#the book is called Christmas in the Batcave!

[poppaworth]

I know it's after Christmas but... my pop pop. . . In a Christmas sweater

[zylev-blog]

It had started out slow. It took a year for Jazz to talk to him outside of “work”, and even then, it was just about her adventures through the universe before and after she became Green Lantern. Bruce had suspected she was an alien, since she had the means to travel off of Earth without a ring. (He had also found out she could survive in the vacuum of space without her ring too, which had greatly worried him) there was also the fact that her ears were pointier than a humans, her eyes glowed toxic green when she got angry, and she was far too strong to be just a mere human.

Jazz sought him out one October night for help with her case. She and Robin (Dick) had sat on the edge of the rooftop as Jazz told Robin of her adventures through the galaxy. Robin listened attentively, never once interrupting her. Once she had finished several stories, she got to her feet, wiping the dust from her pants.

Jazz: I need some help with a case. I have a Gyrobian that’s eluding me and I can’t seem to catch him no matter what I do.

Bruce: does he have any associates?

Jazz explained everything he needed to know about the case, and showed him footage from her ring.

Bruce: he’s being chased by that guy there.

Jazz: how can you tell?

Bruce: he’s always lurking in the frame, just out of sight. But he’s been in every clip you’ve showed me. You’re chasing after a refugee.

Jazz: thanks, Bruciebear!

Bruce: don’t call me that.

Two weeks later, Dick had been staying home with a nasty cold. He had a fever that just wouldn’t break. Bruce wanted to be home with his boy, but Joker was out on the streets causing trouble and he found it difficult to put an end to it by himself. Jazz had come back to Earth to tell him an update on her case, and she was able to help him arrest the Joker while she was in town. That led to her following Bruce back to the Batcave to check on Dick with him. She crawled into bed with Dick, pulling the ten year old into her lap, and sang him songs of planets far away until he slipped into a fretful sleep. She then used her ring to make a concoction that got rid of his flu within the day. Bruce didn’t ask what was in it.

The first time she showed up to the manor without her Green Lantern uniform on was the first time he realized how beautiful she was. She was wearing dark blue jeans and a red shirt with a picture of an unfamiliar sport on it. The writing was alien. Her hair was pulled into a long red braid, and she wore earrings of a planet he didn’t recognize. A red bandana in her hair held back her bangs, exposing her teal eyes for him to see for the first time. It was gently snowing outside, but she wasn’t wearing a jacket. She accepted the teacup from Alfred and made herself at home. She had brought a book to read to Dick, as she had promised the month before. The book wasn’t in English or any known Earth language, so Dick was more than content to snuggle into her side as she read to him. She ran her fingers through his hair, smiling as she acted out the scenes in different voices. Bruce was smitten.

Bruce took her out for a walk for Christmas. For whatever reason, she really hated the holiday. He was indifferent to it—he was raised Jewish—but she held Dick’s hand in hers and listened to him talk about the carols of Santa. Bruce and Jazz knew that Dick didn’t believe in Santa, but that he just liked the stories. Jazz then told them about one planet she had visited where their patron of the holiday would visit each child and give them their hearts desire. But that looks could be deceiving and that the people of that world had to be careful what they wished for.

By Valentine’s Day, Bruce had fallen for her harder than he had ever fallen for anyone else. Jazz was laying on the couch, her head on the floor and her bare feet across the back of the couch. She was reading another book out loud to Dick, who was also hanging upside down off the couch to listen to her. He simply shook his head and continued on. She had become part of their household over the last few months.

Dick surprised Jazz on Mother’s Day with a homemade card. He also called her Mom for the first time. Jazz hadn’t ever cried that hard before in her life. She hugged him right, smothering him with kisses. Bruce didn’t connect the dots to what this meant for him until later on.

Early JL days. Except one change: Jazz Fenton is Green Lantern instead of Hal Jordan or John Stewart. When the alien crashed in the desert , Jazz tried to save him but wasn’t successful. Jazz had spent the majority of her time off planet with Danny exploring the universe after he became Ghost King. She didn’t even know the last time she had been to Earth. She had pretty much given up her life as a human, which she was okay with. She had nothing left there anyways.

So when Jazz becomes GL, this leads Bruce to knowing nothing about her or her human identity. She had nothing recent. Bruce hates this unknown, and vows to learn everything about her.

He never planned to fall in love with her.

[goggles-mcgee]

Can we have some head canons from Wish Me Away? Baby!Marinette sounds absolutely adorable!

Of course!

• The first person to find Marinette is Titus and at first Tikki and Plagg freak out but baby Marinette is all smiles and just happily rushes over to the "chiot (puppy)" as she keeps repeating

• Titus looks at this tiny human and just is like, ah yes she is tiny family. Must bring to Damian. Which he does by picking her up by the back of her onsie gently and taking her to down to the Batcave where he knows the family and Damian is.

• Tikki and Plagg of course go along after insuring that the Miracle Box is hidden somewhere safe and that Marinette is in no actual danger with the giant dog.

• Damian just hears Titus's footsteps and turns around to greet his dog but freezes when he sees the tiny infant in his dogs jaw. He literally doesn't know how to react other than to stare until finally he punches his father on the arm and angrily point at Marinette. "Father! Another? I thought I was the last one!"

• Bruce turns at that and is just as, if not more, confused as he take in the sight of the baby that is being put down by Titus. She stares at all of them just staring at her and starts to whine and tries to hide behind the large dog. "I'm fairly certain she's not mine. More importantly where did Titus get her from?"

• Dick is the one to swing into action and approach the small girl, he makes sure to sit down to reduce his height hoping it'll make him less intimidating before he introduces himself. "Hello, I'm Dick, who are you?"

Marinette gave him a big smile and waved, "Hi, Hi, Hi, Hi, Bonjour!"

Or well Dick thinks she said Bonjour, it was a little baby-fied, but he gave her a smile and waved in return.

• Jason is just staring at the small child, but he is trying to be as discreet as possible as he puts his gun back in it's holster.

• Tim is out of his seat as well and sitting on the ground too as he looks at her, "black hair, blue eyes, and a note attached to her shirt that translates to 'They wished me away, Here I am safe'. I don't know Bruce, seems right up your alley." He mumbles with a raised brow and small smirk.

• Now it was Damian's turn to come and sit, he took the note off the girl fast but he tried to be gentle about it. He read and just looks at his father like he is actually absolutely done with him. "Did you seduce some French woman we didn't know about? Father what about the Kyle woman? This child can't be more than a year old."

• At this point Jason can't hold it in anymore and just absolutely loses it and starts laughing, Marinette doesn't know what's going on but she hears laughing and she starts laughing to. Alfred hears commotion going on and goes down to the Batcave with sandwiches and sees this little girl laughing along with Jason and just sighs and looks over at Bruce and shakes his head. "Oh Master Bruce, not again."

• Jason loses it again, and Dick and Tim have joined him, which makes Marinette laugh even harder and Damian even gives a small smirk.

• Once they calm down Marinette gets up and walks over to Alfred who looks down and greets her. All she does is give him a smile and points to her heart then his and says "Paon." Everyone is confused as to why this small child just called Alfred a peacock and the the floating things came out and chaos erupted.

• the Kwami, as that's what they said they were explained everything that happened to the small child and what the were and who she was, there was another long discussion on what was to be done. It wasn't really hard for Bruce to decide he would adopt her but he was rather upset that she was supposedly the Guardian of these gods and the magical jewelry they were bound to and there was nothing he could do about that. Also the fact she did remember her past life so that may make things a bit difficult if not interesting.

• There was also the fact they would need to give her a new identity, Bruce explained it to everyone and everyone wanted to help pick a name for her. Marietta Martha Méh-fùnh Fu-Wayne. The boys had all wanted their picked names in there but Bruce vetoed that very fast as well as the last names because Marietta's name would have been 20 names long already.

• It was work but they were all getting used to having little Mari around along with the little gods that floated around with her. Alfred had quickly made up a room for her and he asked what color she liked and it was no surprise when she yelled out an excited "Pink!"

• It was also hard to adjust to having a baby around especially when they went out to do their vigilante business. It was especially a big surprise when a little bundle of red and black polka-dots knocked Batman out of the sky when he was using his grappling hook with a loud "Dad-dee!"

• There is now a swear jar in the manor after the F Word incident that occurred with Jason and Mari.

• Gotham is in LOVE with little Marietta when Bruce introduces her at a gala. She even meets Jagged again and she melts his heart when she gets excited to see him and goes "Uncle Jagged! Rock an Roll!" And Jagged is just like "Hell yeah I'm your uncle. Penny did you hear that? I'm her uncle!"

• The Justice League all make jokes and just genuinely laugh about the whole thing until they meet her and then Diana bows to the child and calls her Little Goddess and then confusion sets in.

• So many kwami shenanigans because Mari takes them out to play with them and they are DELIGHTED

• Damian is a little jealous of Mari in the beginning but then he catches her trying to copy him when he's training and he can't help but smile at her and help her, then he takes her to the library to draw and that's how they bond, that and with the animals.

