#there’s. more thoughts. especially about the batkids growing up with him and the way he’ll always be tucked away in a corner of their heart

[meteortrails]

elle I love you but reading jason/jesus in my notes made me choke hdjdjdk ill take ur essays anytime tho

it’s actually the hottest new thing since Goncharov everyone’s been talking about Jason Todd and Jesus Christ getting down and dirty.

but on the topic of the essay: the whole point of Batman is that he’s untouchable, right? he’s larger than life, he’s in every shadow and he sees your every move like a fucked up Santa Claus. and part of the point of Robin is to make that untouchable idol more accessible, more real to the people he protects, but Robin himself is still his own kind of lofty ideal. and then there’s Jason, who has gotham in his blood and his bones so deep down he can’t even pretend to hide it. like recognizes like, and the people of gotham recognize this Robin (the son of god made tangible!!!!). and it’s a lot to be a kid, to be vulnerable and know exactly how many people would take advantage of that, and see someone not much older than you who can and does fight back, who isn’t up on some unreachable pedestal but instead is just like you in a lot of ways. he’s just a kid too. he gets angry and he cracks jokes and he’s in this for YOU, for people just as vulnerable as you are. that’s not a kind of admiration or worship you grow out of; that’s the kind of love that shapes you as a person.

and I think Jason has a lot of incredibly complicated feelings about that period of his life; it’s when he was happiest in a lot of ways, and he hates that any part of him was ever that vulnerable or that open bc it makes it that much harder to close in and protect himself now. so I also think it would spark a lot of complicated emotions and surprise to realize how much love and connection he fostered as Robin, and the way it would’ve shaped Duke and Steph and Tim. they all feel it every time they get to actually work together and have a positive relationship, the fact that he was real and they looked up to him and now he’s here and they really can be on the same level as him. on a funnier note, they all Definitely think he’s cool as hell deep down and Jason for sure has no fucking clue. I think knowing would make Jason unspeakably proud in some ways and absolutely unmoor him in others, bc it means that he’s part of the reason these kids keep putting on the same costume that got him killed, that they’ve gotten involved in shit no kid should’ve ever gotten involved with. but it also means he succeeded in his actual goal in all of this; to make the people that gotham has hurt feel safe again, and to make them feel empowered within their own lives. and that would hit him right in his big bleeding heart, I think.

[incorrectbatfam]

What kinds of babies would the batkids be if Bruce adopted them from the start?

I did another ask here a while ago talking about what if the batfam were adopted as babies, which I’m using as a frame of reference. While it’s not totally accurate to their canon age differences, I kinda like how it worked out. 

Dick is mobile from the get-go. He crawls as soon as Bruce puts him down, tries to climb out of his crib, and is the reason the high chair has a seatbelt. Things only get worse when he learns to grab and stack things. Bruce walks in on him climbing a teetering tower of toys to reach the cereal box, and he just barely catches him before it topples over. Everyone thinks Jason is the reason for the child leash, but it’s actually Dick after he got lost at the museum. He’s the most outwardly affectionate of all the children, but his Terrible Twos are also the worst when he uses his limited vocabulary to argue with Bruce at every step. He’s also jealous when he’s no longer an only child and makes a big fuss at first before accepting it. 

Although Barbara has her own parents, the Waynes and the Gordons are very familiar with each other, both through Bruce and the Commissioner’s friendship and babysitting each other’s kids. Dick is more active, but Barbara learns to speak first and can even read the alphabet by the time they’re in daycare. Her parents try to limit screen time at home, but at the Manor, she learns to ask Alexa to play Little Einstein. Dick is also personally offended when he offers her his favorite candy and she goes blegh. 

