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farshootergotme · 2 months ago

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Can I just say thank you thank you. 👏👏👏

I grew up with the 2004 Batman cartoon and I have thought Dick and Bruce had a parental relationship whether it be father/son or Big brother/little brother it depends on the adaption.

I have just recently got back into Batman and into comics in general and I was honestly a bit shell shocked to see so much well adopted family incest which is just wow but I’m just numb to the internet at this point so nothing surprises me anymore.

What I can’t stand is liars, I swear these people who ship dick and Bruce together are just straight up in denial in some places just accept you’re shipping something taboo. Don’t lie to me about how much they hold a place in queer history which is greatly exaggerated given how it happen based on a lie by a quack and his horrible book note the beds were separate I checked the infamous comic panel it’s just draw really badly but given how tight the deadlines for comic back in the day were I will forgive that poor artist. Also another book they source from the 2000s book written about the queer coding of Batman and Robin seems to really like to leave out the fact that Dick is a child and is written as one. No matter what gen he was written as young lad with hobbies similar to that generation and time period mostly.

Like yes at the time it was done because homophobia but don’t pretend there wasn’t another issue aka it would be the grooming of a minor like for context homosexuality was see as connected to pedophilia. Like seriously when I was looking into this topic, it honestly felt like telephone because how much the original context of the panel was lost like seriously does no one check sources anymore.

Another thing they don’t bring up is how in the 1940s adopting was very uncommon and seen as weird to many it wasn’t as accepted back then which is why ward was used because that was more acceptable back then. It’s also the reason why Jason was adopted by Bruce because it was more acceptable when he was created. Also it was such a non issue to the writers at the time that even though technically Dick wasn’t adopted by Bruce on panel he still treated as one by the writers mostly before Marv Wolfman decided it make for interesting story to have Bruce not adopted Dick and have Dick have a whole hang up on it and is confused by why Bruce didn’t at that time.

Like literally I am tired of people claiming Dick doesn’t want to be adopted by Bruce or that he never wanted him to his father to him it’s simply just not true although it is complicated. Like Dick won’t call Bruce dad but in his eyes as he got older he saw Bruce as a father figure as well as his second dad and Bruce has always seen Dick as like a son and to his actual son blood or no blood for crying out loud he bloody raised him along with Alfred for over ten years like how could Dick not develop a parental bond with him and Alfred ahh. He may not be father of the year but he still cared and look after him all those years like no wonder Dick felt hurt in the original Marv wolfmen story when he wasn’t adopted.

Now, I will say in the early adaption of Batman and Robin and even the silver age to an extent. Did betray them as brothers because well the age gap was closer in 1966 version and late 70s cartoons of them so I can see why older fans can see it that way and the silver age mostly do a big brother little brother dynamic with them. While golden age seems to flip flop and if they were father/son or Big brother/little brother and the Bronze Age they went to father/son by the end because that was probably more interesting to write. Like a son repelling against his overly critical and overprotective father figure was probably relatable to lot of teens and young adults reading Dick stories at that time. Then the rest of eras after that just settled with them being Father/son duo mostly. We don’t talk about Devin weird ass takes in their relationship I swear she is just inserting herself in some characters just to be creepy towards Richard and well she nearly destroyed Oliver character by writing him being weird about Richard when he was Robin which was just yikes.

I also just find it so gross how she took a very reserved and very ace coded character like Dick Grayson and sexualised him, like making his exotic and making him overly sexual is just huge yikes to me and making him Romani because circus is such a huge stereotype and quite harmful. I have such mix feelings about Richard being romani because of how it was done and Tom Tyler has done a poor job in my opinion as well. Like originally Dick was just pure American then his mother became european notable french in one of them which makes more sense to me. I don’t know, I will eat my socks when it’s done well which would be wonderful but right now it’s just no to me. Also, why Richard like what just because he’s sexy Devin and he is romani because circus. Like my ass is as white as snow but even I know that is a weird ass take and honestly fetishy in nature I feel.