• Dick likes to teach her gymnastics. He likes to hear her laugh when he straps her on to him so he can take her on the aerial silks that Bruce and Alfred got him for Christmas one year.

• Jason reads to her with her in his lap. Not just kid books but classical literature, he knows she's paying attention and that makes him laugh a little bit he loves it.

• Tim and her watch movies together, especially if she feels like he's doing too much work and is stressed.

• Alfred and her bake, well she "mixes" things for him, he even bought her a little stool and a matching apron with his. He may have also bought her mini kitchen utensils.

• Bruce doesn't really know what to do with her but he likes to watch her play with her toys that he bought her, but he notices that she likes to watch him while he works in the study so he set up a little desk for her to "work" on. Really she just scribbled nonsensically on papers and showed them off to him. Sometimes he would ask her something about his work and she would babble at him or nod her head solemnly.

• Sometimes Mari has nightmares and it's really sad to hear, the only one she seems to let help her besides the kwamis is Alfred, Cass when she's over, and Jason.

• It was take your child to work day and Bruce took Mari when he had a meeting he had forgotten about, at this point Mari has already turned 2, he takes her in the meeting with him when the other party agrees it's fine. He expects Mari to be her friendly excited self but when they get into the meeting he feels her freeze in his arms when he greets Mrs Emilie Agreste and her son Adrien. The whole meeting Mari is hiding her face in his chest and shaking, he's terribly worried and more so when he sees Tikki glaring at the woman and her son from Mari's backpack.

[samuel-de-champagne-problems]

What was on the TOP of their Haukkah/Christmas/Birthday/etc list as a kid?

Chemistry kits, suture sets, things like that. But at the very top were books

What did their high school love letters look like?

Quotes because he didn't feel confident in his own words, careful handwriting because his normal handwriting was too messy, old language because he wanted to be formal, never sent

What is their bedtime routine?

Shower at night in case he gets called in for a case in the middle of the night, change into pj's, skin care routine he was given by penny g, brush teeth, take medication (melatonin gummies, prescriptions, etc.), write a letter to his mom, make tea, read until he falls asleep

Describe their happiest birthday.

His first birthday with the team. The cake and celebration was a bit much for him but everyone was really sweet. Penelope had a small party for him in her batcave with several books he hadn't read, hotch told him he was proud of him and gave him a gift card to a coffee shop that he still goes to, jj got dinner with him (not a date, they're just pals and Spencer got over her after she misunderstood the date), gideon got him a gift that didn't have the intended effect, but jj and Spencer became close friends and the fact that gideon gave him a gift made him happy, elle got him some alcohol that he didnt ever drink, but it looked cool, and morgan agreed not to take him out to a bar, instead watching a movie together and giving him a supply of gummies that lasted 3 months

What makes them melt romantically?

Compliments on the smallest things, things he doesn't usually hear: how his hair looks, how a color looks on him, how compassionate he is

Also, seeing you wear his clothes

What was on the TOP of their Haukkah/Christmas/Birthday/etc list as a kid?

Yes!! I agree with everything, but I feel like once his dad left it got harder and harder to afford presents and stuff with his mom's condition making it hard for her to work steadily. So years she'd completely forget that it was his birthday or a holiday, but one year she remembered it was his birthday. They went to their local burger place and Spencer got a special birthday milkshake. In the park he'd lay on their picnic blanket and she'd read to him from the Little Prince, his favorite book growing up. It was her copy that her mom gave her and she passes it down to him. He holds on to it forever and it's his most favorite thing in the world.

What did their high school love letters look like?

His high school love letters, yes, would be quotes from romantic poets or writers because he doesn't have the words or confidence to articulate what he feels. Also, I think he'd feel more puppy love than actually "real love" because he's like younger than 12 in high school. I always thought it's a cute headcannon that 12 year old Spencer tutors high schoolers for extra pocket money. He goes to their houses, but at the one house the sibling has a younger sibling and he gets a massive crush on them and tries to tell them by slipping them a note in his messy handwriting.

What is their bedtime routine?

I did this for @reidslibrarybook and it's basically just getting clean, cats, and snuggles and sleeping till 11.

Describe their happiest birthday

Well, I kinda did this already... but I love yours! It's really sweet and I adore found family and they are the literal definition of found family. And their gifts are so perfect. Also, I'm cackling that amazing profiler Jason Gideon is a Jeider..like dude they have no chemistry how are you seeing this??? I'm questioning your skills, man.

What makes them melt romantically?

Spending time together, time is so valuable to Spencer and the idea that you'd carve out time of you days to spend with him, makes him feel special. I think he'd appreciate you doing little things for him too. Making sure he gets home safe from you apartment when you're just starting to date and don't feel comfy with sleepovers yet. Or random texts with the most random things that remind you of him. I think he'd be so flustered with compliments at first, which just makes you want to do them more. His cheeks would turn all red the first time you tell him he looks very handsome. He'd love it secretly, but protest externally. He would literally die if he saw you wearing his cardigans or sweaters and would resign to the fact that he's never getting them back.

[dessarious]

Misconceptions, Miscommunication, and Misinformation Pt43

Inspired by @ozmav Maribat AU

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The next week was highly amusing for Damian. He’d warned Ladybug that the League wouldn’t like her ultimatum and after seeing their reactions she agreed that they would need to take steps. As soon as they got back she disappeared for three hours before coming back with the Horse Miraculous. Since he knew all the heroes, including civilian identities, she was trusting him to find and get rid of anyone who decided they didn’t need to listen to her. The feeling he had was like what most people feel on Christmas morning, at least from his understanding.

None of his family tried to enter Paris since they’d been given a task but he kind of wished Todd would have decided to try. As it was he spent his time finding heroes and transporting them to remote locations. He got to leave Superman in the Amazon, twice. The second time he took his luggage to an undisclosed location which wouldn’t have been a big deal except for the fact that his wedding ring was in there. If he went home without it his wife would find a way to kill him. Damian promised to tell him where he left it only if he agreed to stay away from Paris. He was almost sorry when they all gave up, this was the most fun he’d had in years.

After that the Justice League got his father to agree to conference calls three times a week. The only good that came out of that was that Damian finally had a perfectly good reason to get an apartment and it was his father’s fault. The privacy was necessary and he and Marinette turned it into a bunker of sorts. It had food for every Kwami, just in case, was patched into the Batcave to monitor cameras around Paris, and had a supply of weapons Damian insisted were necessary even if he wasn’t allowed to fight Akumas.

She had a new cat that went by Discorde. It had to be Chloe, there was absolutely no one else Marinette trusted, but he was constantly second guessing that assumption because they didn’t act at all the same around each other when they were transformed. If it was Chloe she made sure to hide her identity with her transformation as well. Her eyes and hair were both a light shade of brown and the outfit wasn’t nearly as form fitting as the previous wielder. Add to that the combat boots and it didn’t sound like Chloe at all but he still couldn’t come up with any other possibilities. He’d interacted with her a few times as Robin and still couldn’t pin it down for certain one way or the other. He told himself it was the Miraculous magic, but wasn’t entirely certain that was true either.

Discorde didn’t know about the apartment though and when Damian asked Marinette about it she just said it wasn’t necessary for now. The less any one person knew the better so that Hawkmoth wouldn’t have multiple sources of information. He could tell she wasn’t happy about it though. Marinette was a terrible liar and he could say with certainty that Miraculous magic was definitely what had kept her identity a secret for so long. The halfhearted nonsense that spewed out of her mouth wouldn’t fool anyone, except maybe her ex classmates.

Marinette and Chloe had started at a new lycee and seemed to be enjoying each other’s company rather than branching out and making new friends. He thought it was a wise decision though he had a feeling Marinette’s reasons were different from his.

It was about two weeks after the meeting in the Watchtower that the Justice League got a taste of what was really going on in Paris. Damian was on a call with them when an Akuma struck. He didn’t expect it to be much of a problem, he’d yet to see one that was even worthy of being called a villain, but he was quickly proved wrong.

He’d taken his tablet to a roof close enough to let them see the fight but far enough away, he thought, to not be in the line of fire. This Akuma looked just as ridiculous as the other’s he’d seen and seemed to spout the same drivel. Now that Ladybug had Discorde instead of Chat he figured it would take twenty minutes top.

He couldn’t hear what the Akuma was actually saying, it was usually fairly boring anyway. Ladybug was talking to them to distract them while Discorde snuck up behind. It would be good for the Justice League to see how efficient they could be. Suddenly the Akuma flung their hand towards Ladybug who managed to leap out of the line of fire. Where she had stood was a ten foot long crater. He heard a surprised inhale from his tablet, but ignored it as the Akuma turned for Discorde. He watched in horror as Ladybug pushed them out of the way taking the full force of the hit. She was thrown into the air, straight at him but he couldn’t react fast enough.

He turned just as she slammed into the chimney behind him with a sickening crack and fell to the roof. He was too shocked to even move as she groaned and moved to get back up. She had a gash on her forehead that was dripping blood in her eye and she tried to reach up to wipe it away but her arm wasn’t moving right. She frowned at it for a moment before looking up at him.

