#they were really trying to give tims teen titans to damian

[oifaaa]

Two ships that always confuse the hell out of me when I see them are raven x Damian and cass x superboy. I know the Damian and raven came from the animated movies but i don’t really read enough comics to know where cass and superboy came from

Cass and superboy come from batgirl (2000) cass' first solo run and its a very weird ship even then very awkward I'm not even sure if it was meant to be taken seriously considering how weird it felt and how little time they ended up being together for - damian and raven is terrible imo as a ship since they only seemed to age raven down so they could make her and damian into a romantic thing and thar just urks me

[coupleoffanfics]

I might write about this one day. Maybe. Probably.

Random things about y/n with the batfam

Based on First Post

Bruce Wayne

Bruce never knew how to deal with y/n’s emotional outbursts even before they drifted apart. Out of everyone y/n was hands down the most emotional out of all the kids. Like what he is supposed to do when she’s crying about stray cats that don’t have a home. Or those times when she’d tear up over failing a test.

Just gives her a pat on the back and tries saying that it's not the end of the world. Not really helping as it invalidates her emotions. She makes a mental note to not go to Bruce after getting the same “reassuring words” from him every time.

Nearly spat out his coffee when she called him Pa for the first time. It was only after a couple of months of living there. Seeing the shocked reaction, she quickly tried to take it back until he reassured her with a small smile.

“You won’t be my dad, but you can be my pa. So when I have kids you can be called peepaw.”

Bruce isn’t sure when y/n stopped calling him Pa, but he remembers how he felt hearing her call him Sir or Bruce. How unnatural it sounded. It was too formal, but what hurt the most was how she said it without a second thought. Acting like it was the norm.

What happened to him being Pa?

What does he have to do to get his Pa status back?

Hopefully he doesn’t learn that y/n gave that title to someone else.

Dick Grayson

Kinda regrets not getting to know y/n before he and the whole family start going off into the deep end. It's not like they never interact or anything. Dick had trained her when she was working toward becoming Batgirl, but it was Bruce who mainly trained her.

Dick wasn’t nearly as close to her as Tim or even Jason. He didn’t have the time when juggling the Teen Titans, establishing himself as Nightwing, and being a Wayne. It was a stressful time of his life.

But he has much more free time now. Meaning he has much more time to make up for not being a big brother for y/n.

Slightly jealous that everyone except for him and Damian know or at least knew y/n. Some more than others.

So to gain an edge he read her diary. Only once he swears and it wasn’t like he went searching for it or anything. Didn’t know she had one. It was just sitting there in a box under her bed. Anyone could have found it really.

Reading the neat handwriting and discovering the personality of y/n was interesting. Kinda expected something along the lines of teen angst constering how aloof she comes off when around the family. Instead he found words of an insecure yet optimistic girl.

Dick uses his newly acquired intel to make it easier for y/n to talk to him. Brings up media that she likes to bond over the “same” interests they have. Uses her insecurities against her.

If she gets mad at him for trying to plant the idea that her best friend was a bad person, he’ll act like she’s overrating. Say that she was yelling even if she wasn’t. When asking if there was any validity to his bullshit, he’ll bring up one of her insecurity.

“You’ve always been slow when it comes to everything, but good thing your favorite brother is always there for you.”

“Yeah, good thing I’ll always have Tim.”

“Yeah, wait-”

Jason Todd

They were somewhat close before he died as they trained and sparred with each other. He wished he was able to see her put on her suit for the first time as he knows how hard she worked for it. Could practically hear her squealing when she looked in the mirror.

Unlike the others, Jason avoided y/n on purpose. He felt ashamed for beating and having snapped her arm when he was trying to kill everyone. She wasn’t even fighting back. If it wasn’t for Bruce and Tim, y/n would have ended up in a casket.

When hearing that she quit being Batgirl, he was kind of surprised. He remembers the younger y/n trying so hard to meet Bruce’s expectations. Despite failing more than he could count, she always got back to work. Always trying to improve. Never being satisfied with herself.

Wanted to know what made her quit, but decided against it. It wasn’t his place to ask and he doubted that she’d tell him. It wasn’t like she told anyone though.

Was kinda glad that y/n quit. Jason always felt queasy when seeing or even thinking of her getting hurt since it reminds him of when he was so close to taking her life. And he always felt that she wasn’t made for this kind of work.

She was too soft to fight the Killer Croc or face Scarecrow. Even though Jason always felt that way, he’d never say it aloud. He couldn’t bring himself to dampen that twinkle in her eyes.

“I saw how hard you hit the punching bag, why are you holding back now?”

“I don’t know…I don’t want to hurt you or anything.”

“y/n, you're supposed to come at me with everything you got.”

“But I don’t like hurting you or anyone.”

Tim Drake

Tim and y/n were close even though it was a bit awkward at first. They geeked out about the latest games and shows. Staying up late enjoying whatever type entertainment with junk food much to the dismay of Bruce and Alfred.

y/n admired his intelligence and how patient he was when explaining something to her. Whether it was homework or something else entirely, he was the one she felt most comfortable asking for help from.

She was low-key jealous of how quickly Tim was able to gain the title of Robin while it took her years of training to become Batgirl. But the jealousy would later be admiration for a time.

Tim always felt privileged when y/n showed her artwork to him. She never likes showing it to anyone and hates when someone tries to look at what she was drawing. So when she asks for his attention and flips her notebook/tablet around he can't help smiling.

Even when they were on good terms, he wasn't sure how to approach her when going through a low. She either needed to be alone, talk, or push. The thing is Tim doesn't know how to appropriately react. He just doesn't want to make anything worse, so he ends up having her sit outside to absorb the sun rays. Since he noticed how that had brightened her low mood.

When y/n quit being Batgirl he gave her some space before asking about it. Surprisingly he didn't get much of an answer. She was usually so open about everything, especially with him.

Realizing that they were getting nowhere with this he backed off. Assuming that she'd tell him when she was ready.

Overtime they began hanging out less and less. He hadn't realized how far they drifted apart until one night. Just making a quick run to the kitchen for some coffee. It was pretty late and he didn't think any else was or would be awake.

Yet there was y/n sitting at the kitchen island writing on a paper with notes scattered around her. Homework. When Tim made his presence known with a simple hi, he noticed how…tense she got. Like she got caught stealing from the forbidden cookie jar.

When asking what she was working on, she gave short answers. He'd expected a monologue of how frustrating learning this new material is. Then asking if she needed help, he saw her jaw slightly clench. It looked like she was going to say more, but only declined with a no.

It was odd, but he didn't think too much of it at the time. He had…He didn't want to admit it, but he had more important things to deal with. If he knew of things that were going to happen, he would've done so much differently.

"— Really? I think this is my worst one yet."

"I don't know what you're talking about, it looks great. I couldn't ever draw something that good."

"Just because you can't draw doesn't make my drawing better. Wait, you were just shitting on me for comparing myself to others."

"Yeah, but that's different."

Damian Wayne/Al Ghul

Never liked y/n from the start. Before she even opened her mouth, just that smile looked so wrong. Damian couldn't put his finger on it, but didn't like it. It seemed so fake because it was.

There wasn't anything that made him feel like he needed to respect her like the others. Sure, she was Batgirl but only for a few years.

She never helped them with anything. She's never there to help in the first place. In his opinion she wasn't anything more than dead weight.

When insulted there was never an insult thrown back. He can tell when he struck a nerve when her lips move to the right and her eyes slightly harden. Maybe her nose will flare up if he hit hard enough.

Then she just responds with a hum before ignoring him or leaving the room. If she didn't respect herself enough to defend herself then why should he even bother with her.

When the family slowly/is yandere he'll reevaluate his view of y/n. Still thinks she's weak and cannot do anything, but less hateful. Which is a good thing until he's trying to have her attention whenever they're in the same room.

Or when he's digging through all her artwork while Dick is giggling to himself when reading her diary. Finding out their interest in the arts, he's forcing her to paint. Doesn't care if she doesn't like it, they're painting together.

"Why can't you carry your weight around the house? All you do is sit in your room."

"Hm."

"I don't even know why you're still here, Father should have kicked you out after you stopped being useful."

"Mhhm."

"I know you can hear me. You just don't know how to respond because it's true."

"Hmm."

|*|*|*|*|

Dear Diary,

Today my family tried to talk to me.

It was weird.

[onnahu]

Batkids as AO3 users

Dick - I don't think he'd be a writer. He just don't give me the vibes, ya know? He would, however, read fics about people he knows. And himself. He's deep in superhero fandom, and at some moment he gets super invested in some rarepair and actually menages to set them up. I also think as a teenager he would stumble upon some E rated fic for someone he knows, then promise himself he'd never touch it again, and then a few years later he reads them a lot, is just super secretive and guilty about it. He does not, however, touch Batman E rated fics with a ten foot pole.

Tim - you'd think he'd write Hero RPF, huh? No. He's deep into Formula 1 RPF. He writes, he reads, he's just very active in fandom. Most of his works are some kind of Formula 1 murder mystery.

Jason - he is the one from Hero RPF. He doesn't read it, he just writes it. In various AU's, ranging from some inspired by his crazy adventures to those from classic literature. When he was still Robin, he wrote Pride and Prejudice Superbat fic, that became crazy popular. After ressurection he sweared he wouldn't touch it, but after checking it out once and realising how tragic his writing style was, he rewrites the whole thing. He reads fics from fandoms he does not know the original works of. He finds a fic he likes, and learns things from it. Then he spirals deep into fandom. Like many of Batfam fans I imagine. That's why he doesn't write, because he feels he can't without knowing the original, and he sure as hell ain't watching some kids show called Ben 10.

Babs - I think her beginnings were in something like Twilight of DCU. She would regret it forever. Currently she's involved in some shows she watches when on break from work and Oracle. I'm not really into TV series but maybe something like Bridgertons or The Boys or something like that. She writes only one-shots and is active on Tumblr. She has like a thousand bookmarks and she posts fic recs with the most wild analysis of writing style, plot consistency and just vibes. She stays away from any RPF's, but esoecially Superhero RPF. She's got it enough on day to day basis thank you very much.

