#their teenage sidekicks though? they get it

[mixingandmelting]

Winter Series Day 6: Teenage Crush

Summary: how he's in love with you featuring the original Robin trio

A/N: was i emotional when i wrote this? yes, no thanks to remembering jason was the sweetest and cheerful robin at the height of 4' 6" in-canon

Robin!Dick:

Daredevil, gremlin child, and the nightmare of all of Gotham’s villains was what Robin!Dick was known for. But at the end of the day, he’s just a boy that’s completely gone for you. He can’t and doesn’t let you catch a break as he constantly pokes you from starting the silliest arguments to putting on a show of his routines he used to do back in his family’s circus. Not once does he approach you like a normal person. One day he’d be creeping silently behind you, suddenly asking what you’re doing right into your ear while peering over your shoulder. The next, he would simply stand in front of you and wait for you to notice. He pouts when it seems like it’s taking you too long, though he does appreciate getting the time to engrave your form and the other expressions you make when he’s not annoying you. All of this, he does constantly, almost every other day in fact, because in his mind and heart, you are the best thing to ever enter and be in his life. It amplifies his haughtiness, silliness, goofiness, and sass as he does everything in hopes that he could strike a chance with you. So when he comes back from a long mission and you express any indiction of concern and how you missed him, his smile stretches from ear to ear, his heart fluttering from how you care for him. Of course he would probe to hear more, his desire of wanting to hear your thoughts on him but he still manages to stop himself from overdoing it. During the times when you pull an uno-reverse card on him unexpectedly, he gets extremely flustered and flushed from his “impress to woo the other person over” backfiring big time and instead, he’s falling for you all over again.

Robin!Jason:

Despite his height, he’s considered the cheerful and bright one as he steals the hearts of the Titans after a single mission, and makes Batman of all people laugh. Have you in the room and  he lights the whole place from how much he glows. Before heading to you, he sniffs his uniform to make sure it doesn’t smell like cigarettes. If it has the faintest scent of it, he goes back to the cave to change into a new one, doing so even more after learning how second-hand smoking can cause cancer. At some point he gets fed up with sniffing and changing so many times, he starts going through all the tricks to quit smoking even faster. Time to time, he brings something small, making excuses including the classic “saved an old lady crossing the road” on his way as a rose gets placed into your hands. He’s notably chattier and laughing more around you, enjoying whatever the two of you talk about even if it’s mundane and boring. He can’t help it when your passion, laughter, excitement, and smiles are infectious. His love for you is so pure that he’d be satisfied with simply being by your side, his one wish being that he can bring you as much happiness as you do for him. Time to time when you get a burger combo meal, seemingly to believe that’s his favorite based on the one time he mentioned about his memory with it whether it’s to welcome him back from a long while or randomly he gets fuzzy, warm, and the heart palpitations while he shares the meal with you. You make him feel that his life is complete, that he won the whole world which motivates him to become a better person, a “good guy” as they all say, so he can stay with you even if he ends up not being your end game.

Robin!Tim:

He’s known as the smart one as well as the one that sacrificed his chance of normal for the sake of saving Batman and currently, Gotham. You were never part of his plan as he already envisioned how his life as Batman's sidekick would look like but here he is, completely smitten for you as he figures out ahead how to approach you when he catches you hanging out. Image training, standing in front of the mirror and going through his lines and poses until Alfred caught him doing it once. Now he does it after locking his door, double, triple checking he was going to get his little gig right so he can look cool when he appears in front of you. Take the “yapper and listener” meme. That’s his relationship with you where he’s serenaded by your voice and won’t ever get sick of listening to it. If you were to express anything you need or want, he gets it and leaves it where he was standing or sitting with a small note attached. He’s also guilty of abusing his alternative identities and disguises so he could extend his time with you even outside of being Robin. Not that you would ever know as he has no intentions any time soon to out himself. There’s no other reason for him being this extra other than that you are the one that gives him the comfort and relief he needs. You are his solace that makes his self doubt disappear and everything he has done worth it. So when you do any skin ship including the scandalous hand holding, he’s equivalent to the red on his suit and mute from how conscious he gets from feeling you extremely close to him. Also gets him to forget to breathe but that’s not the issue here.

[bluerosefox]

No Longer In Service

Okay

Okay

hear me out

Ghost King Danny Summoning!

The heroes fail to stop it, everyone is panicking, they feel like they’ve truly failed to stop it. etc etc

EVERYONE is ready to fight for their final life.

They’re as ready as they can be to go against something so evil JLD are scared of it.

SO when the dome that was sealing them away from the summoner finally shatters they are expecting some huge eldritch being, something made of pure nightmares... Only...

Only to find an old tape recorder in the middle of the summoning circle...

Everything is dead silent. No one moves...

Then it clicks on and makes a loud noise.

The noise?

It was the no longer in service beep.

“We’re, not, sorry.” a teenage voice began after the beep ended, startling everyone as they weren’t expecting this at all “But the Ghost King you are trying to reach is no longer in service or rather King anymore. Thus any big evil world ending plans you have made will not be approved during my reign. Please, get a life and try to actually live it because I will not be ending anyone's or mass genocide anything... Also to the really insane Fruitloop that tried summoning a being with the warning of "will cause the end of your world". I am the Ghost King now, eventually everything and everyone will enter my domain regardless of who, when, how, or why. That is something I can wait for, I got no reason to speed it up.... So have a pleasant day and enjoy being arrested or ended for doing this dumb summoning if you decided to do this in front of like everyone in your world or something... Goodbye!”

The world went silent after that.

That...

None of them were expecting that at all.

[dickheadcanons]

This is just a little thing, but I just can't get behind characterizations of Jason that talk about him thinking that "Robin makes me magic" was proof that he was like, this sweet little kid.

For one thing, the Jason Todd who says that is pre-crisis. The Jason Todd who says that was being written as Dick, just a little more reckless and inexperienced. For another, Jason said that for exactly the same reason all Robins say shit; to justify disobeying Bruce lol.

The line isn't the cute wish-fulfillment of a poor kid from the Narrows. It's evidence of a circus acrobat's belief in his own invincibility, offered as proof that he is tougher than Bruce thinks he is.

The pages in question, from Batman #385:

[suzukiblu]

I kinda wanna write a cryptid!Batman AU where Clark has explained to Kon that the Batman is a terrifying eldritch horror given human(-ish) form, actually, and Kon is therefore under the impression that Robin is going to be into weird shit like being brought damning evidence and deadly criminals and dangerous problems to solve and also will appreciate being occasionally stalked by a half-alien clone. The bat-cryptids stalk EVERYBODY, right? So it's fine, it's like their love language, Kon figures as he's collecting a bunch of random shiny trinkets to leave out for Robin like he thinks he's a fucking magpie or a crow or something, and maybe also some nice pebbles to cover the penguin angle just in case. Just, like, stuff he might like to decorate the cryptid-nest Kon is assuming he has with.

Kon is fully correct about Robin appreciating the weird shit and shiny trinkets and being reciprocally stalked, actually, although now TIM has to figure out how to explain to Superboy that he is actually just a normal human teenager who just decided that his local protection spirit needed an emotional support sidekick before it could get corrupted into a local VENGEANCE spirit. Though he does like the shinies, please don't assume this means he doesn't like the shinies or wants a normal relationship with, god forbid, boundaries about not stalking each other or whatever.

[bitter-hibiscus]

Hear me out, hear me out. The reason why I think the dynamic of Batman and Robin is abusive is not because of the concept of child sidekicks.

Whenever you see other heroes with their respective sidekicks, their dynamics are about mentorship and being a guiding hand, most times about teaching the younger generation how to understand their powers better and how to use them for good. Child sidekicks are most commonly for the benefit of the child, not the adult.

That is not the case with Batman and Robin.

B&R's dynamic is for Bruce's benefit. Robin is the light to Batman's darkness. Robin is the one who saves Batman from himself. Batman needs a Robin. This is widely a result from Tim Drake's introduction as Robin, when Bruce was passively suicidal and causing more harm to people than he should. Tim and Bruce, in a vacuum, are not that much of a problem. It's still kind of messed up that Bruce would depend on a 13-year-old to get his mental health sorted out, but it makes sense in the context it exists in, where Jason had just died and Bruce blamed himself for it while simultaneously being in denial about his pain. The problem is that the idea that Batman can't function without a child to help him with his mental issues stuck.

It means that, between bad writers and good writers and wildly different interpretations of Bruce as a father, Bruce starts being painted as obsessive. He needs Robin to always be happy -- the guiding light -- he needs Robin to always be funny and upbeat but still mature and skilled and ready to die for Their Cause, that wouldn't have been Robin's cause at all if Bruce hadn't introduced the idea of it to them. Needing your child to never express a Bad Emotion or act out of line (like Jason was, for example, in the events leading up to ADITF) or else you're going to make them feel like they're undeserving of their place in your family (I'm not your father, Jason, I don't need teenage rebellion) is, in fact, abuse.

And the worst part is that this dynamic gets retroactively attributed to every Robin!!! Even though it really originated (or, rather, became truly ingrained in the text) with Tim!!! Because we keep getting more and more Robin Dick and Robin Jason stories written post-Robin!Tim and it gives them a dynamic with Bruce that they didn't have before!! Which sucks !!!

[moominsuki]

✎ᝰ BAKUGOU KATSUKI ; — bakugou hates feeling jealous. but you make it worthwhile.

