#source: Batman: No Man’s Land

[bonesbitchesboutcomicbooks]

Barbara “most gorgeous woman alive” Gordon

detective comics #739 /// Batman: legends of the dark knight #125

[doesthebatfamknowpopculture]

The Joker has read Dick Tracy

[shitpostingfromthebarricade]

hi like,,,, yesterday you tagged a post asking if other fandoms had fans who didnt read the source material. the answer is yes. almost all comic book fandoms have a very large section of the fanbase who never pick up a comic and just base their stuff off of fanfic and headcannon. i know a few batman fans who havent even seen a movie or cartoon or show. its wild.

For superhero comics, I almost need to ask what we count as "source material." The original comic series the hero ever appeared in? Most popular/widely-enjoyed? The series that complies with the most other series? As someone who has actually read the first comic that Batman ever appeared in, let me tell you, Christian Bale was widely out of compliance.

With that being said, I am impressed that some people have made it 13+ years of life without seeing/reading any Batman media, while also being a fan. That takes some serious dedication, and I have to respect the bit.

[vintagecandy]

1920s Edward Nygma, A.K.A -- The Riddler! ( I will try to make this one slightly more brief lmao ) ☆ ETSY // COMMISSIONS

So when it comes to the Riddler, ordinarily, I always struggle with him aesthetically, because he doesn't have as much obvious themeing as "southern halloween" or "the entirety of alice in wonderland", and so I knew I wanted to take advantage of how severely I am rearranging all the rogue's aesthetics to give the Riddler something specific and time period appropriate to visually do, yknow?

In my mind, when I think of the Riddler I think of... technically winnable but highly tilted competitions of wit. Almost like a rigged game. That, combined with a very cocky "wise ass" personality. So! I knew pretty early on I wanted him to be a carnival barker! ( Puzzles and riddles and things of that nature were more common as a pass-time back then ) I considered giving him a straw boater instead of his usual bowler hat... but the bowler hat is so iconic to him and time period appropriate, so I left it. I think it still gives carnival owner, tbh, just a little more greasy than cute. Which fits, frankly. Yes, so although carnival imagery is associated with the Joker, the Joker is, of course, a silent film comedian ( in loving homage to his origin ), thus freeing up the funhouse for Edward. Although, he's no clown, he's more the one making a fool out of you.

Edward Nygma, as an orphan immigrant of Irish descent, came to America with nothing but the clothes on his back and his eyes on that shining city on the hill, the beacon of opportunity, and above all-- the land of meritocracy. Of course, however, reality set in after he stepped foot off the boat. It also didn't help the city he set foot in was Gotham. Despite being an engineering prodigy befit the rapidly industrializing city of the future, he ran into bad luck after bad luck, constantly seeming to stumble on his way up the ladder as opportunities slipped away and seemed to be given to-- in his mind-- less deserving men. With his frustration mounting, and a compulsive mind that never seems to let him let any insults to his pride go, it all comes to a breaking point when one of Gotham's biggest corporations scams him out of the patent for one of his innovations. Its only then does he finally realize what the "land of opportunity" really means.

Giving up on the "honest man" approach, Edward resorts to cheap cons, eventually building enough success to open a carnival of games, mysteries, snake oil, and of course, riddles-- Taking on the performer name "The Riddler" as a face for the event. A big, shiny bauble to lure in the dumb masses to willingly fork up their money to him. After all, if they were stupid enough to fall for it, they deserve whatever happens to them. However, this was all a front for the far grander scheme he constructs to take down the company who wronged him all that time ago. Because who would ever suspect a two-bit carnie could be capable of such a thing?

But, careful as he was, stirring trouble that big was enough to bring the attention of the Bat, eventually-- of course-- leading to the reveal that the Riddler anticipated their arrival and turned his carnival into a puzzle laden death trap. Even though Batman wins, because of course, he does incidentally ( or perhaps on purpose ) reveal to the public that the Ed is the real genius behind his stolen tech, thus leaving Mr. Nygma laughing all the way to the mad house. Even if he still doesn't get to own the patent.

Edward has a more... modern and subtle mental illness, being his OCD and other symptoms, and I feel a corrupt 1920s mad house that only vaguely cares to cure its patients would struggle to even understand exactly what the source of his more erratic behavior is coming from. He's constantly tense, speaks a mile a minute and for long periods, and is prone to sudden and aggressive outbursts of anger. They will likely acknowledge he seems obsessive, hyperactive, and prone to grandiose thinking but consider him a less hopeless case compared to say, Jervis Tetch.