Steph - that girl post Robin writes the most sick gore body horror fics change my mind. And she does it in fandom's you would least expected. She also writes Spoiler/Batgirl fics, that are really fluffy but also full of action and actually made the pairing wildly known.

Cass - she reads everything Steph writes for Spoiler/Batgirl. Steph does not know Cass knows she writes them. Cass is really charmed. She tried writing one, but it came out really dark and she didn't like how clumsy it was and gave up on trying to be an author. She reads heavy angst, crack, or Steph's Spoiler/Batgirl fics, nothing else. She's the person that leaves very short but very sweet comments on literally averything she likes.

Duke - that boy is in the same circles as both Tim and Dick. He actually finds out it's Tim that writes his favourite Formula 1 fics as Tim finds out it's Duke that leaves those super insightful comments on them that start's conversations with author and other readers. They have one talk about it and then forcefully forgets about it and continues as it was. He writes Batman and Robin and Robin Gang fics. He's really good at it, and that's how he found Duck Grayson. Not that any of them knows that's the other on the other side of the screen. And yes, he's Steph's beta reader, and she's his. They don't talk about it, it's just how it is.

Damian - he reads Batman and Robin fics but only about himself. He also draws fanart and makes comics about Batman and Robin (himself). Later he gets involved in Teen Titans fandom, then the Justice League one, and suddenly he's a wildly known fanartist in the whole Hero RPF community. And he did draw a fanart for Jason's fic ones. They both don't know it's the other. He also gives aby superhero an emotional support fictional pet. Dick think it's adorable. (He was the one that introduced Damian to fandom.)

[edgessunflower]

Hi, lovely. I really enjoy your writing style and reading your writing a lot. Can I ask if it isn't to much for headcanons on, how would batfamily react if they found out that batsis reader was dating Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle and Garfield Logan/Beast Boy separately from Justice League vs. Teen Titans for about 5-7 months in seakrit. How would they react? How would they feel about batsis keeping this from them? Who would be the most shock? Please.

Of course my dear! 🤍

Garfield

The two of you were very happy getting and being together always smiling and laughing together whether it was his jokes or your goofy nature you both were laughing at and with each other

The two of you planned to tell them all but you wanted to be sure that things were right not wanting to tell anyone right away keeping things low in the first while

After 4 months you decided to tell them watching tv at titans tower while waiting for them to come over to tell them with gar next to you eating snacks

After while Tim came in with Damian and Steph followed by everyone else as you and gar smile and nodding telling them all after they sit down

"Me and Gar are together" you smile trying not to let your nerves get the better of you as they all reacted very differently starting with Jason giving him a dead cold stare "If you harm or break her heart you'll regret it" making your eyes widen and gar to chuckle nervously while sweat drips off his forehead quickly wiping it away,Steph smiles hugging both of you happy for you finding someone that treated you right,Tim is happy for the two of you but makes sure he knows that he will know if you are harmed in any type of way,Barb secretly tells Bruce and smiles at the two of you congratulating both of you,Damian glares darts into gar with you giving him a stern look telling him not to harm or threaten him making him quickly change his look and hug you making you giggle,Dick smiles saying how happy that the two of you got together and were such a great match

Bruce is a bit surprised when he sees the message from barb but he is happy for you despite him not really showing it or really talking about it at all but he lets you know that he is

They all are happy when he comes over to the manor with you welcoming him at a distance but soon with open arms after him coming around more the first couple months after you told them always happy when he stayed the night but also making sure that no funny business was happening

Jaime

You both knew you had feelings for each other but didn't know whether the other felt the same until in a spur of the moment you told each other ending with the two of you getting together and going on a date the next day

The next thing you both knew it had been 6 months since then and somehow no one in your family knew that you were dating anyone let alone Jaime so you thought of many different ways to tell them

Soon you both decided to tell the news together at the tower when they came over for lunch which happened sometimes when it had been awhile since they came around that didn't include missions or training

Everyone came in and after you all ate and were playing video games,watching tv,or listening to music you and jaime looked at each other nodding and looking at everyone "Hey me and jaime are together" everyone stopped looking over seeing you with your head in his lap while playing video games

Dick stayed still until saying he was happy with you as long as you had safe sex,Damian quickly walked to you staring at the two of you with very vicious eyes until you grab and tickle him until he goes back to the couch,Bruce peeks his head from the next room with a mix of protectiveness and being happy for you,Tim would be happy that his friend and sister got together since him and jaime had been friends for years and happy that he treated you wonderfully,the others found out and were happy as well

Soon he blended right in with your family and you knew after being together for 3 years that the two of you would be together and get married when the two of you were older

[honey-tragedy]

a least to most likely list of which of the robins would hide injuries

dick, is surprisingly the least likely to hide injuries. he got told sence he was able to walk and do stunts that improperly cared for injuries could not only harm him but other performers and thats stuck with him. add in being the leader of the teen titans and trying to set a good example for them, hes fully open with his injuries when hes hurt.

--dick has a spread sheet of injury and when he got them, he thinks it funny

tim is the second least likely to hide injuries, now this is only because in the first year or two of being robin haveing a infection or improperly cared for wound would take him out of the field and away from doing damage control with bruce. and now its just a habit too keep track of his injuries

---tim would hid older injuries that wouldn't effects his field capabilities (spleen spleen spleen) but not anything recent or pressing

up next is duke! duke as the leader of the we are robins thing has had to deal with idiots under his command hideing injuries and he refuses to add that stress onto bruce and alfred. he knows how annoying and worrying it is to have to wonder if your people are actually field ready or lieing too you.

--he would only hid injuries if they came from civilian life or for a stupid thing like triping off a roof or swinging into a wall, but like tim he wouldnt if it was something big or would affect his capabilities

steph is next up, were edgeing into would definitely hide shit, steph does not see bruce as a parent and barely sees him as a boss. shes a latch key kid with a terrible dad and a try her best but not get mom, no way in hell would she come out with injuries outload but she would let alfred treat her if it came up. prefers to go to Leslie cause she trusts her more, and as such bruce usually only hears about her injuries after the fact.

---steph fully mocks bruce that if he was the worlds greatest detective he would know when shes hurt, goes to Leslie or alfred if its really bad

this was a toss up, but damian is next, assassins dont really lend them selves to being good people to tell that your injured, even the ones ment to serve you. damian is basically allergic to telling anyone anything is actually wrong with him ever, unless its him and bruce one of one. bruce is essentially the only person he trusts enough to admit hes injured.

--getting damian to admit hes injured is like trying to give a feral cat a bath, no one likes doing it but its necessary sometimes

jason!! second to last on the list, jason would actually fully chew off his own leg then tell the bats hes injured ever. not only because he doesn't trust 90% of them not to use it to fuck him over, but also because bruce will become simultaneously the most helicopter parent and the emotional brick wall the second he knows Jason's hurt, its honestly worse then being shot to see him try and ground jason like hes still a child, while also being full emotional brick wall batman mode

--jason has pushed tim down the bottomless pit in the cave before just so he could bolt before bruce could quarantine him in the cave cause he got hurt, jason would fully fist fight his way out of the batfam then ever admit hes hurt

and to round it off cass! cass will slink away to hide and lick her wound and you would never know shes hurt unless she lets you. raised as a weapon i dont think David cain was the kinda person to treat an injury with anything other then disappointment, and cass still sees her own injury as failures in her training. shes fully capable of doing most of her own medical care and useing it to her advantage in avoiding telling anyone her injuries.

--cass broke her arm once and as soon as it was put in a cast no one saw her tell it was fully healed. not even bruce is sure where she was or what she was doing during those months

[phoenixkaptain]

Just finished re-reading your fic Switcheroo, and I love it so much. Thus, I offer you the suggestion of young!Tim getting his version of young justice and the extended batfam to help him kidnap his alternate self, if only for a little while to give him a vacation, mayhaps involving yj meeting their alternates, littlest brother acquisition, and fucking with Gotham's rogues

Bruce would definitely be like: “Tim! I told you not without an adult!”

Tim: “Red Tornado was there!!”

Red Tornado, who thought he was just taking the kids for ice cream and did not expect to suddenly find himself part of a kidnapping plot: 😔

I’ve always kind of wanted, if I do write a follow up, to include Klarion in some way, because I really liked Klarion’s interactions with Young Justice (pretty sure they just straight up threatened to kill his cat if he didn’t turn everything back to normal, which was the only successful way to actually get Klarion to turn everythinf back to normal) but I can imagine that the Young Justice kids would be super down to help Tim kidnap and alternate dimension version of himself.

There would definitely be littlest brother acquisition! Both Tims have no idea how to hold a baby, but neither do most of the other Young Justice kids, so they just give Damian to Red Tornado or Cissie. (I’m petty sure, but not positive, that Cissie was used to babysitting in the series, but I may be wrong) The mental image I have of Tim, Cassie, Bart, and Kon all pondering over how to pick up a baby is really funny XD They get into an argument about it… Tim and Kon nearly start punching each other… Bart and Cassie panic and try to convince older Tim to help but he just watches and sighs wistfully and says “Those were the days… I should punch Connor when I get back, just for old time’s sake.”

And fucking with Gotham rogues would be really fun to write. I’ve always imagined a scene where older Jason Robin is out and finds a Rogue, only for a slightly smaller shadow to slip out from behind him. The Rogue doesn’t panic, they’ve become a bit more used to this trick, it won’t fool them again- holy shit a third one??? (A third shadow slips out from beneath the second shadow’s cover, and one can just barely glimpse, in the alleyway only just lit by a streetlamp at the opposite end of it, the glint of teeth in the sharp smile on the third shadow’s face) It would be really fun to write :D

I should probably write the sequel… but first I have to reread nineties Young Justice and the Red Robin run and I’ll read through some Batman comics and I love reading Teen Titans comics and- <— This is why it’s been so long, I’m so sorry to everyone who thought I was quick 🫡

Well, all that aside, I’m very happy that you like the story ヽ(´▽｀)ノ

[staronet]

Guys I'm trying to get into Batman and every time I search for it on Tumblr I don't understand and I get scared.