࿄ ! warnings — f!reader. absolutely none. sfw. / note. katsuki is a cutie patootie.

jealous bakugou is something else. he doesn’t think he’s all that possessive of you at all - he doesn’t care if your outfit is skimpy or if you have guy friends. bakugou regards himself as very secure in his relationship with you.

until he hears what guys have to say about you. then he gets a little crazy.

it’s an open day where he’s helping a group of lackies and hero interns with integrating into his agency and it’s pretty innocent at first. kiri and deku are doing most of the heavy lifting with talking with the prospective sidekicks and heroes (katsuki is very content with the extras he has already). he’s already kind of distracted by seeing you this morning - you offered to lift a hand and do some extra work around his agency for today due to the unusual amount of people scoping his place out and why would he pass on an offer to see you around his agency all day?

unfortunately for katsuki, it means that he’s being increasingly more distant than he usually is and the interns can feel the disgusted energy emitting from every fibre in his body. it’s not like he’s trying to hide it though - what a waste to have you come to his workplace and only catch glimpses of your hair and your scent.

“kacch- dynamight? what do you look for in a sidekick who wants to potentially join this agency,” asks izuku, pulling his friend out of his thoughts. katsuki looks at the crowd of young, probably high school kids and they basically cower under his gaze. he recognises a few of them from other, unimportant events he can’t seem to specifically recall. god, he wants to bite back at them but he shrugs in annoyance.

“don’t piss me off and do as you’re told. simple as but it seems like you lot would still f-”, deku quickly interjects katsuki and yells out, “okay! let’s take a quick 10 minute break! just have a look around and we’re free if you have any questions you want to ask!”

ᝰᝰᝰᝰᝰ

“what is with you today, kacchan? you’re more… insolent than usual,” asks izuku slowly, watching the expression on his blond’s face meld into a face of indifference.

“maybe it’s the fact that i don’t care about these idiots who’re just making a goddamn mess of the place. i don’t need more extras to fuck shit up f’me,” bakugou grumbles. kirishima pats his moody friends on the back and goes to speak when-

“well at least the rumours about dynamight are true. that guy is a fucking mood killer,” says some guy standing in the corner of the reception area, who looks to be a sidekick and is accompanied by other unknown up and coming ‘extras’ as Katsuki woukd put it.

“tell me about it. the guys here fucking suck. for once, i’m wishing that we were stuck with the female pros instead. have you seen uravity? she’s sexier in real life,” pipes up some other guy and the rest holler and hoot.

the three pros look at each other, with bakugou looking at kirishima and deku with knowing, smug eyes.

“i’m just going to interrupt their conversation-” says kirishima, attempting to walk over until another lackey pipes up.

“but have you seen y/h/n? what a woman. shame she’s not in her hero suit. what i would do for a woman like that,” grunts some pathetic looking guy. he’s spindly and limp and looks akin to a wet noodle.

it doesn’t stop katsuki from seething though.

kirishima and izuku slowly turn to look at their friend - who’s practically steaming in his hero uniform. all katsuki can see is red and violence - which isn’t really unlike from what he normally sees but it’s different this time. this time it’s about you.

he sees the group of gross, teenage boys point to where you’re standing: you’re leaning over the receptionist desk and just from the behind can katsuki appreciate how beautiful you are. you’re wearing a short black turtleneck dress with orange accents (you told him that you wanted to wear his colours to his agency) and in any other setting would katsuki run his hands over you and compliment and kiss you till you were shying away from him.

bakugou knew that you got unwanted attention, regardless if he was standing by you like a rabid guard dog - you were gorgeous and you knew that. he also knew that you could hold your own against a hoard of horny teenage losers and you would never look twice at them when you had him. still, that logic went out the window when he could see the same group of kids leering and pointing at where your thighs met the bottom of your dress and he wanted to kill them.

kirishima got wind of this just by looking at the blond’s expression, “please don’t blow up the place - they’re just dumb kids! think about how hard we worked for this agency,” pleads kirishima.

“he’s too far gone,” izuku sadly laments as they watch bakugou stride on over to you and ignore both the men’s pleas and bargains. he aggressively pushes past the disgusting collective of eyes and they break apart in shock at his intrusion through them.

you’re, however, too enamoured in your conversation with his assistant and mina- you’re looking at a pinterest board and he wants to bite you for being so cute in front of everyone. it makes him even angrier that those extras would ever think that you would give them more than a side eye and a polite wave.

you feel katsuki before you see him - his uniform-clad arm holds your waist between the desk as he slots himself into your conversation.

“so what’s this about? whatcha talking about?” katsuki asks and mina and his assistant giggle at his intrusion while you roll your eyes and turn yourself sideways to look at him.

“i would tell you but mina and akako might kill me,” you tell your boyfriend, resting a manicured hand on his chest. akako, bakugou’s assistant, laughs and nods her head:

“sorry, dynamight, our conversations are sacred. might i add your timetable tells me that you’re due to take the interns on a practice patrol in less than… 20 minutes?”

katsuki narrows his eyes at this and you chastise akako for poking at him, “leave him alone! i want him here,” before resting a hand on his stubbled jaw and scratching at his face. katsuki’s eyes close at the sensation and he opens them to take a good look at your face. the stupid kids are still a embittering thought in the back of his mind and in any given situation, he would never do this. but sometimes bakugou’s heart goes against his common sense and this was one of those times.

he leans down to slots his lips over yours and presses a gloved hand into the small of your back and you smile into the kiss while a few “awwhs,” emit in the background. bakugou opens an eye slightly to see in his peripheral vision that the gaggle of the limp-faced sidekicks are looking at him in a mixture of shock and fear and embarrassment. he also sees kirishima and izuku grab them up to guide them out of the room.

when you break from the kiss to brush at the hair on the nape of his head, he mumbles, “have i told you how much i love that dress on you?”

you giggle a little and lean up to kiss the corner of his mouth, “a few times. but you can keep telling me if you want. ‘s not like i’ll get tired of hearing it,” you whisper to him and it’s like you’re the only people in the room. he’ll tell you about what spurned this on another day. in the meanwhile, he bask in your attention until he has to go and entertain those useless jerks. it’s not like he’s going to employ any of them.

bakugou would say this is a mission accomplished in his book. yeah, he’s a little jealous and possessive. but with the way you look at him, he finds himself caring less and less about what others have to say about you.

doesn’t mean he won’t try knock them in the side of their head if the time calls for it.

࿄ ! — all rights reserved © moominsuki. please do not copy, translate, repost nor recommend my work outside of tumblr. this is strictly prohibited.

[phoneduk]

I love Reverse Robins Au but I feel like a lot of people interpret it as reverse roles Au rather than how I interpret it Reverse Age au.

Here's how I see it:

Damian:

Is dropped off with Bruce at age 8 - violent assassin child who meets tired goth Bruce who's not quite used to being batman yet and is nowhere near equipped enough to raise a child but he's damned if he's not gonna try his hardest.

It's a bit of a mission at first trying to curb the violent tendencies and raise a whole antisocial person (and wow, he admires Alfred so much more now). He almost quits Batman for a bit until he figures out that making Damian his sidekick might be a good outlet for him.

Duke

Bruce is out on patrol with Damian when he finds a little boy who's parents are out of commission and is too stubborn to believe that the Bat would actually help him.

Damian hates that he's not an only child anymore but eventually warms up to the idea when he realises they can team up against Bruce and that they are not in competition.

When Bruce finds out that Duke is a meta he wants to flinch back and send him away, but he doesn't, partially because he loves Duke so much the idea of losing him so quickly repulsed him and partially because Damian pulled a sword on him at the idea.

Tim:

Roughly 9 years after Damian is taken in Bruce, Damian and Duke are approached by a small boy saying he knows who they are and wants to join them. Bruce refuses but Damian spots the opportunity to have someone else be Batman's sidekick whilst he can become a hero in his own right.

Damian starts following Tim around and looking out for him and then he realises that Tim is being neglected and come on he can't just leave Tim there so he brings him home and Bruce can't really argue against that.

Two months later Batman has a new sidekick and Gotham has a new lone hero.

Cass

They only notice her because she wants them to and absolutely no one questions it when she's bought home. All three boys had wanted a sister at some point and none of them cared about her past or her speech.

Jason:

Tim's a teenager now has almost finished highschool when Bruce goes out one night with the batmobile and comes back to where he parked it find a kid stealing the tires. Bruce can sense that Tim is going to inevitably leave him as well so what better time to take in a new kid when he also will need a sidekick soon.

The decision hurts Tim more than anything else because he's being replaced and he's not ready to be on his own even though he's never been more ready.

Jason grows quicker than either of his other two boys and he's more determined than either of them to right the wrongs of Gotham. That determination was what led him to Ethiopia where his the joker killed him.

Dick

Bruce was at the circus at Alfred's suggestion, something to distract him from the empty seat at the table where his youngest should be. It's at the circus where he sees the trapeze line fail and he can't stop himself from reaching out to the falling artists. It hurts him to take in another child so soon after losing Jason but the thought of that tiny boy who saw his parents die going into Juvie almost kills him.

Dick brings joy into the manor that hadn't been known since Bruce was a boy and everyone in the family falls in love with him.

When the Red hood emerges, angry at his older siblings for not protecting him and wanting to kill Dick they're all a worrying amount of relieved and angry. Surprisingly it's Dick that manages to get him to come back to the family.