However, his alignment lands him squarely in the anti-society section, thus aligning him with his soon to be sometimes-partners in crime, Jonathan and Jervis.

[zenyyyluvyuu]

Depth of the ocean {1}

Chapter: (1) (2)

[Yandere romantic jason todd x mermaid reader + platonic yandere batfam]

There's a tw (trigger warning) so be aware!

You saw it. You saw the human fall from the bridge. The human with a red helmet on his head.

You dive forward to where he falls. And there he is, body limp and suffocating. you hold his body, you hold it tight. You struggled to take his body to the shore. His body is big but you manage to take him to the land.

You gaze at his red helmet. Still no movement, is he really dead? You webbed hands touch his helmet. You don't know how to free him from the helmet, you saw a button on his helmet and you press it thinking it was the button to open his helmet.

It really does open his helmet, revealing the human face. You frowned. His face is drenched with water but there are so many scars on his face even the j mark on his cheek. You stroke his face.

You remember that you saw a bunch of kids trying to save their friend from the water. You saw how they press his chest up and down, and give an air to his mouth. With that their friends woke up and threw up a bunch of water from their mouth.

You press his chest, you don't know if you do it right, Up and down. You repeat it. But nothing comes out and there's no movement from the man. You frown.

It didn't work? Then maybe you switch to the mouth. Your webbed hands hold his face. Your gaze meets his close one. With that you pinch his nose and your mouth is connected with him. You gently blow an air into it.

With that his hands shake. You saw it. It worked! You tried to put more air into his mouth. The color on his face is coming back. He trembled. You back off from his body.

The man opened his eyes. He turned to the side to throw up the remaining water inside him. You gaze at him. Not knowing what to do. He coughed. His eyes are bloodshot. He frantically looked around trying to find who saved him. And then he saw you. The mermaid.

You tilt your head as his mouth drops. Your long hair is Slightly drying. He saw you like you're a ghost. He manages to utter a few words. "W-who" his voice was slightly hoarse.

You don't know how to say human words but know what they're saying. You let out a voice "hungh" barely audible. Then your ear fins perked up. You hear a voice. You look at the dark around you both. You look back at the man still trying to gather his thoughts. You swim back to the ocean. Your tail flipping.

"wait-!" with that you manage to swim back to the depth. The man you have been saving tried to call you back but you has vanished to the ocean. His expression is blank. Not until someone called for him from behind.

"jason!" A deep voice echoes to the man that called jason. His shoulder tenses. He looks back at the source of the sound calling him.

The batman beside him was Nightwing. Nightwing's expression was full of concern as he came closer to the man that named jason. "Are you alright? Is that a mermaid??..did she just save you?.." Nightwing holds his shoulder.

"yeah..i didn't know mermaids existed.." his voice was rough. He looks at batman who stands tall at him. He can't read the expression behind his mask.

"did she hurt you?.." the batman voice came out deep. He observes the water that you dive in. Taking a metal note to check later, now he has to take jason to the batcave to check him if you got any injury. Batman comes closer to jason as Nightwing helps him stand up by putting his hand on his shoulder.

"no.. but she saved me.." jason also looked at the water. The face of you was still fresh in his mind. Your long wet hair. Your ear fins. Your eyes. Your webbed hand that held him. Your skin texture. And your beautiful tails.

He still remembers the feeling of your webbed hands on his face. Stroking his scarred face. His mind wandered as Nightwing helped him to the batmobile for him to be checked at the medbay.

________

You swim further to the depth of the ocean. Your tails move faster. Your heart is beating fast. Your face is warm, you didn't believe it. You just kiss him, his lips and yours are connected.

But that's actually saving him. Your mind wandered as you swam further. He's handsome, but how could he have so many scars? Did someone do that to him.

Finally you are back in your cave, you jumped into your makeshift bed. Snuggling in it, you look at the ceiling. Your face is still warm. Your pet fish swims to you, happy to have you back. You pet your fish.

Your mind is still fresh about that man. His chopped lips. His scar. His thick eyebrows. His rough skin. It's completely different from you. Humans were so fascinating.

But you also didn't forget to check his body too. He kinda big. You wonder if you have legs, how tall you would be? You huff as you play with your fish.

________

Meanwhile the condition in the wayne manor. The batcave was like a Shipwreck. The bat family is trying to find information about you and your species. The more focused one was Bruce, jason and dick, the rest was not too focused.

