down into this 48 issue run, while still making entertaining plots.

[gffa]

Coming as anon to ask, do you ship Bruce with Dick? Their relationship blurs the lines. I've been re reading the comics after many years and 😳

Hi! I don't ship it, no, it's hardcore a father & son dynamic for me, that's always been how it's come across to me since I first got into Batman-related stuff and it's a bit of a personal squick. But like anything else I don't ship, I get where it comes from and I can see why others do, that there's plenty of room in fandom, that one person's interpretation does not negate another's, so I know how to put on my big girl undies and share space with people, even if I personally am not into it. It's interesting actually, because back in the day I had so much energy to try to sway people into my view--by promoting what I liked, not by putting others' views down, even back then I knew nothing turns people off faster than, "This ship is so bad, no one can like this for real, everyone should be into my thing.", like, every time I see that from fandom about my OTP, I only ship Dick/Babs harder!--but since coming back to fandom I'm just like. "Shrug. I'd rather spend my time talking about Batdad and Batson and what makes me enjoy them, I don't actually care that much when people disagree.", it has been legitimately freeing to just not care what others ship, to just have a good time on my own terms instead! So, ship what you want, guys, I hope you're having a blast! And I don't blame anyone for thinking I might ship it, it seems like something I could be into via that lens, doesn't it? But the heart sometimes settles where it will, the vibes any one person gets from a relationship dynamic doesn't always match up--like, this is why I've always defended that it's genuinely fine to be squicked by shipping Obi-Wan and Anakin, by finding them to be a father & son dynamic only, if that's the vibe for someone, then that should be respected, I never want to shove it in their face and will do my best to get it out of their way! I just will square up if someone says I have to interpret it through that lens, because I don't. Or that, because they find the two dynamics to be the same that I have to find them to be the same dynamic--because I very much don't. So that's where I land--I hope you're having a blast and finding others that vibe with you! We'll meet in the middle to talk about other things, just as I do with all my friends who are into things that don't light me up personally. <3

[liesmyth]

Great, I won't be anon, I’ll be the weirdo who's reblogging all your shit bc I need to connect with others as deep in this fandom as I am

Can we have a moment to acknowledge and mourn for how Ianthe is constantly everyone's second favorite? No one likes her best except arguably Coronabeth, who spends their childhood using her to cover her own shortcomings. Babs is obedient to her first, but he clearly is simping for Corona. Her own parents are like, Corona is cuter so she’s gonna rule the Third, but she can’t do necromancy so could you please fake it for her? She gets to the Mithraem and Harrow is like, thanks for the help with the lobotomy but I prefer a corpse in a takeout box and some ginger I can’t remember. 

She throws out all the stops and lets Augustine die to save daddy Jod and this is her chance!!! someone will love her best by default!!! And what happens? Jod chases down his estranged dead daughter and gives her Indestructible Bod, proving that he could’ve regrown Ianthe's full arm this whole time and just like, didn't. 

She’s got to care. She’s got to feel some kind of way she is the 1% skim milk in every single one of her relationships

DON'T BE ANON I love talking about my best worst girl.

Also! This is inch resting because I go back and forth all the time on whether Corona and Ianthe's parents know of their ruse. "Dad wanted a matched set"... did their parents actually SAID that, or were they just very clear in their expectations (down to giving the twins the same House arithmonym, something that's actually rare among siblings as per Taz) and the girls picked up on it?

Because I can't imagine possibly staking the future of my House on a six-year old, and her ability to convincingly fake necromancy for her sister for the rest of her life and wanting to live in her shadow. If it had gotten out the consequences would've been pretty Bad for the whole House, and it just strikes me as the kind of stupid AND brilliant scheme that children would come up with.

Anyway back to HER, Prince Ianthe Naberius! Ianthe has Rancid vibes but she DESERVES LOVE AND AFFECTION and also posters of her face. She just needs a friend... hugs... maybe to consume some sugar. Maybe that'd fix her.