[brucewaynehater101]

I’m absolutely obsessed with this prompt of Tim being older than Jason and/or only becoming Robin when he's an adult.

Never has someone seen him and cared about him so much. But he sees how much Bruce mourns. He isn't mourning his sidekick, he is mourning his son.

And Tim will never be his son, will never get the same affection because Batman only made him Robin BECAUSE it wouldn't hurt him as much if he'd lose Tim. Since he isn't a family member, like his parents or Jason or Dick.

And Tim HAS a place of his own, true. But it's empty. It doesn't have anything personal. No family pictures, nothing that shows him that someone cares about him or he cares about someone as much like Bruce cares about his family. Especially with Jason's memorial case in the Batacave

I need fanfics with this. I have to check ou the "Tim joins the Batfam late" tag again

Post in question: https://www.tumblr.com/goodoldfashionedengineer/758997334790225920/after-finishing-batman-arkham-knight-i-looked?source=share

Link here for others

Thank you so much for providing a link.

I have seen some stuff theorizing that Tim was older than Jason in the Arkham Knight game as well.

Which, with your take, makes the game that much more tragic for Tim. Robin literally says, "You haven't done that in a while," when Bruce calls him Jason. Painful as hell.

As far as AU, I'm not a fan of Tim becoming "Robin" as an adult because I see Robin as more of a teenager's role. It helps them to mature into adult vigilantes.

HOWEVER, I fuck so hard with Tim Joins the Batfam Late fics and I can kind of combine those with your idea.

So, Tim is older than Jason, and Jason dies. Let's make Tim seventeen when Jason dies.

Jason dies in April, so Tim is eighteen when he tries to reach out to Bruce to get him to stop beating himself and all of Gotham up.

He's an adult, so he has more power. Bruce can't tell Tim not to become a vigilante. Tim has blackmail and Bruce can't threaten to call Tim's parents (who, for the sake of it, are dead. He got emancipated at 16).

Since Tim isn't a child even though he's younger than Bruce's eldest son, Bruce doesn't need to parent him. Tim is a colleague. He's not family.

They grow to care about each other like good work friends, but Tim's death wouldn't be the same as losing a son (at least for a long while).

Jason, when he returns, is upset about being replaced. However, Tim is an adult (so none of that "child soldiers" spiel), and he never took up the Robin mantle. He became his own identity.

Tim's relationship with the Bats is also different than Jason's was. For comparison sake, it's mix between Huntress or Oracle where Bruce works with them, but they are also highly independent from him. It's also more apparent that Tim undergoes a caretaker role in this. He's the one to patch Bruce up, lug his tired ass to his bed, demand he eats, and assists him with WE work. Because Tim's an adult, Bruce allows himself to lean/rely on him more (even though eighteen is barely an adult at all).

Tim doesn't live at the Manor. Sometimes, when it's really late and he's exhausted from helping Bruce, he'll catch four or so hours in a guest bedroom. Otherwise, he's trekking back to his bare apartment that only has a few photos of his parents and/or friends.

As Bruce gets better, Tim spends less time with Bruce to pursue his own cases/work. Their relationship is mostly about what Bruce needs from Tim and not what Tim needs from Bruce.

Then Jason comes back. He's angry or whatnot, but he's got the vibes wrong. He thinks that Tim is another annoying older brother he has to deal with. Thus, Jason is the first one to admit, sarcastically, that Tim is family :)

[hereforagoodtimenotalongone]

i’m a sucker for justice league somehow don’t know about the batfam tropes but i also love baby dick being raised by the league

like dick is tiny and a menace and bruce is a single father™️ and the league is fairly new and small so they require a lot of his time.

and the league are all sceptical about a tiny child being a vigilante but when they meet dick and realise he’s sticking around they use their one collective brain cell to decide to step up for this child that going to fight crime one way or another.

so suddenly there’s 101 volunteers to teach dick how to fight and also various other skills that they want to pass onto this child (oliver is banned from looking after him alone after he tries to pass down the noble art of poker to the kid because it is useful batman i’m teaching him how to conceal his thoughts in front of an enemy)

on nights where bruce has monitor duty and alfred has a day off (because you can have a day off when there’s only one child to worry about) he just shows up to the watchtower with dick and whoever’s around and not busy takes care of him

and when the others start to get sidekicks there first instinct is to introduce them to their darling vigilante nephew who immediately helps them relax about the hero community (because hearing about how his uncle j’onn used to shapeshift to entertain him as a child or his auntie dinah always helps him play pranks on the others makes these godlike figures a lot less intimidating)

and dick adores his hero aunts and uncles and he’s a performer so naturally he revels in the attention

and when he’s in his angsty teenager phase and he’s mad at bruce he pulls the “i’m going to uncle clark’s” or “i’m telling auntie diana” and he goes and complains about bruce to them

and when he grows up they’re all just so proud of how brilliant he is as a man and a hero

and they all take pride in teaching the next generation but dicks the one they really watch grow up for the first time, just the ultimate oldest child (even though other sidekicks are technically older than him)

just dick being the one the league learn about children through.

(some of these characterisations may be dodgy i mostly know about the bat family haha)

[writers-potion]

Don't Fear Criticism

Creating homosexual characters can feel like planting an active grenade in the middle of your story. You start to fear bad reception of your work - even before you start!

But really, there is no need to worry. The fact that you're concerned only proves that you care.

You probably won't get it the first time.

You probably will get some criticism.

Only remember that it's perfectly normal to make mistakes. After you punch out your draft, have beta readers who are part of the community and incorporate their feedback.

No Diversity Shopping

Yes, diversity is important, but it's no checklist where you need to list all possible sexual orientations and have at least one character for each.

First of all, it would be quite impossible.

Second, that is likely to make all of them underdeveloped and stereotypical.

Check if you really need the character in your plot.

If they turn out to be homosexual, let them run their own course and shape their path. If your story's theme is related to the character's sexuality, think about the message you want to convey.

Quality over quantity, always.

Go Beyond Sexuality

Your characters exist, and they happen to be homosexual, not the other way around. This doesn't mean that it won't be an important, or that you should downplay their sexuality.

Strike a balance by showing readers their hobbies, interests, likes and dislikes, relationships with their family and friends, etc. The more holistic they are, readers are going to be convinced that you have an actual character, not a scarecrow holding up the #diversity tag.

How do their sexuality play into their broader narrative?

Develop a Backstory

Every homosexual character must have thought about their orientation and identity, with a process of how they came to recognize their sexuality.

Whether you're character is a confused teenage girl, or a middle-aged gentleman with a stable relationship, think about what brought them here.

Backstories don't have to be tragic. They can have supportive parents and find escapism in online communities who accept them for who they are.

There isn't just one "gay life". Get creative.

Normalization is Important

Sometimes, your story world will not accept homosexual people as normal. That's okay!

However, there is a difference between other character treating them unfairly and you as an author normalizing homophobia in your narrative.

Word choice and tone would play a key role.

When a likeable character is homophobic, avoid normalizing it by making it a flaw. Show that your conservative medieval village is narrow-minded when they treat them as outcasts.

Homophobes may not necessarily be the evil guys.

It's enough to state (clearly) that it's wrong.

Make Use of Tropes

Stereotypes aren't just an issue with gay characters, but when used successfully, have created wonderful retellings and spinoffs that are refreshing.

You can purposefully overplay stereotypes to show how silly they are. Deconstructing stereotypes can add humor to your narrative.

You can also use them to explore the expectations that readers have for those kinds of characters. The Gay Best Friend might be a trope, but you can get them to go deeper than the typical sidekick to realize their true potential as a cast member.

Religion and Homosexuality

In the real world, religion and homosexuality are often presented on far opposites of politics, and that makes me sad. Homosexual characters are free to be religious, find peace, support and mindfulness through any religion of their choice.

Vise versa, deeply religious characters can have wonderful relationships with homosexual characters.

It all comes down to how your characters interpret religion and homosexuality in light of those religious values. Though I'm an atheist, I believe all religions have the ability to embrace diversity at their core.

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

[sayorseee]

@themundanemudperson asked for some Cheney fic recs, these are all the ones I knew instantly that I liked, maybe one day I’ll do another rec list when I go back and reread fics

————————————————————————

One Shots Under 1k

Sleepless Nights in Swellview: Henry and Charlotte think of a way to stop having dreams about each other. Rated G

they’ve got each other: a chenry hurt/comfort fic that involves cuddling and having the others back. Rated G

One Shots Over 1K

Endless Summer Nights: Henry and Charlotte take a fun hike together, and Henry decides it’s finally time to tell Charlotte how he’s really feeling. Rated G.