Cass comes 3 years later, and she’s the baby you can’t let out of sight unless you feel like searching the whole house. She’ll hide anywhere, from under the bed to the trunk of the car. Selina suggests a cat bell, but Cass quickly learns to take it off. At first they think it’s because she’s shy, but it turns out she just prefers to watch people from a distance. Playing the Barbie ballerina music draws her out, though, because she loves twirling around. Cass learns sign language from her aunts Harley and Ivy first, and she makes up some of her own gestures to signal what she wants. Her hair was longer until Dick got peanut butter in it and they all agreed it’s easier to keep it short. 

Harper and Cullen are a year apart from each other, with Cullen being Cass’s age. They’re adopted at the same time, though, because it took a while for Bruce to prove that their bio father isn’t fit to be a parent. As a toddler, Harper is pretty independent, including dressing herself and using the bathroom. She likes to take things apart, so Bruce keeps expensive devices out of her reach—not that it works for long (see: Dick). She’s the most vocal baby and the first to learn “bad words” like poo-poo head. She’s the messiest though, often leaving things out and getting upset when people put her things away because she needs them. 

Cullen, on the other hand, is more shy from their previous household and takes some time to warm up to people. Bruce encourages him to ask for what he wants and always reassures him that there’s plenty to go around. The first person he grows close to is Cass, who takes him under her wing in a protective way. Together, they like to play pretend as mythical creatures or flip through picture books together despite not knowing how to read. He has a hard time falling asleep, so Bruce reads him stories until he does. On stormy nights, he goes to either Harper or Dick and will climb into their beds without warning. The first time that happened, Dick thought it was the monster from his closet and screamed so loud he woke everyone else up. Once Cullen learns how to use the remote, getting him away from the TV is a daily struggle. 

Jason is a year younger than Cass, and he’s a bit of a coin flip. Most days, he’s perfectly well-behaved and will quietly play by himself, especially with the pop-up books. Other days, he’ll throw the worst tantrums and break whatever he gets his hands on. He fights with Dick the most because at the time, he’s the youngest and can get away with more. Eventually, things even out a little and he fits perfectly into the fun-and-mischievous role, earning the affectionate title of Papa’s Little Nightmare, which he wears like a badge of pride whenever he licks people’s forks or sticks his finger up Bruce’s nose. He also likes to watch Alfred cook and his birthmark is his white streak. 

A full five years later is Tim, a quiet but observant baby who can learn fast by watching others. He picks up now to climb the banister from Dick, hide in tight spaces from Cass, how to use a hammer from Harper, what shows to watch from Cullen, and how to argue from Jason. He and Jason don’t get along at first because Jason felt like he was being replaced, but they eventually learn to coexist. Tim’s first toy to himself is a plastic camera that shows pictures of cartoon characters. He’s the kid that asks tons of questions, like why Bruce and Selina lock themselves in the bedroom. He also likes to explore and believes any unfamiliar creature is an alien. 

I know canonically Steph and Duke are a few years apart, but as babies I headcanon them as “twins” born on the same day to different parents and are two years younger than Tim because it’s cute and chaotic. Sometimes they share things, like their bedroom and toys. Other times, they get double, like two birthday cakes. At least once a week, they’ll try and confuse people by swapping clothes. Duke makes up stories and Steph scribbles out the scenes���sometimes she even does it on paper. If the house isn’t a mess before, then it definitely is with them when Bruce finds fruit gummies in the couch and shoes in the microwave. Instead of blankies and stuffed animals, Steph falls asleep clutching a box of toaster waffles and Duke with a bear-shaped honey bottle. Duke tells anti-jokes that he finds hilarious (“Knock knock” “Who’s there?” “Me!”) while Steph flat-out roasts people (“Dickie smells like icky”). They have concerts where Steph scream-sings while Duke bangs pots and pans. Steph prefers to be on Bruce’s shoulders while Duke clings to his leg. There’s a big Get Along shirt for when the siblings fight, but Steph and Duke just wear it for funsies. Because Tim sometimes gets overlooked, they follow him around like baby ducklings and think he’s the coolest sibling. 

