#talia keeps calling bruce beloved

[wallyslinda]

brutalia is also so good on future state: gotham too like ugh the married coupleness of the divorce couple of it all...

[acid-ixx]

do i look like him?

— just another series concept. please note that talia sexually assaulting bruce is retconned in whatever portrayal i have of her. i will not tolerate any racist or sexist remarks towards her character for a mischaracterized version of her, written by some gooner.

reblogs and interactions are encouraged and appreciated.

i don't know if anybody would be interested in a certain premise i'm planning. taylor's song, "like him" is resonating off of my body, and i've a draft written inspired off of the song featuring yandere batfam x damian's twin! reader x yandere! al ghul family.

wherein instead of being neglected, you're treated like royalty by your own family. your twin is subjected to the cruelty of being raised as an assassin. you're met with scarred hands, nicked back, and calloused skin every time he comes back from your shared room after another particularly harsh training. yet every time you worry for your older twin, he'd silence you with the same bloodied hands that handled bodies like ragdolls, gently like it has never killed, with hushed promises whispered by your ear that "this is necessary for your protection, akhi/akhti."

at first you'd be convinced that this family lifestyle is normal. your mother is doting, she is kind, she is where you learned the word mercy; unlike the fierce image she displays in public. you're often spoiled rotten with her favorite shades of clothes, and her teachings emanate within you a deep sense of loving for animals. you never truly see her cruelty for other humans, as she often makes you sit by her lap upon a seat you call a throne when you were all but a mere five year old, playing with your hair, muttering affirmations and cradling you on her chest every time you ponder too deeply about the word, 'father'.

a word you'd read from those fairytales by the library, a word you craved to know, a word forbidden to be stated by everybody within your castle-like home.

she'll call upon your brother every time your curiosity gets the best of you, and the duo would try their best to sway your attention away with playtime. either it'd be stories, or damian showing you new tricks he'd learn from masters long overthrown by your twin, or it would be as simple as talia dragging both her beloved children to the huge kitchen, demanding the head chefs to bake you and your brother's favorite dessert (a little moment to spoil your brother after a hard-earned day of training, even if damian isn't always fond of sweet confectionaries; your grin would always tempt him to take a bite of your food if it means spending a day being himself).

it seems even damian plays along with the sick fantasy of not acknowledging the possibility of an alive father figure to you. not like you'd be aware of it, too caught up with your grandfather teaching you about rare species' on the verge of extinction, his (rarely) soft gaze fixed on the way your small body would gently pat the face of his wolf companion, or your brother constantly vying for you, his younger twin's, attention, eliminating all possible rivals who could potentially act as your future playmate that only he has the privilege for, or how your mother seeks you, her youngest baby, out, for a day of rest after another mission, doting smooches on your face, her lipstick smearing all over the soft chub of your cheeks, dismissing your pouts

a perfect family, with not much left to desire for your part.

so why is it that talia would often hear damian complain about your sudden fixation about a father figure? you'd mumble, something about one of your servants who mentioned visiting her father for vacation, a man who works as a merchant for his family; you asked them what your father's job was, what his name was, "why isn't he here at the family dinner?"

you asked, with wide, pitiful eyes, a feature long foreign for hardened assassins, but associated only with you. a quality nobody in the league dares to criticize; your gentleness the only thing keeping their leaders sane, keeping most servants alive as you find precious each and every single living being; not exclusive to animals or plants, but to humans too.

you're the league's only hope for reprieve, for softness in the moments of emboldened duties and priorities. you're the fingers that caress on calloused skin and the lips that kiss bloody scars. the hearth that warms even the coldest of hearts.

which was why nobody attempted to answer you, no matter how much it breaks your heart; because nobody wanted to ruin your soft and kind heart, or see the sullen droop in your eyes, or red, sniffling nose.

yet once ra's heard the confession of you being aware of what a father is like through the mouth of your servant, he'd immediately demanded another assassin to eliminate whoever dared mentioned such preposterous concepts to his grandchild.

throughout their rage, throughout damian nuzzling his head on the crown of your, muttering that whatever his baby sibling is sputtering is nonsensical, mere fantasy, arms encasing your entire body. he'd cradle you, run his hands against your hair even with furrowed, always angered brows; all the same questions lingered in the back of their minds:

is your current family not enough? why is it that the more you grow, the more you... wear the same expression of stubbornness, a quality your mother is sure you've adopted from you... father.

she may not be the best mother, taking both you and damian away from the arms of bruce wayne after she had learned about her pregnancy after a night spent together with the man, but she did it for the sake of her children; for your future, too.

bruce wayne will not be a good influence to you. if he tries so much to subject you into becoming another one of his robins, destroying your innocence, your perception of the world into a bleak portrayal of lackluster colors— ra's wouldn't hesitate to destroy the entirety of bruce's home.

and the manor is nothing! nothing, mind you, compared to the castle you call your home. only you deserve the richest of the rich, the shiniest jewels and the best treatment in the world. what more can gotham offer you? what more, if not for broken bones and bruised knees?

and so they settled upon ruining your perception of your father, with no known face to be plastered upon your memory, no known source, or picture— at such an early age.

if you yearn so much for a father, why not paint the image as dark as the cowl he wears?

why don't they feed you lies about him never wanting you and your twin in the first place? you'll be given opportunities to call an empty line, hoping your father would pick up, would respond and tell you that he's coming for you. they'll give you time to write letters, even if it takes your crummy fingers hours to finish a dedicated letter for your father, after years of being unable to meet him; it causes all the more ache in your mother's chest, witnessing her beloved youngest stay up late, whispering whimsical wishes about how excited you are to read your father's reply to you.

all your mother could do was kiss your forehead as she sat by your side, and rub your delicate cheeks with her fingers, mumbling that her baby should sleep now.

your mother never lies to you, no?

at least, not outright in your face.

damian, hates seeing the heartbreak in your eyes, but he's the very same twin who comforts you every damn time you fall to your knees after discovering that the letters you sent to your father's locations were long since unanswered — even if they're all hidden away in a vault of every possession you thought you lost. he'll pick you up with his trained body, and you'll melt even further into his form, shivering at the prospect that you're an unwanted child in the face of your father.

soon.

soon, you'll learn to despise bruce with every being of your soul, and learn to only reserve the association of warmth for your only family. you'll be the spoiled royal of the al ghul, and you'll come to find yourself grateful that you're raised without his presence, deluded into thinking that he abandoned you, that he never truly cared in the first place.

you love your family, you hate bruce wayne.

he is not family.

he is not your father, he lost that status long ago right after you thought he'd ignore all your calls, your messages, letters, gifts, every and any signal sent to the man you once called your father right after learning his name. he made you hope, he left the light flicker once flickering within you now blown away, leaving only an empty husk of your wanting to meet your father.

you hate bruce, you hate him so fucking much, you're ashamed that he's even your father in the first place— even if he's the very same man working tirelessly, day and night, to save you, once he caught news of what his children looks like, and locks eyes with your hopeful ones, a rare sight amongst the imagery of assassin. he plans to retrieve you, to save you, from the castle you call your home; truly what you call your cage.

little did you know that you are more like your father than you are with what you call your family.

— heavily inspired by @anxiousnerdwritings portrayal of twin!reader.

a/n: i honestly don't know half of what i wrote. i'm out of my mind, and i'm honestly not confident with the outcome of this concept. if people do like it (leave comments, or inputs, or whatsoever) i might post a chapter about this (since i do have one written in my drafts a week or two ago). if not, i'm dropping this and leaving it as a concept mostly, a one-time thing at best. so if anybody does like this, please do tell me. i do have a lot in store for this concept, specifically the way manipulation works within this family convincing you the other side is evil; i've been through this once w/ my family actually ngl, so writing this was a bit fun.

[cristinacclearwater]

Robin Time Travel AU!!