Undercover with Danger: Rated G

More Than a Dream: Henry had been in many scary situations before because of his job as Captain Man's sidekick. But none of those situations could have prepared him for what happened next. Rated T

take my breath away: She tries to grapple with the fact that she just kissed her best friend. Her best friend who she's known forever, who she's grown up with, who she's now stuck in an elevator with even though all she really wants to do is run far, far away. / Or, in which the elevator breaks down with Henry and Charlotte inside. Rated G

After: Finally the events from last night came barreling back into her mind. Rated T

Christmas in an Elevator: It's Christmas Eve in Dystopia, and instead of spending the night with their dates, Charlotte and Henry are trapped in an elevator. Great. Rated T

There’s Something on Your Eye, Charlotte: Charlotte Page has been battling feelings for her best friend, Henry Hart, for a little over two months, and it’s annoying when he speaks highly of other girls he finds attractive. Henry, on the other hand, has taken notice of Charlotte’s standoffish and awkward behavior every time he mentions how cute another girl is, and this strikes curiosity within him. They cross into unfamiliar territory with one another, and things will never be the same. Who knew a piece of dust about to fall in Charlotte’s eye would bring out their suppressed interest? Rated T

Multi-Chapter Masterpieces

peace: Henry Hart and Charlotte Page were once the best of friends. The two of them, Jasper and Piper were as thick as thieves once upon a time. But now, at the grand age of seventeen, they're practically strangers. Or at least they were. When stolen kisses and shared secrets and lies enter the mix along with some very unwanted feelings, Henry and Charlotte both begin to wonder if they can truly be something more... Rated G

All Things Spicy 🌶️ (Ratings out of 3 🌶️)

Stay with Me: Henry Hart is struggling to get used to Dystopia. At 19, he has to come to terms with the fact that he's spent his teenage years fighting crime and saving lives, and that he doesn't really want to do it anymore. He manages to get away in his own apartment, but when Charlotte breaks down from the pressure herself, he encourages her to stay with her and has to come to terms with something else. He may be in love with his best friend. Rated M | 11 chapters | Spice Rating 🌶️🌶️

More Than Friends: "Do you have a girlfriend?" Joss questioned. There were two ways Henry could answer her question. One, he could tell the truth and say he didn't have a girlfriend, or two, he could lie and say he did, so she could leave him alone. In which Henry tells Joss that he and Charlotte are dating. Chenry. Rated M | 8 chapters | Spice Rating 🌶️

Dreams of Danger: The zoo dream is just the beginning of a long road for Charlotte Page who is tortured by dreams, by desires for her best friend, Henry Hart. Rated M | 1 chapter | Spice Rating 🌶️

Nobody but You: Three years since their last encounter. Rated M | 1 chapter | Spice Rating 🌶️🌶️

[thethirdtriplet]

Title: Mentor Tim

It was meant to be a simple mission.

Is what Red Robin was told, when he was summoned to the watchtower, and asked to intervene on a mission gone wrong, a mission that was meant to be handled by a bunch of teenagers, and while Tim wasn’t much of a fan of the justice league (maybe he was still salty about the whole not believing Bruce was alive thing, which was years ago, but his therapist said it was healthy to admit how you feel about things and people, so yeah he was still salty) and preferred taking on missions assigned from the Titans, he couldn’t not agree to the mission when he heard of the team that was assigned.

Young Justice.

Tim wasn’t aware there was even a Young Justice team still operational, as the hero community kept growing so has the number of sidekicks, he assumed all teens and sidekicks became teen titans, but then why would anyone dump their kids in Young Justice? With the team’s… eccentric reputation, Tim doubted it would ever be operational again.

That was until he read their files himself.

Name: Leonard.

Age: 15

Hero name: Iron knight.

Nationality: Irish.

Skin colour: Pale white.

Hair colour: Red.

Eye colour: Brown.

The ability to harden his body into a metallic texture.

—————————

Name: Keith.

Age: 16

Hero name: Ronin.

Nationality: Japanese, American.

Skin colour: White.

Hair colour: Black.

Eye colour: Black

Trained samurai from birth.

—————————

Name: Peter.

Age: 14

Hero name: Void.

Nationality: British.

Skin colour: White.

Hair colour: Blonde.

Eye colour: Blue.

The ability to create portals.

—————————

Name: Nickolas.

Age: 16

Hero name: Magus.

Nationality: French, American.

Skin colour: White.

Hair colour: Brown.

Eye colour: Green.

Magic user.

—————————

Name: Mateo.

Age: 15

Hero name: Surge.

Nationality: Mexican, American.

Skin colour: Tan skin.

Hair colour: Black.

Eye colour: Brown.

The ability to absorb high amounts of energy, and redirect it.

—————————

Name: Sofia.

Age: 15

Hero name: Ghost.

Nationality: Italian.

Skin colour: Pale White.

Hair colour: Brown.

Eye colour: Hazel.

The ability to turn invisible, and walk through walls.

—————————

Name: Amara.

Age: 13

Hero name: Whisper.

Nationality: Russian.

Skin colour: Pale White.

Hair colour: Blonde.

Eye colour: Grey.

Trained assassin from birth.

—————————

Name: Amber.

Age: 15

Hero name: Blaze.

Nationality: American.

Skin colour: White

Hair colour: Brown. (Dyed orange at the ends)

Eye colour: Brown.

The ability to create flames.

—————————

Those were probably the driest files Tim’s ever read, he knows supervillains with files less vague than these, so he had to do more research himself, reading into more personal details about each member it wasn’t hard to realise that each kid had their own issues, issues apparently no one was interested in dealing with, because the kids had no official mentor, they had been trained for some time from different leaguers, but that’s it.

Black canary has been working with them for some time now, for hand to hand combat, and as a licensed therapist, but there’s only so much she can do for those kids, seeing as most of them had been mistreated their whole lives, mostly by adults, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to be mistrustful.

That’s how Tim found himself, on a jet (that may or may not be the batjet, just don’t tell Bruce), headed to help those kids with their mission.

Once he arrived at the warehouse, he observed the situation from above, through a skylight, and watched as disaster unfolded right before his eyes. The kids were incredibly uncoordinated, some were arguing amongst themselves, while others seemed as though they had no understanding of the word teamwork, just when the goons they were meant to be fighting began to get the upper hand, did Tim join the fight.

His appearance halted most, if not all movement from both sides of the fight, he used that to his advantage and struck the men, taking them down one by one, as he shouted commands for the young teens to follow. Once the young heroes realised he wasn’t a threat, they took action almost immediately, following through on his instructions religiously.

As the last goon was zip-tied, Red Robin was approached by one of the teens, Surge (Mateo).

“Uhh.. Red Robin, ..sir?” Asked the boy

“Yes, Surge?”

“W-what are you doing here?”

“I was asked by the justice league to intervene on your mission, seeing as you weren’t able to complete it yourselves.” Red Robin replied Non-condescendingly.

Blaze (Amber) scoffed and said “As if the Justice League cared.”

Red Robin’s attention was turned to her as he spoke “What do you mean by that?”

As if opening a can of soda that’s been shaken too much, she spoke with relentless fury “Well if they cared, really cared they’d show it, wouldn’t they!? They’re not even pretending to care at this point! Heck the only leaguer we talk to regularly is Black Canary, but that’s for hand to hand and therapy, other than that no one comes around unless they have to, and even when they do, they don’t even bother hiding the fact that they’d rather be anywhere else if it meant they wouldn’t have to deal with us!” By the end of her tirade, she was trembling, with hatred, anger and…hurt..

“You’re right” the words left his mouth before his mind even registered he was speaking, not that his words weren’t true.

( The scene before him, of a group of children that felt abandoned, neglected and lonely, came from a very familiar play )

The atmosphere shifted as all eyes landed on Red Robin, as he spoke, he knew they were listening to his words ( it wasn’t everyday that someone actually understood you, as a teenager, let alone an adult ), “You’re right, the Justice League, has wronged, mistreated and neglected you, in more ways than just training, they’ve failed to acknowledge your presence, despite your need of proper guidance” no one spoke so he continued, “That is a mistake on their end, no yours, and so, it shouldn’t be you who suffers in the end. That wouldn’t be fair to you” silence still echoed as no one dared interrupt him, “I will bring this up with the league as soon as I return to the Watchtower.” (Is it just him or did he sound a little bit ‘adulty’? His therapist would be so proud).

His eyes soften and so did his voice as he took in the sight of the tired worn out teenagers, before him, “But for now I should take you all back to your headquarters, you seem like you need you need a nice hot meal, a warm shower and a good nights sleep, you’ve sure as hell earned it”. The kids seemed taken aback by his suggestion, as if they hadn’t expected him to suggest what he did, but none of them objected. Void (peter), spoke, “The Justice League sent us an automated jet, to get us here”, he was rubbing the back of his neck with his hands, “We don’t really know how to get back...?" He added awkwardly. “No worries, my jet is big enough to fit all of you just fine” said Tim, smugly. “Is that so? Is your jet that big?” Ronin (Keith), asked curious. “That depends, have any of you seen a Bat-jet before?”, Tim swore he could see stars in their -masked- eyes.

———————————

Mount Justice -apparently their base of operations- is in mint condition, thankfully (he was going to have words with the league if it wasn’t), looking around it’s obvious the kids haven’t been comfortable enough to mess around with the place (he’ll have to change that).

In a way it’s quite nostalgic, to walk around in his old h.q., though there’s still a few differences compared to back then, Like the brood of ducklings kids that are currently staring at him. “So.. are you guys gonna order something, or does one of you know how to cook?” Asked Tim, “Some of us can cook just fine, but we’re too tired to do so, sir” Magus (Nickolas) spoke, evidently wary in the presence of an adult, but still attempting to be polite.

“Y’know I could just order something for you guys.”, suggested Tim, “No, no need we can order for ourselves just fine.” replied Iron knight (Leonard), “I insist. Tell me what you’re in the mood for, pastas, burgers, pizza?” Once he noticed them perk up at the mention of pizza, he began to scroll through the numbers on his phone, searching for that one pizza place he liked as a teen (the one he used to order from, for the team, man he missed those idiots, he should reach out to them soon).