They still didn't believe the story Jason told them even dick or bruce. Tim thought they were hallucinating. Damian thought it was a joke. Barbara was between believing or not believing them. Steph laughing. Cassandra was silent. Duke was still confused and also thought they were hallucinating too.

The night ends with you cuddling with your pet fish. And the batfamilly sleepless night.

Ehehe i make another series... It also rot in my brain 😁😁 i hope you like my new series, and I'm sorry for the short chapter. I'm sorry for the cringe or broken English. And I'm sorry if the method of saving drowning people was wrong, I'm really sorry.

[galaxymagitech]

Sorry, but I do actually think it’s possible to be a Batman fan without reading any comics. The comics are super fun! I encourage people to give them a try. Never underestimate the power of a universe you care about to get you to read a media you normally don’t enjoy. But there are:

Three seasons of Batman: The Animated Series

Three seasons and one movie of Batman Beyond

Three seasons and one movie of Batman (1966)

58 DC Animated Original Movies, many of which include Batman or Batman characters

Over a dozen live-action Batman-related movies, including the very popular Christopher Nolan trilogy and The Batman (2022)

Many novelizations of comic arcs, including No Man’s Land and Court of Owls

Batman video games, including Arkham Knight (and related Arkham video games) and Gotham Knights

Look, I get that the comics are the source material, the original, but…

Are you really going to say someone who has watched BtAS ten times and has an encyclopedic knowledge of it is “not a Batman fan”?

What about someone who is obsessed with Batman (1966) and knows all the details about it and has cosplayed as Eartha Kitt’s Catwoman?

Or someone who repeatedly plays through Arkham videogames and rambles on Tumblr about them?

Or a fanfiction writer for The Batman (2022) who has watched the movie more times than they can count and written 200k words of fanfic for it?

Or someone who has religiously watched every single DCAOM, most several times?

Or someone who is completely obsessed with that one Batman radio play and makes fanart for it?

Face it. Batman is a multimedia phenomenon. If you can be a fan without watching the movies, you can be a fan without reading the comics. I understand that it’s frustrating when someone who has no grounding in any canon starts talking about something being “out of character,” but…I find it ridiculous for people to claim that you can’t be a Batman fan if you haven’t read Batman comics. Because you can be. Unless in those scenarios I described above everyone is just a fan of Ratman instead.

[blackbirdsblackberries]

I Hate The New Hero!

Pt 5: What?!

Pt 1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3 - Pt 4 - Pt 5 (You're here) - Pt 6 - Pt 7 - Pt 8 - Pt 9 - Pt 10

Finally getting home from your patrol you sneak through the window of your bedroom and collapse onto your bed. After the call you decided that your patrol was done.

Frankly you're still coming to terms with the fact that Batman and his protogese are the same people who are essentially praying on your civilian self's downfall yet adoring your vigilante persona like it's the greatest thing in the world.

Though, now that you really think about it, it makes sense. Bruce Wayne is the richest man alive, he'd be able to afford to do this, they have the same amount of members as the heroes, same builds and heights, actually... Basically everything matches up.

Not to mention the fact that your senses goes off around both group members!

From outside your small room door you hear your parents arguing again - more like your mother yelling and your dad breaking things and stomping his foot. It was probably your dad's fault again. Don't get you wrong, you love your family! It's just that they're dysfunctional.

Your dad has a massive drinking problem that landed him working as a goon for Black Mask, he's struggled with his temper for years after he got hit a bit too hard in the head by Batman. Pair that with the fact that he's mute and he's a force to be reckoned with.

Your mom is always busy and rarely ever home, when she is she couldn't be bothered to interact with you unless you got into trouble. She grew up rich, often talking about how she went to the same school as Bruce Wayne and how she was a popular cheerleader before her life fell apart. She doesn't talk much on the topic but it's clear she holds distain for your father and, by extension, you.

You sigh to yourself, you need to shower. That means you need to get past them without them bringing you into it. Or you just don't shower for the night and have one tomorrow...

Your mom screams something out about not throwing knives and you decide to just shower tomorrow morning.

You change out of your costume and hide it safely under a loose floorboard, you change into your pajamas and get into bed. Today was a massive mental drain and physical drain.

...

You awake to a knock at the front door. Your parents usually ignore it and make you answer when someone knocks because "you're dispensable" as they say. Looking at the clock on the wall of the kitchen you see it's around 7am.

Groggily making your way to the door you look through the peep hole and see Tim standing awkwardly on the other side with a guy next to him, the guy next to him being so big and tall that you could only see a small part of his chest and arm.