Carrie, who’s two years after Steph and Duke, is the most imaginative baby and will loop people in as her side characters. Usually her roleplays involve being wilderness adventurers, after she watched Dora The Explorer. She likes to run around, often wearing a towel cape, and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty or play with things like bugs. She’ll only do baths if she can bring her snorkel and her many pool toys. In the car, no one wants to sit in front of her because she’s a seat-kicker. She’s easily wired even with just a little bit of sugar, so whenever another kid mad at Bruce, they’ll give her a whole bag of candy and set her loose. 

Damian is the last one and is three years younger than Carrie. He’s the smallest baby because he was born preterm, and Bruce is also worried because he rarely cries. But when he does, he won’t stop until he wears himself out. Carrie is the most protective of him and Tim thinks he’s secretly an alien (after seeing him hooked to machines in the hospital). Whenever Talia visits, he’ll systematically show her his toys, including his favorite stuffed cow. Besides Mama and Dada, his first words are animal sounds. He also likes art and will poke his head in whenever he sees his siblings drawing. If he senses someone having a bad day, he’ll sit outside their door and wait for them to come out. 

[brokaw22]

Tim officially becoming the shortest batkid

Tim doesn’t care. He kind of figured that he was always going to be the shortest, even after Damian joined the family. After all, Damian has always taken after his father in various ways. This... well, this was just inevitable, so it doesn’t matter... not really.

At least, it wouldn’t matter if Damian and everyone else would just shut up about it. Tim gets it. He’s short. He always going to be short. His father never really meant anything by it, but he would often lament that Tim’s physique resembled his mother’s, so he knows that being short is simply just one more of his flaws. It’s just one more thing that makes Tim not good enough for so many people.

He’s heard all of the jokes, and appropriately groaned and rolled his eyes when necessary. He understands that he’ll always be dismissed in certain areas because of his height, but it doesn’t matter. Tim has no reason to care. His height has nothing to do with why he’s such a failure... no matter what Damian claims. No, that’s just pure, unadulterated Tim, continuing the same pattern of behavior that he always has.

He’s still Red Robin. He can still do his job, and height doesn’t mean a damn thing, especially when it works in his favor. People underestimate him. They always underestimate him. He just wishes that the people underestimating him now weren’t his family.

His train of thought nearly gets derailed as Jason wanders over to him and slings an arm over Tim’s shoulders. “So, how’s it going, shortstop?”

Tim doesn’t have the energy to groan or roll his eyes, so he merely shrugs off the offending arm and moves away from Jason. “What do you want?”

“Oh, come on, littlest bird, it’s not that bad.”

Tim sighs heavily as he slumps over his bike. He just wanted some time to himself to make some repairs to his bike and leave. “Great, so you just came to bother me, too. Alright, let’s hear it.”

Tim waits for a moment, but Jason doesn’t say anything, so he gestures for him to just get it over with. “Come on, mock away, have your fun. Lay your stupid puns and annoying nicknames on me. I must warn you, though, leprechaun, lucky charms, and Keebler elf have all pretty much been used to death today.”

Tim waits, but Jason still doesn’t say anything, so he continues. “Come on, I’m sure you’ve got something to say. I’ve already heard that the only thing I’m the height of is failure. That I may not be Robin anymore, but I’m still Robin sized. Also, I can still go on kiddy rides and pay the children’s admission price. Not to mention, Dick and Damian have definitely exhausted the ‘placing things on high, hard to get to areas’ thing. I mean, it was kind of a moot point, to begin with. I’m not Dick, by any means, but I can still climb and whatnot.”

Jason still hasn’t said anything, so Tim finally turns his attention away from his bike and glances up at him. “What? That couldn’t honestly be the end of your list, or is it that all of the good ones are taken? I’m not growing anymore, so it’s not like you don’t have my entire life to come up with something better. No need to waste all of your material in one day.”

Jason merely shakes his head as he places a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “This has been a pretty rough day for you, hasn’t it?”

