#this... turned into more batfam than i wanted lmao

[the-sprog]

The other Robins learn about it one by one.

Dick was visiting the Watchtower for some mission he had intel on and saw the Captain all curled up on the couch (as if to take as little space as possible) embroidering little runes in one of Flash's costume (Captain Cold almost gave him frostbite the last time they fought, and Cap suggested some protection magic. Flash gave him the go to without even letting him finish his sentence).

"Whatcha doing there Cap?" Detectives gotta detective, Dick supposed.

"Well, Flash needed some protection against frostbite so." the Captain gestures with the needle to the hood, "Embroidered magic runes."

They talk about it a bit until-

"Actually, the first thing I fixed was one of Batman's capes. I heard Robin say he has it framed," the Captain admitted, evidently trying to hold back a smile.

And now wasn't that an interesting piece of information?

Jason learns about it by outright asking Bruce.

No, it was not Bruce who gave him the answer. But upon seeing the cape framed he assumed some street kid had done it and was preparing himself to greet a new sibling.

"A work collegue has touched up one of Master Bruce's capes" was what Alfred had to say about the situation.

Jason stares at the piece of cloth, confused and intrigued, thinking about his conversation with the butler.

He wants to meet the person who touched Batman's shit without the knights permission and lived.

The way Tim learns about it, is when one day he catches Damian in the living room just staring at one of his capes and passing his thumb over some stitching.

"Something wrong with your cape?"

Damian clutches it close to his chest, effectively hiding wherever it was that got the kid so spaced out.

"Mind your own business, Drake," he says and stalks off. Damian never lets go of the cape though.

Tim considers breaking into the other's room and checking in case it was anything worrying (who is he trying to convince? Himself? He's curious and noisy, and he can't help but fall back into old habits).

But he resists, opting to trying to catch the item of clothing when it needs washing.

He isn't prepared for what he finds and the following conversation with Dick and Jason.

They need to meet Marvel.

Dick wants his own piece of personalized magic uniform.

Barbara learns about it because there's nothing they can successfully hide from her.

The moment she notices the three brothers scheming she knows it's not good, especially if it's something Jason is willing to involve himself with.

She knows it has something to do with the Watchtower (they think they're sneaky with their codified messages, but she's known them for long enough to understand them almost immediately) and worries they're trying to pull a prank on B while he's working.

So, she does what any sensible person would.

Hacks their comms and phone mics.

Who knew Bruce was so fond of the Leaguers?

She's sure they don't know that.

She needs to rectify that.

And get a photo of that cape.

Steph learns about it because Tim is incapable of keeping shut about how nice it is to see the Demon Brat care about something in such a sweet way.

Robin had been reported as getting seen without his cape for a few nights, which tickled Spoiler's curiosity.

She asked Dick, who also didn't know, but had less qualms about torturing (cuddling) the answers from the source himself.

She went to Jason who was usually the one with dirt on the family, Babs aside, and was also willing to share said dirt, contrary to Babs.

This is how she learns about Bruce's treasured cape. She can only imagine what his initial reaction to it was if he has it framed.

She starts looking up how to crochet. It can't be that hard. She make one blanked to gift Bruce for Chanukah, it's gonna be easy.

She doesn't even ask Tim, in the end. She was too busy with her crochet research. It's him that comes to her after Dick manages to get the answers out of his little brother (found the cape hidden under a pillow when he went to hug him) and him and Tim needed someone to talk about it to, since Jason didn't seem to understand how important this was.

Cass leanr about it because her siblings are terrible at being stealthy.

She should clarify. They're bad at being stealthy when it comes to lighthearted things. Like playing a prank, or hiding a broken base form B, or a surprise birthday party.

They relax, and let their guards down (not completely but... More than a Bat could ever do in the company of others) when it's just them.

She's not good at that.

So she notices.

She thinks it's good that Damian found someone with a shared interest (in a way. It's not the exact same, but the arts is the arts is the arts, y'know?) and she's glad Bruce is getting along with his colleagues in a less serious setting.

She wants to meet the Captain, much like everyone else in the family who hasn't yet.

Duke learns about it by investigating it.

He knows he's new to the family, so he isn't surprised when he notices they all know something he doesn't, and don't seem to keen on sharing.

Maybe they think he knows, maybe they just don't do that, or maybe they forgot about him.

Either way, he has a mistery to solve. There's something glowing on Damian lately, but he's never close enough to the kid to figure out what it is. It's small, usually on his Robin's uniform.

The once caught a glimps of a similar glow in the cave, and another time at the Watchtower on the Flash and Wonder Woman.

It was a similar glow to that of Captain Marvel, the one he exudes constantly. But it held something different from him in each person.

Duke doesn't go asking to Damian directly, he's certain that would be a sure way to getting stabbed in the shoulder (specifically the shoulder, yes. Damian knows he's not allowed to mortally wound them anymore, so the shoulder is his next best bet for maximum hurt and certainty of not killing his prey, and consequentially the most likely target).

Instead, he waits for the day he finds himself in the Watchtower again and starts observing the Flash from a distance.

Enough to know if it's something like a parasite or a side effect of something they're aware of.

"What's that glowing on your suit?"

"Huh?"

"Your suit. There's some little lights coming from some parts of it. What is it?"

"Oh! You're probably talking about Cap's embroidery work! Isn't it so cute? It's like the symbol on my chest!"

"Embroidery?"

"Yeah! And it's magic so it gives me extra protection for some stuff!"

"The Captain embroiders? Captain Marvel? The big red ball of energy? The unstoppable force? Mr. I-cant-sit-still-even-if-my-life-depended-on-it? That Captain Marvel?"

"Yep! He's surprisingly good at it, and only getting better with the amount of work we give him. But he seems to enjoy it and Diana pays him every once in a while, I get him supplies so it's a fair trade."

"Mmh."

"It's freaky when you act like Bats."

Duke just smirks and exists the kitchen, directing his course towards the common room's couch where Captain Marvel sits.

Bonus: Alfred learns about it almost immediately.

Bruce came home with no cape attached to his suit one night, instead having it safely folded in his arms.

It was a bizarre sight.

Batman wouldn't have cared for a ripped cape, they can be swapped for fresh new ones when needed. And the butler can't come up with another reason as to why Bruce wouldn't be wearing it, other than it becoming an hinderance.

Bruce stands in front of him, shifting his weight from leg to leg.

"Father's cape was ripped during the mission." Damian supplies, knowing his about dad's communication issues.

"Mmh."

"Do you need me to dispose of it, then, sir?"

Bruce shakes his head.

And slowly, with the upmost care one can have for a piece clothing, unfolds the fabric and displays the rip in front of Alfred.

Alfred looks at it and smiles.

The tear is pretty extensive, going over almost the entirety of the cape from top to bottom. It is visible but firmly held in place by small bats embroidered on it as well as not too neat stitching underneath them.

It wouldn't hold up in a fight, not for too long at least.

"Marvel."

"Captain Marvel did this?"

"Mmh."

"Well, it's lovely. What shall we do with it, sir?"

Bruce silently points towards the display case that holds all his old, unusable costumes. He kept some for posterity, but others are there for sentimental value alone.

Alfred smiles. "Very well, sir."

Billy learned how to embroider because he needed a way to fix his clothes that also didn't make them look just like he had mashed random fabric together.

He got taught by an old lady who lives near the diner he goes to most days (she has no grandchildren and Billy has been great company).

He got into the habit so now he does it everytime there's something to repair. Little flowers, birds, tigers and (most prominently) lightning bolts start appearing on all his clothes.

When he joins the Justice League he starts trying to figure out how to do little designs of everyone's logo and when the time comes he uses his skill and the hero's respective logo to help fix their clothes and uniforms.

He once stitched back Batman's cape, even though the next day he was saddened by seeing that Bruce was using a new one (the fixed cape was secured inside a glass display).

Flash starts bringing him all the stuff he tears because he loves the little additions. He even buys the thread and needles for the Captain since he's making him use so much of it. Cap's fine with it, it's a good way to spend monitor duty.

Diana once payed him (she insisted because no labor should go unrewarded) to decorate a dress for an upcoming event she was planning to go to.

[siltyriver]

DPxDC WIP — Conceal, Don’t Feel

(official continuation of this prompt post)

Pairings: Jason/Danny, Tim/Bernard, Dick/Wally

Idea: Frozen/Rise of the Guardians AU

Okay the brain worms won out so official new WIP here we go!

Jason is Elsa, Danny is Jack Frost

Basic premise is that Jason was abandoned as a young child and the Spirits gifted him with powers to help him stay alive after they witnessed him helping a young reindeer (no he does not adopt it lmao) and he’s eventually taken in by Bruce Wayne, King of Arendelle Gotham

His powers are a shock to Bruce, but they seem harmless enough and he mostly uses them to make little trinkets or mini snow storms/flurries when his emotions are high

He gains more control as he gets older and Dick and Tim are always asking him to make more action figures and slides and whatnot and he’s more than happy to comply, enjoying making his brothers happy

Until one night (ages are roughly: Dick 12, Jason 7, Tim 5) there’s an accident with Timmy jumping too fast on the pillars Jason was creating for him and he falls and Jason reaches out with too much power that hits his brother square in the chest

Dick runs to get Bruce as Jason cradles Tim who’s passed out and cold as ice and Jason is so, so scared

Bruce takes them all to John Constantine who is a hermit in the woods with lots of magical and arcane knowlege

He is able to heal Tim but he makes it very clear that Jason could have killed him and that if he continued to use his powers without tight control he could kill someone else

They’re all shaken enough to take this as meaning that Jason should just… never use his powers. Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them show

So life goes on and Jason locks himself away in his room most of the time (Bruce does not shut down the castle though — they just keep Jason’s powers a secret like usual). Tim doesn’t remember the accident or the fact that Jason has powers so he’s confused and hurt and Dick is worried about Jason but follows Bruce and his lead and doesn’t talk about it and tells Tim that Jason is just sick and needs his space

Their family grows as Bruce takes in Damian (Talia died when he was about 2, Bruce didn’t even know about him until the kid showed up at the Palace doors with a letter explaining the situation), and adopts Cass and Duke.