A fic where Dick or Damian or Jason or all three time-traveled and stop Ethiopia from happening... Only they didn't anticipate the consequences.

With no Ethiopia happening, Jason never dies and neither does Bruce go off the rails... Thus never giving Tim a reason to join the Batfam...

Dick never saw nor tried to find out exactly how bad Bruce got after Jason... And was waiting for Tim to find him again... Even going to Harley's where they met... Keeping the entire schedule for the week very simple for Tiny Tim to easily follow... Only Tim never shows up...

Jason does not know the circumstances of Tim joining and is wondering when Bruce is bringing Timbo home...

While Damian convinced Talia that it is better for him to join his father in Gotham... By 'investigating' and 'arriving' at the 'conclusion' that his father is Batman... Thus he comes to Gotham early... Like months before Tim... Like he coincided with the week Jason would have died...

Again, he does not know the circumstances of Tim joining... Just knowing that this time when he has Robin, it will be on Tim's terms... He is looking forward to a good relationship with him because Dick said Tim always wanted a little brother and now Damian has the chance to be that little brother... No, he is not jealous of YJ or how close they are with Tim, or that bloody speedster... What are you saying!?!!!

Tim never comes.

Now, Tim on the other hand decided to explore Paris and gets caught in shenanigans... Meets Lady Shiva... Gets mentored by Lady Shiva... Unknowingly insults Snake... Gets challenged by Snake... Defeats Snake... Refuses Lady Shiva's offer... And comes back to Gotham... Only this trip was a year or 9-10 months long...

In Gotham, he takes up the cape... Works smaller crimes, nothing with rogues (like Spider-Man) and becomes beloved... Of course, Tim is still that little stalker at heart and keeps updating the Bat's info... he doesn't want to be burdensome to them, Thus, Tim makes sure Bats and him don't cross paths... After all, Batman might feel obligated to take him in as he did Batgirl, Spoiler, and Black Bat... They didn't have training. He does...

Meanwhile, Batfam is wondering where they went wrong and missed Tim... And slowly Dick starts remembering the context as to why Tim sought him out... Not to be Robin but to make him take Robin back up... And when Dick refused to... Then Tim took up the job of keeping Batman in line... Because Gotham needs Batman and Batman needs a Robin...

Dick tells Jason and Damian... They don't believe... Because of course, my info is not wrong... He was replacing me/was an interloper... It takes them that entire year to accept that Tim is not coming... Then scrambling to find him... Then they started hearing rumors... Of this little vigilante who helps with small crimes... And try to intercept him, maybe introduce themselves, to no avail... It was as if Gotham herself was against it, they always missed him...

Meanwhile, Tim's life continues pretty much same as in earlier comics... Batfam, out of the city, Metallo attacks Gotham... Tim calls Superboy... Thus, the first meeting of TimKon, same as comics. Only, instead of Tim, he travels as Alvin Draper, a child who was helped into his seat by his parents and will be picked up by his cousin Shanks at the airport... Actors he hires to help him... And "will you please watch him, we are so scared he will be traveling alone"... The story works for both going and then returning and Cousin Shanks helps Alvin back onto the plane when needed...

School trip for Bart and I do not believe much will change with Bart as he will know Tim's rep from the future, rather than the past, so Bart still believes Tim's awesome... And makes friends...

They still start Young Just Us... And still go on every mission they did in YJ98... Tim still develops a rapport with Batman... Only he is not his Robin or known as his prodigy... Compared to when Batman taught him everything and knew him well, lying to Batman was quite easy for Tim... Because Tim grew up in Gotham society and was his mother's son through and through...

Tim's parents are not bad in this either... Like can Janet put the fear of god in businessmen? YES... But when it came to family and especially Tim, she was soft... I see Tim's relationship with his parents same as Kudo Shinichi's from Detective Conan... Like they have wanderlust and Tim does not... But just because they are not in the same country or continent, does not mean they do not keep in contact... They know exactly what shenanigans Tim gets up to and know better than to stop him because otherwise, he will just hide them... They know all his friends, his interests, etc... Especially his mom, and hiding about Robin probably hurt their relationship a lot...

{I 100% believe the only reason Tim didn't tell Jack he was a vigilante was because he was Robin and thus was responsible for the entire Batfam identities... And that is why Jack believed Tim did not choose but rather was coerced into being Robin because otherwise they would already know...}

So, in this fic, Tim keeps his parents in the loop from the beginning and Janet makes sure a part of DI is dedicated to helping Tim, so he's never without help in Gotham... Also, they know life is dangerous so they get separate mobile/communicators for "just emergencies", like a "Need help! Will die if not given" button... So Tim knew the moment his parents were taken by Obama Man and rescued them with Young Just Us...

Because NO BATMAN RULES thus Tim was able to tell his parents and team his identity much earlier than in canon... He still makes contingencies for fellow heroes, especially Justice League, including the entire Batfam, including Alfred... Because Janet Drake's son is taught better by her mamma... And Tim does not know Wayne beyond being a fanboy and does not have an emotional connection to them...

Just a fic where Batfam lives happily and Tim is successful but they never have more than a coworker relationship... Like Tim is closer to Wally or Donna or Roy or Bisaro or Jon than Dick, Jason, and Damian because they have a familial connection to his team, while Batfam only has the connection of Gotham... Like Oracle has the most influence over Tim's actions in his vigilant life because she sometimes directs him to crime if no one else is available...

Tim is still friends with Stephanie but here Tim's self-respect and confidence are not broken again and again and again... So Stephanie does not get away with treating him like shit on or off the field and that's dangerous on the field, so they mutually decided to not team up unless with a mediator in between that could lead both...

Off-field they are good friends, friends who know their secret life so they can share any grievance, WITHOUT endangering any identities, etc... But they do not date... Tim dates Ariana, yes. And felt Stephanie might be a rebound and knew she deserved better than that. If Stephanie confesses, Tim makes it clear he is not in a position to date yet (don't know if the timeline is right, if not feel free to correct)...

{OK, one thing I make clear, No hate for the character of Stephanie Brown but I just hate how she treats Tim in Canon and everyone acts like it's OK because it's not. It's fucked up and a toxic relationship. Especially how Bruce used their relationship later and Stephanie agrees)...

Tim also seeks mental help for the school shooting and other civilian events, while Jack is looking for a trusted therapist for his son, Janet absolutely approves... When they have one, Tim gets a contract of confidentiality from John Constantine to sign for the therapist and drags his team, kicking and screaming with him...

With the team being introduced to the Drakes early, they spent a lot of time in Gotham, and adults (Janet) understand what is happening with Ross, Tana, etc. And helps Kon before telling him to stay with Tim, "because that boy absolutely cannot take care of himself, never mind he has done so for years, you stay with him, do you want to go to Gotham Academy or do you like your current one"... While Jack is ready to smack some sense into Flashes, with his golf stick... And becomes quite good friends with Max...

Just competent adults who understand they can't stop their wild child but can and will give him every tool to survive.