You curse to yourself quietly, this is by far the worst luck you've ever had.

You open the door and look at the two. Now seeing the other guy the thing that stands out is a stripe of white hair on his head. Instantly you know it's Jason Todd.

You aren't an idiot. He's the only one in the family built like how he is - not including Bruce.

"What do you want?" You ask, annoyed. Tim chuckles weakly, as if nervous. "Wayne Enterprises wishes to give your mother her letter of departure." You blink once, then twice. "Huh? Letter of departure? The fuck does that mean?" You mutter, genuinely confused.

Jason scoffs, "it means your dear mother is losing her job, kid." He states uncaring of how blunt he's being. Tim elbows him and hisses something about being more considerate.

You don't listen, all noise becoming white noise. Why is she being fired? She works hard, she dedicates her time, she does her best! Is this because you have beef with Tim? That's not fair!

She's the only stable source of income, without that job you all would be living on the streets. You've heard AND seen so many horror stories about teens living on the streets, it's something you'd pray never happened to you. But now it's entirely probable.

So, in a moment of desperation you grip Tim by his shoulders "Please! You can't fire her! We'll end up homeless! She works all the time, she tries! My mother will improve if you ask, she needs this job. The whole family does!"

Tim seems shocked by this, his posture stiffening. Jason looks on guard, as if assessing whether he should step in, though he doesn't seem fond of the idea. You wouldn't doubt that he was made to accompany Tim as a body guard.

Tim opens his mouth, then closes it, then opens it again. Clearly he wasn't expecting you to beg for your mother to keep her job.

"Uh... Look, I don't mean any harm by it, it's just that we need to make way for brighter minds..." He stumbles slightly over his words as if making the excuse up on the spot.

You won't back down however. "Tim, please, I desperately need you to realize this. I. Will. Die. On. The. Streets." Probably not true because of your mutation but the fear remains. "Please, I'll do anything for you to not do this! I already promised Bruce to stop talking bad about Aranea!" You please desperately.

Tim glances to Jason who quirks a brow and shrugs. The sound of movement from behind you makes your eyes widen and behind you you see your dad approaching, you were probably too loud.

He glares at you before yanking your hair so you move away from Tim and remove your clutches on him. You hiss in pain at the feeling but bow your head down.

Your dad eyes the two boys before looking to the paper in Tim's hands. He instantly knows what's going on and storms down the hallways of the complex to do who-knows what. That scares you. Your dad is unpredictable.

After some silence Tim speaks up. "Are you okay? Your dad pulled your hair pretty tightly..." You look down, ashamed. You couldn't even bother putting your walls up and defending your pride. Your life is basically falling apart at the seams.

"... I'll do anything for you to not fire my mother..." You mutter meekly, a far cry from how you usually act, something Tim notices immediately. He sighs to himself, he debates the odds. Maybe if he doesn't fire (Reader)'s mother then they can be even. The feud can end, it was pointless on your part to begin with for hating someone so sweet and kind, then hating him who defends the innocent.

"Fine. Your mother can stay, but, it may not be permanent. I suggest she find elsewhere in the mean time." Tim states before walking off. Jason takes a second to stare at your relived form, the slight smile of disbelief and look of relief in your eyes. He then leaves with Tim.

You close the door to the apartment and sink to the floor. That was terrifying. You'll have find a way of telling your mother the news before she goes into work in two hours.

You're officially having the day off from school and patrol today.

[armed-with-a-waffle-iron]

what part of gotham do you think helena bertinelli lives in? unless if it's specified anywhere

Helena Bertinelli lives in Gotham's Upper East Side, on Gotham's Midtown Island. Her apartment is 486 Spirit Square, down Moldoff Avenue and between Robinson Park and Miller Harbour.

Helena grew up in "East Town" too according to Tim Drake. Her childhood home was in the largely "non-white" "7th district", right next to an east-side levee (which she stopped the mafia from blowing up). It's a nice touch since Gotham is based on NYC, and Little Italy and East Harlem, historically Italian neighbourhoods, are in East Manhattan.

Helena was said to teach at multiple public schools simultaneously before No Man's Land. She led a special education English class for at-risk children at P.S. 221, in the Upper West Side (later Strong Men territory during NML). She's shown teaching at at least one other "inner-city" public high school. Because of its connection to her Robin Hood heist with Catwoman, one of these schools may be in the East End, which is on the Uptown Island and includes Crime Alley.