Babs is the daughter of the Captain of the Guard and Dick’s best friend so is basically part of the family and Steph (a street rat, daughter of a criminal) got attached to Tim and basically lives in the palace (but is NOT Bruce’s daughter, she reminds them all constantly). Other batfam members come in and out as they please lol

Bruce is presumed dead when Jason is 16 and Dick takes the throne at 21. Things are a bit tense but Dick has a solid support system and things go relatively smoothly, but Jason is having a harder time controlling his powers and emotions

Cut to his 18th birthday when he’s to get Crowned as Prince (I know this may be incorrect but I also Do Not care how monarchies work <3 — Maybe it could be Dick’s official Coronation or smth to make it easier, idc)

He really fucking doesn’t want to, but he also wants to act normal and make Dick proud so he suffers through it

Needless to say it goes terribly and ends with him basically turning the ballroom into ice and setting an eternal winter on all of Gotham as he flees to the mountains

Tim (who kind of set Jason off) tells Dick he’s going to track him down. (After a quick run-down explanation from Dick who is Stressed and Tim is so pissed that he didn’t remember the accident and that Jason felt the need to isolate himself — and that Bruce let him and convinced Dick it was for the best)

Dick goes with him and leaves the Kingdom in the capable hands of his Advisor (Babs) and Consort (Wally) and Alfred

They left very fast and aren’t the Most prepared and it’s a bit of a shitshow trek (cue Tim falling into a river trying to mimic Dick’s stupid gymnast moves and Dick getting a tree full of snow dumped on him for laughing) but they eventually make to to a little trading post (‘Look, Tim, they have a sauna!’) and are immediately recognized as Royalty and are getting products shoved at them left and right

Enter Bernard, local ice harvester, who is covered in snow and already annoyed at the Royal Roadshow when he needs to buy some real supplies

Tim and he immediately start bickering and when Dick overhears that Bernard knows the mountain he asks him to be their guide, much to both Tim and Bernard’s immediate refusals. But Dick offers a lot of money and Bernard caves

Meanwhile Jason has found himself collapsing in the snow and finally lets himself have the emotional release that he’s been holding in and his magic goes nuts creating things and he finds himself in a giant ice fortress, which, rad

What’s not rad is the freaky guy who shows up inside said fortress and starts poking around at both the ice and at Jason

It’s Danny, AKA Phantom Frost from the Legends

Now, Danny has been around for a century or two as a Winter Spirit and then became a Guardian when he kicked Pariah Dark’s ass back to the Eternal Darkness a couple hundred years ago. (Pariah Dark = Pitch Black/the Boogeyman)

He doesn’t remember his mortal life and no one is sure if he actually ever had a life Before or if he’s a manifestation of Magic herself. That rumor mixed with his defeat of Pariah leaves him revered among the Spirits and Guardians alike and he doesn’t love it because they often come to him with problems as if he can fix them (he does, every time)

He’s known as Phantom Frost but his closer friends call him Danny - the name he came into this world instinctively knowing as himself even when everything else was missing. (Maybe his squad can be Spirits/Guardians too? hmmm.)

Things have been quiet for a couple of decades and then one day his instinctual alarm bells start going off telling him that something is wrong and Unbalanced with Winter so he goes to investigate

He finds out that an Eternal Winter has been set on the Kingdom of Gotham and discovers a truly spectacular fortress built from ice in the mountains north of the kingdom

He goes inside and meets Jason who has clearly been Gifted by Magic herself and is so Unbalanced within his own soul that it makes Danny shiver

He knows he needs to help the guy and ends up showing off some of his own powers and gaining a bit of trust from Jason who ends up telling him the rundown of what led up to this and Danny is Pissed (and confused on how he had never known about Jason throughout the years) and vows to help him learn how to properly control his powers without trying to shut them off and harm his soul

After a bit of training and huge improvements with Jason’s abilities, Dick and Tim (and Bernard) come to find him and when Jason figures out he set off an Eternal Winter (Danny did Not inform him of that fact) he kind of spirals and ends up lashing out at Tim for the second time in his life and Danny has to calm him down so they can Fix the situation

Dick is (rightfully) freaking the fuck out and doesn’t trust Danny all the way so Danny agrees to go with them to visit their local Hermit/Arcane Expert to get a second opinion and who, from what Danny heard from Jason, deserves an ass kicking anyway (it’s John Constantine and he’d been the person Bruce took Tim to when the first accident happened and who had basically convinced them all to fear Jason’s powers and led to him trying to pretend they didn’t exist)

John Constantine is So Tired

Meeting Phantom Frost is overwhelming enough, but having to yet again deal with a Wayne level Situation… he feels like maybe he should move

But he helps, calling on Magic and finding the situation much more dire than any of them thought

He tells them the solution and they all pretty much laugh in his face (all except Phantom, who knows Magic better than John could ever even hope to and who wouldn’t dare laugh or scoff at Her power)

Only an act of True Love can thaw the ice that has set in Tim’s heart

aaaaand… to be continued ;)

[cuephrase]

Are there any individual issues/short sections of the Tom Taylor Nightwing run you'd say are still worth checking out as little standalone/self contained things? I've read and enjoyed the 2021 annual (blood brothers) after seeing enough about it on tumblr but don't know much about the rest, and you've mention individual issues in other rec posts so it got me curious (and it's completely fine if you don't think you can recommend any).

asking me to be nice about TT?! *sighs* turns out i can be, actually, but um. only a little.

i'll preface all of this by saying, if you're interested in reading his run, you should. other people disliking a run is like...idk if this is going to make sense, but it's kind of like knowing the weather. you'll be like "hey, there's rain" and then you can either a) choose not to go outside, b) grab a coat and umbrella, or c) pull on a swimsuit and go dance. no wrong choices! maybe you get outside and it's more of alight drizzle, or maybe it's basically a tropical storm and you book it back inside and start batting down the hatches.

i could present you with people who's overall taste in comics i agree with who hate and love this run- actually, i was super hyped to read this run bc most of the people i'd talked to were like "OMG ITS SOOOO GOOD!!" and i was like "OKAY!!!" and then i was like 😗👉👈 maybe idk what good comics are?? (baby comic-reading cue felt wayyyy to new to the genre to trust their own opinions lmao. we're mostly past that now.)

but okay!! to answer your question: so post issue #91 is where my overall enjoyment of the run went like *imitates plane falling and crashing noises*. which. upon skimming from 78 to 91, i don't think i can say i was loving it that whole time, more like my tolerance threshold maxed out around there. bc uh. skimming i was like...yikes. i've also read way more Nightwing comics since, so like that could be factor.

ANYWAYS. me being nice:

#80 has some decent dick and tim!

#89 opens with a nice batman/superman/nightwing story, honestly can't remember if i liked the two-issue mini, but i'm going to guess i didn't bc even though i just looked i recall ✨nothing✨

#90-91 is a fun dick and wally adventure, if i remember correctly???? wally stans don't shoot me, i haven't read a whole lot of him idk if he's written well here i'm sorry

#111-112 is decent. it's not like. groundbreaking. but yk. maybe i just liked it more than the stupid pirate arc and maybe my standards are low and Good Dad Bruce is a weak spot, IDK

ummmm past that?

i like this page from #79

this panel is from #83 if you want to like see it with your own eyes on page.

the Hug is in issue #100, which is a bigger to celebrate 100 issues, and it happens later, i think it's the third story? some people love that scene, others can't stand it, i am a whore for soft batfam moments so it's very precious to me, and also nice moments make bad ones hurt more what?

if you like dickbabs you might enjoy more issues too, i was neutral about dickbabs and this run made me...not neutral. but i've heard from people that do like dickbabs that they don't like how they're written here so also, maybe you won't like it even if you like dickbabs??

but yeah!! these are my not-hated TT nightwing issues. i think there are a decent amount where i liked a line or panel here or there, but like overall most of it is just...not my fave. but you could like it!! which, i feel like it's worth saying that it's totally valid if you end up engaging with the run more and liking it. you wouldn't be the only person in the world to like it. but it's also ending in 4 issues thank god, so um don't get too attached if you end up digging it lmao

the red hood annual is also the annual i've liked for this run, i actually love that issue sm lol. the second annual is all about the Lamest Most Scariest Villain Ever, boring, and then the most recent was all about bea, dick's love interest in his ric era, which i was excited for...and hated. that one isn't even on TT, tho. travis moore your gorgeous dick is not enough to redeem you on that one. WAIT I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT-

thanks for the ask anon!! always good to practice loving your enemies i mean, i hope this helps, have fun <3

[strangeshoepatrolbandit]

Batfam x reader hc

This is headcanons for the batboys with a S/O that's into "Girly" stuff?? Like hair, nails, makeup, clothes, skincare.....y'know? Essentially keeping themselves groomed. No specific gender is used in this though

Warnings: says the word "suffocating", calls reader beautiful, calls reader gorgeous, calls reader hot, and says RIP as a joke...

Everybody is probably OC...sorry...

~☆~

Dick Grayson

Dick is the most likely to do all of these things with you.

Like he'll go with you to the hair salon and get a trim.

Or he'd accompany you to the nail salon, getting a mani-pedi whilst you get whatever you like.

He'd also sit at home with you while you paint each other's nails.

Dick would sit next to you and watch you as you do your makeup, he'd occasionally ask you about the use of some things, or he'd ask to do something for you.

Loves when you sit on his lap to do a full glam look on him, or he'd even lay his head on your legs.<33

Dick probably uses a light foundation and some concealer when he goes out!!

Dick will take you out and go on shopping sprees, and would pay for absolutely everything.(even if you object)

He would also want to have a fashion show when your in the changing room, or at home after you buy clothes yourself. LMAO

Dick 100% has the most extravagant skincare routine.

And he would definitely sit down with you and do facemasks whilst drinking wine in your pajamas at night.

The two of you also do your skincare routines together in mornings/nights that yall are together.

I just think Dick is a well groomed person.

I love him:)

Jason Todd

Jason totally supports whatever you do, and compliments even the smallest change you make to your appearance.

Once you went out to get a trim, and when you came home Jason took one look at you and goes "it looks amazing:)".

If you were thinking you should change the color/style/length he would always assure you that it would look gorgeous

One time you came home with black hair and a white stripe in the front to match his hair... he almost cried because of how good you looked.

He loves sitting in the bathroom with you while you dye your hair, he also loves doing it for you.

On the days that you go to the nail salon, you always wakeup with extra money in your wallet.

Never forgets to ask to see them whenever you get home.

Jason is also someone who would just sit and watch you do your makeup, he'd maybe even let you do his.