[sxnshxnxxnddxxsxxs]

why do people always have damian refer to talia as mother or talia?

now i’m gonna preface this by saying i don’t speak arabic nor am i arab but arab people feel beyond free to just tell me to stay in my lane.

that being said it makes zero sense to me that damian refers to talia as mother or her first name. this goes for both canon and fanon.

mother makes no sense to me because he wouldn’t have grown up saying mother, like you expect me to believe that in nanda parbat damian was referring to his mother in english absolutely not. and while i understand the idea that once he moves to gotham he tries to assimilate i don’t think he would do that my addressing talia as mother. like he might say my mother when referring to her in general. but when actually speaking to her or about her to her family that just feels very unnatural to me.

talia also makes no sense to me. like is to showcase their tumultuous relationship sure okay but i have never in my life seen or heard of a brown person or a poc in general directly refer to their parents as their first name. like when they’re not around sure but as a direct address never. i say this as a poc myself. like you expect me to just believe that talia would allow that. absolutely not. like no matter your stance on respectability politics i feel like addressing your elders with the appropriate respect is a pretty universal thing especially among poc. and you can still portray a tumultuous relationship between parents and children without having an element that’s so aberrative.

i think it especially pisses me off in fanon because people love to have damian refer to bruce or dick as baba as like evidence of their improving relationship but then have talia be called talia or mother. and if the reasoning is that damian and talia’s relationship is so bad that he’s doing this purposefully to put this space between them then that should be demonstrated in the narrative. that this is a recent change, an unnatural one, it isn’t instinctual, but it is purposeful. i mean there are also other issues with talia and damian having a horrible relationship but i find that most of that comes down to talias post 2001 characterisation so i wont go into it but i defo think writers should keep in mind. no media is ever created in a vacuum.

anyway from a little bit of research i’ve done i’ve found that yumma, ommah and omm are all very common ways to say mother. there are loads of different ways to say mother because arabic has so many different dialects. i’ve also found out that ommi el-habiba means my beloved mother which i could totally see damian saying really bitingly if he is fighting with talia.

once again arab people feel free to correct me or tell me to mind my business. but also i think about this a lot like even mama makes far more sense to me than mother or talia

[alittlesongbirdchirps]

Spare Parts AU

Damien Wayne isn’t Bruce’s Wayne’s son, he knows what he truly is a clone made to be spare parts for the Batman created by Ra’s al ghoul.

But somehow and for some reason Talia convinces her father to raise him instead of just being spare parts, she doubts her beloved would even accept this gift from her father if ever needed. So why not raise him to be what Bruce was always supposed to heir to the demon head.

Talia does this out a selfishness she knows deep down, but clone or not he’s still her son.

She takes him to be trained with Batman a lie she told her father well, and Damien well he thinks his so called mother decided he’s more of a nuisances and decided to give him over as his originally intended purposes. Surprisingly not.

He keeps up this lie thats he’s Bruce’s son, to scared of what might happen if anyone finds out.

Unfortunately, one way or another it was was gonna be revealed when he steps through a zeta tube and it says recognise, instead of robin.

“Batman.”

(You can take inspo if you want. I might even write this who knows.)

[propheticpanickingnerd]

Jason's time in the league except he knew Damian.

Like yeah I know Damian is a test tube baby and got aged a bit faster or something but imagine this.

Talia, no matter how mischaracterised, develops a soft spot for Jason while he is catatonic. She is also a mother and has been/is undeniably in love with Bruce. No matter how much it sounds like she only loved Bruce to produce the perfect heir, they were in love, even if it was just once. She, mother of Bruce's child, raising him to be strong, the way she know how, ready to let him be free and meet his father, shall he desire. That same mother finds Jason, the dead son, of his grave, wandering, his mind never fully there, and decides to heal his injuries and help him heal.

Maybe that wasn't the plan, at first, maybe she never expect to be mother of a child not biologically related to her. Maybe by the way she was raised or by the standards that surrounded her. But now? As she watches her child, because Jason is her son, murder is professors because he finds them unworthy of breathing. Maybe then she realises that motherhood was something she wished for, maybe living peacefully. She wouldn't, though. Maybe in another time, but now? She had her father to manipulate while watching her children thrive.

Maybe they could've been in a life without blood, but the doubts it. The kids are attracted to danger, most likely, they love saving. Albeit their methods bloody, she knows it won't last long, with her beloved so close.

Maybe she lets Jason go back to Gotham, followed by a couple Shadows under her and her sons command only. She calls every week, checks in, asks what his plans are, how the bat is doing. Maybe she lets him yell at her, his frustrations wild, that she knows can only be pleased with blood, that she knows makes his opinion of his family twisted. Never of Talia, no, maybe he never called her mother, but she is sure he would never let her see him this way otherwise. Maybe it's because she saw him at his worst, once, but maybe, maybe she can dwell on maybes, for once, and hope that Jason does consider her his mother. Even if she could never replace his late mother, at least letting her help him with his plans is the most she can ask for.

With that, she understands Gotham, instead of being through reports, news, old tales from her beloved, it's from her son. Soon, it would be from both of them.

For now, until Jason creates his big reveal, finishes his plans, deals with whatever issues he wants to deal with, she will let him have Gotham to himself. She will keep her father away. She will continue doting on Damian, as she will tell him stories of her beloved, The Bat, and let his eyes shine. As she could not preserve her sons innocence, but she could try to ignite their hopes.

[distort-opia]

*bursts through your window at 4AM wearing bloodied Hamlet costume* Hey Tort beloved i got you a whole chicken and an egg for breakfast:

Batman VS. Bruce Wayne— which one, in your opinion, is the person and which one is the persona? Realistically, when hell breaks loose on a good god abiding gotham day, which one could Bruce lose and still have his identity remain somewhat intact? I know different comics and media take complete separate parts of him as what makes him, but which one do you think makes Bruce Wayne who he is at heart?

Hi! You're not the first person to ask, so I'll put these two together. Thank you for the hearty breakfast and please accept these cakes as apology for how delayed this answer is (you and Anon both).

To be honest, I consider the question of "which one is real, which one is fake" as a bit overdone... and needlessly complicated. Especially because many times when people bring up the debate, they're thinking of "Brucie Wayne" and "Batman", with arguments of Batman being the real personality seemingly always correct and almost obvious. This oversimplifies things, because there's "Brucie Wayne", there's Batman, and then there's just Bruce.

Is the persona of "Brucie Wayne", the ditzy womanizing playboy with half a braincell, fake? Yes, absolutely. That one's a mask which serves the purpose of hiding the existence of Batman. But is that the same as Bruce Wayne, the man we see joke around with Alfred in the Cave, interact honestly with Dick and the Family and Talia and Selina and so many others-- the human underneath Batman? No, it isn't. That Bruce Wayne is very real. And Batman is not a separate persona or a mask, it's just another facet of the same person, borne out of Bruce Wayne's trauma. Batman is so many things... a coping mechanism, a way to commit suicide, the fantasy of who Bruce would like to be; but he's got roots within Bruce to such a fundamental extent that calling him a mask, or a persona, feels wrong to me. Batman is both the worst and the best of Bruce Wayne. There's no separating them... no matter how badly Bruce would like to make it that way.

Because Bruce has struggled (and still does) a lot, both with admitting to himself that there's more to him than the existence of Batman, and with maintaining a balance between the many personas he wears. "Batman is the real one, Bruce Wayne is fake" is something Bruce desperately wanted to believe and make real himself, in multiple stories. This is where this long-standing fandom belief probably stems from: from Bruce having convinced himself that "Bruce Wayne" is dead, and that there isn't anything left to him but Batman. Hell, Bruce has literally tried to "kill" Bruce Wayne and only be Batman in Bruce Wayne, Murderer? and Bruce Wayne, Fugitive; this is probably the story arc that dealt with this divide in Bruce's psyche in the most depth, I absolutely recommend giving it a read.

However, the more important thing is the why. Why this constant struggle? And it's a simple reason... maintaining ties to his humanity versus giving himself over entirely to the Vow. Batman was forged out of Bruce's pain, and is a response to loss. Batman is how Bruce channels his emotions into purpose. Batman will always want to never go through the loss of loved ones again, and the simplest solution to that is to never care again. Never have romantic relationships, maintain a distance from all the people in his life. But humans can't live like that. Bruce can't live like that, he needs grounding by the many relationships he does have, despite how much the side of him that's Batman pulls in the other direction. That's why Bruce Wayne, Fugitive ends like this:

And the thing is, we keep having the same story, over and over. Bruce nearly being consumed by Batman, and then finding his way back, most of the time with the help of his Family.

Here's another instance:

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #140

And another one, which so beautifully illustrates how Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same, but also how Batman contains a suicidal and self-destructive side of Bruce too:

Batman: Ego

(Lol. Yeah this is your life, man.)