“Are you sure, sir? There’s no need for you to order for us.” Questioned Ghost (Sofia), “Yes, I’m sure, what toppings do you guys want?”, they suggested he order only one pizza with no toppings, which he immediately shut down, and even threatened to choose the toppings himself (“Do you want me to put pineapples on your pizza’s? Don’t test me, now choose.”), once almost everyone chose the topping for their own pizza, he turned to the only occupant of the room that hadn’t spoken, “And what about you, Whisper, what do you want?”, the girl in question -who had been observing him, silently for quite some time now, is she assessing whether or not he’s a threat?- Peter spoke for her “Uhh.. She can’t talk, she’s mute..”, “Black Canary’s brought her a few teachers for a while, but she didn’t like them much, so she stopped showing up to lessons after a while.” Mateo added.

The hesitant-comfortable atmosphere they’ve had for some time now almost broke, as all the teens looked to him, as if gaging his reaction, all in defensive stances (Tim had to hand it to them, for being willing to defend their teammate, against someone who was probably way out of their league), calmly, he spoke “No worries, I know a bit of sign myself”, “Though, I am a bit rusty” he added, bashfully.

Hesitantly, Amara lifted her hand to finger spell ‘C h e s e’, “Oh, just cheese, sure.” said Tim, the once tense atmosphere returned to it’s semi-calmness, as the teens sighed in relief, (seriously, what did they expect him to do, judge her?).

———————————

Tim stayed with the team, up until the food arrived, they were all lounging in the ‘living room’ (it was just a big circular area, that connected all the rooms together, that you had to pass to enter a bedroom, it had couches and sofas), Tim observed the teens, as they helped themselves, with their pizzas, some even opted to shed a few items of clothing, while others, changed out of their costumes completely, politely they began a bit of small talk to pass the time as they waited the foods arrival, at some point the topic of hero’s came up, which then somehow led to a very heated discussion as to which hero could take down who.

Tim -Red Robin at the moment- who had spent an ungodly amount of time analysing various hero’s, old and new, their fighting styles, their abilities, strengths and weaknesses, and has written contingencies for most, if not all of them, was more than happy to share his findings. Especially since they seemed so interested in the topic, and whatever Tim -Red Robin- had to say about the heroes? Well, Who was he to deny their curiosity.

He knew he made the right call, when it got the kids comfortable in his presence.

(Was he gossiping with a bunch of teens over heroes who are basically his coworkers? Yes. Yes, he was.)

“No way, Wonder Woman, is the best superhero, period” said Peter.

“Really? You think she’d win against Superman?” Asked Leonard, curiously.

“The Superman?” Questioned Sofia.

“What say you, Red?” Asked Keith.

Red Robin, or “Red” as they’ve taken to calling him, answered, “I’m with Void on this one.” Tim didn’t miss the way he basically preened at his words, “I’m pretty sure she can kick any leaguers ass, any day.”

“Even Batman..?” Asked Mateo, in a hushed tone, as if just speaking his name would summon him (it was amusing, but understandable).

“What do you think his contingencies are for?” Replied Red, with a Smirk.

“Isn’t he.. I don’t know, your boss or something” Asked Nickolas, confused.

“I like to think I’m my own boss, thanks” replied Tim. (He may, or may not get bullied into visiting the manor, regularly, by various members of the Batfamily, no one needs to know that, though.)

“What?” Asked Tim, when he noticed the sudden silence.

“Huh.” Said Amber, as if a realization had just dawned on her “You’re actually way cooler than I thought you’d be.”.

“Gee, thanks.” Deadpanned Tim.

“She is not wrong.” At Tim’s raised eyebrow, Keith elaborated, “All the leaguers we have met so far were not interested in our wellbeing.”

“Yeah, they’d just complete whatever task they have, with us, and just leave.” Nickolas added.

“I don’t remember if any of them ever asked if we were tired or hungry. Unlike you.” Sofia continued.

“None of them ever stayed long enough to even speak to us.” said Leonard.

“And when they did, we couldn’t have normal conversations like this one, all we did was have a mission debriefing.” spoke Peter.

“Or we wouldn’t say anything at all, incase we say something.. offensive in any way.” Finished Amber.

Amara simply nodded.

Tim felt his blood boil (is that a thing? Whatever, it didn’t matter as long as it described just how furious he was) “Is that so..?”

Tim kept processing their words, even as they transgressed onto another subject, though, he knew he couldn’t stay long, so he bid them farewell, to head back to the Watchtower -via zeta tube- and tried not to let their disappointment affect him (with what he has in mind, for them, their dissatisfaction with his departure won’t last long), he had a few senior league members to speak with about an adoption a mentorship request.

And he couldn’t wait a second longer.

———————————

It took some getting used to, Tim will have to admit, for him and the team (his team now), to get used to their new relationship, as mentor and mentees.

The sudden announcement of his now mentorship over the teens, was made only a week after his hangout stay with the team, (it would have taken longer, had he not urged the senior league members to officiate it, and if he made a few, mild, harmless threats, to insure the job was done properly, Batman would be blamed for teaching him how to in-list fear), it did surprise the teens a bit, still, they took the news with stride (whether that was because they’ve never had an official mentor before, and were eager, or that they genuinely liked Red Robin, Tim isn’t sure).

Tim would like to point out, that they’ve made significant progress, in the last two months they’ve been working together.

They’re actually brilliant students, fast learners, always ready to try out a new training program, any chance they get, they soak up any knowledge he offers, like little sponges. They try to follow his teachings without fail, and even trust him when on missions, enough to let him lead them. They look to him for guidance when they need him, and he tries to always be there, to help (and maybe that’s what strengthened their new bond, the fact that he tries to be there, especially when they need him).

It wasn’t always as easy, not in the beginning, no. They liked him, Tim was sure of that, but liking someone doesn’t necessarily mean you trust them. Trust was something meant to be earned, not given. Tim had earned the right, to be trusted.

They trust him enough to act themselves around him. And just as they had gotten comfortable with him, did he realize why they were placed in YJ. He knew deep down, the reason stemmed from their traumatic backstories, strange powers, and ‘behavioral issues’ (talking back, is not a behavioral issue, fuck whoever wrote that in Amber’s file), Seeing as the team’s former members were regarded as “nutcases” by the media, it was a no wonder they would be placed there in the first place. Not that the kids tried proving anyone wrong (“Why waste time trying to show someone who you are, when they have already made up their mind, about you?” Those were the wise words of Keith, a young boy forced to mature faster than most teenagers, Tim could relate).

They were skilled, skilled boys and girls, using their gifts for good, to do good, and be good. They shouldn’t be criticized for being good. Just because they were.. creative with their skills, did he mention that? They’re incredibly creative with their skills, the stunts they pull would bring his old teams shenanigans to shame:

“How did you guys manage to burn and flood a building at the same time?!-”

Sometimes, he couldn’t help but wonder, why?

“-Is- is the building crumbling?! How did you do that?-”

Other times, he can’t help but wonder, how?

“Why in the world did you guys think this was a good idea, Surge?”

“Do you remember that one mission we did last week, when we discovered a secret lab, full of animals that were being experimented on?” Questioned, the boy.

“Yes, I do. But, what does that have to do with this?”

“We found out who owned that lab.”

The building -A Lexcorp building, mind you- blows up, promptly, after his admission.

“Void! I thought we told you to be careful with those!” admonishes, Blaze.

“My Bad!” apologized, Void.

“Ahh, I see, carry on.” Dismissed, Red Robin.

What? Yeah, so maybe he isn’t any better than they are, and he is might be the adult that’s in charge of them, But, who is he to stop them from doing their jobs, as hero’s?

And they’re applying what he taught them, in the field?

He couldn’t be any prouder.

“What’s going on here?” A new voice, interrupted his and Surge’s conversation. A new but familiar voice, actually. One that belongs to a certain Kryptonian.

Red Robin, and his students, that came up to him, not long after the building Burst to flames, turned around to witness Superboy (Conner Kent) descent from the skies, along with Wondergirl (Cassandra Sandmark), followed by Impulse (Bartholomew Allen) on land.

“Hey Rob!” Bart waved his hand so quickly, it fazed.

“Really, Rob, we leave you alone, to go on a mission off-planet, only to find out you’ve become a teacher?” Chides Cassie, fondly. Then, she states “And here I thought we were friends” putting a hand on her chest, were her heart is, feigning hurt.

“And look, he’s already causing trouble with them.” Conner points out, Bart adds “It’s like we don’t even know you anymore.” while wiping away a fake tear.

“Haha, very funny, you guys.” Deadpans Tim, though secretly amused.

“If you’re done with the theatrics.” He sends them a pointed look, before gesturing to the.. starstruck kids next to him (?), “Allow me to introduce to you, the newest Young Justice members.”

This was probably going to be the beginning of something beautiful, or incredibly disastrous… meh, he’ll let the universe decide, and just go with the flow.

[thealtoduck]

Being the Riddler’s criminal sidekick…

Tim Drake x Male Reader

Warnings: superhero violence, implied child abuse, horrible parents, mentions of sex…

Summary: Tim meets the Riddler’s sidekick for the first time and finds himself quite charmed by him…

——

How did you end up as the Riddler’s right hand man?