“Robin could you help me pop my shoulder back into place?” Her tone was so matter of fact that he was moving instantly to do as she asked. When he pulled her arm to help resocket the join she winced but otherwise didn’t show any reaction. “Thanks, you might want to back off a bit. This Akuma was born of rage and they are likely to target anything that moves.” And then she was off, back towards danger.

He ended up going back to the apartment while Batman patched into the security cameras around Paris so they could watch the fight in relative safety. It took almost four hours and by the end of it Ladybug and Discorde were both covered in cuts and bruises. He wasn’t even sure how they were still standing at this point, magic suits or not. When they finally managed to break the Akumatized object, a note of some kind, he watched Ladybug and Discorde lean heavily on each other but only for a moment. It happened so fast he might have imagined it. Then Ladybug purified the Akuma and cast her cure healing everything including their injuries.

He and the League members watched as Ladybug comforted a girl, no more than ten. He’d told them that Hawkmoth had a tendency to use children but watching this, seeing a teenager fight the way Ladybug had then turn around and comfort a sobbing girl who’d almost killed her was different. It finally seemed to sink in for some of them what was really going on and why it would be such a disaster for them to be in Paris. For his part Damian couldn’t get the sight of her broken and bleeding on that rooftop out of his head. He’d seen her take hits before, but there was never any sign of it. He’d assumed her suit kept her from being injured. He thought about the calm if slightly annoyed tone she used when she asked him to help her with her shoulder. How often did something like that happen?

AO3   Beginning   Previous    Next

Kofi

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[vgirl-10123]

Decorating (Damianette Fic)

    A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I missed the first 2 days but i wanted to add something to my #1 favorite ship atm. I appreciate any and all feedback! Also I know there's not a lot of dialogue, I really suck at it.

It was November 29th, and Marinette was just finishing packing up for her Christmas trip to Gotham. Her parents had allowed her to travel to Gotham for Christmas this year as they would be busy with the bakery this time of the season. She was sure that they just wanted her to spend some time with a certain green-eyed someone, but they would never admit it if she asked. After she came back from a class trip, they saw how she seemed to brighten up. She seemed to laugh more and they didn’t miss the noticeable blush when she got a call from him.

During her class trip to Gotham City, she had met someone, a boy. Damian Wayne to be more precise. She had been going on a tour of Wayne Enterprises and was eating lunch in the cafeteria with Alya , Adrien, and Nino, when a man with impossibly green eyes sat down in front of her and the rest was history. They ended up hanging out for the rest of the two weeks they were there. Joined at the hip, hanging off each other, holding hands, the list goes on and on. They managed to stay in contact since then and no one was surprised when the started dating 3 months later. He came to Paris for a vacation. At the end of it, he asked her to be his girlfriend on the Louvre.

Another thing, they know each other’s identities. It was by accident. She was hanging out with Damian In Gotham when she got an akuma alert. She managed to leave to Paris and when she came back with Adrien through a portal and about to detransform, Robin was watching the whole thing and saw the detransformation. He stepped out of hiding and with Marinette and Adrien freaking out about how he can’t tell anyone and about how they are so screwed, Robin started laughing. He wiped away tears and brought them to the batcave. Once there, he pulled off his mask and revealed that he was Damian. Adrien being Adrien was confused, but Marinette managed to figure out the identities of the other bats before even officially meeting them. To say she impressed the big bat was an understatement. Her and Tim bonded over their intelligence. Adrien and Dick had managed to form a quick bond over their sunshine sides. Surprisingly, Marinetter and Jason had actually became really close. All in all, Bruce mentally adopted 2 children that night.

So, Bruce had generously offered them to visit Gotham for the holidays. They would come from December 1st and stay until January 3rd. Both Adrien and Marinette were able to go. That leads us to now.

“So Marinette, are you excited to see Dami?” Adrien asked with a teasing tone in his voice.

“Adrien! If you must know, yes, yes I am,” Marinette said sticking her nose up in the air before giggling. “I’m actually super excited to see him. It’s been a few months now and even though we video chat, it’ll be nice to see him in person.”

“I get it. Plagg is so excited that he gets to see Jason again. Says he just radiates destruction and chaos.”

“Maybe from the Lazarus pit that brought him back to life? I don’t know. Either way, Tikki over here is so ready to see Alfred and his new cookie recipes he has.”

“That reminds me, Plagg is excited for all the cheese that is going to be there. Says that someone’s bound to set out camembert for him.”

Marinette laughs, then looks at the time. “Hey Adrien, I have to go. I promised Master Fu that I would grab Kaalki before it got too dark out. I’ll see you at patrol tonight yeah?”

“Okay. See you then, M’lady.”

“Goodnight Chaton.”

The morning, at 5 a.m., she and Adrien boarded the plane. Many hours later they arrived in Gotham. Alfred had picked them up and they had set off to their rooms for a much needed nap. Once they woke up, they went their separate ways. Marinette to Damian and Adrien to the kitchen for some food. They didn’t fully recover until 3 days later. Apparently, jet lag had hit much harder than intended.

December 3rd, Marinette woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in days. She went down to the kitchen and saw that Alfred was the only one up. She helped him make some muffins for breakfast and talked about recipes and kwamis.

Marinette spent the day with Damian and his brothers, playing some board games and card games. She absolutely bested them at poker by the way. The only bad part about the whole day was that it was the first akuma since they had arrived in Gotham. Her and Adrien had suited up and left in a portal to Paris.

The akuma was relatively easy, just a nightmare a little kid had, nothing they haven’t handled before. It had only lasted an hour and they made it back to Gotham in record time. It was so perfect that by the time they got back, Dick and Jason had just got a tree set up in the living room.

They both had immediately started helping. Getting the lights untangled, putting on ornaments, putting on the tree skirt, the works. They had finished the tree around an hour later. She was curled up with Damian, hot chocolate in hand, and sitting around the fireplace. Looking to her right, she saw Adrien sleeping with Plagg in his arm. Gazing around the room she also saw Dick sprawled on the couch, Jason with his feet on the coffee table, and Tim curled up in the corner of the couch with his cup of coffee. Bruce sat in the chair with a book in hand. She looked down and saw Tikki curled up in her hoodie that she had put on. Faintly, she heard alfred in the kitchen cleaning up. She glanced up at Damian and saw him smiling softly at her.

“What?”

“Nothing Angel. I love you habibti.”

“I love you too Damian.” And with that thought, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

[xxsovereignsarayaxx]

Sign he loves you - Supernatural

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas/Holiday. Here’s something that I’ve had in the works for a couple weeks. <3 

Paring: Dean x Reader Warnings: None Word Count: 2210 Snippet: After a hunt goes wrong, Dean and Sam try and form some normality for the reader.

*Dean’s POV*

“How is she?” Sam whispered to his brother to whom had closed the door of the bedroom you both shared. “She’s still sleeping” Dean mumbled looking down at the floor. “She was stupid Sammy, just plain stupid trying to protect us both and now she paid the price” Dean added, slowly getting himself worked up. “Dean, Y/N did what she did because she loves you and cares for us. Be thankful she’s still here” Sam replied to his brother, he sounded a little harsh but Sam knew Dean needed tough love right now and not to be coddled Sam knew that Y/N would have done the same if it were a different scenario. “Just wish there was something I could do for her, Cas is a no show and no matter how many times I pray to him. He doesn’t bring his sweet feathery ass down here” Dean admitted, sighing as he had a look of defeat on his face. “All we can do at the moment is watch over Y/N and when the time comes be there for her when she wakes up. It’ll be a shock.” Sam reminded Dean. “Yeah it’ll be a shock alright” Dean mumbled to himself and walked off to the kitchen to grab a beer. Bending down while he had the fridge open he searched for something to eat, mentally scolding himself for not picking something up sooner. Settling for a piece of left-over pie he sat down and twisted the cap on his bottle taking a large gulp of the beverage. Almost slamming the bottle down he ran his large hand through his hair as the accident kept playing over and over in his mind. 

48 Hours Prior

“This must be the place, a red and white painted barn and look there’s the broken bit of fence the victim’s sister told us about.” You had said to Dean and Sam. “With the amount of people that has gone missing we’re looking at a slightly bigger than normal nest, twelve to fourteen vamps at most.” Sam had responded. “Then how about we behead these bloodsuckers.” Dean spoke profoundly slicing his machete through thin air. “Sounds perfect, I’ll handle the baby vamps while you two have fun in there” You said winking at the brothers. Bringing up your weapon getting in a defensive stance your carefully unlocked the barn door but the second you lightly tread through the entrance you heard a click when your foot touched the ground. Swallowing hard you put your hand up as a sign for the boys to stop, “When I say go I want you to turn around and run” You said to them both. “Son of a bitch” Dean shouted. Having parents in the army you thought to yourself to have a slight upper hand where it came to weapons and stuff so when you heard the sound and then letting out a sigh of relief when it wasn’t a pressure mine, you had time to run this was just a tripwire. “Sam get Dean out of here now, I’ll be right behind you I promise” You said to the younger brother. The brothers stood still in a state of shock. “SAM!” You shouted. Sam had come back down to earth and had been able to get his brother to leave the barn to what they had thought was a safe distance. But they were wrong, turns out the vamps had lined the place with explosives and the barn just blew to bits. Leaving wood, hay, straw and three injured hunters in their wake. Dean had been the first to stir, his eyes strained and watered as all he could see was a thick black smoke, rolling over to his side he carefully picked himself up grabbing his left shoulder in pain. He wobbled over to his brother slapping him slightly to bring him around. Sam had groaned and supported his throbbing head. Accepting his help from Dean the two had rushed over to his girlfriend.