Sources: Cry for Blood #1 & #4, Cry of the Huntress #4, Batman: No Man's Land Novel, Batman: No Man's Land #1, Huntress: Year One #6 & Robin (1993) #34 & Catwoman (1993) #51-52.

[kawoala]

omgomg for ur event can i get chocolate chip cookies w atsumu :3. take ur time & congrats on 400! <333

🍪       ⤷ miya atsumu ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

@dearru

⊂ word count ; .7k (730)

⊂ content warning ; smau 、bickering 、cheese-y flirting 、profanity 、arguing about marvel? 、the best friend is osamu btw 、shirtless atsumu.

It’s hot. It’s sweltering. Your skin sticks together, sticks against the conveniently leather couch in the Miyan’s living room. Your chest rises and falls, each breath you let out a little more labored than the last.

“This sucks,” you whine for the umpteenth time. Your head lolls to the side, eyes landing on a sweaty Osamu. “I thought your AC was supposed to be fixed last week?”

“Me too!” He exclaims, face scrunching up in discomfort, defeatedly throwing his hands in the air. The only sound in the house is the TV playing reruns of a telenovela— something that was playing when you showed. “Ma says they’ll be here tomorrow.” He turns to look at you. “I don’t think I’m gonna survive.”

If you weren’t dying from the heat, you’d probably laugh. Just as you open your mouth to complain once again, the front door bursts open and both of your heads whip to look at the intruder.

Atsumu. Shirtless Atsumu. Sweaty, shirtless, panting Atsumu.

“Holy shit,” he says breathlessly, hands on his hips. “It’s hot out there, dude. Like, I was running and I thought I was going to pass out or something.”

Your breathing gets more constricted. You can’t take your eyes off of his chest. His abs. His very prominent v-line. He’s a volleyball player, should he really be this jacked?

You trace your eyes up his body to his face, only to find him staring right back at you. If it weren’t so hot, you’d feel your face heat up. You clear your throat and look away.

“Put a fuckin’ shirt on, Atsumu.” Osamu sounds dejected and a little angry— probably from the heat. “We weren’t raised by wolves; you don’t have to be half naked all the time.”

You don’t have to look up to know that the pause in the air is because Atsumu is still staring at you. He sighs dramatically and throws his shirt back over his head, then drops down on the couch next to Osamu.

“I hate summer,” he says on an exhale. He puts his hands behind his head and locks his fingers together, letting his eyes shut. “When is the—”

“Tomorrow,” you and Osamu say at the same time. 

You take a peek at Atsumu and let a breath out of your nose. How is he so… unbothered? While you and Osamu have been suffering in the heat, he was on a run. A run. In this weather?!

“You could have died of a heat stroke,” you say simply, turning your gaze to the ceiling. Both of their heads turn towards you. “Running in eighty-seven degree weather is stupid. You’re working up a sweat on top of a sweat.” You pause, then add, “Idiot.”

Osamu hums in agreement, and Atsumu lets out a breathy laugh. “I guess so. It wouldn’t happen to me, though.” He clicks his tongue. “I’m like the real life iron man.”

You scoff. “Iron man shouldn’t even be considered a superhero. He’s just rich.” You sit up and look up at him accusingly. “Like Batman!”

Osamu stands up quickly, not wanting to be included in the bickering that's about to come about. “I’ll get us some water,” he mumbles.

“Don’t even,” Atsumu says incredulously. “The thing in his chest is what powers his armor, which means that he is the power source.” He crosses his arms over his chest, but is still laying down. “Which makes him an honest-to-God superhero.”

You clamp your mouth shut. You’re sure Atsumu notes the way your eyes flicker to his biceps. You’re not focused on that, though. Atsumu just won an argument against you. The world has shifted on its axis. You blink a couple times.

“I’m starting to like this heat,” he says, laughing. “It’s messin’ with your brain and helpin’ me win debates. Atsumu, one; Y/n, zero.”

“I—” your brows furrow and you roll your eyes. “Shut up, nerd.” You sit back again, skin immediately sticking to the couch once more. You shift uncomfortably.

There’s a moment of silence before Osamu walks back into the living room, glancing between you two. Atsumu’s wearing a smug smile, while your brows are still furrowed, grumbling about Atsumu being obsessed with Marvel.

“We should go to the pool,” the gray-haired twin suggests. You don’t think you’ve ever been more happy to leave their house in a long time.

[drbatsponge]

STEPHANIE BROWN FANS REJOICE!!!1!!1

SHE'S GETTING A NEW MCFARLANE FIGURE!