[justsomeguycore]

the interesting thing about transness in tlt is that it’s not really visible but it’s ever present. presumably anybody COULD be trans, but no one is explicitly trans, excepting of course the souls of people who were known to have previously been male or female entering the “opposite”-sexed bodies of others - most notably pyrrha in gideon’s body, palamedes in camilla’s, and ianthe in naberius’s. and we see all of these people from the perspective of nona, who probably doesn’t know a thing about gender nor does she care. but pyrrha is always “she”, cam is “she” and pal is “he”, and interestingly ianthebabs is “they”. now does nona see ianthebabs as “they” because she can intrinsically sense the lyctorhood, can sense that something of naberius is still there with ianthe? or does she just get gender vibes from ianthe slaying cunt in babs’ fuckboy body. i like both tbh

[chiyana]

On the one hand I like the idea of Tim truly being kind of an outsider to Gotham's boons (possibly something he and Cass have in common, since Gotham in my head here doesn't have a human body or really speak, it's all kind of vibes based and Cass can understand Gotham a little but the more complicated emotions and aspects aren't intuitive to her (communication is along the lines of windows rattling, wind rushing through something to make a screaming sound, newspapers sweeping by, groaning of steel beams, etc.) she would probably also be wary of accepting a boon, especially if she read it as an insult or doubt of her abilities/decisions)

On the other hand, the HURT Tim would feel having a boon, even just a little one! feeling like he was wanted and loved by Gotham and just a little like the Bats and then having it TAKEN. Having a boon torn away is devastating, and it probably fucked Tim up for a while (even though he never told anyone and hid it from them). He already felt lonely and left behind and unwanted before, and now the one thing he had that proved someone or someTHING wanted him was just ripped away from him. (extra angst because the only other person in living memory to have their boon rescinded is the Joker and to have something in common with the Joker, especially THAT? and shows both sides of Gotham in that she rescinded the boon from the one who hurt her and the one trying to help)

It would also make Tim a lot more cautious about Gotham, for himself and the newer Bats, and he'd probably be a lot more careful about making sure they understood what they were getting into with being offered a boon, the advantages and consequences (and definitely reinforce his connection to his Young Justice team because he needs someone from outside of Gotham to stay sane)

it also means he'd be a lot more pissed on Damian's behalf when Gotham offered it to the kid before Damian had anything explained to him or had even met anyone else (it takes Damian a while to understand and eventually begrudgingly appreciate Tim's protectiveness in this regard)

I hadn't thought of everyone else's boons exactly, but I had thought some of the boons might change some as needs and mantles change. Like when Barbara was Batgirl, she could always catch pieces of information and rumors, on the wind or listening in on henchmen and the like, and while that seems like an Oracle boon, Oracle looks more at the flow of data, what happens on cameras and paper/electronic trails. Batgirl's boon requires her to be out on the streets and in the field, so when Babs became Oracle, her boon shifted to something more tech based. Not necessarily the info on the computer itself (Gotham trying to interface directly with computers ends up with a lot of corrupted data) but the wiring and physical aspects. Cameras that Babs needs access to miraculously work, even if they were broken before, even if the picture is grainy as hell it's at least something. Tech and power never go out so long as she needs them. (part of Gotham's favor to Babs is the elevators always work for her, and accessibility stuff is always clear for her to use)

Stephanie probably has one of the more... interesting times with Gotham? She wants to accept the boon when it's initially offered to her as Spoiler, but by now Tim has warned her about Gotham and urged her to be careful with it. He doesn't tell her all the details, but it's enough that she's understandably a little leery. I think she'd accept the boon after her run as Robin: Batman maintains she should accept it because the other Robins had a boon and whenever Steph is like "Tim didn't" Bruce makes that scrunkle face she finds hilarious and he does it EVERY TIME, so when he fires her and she goes back to being Spoiler and Gotham STILL offers her a boon, she accepts because ha-ha fuck you Batman Gotham still likes me. Her Spoiler boon is a little thing (she wanted to rub it in Batman's face but also didn't want a huge boon tying her to Gotham) where she can pick up clues she and others might have missed and be able to tell when someone is hiding something from her. When she eventually becomes Batgirl, the old Batgirl boon shifts and adapts into her Spoiler boon giving her both (it's a larger boon that ties her more to Gotham, but she still accepts it even though Tim probably gets into a fight with Gotham over "boon creep" - "You do NOT get to make your boons bigger after someone accepts a small one! They have a right to an informed decision and not have a small boon become a big one AFTER they accept!" "*upset argumentative wind shrieking through cracks*" "Don't you take that tone with me!")