Normally the sound of Dean’s snoring often woke you from your slumber but this time when you had woken up you heard nothing and it broke your heart, turning your head to see that Dean was still asleep, pushing the covers back just enough you swung your legs over the edge of the bed. The feeling of the floor against your bare feet was a welcomed feeling. As you stood up straight you had stretched your joints popping and the feeling brought a smile of relief knowing it was only your hearing was affected. Pulling the covers back over Dean, making sure he was warm enough, you smiled and crept out of your bedroom, tottering into the kitchen area you popped the kettle on, sorting yourself a cup of tea, you sipped it gingerly. You had you back to the entrance and didn’t realise that Sam had come into the kitchen. Although he didn’t mean to spook you when he placed his hand on your shoulder it had made you jump and you dropped your hot drink. “Y/N, I’m sorry” Sam mouthed slowly. “It’s ok Sam accidents happen, how are you and Dean?” You had asked but it felt very strange not being able to hear what you had just said. “Some bruises and stitches nothing serious, I’m guessing you know about” Sam spoke slowly and clearly allowing you to read his lips. “My hearing” You replied pointing to your right ear you nodded. Bending down you had started to pick up the broken bits of china from your cup making sure not to cut your delicate skin. Once all the bits were picked up and in the bin you had moved into the area where the three of you would sit and do research. You hadn’t noticed until it was too late that Sam had left you too it, thinking to yourself he must have gone for a shower or see Dean you had traced your hands over some of the books that were nestled in the bookcase selecting a thick and worn red coloured book. Thankful that the men of letters basically had a book on everything you had sat down and started to read.

Growing up both of your parents had been in the army so when you had to you would often look after yourself and your younger brother. When you had turned ten your father had returned safe and sound or so you thought, he had gone deaf from being too close to an I.E.D bursting his eardrum. He never really seemed the same after that and to try and make things easier and happier for him so you both learned sign language this allowed you to speak to one another. And for a time it had worked, gradually teaching your younger brother so he too could speak with his dad. 

Remembering the simple times before you had gotten mixed up in the hunter world you had wiped a stray tear that had rolled down your face while you got immersed in your reading material.     

*Dean’s POV*

Rolling over in the bed Dean had instinctively had tried to reach out to Y/N, opening one eye his vision blurred when he patted the bed to find you absent. He reluctantly got up and left the warmth of the bed, putting on his ‘dead guy robe’ he headed off to find his brother and girlfriend. Walking down the halls he saw his brother. “Hey, Y/N’s awake” He said. “Yeah I saw, how does she seem?” Dean asked. “I scared her by mistake so she may be a little jumpy, we had a quick conversation but she was distracted which is understandable” Sam explained. Nodding his head Dean took in what Sam had told him. “Thanks Sammy” He said and brought his brother in for a hug. “I’m going to go on a food run any requests?” Sam asked as he broke the brotherly hug. “Y/N loves strawberry tart maybe see if you can get the ingredients for me? See if she’s up for a little baking this afternoon.” Dean replied. “Course man I’ll see what I can find, gives me an excuse to head over to the farmers market now” Sam said sarcastically. Laughing Dean patted Sam shoulder as he made his way through the ‘batcave’. Seeing you engrossed in a book curled up in an armchair, he sighed hating that you couldn’t hear anymore. 

The only sounds coming from the room was the sound of pages turning and both of your steady breathing. Approaching you cautiously he knelt down and closed the book you were reading. 

“Hey” You mouthed to Dean. He reached out and placed one of his large hands on your head and stoked your hair to which was a favourite habit of his. Closing your eyes and smiling at the action you lent into his touch. Dean picked up the book and studied the title. ‘American Sign Language Vol.1’. “How are you feeling?” He asked making sure you could see his lips. “I’m ok, nothing seems to hurt now. How long was I asleep?” You said. However you noticed Dean wince a little you made a mental note thinking you had spoken very loudly. Looking down at the ground  tears seemed to have flooded your face. Removing the book from your lap Dean had brought you to him, allowing you to wrap your limbs around him as you sobbed into his chest. Stroking your hair once more and rubbing your back trying to get you to calm down. He brought his lips to your hair and you felt the vibrations of his voice into your scalp. Pulling away slightly so Dean could look at you he brought a thumb and cleared away your tears then wiping his thumb on his robe. “Everything will be fine Y/N, I promise” Dean promised to you. Nodding, believing him he brought you in for a kiss. 

After a shower and a change of clothes you felt a little more human, after tidying up your bedroom putting Dean’s dirty clothes into the wash basket you made your way to do the laundry. Carrying the basket through the hallways, you felt something. The hairs on your arms had stood up. Because you couldn’t see anything you, let it go and went to carry on with your chore. 

*Dean’s POV*

“Hey I’m back” Sam had called out as he brought in his bags of shopping from the farmers market. “Did you find the stuff?” Dean asked as he took some of the bags from Sam. “I did, there is everything you’ll need to make a strawberry tart” Sam replied. “Cheers man” Dean said as he started to take the things he needed to make your favourite dessert. “Y/N gone back to bed?” Sam asked. “No, she had a shower and is now just doing bits and pieces. She had a bit of a cry after you left but she seems to be settled for now.” Dean responded. “What do you know on American Sign Language?” Dead added out of the blue. “It’s a predominant way for deaf people to communicate why?” Sam asked. “I want to communicate with Y/N, I want to make it easy and as comfortable as I can for her. I just want to be able to understand Sammy.” Dean admitted. “I had a friend at college who was deaf, I can teach you phrases to help you Dean.” Sam explained.  

While you were waiting for the laundry to finish you had wandered into the kitchen, to where you saw Sam and Dean signing to each other, it wasn’t fluent but you understood what was being said and a smile grew on your features. Walking into the room so the boys could see you. I love you. Dean signed. Stifling back another tear you signed back. I love you too. You looked at Sam. Thank you. Thinking to yourself it was a sign Dean and Sam loved you and that you were family.

After a few hours of some much needed relaxation of baking with Dean, to which the pair of you got flour everywhere including on each other the three of you sat on the floor eating the dessert you had made. The three of you had been laughing and you tapped Dean to get his attention as you wanted to show him something. Son of a bitch. You signed fingers moving fast. “What was that?” He asked. “Son of a bitch” You mouthed and a smile plastered his face as he repeated what you had shown him. Clapping away when he did it. 

After an eventful evening everyone had retired to get some much needed sleep and rolling over you checked your phone to see the time it was 3am in the morning seeing that Dean was in fact ‘dead to the world’ you had gotten up to get yourself a glass of water. Strolling through the halls once more to the kitchen you poured yourself a glass when you turned around shocked to see someone you hadn’t been expecting to see ever. 

“Hello Fawn, I’ve come to make you a deal” 

[nightofnyx8]

Robstar week 2019: Day 1

Alright, I’m pretty new at this writing thing, but I have been such a fan of this wonderful couple, so I decided to participate this week to celebrate these two. Hope you enjoy, and be sure to take a look at all the amazing submissions for this week!

WAYNE MANOR

X’hal. This wasn’t good. She hadn’t meant to wander off this far.

Even after all the warnings Dick had given her about how big the mansion was, her curiosity had won out and she’d gone exploring. She had lost count of how many doors she had opened, and she could never tell if she was going down the right set of stairs. They all looked the same to her. The last thing she needed was to enter one of those secret passageways Dick had mentioned and find herself stuck between the walls.

She sighed in defeat and sat down on the nearest chair, staring at the carvings lining the staircase. Everything here was adored with gold, silver, and intricate details. It was beautiful, but all a little too fancy for her taste. Even the palaces of Tamaran were decorated only with weapons of war. Sometimes she forgot that Earth was not constantly under attack—well, at least not by merciless slavers from other planets.

She had been so excited when Dick had invited her to spend the Christmas holidays with him at the mansion. She had met Batman before, but Dick wanted her to get to know the rest of the family as well. However when they had arrived, the only person to greet them was an older gentlemen in a black suit.

What had been his name? Oh, he was ever so kind.

Oh yes, Alfred.

“Are you a member of the Wayne family?” she had asked him.

“Alfred’s our butler.” Dick corrected, which only made Kory more confused.

“And what exactly is a butler?”