Which leads to me being so weary of people who do use it because like yes some people do it so well take notes writers at DC. But others well… I feel just sexualise him for the sake of it and I get very suspicious of people who make draw Dick overly feminine or straight up make him the wife in the relationship. It just makes my trans man heart nervous because usually they also ship Richard with older man (Bruce with him as well probably…) which in Canon he has called creeps and acts super uncomfortable around them. Like whatever ship your taboo ships just keep a safe distance from me okay. It just sadden how Richard is written as overly sexual and slutty like that is not my boy. 😭

I think the reason it also upset me so much is Bruce in a lot of ways is like my dad when he is written as a well meaning father figure. I relate to Dick being the eldest of many siblings and also my Dad is my stepdad but he has raised since I was nearly one. I know it’s not the same but to me he is my father and nothing will change that. It’s why I can’t stop people who act like Bruce and Dick aren’t father/son because well he’s not adopted by law so it’s doesn’t count but to Bruce already is and honestly I just wish in modern adaption just get adopted as a early teen at this point. Like even modern DC doesn’t hide or exclude Dick Grayson is Bruce Wayne eldest son and I’m so happy for that. (Even though he has been adopted by law but as an adult but I digress.)

I will shot myself mentally if I see another person claim it is DC heteronormative doing their relationship like shut up. You who says this bs you clearly don’t care about queer history or adoption history in general and it’s so harmful how people try to undermine adopted families like that. Like seriously ship what you like just don’t pretend it isn’t taboo as all hell. 😤 Also, anyone who claims this don’t you dare call young queers homophobia because they’re saying how it is. You don’t see people defending pedophilia and incest in Greek mythology do ya.

(Then I think in my head how strange it always the ace coded characters that get sexualised or made the secretly horny seductress/playboy type food for thought.) 🤔

Oh apologies for the kinda rant there but this honestly this has been bothering me about the bat fandom. I will say I’m still a noob when it comes to comic book history and I haven’t read most of Dick and Bruce books but I have done my best to do my homework on them and the rest of Batman history and it members. I have honestly only read modern books like world finest and short teen titans spin off book. I’m currently pre order Mark Waid latest book Batman and Robin year one which I am so excited for truly he is saving me given me some good Father/son moments with Dick and Bruce. Also maybe the new Nightwing which I hope will be good, I read TT run online free because I’m poor :p and it was so boring, Richard just feels so bland in that book. Like I will give TT credit their some good panels and moments but that’s just it. My inner Dick Grayson fanboy is showing ha ha. 😅

Anyway, sorry my rambling but honestly this fandom baffles me sometimes.

I have nothing to add—you said it all. Loved the rant and I agree with all of it! Thanks anon!

#anonymous #anon #dick grayson #nightwing #bruce wayne #batman #dc #dc comics #robin

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redhead-batgal · 2 years ago

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Damian x y/n: y/n fell asleep at the manor while hanging out with Damian and woke around 2am, y/n gets lost on way to kitchen and meets Jason and says " hello dummy thiccc man"

Type: One-shot

Pairing: Best Friend! and Gender Neutral! Reader x Damian Wayne/ Robin

Content: Technical one-sided pinning, simp! reader, aged up Damian and reader, cursing, humor, lots and lots of fluff.

Word Count: 1,305

(P.S. I made it best friend! reader because I LOOVVVVE Best Friends to lovers. It's like my favorite troupe. I also changed it a bit, but I think it'll be fine. Enjoy! :)

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

Human nature and emotions were so strange. Peculiar, how extreme they could be. It was like magic, how strange people could be or act in general. How rage could transform a person momentarily, how joy could bring people out of the darkness. Love though, Love was stronger than any other emotion. It was stronger and more powerful. A black magic of sorts that would take over and change you into someone completely different.

And you had just been hit by its spell.

Part of you didn't entirely understand why you caved to his every whim. Why the tiniest frown and gleaming of eyes could make your stomach swirl and instantly feel guilty.

The rest of you... it-it knew. Knew that you were wrapped so tightly around his finger you might shatter if you did something wrong. Knew how the smallest glimpse of his smile would send your heart racing and make you weak in the knees.

Damian Wayne had a magic of some kind, and you were completely and totally enchanted. So enchanted you sometimes forget the way the world actually works and that you should think before you speak. Unfortunately, tonight just so happened to be a night that his magic overcame you.

Drearily blinking, you found yourself curled into Damian's side. His breathing was slow and steady, calming, even. For a moment you almost drifted back into that peaceful bliss of sleep.

However, your mind jumped. Making you realize how close you were to him and that- that... you probably shouldn't be. No- no you definitely shouldn't be.

Here and now, he was vulnerable, and he hated being vulnerable in front of people. You couldn't stay, if you did, he'd be upset and- and... and you really really hate it when he's upset with you.