What is batfam? Who is Danny? Jason? Why is Robin so young? Is he not named Dick anymore??? Why does Batman not sing?

Also I watched the Dark Night Rises and I forgot how fucking pro cop it is. 💀 Also Bane isn't the movie as much as I thought?? He just dies as well and that's it?? Why did they tease Robin taking over and then NOT GIVE ME A ROBIN MOVIE????

Anyways, my insane ramblings are over. My friend already gave me pointers but anyone is free to send me an ask recommending stuff... and help me figure shit out

The Batfam is just Bruce Wayne/Batman and all the kids he has acquired (legally, officially, illegally, and unofficially). Danny is not apart of the DC universe, he is from a kids' cartoon series called Danny Phantom. He's just really popular with DC crossover.

Jason is the second Robin, Dick/Richard being the first. In order the (Main) Robins are Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian. There are more in between these guys, but these are the ones that the fandom uses the most. If I'm not mistaken, these are also the only Robins that were adopted by Bruce Wayne and stayed in the manor, I could be wrong though.

Dick became Nightwing. Jason became Red Hood. Tim became Red Robin. Damian is currently Robin.

Then there's the Batgirls. Barbara, Steph, and Cass. Barbara has become Oracle, Steph is still Batgirl, and Cass is also still Batgirl I believe.

As for actual official canon content, I can't help you much there. I grew up on Superheroes and I actually don't remember all the places I have gathered my info aside from internet nowadays. Obviously, if you can get your hands on comics, that'd be a great place to start. If not, watching the original Teen Titans series can also give you some more information on Nightwing/Dick. Any of the original DC animations are good too.

Outside of older Batman content (like early animation and black and white films/early color films) there isn't much Robin content unless you read the comics. Gonna be honest, from what I can tell, the canon is also kinda fucked and jumps around a lot and it just depends on your preference.

Hope this helps you! I'm still new to the fandom but this is most of the information I would've benefited from knowing before fully diving in. And you can always turn to google if you don't know something! normally what I do when something doesn't seem to click.

Goddamn it I want more Robin. I'm gonna have to make the movie myself then.

Thank you for the information! It helped!

[starsonthewalls]

WIP Wednesday

so a friend/irl nuisance double-dared me to start "sharing content in the process, it doesn't have to be good". it sounded a lot better and inspiring when he said it ngl.

so here's a segment from tell me where the good men go, my beloved batfam medieval fantasy au.

Rating: Teen and Up Category: Gen Relationships: Dick Grayson & Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Tim Drake & Cassandra Cain & Damian Wayne & Duke Thomas Additional Tags: Presumed Dead (Dick), Magic Medieval Fantasy AU

Additional Context: Dick's been presumed dead by his siblings for three years, for Reasons that are relevant to the overall plot lol (no spoilers!!) In those three years, he traveled across the continent, met up with the Wally and Garth (and later Donna and Roy ala classic Fab Five) to form the Titans. Eventually, news of the Titans and their mysterious leader makes its way back East to Gotham, prompting people to investigate.

This is a Tim-centered POV of some of the events that lead up to Dick's highly-exaggerated disappearance, and how he's been coping in the present, and it's been sitting in my drafts for... three years, roughly. Enjoy!

~•~

Before 

“I don’t like it.” 

“Hm. Tough.” 

Tim doesn’t do something so undignified as whine, though it’s a very close thing. Dick is a big brother several times over, and is very used to Little Sibling Dramatics, and therefore manages to restrain from rolling his eyes or calling Tim a little brat. Jason and Damian have no such restraint. 

“You made this plan, Tim,” Jason says, poking Tim in the shoulder just as he starts yet another misguided attempt to sit up on his own strength. Tim makes a little wheezing sound- not entirely unlike the noise a balloon makes as it deflates- and all but collapses back onto his pillows. This, of course, sets off Jason’s mothering tendencies, which in turn sets off another round of Tim’s not-whining ‘I’m fine’s that none of them are inclined to believe anymore. 

Jason’s scowl grows into a truly fearsome thing (not that any of them are in any way affected by it) as he fusses over the multitude of blankets and pillows that surround Tim. “As I recall,” he says as he works, voice dry, “we were very concerned about the amount of risks incorporated into this plan, but you were the one who insisted that ‘it’s really nothing to worry about, you see,’ and ‘you’re all being unreasonably ridiculous and overprotective about this.’”

“Yes, well, things were different. Are different,” Tim bites out as he lies back against the (newly fluffed) pillows. Tim’s skin, already naturally pale, is nearly as white as the clean sheets he’s lying against, and the absence of further protest from him at Jason’s fussing makes the rest of them exchange glances. 

None of the others had been present when Dick had sat down with Alfred and Lady Thompkins as she'd solemnly walked them through the damage Tim's time with Ra's had done to his body, and the long road to recovery that loomed over Dick's second-youngest brother.

"I was clearly compromised," Tim ends up snapping at Jason's prodding, stubbornly trying once again to sit up on his won. "It's a stupid plan, and no-one's going through with it."

“Things were different,” Tim snaps, struggling to sit upright. He doesn't quite manage it, but he does find the strength to bat away Jason's hands. “I was compromised. It’s a stupid plan, and no-one’s going through with it.” 

“Why?” Dick asks, softly. “Because you’re no longer the one carrying it out?” 

None of them quite freeze at the implications of Dick’s question, though there is a tenseness in the way they all settle afterwards, gravitating to Tim’s bed from where they are scattered across the room. 

Tim himself gives up on sitting upright, falling back onto sweat-damp sheets and pillows with a huff. After a moment, he grabs a pillow and throws it- judging by the direction, he's aiming for Damian, but weakened as he is, it just falls sadly over the edge. Jason sighs at the destruction of his hard work and opts to carefully pull Tim forward, supporting him all the while, so that Dick can plump the pillows up against the headboard and settle against them. Once done, he holds his arms open to lean Tim back against his chest while Jason sits on Tim's other side. Duke takes a seat at the foot of the bed, a hand on Tim's ankle, while Cass gracefully slots herself next to Tim, her head on Jason's lap. Damian clambers up and sits near Tim's feet, arms wrapped around Tim's fallen pillow, glaring petulantly at nothing in particular. Tim nudges him with his foot, and Damian gently whaps him with the pillow, and it's enough to bring smiles to everyone's faces, for a moment.

Dick brushes back Tim’s sweat-soaked bangs, studying the unhealthy paleness of his brother’s skin. Underneath the soaked nightshirt, he knows, bandages near-completely wrap around his brother's torso. Tim catches him looking and rolls his eyes. “I’m fine. This is fine. The wound’s settled nicely, and the healers give me less than a month before I’m back to full capacity.”

“Funny,” Duke murmurs. “I could’ve sworn it was longer. Two, three months, wasn’t it, Cass?”

“Mn,” Cassandra hums agreeably, carding her fingers through Tim’s hair. Tim makes an antagonized sound. 

“Duke,” he groans. “Please shut up.” 

“No,” Duke says pleasantly, at the same time Cass gently chastises him. “Injuries aren’t an excuse to be rude,” she says, her voice still soft but firm. 

“Yes, Cass,” Tim sighs, ignoring Duke’s pleased grin and Jason’s snort. He lets it slide because he knows that they’re just as bad as he is when it comes to indulging their sister, who is a force of nature and one of the best things in this world, and therefore they had no room to talk. 

The silence that fills the room afterwards is neither unpleasant nor comfortable. They are well-attuned to one another, all of them, and they know the outcome of the conversation- if it can even be called that, Tim thinks bitterly, what with him an invalid laid up in bed like some damsel in distress. 

“I don’t like it,” he says again, but it’s softer this time. Quieter, and full of resignation. His eyes flicker up to meet Dick’s. “It’s not safe,” his voice is pleading, even if he knows it won’t make a difference. He’d defended his case and the risks involved far too well last time, and even as his brain raced, trying to restructure the plan now, he couldn’t think of anything that would be as effective, or didn’t risk another one of their siblings. Dick only smiles indulgently at him as he continues to gently card his fingers through Tim’s hair. 

“Good,” he says brightly. “Now, when you make plans, you’ll be making them as if we were the ones carrying them out, and maybe we’ll get you a sense of self-preservation yet.” 

“I hate you.”

“Okay, little brother.”

“That’s not how this works.” 

“I’m older therefore I know better therefore this is exactly how it works.” 

“I’m stealing your coffee supply.”

“Mkay.”

“All of it.” 

“I look forward to hearing you defend a sudden increase in coffee consumption to Alfred.”

...

"Be careful."

"I always am."

"...come home?"

...

"I'll do my very best."

Now

There are two jars of coffee beans in the royal family kitchens- one is plain gray and utilitarian. The other is garishly painted in red, yellow, and green, as if by a child. There are chips and scratches on the base, and the red robin on top of the lid is missing a wing and has glue smeared messily around it from the last time it fell off and was put back. Dick's name is engraved in gold on the front.

Years ago, Tim had sat at the marble counter of the small kitchenette in the Royal family’s inner rooms, watching intently as Dick Grayson, then-heir to the throne of Gotham, had taught him how to make coffee for the first time. “The secret, Timmy,” he’d said, pulling the colorful jar close for Tim to inspect, “is in the beans. The ones we get here in the palace are alright,” Dick had pulled a silly expression, making Tim laugh, “But mine are special and so much better. You’ll see.” 

Truthfully, Tim hadn’t liked the bitter drink very much at first, though Dick was right that it was better than the stuff they drank more regularly. He’d delighted in the scandalized faces Dick had made as he’d added liberal amounts of cream and honey to his cup to make it palatable. It had become a tradition, eventually, for Tim to gravitate to Dick’s corner of the kitchen in the early mornings and help his brother prepare coffee for the family. 

When Dick and the others had left him and Damian for the campaign against Ra’s, years ago, Tim had seriously contemplated emptying Dick’s special stores of coffee beans (he'd found all of them years ago) as a form of petty revenge. 