“Hmm” Dick mused, looking at Alfred. “Well, I suppose the normal definition of a butler doesn’t really apply to you, does it?”

The gentlemen rolled his eyes. “I believe I am the one who assures that the residents of this house don’t end up in Arkham Asylum.”

Alfred had shown her room, but soon after Batman had called Dick to help him on a case that everyone else was helping on. After promising to be back soon, he kissed her and sped off as Nightwing into the twilight, leaving Kory alone in this giant, empty house.

 Alfred had left to prepare dinner, and Kory had gotten bored of watching clouds in the fading light. She found the rooms next door to be more guest bedrooms, and wandered off down the hall. Unfortunately, she didn’t realize how large the mansion really was until it too late. She couldn’t tell which hallways she had been through and which ones led back to the main floor. She was entirely, hopelessly lost.

She sighed again, her stomach growling. She lost track of the time a while ago, and her mind vaguely wondered if Dick and the others had returned home by now. Were they looking for her?

Eventually, her hunger motivated her to keep moving. Maybe some lost soul had left behind a little something in this maze of a house. She entered a new hallway (at least, she didn’t think she had entered that hallway before) and opened the nearest door on her right. The room opened up to reveal an enormous grand piano, nestled alongside a glass-stained window that reflected the moonlight in various patterns. Beautiful yes, but not where she wanted to be. The next room revealed a library that was filled top to bottom with books. Glass cases showcased books with yellowing pages and intricate hand-painted drawings that were probably centuries old. She could have stayed in that room for hours, but she continued her search for the main floor. The last door in the hallway stored canvases and paint for the wandering artist to create whatever they wanted. Oh yes, she would be coming back to that room later���if she could find it again.

Kory descended a long, winding staircase and wondered dully how many floors this house had. She knew the Batcave was down below, but had no idea where the entrance was. Knowing her luck she’d probably end up in some booby trap set up a hundred years ago.

She opened another door to find a small gym. The next room held a gallery of paintings. There was also a room of statues, three movie theatres, and about a dozen mini golf courses (seriously, did anyone actually use these rooms?)

The next three doors in the neighboring hallway were locked. The first had multiple and complicated lock systems complete with a note stating that visitors were not welcome (unless it was Starbucks). The second had a large, “Beware of Dog” poster above a set of double-bladed swords. The third only had a sign painted in blocky lettering: No Trespassing: Violators will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.

The last door in the hallway was surprisingly unlocked. Kory opened the door slowly and found a cozy room with a simple bed and large fireplace at the end. She was about to leave when something caught her eye. She entered and found herself drawn to a beautiful painting positioned above the fireplace. A man with jet-black hair that looked curiously like Dick had his arms wrapped around a thin woman with auburn hair. They looked very much in love. Kory examined the eyes of the woman with curiosity. She would recognize those eyes anywhere; she got lost in them every time her boyfriend looked at her. A sudden realization jolted through her. This was Dick’s old room.

She didn’t want to pry, but there were many things she recognized as she looked closer: old red bird-a-rangs from his days as Robin, newspaper clippings of mysterious characters, and an entire shelf dedicated to cereal boxes. Kory laughed quietly to herself as she pulled down an open box of Fruit Loops. As she did, she realized that a wall panel next to the cereal shelf was opened slightly. She reached in and found the contents to be pictures.

She sat down on the bed and went through each one of them. Pictures of Bruce (mostly brooding), of Wally doing dumb things, of Victor and Garfield doing even dumber things. There were pictures of a much younger Dick, younger than before she had met him. She had forgotten how short he was back then. And there were many more pictures with people she did not recognize: a red-headed woman in a wheelchair at the computer; Dick laughing with two other boys, both with dark hair and blue eyes; a young man asleep with a large, black dog at his side. She flipped to the last picture and recognized herself and Robin dancing together. Kory smiled. She remembered that night, at a Junior Prom on a cruise ship beneath the stars…

“Why am I not surprised to find you here?”

Kory jumped and saw Dick standing at the doorway, looking relieved.

“Next time I’m giving you a tracker.” He continued. “We’ve all been looking for you for the past hour.” He sat down next to her and kissed her forehead. “You alright?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I suppose I did get a little lost.”

“What’s this?” He plucked the photo from her hands. “Ah yes, our little prom date. I had never seen you quite so jealous, Princess.”

Kory scoffed. “Would you like me to repeat how you acted in response to my betrothal on Tamaran?”

Dick roared with laughter. “Alright, you win this round.”

Kory was silent for a moment as she looked again toward the picture of Dick’s parents.

“You have your mother’s eyes.” She stated simply.

“Hmm?” His gaze followed hers and his expression softened. “Oh. Yeah, everyone tells me that. You know, she’s the one who pegged the name ‘Robin’ in the first place.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He smiled to himself at the memory and continued. “My mother designed a costume for me so we would all match in our trapeze acts. I hated it at first, I felt like a walking green, red, and yellow target. But she told me that I reminded her of little robin, flying high in the air. So I guess it stuck in the end.”

Kory listened carefully. It was rare that he talked about his parents, and she wanted to memorize every single detail he revealed to her.

“I wish I could have met her.” She finally said.

“She would have liked you.” Dick replied. “Especially being that you can actually fly. Mom would have been ecstatic.”

“Well, I always feel like flying around when I am around you.” Kory blushed slightly as Dick fixed her with his clear, blue eyes. Grinning, he bent down to kiss her, but they were interrupted by the sound of Kory’s stomach growling.

“Oh my,” Kory held her stomach. “I believe I am ‘starved’ as you say.”

Dick laughed again. “Alright, Princess. Dinner first, and then I’ll introduce you to the rest of my crazy family.”

She took his hand as he led her out the door. Her love wasn’t exactly an open book, but she loved putting together the pieces of his life, little by little. And she fell more in love with him every single time.

Perhaps she should get lost more often.

[thecomicsnexus]

BATMAN: NOËL NOVEMBER 2011 BY LEE BERMEJO, BARBARA CIARDO AND TODD KLEIN

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC DATABASE)

In Gotham City, Batman tracks down a man named Bob Cratchit that he knows to be working for the Joker. Bob has a young son, and out of desperation, he took a job doing a delivery for the Clown Prince of Crime. Batman catches up with him, though, causing him to drop his package. The package is full of the Joker's money, and Batman grabs him, interrogating him about his enemy's whereabouts. Bob knows nothing, and knowing that the Joker will want his money back, he uses Bob as bait, and lets him go free - with a tracker placed on his scarf.

Bob returns home to find his son Tim fashioning a makeshift Christmas tree out of a dead plant and some garbage. The boy is excited to show his creation to his father, but the stressful encounter with Batman has left Bob rather harrowed. Tim wanted to add something to represent Batman to his tree, because Batman is a good guy. Thinking of himself, Bob mutters that sometimes good people have to do bad things.

In the Batcave, Alfred notes that Bruce seems to have a rather severe cough, and should probably not be out in the cold so much. He notices that Bruce is performing surveillance on the Cratchit household, and expresses some disgust at his master's invasion of privacy - and in particular his placing a child in danger by using a parent as bait. Bruce believes that if left to his own devices, Bob Cratchit will raise his son to be a criminal like him. Alfred coldly warns that there was once another boy whose future was risked on his watch.

That boy was Robin. As Batman's sidekick, the boy had brought out a side of his mentor that has not been seen in some time. But Robin is dead, and has been for years. And with him went that happier side. Still sick, Bruce has a vision of Robin, and that apparition warns that he will be visited by three more people who will help him to see what he's lost.

Batman responds to the Bat-Signal and meets with his confidante Commissioner Gordon. Gordon tips Batman off to a report that Catwoman plans to knock over an auction house and may have some information about the Joker's whereabouts. Batman thinks it would be a waste of time to check into it, given the games Selina plays, but decides to stop her anyway.

Near Sprang's Auction House, Catwoman jokes that she could hear Batman's laboured breathing from far away, and dares him to chase her. Angrily, he grabs her and demands to know where the Joker is. Coyly, she responds that she made the story up just to get him to come for her. As he leaves in anger, she calls after him that he has changed. He used to be more determined to pursue her, more willing to play. Annoyed, he gives in and chases her, and something about that action reminds him of the man he used to be, the man he was with Robin. However, in his condition, he is not able to do all he should, and when she makes a desperate leap across a gap between buildings, he misses his mark and falls into the alley below.

Down there, he has vivid memories of his parents' murder. His reverie is interrupted by the appearance of Superman. He comments that he heard Bruce coughing all the way from Metropolis, and using his X-Ray vision, he determines that Batman has the beginnings of pneumonia. Bruce shrugs him off, and sighing, Superman takes his friend's hand and offers to give him a lift to his car. Batman agrees on the condition that they stop by the Cratchit house. Superman comments that it is bad for a hunter to use parents or children as bait. Despite the fact that it is clear that there is plenty of love between Bob and his son, Batman is blind to it and treats the family only as a means to capturing his foe.