Cass as previously stated I don't think would accept a boon, and she's good enough that Gotham's favor or lack of it doesn't phase her too much. (Gotham grumbles but Tim reminds her that people's choices in this are important, I know you want more daughters but you have to respect Cass's decision. Cass watches Tim say all this to a gargoyle and it only reinforces her decision not to be part of... whatever this is.)

Damian's boon... hm. It would probably need to be fairly substantive, but I'm not sure what boon he would want/what wpuld fit. He wouldn't need something to physically help him, and he'd probably want something that proved the city was his by birthright, as well as uniquely his own. on Gotham's end, she'd want something that would keep him in the city and cement his place as a new Robin. Something similar to Jason's in knowing the city, but Jason is still her favorite so his boon remains fairly unique (and Damian and Jason wouldn't particularly want to share).

Ooh! what about knowing the history of Gotham? Learning all the old secrets and stories, how Gotham was built and the ebb and flow of how it affects the power struggles today? 'History' is relative so Damian can technically count anything that happened a few days ago and known by more than three or so living people as 'history', but the more recent the incident the more unreliable his knowledge since perceptions can change rapidly and things can be covered or uncovered or messed with. He always knows what someone is talking about when they talk about past events though, so he's never caught unawares or 'ignorant' of Gotham's history (making himself a part of it and a part of the city)

Helena and Kate I don't know as well about what boons would work for them. The Foxes likely have a small, family shared boon that keeps them safe, keeps eyes and ill-intent off them. It's a protective thing considering how close they get to the Batclan, but also stops people (cops and people at WE) from harrassing them (Tam leaving Gotham to find Tim is what gets her on Ra's radar in Red Robin)

Jim probably accepted a boon without realizing it, possibly still doesn't know he has it (though likely suspects). I think his boon would be subtle for the most part, mostly giving a boost to his gut feelings about things, particularly about dirty cops and faked evidence. There are times when he gets flashes about HOW exactly someone is dirty or how the evidence is fake, and he's able to track it down and find proof.

Alfred I don't think ever accepted a boon, and more likely wasn't ever offered one. Alfred is part of the Wayne family and great in his own right, but he wasn't born here, doesn't have the blood ties to Gotham the city's magic needs, and he's not really a Gothamite. he's loyal to the Wayne family, but that's to the Waynes, not Gotham. He helps with the Crusade because of Bruce and those Bruce has made part of the family, not because of Gotham herself. With that in mind, Gotham probably considers Alfred the same way he considers non-Wayne Bats: they're allies, but they're not family

Duke might not actually take a boon. I think it'd be neat if the whole We Are Robin movement formed largely because Tim as Robin didn't have a boon, and people did notice to an extent. He had Gotham's favor, but he didn't have that same eerie inhuman quality as the rest of the Bats, and he was the one to make Duke and the others realize they didn't need a boon to be Robin. He was still highly trained and competent, but he was still human, so if he could be Robin without a boon, they could be as well (to a certain extent) right?

So when Duke joins the clan officially, he's stoked to ask Tim all about it and then has... THE most terrifying conversation when Tim sits him down and goes over the advantages and disadvantages of having a boon, how to be careful when dealing with Gotham, how to talk to her, how to know when she's upset with you and compensate, basically everything Tim has learned to survive (and what it was like to have a boon and then have it ripped away from him because he tried to stop Gotham and Batman from destroying themselves)

and Duke decides "you know what I think I'm good with the superpowers actually, how do I politely decline a boon"

(Gotham wails to Tim about teaching the new Bats not to trust her and accept her boons the same way a husky wails like they've been shot because they don't want to come inside out of the rain (but also don't want to be wet) and Tim is just like "you brought this on yourself especially after that stunt you pulled with Damian, this is your own fault and you know it")