He had ended up hiding them, and then crying over the stupid jar for months before finally returning it to the kitchens. No one had said anything about it, though they’d cancelled court after Damian had first spotted it and consequently disappeared for the rest of the morning. 

Tim reaches instead for the dull gray container, measuring out the beans and grinding them with the ease of familiarity while carefully monitoring the pot set to boil over the stove. The routine grounds him in the foreign silence of the early morning and the empty kitchen. Normally, the royal family kitchens were filled with sound and movement as the siblings maneuvered around one another in the familiar dance of preparing for the day ahead. 

But Cass, Jason, and Damian had gone West three months now, and Duke had been called away to settle a spat between two minor fiefs to the northern borders about a week ago- leaving Tim to manage the affairs of court by himself. 

‘So much for none of us carrying the burden of a throne by ourselves,’ Tim can’t help thinking, a little bitterly. He checks the pot again, draining half the water into the sink before he pours the coffee grounds and takes it off the stove. Three months, and he still prepares too much water lest Damian complain about not having any left for his tea. One would think that he’d get used to the absence after so long. 

But then again, he thinks, turning back to stare at the red-yellow-green jar with a robin on top, one of the last things he had left to remember his brother by, some absences are impossible to get used to. 

The familiar, rich scent of coffee fills the small kitchenette as he works, drawing a small, bittersweet smile on his face. The early morning routine is a small comfort amongst the burdens and stress of running a kingdom, but these days, it feels like memories, routines, and small comforts are all Tim has left.

And maybe... maybe a little hope.

Tim eyes the letters on the counter. One is from Duke. The minor disturbance on the northern border is more complicated than they'd initially thought, but not as drastic as he'd feared as of his last writing. A week, maybe two, and Tim would have one of his brothers home. Two are from Cass and Jason. They've crossed the Western Wastes, and are headed for Salire, the fabled base of the Titans.

The last is from Damian. It's a picture he found in an inn, in Hatton Corners, he writes. It's a poster of three young men. Two are unknown to him, but the last-

The last Tim would recognize at the end of the world.

"I didn't show Cassandra and Jason. Latest rumors report Robin missing and the Titans on guard. But it's a lead.

We finally found him."

Yes. Maybe a little hope.

[danny-chase]

Dick, didn't feel resentful though the closest he was ever to saying he felt resentful was this:

The New Teen Titans (1980) #50

Where he specifically says he's not mad at Bruce for adopting Jason and Bruce replies after this about how he was younger and not ready for the responsibility of adopting a kid when he took in Dick, and that he couldn't have loved Dick more. Which isn't exactly breeding grounds for resentment. this is also in the pre-crisis timeline where Dick gave Jason his Robin suit vs Bruce giving Jason the suit. Both of these events (Dick giving him the suit, and this conversation) were carried over to the post-crisis timeline. The suit-giving is one of the main sources of Dick's guilt

The New Titans (1984) #55

Which is something that it makes sense Dick would feel guilty about. by giving Jason the robin suit in both continuities, he was giving Jason his approval to continue on the legacy, and being robin is what got Jason killed (yes he was trying to save his mom, but Joker wouldn't have used Jason's mom against him if Jason wasn't Robin, and i don't know if anyone described the specifics to Dick anyways). If Dick had put his foot down, pitched a fit, and demanded the costume back, Jason wouldn't have died. If Dick had stuck things out back at the manor and hadn't left, Bruce wouldn't have gotten lonely and taken in someone new (this is also brought up during the following scene in The New Titans 55)

Dick's earlier conversation with Bruce gets misinterpreted both in and out of canon

The New Titans (1985) #55

The other thing Dick's angry about when it comes to Jason is that in the Post-crisis timeline, Bruce fired him from being Robin because he didn't want a kid to get hurt and then like made Jason Robin 5 minutes later because he was lonely and didn't have the balls to pick up the phone and call Dick. And he is pretty torqued off in his first meeting with Jason, where Jason messed up a drug bust, but after he yells at Bruce privately, the story makes it pretty clear he doesn't have any lingering ill will towards Jason himself:

Batman (1940) #416

Like. I'm not going to debate that Dick reacted negatively to Jason initially. Dick actually reacts to Tim, Damian, and even Cass negatively on their first encounter, the biggest difference with those characters is that he had more time to team up with them after their introduction, whereas his relationship with Jason was good before the crisis, and then was crammed into 1 issue post crisis (which is the continuity widely accepted for Jason's time as robin) because A Death in the Family starts 10 issues later. I think the time spent dedicated to putting their relationship on good terms again (because they were on good terms pre-crisis) is significant, given that there wasn't a lot of time

I think a lot less of Dick's relationship with his siblings is motivated out guilt than people think. Dick did take steps to deal with the guilt outside of adopting new siblings - he went to therapy in the wake of Jason's death and he does defend himself when Bruce blames him for Jason's death. Which I think shows that he knows he can't blame himself forever for it, even if the thoughts do linger. A big reason why he's around more for Tim is that Tim takes him up on the "call me whenever" offer, and does in fact, call Dick whenever. Dick generally doesn't initiate hanging out with the other batkids - when he does it's generally because there's a major event going on. Tim breaks in through his window (canonically). Bruce asks Dick to be involved in Tim's training. Bruce asks Dick to come around for more missions. Dicks being invited to the table more with Tim, whereas with Jason, in post-crisis Bruce didn't seem to want anything to do with him. Its not really the other way around - Dick doesnt reach out to Tim a ton without some sort of provocation, he's not constantly checking in, but if Tims calling (which he does relatively frequently), you better believe he'll drop everything to help (and quite frankly, that has more to do with the kind of personality Dick has, especially in later comics, he tends to be a bit reclusive). And that's not to say that Dick never initiates hanging out with Tim, it's just out balanced by the amount of times Tim or Bruce initiates things. I think if Jason had lived longer, Dick's relationship with him was shaping up to be more like his relationship with Cass - the okay if there's a big event going on we'll get together and we're on good terms and i can call you a sibling but neither of us really feels a need to be hanging out all the time, but i know i can rely on you. Which canon does have evidence that Dick and Jason hung out a couple times and stayed on relatively good terms, even if they weren't super close.

Damian is a different story all together. Dick didn't like him at first either, but he was kind of forced into a position of responsibility for him, and he stepped up to the task at hand. A lot of people forget that it was actually Alfred that gave Damian the mantle, and while Dick didn't reverse that decision, he didn't make it either. Dick doesn't like being responsible for kids, especially after Jason died. It's why he never has stepped up to be a mentor to Tim's generation of Titans. It's why he fired Danny Chase in The New Titans right after Jason died (and then of course after an unfortunate series of events, Danny still ended up dying anyways). I think what makes his relationship with Tim work, is that Bruce is ultimately the one responsible - like if Bruce is going to do this then I'll do what i can to train the kid and be there for him, and what makes his relationship with Damian work, is that he thinks Damian would get himself killed without his guidance (not without merit either, because Dick saves Damian's life the first time Damian runs off by himself in their run). Does his relationship/lack there of with Jason affect how he treats his siblings? Absolutely - but i think it's more complicated than him just resolving to be there for the next kid no matter what, and i think Jason's death makes him more resistant to the idea of having child sidekicks in general

also i have no idea what missed call you were talking about... i know it's relatively popular in fanon to have Dick miss a call from Jason because he did give Jason his number in the above issue, and then was in space during his death. In Dixon's run the only thing close to a flashback when it comes to Jason is him staring at a photo of the two of them:

and Jason showing up towards the end of a fear gas induced hallucination, and talking to him again in a separate hallucination sequence in a secret files issue

So to your point and your discord message. I'm not trying to make them besties, but I'm trying to point out they weren't worsties either. When Jason died, they were on good terms. They weren't close because they didn't have time to be close. Dick didn't really feel all that resentful, he was mad initially but got over it in like 1 comic. Jason's death does influence how Dick acts with his siblings, but i think it was less about Dick feeling guilty for not making an effort with Jason, and more about Dick feeling guilty that he put a kid in danger by letting his legacy as Robin live on. Jason died in Dick's old costume, one that he wore himself, and I don't think Dick will ever forget that

Not to obsess over Dick and Tim's brotherly relationship again but the way Tim time and time again sees Dick at his lowest and still falls into the childlike hero worship makes me chew on cardboard. Tim was there on Dick's failed wedding day, he was there in the aftermath of Dick being passed over for the mantle in Batman: Prodigal, Dick told Tim about his percieved failure with Two-Face, Tim had to pull Dick off the Joker after he murdered him, watched him apparently quit the hero game after War Games, and after all of that still has complete faith in Dick. It's that moment as a toddler cemented in Tim's head, watching Dick perform as a Flying Grayson, but also all those small moments years later, when he needed someone to talk to and Dick picked up the phone when he called, the promises of never letting anything happen to him, and the gift of one of the original Robin costumes, the consistency and the certainty, the fooling around and goofing off, and Dick proclaiming Tim his brother years before Bruce adopted either of them as sons.

[heroesriseandfall]

Regarding your post about the Titan’s Tower thing, I think it’s a little irritating how many people treat it in fanon. In canon, Jason beats Tim up badly but doesn’t do anything too extreme, so it makes sense that it wouldn’t be Tim’s biggest trauma at the time. Fanon ramps it up to 11 and often makes so that Jason gleefully tortures Tim to the point of it being irredeemable. But then they double back and try to make us feel bad for Jason and try to make both of them reconcile by saying “it was the pit that made him do it”. I find it tasteless and honestly a little triggering.

Yeah, it’s a little bit backwards because in fanon it seems like a lot of people are writing about Titan’s Tower to try to...fix Tim and Jason’s early relationship, I guess, while still keeping it angsty? But without reading Teen Titans #29 or the surrounding comics, there’s no context for what they’re trying to fix. I think a lot of them don’t realize that the throat-slitting thing was in Batman: Hush, for example, not at Titans Tower. So they make this particular attack worse just by adding that in.