(Also excited for the No Man's Land Batman too, I can pose/display both with my Cass.)

Source:

[bonesbitchesboutcomicbooks]

Well since I’m already in a Christmas mood apparently here’s some panels of the bats celebrating Christmas in No Man’s Land

The Gordons

The Drakes

The Waynes

+bonus this entire page that i found hilarious

[doesthebatfamknowpopculture]

Barbara Gordon has read John el Carré's George Smiley books

[suzukiblu]

WIP guessing game: "Robin"

Superboy has existed for about six months at best (five months, two weeks, and six days, but who's creepily spying on their fellow heroes and vigilantes? not Tim, for sure) and was created in a lab full of extremely niche genetic experiments whose creators very rarely bothered making look human, which is probably why he has some weird ideas about certain social norms.

Tim assumes that's why the guy just decided to drop a very annoyed Catwoman on him out of nowhere, anyway.

"The fuck?" he says, though through his vocoder it comes out more like the incoherent screeching of the damned. That being, well, the whole purpose of the vocoder and all. Superboy grins down at him from the nighttime sky all bright and sunny and weirdly adorable, for being a lab-grown weapon and a guy who is technically capable of disassembling Tim down to his individual atoms with, like, a touch and about two seconds' worth of thought.

Not that Tim has been creepily spying on anyone or said anyone's Cadmus files, again.

Also Superboy might not even know he can do that yet, so it's really not a smart thing to mention right now.

"Hey, man!" Superboy greets cheerfully. "She was breaking into that big museum a couple blocks over, figured you'd care about that. As opposed to, like, breaking into some rich asshole with insurance's penthouse. Figured you would not have cared about that."

"The museum also has insurance, for the record," Selina informs him sourly as she makes an art of getting off her unceremoniously roof-dumped ass while looking like being on this roof was her idea to begin with. Because, like: Selina. "And has not properly sourced the artifacts in their new Bast exhibit."

I know, that's why I was on my way to the museum to keep an eye out for you, is what Tim does not say, since Robin is supposed to be a splintered aspect of a mysterious all-knowing city spirit given human form and not just, like, a really dedicated teenager surviving on semi-legal energy drinks and conspiracy-board detective work and the occasional occult ritual to summon the Batman.

What he does do is jerkily cock his head and say, "Preyyyyy?", and let his vocoder horribly mangle the word into a sound usually best described as "unholy avian screeching". Superboy beams, which is not a normal reaction to hearing Robin's voice. Selina just rolls her eyes, but Selina of course knows about the whole "really dedicated teenager surviving on semi-legal energy drinks and conspiracy-board detective work and the occasional occult ritual to summon the Batman" thing.

Like she's never summoned the Batman for anything, geez. Or "Bruce", as an eight year-old Dick Grayson had once upon a time decided to randomly dub him. Tim still can't call the eternal and unsleeping eldritch protector of their city that without feeling like he's going to spontaneously combust, but it is in fact a thing that the Batman will answer to.

Might as well call Pennyworth "Alfie", though.

Jason was even worse at names than Dick, Tim is pretty sure.

"Yeah!" Superboy says, sounding still more cheerful and floating down the rest of the way to the roof to land lightly in front of Tim. Selina eyes him in a way that would end very badly for anyone who was not functionally invulnerable. "I mean, she seems cool and all but I dunno, figured the Bat wasn't big on Cats in his territory. And also the criming. Definitely also the criming."

"How . . . find Robin?" Tim asks. Superboy doesn't have enhanced senses, as far as he knows, so . . .

"Oh, I've been stalking you," Superboy explains. Tim blinks behind his unblinking mask and feels several ways about that statement. "That's what you Bats all do when you're interested in somebody, right? So I figured you'd like it if I did it back."

. . . Tim feels several ways about that statement.

[hollow-w00ds]

Fic Ideas Part 3

Some more Batfam fic ideas! I told myself that I wouldn't post Tim Drake AUs three days in a row. That's just too much. So this time, I also included a Jason Todd fic idea. Feel free to make your own fics based on these premises!