Whenever you run out of a product there is always a replacement that comes not that long after.(the two of you never bring it up though)

I feel like Jason wouldn't go to the Gotham shopping centers whenever you go for clothes, because the crowds make him feel a little suffocated.

But if he did, he would hold almost every bag, and would love to pick out things that he thinks would look good on you.<3

Just like his older brother Dick, he would sit in the living room, with a headband on his head, a show on the TV, and a facemask on his face. You are obviously right next to him doing the same.

Jason is the type of guy to wash his face with some crappy 1$ cleanser that he forgets to use, but always has moisturizer and sunscreen on.

Tim Drake

Tim probably doesn't share your enthusiasm for all of these but supports you.

Just like Jason he more than likely notices even the most minuscule changes in your appearance. (They are literally detectives)

He'd also 100% pay for absolutely everything you get done(we all agree that Tim treats Bernard like a sugar baby at times, right?)

"Y'know you don't have to pay for everything, right Tim?" You stated as you walked into your home, Tim who was currently sitting on the couch turned to look at you, and a tired smile bloomed on his face. "You look beautiful." :)))

Whenever you come home with a new hair color/cut he just gives you this look of approval.

Tim likes picking out colors/shapes for your nails, but he loves whatever you get regardless.

I feel like he'd stop by whilst you're getting them done just to drop off a coffee, then speed off somewhere he's needed.

Tim probably went through a phase where he wore eyeliner, sometimes he even dabbles in some concealer.

Just like Jason, he replaces the things you run out of without you having to say anything.

Sometimes when he eventually does get to sleep, you put makeup on him and take a thousand pictures that you send to his siblings.

He'll go out shopping with you because he likes buying you things, it's his way of making sure you know he loves you.

I wouldn't look at anything too long because he will just take it off the shelf and carry on.

He likes when he's at work and gets pictures of your outfit that day, especially if your wearing something he's bought you recently.<3

I'll say it, Tim has no skincare routine.

You'd have to force him to at least buy a facial wash.

You've also bought him a moisturizer but he forgets to wear it.</333

Bruce Wayne

I feel like it depends on what Bruce were talking about.

The "normal rich boy persona" Bruce would absolutely love taking care of you.

He'd pay for your haircuts, and hype you up as soon as you get back home.

If the paparazzi brings up any change you've made he'd totally be all like "yeah!! That's my partner arent they hot???!!!"

Like Dick, he'd accompany you whilst you get your nails done, he's right next to you getting his own done. (Okay, probably not if you get like....acrylics)

Bruce is also a make-up wearer, maybe a tinted moisturizer and some concealer, sometimes he's seen sporting an eyeshadow look.

You get a new makeup product almost every day as a gift.

He'd also take you out shopping quite often, he's someone who would enjoy a little fashion show whenever you're picking out outfits.

(He's the type to hold all of your bags.)

Dick took after Bruce with the skincare routine, Bruce has almost everything.

He could "put you out of business" with the number of steps in his routine.

He'd sit in a facemask and a bottle of wine, with or without you.

If we are talking about..let's say Battinson then he's not personally into what you do, but supports you.

He'd still offer to pay for everything you do, if you decline he will sometimes sneak you money.

He wouldn't comment on what you change unless you show it to him. (He does notice)

Although sometimes in the security of your shared room he just can't help but compliment every little thing about you.

This man drowns in eyeliner. <33

Rip this man's skin.....no skincare routine... :(

~☆~

I hope you enjoyed this!<3 Also "Brotherly Love pt.2" is still being written so please be patient with me....

I feel like I wrote them all the same...but idk.

[emin-folly]

@gabedemon 🧡: What is a popular (serious) theory you disagree with? Mmmmm. Can I talk about speedster sex here? Is that a serious enough theory? Lol Okay! So. Can we as a fandom stop with the "LOL Flashes are soooooo bad at sex!1!" joke because first of all, it's old and 2) it's not?? Even true?? Like, yes, speedsters' bodies do work so many times faster than the average person's person but I think some of y'all are missing the bigger picture here. Let me break it down:

First of all, speedsters can vibrate Like... HELLO???? They can do that with any part or their whole body. That alone should dispel any and all "the Flash women are unsatisfied" takes

And second of all, it's because of their bodies heightened up to superfast speeds that they have PHENOMENAL stamina. Like, they could literally go for weeks if they wanted to!!

They don't because of their wives who are still very much human and they don't want to ruin them too much lmao (tho Barry and Iris has canonically gone all day so, wow, Iris got mad endurance damn)

But yeah, basically: Speedsters are absolutely amazing at sex and I'm tired of pretending they aren't

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series?

Oooo I don't know if I have just one that's the most unpopular?? But some I do have are: * They should give Gotham back To Alan * Alan's ~smile~ is canonically way more terrifying than Bruce's Batglare * I have some....thoughts on how much (adult) Wally actually deserves Barry but uhh...(glances warily at Wally fandom)...I might keep that to myself heh * Bruce sure as HELL doesn't deserve Clark, get him awayyyyyy * JAY AND JOAN NEVER NEEDED A BIOLOGICAL CHILD * Joker WISHES he was on Eobard's level * The Justice League all humor Bruce by pretending to not notice when he "disappears" or they let him come up with the solution they all already deduced~

💀: If you had to choose one major character to die, who would you choose? BATMAN I am SNIPING him as we speak. As this is happening, the entire island of Gotham breaks off from the mainland and floats away, forever to be its own entity, and leaving the rest of the DC universe to the non Bat fans. Peace and Love on planet Earth <3

Okay, but I really am so, so serious about separating Gotham/the Batfam from the rest of DC. They are a PLAGUE upon all who like the non Gotham characters and need to be stopped at all costs Genuinely, I really think they should give 'em the Watchmen treatment, aka that it's still technically part of DC but its it's own entire thing, you know? Batman/Gotham stories work so much better when grounded in reality (as grounded as having metahumans but ya know) and it'd be a lot easier to do that in that format instead of sharing a universe with Superman, the Justice League and every other superhero under the sun bc then we have to turn off our brain whenever Batman or one the the Batfam is in a fatal situation

Please DC stop suffocating your other characters, we are DROWNING, all I can taste is Bat plEASE

[zuzuzuko]

hot take: JPV serves Jason's role in the batfamily better if we're gonna go down the road of "Person who has different opinions on killing people/is on a redemption arc/has complicated relationships with the rest of the family" He was Batman! He was a raging lunatic, he was also a humble man who cared and wanted the best for others. He was a victim of conditioning and psychological abuse and was turned into a killer with the simple addition of a mask. He wanted to be better, he wanted to do the right thing, and Bruce saw that in him.

I'm saying this because I've been rereading NML and JPV is so likable during those runs. I know he did shit like go insane during the fugitive arc, but he's so good when he is good.

I prefer him over Jason if we're talking writing, because Jason keeps getting writers like loebell and is stuck in the same 2 stories and hasn't been good since under the red hood.

There is so much potential with JPV being accepted into a cautious batfamily and the mess of feelings people have on him. Babs and him are friends, even call eachother brother and sister in a fun mature adult way(love their interactions and meetings in NML)

Dick doesn't like him for what he did to tim, and Tim tolerates him and I assume is sort of over the strangling lmao. Complexity is why I love the batfam relations Pre-52.

I apologize if this was a ramble, or you AGGRESSIVELY disagree. I hope you are doing alright today

I love a hot take.

Okay so as much as I dislike JPV, I do also agree with everything you said tbh. Plus I think I mostly just dislike him as like Batman???? As Azreal I honestly feel kind of neutral about him. But as Batman I find him obnoxious. Although it is very funny having Tim basically chasing him around going DONT DO THAT!!!! STOP IT!!! WHY ISNT HE LISTENING TO ME!!! Very fun dynamic honestly.

I prefer pretty much everyone over Jason though to be so fr with you 💀 I think that there are multiple other characters, JPV included, that do his shtick better than him.

So yeah I agree even though you clearly like him more than I do

[marirah]

20 questions for fic writers

thank you @vellaphoria for tagging me!

20 Questions for Fic Writers

How many works do you have on AO3?

oof okay it's a lot. i have two accounts, and one of them is over 10 years old so....

metukah (est 2013): 185

marirah (est 2022): 85

for a total of 270 works... oof

What’s your total A03 word count?

metukah: 407,889

marirah: 133,069

total: 540,958

What fandoms do you write for?

DC these days. I started in the one direction fandom, played around with Percy Jackson, the MCU, and Star Trek

What are your top five fics by kudos?

marirah:

Protected - T Sladick. After another blowout fight with Bruce, Dick offers to let his little brothers move in with him. And the mystery boyfriend they've never heard of before. (3.5k)

Daily Planet: Live From Gotham - G Superbat. Clark has an old crush on Batman and a new crush on Bruce Wayne. Lois is merciless. (3.5k)

Red - E JayTim. Jason doesn't know who this Red is or why he's in Dick's apartment, but it doesn't matter in the end. (6k)

Unread - G Jason & Dick. Jason finally caves to the kid's demands that he clear out his inbox. As it turns out, Dick has been writing to him for years. (1.5k)

Loud - G DickTim. Tim finds a little bird in his Nest and takes him home. (1k)

metukah:

Introducing Us - G batfam gen, side StephCass. The Justice League doesn’t know how many bats there are, or where Batman is keeping them all. (1.9k)

Field Trip - G Peter Parker & the Avengers. Peter Parker and his classmates take a trip to Stark Industries. He only spends about half of it wanting to melt into the floor. (3.2k)

I'm (Not) a Mess - G JayRoy. Roy Harper is Neal Caffrey. He's not letting that get in the way of his relationship with his daughter. (4.7k)

Ninjas as a Catalyst - G Birdflash. Peter doesn't like to remind people of how good an investigator he is, but he can definitely connect the dots. (4k)

Double Take - G Birdflash. Several years after Neal Caffrey disappears, Peter and Elizabeth are visiting El’s cousin Wally, who is engaged to Dick Grayson. Who used to be Neal Caffrey. (1.2k)

What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i'm not really that angsty a writer i think? i thought letter (dicktim, SPYRAL) had an angsty ending but i checked, and... it doesn't really lmao

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

i mostly write happy endings, but my favorite one technically isn't up yet. i'm just really happy with how my joint year of the otp/year of jason and slade series is going.

Do you get hate on your fic?

luckily, i don't really!