Tim does his best not to crack... not to show how much all of the teasing from Dick and Damian really has gotten to him, but he just wants a damn break from... well, everything. “This is only day one. It’s just gonna get worse, isn’t it?”

“Nah, it’ll be old news soon enough.”

Tim rubs his temples and does his best to just let all of the tension go. “I’m just exhausted. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.”

Jason raises an eyebrow, clearly not believing a word of it. “Uh huh, come on, we’re leaving.”

Jason walks over towards his own bike, and Tim doesn’t hesitate to follow, though he’s certain that that’s mostly because he can hear footsteps coming down the stairs. “Where are we going?”

“I’m craving Philly cheesesteaks.” He tosses a helmet to Tim. “So, you comin’?”

Tim nods as he slides onto the back of Jason’s bike. “Sure, why not?”

Jason peels out of the cave, and Tim realizes that he’s actually smiling. It’s the first time that he has done so all day. The tension leaves his shoulders as Jason speeds away from the manor. “Thanks, Jay.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The End

[codenamed-queenie]

Who do you think has the best voice in batfam? How do they all sound like? Who has the best soprano voice and who has the jazzy baritone? Who has the customer service voice nailed? Spare voice headcanons please?

Alrighty, now this is my kinda ask!

(I’ll just apologize now for the length...)

I love the idea of a singing batfam, so here are my (long rambly) headcanons:

Bruce: As Batman, he sounds like a chain smoking grizzly bear gargling nails. But as Bruce Wayne, his voice actually isn’t bad. Singing-wise, he was one of those ‘prodigy’ children, growing up. Martha Wayne was best friends with a famous opera singer, so she insisted on teaching Bruce everything she knew about vocal performance. As a result, he has a beautifully rich baritone voice, and a pretty freaking incredible range. And as far as any member of the League or general public are concerned, Bruce/Batman doesn’t sing at all, so don’t ask. But with his family? Bruce has been known to crack a smile and sing a few lines on occasion. When he’s on his own? He lets loose. Sounds like Hugh Freaking Jackman.

Kate: Her voice is very clipped and to-the-point, which kind of fits with her personality. Could not carry a tune in a bucket, but that’s fine by her.

Dick: Dick sings second tenor. He didn’t sing much as a kid, coming from an acrobat family and all. But after Bruce took him in, Alfred took it upon himself to change that. He’s got a pretty great range, all things considered, and once Alfred got him hooked on singing, the boy does it nonstop. He’ll sing on patrols, he’ll sing as he fixes himself breakfast…basically anytime, anywhere. Songs off the radio, songs his friends introduce him to, that annoying jingle for a car commercial that’s this close to driving Tim insane? All fair game. Bruce once walked in on him while he was doing a dramatic rendition of Sia’s Chandelier–while literally swinging from the manor’s crystal chandelier. (Musicals are probably his favorites to do, though, btw.)

Jason: This boy has a deep voice. Definitely a bass. When he talks, it’s a little raspy, but not in a bad way, and he’s also got a bit of a Bowery accent. It especially comes through when he’s tired or ticked off. When he sings, though, he can go higher, all the way up to baritone if he wants. But while he’s been known to sing soulful, heartfelt pieces when he thinks no one’s watching, his true passion is for rap music. On Gotham’s streets, it’s pretty common for street kids to have impromptu rap battles, and you’d best believe Jay could hold his own.

Tim: Let’s face it. His parents were the kind of folks who signed their kid up for every activity under the sun. Soccer, Lacrosse, Underwater Basket Weaving, you name it. Why not vocal lessons? And Tim, ever the perfectionist, worked at his voice until he was satisfied with his own ability. His voice is higher than his brothers’; he sings first tenor, and can go up to second alto if he warms up enough. (I feel like he’d sound like Sam Tsui–check him out on Youtube!)  A few years back on patrol, he was a little too close to an explosion, and suffered a bit of hearing damage. So when he talks, Timmy’s just a little louder than everyone else, unless he works really hard to bring his volume down.