Well, the answer was simple: ”Why not?”

You grew up in a rough household, your father was an deadbeat alchoholic and your mother had left him for the divorce lawyer and his house in the suburbs.

She left you, she left you alone with the man that she was escaping from, imagine the impact that has on a childs psyche.

So from then on you followed one rule: Trust no one.

When you entered your teenage years you escaped from your father as soon as possible on to the streets of Gotham. Which is no place for a child.

Soon you found your way into crime which also led you to the Riddler.

You were at a bar looking for a new job when you saw the Riddler trying to convince a couple of men to join him as his henchmen. They however were not convinced to join him though as they didn’t like the idea that he quite literally gives clues for the cops and Batman to find him.

You however saw it as an oppurtunity, Riddler was already infamous and if he was this desperate for help it might lead to you getting a bigger cut of whatever scheme he had come up with.

So when the other men left you walked over to the Riddler and sat down across from him. ”Looks like your having some trouble, what if i could be of some assistance” you said. ”Yeah, because a teenager is exactly the muscle my operation needs” he said sarcastically.

”Oh, i’m sorry, i didn’t see the line of people wating to work for you” you said sarcastically.

The Riddler then smirked and said ”You’re in”.

He took you to his lair and introduced to his henchwomen ”Query and Echo” who were dressed as what could only be described as S&M biker chicks.

You went on to become the Riddler’s own sidekick, he gave you the nickname ”Clue”. You had become his close follower as well as one of the only three people who could sass the Riddler without getting shot.

He even let you nickname him ”Eddie”

Though getting this job wasn’t only sunshine and rainbows, it put a bigger target on your back by the authorities. After a botched mission you were arrested and became the youngest person ever sent to Arkham Asylum.

Not that you really deserved to be there you weren’t a mass murdering maniac but your close association to the Riddler probably made people assume you were… that or the judge was feeling extra pissy that day in court.

While in Arkham you met both Penguin and Two Face who offred you a job but you decided to stick by Riddler.

And you were right to do so as he soon broke you out of Arkham.

Then it was back to work…

Two years later…

You, Riddler, Query and Echo had stolen valuables from a museum, that you, Query and Echo were now trying to calculate how much you could sell it for. Meanwhile Riddler was gloating about his genius riddles and traps he had left behind for the dynamic duo to find.

As if on cue Batman and Robin smashed right through the window landing in front of you, Query and Echo. ”Oh, Batsy and Sparrow, what a surprise!” you said sarcastically standing up.

”But an unwelcomed one at that, get him girls” you told the two henchwoman who swiftly attacked the Batman.

”Robin, go get Clue, i’ll take care of these two and find Riddler” Batman commanded his sidekick. The black-haired superhero ran towards you. You grabbed a baseball bat and pointed the end towards Robin. ”Been a while Dove, i’ve missed you”.

”Do you have a list of birds just to avoid saying my name?” Robin asked annoyed. ”You tell me Peacock” you taunted. Robin brought out his staff and you started exchanging blows.

He managed to disarm you from the bat with his staff. So you ran up to him and grabbed his staff and ripped it out of his hand and threw it aside and you continued your fight.

Your fight had brought you to a staircase and you playing dirty as usual pushed him down it. Though unfortunately enough for you he grabbed your jacket and pulled you down with him. When both of you landed at the bottom of the stairs, both of you were now twisting in pain.

”Not my best idea” you said to yourself you said rubbing your forehead in pain. ”You’ve ever had one?” Robin asked equally in pain making you glare at him. ”Can we take like a 3 minute break?” you asked sitting up leaning against a wall. ”Can’t believe i’m agreeing to this but sure” Robin said as he did the same.

Both of you were sweaty and breathing heavily from your fight. ”So… how’s your day been” you asked casually slipping a cigarette in to your mouth and lighting it. ”Your really asking me that?” he asked semi-annoyed and very confused. ”Yeah, why not?, want one?” You asked, offering him a cigarette. He shook his head still very confused how casual you were treating this.

Robin then looked around and stated ”Gotta admit for a secret villain lair this place is quite cozy”. ”Right, Query and Echo decorated it, my room is right down the hallway to the right, they helped me put together an Ikea bed”.

”So i’ll ask again, how was your day?” you asked casually taking another puff of the cigarette. Tim was confused by the casual conversation the two of you were having but maybe this would be a good distraction.

”It was decent, got a coffee, finished some work and you know now i’m here” Tim answered. ”Cool cool” you said blowing some smoke. ”How was your’s?” Robin asked.

”Good, i stole some stuff, it was fun” you said cheerfully and Robin gave what almost sounded like a small chuckle.

You then stared at him and asked with a cigarette between your lips ”Wanna fuck?”.

”What?!” Robin questioned loudly starting to cough from breathing in the smoke. ”Sorry, i just heard Batman gets it on with Catwoman so i assumed you know…” you said putting out the cigarette.

”I mean it’s not like that, you’re attractive and stuff, it’s just you know bad guy and all that stuff…” Robin said making you laugh. ”Yeah, it’s fine Parrot, i get it” you said while laughing. You then stood up ”Well, i gotta get going, bye bye birdy” and you started sprinting through the hallway.

Tim stood up to run after you but you pressed a button on a remote making a bunch turrets appear from the walls targeting him. Tim ran up the stairs the two of you had fallen down as they started shooting. He ran back to the main room where Batman was cuffing Riddler to a chair.

”Did you get Clue?” Batman asked. ”No, he got away” Tim answered disappointed. ”Echo and Query got away too, they’re probably regrouping” Batman explained.

They left as GCPD arrived to take Riddler away and Tim thought back on what Clue had said to him more specifically the ”Wanna fuck?” part, he found himself thinking ”What if i said ”Yes””.

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt for @qwertynerd97; Billy adopts Conner and it actually goes pretty good!

Lynn picks the smallest bedroom of the three, which Billy thinks is a little weird because he would’ve expected him to want either the biggest or second-biggest one, since the biggest is the biggest and the second-biggest gets the best light, especially in the morning. Then again, Lynn’s sort of a teenager, so maybe he wants to sleep in? And Billy guesses he probably doesn’t think he needs a lot of space, since he doesn’t really own anything much yet? 

Well, they can always switch stuff around later if Lynn changes his mind, he figures. 

Billy decides to take the biggest bedroom for himself, since that makes the most sense to him. It’s not that he needs the space either, obviously, but if they do end up using the spare room as a place for Lynn to do stuff he likes in, Billy figures he’ll appreciate having the windows in there while he’s like . . . doing crafts or playing games or whatever he likes to do with himself. Or ends up liking to do, at least. 

He leaves Lynn to get settled in his new room and to set his stuff up however he likes and maybe move the furniture around a bit if he wants, and then peeks into his own room and feels a little . . . weird about it, actually. He hasn’t actually had a bedroom in a while, much less a bedroom that was really, like . . . his bedroom, and not just the latest foster family’s or children’s home’s or . . . or just whatever. 

It’s–weird, yeah.

Billy stares into the very empty bedroom that he has nothing to put inside except his own half-empty backpack, which is currently sitting in a corner at the Rock of Eternity, and then closes the door and goes to wait in the living room for Lynn instead. 

He’ll worry about the room later, he tells himself. 

He sits down on the couch to wait and figures that once Lynn’s settled in a little, they can make lunch together, maybe, and then maybe just watch some TV or a movie or something? Something quiet and not too demanding but still occupying, so there’s no pressure on Lynn to talk to him if he doesn’t wanna, but he can if he does wanna. And then maybe over dinner they can have the “no” conversation, and also work out some of the house rules and stuff. At least the basics, anyway. Billy doesn’t expect to figure them all out first thing, if only because there’s probably stuff he hasn’t thought of yet or stuff that’ll just come up later. And it’s a lot to put on Lynn all at once, too, so he doesn’t want to overwhelm him or anything. 

Well, he guess it’ll just depend on how Lynn handles those conversations and everything, so . . . yeah, they’ll just have to play it by ear. They’ve got some time to settle in–Billy’s off-duty for the League for the week and the logistics for the sidekicks’ team are still getting worked out, apparently, so Lynn is too–so they don’t have to cover everything tonight. They couldn’t even if they tried, Billy’s pretty sure.

He really wants to make this apartment a nice home for Lynn and a place that he can feel safe and secure in, though. He’s worried about what’ll happen if Lynn doesn’t ever feel comfortable here, or doesn’t get along with him long-term, or if he dies–who’ll take care of Lynn if he dies, he means. He still needs to talk to Batman about that.

Billy did ask what would happen to Lynn if he dies to Batman when they were first discussing all this, since obviously being a superhero is the kind of job that tends to get people killed or at least injured enough to be out of commission for a while, and Batman had gotten very quiet for a moment and hadn’t really answered. He’d said they’d talk about it more later, though, depending on who else in the League Lynn got to know and felt comfortable around. So . . . that’s good, at least, Billy thinks. 

Well–it’s better than Lynn ever ending up stuck with or taken advantage of by some asshole like Uncle Eben, so . . . it’s good, yeah. Not that anybody in the League would ever be like that, obviously, just–yeah. 

Billy just doesn’t like the thought, that’s all. 

Really doesn’t like the thought. 