I’ve also noticed a lot of confusion over ages, making Tim much younger than he was (like 13-14 instead of 16) and Jason a bit older (he should be 18, but fics often seem to have no idea--and tbh that’s fair because the comic artists didn’t seem to know either lol). Which, like with the Tim vs Damian issue, it does change the dynamic of the fight when they have a larger age gap.

Also IMO Jason wasn’t even trying to leave Tim for dead, like I don’t think that was the point of the fight for him. It honestly seemed like the fight itself doesn’t last long and it was mostly Jason venting and seeing what Tim is like, along with kinda sending a message of “I’m here and I’m different than I was before; I did this.” Which doesn’t excuse Jason, I just don’t think people really get what the motivations were. If Jason wanted to kill Tim, he could have, but I honestly don’t think that was the point of the fight for him.

And yeah, the mischaracterization of pit madness is a big part of it. Not that Jason couldn’t have been affected by the pit at all (Ra’s seemed to think there was some influence), but he DOES have full autonomy over his actions, the pit can’t take full control of Jason and make him do things against his will—in comics, pit madness is not really an embodied force of the pit with an autonomous will to control peoples actions so they do specific things it wants (can a vat of mysterious chemicals even want anything?).

Jason is not really being mind controlled or possessed by the pit...because the pit isn’t an entity that can do that, at least not in any comics I’ve read. But fanon does treat it like it almost has a mind of its own, giving him glowing green eyes when its influencing him most (even though Jason wasn’t even dumped in a green pit, it was orange; and his eyes were still blue because the pits don’t usually change your eye color...).

I understand people like the supernatural element of all that, but there’s already a supernatural element to the Lazarus Pit, just not in that way, and adding all of this would require reworking a lot of other things. Jason was absolutely the one who chose to go after Tim, even if his psyche was changed from being healed by the pit. And while Jason very much needed help because he was traumatized and mentally unstable, his need for help doesn’t absolve him of responsibility over his harmful actions—and it was his responsibility, not the pit’s or Talia’s.

Honestly, creating a new excuse for Jason’s actions does a disservice to his character and to every other character he hurt at the time. It doesn’t actually change anything Jason did, it just shifts the blame and autonomy of his actions away from him, even though he canonically did it of his own accord. Which then makes everyone else’s reactions look less reasonable just because they correctly recognize his autonomy in the harmful choices he made. If you don’t like what Jason chose to do in canon...maybe change his actions, not his responsibility over them?

It also completely undermines Jason’s point, which is that he is the one who did it. He set up the whole elaborate plot specifically because he wanted everyone (especially Bruce) to know it was him doing it. If you make the pit do it, that defeats the point. There are so many good ways to make Jason’s return kinder to his character, without changing nearly every feature and context of his story (and everyone else’s).

[fluffykitty149]

Heey, soo I was just *ahem browsing around and then I came around your blog once again and was just wondering if you....

had some fluffy Athanasia headcanons about her and her bros .... please?

You know I love it when you have asks😉

Now for the batsiblings fluff:

Damian's always been protective of Athanasia, even in the league when he couldn't always show it

There was one mission where she was betrayed by party members and had to make it back on foot

Everyone assumed she was dead but when she got back she got lectured the crap out of her

When she finally got back to her room and cleaned up Damian hugged her and told her to be more careful next time

Despite what the batfam says about Damian not being physically affectionate Athanasia knows better

He just prefers to do it in private, and with people who won't judge him for it

Mainly hugs and forehead kisses.

They always make Athanasia feel warm

She also had the habit of sneaking into his room whenever she had a bad dream/she was scared

At first, it was annoying for Damian as a kid but she did manage to help him kill an assassin so he doesn't complain

The batfam once was panicking because they couldn't find her but Damian found her napping under the piano

While living in the Manor she was one of the few who were allowed to stay in his room.

Even when he was drawing.

She would lay down with Titus somewhere and take a nap

She also went in his room a lot when she missed him after he moved to San Fransico.

After he moved out with the Teen Titans and Athanasia started school she was feeling very self-conscious about her ethnicity and Bruce was too busy to realize

She started straightening her hair a lot and Damian came to visit and saw she was about to use skin lightening cream

She was scared he was going to yell at her but he just picked up the bottle and used it up squeezing 'DO BETTER' on Bruce's bed for not noticing.

He then grabbed her straightener and proceeded to hit Bruce with it while lecturing him during a JLA meeting not giving a shit.

He always brings flowers to her piano recitals and performances

Can't say much else to prevent too many spoilers.

Duke and her have a very good relationship

When she was trying to run for class president he was there to help her with his own experiences and when she won they went out to celebrate

She likes going to him for advice about school because she knows he's not going to make fun of her for it

They bond over annoying classmates and defend each other against microaggressions

She lectures Jason for calling Duke Narrows (not sure if he does this in canon but it happens in fanon) and he sticks up for her to be allowed to connect with her maternal culture without feeling bad for doing so.

He is also very proud of her for the large amount of Valentimes's day cards she received.

He attends her piano recitals and always reminds the rest of the bat fam to attend if they're free.

Prior to finding the contingency plans, Athanasia didn't dislike Tim

Damian mainly saw him as a rival and she didn't really care

During the Battle of the Cowl, she mediated between them so they could all work together

It honestly reminded her of Damian and Mara so she was used to it.

After finding the contingency plan she honestly thought it was a hit list and snapped his line.

Dick was able to later explain what the list actually was but she was insulted that she and Damian were on the villains' side.

She hasn't trusted him since

Still good at getting the two to stop fighting though

It takes a while but she comes around to forgiving him

Stephanie and her are almost joined at the hip

Originally she hated her for taking the mantle of Batgirl and thought Stephanie didn't deserve it but grew to accept it over time

Steph's mad that Damian keeps accusing her of stuffing her bra but Athanasia points out that it mainly started when she accused him of staring at her chest (Damian is both ace and insulted)

She gets them to apologize to each other but finds Super Girl lecturing him on body shaming both very funny and educational

She doesn't go to Steph about school stuff but she does go to her for romantic advice

Stephanie fights the urge to gossip about it by reminding her that she's the one Athanasia puts her trust in this type of stuff (and Aunt Kate)

Stephanie also introduces her to kids' shows and anime (she's the reason Athanasia loves Sailor Moon, Damian found it on his own)

She also introduced Athanasia to Calico Critters/Sylvanian Family

They love going shopping with each other and Cassandra and Stephanie definitely inspired her closet full of prep clothing.

Athanasia straight up idolizes Cassandra

She met her prior to moving into the manor by peering in through a vent shaft.

When Cass saw her she was scared that she was going to tell but Cass never did

She also knows she's the most dangerous fighter alive and really wants to train under her.

When Athanasia first came to the Manor, she was really stressed and scared but having Cass there made her feel better

Cass was also the reason why Athanasia wasn't too hard on Steph

Mainly because Cass is intimidating and told her to stop

She loves picking out outfits for Cass and they even do ballet together.

When she first saw Cassandra doing ballet she was furious "YOU NEED PROPER SHOES IF YOU WANT TO DO BALLET YOU NEED TO TREAT YOUR BODY BETTER IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR RANK!"

Cass goes to her for final opinion on formal event wear.

She loved Jason when she was little

She would sneak into his room late at night to tell him stories and he'd tell his own

Damian was jealous but never admitted to it

Mara knew and found it hilarious

He'd also get Damian and Athanasia to play pretend Batman and Robin

Athanasia preferred Batman and Batwoman instead

She and Damian fought on it a lot

Talia was glad there was someone there to let them be kids

Athanasia wasn't thought of too highly previously and Ras was even making plans to get rid of her

The problem was she was very hard to get rid off

Athanasia didn't know that her grandfather organized hits but she did know he didn't think highly of her and it hurt

Jason personally trained her with guns and when there was an assessment on it, she beat both Damian and Mara with flying colors

It was the first time Ras was proud of her and she was so excited.

When it was time for Jason to go she was very much heartbroken and promised to win a fight against her mother to see him again (like Damian wanting to meet Bruce)

She actually snuck out of the Manor the first time she was there to go look for him.

Even brought the Joker's head and everything

Unfortunately, he didn't remember anything and was dealing with pit madness so he attacked her.

If Cass wasn't there she could have been hurt.

During Battle for the Cowl, she teamed up with Tim, and Damian to take him down

Afterward she put a wall between them but would still sneak into his bedroom to read books from his bookshelf

When he got his memories back from his time with the kids in the League the first thing he did was run up to hug her and apologize.

As much as she was happy he got his memories back she didn't appreciate getting hugged when she was already covered in sewage from a mission gone wrong.

Her relationship with Dick was pretty good but it wasn't as strong as Damian's relationship with him.

She definitally saw him as a better father figure but wasn't that emotionally attached to him.

There are some similarities to Arab and Roma culture and when Dick went to a Roma wedding with them he was surprised to see Athanasia dancing as well as the performance dancers

He was a huge insperation for her to enjoy her culture outside of the League of Assassins and would attend arab weddings and buy Kaftans both casual and for Galas

She would sneak out to do small things to remind her of home like going to a halal store to buy sweets or her and Damian visiting Tarboosh (from teen titans 2016) whenever he visited.

[cafe-smut]

Ok so we'll go by category.

If you want to look at TV, I recommend The Batman 2004 TV. It's got a great basis for Bruce, Dick, and Babs. There are other ones but that one I feel could carry over into current comic cannon the best. There's not a lot of media for Jason Todd but there are two movies centered around him. A Death In The Family and (my all time favorite dc film) Under The Red Hood. For Tim there's a couple things you could watch but those are all apart of larger series (like Brave and the Bold). There is a surprisingly good Red Robin shown in the crossover movie they had though with TMNT if you want something shorter for an into to him. With Damian, and here's my over all main thing, the series of animated movies that's been released in the last decade that includes Son of Batman and Justice League vs Teen Titans are all really good. It's got a really great dynamic between the Batfam members shown and others included.