But you could find an equal number of examples in which Bruce declares that "Bruce Wayne" is useless and disposable, and that Batman is the only thing that matters (e.g., Robin 1993 #125). Because again, this is comics. There's no finality in sight, no traditional ending that everything we read is heading towards. Bruce will keep doing this dance, will keep having to learn how to balance these two sides of himself. Most recently this happened in Zdarsky's Batman run, with the conflict between Bruce and the Batman of Zur-en-Arrh... but don't even get me started on that utter disappointment.

Actually though, @psalmsofpsychosis, this part of your question is quite interesting: "Realistically, when hell breaks loose on a good god abiding gotham day, which one could Bruce lose and still have his identity remain somewhat intact?" Because there have been times of crisis in which this has happened, in comics. And what Bruce did is probably not what you'd expect. This answer got long enough though, so I'm putting the rest under the cut.

Bruce has gone through a lot. There's been many catastrophic-level events he's dealt with. And at first glance, you'd think that he'd consistently fall back on Batman, if that's who he "really" is. But when his will genuinely breaks, that isn't what always happens. In Batman: Cult, a story that takes place towards the end of Bruce's first decade as Batman, after Jason became Robin, shows that Bruce can give up:

Batman: The Cult

Bruce abandons Gotham, and with it, Batman. Obviously, he eventually comes back. But it had to be Jason dragging him around for half this issue just to make him fight, just to make him function. (Much earlier than this, in Going Sane, he also considered just leaving Batman behind. But that story is deeply intertwined with Joker's identity as much as his, so I'm just mentioning it.)

And then Barbara gets shot, Jason dies, Bane goes after Batman in the Knightfall arc... it's just one thing after the other for the poor guy. Knightfall and its continuations are very extensive and many things happen, but after Bruce's spine is broken, he leaves Jean-Paul Valley in the role of Batman. And even after Bruce's injuries get healed, making a previously proclaimed goal of becoming Batman again much easier, he tells Tim that he doesn't want to come back. That he wants to stay retired, and "rejoin humanity":

Batman: Knightquest

Tim has to tell him of a crime that Azrael as Batman did, which is impossible to ignore... and Bruce has to confront Jean-Paul and see the truth of him having gone mad himself, before he decides to retrain and "become worthy" of his Batman identity once more.

Then, in a much bigger and well-known storyline that follows the Cataclysm event, Batman disappears for months. No Man's Land starts with a world in which Bruce has been away in Monaco trying to be someone else, instead of in Gotham, being Batman and taking control of the wrecked city which had been abandoned by all. Oh he comes back, but still...

No Man's Land: Ground Zero

So. Batman isn't his "real" identity, it isn't the core of him. Many times, he's wanted to run away and leave Batman behind, just like in some stories he was ready to completely destroy the "Bruce Wayne" identity and only be Batman. But in times of crisis, he repeatedly tried to leave and find happiness outside of Gotham and carrying the mantle of Batman... without succeeding.

Sometimes, Bruce hates Batman, and tries to run away. And other times, Batman hates Bruce, and tries to destroy him. It's a constant give-and-take, and neither facet of him has managed to succeed so far, because Bruce is Batman. There's no one without the other.

[havendance]

While I'm still going a little insane over Detective Comics Annual #4, take some panels:

Bruce: No, keep back! Keep your hands off me, Alfred. I have to know...! I-- Alfred: Sir...?

Alfred: It's putting a terrible strain on your heart. Sir... you'll kill yourself. Bruce: I don't care, Alfred, as long as I take the man who killed Tim with me.

Bruce (Thought): Tim couldn't breathe either... they came for him... shot him... and where was I? In the Batcave... cowering... hiding from what I'd become, and Tim was out there, taking my place... ...in life and then in death. Talia killed him. But it was me she was after. She called me beloved... doesn't make sense...

Waverider (narration): I am now convinced that in peace or anger, Batman will not become the monarch. But he could have been, or worse, had he so chosen.

[jasontoddspussy]

No Capes/ Monster hunter AU idea ft. Werewolf Jason, the YJ team being inhuman and Tim hiding Jay while trying to help him.

In my head the au is like dis;

There is no Batman, there's no superheroes. However, Bruce is a 'Hunter'. His parents was killed by a werewolf running rampant, but no-one believed him, thinking it was a wild animal that did it and that Bruce was lucky to have survived. Dick's parents died, unsure how, maybe vampires or somth? either way he's adopted by bruce who finds young dick in captivity and brought home. unsure of how he adopts jay, but he does. Tim is adopted early on bcs screw his parents, even if bruce isn't that much better lol.

at 15, jason is murdered by a man who calls himself Joker, a man who loves monsters and wants to create the perfect creature. instead of beating him with a crowbar he tries to sew other bodyparts (and fails) onto him or remove stuff. jay dies in pieces and is found by bruce too late.

he's revived by the league, a band of necromancers, specifically talia who wanted to do her beloved a favor, but also to have someone to help protect damian. However when jason sees that he's not even buried in the wayne family plot, that he's lost the 'wayne' part of his name, he's saddened and brought to despair, he feels a sense of loss and talia helps by offering training and more training.

then he finds out that despite bruce happily killing monsters, he didn't killl joker, who in jasons eyes, is the real monster.

and decides to return to gotham under an alias. he runs into tim who is flying solo despite what happened to jay and hes just so angry and doesnt understand why bruce would do this to him, to them, when he saw what happened to jason.

im unsure what rlly happens then but basically the joker is the one to turn jason.the joker forced the werewolf turn on him, and bruce had been on his way to the place bcs jason had goaded him there. disoriented from a sudden shift and new body, jason has no time to really figure out what to do before bruce is there, with joker gift-wrapped and a confused werewolf.

when he sees the warehouse, he sees joker, a human and thus can't be killed, and a werewolf, a monster with no thoughts or feelings just barely above an animal that's a danger to everyone. to him it's not even a question of who to go for

bruce doesn't react to joker aside from im calling the police, before going after jason who is so confused because that's his *dad* and why isn't he trying to hurt the joker who's a real monster why is he trying to hurt and kill jason??

and jason survives but he's so stressed that he doesn't really know what to do. im not sure how he gets out of there but he does. he tries to survive but he just *cant change back* and doesnt know what to do

and thats how tim finds him, tim who's been keeping an eye out on him bcs he's not fkn stupid and he's worried and jason is hurt, so so hurt and forced in wolf form and tim is just, angryand brings him to his friends, the friends bruce will never know about bcs bruce is so far up his own vengeance filled ass he'd kill them without thinking about the fact that they're tims friends

edit, wrote a small ficlet in this au::)

can be found here!

[bigfan-fanfic]

Wake Up (Batdad Fanfic)

Oh god please write a fic about that time Damian’s mom stabbed batdad and he had to get surgery and healing for his appendix and the poison I AM BEGGING

Trigger warning for discussions and descriptions of injury, blood, etc.

"That was highly foolish." are the first words you hear when you awaken.

You struggle a little to remember where you are.

Gotham Mercy Hospital, in a private convalescent room, waiting.

You've been stabbed.

Bruce was incapacitated with the League of Shadows. With Ra's. And Talia had come into the Batcave to take Damian back.

She cajoled you, thanking you for taking care of her son and her beloved, but it was time for you to get out of her way now. It was Damian that attempted to defend you.

"No, Mother. I will not let you hurt him."

And that had made your heart soar, that you had made such a mark on Damian in so short a time - and considering only a few weeks before, he had been actively trying to kill you, that was quite the turnaround.

Talia sneered. "I thought you were stronger than this, son. I did not think you would go so soft so quickly."

Damian looked as though he had been slapped, and was frozen in horror as Talia approached.

"Very well. I can always make more."

Damian couldn't move, even as Talia approached, her blade already impregnated with venom.