I had a Batman AU thought that I wanted to share involving eldritch?sentient!Gotham. Gotham is alive, old and deeply rooted magic of ??? origin (that doesn't appreciate being poked and prodded so attempts to discern what she is have ended badly), and she is... mercurial, to put it diplomatically. She can favor or sabotage people on a sliding scale of intensity - basically good or bad luck on the lower side of the scale (finding a $20 bill vs stepping in a gross puddle kinda thing), and on the higher side it's things like a bullet missing when it shouldn't or a piece of building falling onto someone. She also has boons, things she grants certain people - primarily Bats, but there are a few Rogues that have their own boons because again, mercurial. Boons bind someone to Gotham, make them always find their way back and eventually need to come back, but if you're close enough to Gotham for her to offer a boon, it's probably your home.

Batman is her... warlock? Paladin? He's pledged his life to protect Gotham and is in tune with her, and he protects the city and keeps it in balance, and she grants him her favor constantly and has given him a powerful boon (able to hide in whatever shadows there are, even slight ones, and virtually disappear in them even if you're watching him). When he takes Dick in and Dick creates the Robin mantle, Gotham loves it, and Dick gets his own boon (able to land where he intends to, can't be killed/seriously hurt from a fall).

Jason though is her absolute favorite son, her pride and joy. He's born of Gotham, steeped in the city, of it and for it, and he loves Gotham and when he becomes Robin he fights to make her better and bring light to her. She gives him the boon that he knows every part of the city instinctively. He can move through it easily, knows the streets and buildings by heart, knows on some level what's happening in different places (not always exact, usually gut feelings), and he can always hide in it when he chooses.

Then he dies. (Away from Gotham, because if he'd been in Gotham she never would have let it happen.) Gotham and Batman are a wreck together, they're angry and grieving and losing it, everything is coming apart and it's Bad. (The Joker had a boon from Gotham, because he's also of Gotham, and she's not good or evil but simply is. However when he killed HER favorite son, she tore the boon and her favor from him and wrecked what was left of his mind. He still feels chained to Gotham and Batman, but this is no longer a city that loves him.)

This is when Tim pushes to become Robin, and both Gotham and Batman hate it. They both want to lose themselves in the rage and grief, but Tim won't let them. Batman/Bruce comes around first, but Gotham is still seething, and she sabotages Tim at every turn: things that should hold his weight break or creak loudly, shadows never seem to hide him, evidence gets lost or trails go cold when he tries to follow them, buildings constantly crumble around him, goons always seem to get hits on him that he should be able to dodge or avoid, he gets pitched into the harbor CONSTANTLY.

It gets to a point that Bruce is seriously considering firing Tim purely because it's notably more dangerous for him as Robin than it ever was for Dick and Jason (even though he and Dick both try to convince Gotham to calm down and lay off). Tim eventually tracks down the best place to communicate with Gotham directly (much as she tries to deter him) and they get into a fight (reminiscent of Tim getting into fights with Bruce to make him get his shit together).

Tim argues that if he hadn't stepped in, Bruce would have either gotten himself killed or crossed a line he couldn't come back from, and it would have destroyed him AND the hope left in Gotham. He would have been considered a criminal and likely would have become a Rogue, with no 'Batman' to step up and stop him. He argues that Batman needs a Robin to fight for and protect, and without one he'll backslide and get worse again, and if that happens, Gotham will be torn to shreds. Tim points out that Jason loved Gotham and fought for her, and it's disrespectful of his love and his memory to let everything fall to pieces after he fought so hard for her.

It's enough to convince Gotham to back off on her sabotage, though she's still hurt and sulking. Bruce still isn't sure about Tim not having Gotham's favor, much less a boon of his own, but Tim argues that he'll get good enough to keep up with or without Gotham's help - which he does.