1. Nightmare (tw drug overdose)

Summary: Tim Drake was the second person to become Shrike after Damian Wayne left to become Nightwing in Bludhaven. Tim had already known about Bruce and Damian’s identities long before his parents died, and Bruce offered to take him in. So it was only natural that he bothered Bruce until the man regrettably allowed him to take up Damian’s old role. Tim was rightfully ecstatic at the chance to take over his idol's legacy. It’s too bad his predecessor didn’t feel the same way. When Damian found out that Tim had taken his role, to say he was livid would be an understatement. His torment, mixed with Bruce’s constant tests, put Tim in a constant state of stress and paranoia. Then Kon and Bart died, and Tim’s only source of relief died with his friends. But then, on a patrol gone wrong, Tim gets hit with Scarecrow’s fear toxin, and he hallucinates his friends. They aren’t good hallucinations, obviously, his friends are blaming him for their deaths, but at least they’re there. So when Batman is off-world, he uses the lab in the Batcave to try and get a purified solution. Just something to let him see his friends again. Unfortunately, he misjudges the dosage and ends up landing himself in an early grave. Tim isn’t sure how he comes back. Maybe it was something in the drugs, or maybe he was never truly dead, just put into a death-like state from the chemicals. Either way, Tim ends up having to crawl his way out his grave, only to find that Batman already has a new Shrike.

Or

A reverse Robin fic where Tim is the one who dies, and ends up as a Scarecrow like rogue called Nightmare. (Inspired by the Scarer of the Scarers by @official-impravidus)

2. Poker Face

Summary: Tim was a lonely kid, and there was only so much to do in an empty house filled with everything but the warmth of living bodies. So when his parents brought back an ancient book that they couldn’t read from one of their expeditions, Tim asked if he could have it. Unlike with the more fragile and expensive artifacts, they decided to humor him without thinking much on it. He very quickly finds out that the book is, in fact, an occult grimoire. Now Tim was generally considered very smart for his age, a genius even, but he was still 10, and he was very curious if this book was real. One ritual and one demon later he makes a wager, if the demon can beat him at a game of cards he can take his soul, but if Tim wins then he gets 10 extra years of life. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and the demons at least provided him some entertainment. Now Tim is 17. He’s been 17 for a long time, not that anyone seems to notice his lack of aging.

-Or-

Tim was a lonely kid left in a house of artifacts. So when he finds a book that can summon demons, he decides to give it a try. Turns out demons do in fact like cards, so now he has weekly poker nights in hell. Sometimes Constantine even comes along.

3. A Different Kind of Green

Summary: Jason Todd died in Ethiopia at the hands of the Joker. Months later he crawls out of his own grave and wanders the Gotham streets in a daze. Instead of the League of Assassins finding him first, it’s none other than the Joker’s former lover Harley Quinn. Recognizing him as the Robin that Joker killed, she decides to try and help him feeling a mix of guilt and kinship over his situation, after all the Joker also fucked her up. Feeling overwhelmed and not sure how to actually help this kid, Harley takes him to the smartest person she knows, Poison Ivy. Unfortunately Pamala only knows how to take care of plants, not human children.

-Or-

Jason is spared the League of Assassins and the Lazarus Pit, but he does become part plant.

[stephexmachina]

hi zeph it’s daisy arrow-ettes :) what would you say is required reading for azdick. asking for a friend

HI DAISY!!!!!! no need to announce yourself i would know our beloved daisymayys anywhere 🩷

this is Such a good question & i am SO HONOURED you asked me (on behalf of your friend, of course 😊) plus if anyone else has seen azdick posts floating around & is thinking "so who's this blonde bitch, anyway?" this guide is also for you!!

i tend to assume that people know a decent amount about dick already, even if just by proximity, so i'll be focusing on jpv here. if you're totally unfamiliar with jpv, you'll want to start with sword of azrael 1992, one of my favouriteeeee mini series of all time. it establishes his origin, personality, & acquaintance with batman in four short issues, plus it's packed full of charm to boot!!

sword of azrael is then followed by the iconic knightfall saga. would i recommend it? ABSOLUTELY. it is, however, super long, & i know lots of people might not be up to that. so if you don't have the time or means to read the entirety of the knightfall saga & you just want to get an idea of jean-paul & dick's dynamic throughout that arc, i'd say the essential azdick reading is: batman #500, shadow of the bat #29, detective comics #676, batman #510, shadow of the bat #30, & detective comics #677.

these should give you an overview of how nightwing feels about azrael/jean-paul + their dramatic confrontation in knightsend. once you've finished the knightfall saga or the condensed azdick reading above, you can jump into azrael 1995, of which #13 is jpv & dick focused. gotham knights #14 similarly spotlights both characters, while gotham knights #30 marks the start of their next falling out, which continues in azrael #91 & #93.