Thankfully (?), you've been involved in enough crises that you can keep your head. The League of Shadows prefers lethality, and so the most typical poison they use on their weapons is tetrodotoxin derived from blowfish glands, which has no known antidote. Even nonlethal doses generally result in loss of motor control, making it easy to incapacitate an affected victim.

Tetrodotoxin works quickly, and only requires a small dose to be lethal when administered in an injection. However, when stabbed with a poisoned weapon, it's more likely the tainted blood will bleed out rather than introduce the toxin to the bloodstream.

Gotham Mercy has a dedicated on-call trauma unit, started when the villainous attacks started getting more violent. They won't likely have to deal with tetrodotoxin poisoning, but they can be informed as they take care of a stab wound.

All of this occured in a flash and you threw yourself forward in the path of Talia's precision stab. It struck at an odd diagonal, running you through slightly off center, a little above your hip.

You felt yourself rupture as Talia withdrew the blade in surprise, and you threw the smoke bomb that was lying on the supply dock.

Pain coursed through you as you felt Damian pull you towards one of the emergency exits, and you wondered when the shock would kick in.

Your brain was working on its own and already calling Gotham Mercy as Damian drove one of the cars, and informing the trauma unit of the emergency. You considered telling them about the tetrodotoxin, but considering you weren't feeling any of the telltale symptoms, including loss of motor function (allowing for the general trauma of bleeding out), so you didn't bother.

Then you ended up passing out, finally, and woke up here.

Dick is passed out at your bedside. He's leaned against an also-unconscious Bruce, the two of them clearly having tried to stay awake for you. You think Jason is probably standing guard outside, and since Alfred isn't here, you believe he must be at home ensuring Tim doesn't break down.

"Foolish? Nah." Your voice croaks from lack of use. "Reckless, yes. Dangerous, undoubtedly. But it's never foolish for a dad to protect his kids."

"You were stabbed. Run through! And you nearly were poisoned. They needed to conduct an emergency appendectomy because Mother ruptured your appendix! All for a boy who has done nothing but hate you and insult you. And you're still calling me your kid?"

"Yeah, Damian, I am. Cause I care about you. Because you've had a rough lot in life so far, and I know better than most what it's like to have to grow up fast. I know what it's like to be left behind by your parents. Maybe you're right, and I'm not your dad. That's okay too. But you know what? That's your choice to make. When you're ready. You don't have to call me dad, or treat me like anything more than a legal guardian and caretaker. I'm always here for you, though."

Your heart aches as you watch Damian's stoic face crack. He cries, and he cries hard, and when you instinctively reach out, he collapses into your embrace, and you ignore the wince at the sudden jolt of movement.

It's going to be rough. But it's always been that way. There'll be ups and downs. But you're alive, and the boy crying into your chest who has known nothing but fear and death is being vulnerable, and you know that you both will be okay.

[devine-fem]

I challenge you to give a peeve that comes up constantly when you try to read something in the fandom!!!

Mine is people “personally headcanoning” that Damian doesn’t understand riddles/jokes, especially in English, when that’s obviously not true and also distinctly bigoted. He’s completely fluent in English and has shown he’s amazing at solving riddles MULTIPLE times alongside other things that require intelligence, and he’s hilarious while doing it. Idk why people keep clinging to Damian being a stupid swordsman when he’s genuinely capable.

Random Superbat in a damijon fic <- BIG ON THIS. I will click off instantly because now I know you only like damijon for the super and bat appeal. Also, how does Jon exist when Clark is fucking around with Batman? It makes no sense and especially when Dami or Jon acknowledge this… like your dads are kissing? I would run away screaming, crying and throwing up. Talia demonizaiton. Not really a pet peeve but one time I read Damian calling Bruce “baba” and jumped.

I also get annoyed if there’s Timkon in my damijon fanfic but that’s just me being spiteful. Also, Damijon fics where Damian says beloved or habibi wayyy too much.

[space-phonetic0]

“I wish it was me who died that night!” Dick screams. His face tilted toward the pouring thundering sky.

Dick and Bruce had just had a particularly bad fight. Ending in Dick fleeing the cave and running as far as he could. Jumping and twisting over buildings desperate to get away. He's thinks to himself maybe if I would have died instead of Jason, Bruce would care, would love me.

A blinding white light fills his vision. And the world goes silent.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cold fire flows through his veins. There is a wet pressure surrounding him. He opens his mouth in an attempt to draw in air. Swallowing a strange luqid that burns his throat.

Opening his eyes he sees greens water. Above him, below him, to the sides. Uncertain of which way is up or down. Dick starts swimming as hard as he can. Desperately hoping that the direction he chose was the correct one. His lungs burned with the need for air.

After swimming for what felt like eternity. And on the verge of suffocating. Dicks head shot out of the water. Coughing and spiting out the blazing green liquid. Through his blurry vision a woman grabbed his shoulder. Pulling him to shore

Dicks mind was in a daze. His whole body numb. A multitude of thoughts and feelings were swirling around his brain. How did I get here? What happened?

“……Bruce” Dick weakly calls. "Shhh my beloved's son. You are alright. You are safe." He freezes. That's Talia's voice. What? Overcome with exhaustion Dick passes out.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Groaning Dick starts to wake up. Burying his head into the pillow. Dick sighs, it was a dream thank god. Lifting his head. Dick realizes that the room is all wrong.

Springing to his feet. Dick swings his head wildly back and forth. Oh God, Oh God! It was a dream! It was supposed to be just a dream! How could this be possible?

Ok ok DON’T panic. Keep calm. There has to be a rational explanation for this. Whatever this is.

Ok think. What was the last thing that I remember doing?

I was on my way back to Bludhaven. Because of a fight I had with Bruce. And I wished that I had died instead of Jason. But... that can't be possible can it? A wish can't change something. Unless....... someone had heard me and they were powerful enough to do such a thing. But what sort of power would be capable of such a thing?

Even if that was the case. That I had switched places with Jason. Jason is dead so I should be dead now. Am I a ghost? Dick rubbed his body with his Hands. Feeling that he was solid. He moved onto another theory. One that said he was in hell. But that would require someone to have killed me.

Brushing off the idea. Dick began to exam the room. There was a nightstand to the left of the bed. A rather big floor to ceiling window with the curtains tied back. Letting the morning sunlight stream in. A chest of drawers was opposite of the bed.

Turning his head fully around the room. Dick observed that there was nothing else but a shaggy carpet in the room. Alright, calm down breath deep. You can figure out what happened. You can handle this. You're not weak. You're not immature. Create a plan. Follow that plan.

[yetanothergreyjedi]

Ghosts of Our Pasts: pt 12

DP x DC crossover

Damian Wayne and Danny Fenton Sibling AU

Ao3

Masterpost Previous

---

Mistakes a Mother Shouldn't Make

-

Oh Dears, you didn't think I was going to immediately tell you what's happening with Danny and Dami, did you? Sorry not sorry

---

Talia was looking for her children. They hadn't appeared yet this morning, which meant they were likely finding mischief. Fine as long as they weren't late for lessons, fine as long as it did not intrude on anything of importance.

It was too early for training, yet they were not in their beds and the halls were quiet. She had been searching for several minutes and still no trace of them. Not that that was particularly alarming, children trained for stealth tended to be skilled at it. They had the advantage of their size and the fact that most did not look down when anticipating threats. Add to the fact that they knew the methods for changing the guard and they could disappear as effectively as any assassin.

Her guards had not seen them. They had not come when she called. She hoped they hadn't fallen asleep in a crawl space again, it might be hours before they woke and realized they needed to return, and Father had been keeping a close eye lately. Dany was already in a dangerous position, if he believed her eldest was stunting Damian's potential...

She was worried about Danyal. He was growing... unsettled. His progress had stagnated for seemingly no reason, and it wasn't out of limitation. She knew what Dany looked like when he'd reached his limits, when he'd reached past them. This felt deliberate. Of course she had no way to prove he'd been aiming off center, or that he'd misstepped on purpose, or that he failed to see an opening he'd see without fail every single time they'd tested it last year.