Over time though, Gotham watches Tim fight to protect Gotham and Batman, and she admits she was wrong in how she treated him. She slowly starts to extend her favor to him and eventually approaches him and offers him a boon. Tim, however, turns her down. He's seen how badly Jason's loss and Gotham's grief and anger affected those closely connected to her, and he knows taking the boon will tie him to Gotham permanently. He believes those connected to Gotham and Gotham herself need someone who can be more objective and keep a level head, and he's secretly kind of worried that if something happens again, if Bruce and the Bats eventually tire of him and don't need him, he'll be trapped in Gotham. He also just doesn't totally trust Gotham even though he loves her.

Gotham's hurt, obviously, but she understands and doesn't lash out, recognizing it's her own fault. She does give him her favor though and swears to never rescind it, even when she's upset with him. Tim's gotten this far without her favor or a boon, but it's nice not to have to worry about getting dunked in the harbor for the third time in one week anymore (though she hasn't done that in a year or so).

Then Jason returns, and Gotham is having THE BEST time. Her baby boy! Is back! He's bigger now, and he's a lot angrier and hurt in a lot of ways, but he's! Back! She's a little worried about how angry he is at Batman and the other Bats, but Jason is her favorite and she can't turn him away or deny him. She still favors him, she just... makes sure she favors the Bats enough too to keep them all on an even playing field. They'll work it out. Tim managed to get her to calm down, so she's confident her current Robin will help the family again.

Then Jason goes to the Titan Tower after Tim, and initially she assumes they'll talk and things will be better, but when Jason comes back she sees that he went and ATTACKED Tim.

It's the first time she's ever been angry at Jason, and she drops a brick on his head (while he's wearing his helmet, he's still her favorite), and she threatens to collapse the ceiling of his apartment. They get into a fight. Jason came away from his fight with Tim thinking Tim was impressive as Robin, but he doesn't want him in the suit so he still went through with beating him unconscious. He DID notice Tim doesn't have Gotham's boon, so he doesn't understand why she's so upset he roughed the kid up.

Gotham is pissed and a pissed Gotham is hard to communicate with outside of raw emotion, so eventually after suffering several indignities of light sabotage, getting caught yelling at the street or a building while the manhole cover or windows rattle angrily, Jason goes to find Tim and ask "hey what the FUCK" (haven't fully figured how this changes Jason's interactions with the rest of the Bats, but he is begrudgingly impressed that Tim made it through the start of his tenure with Gotham actively sabotaging him, then argued an eldritch city into behaving, then turned down her boon and STILL came out of it with her undying favor).

(Gotham, in this AU, is NOT a fan of the al Ghuls at all. Primarily Ra's, at first, because he wants to purify Gotham/control her, and she is NOT a fan of that thanks. He's tried attacking her (destroying parts of the city), threatening her, trying to determine the origin of her magic, enslave her, trying to bargain with her, seducing her, and she is having NONE OF IT. Going into Gotham is a nightmare for anyone with the League, because while it can be difficult for her to get a hold of them, once she does she sabotages the HELL out of them. Getting cut on rusted rebar, falling off ledges, sinkholes opening up under them, one of them managed to get bitten by a rat and catch the bubonic plague. Ra's has, on one memorable occasion, been knocked into an open manhole and then almost drowned in sewer water that carried him out into the harbor where something (possibly Croc) tried to eat him, and he broke his arm while climbing out.

Talia got a reluctant pass since she seemed more interested in Bruce than Gotham and Bruce reciprocated, but Gotham doesn't appreciate Talia's attempts to lure Bruce OUT of Gotham. When she finds out Talia kept Jason away? AND convinced him to go after Tim? Talia is on the permanent shit list too.

When Gotham finds out about DAMIAN, Talia can't set foot in Gotham without having SEVERAL chunks of building being dropped on her from above.

Though when Damian DOES show up, Gotham is quick to claim him and offer him a boon. He's the son of Batman, he's a future Robin, and if he's given a boon, he's tied to Gotham and can't easily return to the League (mostly Talia and Ra's). Win win!