Comic wise I'll say two things. I'm not the most savvy but with how many there are, it's hard to find a good place to start. If you've heard of the New 52, DC did a re-upheveal of the whole comics and pick and choose what was cannon and what wasn't to give new readers a better starting point. It SUCKS because no one said what was cannon or not and every writer pick and choose from the previous comics for their own personal needs. Id say avoid it entirely if possible. Here's my suggestions (I'm not listing the Batman comics themselves because I haven't read much of those and there are plenty. But I'm also not going to list any I haven't read so if there's a bat missing, that's why.)

Nightwing (1996)

Red Hood Lost Days

Under the Red Hood

Young Justice (the 90's comic run)

Red Robin (2009)

I've read one of the Batgirl runs that's Stephanie brown's but I don't remember which one. I think it was the one from 2009 or something but I could totally be wrong.

Batgirl (early 2000's) was my favorite run for Cass

I believe I read the Robin Son Of Batman comics but I could be wrong. If it's got his cousin in it who's trying to kill him, that's the one.

We Are Robin is Duke's intro and it's good but there's a lot of info involved so I'd suggest a bit of background research before that one.

Now of course there are others that I've read and enjoy, but to start getting into it, I'd suggest that. (There's a couple Batman and Robin series to each Robin but those are long and deep into the different era's of DC and a lot of things change over the years so I don't think I'd actually say to start with those.) However, there are of course other things they're in. I loved the Young Justice TV show while I watched it (the last season was ish to me but the first two were PEAK) and the Wayne Family Adventure's is always a great place. But don't think that's cannon because those comics (it's a webtoon lol) is what we WISH was cannon. So it's a DC backed cannon comic. But it's really good and like reading a good fanfic.

Anybody know how to watch stuff about batfam

For dc or which comics to read?

Because this sounds interesting and I have no idea how to learn stuff about them

[falling-in-reverse-thewolfverse]

Falling in Reverse story line

(Part one)

Damian Wayne was the first Boy Wonder, and Bruce's biological child, the blood son as he would call himself.

He was dropped off at his father's doorstep when he was ten, already a fully trained assassin. Bruce had no idea what the heck he was supposed to do with a kid let alone a kid trained by the League of assassins. He tried to give the kid a normal life however that didn't really work since he knew his father was Batman long before they met. He kept sneaking into the Batcave and demanding to be trained. After months of him trying to sneak off, Bruce makes him a sidekick. He was named Robin after his brown and red costume, not a name he wanted but one given to him by the citizens of Gotham (And Bruce).

Everyone freaked out the first time Bruce brought Damian to the watch tower. While in the cafeteria he met a young speedster named Wally who he stabbed for stealing a piece of his food. Wally immediately decided that they were going to be best friends, whether Damian liked it or not.

They're friendship got off to a rocky start with Damian mostly using Wally. However, Damian realizes he does care for Wally after the speedster nearly dies protecting him. They became really close after that but Damian will never admit it.

Damian had no intentions of joining the Teen Titans. The only reason he even went to the tower was to talk to Wally about a case he was working on. Wally spent the entire day trying to convince him to join but it seemed useless until Damian met a certain big-haired alien.

After a fight with Bruce over his methods being too cruel, Damian left behind the cape and moved to Buldhaven. His grandfather came to him and told him about his great destiny to become the next Demon's Head. Damian Wayne does not like being told what to do. Instead, he became Nightwing protector of Bludhaven.

Tim Drake took up the mantle of Robin and Damian hated him for it. At least he thought he did until his little brother died alone in a warehouse.

(More on Falling in Reverse / Next)

[bitimdrake]

ao3 | au where bruce really did die

Dick has five ringtones. He never puts his phone on silent, unless he’s in a theater—and even then, only on vibrate, clenched tight against his leg, ready just in case—and he has five ringtones. It’s important to delineate. There’s the one for civilian friends, the one for unknown numbers, one for their extended “family” of Gotham’s protectors, and for those in the community but outside the city. Distinct tones. Known by heart.

So when Dick’s easy afternoon sorting through gang movements in his bedroom is interrupted by the family-family ringtone, it gives him pause. Dick watches the phone chime and buzz away on the desk across the room, stringing out the options.

The thing is, the family group has exactly six numbers, and two of them haven’t been used in—in a while. He should have taken off Jason’s number ages ago, but he never could quite bear it. Still can’t, for all Jason is back and shooting. And certainly never going to call. Same story for…for Bruce.

Dick isn’t ready for that.

Another two numbers are only fractionally more useful, as of late. Cassandra he only added in the past year, and he thinks they’ve spoken on the phone once in all that time. Cass, to Dick’s understanding, does not like phone calls, and even if she did, it’s hard to imagine she’d call him.

Tim used to call him. All the time. Dick put him in the family group years ago, long before it was legally true, because Robin automatically counted. Tim counted, even if he had his own dad and his own home. Family. But Tim hasn’t spoken to him in six months. So.

That leaves only two family contacts that have really been justifying the unlimited calling plan lately, Alfred and Damian, and Dick happens to know both of them are in the penthouse with him right now. He can even hear Alfred fussing about in the kitchen from down the hall. And he saw Damian holed up in his room not half an hour ago, which is...

Absolutely enough time for an uncontrollable ten year old with an assassin’s skills to get into trouble. Shit.

Dick shakes himself from his stupor, and does what he should’ve done two rings ago. With a groan, he drops his enormous folder of case files to the side and heaves himself off the bed. Dick slogs across the room, trying to pluck up the energy to be the primary guardian to the most (beloved, but—) annoying child he has ever met, and scoops up the phone.

He’s so busy planning how to make Damian listen this time that he almost doesn’t notice the caller ID.

It’s not Damian. The icon shows a fifteen-year-old kid Dick can hardly recognize anymore, face pinched in suppressed laughter as he balances a stack of twenty saltines on his forehead in Dick’s old Blüdhaven apartment. Tim’s name on top.

Six months—months—radio silence, and Tim is calling him. Dick doesn’t even know where Tim is.

He stretched out his feelers to keep apprised, so he knows Tim has spoken three or four times to his Teen Titans, né Young Justice friends. He knows Alvin Draper was flagged by the German government for stealing a museum artifact three months ago, and Tim Drake was subsequently spotted entering Iraq. He knows Lucius’s daughter, Tam, found him and tried to drag him home shortly after. He knows she failed. Knows she came home a while later, talking about the sad and infuriating boy on some mysterious quest he refused to abandon. Knows every once in a while another of Tim’s aliases will ping an alert somewhere far, far across the globe.

It’s not much. It’s not enough to keep the nightmares from creeping in. But it’s enough to get him to sleep, most nights.

Dick tried reaching out himself, just after Tim left, until it became clear his attempts were unwanted. Give him space, he’d thought, a plan that has borne zero fruit. He tried again a few months ago during their brief Black Lantern zombie incursion, thinking maybe imminent danger and undead parents would be enough to lure Tim home.

Tim didn’t even answer the call.

He could be anywhere by now. Two weeks ago—twelve days, but who’s counting—one of his lesser-used aliases, Ray Hayes, flew from Egypt to Norway. Layover in Istanbul. Security footage at Oslo showed a head of dark hair above sunglasses and a scarf. Dick should really set up a more effective way to keep an eye on him, keeps thinking it, I should set something up to keep a better eye on Tim, and then finds himself pulled away to the next crisis with no time left to sort out how to spy on the entire world for the sake of one teenager. But. Twelve days ago, Oslo airport, Tim was up and walking.

Which, twelve days later, means absolutely fucking nothing. Twelve days since Dick could be certain he’s alive.

The phone trills its fourth ring. Dick nearly drops it in the scramble to answer.

“Tim.” Too strong, too much—Tim didn’t want to talk to him. Dodging his calls for six months. Dick can’t overdo it and fuck this up. “Hey,” he adds, veering wildly in the other direction, too casual, like they just got lunch yesterday and their dad is alive and the world isn’t falling apart.

Good enough. Hell, maybe that’s what Tim needs: the pretense, at least to start, that things are totally okay and he won’t be interrogated immediately.

Maybe not. The line stays quiet. There’s just enough background buzz for Dick to be sure it’s still connected.

He grips the phone tight enough to indent the ridges of his case into his skin. “Tim...?”

If this is, god, if this is just an accident, a butt dial, Dick is...Dick is going to very carefully close and lock the door, and hope Damian doesn’t get curious for however long it takes him to fall apart.

There’s a crackle of static: a breath. Dick’s heart swoops so violently he gets lightheaded.

“Hi,” Tim says.

Dick crumples to a crouch, forehead resting on the corner of the desk. His free hand clenches onto the lip to steady himself.

“Hi, Timmy,” Dick chokes out. Where are you? How are you? I’m sorry; I’m so sorry; whichever part you’re still mad about, please let me grovel—but also: What is wrong with you? How could you just leave like that? How could you not call? I begged you to stay. It’s been six fucking months and I thought you died. Mostly: Come home; please come home. Hi, Timmy, come home please.

“I think—” Tim starts, and it’s only on the second syllable Dick realizes Tim’s voice sounds even worse than his. “I think...I was wrong.”

Dick opens his eyes, wood grain an inch in front of him. Wrong about—? Oh. Bruce.

The most surprising part is that there is some little, tiny piece of him disappointed to hear it. Dick never really believed in Tim’s theory, and even less after Bruce rose in a horrible parody of himself as one of the Black Lantern zombies. Even before that, he saw the skeleton. He heard the story. More importantly, he saw how Tim tore himself apart in desperation after Conner died, Jack, Stephanie. How some parts of him are still missing, even now that two of those three have returned. No more of the kid on Dick’s phone, giggling through his admonishments to not make him laugh when he was beating his saltine forehead tower record.

Tim’s lack of explanation about why he’d decided Bruce was alive didn’t help anything, just a mutter to himself about a painting, and insistence to Dick to trust him. Dick trusted Tim with almost everything. But to grieve in a healthy way?

No. Dick never believed the idea. Even if he could have dug up the faith, he just didn’t have the resilience—or luxury—to break himself against the rocky banks of empty hope. But, it turns out, there’s something about hearing just one more confirmation that your father is dead that never loses its sting.

It’s hard to find a response that won’t hurt either of them on the way out.

“Okay,” Dick says, for lack of something better.