Ras was not close enough to see the choice. This was a good thing. She did not know what punishment would exist for her son if her Father knew.

Then there were the pranks.

If this was truly the height of Danyal's progress, Ras would find it disappointing, but the League would still have gained from it. But Disloyalty? That would not stand.

Perhaps it was time, she had always considered sending her sons to her Beloved. Part of her loathed the choice. Bruce would not encourage loyalty to the league and his presence held the very real threat of defection. But if Danyal had already made that decision...

Then her beloved was the only one who could save him.

This was the last thought before the wall clicked. She had her weapon drawn before she processed the opening, the passage. She hadn’t known this one existed. Seams she had never recognized opened into a door, and out stepped her youngest.

She registered the blood and dust and tear tracks down his face before any true thoughts could form.

1.) Check behind him. No threats made themselves immediately known. Nothing in the secret hall, no footsteps giving chase.

2.) She knelt, quickly scanning Damian for injuries. Nothing immediately visible.

"Are you hurt?" She demanded.

Damian hiccuped another sob, but shook his head. What he did say, however, was, "D-dany,"

If her blood was cold before, now it was liquid nitrogen. "Damian, where is your akhi?"

---

Maddie couldn't remember the last time her cooking had made herself this sick.

Between Jazz recognizing when something was too far gone, the food coming to life then escaping, and her own iron stomach, the last actual case of food poisoning hadn't been since the portal. This being the thing that caused it... it didn't make sense.

The meal had been prepared with fresh foods, smelled delicious, and had not a hint of undead twitching. There was only one thing that could've caused it, one that didn't by any accounts make sense.

Ectouranium, despite its frightening name, was perfectly safe for human consumption. Should've been perfectly safe for them. Yet here she was, standing over the toilet just like Jack had done an hour ago.

Hoping the worst had passed, she rinsed her mouth from the sink. The water had the ever so slight taste of electrified old pennies, and Maddie knew why her attempts to decontaminate the kitchen had failed; because even the tap water tasted like ectoplasm, and she suddenly craved it. She flushed the toilet with a sigh, she should've known. Of course they were too contaminated for a simple fix, Danny had been registering as a ghost on every scanner—Danny.

Danny had eaten dinner with them.

She practically flew down the stairs to a star dappled bedroom, empty. And that wasn't surprising, she could only hope that he hadn't decided to disappear again tonight.

She checked the bathroom next. Its door was still ajar. The relief she felt that he had stayed home was squashed by the way Danny huddled on the floor. He was gasping for air in short pained starts, pressed into the corner where the wall met the tub as if trying to melt into it.

"Danny!" She ran to him, and her heart broke as he tried to shuffle away from her despite the fact that there was nowhere to go. Instincts from his past or something else, she didn't know. It didn't matter, the movement turned ragged breathing into deep chest coughs that had Maddie reaching to call an ambulance before she saw the blood.

But her phone wasn't here, it was still plugged in on the bedside table where she'd left it. And Jack would be asleep with his earmuffs and—

"Mom?" A bleary-eyed Jazz said, "what are you..."

"Jazz, call an ambulance!"

---

Talia stalked through passages she only half knew. She was equal parts proud and dismayed that the trail the boys had left was so subtle. She was equal parts relieved and terrified that the unused halls were too dusty to leave no trace. She moved as quickly as she dared, unwilling to misread the subtle signs.

Until the signs were less subtle. Her eldest's struggle was painted clear crimson for a hallway, and then it stopped. And it was clear what had happened, even if the illuminating green had faded like a dull cracked glowstick.

Dany was no longer in danger of that death, but the deaths that would no doubt follow behind her were still as real as before. There were six drying bootprints before her son had realized and taken measures to prevent them. Thus Danyal's mind was clear. Good, even if the trail became harder to follow. Not perfect, the hard stone became dirt and hiding footprints was nearly impossible. He'd doubled back at least twice, intentionally or because he'd taken a wrong turn?

Pride and betrayal and fear and hope all swirled in her heart but now was not the time to dwell on them.

The end of the tunnels came and went, the wilderness stretched in front of her until it gave way to civilization and the trail went cold. Perhaps she did not check all the places a child could hide that an adult could. Perhaps she overlooked a camera's blindspot.

She had no way of knowing if the assassins her father sent would know to not to do the same.

She did not find her son.

No one told her if anyone else had either.

---

Maddie cradled her son in her arms, encouraging him to keep fighting for breath. Jazz had disappeared a moment, an eternity, exactly fifty three stuttering wet gasps and 5 lung tearing coughs ago.

Then she returned, not talking urgently with an operator, but holding a beaker full of electric green-white.

"Jazz, no."

"It is not poison for the dying, or the dead." Her daughter quotes her son.

"It's still—"

Jazz silences her with a glare, her eyes reflect the eerie light. She doesn't need to say it, Maddie knows that it's Jazz who's memorized Danny's contingency plans, who knows his rules for when the hospital is and isn't an acceptable risk.

"Okay," Maddie shifts to let Jazz take her place by Danny's side. She tips the glass and he drinks what should be poison.

He improves but does not heal and Maddie tells Jazz why. That this amount of ectoplasm can only counter ectouranium so far, that she had forgotten that the 'contamination' was what kept her youngest alive.

Jazz did not lecture her this time, it felt worse than when she did.

They brought Danny down to the lab and Jazz sat them down next to the open portal. It was a chill down her spine and an ache in her bones but neither of her children seemed to fear it, and she would not leave them now.

Danny's breathing had gone quieter after the ectoplasm, so she hadn’t exactly noticed when it stopped. He turned and looked at her with eyes that were not reflecting the portal. How many times had she tricked herself into believing they were?

"Danny?"

"Mom," He breathed in after saying the word, but did not exhale. She wasn't sure he needed too.

"I'm sorry," She whispered.

He huffed a laugh, "Not the first time I've been poisoned,"

Jazz facepalmed behind him.

"For more than that," Maddie said, because Danny had never seemed less human than this moment, and she couldn't apologize and ask at the same time.

He dropped his head on her shoulder, he was cold as ice, but Jazz was at his other side and would've said something if it was a problem.

"Just don't do it again," he requests, meaning more than just adding things to her cooking.

"I won't," Maddie promised, and felt the weight of something binding in her own words. It wouldn’t matter. She intended to keep her word.

So perhaps the FentonWorks ghost security was dismantled and destroyed by the end of the week. Perhaps symbols drawn by teenagers proved more effective. Perhaps their son would sometimes pass through the front door instead of opening it.

Some questions don't need to be asked.

Some questions shouldn't be.

---

Talia was often grateful that her son was a public figure. It meant that instead of wasting manpower on a subtle check up, (and that would be made more complicated of course, her beloved would not allow it), all she had to do was a quick search of his name to find out anything the public might know.

It wasn’t always enough to feel comfortable, particularly when Robin was reported to be injured, but it was far better than if the Wayne's had been just another face in the crowd.

Drama was the usual, but she was surprised to see some of it focusing on Damian instead of the other family members... Apparently someone had run from him, he had given chase and the details devolved into theories from there. It didn't sound like something Damian would do in her opinion, but with every passing year the Damian she remembered existed less and less.

She scrolled through the comments wondering if they had simply misattributed the action of one of the others. Damian running through the streets shouting after them? Her son would know better ways than that. But then her eyes fell onto another comment.

"I saw him," The person with a pink cat for a profile picture said. "He was yelling 'Daniel'."

The world seemed to stop. Not Daniel, Damian had been yelling after Danyal.

-

-

-

Notes:

There are a lot of reasons you shouldn't train small children as assassins, most of those reasons are ethical. But I'm stuck on the idea of giving stealth training to small children… bring them into one(1) department store and POOF they gone!