Barbara: As far as anyone else can tell, she’s never taken a voice lesson in her life, yet for whatever reason, this girl is just naturally gifted. (It frustrates the heck out of the others.) Her voice is a smooth alto. She almost never sings, though.

But being both the Oracle and a librarian in her off-time, she deals with dozens upon dozens of frustrated heroes and bookworms on the regular. Her customer-service voice is eerily on-point. So she either sounds pleasantly ‘eager to help’–or vaguely threatening. If she uses it on any of the Bats, they’re 110% more likely to do anything she asks. Especially Dick and Jason.

Stephanie: Huge musical theater kid growing up. When someone’s singing through the comms on patrols, if it’s not Dick, it’s definitely Steph. She’s a soprano, but has the best range out of anyone (aside from Bruce). Because of this, she’s always trying to imitate the others. To their surprise (and chagrin) she’s getting pretty good at it. So far, Steph has Tim, Damian, Cass, and Dick down to a T. She’s still working on the others, and someday hopes to achieve Bruce’s Bat Voice.

When she sings, she loves to initiate duets with her siblings. Tim and Jason will indulge her, more often than not. Sometimes Cass and Barbara will join in. Bruce has only caved once (and if asked, he will deny it). But Dick? He’s her go-to choice, since he’s DTS (down to sing) all day, every day. Once these two get going, they don’t stop until one of them loses their voice or the entire family shouts them down.

Cassandra: Cass has a very clear, soprano tone. It’s absolutely gorgeous, but she’s very shy and sensitive about her voice, and rarely sings. Whenever one of her siblings is injured and/or laid up in bed, though, she’ll softly sing them lullabies while they recover.

When she chooses to speak, Cass is very soft spoken, but has ways of making herself heard if need be.

Harper: She has a thick Jersey accent, and a no-nonsense tone of voice. No one has ever heard her sing, though. (She would not sing if someone put a gun against her head, tbh.)

Duke: Everyone figured he’d be into rap like Jason, since they came from roughly the same part of Gotham, but Duke’s true passion is jazz. His dad was in a jazz group, and Duke inherited his father’s smooth jazzy baritone. Low-key, he has the best voice out of all of them, and he’s super passionate, since music was a huge deal to his biological family. He loves singing during quiet nights in the cave, or on patrol. He’s gotten the most standing ovations from random cops and citizens, and even the mayor asked him to perform for a charity event once. (An offer Duke respectfully declined.) Out of all the others, he was voted ‘Most Likely to Burst Into Brooding Song On A Rooftop Somewhere’. Bruce is so proud.

Damian: Everyone hoped he’d inherit his father’s golden vocal chords, but for now, he seems to have taken after his Aunt Kate. This frustrates Damian to no end, and for a long time, he hated listening to any of his siblings sing, knowing full well that he couldn’t join them. After months of watching the kid shrink away from anything musical, Jason had enough. He sat the youngest Robin down and taught him an art form he’d picked up from the streets of the Gotham City Narrows: beatboxing. At first, Damian thought it was crass and inelegant, but he eventually got into it. Now? He’s very good at it. The kid has mad skills, and more often than not, his siblings’ll ask him to back them up during rap battles or musical numbers. Maybe he’ll grow into his voice someday, but for now, he’s totally fine with just ‘dropping a beat’ for the others.

Alfred: Has a very thick cockney accent, but can mimic just about any other British accent whenever the fancy strikes him. Like every other aspect of the butler’s life, his singing career is an enigma. The others have heard him sing before, and he’s actually pretty good. But sometimes, random people will come up to him on the street, gushing and screaming his name while they beg for an autograph. There’s a running bet amongst the batkids as to what that’s all about, but so far? It’s anyone’s guess.

Headcanons are my favs, guys, so feel free to ask!