after this, the next jpv & dick conflict doesn't occur for another twenty years or so, in detective comics #1087. & that sums up my personal azdick required reading!!

reading these issues will give you a solid sense of their dynamic, but to understand why they react the way they do i would absolutely recommend reading knightfall through knightsend + no man's land if you get a chance!! the major preboot arcs may seem daunting for their sheer length, but they're well-collected in pretty straightforward volumes, and the stories themselves are genuinely killer.

azrael + azrael: agent of the bat are must-reads for jpv's characterisation – he has the gentlest, most awkwardly endearing personality, & he grapples with some really powerful questions of identity & belonging throughout. if you want a general idea of what you'd be getting into, i'm dropping an assortment of beloved jpv/azrael moments from my screenshots folder below to hopefully entice you to pick up azrael 95:

if you want to take the plunge & read EVERYTHING jpv (& you do, right? of course you do) i've also devised a handy spreadsheet guide to reading his knightfall era appearances!! the chronological list of jpv appearances i referenced is sourced from the dcuguide, i simply colour-coded each issue according to the trade paperback it's collected in for easier reading – e.g. all knightfall vol 1 appearances are in dark pink, all knightsend appearances are in red, etc etc. any uncollected issues are left grey – they aren't included in the TPBs so you'll have to seek them out individually if you want to read them.

plus, if you make a copy of the spreadsheet to keep on your personal drive, you can either tick off each issue individually as you read it, or you can tick them off in batches as you finish each TPB. whatever works for you!! the link to the spreadsheet is here, so go forth & get jpvheaded <333

[semi-imaginary-place]

Lord of the Rings is a batman story. Literally.

"Frodo and Sam's relationship, I think, would be quite common in the First World War, in which Tolkien served as a British soldier. British officers (i.e., lieutenant and above) would have a soldier, typically a corporal, that was their batman or orderly and he would cook for them, help with various chores, etc. Memoirs from WW1 refer to these assistants all the time, and assume the reader knows what they are. The very fabric of British society was very heavily classist prior to WW1 and the war itself ultimately eroded these class distinctions." (sneaky_imp)

"The most likely source given is the relationship between an officer and his “bat man” in World War One. A kind of master/servant relationship with a lot of vulnerability and knowing each other well.

A class difference is also standard in implied but not explicitly stated homosexual relationships in books of the period. If Tolkien were trying to write a queer romance he would have done it like it appears in the book. The physical comforting each other. In the novels (unlike the movie) there is no real conflict between Frodo and Sam. The only time they come close to conflict is when Sam returns the Ring to Frodo and offers to share the burden. Frodo gets angry and jealous but that quickly passes and Frodo begs forgiveness for his harshness. The language of “small creature defending its mate“ when Sam faces Shelob and all the kissing.

Sam gets a hero’s reward but the whole thing is incomplete until he can both live with Frodo and with Rosie. Then Frodo has to leave. Partially due to his wound and partially because Sam cannot be whole when torn between Frodo and Rose and Frodo leaves so Sam can fully devote himself to his family. Then, when Rose is dead and his children grown he can pass beyond the sea to join Frodo in Valinor where they can grow old together and die in a land of bliss.

In the unpublished epilogue Sam’s daughter calls Frodo Sam’s “treasure” and compares their love for each other to that between Celeborn and Galadriel.

Was Tolkien intentionally doing this? We will probably never know for sure. If he was he had to hide it. Frodo and Sam’s relationship was a lot deeper and more intimately portrayed though then the standard master and servant relationship. Frodo pulled Sam up to his social level in the end which was not a standard trope. While his cousins Pippin and Merry poked a bit of fun at Sam’s relatively rustic origins Frodo never did." (XenoBiSwitch)

While the published epilogue ends with Sam shutting the front door and entering domesticity, an unpublished epilogue ends with Sam hearing the call of Aman even as he enters Bag End. Which is importantly since Sam's story doesn't end in Middle Earth, as revealed by the Appendixes Sam does follow Frodo across the sea.

There's no way Tolkien intended Frodo and Sam to be gay, small minded conservative Catholic that he was. However Death of the Author, lotr ends up really gay in the same unintentional way Naruto or Ghibli's Ocean Waves ended up unintentionally gay. I personally prefer the platonic interpretation but the romantic one has a lot of potential textual evidence.

(enki2 I wish i knew how to merge reblogs). Note: Baggins is not an old respected name but Frodo is several times over the richest person in the Shire and yes Frodo, Merry, and Pippin are likely all landed gentry they don't have jobs.