Superman is disappointed with Bruce's approach, and decides to show him something. Lifting the Dark Knight high above his city, Superman urges him to see the good within Gotham's citizens in their every day life. Gotham's present is full of acts of good will and kindness above and beyond its crime and dirt.

Superman takes Bruce to the home of Commissioner Gordon, where he has invited one of his officers to share some 'cheer' with he and his wife. The officer comments that there were some Batman sightings across the city, but things seem otherwise quiet. Gordon admits that his relationship with the vigilante isn't easy to keep, and his guest suggests that Batman is a necessary evil. Gordon responds that Batman is by no means evil, but that he walks a fine line and occasionally blurs that line too much. He likes to think that he can temper that instability in Batman.

Afterwards, Superman drops Batman off at the Batmobile, warning his friend to take steps to improve his health. As Bruce makes his way to the car, though, it suddenly explodes, knocking him back. Nearly unconscious, Bruce only has enough time to see a figure approaching before he blacks out. The Joker drags Batman from the alley into a cemetery. He kicks the unconscious Dark Knight into an open grave, and begins shovelling dirt on top.

In his unconsciousness, Batman dreams of a future without him. The city is full of riots, and it has been overrun by rival gangs inspired by his example - only more willing to cross the line. These gangs are at war with another gang inspired by the Joker. James Gordon is tried for aiding and abetting a known criminal, obstructing justice, harbouring a known fugitive, malfeasance in office, and accessory. He is found guilty and sentenced to 30 years without parole. Wayne Manor and its contents are sold at auction and Alfred watches his life taken away from him. Everyone who had cared for Batman is worse off - and why should they care if he died when it seemed to them that he didn't care for them at all? Realizing that he has a chance to make this all right, Batman returns to consciousness, and thrusts his fist up through the dirt which had covered him.

That night, Tim answers a knock on his door, and is horrified to find the Joker standing there. He begins laying out tools of torture on the table and demands to know where Bob is. When he threatens Tim's life, Bob gets up the nerve to come out with a baseball bat and threaten his one-time employer. Unfortunately, the Joker dodges the blow quickly and places the muzzle of a revolver in his face. He demands his money, and makes it clear that he will kill to get it.

Suddenly, Batman smashes through the window and knocks Joker to the floor. Before the clown can retrieve his gun, Bob Cratchit grabs it and turns the tables. He cries out that if the Joker wants to play games with his son's life, he will show him how to play, cocking the revolver. Joker dares him to fire, but Batman urges Bob to show his son that he is not a criminal; to show him what a hero is. Reluctantly, Bob lets the weapon drop, and Batman delivers the Joker to the police.

Tim and Bob are brought closer together by their experience, and Commissioner Gordon's faith in his mysterious friend is restored. Batman returns to the cave, and goes to sleep.

The next day, Batman furnishes the Cratchit household with a real Christmas tree, presents, and even a job for Bob courtesy of Bruce Wayne. Later, Bob would tell the story to his son, borrowing motifs from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", hoping to teach Tim that a man can change for the better.

REVIEW

I am not a Christmas person (I may be dead inside) and I am definitely not a fan of “A Christmas Carol”, perhaps because the story has been adapted too many times, with mixed results. It’s just best to create a new story.

In any case, this novel focuses in the idea of people being able to change (which is the right approach to the original material), and puts Batman in the role of Scrooge. I could debate about how accurate this could be, but the story was non-canon and it happened on the same month as the New 52 debut, if you needed more reasons to believe this was an elseworld. So let’s just accept that this Batman is always on “Mike W. Barr” mode.

I felt like the Catwoman part of this novel is perhaps the less interesting one (but it also feels like that in the original to me).

The creative twist in this novel is the way it��s told. While we can accept a narrator telling the story in a book without thinking too much about it, here, it comes as a surprise. When I started reading the novel, I thought someone was telling this story, but no. I differ with the DC Database interpretation, Bob is not telling this story with elements of “A Christmas Carol”, I think he is telling the Christmas Carol story as he remembers it. And we just happen to see a different version than the one he is narrating. It’s a bit complicated, but let’s just agree on the fact that Bob couldn’t know about Superman, Catwoman and Gordon. So we are reading two stories in parallel that have the same elements.

The art, well, do I even need to say something? It’s just mesmerizing, and the colors give his pages an “Alex Ross” feel.

I give this novel a score of 9

[squiddybeifong]

A Page Turner

Fun fact: if you go to @ravensflockofrobins and search Bette’s name, there’s one (1) post at the time I’m posting this. And it’s not even a shippy thing rip this drowning paper boat

--

She didn’t know what compelled her to take a quick vacation, exactly.

Maybe it was the lack of crime. Maybe it was the disgustingly scorching heat that summer brought. Maybe it was that she needed a break before she accidentally zapped the TV and the horrid romance movie that Starfire was playing.

Whatever the reason, Raven made up her mind. opened her eyes and moved Silkie off her lap, teleporting to her room. She considered her options and started a particular spell, one that she’d admittedly used many times before. One of the few (very few, incredibly miniscule) perks of being Trigon’s daughter: interdimensional travel.

Sliding through the dimensions as easily as flipping pages of a book, a particular timeline called to her. It smelled of bookstores and crumpled daisies and Raven blinked as she stepped into this particular universe.

The Golden Age, she reminded herself, taking in the not-so-golden scenery around her. The world around her was the sheer definition of nostalgia: the colors muted in the most charming of ways, the whimsy of the backgrounds (she simply took the buildings fading into space at the edges as a perk), the blocked off rectangles where additions would be written.

Surely more of a comic book feel than the animated life she knew, but it felt right.

What didn’t feel right was the lack of yellow. Sure, some of the stores had signs with bold letters the color of pineapple flesh. And, yeah, the lemon paint job on some of the cars was impressive. But aside from the sprinkling of pollen from the just barely blooming flowers, Golden Age Gotham wasn’t the most golden of scenes.

Honestly, with such a heavy title this ‘golden age’ was falling flat.

Raven pulled her cloak around herself and sunk into the shadows, casually setting out to explore. She avoided the areas she already knew and delved into the thick of the city, grateful that their emotions didn’t press on her as strongly as her own dimension’s did. Food vendors, students clamoring on the sidewalks as they got the most of that wonderful time between school being let out and their parents calling them in for dinner, even some rats who scurried out from the sewers, all but sunbathing as they dragged dropped pieces of food and cigarette buds back to their hovels.

Not too different from the Gotham Raven knew, but she still stayed hidden, watching all that she could. A pout involuntarily curled her lips at the sight of her favorite pretzel food-truck, replaced with a dual newspaper and ‘shoe polishing on the go!’ stand.

There was a simultaneous groan from all the kids as a clock rang, their disappointment mingling with the adults’ sighs of relief.

Raven felt the muted mix of their emotions, her lips quirking up at how similar people were in their complaints, dimensionally different or not: “Man I can’t wait to get home,” a mustached man breathed as he observed his freshly polished loafers and tucked the afternoon paper under his arm; “What? You’re betting on the Yankees? Get outta here, ya freakin’ jag!” an incredulous teen cried at his friend, shoving his shoulder in horrified disbelief; “I swear, Debbie, all he ever says is ‘Aspic’s lookin’ good as you.’ Not tasty, or even pretty, but good! That carrot cake looks good but my aspics are gorgeous. The nerve of that man!” a big-haired woman bemoaned to her pencil skirt-clad companion.

Raven’s head tilted in confusion; what was aspic?

Before she could dwell on whatever food trends she obviously wasn’t privy to, the Bat symbol lit up the sky. At its appearance the crowd seemed to hustle home even quicker, the conversations muting to a murmur as the clouds darkened over Gotham.

The symbol was bright against the sky; one flicker, only a simple fix if this dimension was the same as her home. Raven hummed at the sight and melted even further into the inked on shadows, following the panels as she landed just beyond a bank.

An explosion sounded halfway across the city.

Half of the officers hesitated and the other half jumped into their cruisers, speeding towards the pillar of smoke. The rest glanced among themselves and followed. Raven frowned at them; it was probably a diversion.

Sure enough, she felt the giddy nerves of the bank robbers inside a few seconds later. The Titan laid her cheek in her fist and merely watched as they scrambled about, her head turning as she felt Batman’s unmistakable aura enter the page. A brow raised at the youth of his visible face, then her eyes widened to a comical size.

Oh. Oh.

The demoness froze in her spot, watching as Batman went gliding over the rooftops. But Robin wasn’t by his side. Neither was either of the Batgirls that she knew. No, this one must have been one she’d never met. Surprisingly, she didn’t display the Bat symbol on her chest at all; in fact, her crimsons and emeralds were a stark contrast to the rest of the comic, but her fit was odd.

Not quite made for being Batgirl, but inexplicably belonging in this golden age. How odd.

But her hair…

Raven swallowed the air in her throat. Well, that certainly answered why this place was the golden age.

Admonishing herself at the beginnings of a schoolyard crush that she could feel starting, Raven shifted in her spot. This wasn’t her dimension, she could potentially indulge with screwing everything up, right?