“I, um,” Tim says, and doesn’t finish.

Dick takes in a heavy breath. What’s most important? “Where are you? Are—” Are you coming home, but he can’t handle the answer to that particular question being no. “Can I come get you?”

Dick really doesn't leave Gotham now for anything except the Justice League. It’s probably messed up, in the way that’s long since lost all shock value, that his greatest feeling of normalcy comes from hanging out with a ragtag team of superhumans, but there he is. Either with them, or being guardian of Gotham and Damian alike. He’ll make an exception to his typical travel plans. He’d love to make an exception.

Tim’s answering breath is loud and shaky, and Dick’s chest clenches with the fear it might come out in a yell. Stop trying to control me or why won’t you just trust me or why would I ever want to come home to a failure like you. Maybe not the last one. It sticks in his head nonetheless.

“Yeah,” Tim says. It sounds a lot more like a sob. “Yeah, that would—that would be nice. If you can. If you have the time.”

Dick never has time for anything, this year.

“I do. Of course I do.” He swallows. “You—you’ll wait?” Stay where you are. Let me triangulate you. Don’t run, please.

Another shaky breath crackles through the line. Dick’s gripping so tight his fingers have gone white around the phone.

“I’ll be here,” Tim says, thick but trying for humor. Honest.

“Okay,” Dick says. For the first time in ages it’s true. He pries his fingers off the desk, leaning into the faint warmth of the phone screen. “I’m on my way to you. I’m coming, Tim.”

on ao3

[stxleslyds]

Also, the writers' failure to understand, every crime Jason committed had a motive. Attack other criminals? Holy warrior destined to purify the world of evil. Attack Bruce? Joker's still alive. (Oh, Jason, it's much worse than that.) Attack Tim? A parody of what he once was. He wasn't just a "bad boy". He was dangerously insane.

Hi, Anon! Yup, there seems to be a lot of things that writers have gotten confused about Jason Todd/Red Hood and the biggest one is his motivations to kill certain criminals.

Let’s be honest, Judd Winick set a golden path for the upcoming Red Hood writers. But each and every writer that used Red Hood in their stories completely missed the point of Jason’s character. All of them. It’s so incredibly wild to me that every other writer read UtRH and came up with whichever version of Jason they came up with.

Let’s list the writers that completely missed the point.

Geoff Johns in Teen Titans vol.3 #29.

Geoff Johns was one of the first to completely mischaracterize Jason, why on earth would Jason go to the Titans Tower to beat up Tim? This is not me saying that Jason would never do that because Jason thinks of Tim as his brother or a friend or the person that he can trust the most from the Bat-Clan (can you believe Lobdell tried to sell us that one?), this is me saying that Jason wouldn’t have done that because he couldn’t have given less of a fuck about Tim’s existence.

When Jason found out that Bruce had another Robin he wasn’t bothered by his “replacement” he was mad at Bruce for having another child playing hero after he lost his life as a fifteen-year-old. Jason didn’t even think of Tim as his replacement as fandom likes to make us believe, Jason called Tim “pretender”. And that was that, but to go from minimal recognition to go out of his way to beat him up at Titans Tower is a massive mischaracterization.

Paul Dini in Countdown (to Final Crisis).

Paul Dini in Countdown did absolutely nothing with Jason, I am sorry but that’s all he did. Him writing Jason was like watching a dog trying to catch their own tail. He started with a pretty basic take on UtRH Jason, then he added a bit of Jason being an annoying man with Donna, then we had the jealousy arc because apparently, Jason had the hots for Donna but she didn’t want anything to do with him and he was all angsty when she paid attention to Kyle instead of him, and then, later on, he had that whole Red Robin bullshit (I am sorry about this, but I absolutely hated that, it was so dumb, I am so glad it didn’t last long because it was just too bad), and after all that mix of just not interesting stuff he went right back to the Jason that he had at the very start. It was a waste of time, but I guess that he had to be there because he was an anomaly and all that. I just think that was DC’s first try at making Jason Todd/Red Hood something more than just a street-level vigilante and they failed miserably.

Tony S. Daniel in Batman: Battle for the Cowl.

Even though the first two did make mistakes with Jason’s characterizations, this man was the first to just throw UtRH out of the window and make up his very own version of Jason Todd. And his version was horrendous, that Jason had no problem with attempting to kill children and innocent people, he also really wanted to be Batman because Gotham needed a Batman and he wanted to be the person to wear the Cowl and he was looking for a Robin for himself.

I know, the whole concept is the perfect opposite of what Jason Todd and Red Hood were in UtRH. Every aspect of BftC Jason is based on nothing.

Jason wanting to be Batman because Gotham needed Batman is just the beginning of what’s wrong in this book. Jason became the Red Hood (in part) because he believed that Batman and his ways weren’t what Gotham needed so he made a better version of Batman with Red Hood (according to him) because Red Hood did what Batman refused to do. Another thing that is just wrong is Jason wanting, Damian, Tim or Dick to be his Robin, there is just so much wrong with this, first of all, Jason wanted Batman to stop having Robin because child soldiers ran the risk of dying at a very young age and that’s exactly how he saw the whole thing because that was what had happened to him. Second, if Jason was mad at Bruce for getting another Robin why would he now want one of his own to team up with his Batman? Damian was a child, Tim was someone that apparently Jason hated (because Jason beating Tim was mentioned in this event), and then Jason actually asked Dick Grayson, Nightwing, to be his Robin? Listen, there is no way that was Jason, nothing about him makes sense, even taking into account that Jason had beaten Tim already in this event Jason actually tried to kill both Tim and Damian (it might have been just one of them but yeah, it still doesn’t make sense).

I just don’t think that Tony S. Daniel knew who Jason Todd was, maybe he got confused but the thing is, his “villainous” and deranged version of Jason Todd allowed a villainous and deranged version of Red Hood to happen with the next writer that I will be talking about.

Grant Morrison in Batman and Robin vol.1 #3-6.

This was the birth of the villainous, deranged and bloodthirsty Red Hood. There is absolutely no trace of UtRH Jason here, not even if we are looking at the opposite of things like we could do with Daniel’s Jason. Grant Morrison wanted Dick and Damian to have a villain to match their Batman and Robin and they decided to give us a red-haired-pill-headed-red hood. Everything from Morrison’s characterization of Jason is crazy, from the red hair (hello pre-crisis) to the awful Joker’s Red Hood looking suit, everything was just weird.

I still don’t believe that was Jason, to be honest, I would rather think that version of Jason was actually a rouge Skrull that came all the way from the Marvel Universe and lost his way in Gotham City. Maybe when he made the jump between universes, he got too much information and got confused and took the form of the wonkiest Jason Todd he could come up with.

This Jason was absolutely deranged, he knew exactly what he was doing and he didn’t care if innocents died. This Jason was the one that got locked up in Arkham. This is the Jason that Dick put in Arkham for Jason and everybody else’s safety.

Dick putting that Jason in Arkham wasn’t a bad thing or something that anyone can use to shit on Dick Grayson (not on this house). This Arkham was reformed and that Jason knew that if he stayed in that new Arkham he would stay away from trouble, but here is the thing, that Jason loved trouble, so he took all the tests to prove he wasn’t insane and asked to be transferred to Blackgate (where all the Red Hood’s enemies were). That Jason didn’t ask to be sent to Blackgate because the Joker was a cell away from his in Arkham, he did it so he could go on a killing spree in Blackgate (which he did when he got there).

Skrull Jason was just bloodthirsty and nothing like UtRH Jason, he had no motive other than just killing for fun or whatever. He didn’t want to protect Gotham and he couldn’t have cared less about the drug trade in Gotham. In Batman and Robin vol.1. Jason Todd was unrecognizable. And luckily, we never saw him again.

Scott Lobdell in Everything that he ever wrote about Red Hood.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Lobdell was the king of overpowering Jason, he was the one that drove Red Hood farther and farther away from his street-level vigilante status. He continuously added more to him, he was a big deal because he was meant to take down Ra’s al Ghul, he was a big deal because he was the only human to train in the All-Castle and learned to summon the All-Blades.

This Red Hood’s morals and ideals were kind of gone, there just wasn’t any kind of interest in Jason to get rid of drugs or try to control its trade in Gotham, he just had no interest in street-level threats, everything was extraordinary in both New 52 and Rebirth. If he wasn’t in space he was in some mystical land. His friends and allies became even more and more powerful, his level of power was completely off compared to the others. His personality was ever-changing and quite honestly you could barely see the Jason that he once was.

This Jason also was very inconsistent in the way that he felt towards people (obviously because Lobdell is a shitty writer), he wanted to follow Batman’s rules and was shown as someone that still had fond memories of his life with Bruce before he died but was also willing to let those memories go, to move on? Maybe? I don’t know. But he changed his mind about Bruce and following his rules or not for a very long time. Jason was also a little bitch about Dick, and he was a little bitch because he (Lobdell) never gave the reader or anyone a concrete reason as to why he hated him so much and then in Rebirth he decided that Dick wasn’t that bad. Also, Jason went from “Willis Todd, abusive husband and father that deserved to die” to “Willis Todd abusive husband and father but he sent me letters when he was in prison and Penguin had him killed so now, I really want to avenge him”. Yeah, I don’t really know why that happened and like most of Lobdell’s arcs and stuff it was never really completed or well thought out.

Lobdell’s Jason characterization was a mess for ten years and that’s the prime reason why Jason is a character with no solid background, story or future.

James Tynion IV in Red Hood and the Outlaws.

Tynion’s Jason Todd was a hero, he was like a mini Tom King Batman. Everything he did was right and there was just no way that you could bamboozle him. This Jason was able to hold to Blades that drained his soul as well as hosting the Untitled in his body (that were able to drain his soul too) and on top of all that he completed his journey of the Chosen One by making those ancient martial arts moves that he learned before he was Robin even though Talia hadn’t been able to master it yet.

Scott Snyder, Tim Seeley in Batman Eternal and Batman and Robin Eternal.