Tag list pt1

@spectralstardustandphantomnights @avelnfear @idfk-man10 @blackroserelina @candeartist422 @mur-ururu @luer-mirin @insufferablecatenthusiast @skulld3mort-1fan @alonedustspeck @voidbornposts @meira-3919 @marshmello @aethernorwood @mimilikey @undead-essence @cloudminder @markus209 @everything163 @latheevening226 @roman4517 @moobloomrights @battybatbat @lumosfeather18581 @werv @ahyesanerd @pyramaniac @lexdamo @princessbelix @bun-fish @deeannthepan @edgyboi10000 @thatrandomsarahchick @busterkeel @aconitewolfsbane @spoopyspoony @bright-shade @spidey29phangirl @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit @keimiwolf @u-a-wizard-jamie @gay-puff @bicerise @itshype @blackfoxsposts @icanneverdecide @lolottes @chubbypotato @jovialherringtacoghost @saltyladynightmare

[lazaruspiss]

Genderbends! you know em, you probably have some sort of opinion on them, and so do I! That opinion is that I think they're neat :] However. I think too much. Jason to Jaye? Stephanie to Stephen? Dick to Dix- oh that one might be a bit culturally charged. Ahem. Moving on to my point: I think way too much about names in genderbends, and how a lot of parents don't just have one name that they pick and then change the gender of later. So I prefer to make it up based on how/why I think a character might've been named what they were, and figure it out from there. So that's what's under the read more if you wanna see me ramble for a bit!

(Disclaimer: This isn't meant to shame anyone who does it the easy way. I just put too much thought into this, lol.)

Richard "Dick" John Grayson. My beloved little guy. One of the easiest ones to do, because Dick as a name has a distinct companion name. Back in ye olden time it doesn't seem too out there to think the two would be associated, and they're both pretty simple of the times names. John turns to Mary, because that's just a typical naming convention. Need a middle name? Just use the same gendered parent's name.

Jason Peter Todd. His parents seem pretty normal. When I can't think of anything specific I tend to look for either a name with a similar meaning (which you'll see a few of later) or a name with similar popularity. I use behindthename a lot for figuring that out. Jason and Peter just. Didn't have very many options that I liked in any method I tried, so I settled on just using the ones that matched popularity with his original name in the year listed as his New Earth timeline debut.

Timothy Jackson Drake. Timmy was fun. Timarete is such a weird name and I think it's absolutely delightful. Tim's popularity match was also Kimberly so that was a no go, lol. So I got to bouncing around looking for something with a similar sound or meaning. Timothy means "to honor god", but that was too specific so a went looking for name meanings that mention honor in general. I brainstormed most of these with a friend so I have a list of honorable mentions:

And the middle name is the same situation as Dick, just switching out the father's name for the mother's.

Damian Wayne. Ok. I know I said I didn't like to just flip the gender of a name. But Talia has a whole speech about the meaning of Damian's name and why she picked it so I couldn't NOT try to keep it. I did look for a while to try and find a name with the same meaning, but none really fit what it seemed like Talia was going for. Here's some honorable mentions from me trying to find something else:

Bruce Thomas Wayne. I saw the popularity match and had to use it.

And another parent's name for a middle name situation.

Barbara Gordon. Babs was just fully named after her mom so that's really the easiest of all the name flips.

Stephanie Brown. Stephanie was a Very popular name, so it felt like it would be reasonable to think Arthur and Crystal might've just flipped open a book of baby names and called it a day. I also couldn't imagine Steph willingly going by Tyler. so I went on a hunt through late 90s/early 00s shows for a character I thought guy Steph might like well enough to snag the name of. And then I found out after the fact that Jude is sometimes short for Judas. Which I thought was very funny so I decided to stick with it.

Cassandra Cain. There weren't many good options so I kept it simple.

[samgirl98]

Cain and Abel Wept 16/?

Prev | Next

Gasp, two chapters in less than 24 hours! Wow, don't get used to that lol

Bruce liked to pride himself on his self-control.

Right now, his self-control was seconds away from snapping. (Talia seemed to have that effect on him.)

“What are you doing here, Talia,” he asked as he led her away from his children. He didn’t want the woman anywhere near Jason, Danny, or Damian. (His three children that had a history with her and the League.)

“What does it look like, beloved? I’m here to make sure my children are safe. You didn’t notice that these cretins were in your city. What if they attacked Danny? Or one of our other two boys?”

Bruce frowned before what Talia said hit him, “Jason isn’t your son,” he growled.

“Really? Last I checked, I nursed him back to health and gave him back his mind. I taught him and gave him what he needed and then some.”

“You mean you kept him away from his family, brainwashed him, and used him as your weapon while turning him into a killer,” Bruce countered, “Just like you did Damian like you did Danny.  Make no mistake, Talia, I will do everything in my power to keep you away from my children.”

Talia sneered before composing herself, “I’m not here to fight, Bruce. I want to make sure my children are safe. Under these so-called laws, all our children would be considered ecto-entities, and they’re here. What are you doing to keep them safe?”

“Keeping Danny off your property isn’t keeping him safe. Jason is still doing patrols, and Damian left the manor with little protection. So, Bruce, why shouldn’t I take our children from this forsaken country and put them somewhere safe?”

“They won’t go with, and you know that. Do you think I don’t want to keep my children safe? Don’t you think I want to wrap them in bubble wrap and keep them in the manor? I do, but I don’t want to alienate them, either.”

“Grow up, Bruce. Being a parent means making decisions that make your children mad at you. They’ll get over it.”

“The way Damian has gotten over it? Or Danny? Jason? I don’t claim to be perfect, but at least I haven’t turned my children against me permanently, Talia. Last I checked, none of the boys want to talk to you, let alone love you.”

Everyone turned to look at the sound of the slap Talia gave Bruce.

“I have done everything in my power to keep my children safe; I regret many things, Bruce, but do not take that away from me. Keep our children safe, or I will.”

Bruce watched as Talia left with her assassins.

“Bruce, what did Talia say,” Jason asked as he approached him.

“Hm,” he said before turning to the Fentons, “I need to talk to Danny and the Fentons.”

____

Danny didn’t like his choices, but he wanted to keep his family safe. It was either moving to the manor until his parents could meet with the UN in a few days or moving to another country and letting the Justice League take care of the GIW.

“Dann-o, whatever you want, we’ll follow. As long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter. Right now, we have to think about the bigger picture, not just us.”

Danny bit his bottom lip. At this point, it wasn’t about being selfish; it was about the pros and cons.

Cons if they stayed: his family would be in danger, he would have to stay with the Waynes, and Danny’s life would be in danger.

Pros: Danny could control the narrative of the Anti-Ecto Act laws, and Danny would be in familiar territory. Danny would be able to protect any ghost that accidentally got in the clutches of the GIW…and he could stay closer to Damian.

Ultimately, the pros outweighed the cons.

“It’d be better if I stay here, even if it means moving to Wayne Manor, but only if it’s okay with you guys. And not because you think it’s what I want; you have to be fine with this. Also,” Danny took a deep breath, “I need to be there during the UN meeting. At this point, it would be better if the King of the Infinite Realms were there to assure the people of Earth that there would come no harm from the inhabitants of the realms.”

His parents looked at each other.

“Danny, we are so proud of the young man you have become. If you think this is the best course of action, then we will follow you,” his mom said.

“Yeah, Dann-o, we don’t want you there in the UN meeting; it’d be dangerous, but if you think this is what you have to do, we’ll be there to back you up.”

Danny smiled; he was glad he had his family behind him.

____

Wayne Manor is huge, was Danny’s first thought.

My family will be safe here, was his second.

His league training and living with the Fentons had taught Danny to see security measures that would otherwise be well hidden. Wayne Manor had top-notch security. Danny was already thinking of ways to make it better. He wondered if he could convince Bruce to add ghost shields. One could never be too careful, even if Danny were the Ghost King…

Danny and his family left the GAV just in time to see Jason stalk out of the Batmobile, looking angry.