Lynn doesn’t come out of his room for a lot longer than just rearranging some furniture and unpacking half a backpack should take, and lunchtime kind of passes by. Billy assumes Lynn’s just anxious or worried or nervous, at first, and then wonders–does Lynn know he can come out of his room? If he spent all his time at Cadmus stuck in a pod and not allowed to come out for anything . . . 

Shit, Billy thinks, and tries not to wince. 

“Lynn?” he asks, glancing down the hall towards Lynn’s room but not bothering to raise his voice–Lynn has super-hearing too, after all, so there’s no reason to shout and maybe startle him. “Do you want to make lunch together in a bit? Oh! Or we could order takeout, since it’s kind of a special occasion?” 

“. . . what’s a special occasion?” Lynn asks quietly, not raising his voice either. He sounds like he’s in his closet, so Billy guesses he’s still unpacking after all. 

“Um, well,” Billy says, a little sheepish. “People don’t get new family members every day, right? So I think it’s special, at least.” 

“Oh,” Lynn says. “Um. Yeah. Okay. Let’s do . . . that.” 

“Cool,” Billy says with a grin, resisting the urge to bounce in his seat on the couch. Not very convincingly dad-like, even if Lynn isn’t in here to see him right now. He still wants to make sure he’s acting as dad-ly as he can; get himself in the habit and all, same as the “totally normal adult human” secret identity practice. “I know some good local places, if you know what kind of food you like yet?” 

“The snack cake,” Lynn replies, his voice still quiet, but also a little abrupt. He doesn’t say anything else. It’s not much to go off, but Billy figures it’s a start. It’s not like Lynn’s had time to try much food, right? But the snack cake was strawberry shortcake, and he’s pretty sure the diner a couple blocks over makes actual strawberry shortcake, so they could order from there and get some for dessert? And maybe, like, some pie or cobbler or something else that Lynn could try, if he likes sweet things and fruity desserts. 

“How about we order burgers or sandwiches, then?” Billy suggests. “I know a diner that makes strawberry shortcake that’s pretty close.” He doesn’t really eat at restaurants, usually, but Batman did give them a lot of money and it is a special occasion, so . . . 

“. . . fine,” Lynn says, and then Billy hears the closet door slide shut. 

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it’s not a “no” either. Which, uh . . . might still not be really “fine” or really “no”, but–well, they’re gonna work on that.

[ao3-top-batfam-ships-bracket]

Anon wants sources? Here:

https://slate.com/culture/2016/04/the-history-of-the-gay-subtext-of-batman-and-robin.html

This is why many people have historically shipped them together. When you don’t have any representation at all in the media, when your existence is reviled and you can’t even legally live your life peacefully, you take what you can get.

I don’t think young people understand how gay life was back then. Adult adoptions between couples were not uncommon-and no, it wasn’t always a man preying on someone 20 years younger than him. Couples 3 years apart were adopting each other because that was the only way to let your partner inherit your estate, to visit you in the hospital, to legally be family. It wasn’t a kink, it was a safety net. Is it so hard to understand then, why people would look at Batman and Robin, and see parallels? Especially in a visual medium, where images can say or imply things that would not be written out in a book? Especially in comics, where everyone is so overly muscled that Robin often doesn’t look or act like a kid, or even a teenager?

It’s okay not to ship them. I don’t ship them. Shipping has ALWAYS been about grabbing crumbs of subtext and implied tension regardless of what the canon source says. Roddenberry didn’t intend for people to ship Kirk and Spock. Spirk fanworks were literally hidden under tables at conventions and people would sit under the tables to browse and exchange things. Nowadays it’s not illegal to produce gay media. But at the height of gay panic, when discrimination was not only tacitly legal, but done by the laws themselves, and the only gay people in media, though few, were either villains or played off as a joke, is it so hard to understand why people would look at some of those runs, and put two fictional people in a relationship?

(At the very least, just use the back button and the mute button and move on instead of playing purity police over something that’s not real. )

Thank you for your thoughts! We recommend checking out the linked article.

We've also found some more articles and book chapters on this subject that people might appreciate:

Chapter "Panic and Aftermath" from Glen Weldon's "The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture".

Chapter "1954: Censorship and Queer Readings" from Will Brooker's "Batman Unmasked: Analyzing a Cultural Icon".

Chapter "Batman, Deviance and Camp" by Andy Medhurts from the book "The Many Lives of the Batman. Critical Approaches to a Superhero and his Media".

Shyminsky, N. (2011). ‘‘Gay’’ Sidekicks: Queer Anxiety and the Narrative Straightening of the Superhero. Men and Masculinities, 14(3), 288-308.

Lang, R. (1990). Batman and Robin: A family romance. American imago, 47(3/4), 293-319.

York, C. (2000). All in the Family: Homophobia and Batman Comics in the 1950s. International Journal of Comic Art, 2(2), 100-110.

Best, M. (2005). Domesticity, homosociality, and male power in superhero comics of the 1950s. Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies, 6(1).

This article from 2005: "Gallery told to drop 'gay' Batman. DC Comics has ordered a New York gallery to remove pictures which show Batman and Robin kissing and embracing." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4167032.stm

This article from 2012: "Batman can't come out as gay – his character relies on him being in denial" by Will Brooker. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/may/28/batman-gay-character-relies-denial

And this sketch:

[igotanidea]

Crawl back to you: Jason Todd x reader

Summary: Mexican!reader celebrating dia de los muertos, going throught the process of grieving after Jason's dead and her process of getting better through the years with a little plot twist at the end.

Thank you @thefandomdiaries07 - I played with the idea somewhat, hope you'll like it.

Disclaimer: this is not, in any way, a hate on religious belief, the reader's attitude just fit in the plot. (no offence to anyone meant here, truly)

***

Dia de los muertos.

Day of the Dead.

Despite her origin and upbringing Y/N never really felt connected to this celebration.

Remembering people who died and who she was too young to remember in the first place felt just … weird.

Of course, her mother, aunts and grandmothers got her involved in preparing the ofrenda and preached her about the importance of preparation for the souls’ arrivals but she always did it only half-heartedly, putting on a fake smile and pretending to enjoy the festivities.

But deep down she felt like a freaking hypocrite, while in fact not feeling anything.

And when her family moved to Gotham, out of all places, it got even worse. Poor girl felt conflicted, unaccepted, unsure of who she was and dealing with identity crisis, going as far as renouncing her ancestry to fit in the crowd. She was a teenager what else could you have expected.

Anyhow.

A few months passed and she got used to that god forsaken, lawless hole, keeping herself a bit away from her family, even if technically she was still living the same house. But with her struggles with ethnicity and traditions, she was a bit of a black sheep of the family, having not many true friends and spending most of the time alone,

recklessly wondering alongside the streets, pretending to be a freaking globetrotter. 

 And that was how one day she got involved with the batfamily, starting from being saved from an assault, by the Batman sidekick, Robin.

Jason Todd.

Whose name she learnt a few weeks later, having lost all the hope to see that red, green and yellow bird boy ever again.

However, surprisingly, those two clicked fast enough and even though they were technically still young  teenagers something bigger than friendship started creeping in.

He kissed her for the first time when they were 15.

And it was magical, romantic and send her into a spiral of love and dreams and worries and thoughts about future.

It was pretty much prefect for a whole year, as they somehow managed to make it work despite being forced to keep their relationship a secret from both families.

Imagine the panic that would spread in her family if they knew she was in love with a vigilante.

Imagine the panic that would spread in his family if they knew he told his identity to a girl he fell for.

That was obviously a no go.

So they kept on meeting in secret.

Almost every night she sneaked out of the house to check out on him after patrol and he was escaping Batman’s watchful gaze to have at least a few hours together alone with .

But one night changed everything.

He went to search for his biological mother.

And she should have stopped him or tell him how reckless he was being or do anything to dissuade him from this idea. Instead she laid her head on his shoulder, holding onto him tighter, kissing his lips briefly and making him promise he’d report to her the second he gets back.

A promise he never kept.

***

 “Hello? Who’s this?” she picked up her phone, blissfully unaware of the news that was about to fall upon her.

“Hey… um… is this Y/N?” an unrecognisable male voice reverberated on the other side

“Yes” she frowned “Who is this?” the girl asked again.

“My name’s Dick Grayson. I’m Jason’s older adoptive brother. We’ve never met but… I know you two were close…”

Wait. Did he just say were close?

“What – what happened…?”

The receiver fell from her hand, tears flooded her face and her heart broke in half.

***

His funeral was probably the worst day of her life, even though she couldn’t remember much more than the see of blackness, plenty of people she knew from Jason’s stories but saw for the first time and some meaningless words of consolations.

***

YEAR ONE

It had been eight months since his death and she was still grieving, unsure if the pain in her chest would ever subside or the tears would ever dry.

In that short time, she had become very close to Jason's brother, Dick, who was the perfect definition of an eldest child and had sort of taken her under his wing (pun intended). After everything with Jason and everything in between, she couldn't and didn't want to stay in Gotham, a place that was a painful reminder of the past.

Y/N took a different route every time she came across the places where they hung out or where they first kissed and where they secretly met at night and considering the fact that Gotham wasn't that big, it was slowly becoming impossible to move. And going to school and seeing couples and happy people was like a shot to the heart, making her a walking fountain almost every school break.

She felt a sudden need to get away from everything and moved to Bludhaven, where she started a new school and where Dick made sure she was safe and (as much as possible, meaning not much at all) happy.