Do you write smut?

absolutely (see above lmao)

Do you write crossovers?

i've written a lot of white collar x dc, and i've been playing with dc x marvel x percy jackson recently

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of

Have you ever had a fic translated?

i had someone ask once but i don't think anything ever came of it

Have you ever co-written a fic?

i had a co-written series once

What‘s your all-time favourite ship?

right now it's 1000% dicktim! (send me a message to join an 18+ dicktim server!)

What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i have trouble finishing anything longer than a oneshot, they just rot in my scrivener files forever

What’s your writing strengths?

does fluff count? i like my fluff

What’s your writing weaknesses?

keeping up with things longer than 1k. also i tend to burn myself out

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

i'd feel more comfortable with it if i spoke the language. but i have been known to use pet names from other languages sometimes, namely Hebrew

First fandom you wrote for?

the first thing i ever wrote (in middle school) was technically percy jackson self insert. i just wanted to be friends with percy and annabeth. i still want to be friends with percy and annabeth

Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

oh man. pretty much everything i write, i write for myself, so all of my works have been my favorites at one point. right now, i'm really happy with Negative and Aperature, which are a series with reverse Robins dicktim.

I tag @klarion-the-witch-boy , @the-alice-of-hearts , @ginbenci, and @bittercape

[lakeofthesocknessmonster]

the only thing in my brain right now is a fuck ton of batman/batfam centric tv shows. I have one following Bruce from infancy to adulthood and like really going deep into his character and the things that Made Him Him. I want to focus on pre-parents death, post-parents death, teenage years and when he fucked around the world training. I feel like most medias focus on either the death of Martha and Thomas or the career of Batman but very few go on to talk about and show the areas in-between. Also focusing and showing how mentally ill this fucker is (autism, ocpd, c-ptsd, depression) and how that inter-twines with the Batman. I think this one would be implemented best live-action  Second one is superboys, I just need to see the comics turned into a show lmao that’s it. Animated to keep the tom foolery of Jon n Damian

A batfam show (animated) that follows the various members of the batfam and what they do, think like Young Justice. I want there to be TONS of character development, arcs, angst and wholesome found family. I REALLY want to focus on the fact that all the members have fucked up, they are all doing the wrong things and the right things at the same time; not some “it’s all [blanks] fault!!” but showing the nuance between all the characters (except Alfred, he’s done nothing wrong). I will also be dragging Helena Wayne from the shadow realm for this one to add more drama

More than willing to expand on all these and more than open to hearing thoughts I just wanted to Ramble.

[redhead-batgal]

okay aince you’re doing requests... CAN YOU PLS ADD A PART 2 TO “OH MISS BELIEVER”??? Seriously I’m dying with that ending (no pun intended lmao) but I NEED to see Batfam’s reaction, especially Damian! Or maybe a Damian POV of the part 1 and the aftermath??? That would be COOL

Type: Fic

Part One: Here, Part Three: Here

Pairing: Fem! Vigilante! and Meta! Reader x Damian Wayne/Robin

Content: Violence, language, a hard core simp and a sort of cliff hanger

Word Count: 3,052

Y/N: Your Name, L/N: Last Name, V/N: Vigilante Name

(P.S. there will be another part 😈)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are certain things in this world we yearn for. Things we have decided that we ultimately can never have. Whether it be due to personal prejudices, danger or even conflicts, there are things-people- places we want so desperately yet can never have because we know better. Because we know to have the said desire will go against our better judgment.

It doesn’t matter if it’s for our own emotional, physical or mental protection or the protection of the desire. We push back our wants, our needs, to protect. And consequences will come from the continual repression of these emotions. Because of the repression our minds will cause our bodies to act out. To do things we never would have done in the first place. 

These consequences aren’t always negative. While yes, sometimes they cause us to act irrationally and cause pain or anger to ourselves or others; other times, other times they give us a push we might so desperately need. A push to do new things, to exhibit new behavior. To start new relationship, we have been dying to experiences. To connect with people, we’d been admiring for so, so long. Sometimes the consequences aren’t consequences at all. And other times, other times the consequences aren’t apparent at first but when they hit, you wish you had done everything to stop it. 

Damian Wayne was annoyed. Annoyed at himself, at his father, at the world. But most irritatingly, he wasn’t annoyed at you. Nothing you seemed to do annoyed him anymore.

He was annoyed at the fondness he had found he had for you. For the way your eyes lit up when you got new illusions to stay for longer than before. For the mischievous smile that appeared on your face before you would prank him. For the way all those things sent his heart racing the moment he noticed them.

Right now, he was especially annoyed with himself. Annoyed that he wasn’t even in the slightest upset with you for causing an array of sparkling lights and fireflies to appear from your fingers. Instead, he was admiring the way the lights highlighted your face. Admiring the soft look in your eyes instead of watching the city, what he was supposed to be doing on patrol. What you were supposed to be doing.

Regardless of your ignorance of your duty, he didn’t blame you. You shouldn’t even be here in the first place after all, you were fragile... well in reality he just didn’t want to see you get hurt and couldn’t come to terms with it himself. Damian Wayne refused to even accept the thought that you could be something more to him then a teammate. After all, there wasn’t anything special about you... but that wasn’t true. Not really. In his eyes you were the most dazzling sight, especially when you smiled. You were spectacular and he couldn’t understand why he thought that. Nor could he understand why no matter how he tried he couldn’t put you down... not in his head at least. You were magnificent to him, stunning and incredible, someone he couldn’t help thinking about constantly.

Shaking his head, he tried to put his thoughts back on patrol only to be lured back to looking at you as the fireflies landed in your hair making a crown on your head. It was when one landed on your nose, he realized he was staring again. Scowling he turned away from you and let out a huff.

He needed to make you think that he had no feelings for you... because he didn’t. He couldn’t. He was Damian Wayne, and he was above such feelings after all.

“Would you cease with your parlor tricks?” He snapped before feeling a sudden urge to explain his outburst, “Those lights are going to give away our position.”

You rolled your eyes and scoffed softly; he could tell because of the way your lips curved. He spent way too much time watching your mouth and the way it moved. Way too much time imagining kissing it and you.

A sparkle floated towards Damian, he, unfortunately, was too caught up in his memories of imagining things. The sparkle nearly landed on his face and blinked at it in surprise before it disappeared with a slight pop. He glared at you, though he wanted to smile at you fighting off a smile. 

You were confusing, smiling and happy so ready to take on the world one minute. The next it seemed you were so ready to let the world go. You ebbed and flowed through life in such a strange pattern he had a hard time keeping up. It fascinated him though, the way you flowed. So much so he was caught watching you by Timothy Drake, who refused it seemed to let go of it until Damian insulted you. He couldn’t be caught watching you when you were so strange... it might make others watch too and that was the last thing he wanted to do. 

Nearly seconds after you cause the sparkles and fireflies to disappear, gunshots ring out and Damian found himself on his feet shouting at you. He lunged forwards and shoving you towards the ground before taking off towards wherever the gunshots were coming from. 

For some reason, his stomach rolled, and his only thought was to get whoever was shooting at you and kill them. Painfully would probably be more enjoyable however, quickly would mean you’d be safer. 

Bounding across this rooftop to the next, he flew at the attacker and slammed straight into them. He couldn’t understand why someone would be stupid enough to attack you when he was nearby... though it’s possible they were aiming for him though Damian highly doubted it. 

Ever since word of your powers got out people had been aiming for you, Bruce had been using Damian to run interference between these idiots and you. While he and the others took care of them, Damian was to keep you distracted and completely and totally in the dark. 

Part of him didn’t like it, but the rest of him said it was keeping you safe and that’s all that mattered.  But every time he saw your face, every time something you did reminded him, that he was lying to you, made his stomach churn. He didn’t like it, lying to you, and he didn’t have any idea why. 

Grappling with the attacker, he heard footsteps, soft and slow behind him. Someone was trying to sneak up on him, however when he heard a scuffle and a thumping sound his heart leapt in his chest. It took everything for Damian not to turn around and look at you. 

Shoving the attacker away he looked to see, a darkly dressed man on top of you. A rage alit in him, however before he could react you kicked the man off of you. And of course, his attacker returned to brawling with him.

Dodging a few punches and slices with a blade, Damian’s gut churned at the thought that you were alone, dealing with an attacker. He had just ducked when your voice echoed across the rooftops. 

“Would you stop that? I’m trying to save your life you fucking idiot!”

Almost by instinct he looked over his shoulder to see you half dangling over the edge and for a moment he felt like he could barely breathe. Turning back to his attacker he felt determination sing in his veins. A determination to yank you back onto the roof, if only to yell at you and possibly kiss you senseless. 

A strangled sound came from you as Damian’s punch landed on his opponents face and he decided to finish the man off here and now. Which of course meant knocking him out. 

Swinging another punch, he heard your desperate cry, " You won’t fall, you can’t die, I won’t let you!”

Instead of going down like he should of, Damian’s opponent kept getting back up and he let out an irritated grunt. Pulling a tool his father had given him, he pressed the button as instructed and metal shot out from it, latching onto the darkly dressed man in front of him. 

While usually Damian loved fighting and the besting of a worthy opponent, his mid was clouded with thoughts and worry about you. From the metal light zipped towards the man causing his body to shake and jolt before he collapsed to the ground. 

Dropping the taser, Damian spun around to hear you gasp and see you reaching for something over the edge. He heard the crack in your voice as you screamed, nearly throwing yourself over the edge of the building. 

“NO!”

With his heart in his throat, he lunged towards you, barely able to grab your waist before you went tumbling over the edge towards the ground. Yanking you back onto the roof, his grip slipped, and you landed on the roof. Your face pale and your eye blank. Your breathing was strange and when he saw the knives in your hand he felt as though his heart would stop. 

“V/N” he said softly, moving towards, hoping to figure out your condition before he lost it. 

However, you didn’t reply. His stomach dropped and he found himself crouching beside you. 

“V/N... V/N are you alright?”

You just stared off in the distance your face contorted as you got paler and paler and sweat spilled down your face. He reached out to touch you when, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Black Bat joined him at your side. 

“What’s going on?” Batgirl asked as she approached the two of you. 

“Is she okay?” Nightwing exclaimed as he got closer. 

Damian didn’t know what to say, his tongue wouldn’t move, and his mouth felt dry. Would you be, okay? 

“What’s wrong with her?” Batgirl asked as Damian stood up, Black Bat taking his place. 

“She’s gone into shock.” Nightwing explained as he looked you over. 