So, despite wanting to keep a low profile as she watched them fight, the empath turned into a bird and phased in just behind them, watching as this Batgirl fought. Not quite as endlessly sarcastic as Steph, not as eagerly critical as Babs, not as intense or skilled as Cass, but as excited as any Batgirl for the ability to fight alongside the Batman.

She didn’t even seemed fazed when bolded words popped up in unison with their punched and kicks. Both she and this Batman slid along the BAM!s, BIFF!s, POW!s, and WHAM!s that described their attacks without any hesitation, and within a few pages all the bank robbers were apprehended.

The blonde nodded at the police as they cuffed the men, tossing her pine cape over her shoulders. “Aw, too bad Robin missed this,” Batgirl grinned up at the cloaked vigilante, her bright smile making Raven’s heart flutter.

“We should team up more often, Batman!”

He glanced down at his sidekick for this fight, “Batwoman needs you far more than I do.”

The rejection didn’t deter her, although her grin did falter. Her hands went to her hips, “Then at least until Robin’s arm heals up. You shouldn’t have to fight alone.”

The dark knight’s head tilted in silent agreement.. “Hmmm, very well.” His masked eyes took in the groaning bodies and the sound of approaching police sirens, “Go continue patrol while I find out what these robbers know about that explosion.”

“On it!” She gave him a salute and sprinted off, a flash of blonde hair and christmas colors. She got a block away without trouble, her eyes glancing at the police as they zoomed by and her fingers curling into fists as she noted a bird following her.

Batgirl frowned. She zig-zagged through the panels but no amount of speed lines or ducking into the fading buildings stopped the little avian. So, the Gothamite dove just behind the city’s library. The secluded setting made the bird sloppy and the hero tossed two smoking batarangs, leaping and pinning the raven in place. There was a shift like one page flipping to the next and the bird’s eyes turned red. Batgirl gasped and jumped back, her fists up in a fighting stance as the bird morphed into a woman.

Blue eyes blinked, skeptical and amazed at the plum cloak and stunning lilac eyes. No, not a woman. A teenage girl, just about her own age. But Batgirl didn’t let this mystery girl’s looks perplex her for too long; she immediately sized Raven up, carefully watching how the shadows followed her every move.

This little excursion certainly wasn’t going to plan but something in the Gothamite’s face made the demoness decide to be honest, consequences be damned. A sigh escaped, then she awkwardly met the blonde’s gaze, “Uh, hello. I’m Raven.”

A stormy glare was her answer, then a terse introduction, “Bat-Girl.”

They both jumped as the Bat’s comm blared out. The empath let out a sigh, her words a bit strained, “I promise I’m not a threat.”

Bat-Girl narrowed her eyes and took out her comm. She kept the mystic out of the screen’s view as she nodded at Batman’s instructions. She noted how Raven paused as she quickly gave Batman her report, her stoic features blanching at the sound of the hero’s voice.

Raven bit back a shudder at how young the dark knight was, Certainly not quite to the point of being the gruff, sandpapery tough guy that he was in her dimension. For the first time Raven wondered if the Golden Age was on the same age basis as her reality was.

Bat-Girl signed off and tucked her comm away, muffling the one link back to the BatCave under three layers of pockets. Raven shook her head at the familiar sight, quietly musing to herself, “Figures Bruce would still be so obsessive this early on.”

She just barely dodged the kick Bat-Girl aimed her way, strands of black magic swirling around them and pinning the mortal to the bricks. Raven stayed out of arms’ reach and narrowed her eyes at the hero, trying not to spend any time taking too much stock in how defined her bare forearms were.

Refocusing, amethyst eyes searched the vigilante’s face. Raven crossed her arms over her chest, making sure that her magic didn’t squeeze the blonde to the point of discomfort. “Does Robin exist?”

A derisive snort was her answer, “You mean birds?”

“I mean Dick Grayson.”

Bat-Girl’s eyes glared behind her mask, the muscles in her arm twitching. Raven took that as an invitation to speak, “I’m a part of his team.”

“In the future?”

Raven shrugged, “Something like that.” She considered pulling back but the pulse of Bat-Girl’s emotions kept her close. The demoness raised a brow, “You don’t seem too surprised.”

“This is the golden age,” Her voice raised half a pitch as she let out an exasperated laugh, shifting under the tendril of magic pressed painfully snug to her throat. “We still get a narrator during our fights sometimes.”

She looked her animated visitor over, “Didn’t think Richie would team up with a…” She paused, taking a moment to consider just what kind of powers described Raven. “A spirit of some sort--no…” Her lips spread as she guessed, “A demon?”

“You’re perceptive.”

Blue eyes rolled but Bat-Girl didn’t stop the cocky grin from brightening her face, nonchalant to the hold she was in, “And you aren’t a threat.”

“I’m not.” The shadows that held her slunk away, “Dick and I are heroes in our dimension.”

She could feel the concern seeping out of the heroine, but still the blonde let out a sigh and rolled her fingers. If this Raven character really was a teammate of Richie’s, then perhaps she could let her guard down just a little. Although Batwoman and Batman would be disappointed in how quickly she was trusting this pretty face.

Bat-Girl rolled her jaw, “Well in this dimension I’m Bette. Bette Kane.”

Recognition lit up amethyst eyes but Raven didn’t speak and Bette didn’t question her. In fact, the not-yet retconned hero seemed to be opening up to the prospect of Raven being in her dimension, if just for a visit.

So the empath decided to test her luck. She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, “Would you mind showing me around, Bette? I’m not used to having to turn the page.”

“Pfft,” Bat-Girl snorted and Raven got the impression that she realized her words weren’t a metaphor. Instead, the teen readjusted her mask and motioned for Raven to follow, “Already got one sack of feathers to look after.”

“Well this one can take care of herself just fine.”

Her sleeved shoulders straightened at Raven’s words, affronted at the mere idea of not helping someone she could, “Doesn’t mean you should.”

“Spoken like a true bird, Miss Kane.”

Bette raised a brow, the movement moving her mask. But Raven didn’t explain and she shrugged, “Anywhere you want to see?”

“Anyplace with you there is fine with me.”

Bat-Girl ran a tongue over her teeth at the demon’s shameless attempt at flirting, trying and failing to keep a straight (hah!) face. An idea came to mind and her eyes lit up, watching as Raven’s gaze flicked to her mouth.

“You’re okay with other birds, right?”  

When the superpowered teen merely shrugged she continued, “There’s a bunch of nests over on the gates around Wedgwood Museum. Gotham Academy’s music class has been holding their practices out in front.”

Raven smirked at that, “Taking advantage of tourist season?”

“Hey, tubas are expensive!” The blonde chuckled as she motioned for the Titan to follow her, the two of them easily gliding past the stiff backgrounds. Bette grinned at her flying guest as a flick of magic kept her grapple hook from falling out of a crumbling rooftop.

The sound of music got louder as they neared the gated house. Violet eyes shut as she tried to place where she’d heard that jazzy tune before, her attention on Bat-Girl as she murmured, “But they’ve really been getting better. Sometimes I like to listen in, feed some birds when crime is pretty low.” 

Raven clicked her tongue at that. “Well I have some free time for a picnic, if you’d want.”

She glanced at Bette from the corner of her eye and felt that urge to be honest curl in her stomach again. A breath quickly escaped her before she was reminded of Batman’s instructions, “I read ahead. Apparently the robbers bought off the Riddler for a few of his bombs. Just a classic distraction case so they could get away clean.”

Bat-Girl tilted her head as Wedgwood came into view, lengthening her grappling hook until she skipped onto the ground. The two made their way towards the house in silence as Bette mused over her words, the mage’s shadows mingling with the tree’s shade to keep them from being spotted by any civilians.

“A picnic does sound nice,” Bette aimed a lazy smile Raven’s way, fiddling with the green triangles that adorned the ends of her sleeves. A gasp escaped as a disk of black magic appeared under her feet, lifting them up and levitating up to the large tree that hung just outside of Wedgewood’s gates.

Bat-Girl leaned against the mystic’s shoulder as they got settled just beyond the tree’s branches, hidden by the tulip tree’s waxy leaves. The tuba-heavy refrain started up again and Raven let herself get comfortable, clinging to the calming nerves that washed out of Bette. Her eyes slid open at the wave of nervousness and she turned to the Gothamite, “Is something wrong?”

She started to pull away, horrified that she might have made Bette uncomfortable. Bat-Girl’s hand wrapped around her wrist, preventing her from going too far. The blonde licked her lips, her words coming out faster than normal, “No, this is okay. But do you have to go after this?”

“Yeah, it’s probably getting late back at the Tower.” The cloaked teen sighed, sliding her hand down until her palm pressed against Bette’s. She weakly smiled, a lilt in her voice, “But I can always come back.”

Bette squeezed their hands, “Just to see me?”

“Just to see you.”

“Hmm,” Bat-Girl felt her smile widen as she guessed, “Perks of being a demon?”

She felt a heat curl up her face as Raven’s eyes flicked from her eyes to her lips and back again, “Something like that.”