Except then he attacks Tim, and learns VERY swiftly that it's not good to piss off the sentient eldritch city you accepted a boon from. He's laid up with a migraine and all kinds of awful symptoms of an illness (nothing fatal but definitely awful) until Tim recovers, and then Tim gets to play mediator between the Bats and Gotham AGAIN as he tries to explain to Damian the nuances of Gotham as an entity and what being one of her favored/booned actually means, AND lecturing Gotham about sabotaging another Robin/giving him a boon without making sure he understood what he was accepting.)

HI 👋 Fabulous AU you've got here.

I particularly enjoy how complicated Tim's relationship with Gotham is. In fact, Tim's later years could be misunderstood by the Bats as Tim being her favorite (hear me out).

If Gotham never states who her favorite is, all the Bats see is that Tim, despite not having a boon, has Gotham on his side against the other Bats (really, Tim just isn't attacking/harming the others like they are to him, but it's about perspective).

It's also kind of heartbreaking that Tim has an additional condition that sets him apart from the Bats. He's the only one to be immediately hated by Gotham. He doesn't have a boon (though later that's a choice). He is consistently reaching out to Gotham to actually communicate and fix their issues.

Might I add an additional part for extra angst? We'll take the fanon idea of Tim stalking his heroes from a young age.

Gotham sees that another being idolizes her paladins and grants him the small boon of his camera never making a sound, being unnoticeable, and the flash never being visible unless Tim wants it to. Tim is okay with being stuck in Gotham due to his parents never taking him abroad with them

After Tim forces his way into Robin, though, Gotham rips this away from him, destroys any need for him to stay (she wants him to leave her alone to her own rumination), and actively sabatoges him.

Because it was taken from him once, because he's felt the pain of that loss, because the sudden emptiness was a gaping hole he had to spend years coping with, he never wants a boon again. He doesn't know if he'll be able to handle the sudden deprivation once more.

This is the start of him not trusting that anything lasts (especially since a retracted boon was so rare it's only been rumored in the past [since Gotham doesn't care for "good" or "evil" it's harder to get on her bad side]).

I'm curious what all of the boons alloted to each person are (very curious if/what Commissioner Gordon's)

[zorilleerrant]

the trick to Batfam hairstyles (and most long running characters, tbh) is that it's not a specific shape, but it is a consistent vibe based on the date of publication of the comic (or, really, about a year before the publication date, but that doesn't tend to matter too much to trends and expectations)

Bruce: young Bruce has hair in a playful, youthful style. adult Bruce has a Business Professional haircut.

Alfred: old man chic

Dick: earlier and current young versions have childish haircuts, whatever would be normal for a boy his age who doesn't care that much about hair and let parents/guardians or barbers pick the style. adult versions have a fashion forward haircut that would seem in place on a celebrity (musician)

Babs: a ladies' Sensible Haircut; something that wouldn't take a lot of work to maintain but looks professional

Jason: hair that makes him seem out of place, but that's meant different things depending on the story. these days mostly a bog standard haircut that's overgrown by a few months

Tim: he has the most popular boys' haircut based on his age range. when multiple choices are equally popular, his styles lean toward cool, as if on a celebrity (TV actor)

Steph: similarly, a popular girls' haircut based on age range. trendy but not fashion-oriented. feminine

Cass: art hair. always feminine styles, but the kind that would look most in place on a model (fashion spreads)

Damian: boys' Sensible Haircut based on his age range, meant to read as unmarked and typical

[robin-nightwing-agent37]

I love Arkham Nightwing so much.

The Gotham Knights account on Twitter has released a cinematic clip between Dick and Barbara recently, and the dialogue is so cringey and bad, with the same dynamic of exes that still flirt with each other crap that is so overused for this characters at this point, even when they are mourning Bruce. I can't stand it.

Don't know for sure if they're going to push that ship at the end of the game, but at this point that thing is infecting everything Nightwing related, so why wouldn't they. That scene was not subtle.

I don't know, the more I see about this game, the most I miss the Arkhamverse. Besides of the criticism regarding the graphics and gameplay when comparing GK to Arkham Knight, to this day I consider Arkham Nightwing to be the superior Nightwing ever adapted, period. He was just Dick Grayson! No ship wars bullshit!