Batgirl blinked before noticing what Black Bat was fiddling with. Your breathing began to pick up and Damian felt a bit of terror go over him. Before he could stop himself, he took your face in his hands and nearly shouted. 

“Y/N!”

You blinked and he let out a sigh of relief before stepping back, his arms crossed as he realized how close he was to loosing you. You looked around and a sigh of relief escaped him. However, when you tried to stand up, he was just about to push you back to the ground when Nightwing stepped in. 

“What are you doing?” He asked shoving you back to the roof. 

Damian relaxed slightly, his arms at his sides and Batgirl and Nightwing stood in front of you stopping any chance you had from possibly trying to get up again.

Gesturing with your blade ridden hands you shrugged; however, Damian noted the way your eye’s twitched and the tightness of your voice. To him it was clear you were in pain.�� 

“Getting up, patrol’s not over yet.”

Suddenly Oracle’s voice was over the comms and Damian felt even more relaxed. With the mother hens on you there was no way you could further put yourself in danger. 

However, before reason could overtake you, you sighed causing Damian's stomach to shift. He knew that sigh a little too well, you were going to try and reason away everyone's well deserved worry.

“I’ll be fine,” You said with a shrug, “we can just pull out the blades and bandage them then I’ll be good as new.” 

Damian scowled, noting the tension in your shoulders and how your eyes were tight, and your jaw was locked. Clearly you were in a lot of pain and were trying to hide it. Causing dread to fill him.

Luckily Tim's voice echoed through the comms causing Damian to relax. While the two didn't get along, he knew you'd more then likely listen to him over anyone else. After all you valued how intelligent he could be.

Instead, you flinched at the sound of Tim's voice and Damian felt his body go still. This wasn't' good clearly you were still out of it. Seething quietly Damian tried to get himself under control. It wasn't until Black Bat helped you to your feet did, he let himself breath again.

“What are we going to do? Patrol is almost over, but someone needs to take her back to Agent A so he can fix her up.” Batgirl muttered.

“I can do it.” Nightwing offered as he placed a hand to his chest. 

Batgirl looked convinced and she nodded, however suddenly Oracle’s voice echoed over the comms.

“Do you really want to leave the three of them alone?”

Nightwing nodded, “Valid point.”

“I can do it!” Batgirl remarked, shooting you a slightly excited look. 

“While I love your enthusiasm Steph, I don’t think you could safely get Y/N back here.” 

Batgirl pouted slightly and Oracle continued, "On a normal occasion I'd have no doubts... but with Y/N like this... it's best if we make sure there is someone who can keep her under control."

Black Bat raised her hand and Nightwing shook his head.

"We need you here Black Bat, " With a slight laugh he looked towards Batgirl "you're one of the few people who works well with Batgirl. And of course, we need the situation explained quickly as possible."

Nodding Black Bat looked to you and for a moment Damian felt his blood go cold, would you have to stay out here all by yourself, while the rest of them finished patrol?

His mind scrambled to find an option and for a moment he nearly slapped himself. He could take you back, how could he not have realized it? Maybe, maybe when it came to you, he lost all sense to reason.

He blinked for a moment when he noticed Black Bat moving. Her hands touched yours, just for a moment before she yanked the blades from your hands swiftly and smoothly. Your eyes widened and your mouth jerked open a half screech escaping you; only for you to swallow and slam it back shut.

Before he could stop himself, the words escaped from Damian's lips, "I'll do it."

Hearing the almost scream- your almost scream caused him to act impulsively which, he had to admit he didn't do often.

However, when you looked up at him eyes almost glazed over and weariness covering almost all of your face he sighed.

"She's my partner after all."

You blinked but didn't protest and the rest nodded in agreement as they discussed the fastest plan back to the mansion. However, all Damian cared about was making sure you were safe.

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

It had been a few days since you had gotten injured, the scare of getting you to Alfred before any permeant damage was done caused Damian's heart to skip a beat.

So, when he saw you, all bandaged up, in a guest room at the manor it eased his nerves. Knowing you were close and safe... but you were only supposed to stay for a few days until Alfred confirmed you were stable.

Despite you being in the same house as him, he hadn't seen you since that day. Not instead he asked others how you were doing, others like Cass, Barabra and Alfred. People he assumed wouldn't tell the others, he was unfortunately wrong.

It took Damian less then an hour to realize that everyone in the manor knew how worried he was about you. Much to his surprise, however, no one bugged him or teased him about it. Not even Tim and Jason... not even Stephanine. This trouble Damian, maybe... maybe they were as worried as he was about you.

You hadn't been yourself since you were brought to the manor for healing. Despite the reassurance that your aunt knew you were staying with the Wayne's, that your cousins were safe, you were worried. Beyond worried. Worried they'd be hurt, worried that they'd somehow get caught up in all this mess. And Damian could tell. He could tell by the way you stare out the window with a blank expression.

He could tell by the way you touched the little gifts your cousins had given you to help your recovery. He could tell by the way your eyes got soft and wet when you got the card your aunt sent for you.

However, today was the day you were supposed to be going home. While the rest of the bats gathered in the cave you were above gathering all of your things so you could go home or were already home; Damian honestly didn't know.

Tim was at the computer when the screen glitched, glitched before snow danced across every screen. Suddenly the screen went black and words in a stark white were on the screen.

WE HAVE HER

Damian's blood went cold as he began dashing upstairs. He moved as quickly as he could all the way to the room you occupied... or at least the room you were supposed to be in. However, it was empty, and the window was open with the storm outside crackling to life.

Air left his lungs in one quick breath as he whorled around the words burning into his mind. WE HAVE HER. They had you... they had you

Something inside of him seemed to cleave as his body shook and he raced down the stairs towards the door. However, before he could fully reach it Alfred stopped him.

"Master Damian, where are you going?"

Damian breathed heavily as his heart raced and shook his head, "She's not here."

Alfred raised an eyebrow in response and nodded slowly. He raised his hand and Damian noticed a familiar pair of keys dangling from in between his fingers.

"Please allow me to take you to Miss Y/N's, Master Damian."

Damian nodded without thinking, he didn't care who went with him or who noticed anymore. He didn't care if all of his siblings made fun of him for his affections. All that mattered... all that mattered anymore was making sure you were alright-that you were safe. Safe and close to hi- and at the manor. Where you could be taken care of and protected.

"Let's go," He replied.

Tag List:

@krswrites @andromedaj2003 @thomasbeloved @daemonnix96 @thefallingstarlight @instabull @zvtanna @masset-fotia

[arguablysomaya]

batfam fanfics that don't have enough fucking attention

alright i'm finally doing it gents listen up

1. Bang, bang by @Ididloveyou_once

Summary: ‘You shot me!’ Jason gasped, stunned, ‘Holy shit, you actually shot me.’

Tim’s eyes widened and he froze. They stared at each other for a second, dumbstruck and then-

‘Don’t tell Bruce.’

Or: The family enjoy a normal movie night. Except Jason has a gunshot wound and Tim’s the only one who knows and oh- that’s because Tim’s the one who shot him and they really, really need to find a way to leave before anyone finds out.

This fic is fucking hilarious and the characterization + banter is on point. i have a bit of a soft spot for schemes <3

2. four brothers, one crush, and absolutely zero braincells to be found by @Ms_Trickster

Summary: Tim: i need to know what’s the best way to a boy’s heart

Damian: Easy. The best way to someone’s heart is through their ribcage. Everyone knows that.

Damian: Come on Timothy, I expected better from you.

Dick: I-

Dick: Try again

Tim is having boy troubles.

Tim goes to his brothers for help.

Tim...did not think that plan of action through.

(In which the batbros give Tim advice on relationships, told entirely through texts.)

Again, fucking hilarious. the chat titles are SUCH a nice touch and it really feels like authentic sibling silliness

3. Night at the (National) Museum by @collectivefandomstuff

Summary: Tim finds himself having, once again, been dragged into the social event of the season. As he slowly dies of boredom and the physical exertion of not rolling his eyes, he bumps into his fellow prisoners brothers and they decide to do something about Bruce’s tendency to trick them into going to these things. More specifically, they decide to cause as much trouble as possible in the hopes that Bruce will just straight up stop inviting them. [cue mission impossible theme]

“We could call in a bomb threat?”

“That’s imaginative.”

“Ok, then we get paintball guns and go to town.”

“Also unhelpful.”

“No, wait! That’s actually a good idea!”

“Really Dick? You don’t think people are going to ask questions if the Waynes start literally hunting socialites for sport?”

I. Love. Schemes. also the writing style is so good omg if i could write like this i'd literally die happy lmao

4. Cingulomania (Sometimes, Dad Needs a Hug) by @charleswaterloo

Summary: ‘Right,’ Tim said, in the voice he used on missions, ‘we’re going to have to call in an expert.’

*

‘Hey guys!’ Dick said, voice slightly crackly over Tim’s phone speakers. ‘What’s up? I’m not supposed to visit until tomorrow - is something wrong?’

-

Something is seriously not right with Bruce. They’re a family of detectives and no one can figure it out. It’s kind of embarrassing.

They’re all starting to get worried.

-

(Sometimes, Bruce needs a hug.)

ok this fic is just really fucking sweet and sometimes a bitch is soft okay?

5. After the Fall of Olympus by @/killthespare

Summary: The League has fallen. The team is dead. All that’s left is for Dick Grayson to pick up the pieces and move forward.

Easier said than done.

this fic is literally a must-read in the dc fandom it's not done yet but holy shit. basically goes through young justice and other arcs if the league had died while dick was robin. perfect if you liked young justice and convoluted plotlines, and this fucking fic kicked my emotional ass SO hard

6. And The World Came Crashing Down by @One_annoying_bird

Summary: When Dick and three of his siblings find themselves within the wreckage of a collapsed building, Dick makes the executive decision for himself to be rescued last.

Even if his injuries really demand for him to be first.

Not that he'll let anyone know that last bit.

Fuck me dude. i'm always a sucker for whump

7. Asimov's Integral by @sElkieNight60

Summary: Tim is an unwanted android, a Robo-Child. After being sent back by his parents, his last and only hope rests in the hands of a man still grieving the loss of his own son.

“I didn’t ask for a replacement,” Bruce barked. “I don’t want a replacement! You can go back and tell the RCO I don’t need a replacement.”