[an-almost-dropped-croissant]

Dick Grayson General HCs

Our young dickie boy is a Quality Adult

My first hc that I’ve had for a while is that he’s pansexual

he’s just got so much love, how could he possibly only express it to one gender?

probs had a crush on Wally at some point

definitely had a crush on superman well into his twenties

you know how he canon power shovels cereal into his mouth

one of his favourite snacks is Alfreds homemade rice krispies bars

can’t get enough

brings them to the Bludhaven Police Station for a work snack

because of this his fingers are always sticky

when he was a kid he used to go searching through the manor bc hey, if there’s a secret hidden batcave, surely there’s something else he isn’t supposed to know about

spends an entire summer pulling every book on every shelf and playing every note sequence on every piano

bruce knows, and thinks it’s hilarious

always wanted a baby brother, and when a 14 year old angsty Jason Todd rolled in, he was more than thrilled

immediately tried to hug

got punched

oops

tried to teach him about girls, tutor him in school, and anything else normal 

he really wanted jason to have a semi-normal childhood, and not go through the same conflicts with bruce that he did

when jason was killed in the explosion, Dick was shattered as a person

he blamed bruce for not asking for help sooner, because by the time that Dick was called (by Alfred), Jason had minutes left

eventually healed, forgave Bruce, but never forgot

noticed Bruce was all scattered and tried to help, but was pushed away

six months later, he’s invited back to Gotham to find 13 year old Tim Drake in the batcave doing pull-ups

“nO NOT AGAIN BRUCE THOMAS WAYNE DON’T YOU DARE HURT THIS CHILD”

Tim then proceeds to list all the reasons why him being around is actually safer than Bruce brooding alone

ooPS NEW BABY BROTHER

helps him get with steph

hides the coffee

don’t get me wrong, Dick loves Tim, but Tim was so fiercly independent that it was hard to bond while also looking out for his safety

also helps Tim deal with his small crush on Kon

Jason comes back five years post death

he’s 19 now, and you can see this faint green aura around his eyes

he’s taller

baby bird is all grown up

Tries so hard to bond again, knowing he could have tried harder before

Jason, of course, is bitter, but over the course of many months of healing, Jason can start to begin being acquaintances

this is where 10 year old damian TTs his way into our hearts

sees this boy stripped of a childhood and IMMEDIATELY GETS TO WORK

BREAK DOWN THOSE WALLS

takes him to his first zoo

until Dami points out how inhumane it is and tries to”liberate” the animals

n e v e r a g a i n

also glad to have a sister for once instead of a carbon copy of him, just in different races

ugh I could do a whole HC set about his sibling relationships triple this size

he’s the glue that keeps the entire DC universe together

the Teen Titans, Young Yustice team, Justice League

everyone loves and trusts him

understandably

he lives in those super loose plaid pajama bottoms and no shirt

never has any milk

trains in the most 80′s workout gear you have ever seen

booty shorts, tank top, sweatbands

claims it helps his flow

it doesn’t

he just  has an aesthetic

eighties kids gotta represent

comes over for supper at the manor every other Sunday, half to see alfred and his bros (and kinda bruce), half to eat real food for once

for halloween went as Nightwing

year before that he was Officer Sexy

please stop him

I feel like if he was in a relationship he would want someone witty, resourceful, funny, and able to put up with his bullshit

super S/O would help bc he would’t be as worried all the time for their safety

that boyfriend who takes you out to dinner one night, then for laser-tag and chicken nuggets the next

has that white boy haircut even tho he’s romani

always visits his parents on their death day, not to be sad, but to tell them about how his life is, because he knows that they would love to see him grow up

is already listening to “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on repeat honestly

@mellowmalefactor

[dccollectors]

Once in awhile, DCCollectors.com likes to celebrate the collections that fans have put together.  We look for people with a passion for DC Comics toys and collectibles, and showcase them and their collections for other to see.  Whether you want to be inspired, or just to see how others arrange their collections, we want to spotlight the fantastic work fans have put into their collections.

Tonight we focus on a collector that has a fantastic Batman Collection.  His collection consists of more than 3,000 Batman items!  So sit back and enjoy the Batman Collection of Doug Miller.

DCCollectors – When did you decide to start pursuing this great Batman collection?

Taller Batman Figures

Doug Miller – I started around 1986 with the DC Legends mini series. I’d been reading comics since the early 70s but got serious about comics around 1981. I’ve always collected Batman comics and before the DC New 52, I amassed a complete run of Batman from issue 326 in August 1980 to issue 713 in October 2011, just over 30 years of awesome Batman stories.

DCCollectors – How many pieces do you think make up this collection?

Doug Miller – I recently counted and it totaled 3,621 items featuring just Batman.

DCCollectors – How much time and effort do you spend each week on your collection? For example looking for new items, researching, rearranging, etc…

Doug Miller – I’m in my rooms about an hour each night. Always arranging the shelf displays to get it just right. I’m always on the lookout for items I don’t have.

DCCollectors – If you could only keep one item from your Batman collection, what would that item be, and why?

Doug Miller – Easy, my Batman puppet. This was given to me by my parents when I was a kid a very long time ago. It’s the one Batman item I’d go back into the burning house for.

DCCollectors – What is your most valuable item?

DC Collectibles The Dark Knight Returns: A Call to Arms statue

Doug Miller – My DC Collectibles The Dark Knight Returns: A Call to Arms statue. It is the one item I’ve spent the most on. My most valuable item is my Detective Comics 221. It was my first 10 cent cover and even though the sticker says $85, I got it for $78 because it was what I had on me at the time. My mother got me a frame for it, and it still sits in that same frame almost 25 years later hanging proudly on my wall.

DCCollectors – Who is your favorite Batman artist and writer?

Doug Miller – Alex Ross has done some amazing covers and John Byrne did some great stuff around the Legends era. My favorite series has to be the Hush storyline. The covers and inside art was superb. Jim Lee created some fantastic artwork for that story, and his Batman style is very recognizable.

DCCollectors – What is your favorite Batman live action film, and animated film?

Doug Miller – Batman Begins put a great start to the Batman mythos. It was good in pretty much every way. Christian Bale was good as both Batman and Bruce Wayne. For animation, nothing beats the Kevin Conroy Batman: The Animated Series.

DCCollectors – I see you have quite a few Batman LEGO sets in your collection, do you open them and put them together, or do you leave them in the box?

Doug Miller – With the exception of one set, I purchased two of each. One to open and put together, and the other one to leave sealed in package.

DCCollectors – Do you have any other interests besides Batman?

Doug Miller – I’m a comic book collector primarily focusing on DC Comics, but I also collect coins, comic cards, stamps, bottles, LEGO, Mego, Star Wars, GI Joe, and toys of the 70’s I grew up with.

Section of Batman related food items. Glasses, plates, bars, chips, anything food related.

DCCollectors – Where can other collectors connect with you online? Twitter? Facebook?

Doug Miller – Facebook I’m in a few groups dealing with comics and related merchandise, and a great app called Snupps. It’s where I’ve cataloged most of my collection, and I am constantly adding to it. It’s free and very easy to use.

DCCollectors – Do you connect with other collectors to help supplement your collection?

Doug Miller – I’ve got friends and family that are into other facets of the hobby that give me additions every birthday and Christmas.

DCCollectors – What was your most recent purchase?

Doug Miller – A Batman Hot Wheels Batmobile.

DCCollectors – What would be the one thing that would make you stop collecting right now?

Doug Miller – A family illness that required funds for medicine or surgery.

DCCollectors – Where do you see the state of the collecting hobby 10 years from now?

Doug Miller – I’d like to hit the 10k mark with Batman items. It’s a lofty goal, but it’s going to be fun to try reaching it.

DCCollectors – What is the one item that you don’t currently have, that you would love to acquire?

Doug Miller – A live action suit worn by one of the actors to portray Batman on film.

DCCollectors – What is the one item that hasn’t been made, that you would like to see made?

Doug Miller – A comic accurate Batcave for figures true with giant penny, dinosaur and Batpoles.

  I want to thank Doug for taking a few moments and sharing his passion with readers of DCCollectors.com.  Check out even more of his photos below!

Doug Miller’s Batman Collection

Doug Miller’s Batman Collection

Doug Miller’s Batman Collection

Doug Miller’s Batman Collection

Doug Miller’s Batman Collection LEGO Sets

Doug Miller’s Batman Collection

Doug Miller’s Batman Collection – Hot Wheels

Batman trading cards

Batman trading cards

Batman LEGO sets.

The Joker and Harley Quinn section of the collection

Batman Mego. Puppet has strings cut off.

A selection of Batman’s Batmobiles.

A few of Batman’s closest allies.

Hallmark ornaments and some Hero Clix Batman.

Batman Stickers

Detective Comics 221

Batman odds and ends.

Batman odds and ends.

Batman odds and ends.

The Batman Collection of Doug Miller Once in awhile, DCCollectors.com likes to celebrate the collections that fans have put together.  We look for people with a passion for DC Comics toys and collectibles, and showcase them and their collections for other to see.