I know many people have problems with TimBabs being a thing in that universe, but it allowed us to have just Nightwing being himself without the DickBabs ship. I can rewatch the Penguin mission in-game and the GCPD Nightwing DLC a hundred times and not get bored. It's so fun.

I simp for Arkham Nightwing. In fact I'm one of those people who wanted a sequel for Arkham Knight starring the Batfam, instead of some other AU when the DickBabs shit is canon again agh. Will we ever get an adaptation like that again? With Nightwing being single? :(

Yeah, I saw the video and once again we have Babs talking down to Dick knowing that he is in a rough place. Like the dumbass comment was not necessary. Neither was that dig about him crying over their breakup. I feel like her dialogue wasn't necessary, nor was it helpful to Dick's cause. This interaction not only felt forced but also ungenuine and caring. In a way, they acted more like siblings than they did two people who previously dated. The Fanon concepts also were pretty bad, like when will the idea that Dick loves cereal die? I don't think they are gonna push Dick Babs; I think they just wanted points from fans of the couple and to synergize with the comics. I think they think Dick Babs is bigger than it actually is. The creators said the point of the game was to have the Batfamily together as a unit again. In the end, they all come together as a family. Plus, just because Dick Babs was together in the past, doesn't mean they will be in the future. We don't know why they broke up? The game could also hint at Jason Babs, too. Or give Babs and Dick a love interest who isn't seen in the game. It's too soon to tell, but from that clip I didn't get a vibe that they even wanted to be together romantically. It actually felt like they sorta disliked each other. For all we know, Babs could end up with Jason too or something. Tim Babs didn't bother me about the Arkham Games. I agree that it gave us Nightwing solo, and that was super fun. Dick Babs also dated in the past in that unvierse (hence the cradle robber comment lmao Dick did NOT like Babs in Arkham Games). I LOVE the way Dick is characterized in the games. He was charming, flirty, quippy, serious, and brooding. I hated how badly he lost to Harley and the fact that he wasn't a competent, but he was enjoyable for the most part and we can definitely fix that competence issue. I simp for Arkham Nightwing too. Dick is just better as a character when he is single and not tied down to anyone or anyplace. With the way things are at WB currently, I don't think we will be getting any new Nightwing content period. Ill be surprised if WB ever gave him the push he deserves. I think the only way it'll happen is if you get a big enough name to push him the same way Marv Wolfman did in the 80s or the way that The Rock is inflating Black Adam. Otherwise, he will most likely stay a Batfam jobber.

[xiaoguiheyu]

184. He Yu didn’t pick up. I just had a feeling he wouldn't.

So xqc just went to He Yu’s company instead. But apparently it's not that easy to meet his former lover anymore now that he is President He. It isn't easy for a Collage professor meet the president of a company. (This feels angst-y to me for some reason) especially when Xqc thinks that it doesn't feel like the security guard is talking about his He Yu who was eating beef noddles in front of moyu alley.

As soon as He Yu's secretary let him know of xqc's identity, the security guard is more respectful towards xqc.

The rich women(apparently they work at He pharmaceuticals) who had been talking nonsense behind xqc's back were all polite smiles to him at the office lobby, because he's not only the dage of Wei family's third madame but also the man of president He. Lmao (this feels like one of those k-dramas that have overbearing presidents as male leads. He Yu upgraded from being a male lead of a romcom to the male lead of a melo-drama lol.) Look at this rude bitch after xqc ignored her. But xqc doesn't care about others talking behind his back because he's already used to it.

Xqc sits and waits for He Yu in his office.

Awww he yu even told his secretary to make xqc's favourite tea while he waits for him.

Xqc looking through He Yu’s office and desk, it feels like yearning to me, like xqc unconsciously missed He Yu a lot. There were pages on desk and He Yu wrote the quote on xqc's wrist on those, while xqc was putting the papers away he notices something else written on those papers. Whatever it was, it made xqc stunned. 

He Yu really didn't mean to not pick up xqc's calls, his phone was in airplane mode.