Bruce Wayne didn’t want him. If Bruce Wayne didn’t want him, he’d be sent back and dismantled.

this one hurt me <3 android AU, tw for tim absolutely abysmal mental state and attempted suicide

8. Midnight Book Club by @badwolf36

Summary: “Dick is a lying liar who lies,” Jason declares, drawing his knees up to his chest. His ribs are screaming in that very special way that lets him know at least one or more is bruised (or, more likely, cracked).

“Dick wasn’t the only one who turned you in.” Cass says, now tracing ‘moron’ onto his forehead. “Also, Alfred.”

___________

Cass and Jason discuss books as they wait for Jason to be able to stand up after taking a brutal hit.

this one's a really sweet, quiet piece about jason and cass's relationship (which i absolutely love) and cass's characterization is spot on perfect

9. You fuck with them, you fuck with me by @oclark1226

Summary: When Batman's out of the country for Justice League business, it falls on Dick to find his missing brothers. Once he does, however, he nearly loses control fighting their kidnapper. He has to deal with both the mental and physical consequences of that fight while helping his brothers heal. Includes some soft Bruce tending to both of his eldest boys because they need some hugs and they support him in return.

now this one is simply criminally underrated. hella protective dick, which is my lifeblood, and some of the most well-written hurt/comfort i've read

10. Conflict Resolution by @anicomicqueen

Summary: It started off as a quiet Sunday morning, until Timothy and Damian decided to take their argument outside.

who would i be if i didn't end off with some fluff?? this fic is literally catharsis and i cherish it so much plus its hilarious

[nullsleepy]

Could you do a timinette shifter au where Mari an Tim are house cats and the rest are bigger more predatory animals? The family likes to make fun of them for being small and their cat like tendencies? If not that’s fine. Thank you!

<3

Jason storms through the door to find Mars and Tim cuddled up in cat form.

“Hey Replacement, look what I found!” Jason slammed open the door, almost ripping it out of the hinges. His smirk viciously sharp, fangs glinting an almost black red from leftover blood. The phone in his hand depicted an image of a gun.

“Replaceme-?” Jason cut himself off, noticing two cats cuddled together in the middle of the bed. He sent a curious gaze towards the small animals. What?

The male cat, a black haired ojos azule, sent a glare at the man. Jason didn’t flinch, but instead felt the ends of his mouth twitch. He almost instantly switched to the camera app, snapping pictures.

“Oh Timmyboy~! The family will love these!” The cat hissed at him, likely wanting to tackle the man. Tim stopped himself from extendinghis fangs when he heard a small mewl.

“TimTam, go back to sleep..” The other cat, a female of the same species, spoke to the older male in their language. She pouted as she felt him pull away.

“Timmmm..” She whined, watching as the cat took the form of a human with cat-like features.

“Jason, I swear if you-” The teen stormed forward, reaching for the phone.

“Too late Timmyboy~! The whole family has already seen it!” Jason showed off the screen, his phone going wild with notifications from the “Batfam” group chat. “Shoulda locked your door~!”

“I did you bastard! You’re the one who picked the lock!” Tim could feel himself getting angrier, more moody.

“Awww, damn. ‘Should get a better lock then Replacement.” Tim swatted at the older man, barely missing. Jason quickly turned on his heels, rubbing through the halls. Tim grumbled, getting ready to chase after him.

“Tim.” A hand on his tail intercepted him, causing him to jump.

“Mars?” Timothy turned towards the now half human, half cat woman. “What are you-?” The girl cut him off, leaving a light kiss on his lips. He could feel his heart get caught in his throat, a heavy blush covering his face. Fuck.

She tugged at him, whining for him to come back to their cuddle time. He kicked the door behind them closed, tackling the girl onto the bed. He peppered her with little kisses, smiling as she let out soft giggles.

“Tim~ I want cuddles~” The girl yawned, running her hand through his hair. He let out a brief chuckle as he snuggled closer, a goofy, lovesick smile gracing his lips.

“Of course, Mari. All the cuddles you want.” He curled up to her, spooning her small body. As minutes flew by, they stayed in the same position, slowly getting more comfortable. The sun shines through the window, warming up the room.

Tim felt as her petite body became even smaller, furier. He grinned as he felt himself too, becoming a small creature.

Undisturbed, tiny snores flooded the room, the scene before Jason entered returned.

-

Extra:

GunsAndMoreGuns:

(Photo depicting two cats cuddled together on a bed)

Caught @TechNerd and @Mininette together 👀 I’ll sell more pictures of them for $30 a piece.

OG Bird:

AKEHHEUDHDHDHDHDDB

SO SMALL

I WILL VENMO $300 YOU RIGHT NOW JASON. SEND THEM ALL!

GunsAndMoreGuns:

Bet. Unless @FatherBat wants to give me a better offer?

FatherBat:

…

OG Bird:

DONT EVEN BRUCE, DONT YOU DARE!!

GunsAndMoreGuns:

He just venmoed me $750, sorry Dick. You lost >;)

Money’s money, little bro.

OG Bird:

I AM LITERALLY OLDER THAN YOU! LITTLE. BROTHER.

PurpleWafflesPlease:

Oh my gosh. LMAO

DamianWayne:

Father, why are you running to your office?

————————————————————————-

Notes: I hope this is good enough for now ^-^)/ a little bit of wholesomeness for us all.

[obsidianjewel]

Honestly I thought the idea of Jason as the next heir could have been a really good plot if they did anything with it. There could be really interesting stories about members of the family worrying if Jason would become evil or if this could be a chance to redeem the league. Lots of "well we don't stop soldiers maybe this could work as a global military group" vs "no this is a global assassin ring it would be us legitimizing assassins" 1)

(for context: we are talking about this post)

For starters, I honestly agree with all of these questions and theories anon!

This is pretty long, which I'm honestly pretty surprised came out lmao

"Also some good will Jason choose Bruce or Talia as a parental figure drama."

In my personal opinion I feel like Jason would choose Talia, and that's not just like my dislike for Bruce talking at all. To be honest, I'm mostly talking about RHatO #25, and like the aftermath of what happened. Bruce jumped to the conclusion that Jason broke his no killing rule (which he didn't), and left him on a rooftop half dead (not to mention the whole batarang to neck bit). It canonically took Jason months to recover. Why should Jason choose Bruce? We all know about Jason's relationship with the batfam is like, and honestly? I want to see what's Jason like outside of the batfam, I want to see how's he's like not feeling like he's constantly letting down Bruce. Let Jason be on his own path for once.

"Also what of Damian or any other possible heir like Tim or Cass. Damian has never wanted the league but would he be hurt at being rejected as the heir."

Cass was raised by assassins for like most of her life, and she has a shit ton of trauma from that, so I honestly don't think she would want to take the place as heir. And Tim, like Bruce, has declined the position as heir as well. You're right, Damian never wanted the league, and I feel like he would be hurt, because well it is his birthright. Would he get over it? Probably? He would mostly be bitter about it though.

"Is everyone secretly happy it is Jason because now the league will leave them alone. Lots of questions about if they should let go and respect his decision and trust him.”

Bruce and Dick would most definitely try and stop him. I feel like Cass, Steph, and probably Tim would be neutral?? Especially since they never officially met him (mostly on Cass, Steph's end, Tim on the other hand...)? Edit: Though, Duke, he would side with Bruce and Dick on this, very recently I found out about Jason's and Duke's relationship, with Jason being a mentor to him. They more than likely heard his voice, saw him on old training tapes back when he was Robin (tbh this is like my personal headcanon), and heard about him in passing. Not to mention the glass case of Jason’s Robin uniform, which needs to be put away or something because Jason’s alive now, if I was Jason I would rather not stay around people who still mourn me :/ I don’t really know about Damian though, I mean a lot of people have this headcanon that Damian and Jason met each other in the League, which honestly kinda makes sense. 

They have Damian and Jason have this brotherly relationship back in the League, when Jason was staying there. I guess Damian wouldn’t want Jason to be heir, probably thinking he would turn out like Ra’s. I don’t really know, what are your thoughts on this part?

“Let’s say Jason is the Heir. What would his rule be? Would he have assassins kill people? Would he fight to make the League better? Or would it be a long play to take it down? Would he be corrupted?”

Jason would most definitely have the League changed. This kinda relates to this fic called My Son by Zootopon on ao3. It’s about Jason becoming a CEO of a small pharmaceutical firm in Metropolis that Talia gave him. He traveled the world, Gotham in particular, giving those that lived in the most downtrodden parts of society a chance to not only survive but live. Like struggling parents, homeless beggars, unemployed Veterans were some of the many he sought out, interviewed and recruited. Jason scouted for those that were like him. A diamond in the rough. 

BUT! On the other hand, I read a fic where Jason was a General for the League, sadly I forgot the name of it :/

In the end, I honestly just want to see Jason living his own life away from the batfam.

I agree with the UTRH idea and controlling crime from the inside though, I would honestly read it too lmao.

Let's just see where DC will take this first, I just thought the concept itself was good albeit a bit shocking, so I'm kinda excited on what will happen next.

Tell me what you think of this, I would love to hear your thoughts! :)

especially from these people though, I love their thoughts on things like these!: @wonderwondered @gooseyalghul-gumdrops @cats-and-katanas @aalghul @rasalghul777

[ectonurites]

I disagree that Tim would’ve been the safest option, Damian would’ve been the safest option to make queer IMO, not Tim.

dudebros are *well known* for disliking & hating Damian the most, *he* would’ve been the safest option. especially since he’s also the latest character to take up the Robin mantle with an almost non-existent dating history.

whereas dudebros grew up with Tim as their Robin in the 90s, reading his 180 issue Robin run (the first Robin to do so) who has had an (on-and-off) relationship with Steph (a fellow female batfam member) for 30 years, and dated *many* other women outside of that.

“Tim was the safest option for the general audience!!!”

bold of people to assume the general public could even name all the Robins, they don’t even know there’s more than one 💀 like not even the name *Dick Grayson* is within the public’s consciousness. Harley Quinn has more mainstream popularity than him LMFAO.

“but Damian is the biological son of Bruce!!!”

and Jon Kent is the biological son of Clark Kent and look what happened lmfao. If DC allowed Jon to be queer, they would’ve allowed Damian.

But yeah sorry for the mini rant in your inbox bestie I just don’t think this is true. Especially since it’s been confirmed Tim being queer wasn’t even a decision from the higher ups at DC.

honestly i have a lot of thoughts on the stuff you said here that my brain is just not put together enough to articulate at the moment but because you wrote a big long thing i don't want it to just sit in my inbox

but the thing I think you're super overlooking here (and like, I can understand why you maybe weren't thinking about this, but still) is... the timing.