A mess, this was pure New 52 levels of bullshit and they all just wanted to push the “Batfamily” and while Dick was gone, they were trying to make Jason fill the void that Dick left in Batman events. It didn’t work at all and all they did was mess around with Jason’s characterization more.

Geoff Johns in Three Jokers.

I have talked enough about Johns’ takes on Jason Todd and Red Hood, but let me tell you something real quick, if a writer thinks that the best they can do with a character is make them give up their morals/ideals for an unrequited love interest, then they can keep that idea for themselves. Geoff Johns wrote a book that was absolutely not needed and then proceeded to butcher every characterization that he could, Three Jokers was three issues long and he managed to add more trauma to Jason’s torture, push the narrative of Jason being at fault for his own murder and make Jason’s motivations to be the Red Hood weak enough to make him want to give up his work for a woman that he barely knows (and doesn’t like him at all).

Joshua Williamson in Future State: Red Hood and Robin #5.

Now, with Williamson I have issues only when he writes Jason, not because his stories are bad, don’t get me wrong, I would have completely enjoyed FS: Red Hood if it weren’t for the completely unnecessary Rose/Jason side plot he had going on. Jason was clearly working undercover for some people that he hated working with. He had to arrest or kill “masks” (vigilantes, just like he “used” to be) for the Magistrate.

His ideas were pretty solid, Jason did the job but he never killed the masks and actively didn’t trust the Magistrate but he was working there to tear them apart from within, and that’s amazing if Williamson had given us Jason Todd/Red Hood working undercover to dismantle an organization I would have been really happy.

But that’s not all he gave us, even if I just forget about his failed attempt at giving Jason a relationship, I can still see that Williamson is the kind of writer that wants (or is just following DC) to make the “Batfamily” happen no matter how dumb and out of place it looks in comics’ canon. So, I am a little bit weary, any writer that leans too much towards making Jason and Bruce work together and become a family makes me want to scream, but I do understand that is just me, many people want those two to be buddy-buddy, I, personally, would love to see Jason kick Bruce in the balls and tell him to lose his number.

Chip Zdarsky in Urban Legends: Cheer.

Ah, yes, I remember the days in which I thought that this could have been something good. Well, I was utterly wrong and I suffered all the way through this mini. I feel like now I can safely say that Zdarsky only wanted to write a Batman book but DC told him, “Hey you can write Batman but it has to be within a Red Hood story, but don’t worry, you don’t have to know much about the Hood guy, just come up with something and write Batman around that”.

I know that’s what happened because I read that story and all we got from it was horrible characterizations for pre-Robin Jason, Robin Jason, Jason Todd and Red Hood. I don’t know how he did it but yes, he managed to mess it all up.

From Jason not really wanting to be Robin and acting recklessly every step of the way, to secret desires of a perfect family with Bruce and so many other people that he couldn’t care about, Urban Legends: Cheer is the perfect book to avoid at all costs if you believe that the concept of “Batfamily” is the biggest lie, DC is trying to profit off this time around.

Zdarsky also nerfed Jason in ways that I thought DC only wanted to nerf Dick Grayson. But I was able to see that I was wrong. Zdarsky’s run also pushed some of the most disastrous narratives that DC really wants readers to believe like: Robin Jason wasn’t good at his job, he was too reckless and ultimately his death was his own fault. Yay! I want to cry!

I will give Zdarsky two points for at the very least showing that Red Hood wants to protect children and that he has a huge issue with how the drug trade is controlled and abused in Gotham City, it had been a while since we had seen that aspect of Jason’s Red Hood make an appearance.

-

It’s just too many writers completely missing the point of Red Hood’s character or simply writers agreeing to destroy Jason’s uniqueness in the DC Universe so DC (as the publisher) can further push the abomination that is the “Batfamily” in comics’ canon.

I do agree with you Anon when you say that Jason isn’t just a “bad boy” but I also don’t think that we can call UtRH Jason “dangerously insane”. Personally, I will only use that last description for BftC and Batman and Robin Jason, those two were dangerously insane indeed.

UtRH Jason was very meticulous in who he wanted dead and who got to live. He entered Gotham’s most dangerous world and he had to make a big entrance, he invited the eight most prosperous street dealers to a meeting, showed up with the decapitated heads of each of their right-hand men and an AK-47 and said:

“I am offering you a deal. I will be running the drug trade from now on. You will go about your business as usual. You will kick up forty percent to me. That is a much better deal than the Black Mask will give you. In return, you will have total protection from both the Black Mask and Batman. The catch? You stay away from kids and schoolyards. No dealing to children, got it? If you do, you’re dead.”

This was Red Hood! Red Hood wanted to control the drug trade in Gotham because he knew that Gotham is far too corrupt and filled with drug lords for him to just want to eradicate drugs from Gotham. If he had tried that he would have been a dumbass, but he wasn’t. He didn’t want to start a gang war and get innocent people killed because of it, he wanted to set the rules of his new Empire and he had to start with the street-level drug dealers, from there he grew until he became a major pain in Black Mask’s ass.

We went from Jason wanting to control the drug trade and take over Gotham’s underworld so people like Black mask couldn’t have people work for him (or being dependent on him) when they were still in high school or were in a vulnerable position, to Jason fighting a war for a mystic land because he was their “Chosen One”. DC really wanted to do something grand (yet boring) with Jason instead of sticking to a street-level vigilante that could have become a Drug Lord to control the drug trade of a city that is so filled with crime and corruption that it can’t be saved by anyone.

Batman doesn’t eradicate crime, he “controls” it, puts a blank it over it, lets it nap up until it wakes up once more to make more mess.

Red Hood had other plans, certain criminals didn’t get to nap, or, better said, they would get to nap forever.

So, no. I wouldn’t call that “dangerously insane”, I will call that “vigilante that believes himself judge, jury and executioner” of a city that is drowning in crime and corruption.

Anyway, I hope you have a really nice week Anon and thank you so much for sending me this ask!

[dg-outlaw]

@meara-eldestofthemall -- no hate at all, in fact, I completely agree.

While I'm fine with elseworld and other random iterations of Batman like WFA, I feel like there are also a lot of random Batman runs that seem to mix and match canon and it's hard to tell what's what. Is Bruce Mr. Nice PTA dad watching Damian play soccer, is he in space with the JL, or is he hijacked by Failsafe and having an identity crisis while beating the crap out of his kids, allies, and rogues? DC's answer: Yes!

What even is canon anymore?! And god forbid anyone try to write fanfic that incorporates canon!

The silver lining is that random internet debates over canon start to lose steam, because it's all canon and nothing makes sense.

I also agree that DC has lost sight of Bruce as a character and I think part of that is our modern and collective animosity toward the rich. Is Bruce even a billionaire anymore? (see above about canon chaos)

I get that comics are often a vehicle for social commentary and reflecting our modern world, but they're also fiction, escapism, and fantasy. So why not have Bruce be a good billionaire (even if that's an oxymoron), and definitely let him be a decent person... even if he has angst. Ultimately, would Ma and Pa Wayne approve?

Ultimately, he needs to be a symbol and a beacon. He can be flawed, angsty, and lost in his own shit, but that's where the rest of the Batfam come in. Yes, Batman is the leader, father, and mentor, but part of the dynamic is how they help him too. It's a push and pull. (more on this below with Robin)

This is also where I agree with @paladin-of-nerd-fandom65 in letting Detective Comics and other Gotham-centric stories revolve around more of the other characters. Often DC will give these characters one or two stories spanning several issues, and if they don't sell like hot cakes then it's back to the shelf they go. Instead, they should opt for shorter stories, team-ups, crossovers, etc. and allow readers to get to know and fall in love with those characters. The Detective Comics run with Robin (Tim), Spoiler, Orphan, Batwoman, etc. and the Outsiders run with Signal, Black Lightning, Katana, etc. were both really interesting IMO and it gave other characters a chance to shine while still having Batman in the background. This then allows him to still make appearances (for sales) and be more of a mentor, guide, or ally when needed.

As far as Damian goes, I'm not against him being "a" Robin, but as Batman's Robin, I agree that his dynamic is very different than with the previous Robins. See above about Batman needing allies, especially a Robin.

While I think Tim is stuck in this state of arrested development in being "Robin but not Robin" (partially because they can't really age up Bruce too much more), I used to think he needed that next evolution like Dick or Jason into his own unique character. But given the storyline of his future Batman self and how much that scares him, I think there's a part of Tim that needs (at least in his mind) that safeguard of not being solo or the one to call the shots. I think he does well with the Teen Titans or Young Justice, but when trying to decide between Damian or Tim, I agree that Tim is the better choice as the emotional anchor and light for Bruce, whereas with some maturity (which Damian has had over the years) Damian might be a better choice for a team.

While Damian was previously with the Teen Titans, I think that run pushed Damian too hard as the "does not play well with others" character. It was a decent idea, but had him alienating himself from the team too much. I think another go could have him be more like Dick and Tim when they've been the Robin on a team--a leader, friend, sometimes lone wolf, but who ultimately needs the team just as much as they need him (see animated 'Teen Titans' and 'Young Justice' for reference).

I also think Damian has come a long way since his debut as the angry, little murder ninja, and future versions of him have shown his maturity and evolution in being a good Batman and in some ways a better Batman than Bruce. So I think showing some of that growth within the gap of his youth to some undetermined future would be interesting.

Also, DC needs to do some timey-whimey magic or something and bring back Alfred. I feel like that would at least fix half the stuff going awry with Bruce. Is he perfect? No. But he's another one of those touchstones that sort of keeps things afloat.

What's your biggest comic book unpopular opinion?

Thanks 😊

Batman….WAY TOO MANY BOOKS, mainly books directly starring him

Both canonical/maninline and elseworlds, he’s got too much. This isn’t 1989 or 2008 anymore. There’s not that strong of a Batmania going on anymore

Cut back the amount of books starring him to his solo and Detective Comics, and even then for Detective Comics he’s not the only star. Make it a freaking anthology for the rest of the Batfamily or even other pulp/detctive based heroes including the Question or even the GPD

@confusedhummingbird Thanks for the ask, it’s appreciated XD