“Is everything okay,” Danny asked Damian once he got close to his brother.

“Tt, yes. Todd is being difficult. Father told him that until we can chase out the GIW, it would be better if he were to stay at the Manor and not do patrols. He didn’t take it well.”

“Huh,” Danny said. He could see why Bruce did it, but he also knew how annoying it must be to be essentially grounded as a grown adult.

“He told me the same thing.”

“And you just accepted without complaint,” Danny asked incredulously.

Damian shrugged, “Father knows what he is doing. I trust him to know what’s best for me.”

Danny’s incredulity grew until he thought of something.

“This lax and accommodating attitude has nothing to do with the fact that I’ll be here at the manor, does it?”

Damian blushed deeply and said, “Aw, Danny, this is Pennyworth.”

“Nice to meet you, Master Danny. Miss Jazz, Mr., and Mrs. Fenton. My name is Alfred Pennyworth. I am the butler of the Wayne Estate.”

Before them stood a balding British gentleman wearing a suit. There were ghosts following him around. Huh, this man had killed many people before. Best not to mess with him, considering he had raised the Batman…

“Hello, Alfie,” Jack said boisterously, “Please, call me Jack!”

“Hello, call me Maddie, please,” his mom said.

“Uh, hello. Can you drop the miss, please,” Jazz asked.

“Hmm, unfortunately, I cannot do something so uncouth. You are Master Bruce’s guests and son; what kind of butler would I be if I disrespected you by calling you without your proper titles?”

Even as he said that Danny got the distinct feeling that Alfred Pennyworth was making fun of them.

Alfred and Damian took them to the west wing, where they would stay. Thankfully, it wasn’t with the rest of the family. (That would’ve been too soon, too fast.)

Danny gave Damian permission to stay while Danny packed out his little bit of belongings. Eventually, Dami had to leave to feed his animals, including a cow.

“I saved her from a slaughterhouse,” he told Danny, proud, “I’ve been a vegetarian ever since.”

“That’s awesome, Dami. You would get along with my friend, Sam. She’s a vegetarian, too, and a proud animal activist. She’s one of the reasons I found out about one of the last purple-back gorillas being female.”

“Wait, that was you? I always wondered how zookeepers could be so incompetent that they missed that?”

“Right, it’s literally their job to know what the gender of the animals under their care is!”

Danny had decided to take a nap while he waited for dinner. He knew his family was doing the same thing.

(Fighting took a lot out of them.)

Not even an hour later, his parents and Bruce entered his room. Bruce looked frantic.

“Jason is missing.”

Danny felt his stomach drop.

Not proud of the second half, but I needed to leave you at that cliffhanger mwahahahaha. See you Thursday

[laufire]

july reading meme!

BOOKS

Fireworks: Nine Profane Pieces by Angela Carter. TBC is more ~My Thing~, but I nonetheless enjoyed this other anthology. It felt more experimental, in terms of language and structure. The stories I found most memorable were "The Executioner's Beautiful Daughter" and, especially, "The Loves of Lady Purple."

The Bloody Chamber and other adult tales by Angela Carter. I skipped the ones I'd already read ("The Bloody Chamber," "The Courtship of Mr Lyon" and "The Tiger's Bride"). The titular story will always be my favourite, but I found "The Lady of the House of Love" particularly inspiring. "The Snow Child" and "The Erl-King" caught my eye to, for the way the played around with tenses and pov.

COMICS

Batman Annual #14 "The Eye of the Beholder." One of those tragic Harvey Dent tales, and probably the most emblematic one about them (I'm pretty sure this one inspired The Long Halloween). As I've recently watched the new animated show, Caped Crusader, it offers an interesting point of comparison with that new Harvey. The original version, who wanted to do his job and do it well, and fixated on it as a copying mechanism, and who wasn't interesting in climbing the ladder beyond his chosen profession, is a more interesting character, though there are parts of the new one's narrative I enjoyed.

The Invincible Iron Man (2022). A GOOD RUN??? IN MY IRON MAN COMICS??? I'm going to miss it :))). Fail marriage of convenience with Emma Frost! Tony writing a book and its launch going terribly wrong! Lots of Tony fighting to keep his head above water! And maaaaaybe a new West Coast Avengers team with him and Rhodey in the future? We'll see.

Birth of the Demon trilogy. Calling it a trilogy is a stretch; the first and second one are easily connected (Bride of the Demon obliquely references Talia's "miscarriage), but the third one is on its own. For example, in Son of the Demon, Talia witnesses her mother's murder, like Bruce did, but in Birth of the Demon, we're told she died of an overdose (and that Ra's didn't choose to use the pit on her). Sidenote, as a Jason-centric person, I side-eyed when Bruce, faced with a grieving father who wanted Ra's help to resurrect his son, thinks of his parents instead of thinking of Jason, so shortly after his death xD (Tim was around but not yet Robin, officially). It is quite an interesting saga for the al Ghuls, Talia above all (though, Ra's origin story is fucking horrifying!! Love it). Son of the Demon remains my favourite, but each of them are going to be good sources of inspiration in future stories.

Titans: Titans Forever. Four wacky adventures of a Titans team that includes Jason for some reason LOL. Mixed characterisation on him, but it was fun. Nothing much to say, other than that. Other than Donna having some pseudo-twincest kink xDD (said Jason and Dick looked identical and wanted them to kiss and make up xD).

Batman: Family. I love it when Martha Wayne gets even a little bit of focus, and other than The Ultimate Evil, this run (only 8 issues long) remains the one story I've read that's actually interested in saying anything about her. It was really good; I liked the narration style, with each issue told from the POV of one of the bad guys, and it really showed off a lot of the bat characters at the time (Helena my beloved), and the villain, as well as her connection with Bruce, was quite interesting. It's a pity this story is basically Athena's only appearance, but I'm definitely keeping her character in my back pocket.

Wonder Woman (various comics from John Byrne). I wanted to read Cassie's appearances as I go through YJ98. A+ choice, I really enjoyed a lot of what this quite chaotic run had to offer LOL. Everything regarding Hyppolita, Diana, Cassie, Artemis... but most of all, Donna. Her origin here is the one I already knew from reading Titans99, which starts shortly after this, and it's absolutely mind-blowing. I also liked Hyppolita's time travelling shenanigans being used to explain away continuity issues lol.

Suicide Squad: Get Joker! Eh. I definitely know how I interpret the ending. Sns, but I just don't buy such a lame form of manipulation working on Jason. All that aside, the only part of this comic worth noting is Harley and Jason's dynamic. It caught my eye.

Batman: Three Jokers. There's a scene early on where Barbara runs sooooo hard on a treadmill, she breaks it. It's not the first time she's done it, as proven by this one very impressed guy in the gym. The moment I read that, I knew this comic was going to be absolutely worthless. And I was right! Jason looks quite good in it, though. I'm going to start mentally replacing his modern suits with this one (no bat!!).

Red Hood: The Hill. Things happened. I didn't care for them. The art wasn't even cute. And somehow, not only is this a Red Hood story with next to no Red Hood; not only did it end up being more about Batman than about Jason; but it's, quite literally, not going to amount to anything, story-wise, continuity-wise, you name it. I agree with people that say it's not so bad, that it's not hateful or meanspirited the way other modern Jason stories have been... but that's just not enough for me. And whatever else those other stories do with Jason, at least there's something about them worth discussing.

Batman Chronicles #8 "The Prison". There were other two stories with this one (one about the origin of the cave's dinosaur, another about Gordon and Two-Face), but they're unimportant lol. A story about Ra's ordering Talia to kill Bruce!!! About the struggle between duty and a yearning for freedom (the source of her love for Bruce) in Talia!! If you like it, and you like Brutalia, do yourself a favour and pick it up.