Like. When we are/were discussing the concept of 'safest choice to do this with' in the timeframe that it happened (because like this was a discussion being had before Tim became queer in that timeframe right at the start of Infinite Frontier) there's no way Damian would be the safest choice just due to the actual stuff that was already going on with him.

When 5G was still the plan, it's been rumored in many places that DC was going to be turning Damian full-on villain. Stuff was definitely building towards him taking a darker turn in like, that Teen Titans book at the time and stuff. And when Future State happened, he wasn't included (outside of a dream sequence of his present day self in Tim's book)- very likely because Future State was a lot of retooled 5G ideas. Once 5G was no longer the plan, DC had to move into damage control with Damian- because that villain path was definitely not the case anymore. And they gave him his current solo as part of that!

...So if DC is in the midst of doing damage control on an already somewhat controversial character (because as you said, there's a large section of the fanbase that just doesn't like Damian!) while trying to push a new book with him as the lead... how would it be 'safe' to take a potentially controversial move with him?

Versus taking a character who's in a bit of a lull development-wise and isn't leading a book at the moment, who's generally pretty liked already, and letting it be done with him. Ya know? That feels a whole lot safer to me.

And again yes, obviously we now know that this was overall a more character-driven thing rather than a higher ups marketing thing (the bit of text i had posted from myself in the other ask about this was from... last June, before any of this even happened, clearly there's things we know now that i didn't then lmao), but I do think the discussion of what is 'safe' or not comes into play when thinking about why Meghan's editor approved it and let it happen. Like... I think even if a writer approached editors with the same sort of character-driven reasonings about Damian that Meghan had about Tim, there was already too much going on with Damian that needed fixing/handling that I don't think it'd have been approved, because I don't think it'd have been deemed a 'safe' idea with the current state of his character at the time.

[bigskydreaming]

re: not character bashing or carrying your dislike of a character into your own fan writings. Hmm. Does this apply to Bruce too?

Umm. Yes?

I know I have a rep for being extremely critical of Bruce, particularly in regards to his parenting, but I don't think I've ever argued that he's a terrible person or has no redemptive qualities? In fact, I've clarified on multiple occasions that the entire point of EVERY Bruce-critical post I've ever made is my big wish is to see those things applied to future depictions of canon and fanon Bruce and his dynamic with his kids.

YMMV, but personally I view that as the opposite of 'wanting bad things to happen to a character.' I'm all FOR a positive relationship between Bruce and his various kids and all of my criticism stems from times and ways where I feel he bears responsibility for a particularly negative aspect to one or more of these dynamics.

And like, the Batkids might be my actual point of focus for all my wants/wishes for depictions of more positive, healthy relationships between them and their father....but uh, their father is still very much front and center in the picture, whenever I picture more positive depictions of the Batfam? A better outcome for Bruce might not be the direct POINT of all my criticism, but there's no way for him NOT to benefit from any more positive Batfam depictions like the ones my criticisms are in support of?

I want accountability for times and ways I think Bruce's depiction or narrative choices have been to the detriment of his kids. So that he can be written addressing these things, not so he can be flogged in the village square.

Its kinda like how my entire personal ideology towards crime and punishment is geared around restorative justice, not punitive. Sometimes the latter is part of the former, in certain scenarios or circumstances. But I'm a big believer that the latter should never be the POINT of the former.

Anyway, feel free to @ me with any meta, headcanon or fic/ficlet where you think the central conceit is "Bruce Wayne Is The Worst and Deserves to Suffer" as opposed to Bruce Hug Your Damn Kids Challenge.

To be clear, I'm not saying there's no chance posts or fics like that exist - just that they're not something I shoot for and not something I think properly represents my viewpoint on the character and his dynamics. As such, if they DO exist, its probably because I did a poor job of conveying my actual point, they were taken out of context (given how nonlinearly/stream of consciousness my posting habits are, this is always a big possibility with me), or idk, a particularly bad day got away from me and I took it out on a character I'm critical of in ways and for reasons that didn't actually have to do with whatever I was actually saying.

I do want to point out though that there's also a possibility that this perception of any particular post/fic I've written about Bruce is like, something you brought to the party? Just saying.

Anyway, not trying to run you off, because if you're thinking of specific things I've written that don't align with what I said in that post, I'd rather know what they are than not. Personally, I PREFER if people who think I'm being hypocritical on a topic call me out with specifics.

Please note: with SPECIFICS. If you wanna just accuse me of being a hypocrite in general, its like okay? Not much I can do with that though. I don't AIM to be hypocritical so any time I am - which does happen - it only happens because I don't realize my own hypocrisy and there's a 100% likelihood I'm not gonna do jack shit to address or change an instance of hypocrisy/hypocritical behavior if I have no idea it exists. Don't get me wrong, not trying to apply for sainthood here, lmao, I'm A-Okay with being an asshole when I think its called for and I'm not pretending to be all turn the other cheek about internet fights I've been in.

If you just volley "You're a hypocrite" as an across-the-board insult or attempt to discredit me because you hate me or consider my vibes to be particularly rancid? Fuck off. If you've got a specific instance in mind though, I'm happy to consider it because I don't actually consider being a hypocrite like, a lifelong affiliation or something I aspire to. There are worse things than accidentally being a hypocrite or being considered a hypocrite for something I did or said without knowingly considering the hypocrisy.

Like, for instance, deliberately being a hypocrite even after KNOWING I did or said something that was pointed out as hypocritical.

So personally, I consider it to be to my own benefit to be confronted with specific times or ways I've been hypocritical with my posts or writings, because if it only happened because I didn't mean to be and failed to realize I was being a hypocrite there....I WANT the opportunity to address that, clarify myself or change my stance one way or another, or make sure I don't repeat my mistake there or double down.

But again.....I just wanna point out this is a two-way street. I admit there's always a chance that whatever reason someone considers me hypocritical, like, I earned that with my actual opinions or behavior. The ACTUAL only times I have a problem with being considered a hypocrite is like.....if I'm not actually being one? LMAO. Like just saying, presenting me with specific times/places you think I've been a hypocrite might back you up on that, but it also might not. 

I'm sometimes the problem.

I'm not always the problem though, and I do stand by the fact that I think some posters/parts of various fandoms have a history of misrepresenting me or things I've actually said or done. I've got no interest in enabling that, so like I said, by all means @ me with specifics if you've got a specific post or thing I've written that makes you feel I'm full of shit. But don't do it unless you're at least open to the possibility that when confronted with that post/writing, I might be able to defend my stance or poke holes in someone's claim of hypocrisy. Accusations aren't always true, or even usually true given some of the usual suspects who like to sling them my way. I'm not always gonna be able to refute someone's interpretation of something I said or did, but I absolutely can refute the ones that are made in blatant bad faith, for example.

Anyway. Like I said, I stand by what I said in that post about character bashing, and I don't personally think my usual take on Bruce actually says otherwise. Anyone wants to talk about specific points I've made that suggest otherwise, and see if I can reconcile that, you know where to find me. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Its happened before, it'll happen again. I don't love being called out for hypocrisy, it'd be kinda weird if I did, lmao. But if there's one thing I for sure love even less than that, its being called out or considered a hypocrite baselessly or because of someone else's misinterpretation/misrepresentation of me or my actual opinions, without me ever getting a chance to set the record straight.

You want me to own my shortcomings or potential shortcomings, you've gotta be willing to own yours too if I'm not actually in the wrong. Fair's fair. I give zero fucks about being the bigger person or taking the hit for someone else's bullshit or mistake. Owning instances of hypocrisy sucks, but so does being held to double standards, and I'm just not a 'pick your poison' kinda guy.

[kimberly-spirits13]

Roy Harper Dating HC (Request):

Batfam:

This guy is already experienced with the Batfam

He meets you through missions and then gets closer and closer without the help of Jason

That helps a lot since Jason can trust him more

jay knows that you have a good sense of placement and that you can take care of yourself

So he just gives his blessing and moves on

Roy is the kind of guy that Bruce doesn't want you dating

He's the bad boy the dads are always trying to keep their daughters away but eventually, over time Roy earns his trust and blessing more and more

It starts out with him taking you on nice, simple dates

From beach walks and junk food picnics to an amusement park and movies, he makes sure to spend time with you

After any very stressful week of solving cases and patrol, he pulls you onto the couch to watch stupid reality TV or Star Wars movies

Totally an older- classic movie fan as well

Dude's a fanboy to things and you cannot change my mind

he stays in the cave working on his arrows and technique while you either train or work cases

Always teasing you and flirting

If you get a costume change, he notices (like really notices 🙃)

When Bruce annoys you, Roy is the kind of person that'll throw his fingers up like the bat ears on Bruce's suit and mock him

*Roy running around chaotically* I AM VenGeAnCe, I AM THE NigHT, I AM BaTMAn

it's pretty funny but he'd rather die than be caught by anyone but you since that'd be scary if it were B and embarrassing if it were anyone else

Superfam:

This dude SLOW BURN ROMEO AND JULIET

Clark does not approve

Basically the only way that you can get to Roy is when you're on a mission or with the league

Maybe you'd also be hanging with the Batfam since that's a thing for the Super and Bat kids to do

Jon and Kon aint no snitches so they say NOTHING

Kon does make the pact with Roy that he won't say anything but if Roy hurts you, it's done for him

Clark is very sure to make sure that you're always safe and sound

Which is annoying

At first you only really see Roy as the player guy with issues whom your dad always said to stay away from

and of course Superman knows best so you went with it

Lois knew that you'd have a crush on him eventually

After months and months of slowly getting more and more comfortable with Roy, you two went on your first date

It was secret and you had to make sure that your dad would never know

The time that Clark finally accepted it was when you were shot with Kryptonite by Luthor

Clark was devastated that he couldn't get to you since he was tied up at the moment during the same mission a few blocks away

Roy was the first on the scene and extracted the bullet making sure to give you an antidote

It saved your life and Clark owed it to him

You're always hanging out now

he teaches you to shoot with his bow and is impressed when you already know since it's a farm thing

Though he does teach you things that you wouldn't've gotten at the farm

You'll fly him up into the air to practice bird's eye shooting

best team work

Basically your high school sweetheart turned long lasting romance

Speedsters:

Crack heads

you two are insanely chaotic all the time

Going everywhere

Doing everything

Basically you have weekly movie nights, always running around, road trips, insane patrols and missions

Like ya'll do be doin the most

Barry and the rest accept him and love him

Wally is already close with Roy and so he's cool with it

He trusts Roy

Roy basically has the time of his life every single day

Flirting and pun gods

You, Jason, Roy, Wally, Star, Artemis, and Bazzaro are basically the Outlaw Justice League which is pretty awesome

The Justice League but mouthier and more likely to flip off a diplomat

Not that they didn't deserve it

He always makes sure that there's food

Very very important because a hangry Speedster is a terrifying site

He's also prone to having a very might metabolism

So there's always food

He likes energy drinks and was terrified the first time that you got your hands on one

It was non-stop chaos and now he hides caffeine and everything energy drink wise from you

absolutely not happening

Green Lantern:

He is always hanging out with you and that's that

Best friends to lovers

always wants to know things about your ring

Literally makes you create a crossbow or bow and arrows so that he can saw he's used the Green Lantern's weapons

Just so that he can do that, that's the only reason

May or may not have convinced you to create a massive crossbow so he can launch himself at a villain or something stupidly dangerous that you didn't have time to say no to

Always playing pranks on each other whether that be basic pranks or full on elaborate kind of collapse on floor pranks from laughing

Roy always misses you on your missions outside of Earth and makes sure to ask tons of questions when you get back since sometimes the missions are actually really really cool

You drag him to the League's tower since you have to go there for briefings

The best road trip music taste

Just a random thing but he probably has great music

Just sayin

makes you watch old movies especially sci-fi even if you've already seen them

Immaculate tv show taste

You create some really awesome archery courses for him to run which really help with training

All request are completed and coming out within the next few days, went ahead and got this done since my best friend asked for it lmao but they are coming quickly and daily, plus the Dick and then Bruce series are to come

[sohotthateveryonedied]

Hiii!! I really love your tumblr posts and I'm pretty new to the Batfam (meaning I have only read fics and textposts about them, no comics) and I wanted to ask about the year Bruce/Batman gets "lost in time". I know general things of what the kids have been doing–Dick became batman and fired Tim from robin, giving it to Damian, everyone thinking Tim was crazy for believing Bruce was alive, (don't really know what Jason was up to though, was he still murderous towards Tim? Does the pit still affect him? Also I have no idea about Cass and Duke, were they introduced at this point??) Anyways, my real question was why was Bruce lost in time, what villain put him there? And how did he get out? And how long was he "dead"? Was Bruce in another reality or like just asleep the whole time? Oh! And how soon did this happen after Damian got introduced to the family–a couple months?

I'm so sorry this is so long, but I hope you answer and thank you!!

(I’m going to try and cover all my bases here by going into how exactly Bruce “died,” what went down during the Battle For the Cowl, what the Batkids did while Bruce was gone, and how Bruce came back. Hopefully it all makes sense?? We’ll see how it goes lmao.)

Part 1 - What Happened to Bruce:

So there was this event called Final Crisis (which I won’t go completely into since it would make this post a million times longer than it already is), but the bottom line is that Darkseid wants to overthrow reality and release his Anti-Life Equation, which would overthrow the whole planet and turn everyone into slaves. (If you’re interested in knowing more about the storyline, here’s a Reddit thread that explains it WAY better than I could.) 

What I CAN tell you is that during his final confrontation with Darkseid, Bruce is hit by an Omega Beam and turned into a burnt chicken nugget killed. Poor guy.

Final Crisis #6

Clark and Diana bring the body back to the Batcave and break the news to the Batfamily. Batman #687 covers a good portion of the aftermath such as Bruce’s funeral, the Batfamily grieving, and Dick coming to terms with his new responsibility of becoming Batman.

Batman #687

Part 2 - Battle For the Cowl: 

Musical chairs time, fellas! After word gets out that Batman is gone, Gotham erupts into chaos. Dick doesn’t want to take over the mantle, Tim needs Dick to take over the mantle, and Jason says “fuck it” and takes over the mantle himself because somebody around here has to. He becomes this murderous psychopathic Batman and starts taking out criminals with deadly force because someone’s gotta do the job, so it might as well be him.

Batman: Battle For the Cowl #1

(Okay honestly, this series had some pretty bad characterization overall, which sucks since it’s such an important storyline. Jason is portrayed as this violent psychopath, which...okay, he was kind of insane after the Pit and all, but not to this degree. Personally, I choose to owe the bad characterization to Bruce’s death because as much as Jason resents Bruce for all he’s done, he does still love him and losing him would be devastating, which would exacerbate his already fragile mental health. As for Damian, this happens roughly three years after his first appearance, so we can assume it’s been a few months since he first joined the family. He’s still relatively new at this point, so nobody knows how to write him yet. He ends up being depicted as if his main two personality traits are Bratty and Assassin-Child and that’s it. It’s all just a mess.)

Anyway, Tim tells Dick to become Batman and stop Jason’s reign of terror. Dick says no, so Tim follows Jason’s lead by saying “fuck it” and putting on the cowl himself. He goes to confront Jason, which ends in Jason beating the crap out of him (again) and leaving him for dead after Tim declines his offer to become Jason’s Robin. Dick goes to save Tim and ends up fighting Jason. 

Battle For the Cowl #3

Dick wins, Jason disappears, Tim is fine, and Dick finally gets his head out of his ass and becomes Batman. 

Part 3 - What Happens to Each Batkid While Bruce is “Dead”?:

Dick: 

As I said, Dick becomes the new Batman a month after Bruce’s death. He’s got big shoes to fill, and it takes some time for him to get used to his new role. He and Damian end up flipping around the classic Batman and Robin dynamic, with Batman now as the fun counterpart to Robin’s edginess. Dick, Damian, and Alfred relocate to the penthouse above the Wayne Foundation building, operating out of a secret Bat-Bunker in the basement.

Batman #688

Jason: 

After Battle For the Cowl, Jason is still batshit insane and determined to make Dick’s already stressful life even harder by becoming a supervillain with an ugly costume and an even uglier hairstyle. (I know it’s just because the artist sucked, but still. Jason is horrifying to look at during this time.) He mostly just gets on Dick’s nerves by running around Gotham with his new sidekick Scarlet and killing criminals as Batman and Robin wannabes. Eventually, Dick has Jason committed to Arkham Asylum and he hangs out there until Bruce returns.

Batman and Robin (2009) #5

Tim: 

Tim...doesn’t do great after Bruce’s death, mentally. Dick makes Damian Robin, his reasoning being that Robin is more of a sidekick and he sees Tim as his equal. By making Damian Robin, Dick hopes that it will give him the stability he needs to keep him from straying back toward the “bad” side. (It’s the right move ultimately, although his execution was pretty messed up since he didn’t discuss it with Tim beforehand, but he’s allowed to make mistakes. Dick’s father just died and now he’s in charge of picking up the pieces of their broken family. It’s a lot to handle.) 

Long story short, Tim has a breakdown, realizes that Bruce is alive, dons the Red Robin identity, and cuts ties with his family to travel the world in search of proof. It’s a rough time. 

Red Robin #1

Damian: 

Our little guy becomes Robin! So proud of him! As I explained earlier, Dick makes Damian his Robin with the assumption that it will keep him out of trouble, and he’s right on that account. He mentors Damian, teaching him how to channel his violent instincts into something productive, and it works! Slowly but surely, Damian makes the transition from bratty assassin to actual hero!

Batman and Robin (2009) #22

Cass:

Duke sadly was not introduced at this point in time, so he missed out on all the pandemonium. Cass, however, has been Batgirl for years by now, but she got kind of pushed aside by the writers after Bruce’s death. Bruce disappears shortly after adopting Cass, but once he was “dead,” the writers sort of moved Cass around for a while, not quite knowing what to do with her. First she was with the Outsiders. Then they got disbanded and Cass tried forming a new network of heroes to take over for Batman if needed. Then she helped out in said network during Battle for the Cowl, taking care of a newly ravaged Gotham. Then Cass gave the Batgirl mantle to Stephanie Brown after she became disillusioned with the role, thanks to the loss of her father and mentor. Then Cass picked up and moved to Hong Kong to “follow Bruce’s plans” by continuing whatever work he had set up for her there. It was all very vague and confusing, and Cass more or less got swept under the rug during this time. Thanks, writers.

Batgirl (2009) #1

Part 4 - How Bruce Came Back: 

When the Blackest Night storyline happens, the Justice League realizes that the corpse buried under Bruce’s grave is apparently not the real one and that he’s actually alive out there somewhere! How wild is that! This is further proven by Dick after he places Bruce’s body in a Lazarus Pit to revive, which has the same result because it’s very clearly Not Bruce and they should have listened to Tim from the start.

Batman and Robin (2009) #9

Anyway, what actually happened is that the Omega Beams that Darkseid shot at Bruce didn’t kill him, but rather blasted him back through time to the prehistoric era with his memories wiped. The Omega Energy inside of Bruce ends up catapulting him through various time periods, which is all part of Darkseid’s plan. With each time-hop, Bruce builds up more Omega Energy in his body which, when he gets back to his original time period, will be unleashed and destroy everything.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #5

It’s been a little under two years since Final Crisis, though in-universe it’s uncertain exactly how long Bruce has been “dead.” We can assume it’s been a year, give or take. The way he comes back is too scientific and complicated for me to understand, so uhhhh the bottom line is that Tim and a few Leaguers save Bruce at the Vanishing Point and the day is saved! Hooray! 

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #6

(If you want to read about how it actually goes down, then I seriously recommend reading Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne. It’s only six issues, so it’s a quick read and it explains the situation far better than I ever could.)

Bruce eventually reunites with his family after spying on them for a period of time as Insider to see what has changed in his absence:

Bruce Wayne: The Road Home

After that, things quickly settle back into their new normal. Dick and Damian stay on as Batman and Robin. Bruce goes back to being Batman as well, with him handling Batman Incorporated business and Dick continuing as Gotham’s defender. Tim keeps the Red Robin outfit, Steph stays on as Batgirl, and Cass becomes Black Bat. Jason stays in Arkham for a while before filing an appeal to be moved to a regular prison. He kills 82 inmates in less than a week and gets transferred back to Arkham, which he promptly escapes from. It’s a ride, I tell ya.

Aaaaand that’s about it! I hope this answered all of your questions!