Cute. President He gives headaches to his employees but is an obedient puppy in front of xqc. In conclusion, he yu is a wife slave simp.

Ouch! Xie ge going down directly to busines.

He Yu is saying opposite of what Lao Zheng said. More lies about He family not being involved in rn13 development. But I think he yu is doing it to protect xqc.

The thing written on the papers that made xqc stunned was the chemical equation for obedience water.

Omg xqc knows that whatever He Yu made up his mind about no matter what xqc asked he won't tell him the truth. These are soft knives I swear.

What does xqc mean by this?

He yu asks xqc to trust him. He yu tells him to trust He Yu because he'll always be He Yu to xqc.

What does this mean? I think He yu is meaning that he might have to make some unlawful decisions but xqc says then he won't forgive him and be against him as he tells him not to go down that road. (This turned into a real knife all of a sudden)

He Yu's pov!

He yu is writing letters, there are many letter and putting them all in the rare disease book. (Oh these feels like messages to xqc). Okay but what if Xqc is preparing to die and so ready for it but he yu ends up being the one who goes away/disappears/ presumed to be dead and all xqc's left with are those letters. I'm not saying BE because bab is HE for sure, but I feel like after this arc, it's time skip for sure.

Ugh! Bitch zhishu is here! Pretending and bringing over hot chocolate. I can tell even He Yu can feel her pretense.

Oh He Yu knows everything about her and he confronted her( that's my son. He would never work for  the org. I knew it) about the company's involvement with the evil org. Gah. Lu Zhishu acting pitiful saying cure for rn13 that's why she's involved with the org. (He yu is really not the one to mess with, he won't be pushed around.)

Lu zhishu is under the impression that her excuses on curing psycheb worked on He Yu but I don't think so.

I knew it. It didn't work on him. He Yu's vibe check is pretty solid. He knows if a person is to be trusted or not. Actually He Yu doesn't trust anyone not even himself, he only trusts xqc completely.

Oh so that what He Yu meant by wearing tiger skin he's really trying to cooperate with their plan so that he can get to Duan Wen. Omg He Yu is going to watch over the last shipment in person and the police are going there too!!

Another important arc starts so no mini theatres for the time being. So there really is gonna be another arc before time skip!

Okay I think He Yu has a plan but I do feel like things have to go down awfully for the time skip to happen. Idek I'm full of anxiety!! I'm worried about Puppydragon!!

[star-dragon-art]

can’t fucking BELIEVE I forgot to post Moonbeam here.

Hi, this is my Wildemount oc. He is a drow named Moonbeam (it’s a nickname he chose himself.)

When he was a wee bab, he was picked up by a giant fucking bird in Xhorhas, birdnapped from his family, and carried over the Empire’s borders. Some Empire soldiers saw the bird, and noticed it was carrying something that looked humanoid. They managed to make it drop the child it was carrying.

Moonbeam at this point was a useless baby who couldn’t tell them who his parents were, he could only say “goo goo ga” but in undercommon. So the soldiers were just taking turns taking care of this lost baby and trying to find where the fuck his parents were, but they never could find them.

So it ended with one of the soldiers adopting him. Moonbeam spent his life growing up in a tiny speck of a town in the Empire, all of the locals knowing exactly who he was and bein chill with it. He was their resident mysterious sky drow baby with a severe aversion to birds.

Moonbeam took to music, particularly the guitar. Likes to vibe, smoke weed, be a bard.

He also is consecuted. However, he has no concept of what consecution is. When his memories started coming back to him from his past life, he thought it would make a good comic, so he started drawing comics about the cool wizard he thought up and kept thinking up very specific details about his life.

This wizard was known as the High Wizard, because he, like Moonbeam, liked to vibe, smoke weed, and do magic. The High Wizard looks like a wizard airbrushed onto the side of a van.

The town is quite a fan of these comics, always eager for the next installment of the story.

Moonbeam also remembered dunamancy, the luxon beacons, and consecution through this process of writing about his past life, but he was thoroughly under the impression that they were simply things he made up for his cool story about his cool wizard oc.