It was October and dia de los muertos was right around the corner, of which her family was kind enough to inform her, inviting the girl to the family celebrations, and mentioning the resulting obligations of the living.

Making her angry at first.

Angry and with the sense of unfairness and stupidity of life. You’re there one second, enjoying the presence of the loved ones, and then, in another second you are just gone and it’s like you never really existed.

What was the point of life, apart from constant suffering and uncertainty of tomorrow?

 This whole celebration freaking sucked, and she was not going to celebrate the death, having loved and lost the most important person in her young life!

But…

Once she got herself into that spiral of thinking, Y/N slowly started feeling something more than annoyance at her nation’s cultural habits, overwhelming depression and lack of any motivation to move on. Maybe…

It was the first time she had someone she knew to remember. And to hope that maybe, on this special day, his soul  were walking amongst the living and watching her from the other side even if she could not do the same.

Maybe…

And if he was, maybe it was her only chance to somehow communicate with him, tell him all the words she kept hidden in her soul, that never found a way out. Perhaps from the silent beating of her heart he would feel the love that was still there, the longing, the needing and the fact that despite being gone, he wasn’t and would never be forgotten by her.

Her eyes grew wide and she jumped off the bed, gathering all the necessities and beginning her work.

***

“Y/N?” Punctual as always Dick entered the apartment, carrying the box with her favourite takeout. It was their Thursday tradition to have some good food and hang out together and he was not going to be a breaker. But he definitely did not expect to see his friend kneeling on the floor in front of something that looked like a tiny stairs, painted in red, green and yellow ending with an arch. It was decorated with something he recognised as salt, candles, water and marigold flowers. And the whole apartment smelled like lavender for some reason. “Y/N? What are you doing?” he put the food on the table, seriously concerned by her mental state.

“Oh!” she almost jumped at the sound of his voice, turning around to face him. “Hey, Dick. It’s just a little celebration.”

“Of what?” he frowned, not understanding a thing. “What is this?”

“ofrenda” she explained, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but his confused gaze made her realise that maybe not everyone were familiar with the festivity. “an offering.”

“An offering? Of what? To who? And why?”

Y/N almost rolled her eyes.

“I thought Bruce made you go the private school. Don’t you know anything about dia de los muertos?”

“I thought you were done with your national customs?”

“I was…” she sighed deeply reaching for the picture she was about to hang in her little altar. Jason, smiling, happy at some point back in time, that was never supposed to go back. She took the photo at one of their walks in the park in the autumn, with the sun shining and colourful leaves falling down from the trees. “but things have changed…” Y/N whispered, caressing Jason’s cheek on the photo, her eyes still shining with love and affection, but also tinged with sadness. “I miss him…”

“I know, Y/N. I miss that little prick too.”

“Yeah, he was a prick, wasn’t he? And an asshole, sometimes.” She chuckles as Dick sat on the floor next to her. “I bet if he’s around he’s annoyed at us bad-mouthing him.”

“If he’s around?”

“Yeah, the whole point of this day is that the souls come back to earth to visit us.”

“so it’s basically something like Halloween.”

“ more or less so. But cut the haunting part.” She smiled a little “We can’t see the deceased but we can feel them…”

“do you?”

“do I what?” Y/N frowned at his question. “Do I feel him?”

“Yeah. Sorry if it’s too soon or too bold thing to say, Y/N…”

“It’s not. It’s okay. I can’t exactly feel him, but it doesn’t mean he’s not here. We both agreed he was a prick sometimes, maybe he’s just hiding from me. Just to tease me. But that won’t stop me from calling upon him even from beyond the grave.”

She stood up and put the picture at the top stairs.

“Hey Todd, if you’re somewhere there, I’m not gonna go easy on you. See you next year, you little asshole.”

YEAR TWO

“Hey, Y/N, I dropped by decorating store and bought some things for your ofrenda this year, wanna take a look at them?”

YEAR THREE

You know, Dick, I’m not sure if Jason would appreciate us using the cape here….

“Your limiting my imagination….”

“I don’t care. I’m in charge. Remove it, now”

YEAR FOUR

 Did you make the ofrenda without me, Grayson!?

YEAR FIVE

No way in hell she was going to let Dick take charge this year. For the past four of them he was growing more and more fond of the day of the dead, starting from assisting and doing shopping ending on going behind her back in finalising his own crazy concept. And finally, the tide had changed and Y/N had to put her foot down.

“What do you mean  you want me to leave?!” Dick cried out the second she told him what punishment she chose for him “Y/N! Why?! It’s so unfair, I – “

“You hijacked my preparations last year. And two years ago. And to tell the truth, three years ago as well!”

“I didn’t – ok, fine…” he raised his hands in surrender “but you can’t blame me for that! It’s really fu-“ he stopped in the middle of the sentence.

“You wanted to say funny, didn’t you?” Y/N raised an eyebrow and Dick blushed a little. Maybe it was a bit inappropriate and unfortunate word to use.

“NO! No I wanted to say… um…” Dick was desperately searching for more accurate wording, also starting with fu, but obviously the alternatives were even worse.

“See that’s the whole point. You kind of missing the message of the day. Yes, sure, it’s supposed to be fun way to honour the dead and tame death in some way, but still it’s also supposed to be at least a little bit of an opportunity to stop for a second and think about things and people.  I really appreciate your positive attitude and it’s not like I’m kicking you out, but...”

“but you do.” Dick smirked and nodded with understanding.

“I just feel like I need to be alone for a while, ok? It’s been five years and at his point I feel like I sometimes need to focus to even remember his face without a photo. It’s all becoming a blur, lost in the joy and amusement. And I don’t want that. I want to remember.”

“Is that why you never gave any boy any chance to –“ he cut out again without really thinking what he was saying.

“Grayson… “ she trailed warningly.

“I’m out! I’m out! Don’t hit me!” he rushed towards the exit. “Just call me when it will be safe to come back, ok?”

“Got it. Now get out!” she chuckled, closing and locking the door behind her friend.

Every little word she said was true.

She wanted to remember.

She had to remember.

It was the only way to fill that little dent in her heart, that Jason left when he died. She couldn’t just let go of him, even though Dick was probably right, and after so many years she should have moved on.  But both her heart and her soul refused to do so.

Maybe you only get one chance to meet your soulmate and Y/N was close to sure that  Jason has been hers.

”It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" she whispered the quote to herself while reaching for Jason’s photo she chose for this year’s decoration, turning them over in her hands for a while, looking at the face of a 15 year old she used to know “I wonder what you would look like now. Bet you’d be even more handsome and all the girls would be jealous I got such a catch.” She laughed a little “Hope you don’t hear me now, cause god damn, that would be such an ego booster for you.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” The sudden male voice coming from behind her made her jump (almost the mirror situation to the one that occurred five years ago when Dick found her preparing the ofrenda). But this time it was not Dick standing in her apartment.

“What the actual fuck!?” she yelled taking a fighting stance she learned from Grayson, knowing it would not help her at all due to the shaking of her body at the view in front of her.

“Handsome, huh?” Jason Todd in the flesh, absolutely not dead, brushed some unruly hair from his forehead, looking at her with a playful expression

“¡Estas muerto! ¡Eres un fantasma! ¡¿Qué está pasando?! Cómo –?“ as usual when she got nervous she started using Spanish. (you’re dead! You’re a ghost! What’s going on?! How-?)

“Baby…” Jason took a step forward, hesitantly. “Baby…” he opened his arms “I;m not dead, I swear to you. I-“

She cut him off by diving into his embrace, holding him tightly, wanting to make sure that he wasn’t just a friction of her imagination and needing to feel his warmth, the beating of his heart and his breathing.

“You’re really here!” she cried out, tears falling down her cheeks like a waterfall when she nuzzled into his chest. Honestly, she didn’t need any explanation, at least not at this point. She only wanted him close, afraid that if she let go for as much as a second he would disappear again. “Swear to me this is not a dream…” she muttered, against his shirt. “Swear to me.” Her entire body shook from the shock, she felt so small in his arms, but also safe as never before. It was like after five long years she got home again, that this missing part of her heart was found, and immediately jumped into the place reserved solely for him, unrepleacable. She was whole again and that was what count.

“Baby…. Oh, my sweet girl…” Jason wrapped his arms around her, caressing her back and hair, pulling her even closer, wanting to comfort her, to give her all that love and peace she was deprived of for what felt like ages. “I’m really here. I’m here. My baby… I’m back to you.” He whispered, closing his eyes, feeling equally, if not more emotional than her. He’s been through hell but the only though that made him keep on going was her. His angel. His joy. His only source of light in the eternal darkness that seemed to surround and swallow him. His grip on her tightened and he hoped to convey all these unspoken words to her through hugs and caresses and the gentle brushing of his lips against her temples.

“I love you…” she sobbed desperately, blurting out the only thing that was on her mind at the moment. “I missed you and I love you and –“

“I know baby. I love you too. And I promise you, you’ll never have to worry about hanging my picture in your altar ever again. Ever. I’ll crawl back to you every time and not even death can stop me from being with you. ”

And they just stood there, next to something that was supposed be an tribute to not-so-dead Jason Todd, holding and hugging each other tightly, creating the little bubble only for them two and being so very happy cutting out the entire world and reality, lost in daydream that happened to be the upcoming future for two people that have loved, have lost, and luckily, have found a way back to each other.

Talking could wait.

Silence, in the company of the only person that mattered, came first.