Slowly slipping from his grasp, you dropped towards the floor, hoping that you won't startle him awake. Sneaking towards the door you take a moment to look over your shoulder, he took a breath in before letting it out softly. Closing your eyes for a moment you let out a small sigh of relief.

He was still asleep, thank goodness. Part of you didn't want to leave, seeing him so peaceful and happy made something warm bubble in you. However, you knew you had to go, for him and for you. After all you have been here for a while... Wait, how long have you been here?

Sliding out the door you peered around the corner, hoping to see someone wandering around who you could ask. Instead, you are met by pitch darkness and an eerie quiet that shook you to your core.

Oh god, what time was it?

Half scrambling down the stairs you bit your lip. Please oh please don't be morning yet. Your mother would kill you if you stayed out all night.

Clock, clock... where oh where is a clock? Where was the closest one??? Living room? No Steph and Duke broke that one yesterday with their Wii sports tournament. Anywhere else made your mind spin and then- then a thought rose up suddenly.

The kitchen.

Yes, yes, the kitchen should have a clock... and a phone.

The more you moved through the darkness the later you thought it was. Was it four? five? Oh god, please let it be the same day. Blinking, a bit, you noted light seeping under the door rather absentmindedly.

Your hand pushed the door open, and you found the blinking numbers on the microwave. They sent a tumble of nerves straight to your stomach.

Two am. It was two fucking am.

How in hell were you going to survive this? It was a twenty-minute drive home and at minimum, a two-hour walk. There was no way you'd make it home before the sun came up.

A clatter dragged you from your thoughts and you looked up to see a man sitting at the table. He had short dark hair with a white streak through a front section. His eyes were greenish, not as green as Damian's but something about them seemed similar.

It took you no more than a second to notice he was not wearing a shirt. And your brain froze, your thoughts suddenly deciding to spill out.

"Hello dummy thicc man."

Silence followed and a snort of sorts. You blinked seeing a smile stretched across the man's face. Heat flushed through you, and you closed your eyes.

"Dammit. I said that aloud, didn't I?"

The man nodded, leaning forward ever so slightly. He winced instantly and you then spotted the bloodied spot on his torso.

"Holy shit, you're bleeding!"

A weak smile was now on the man's face, and he nodded. Your eyes went wide and your hands darted forwards.

"Are you going to be, okay?"

"Yeah, Alfie's takin care of me.'' He looked you over and snorted once again, "you're the gremlin's?"

Your brow furrowed and you tilted your head before blinking a few times.

“Uh, if you mean Damian, yeah I’m his friend.”

A smirk of sorts worked its way onto his face, and you began fiddling with your fingers.

"I'm y/n." You weakly say.

"Jason... though you probably know me as Todd."

You clamped your mouth shut as a wave of laughter built up in you. Somehow, he had managed to almost mimic Damian perfectly. Looking away from him you squeezed your eyes shut as a giggle of sorts escaped you.

Finally, you looked back to Jason- no Todd... oh yeah. You had heard about him. Nothing really bad though. Strange, though him never being around probably contributed to that.

"The gremlin does have a type. Waffles was right."

You tilted your head again, narrowing your eyes ever so slightly. Waffles? Who could be waffles? you opened your mouth to question the nickname when a door swung open. You froze, only to see Alfred carrying a tray filled with bandages and antiseptics.

"Uh, hi."

Alfred smiled at you before setting the tray on the table. Jason instantly began reaching for things only for Alfred to whack his hand without looking away from you.

"I'm glad to see you, Mx Y/n. Did you sleep well?"

You nodded and heard the door behind you open. You then noticed a strange smile slide onto Alfred's face and Jason snorted again shaking his head.

"Hello Master Damian."

Looking over your shoulder in a little bit of horror, you found Damian behind you rubbing his eyes, his hair disheveled and pointing in many directions.

"Pennyworth," He yawned, "Todd."

Jason grunts in greeting and you stand frozen staring at Damian, your mind racing. Were you too loud? Did you wake him up? Was he upset?

"Y/n," Damian then said, holding out his hand, "come on."

"Huh?"

"We should go back to bed. School starts early tomorrow. Father would be very upset if he knew I was awake."

"Uh, but- I- why are you awake?"

"You left." He said with a slight, "duh." At the end.

You went very still as his words began to run rampant in your head. Did that mean you woke him up when you left? Were you too loud slipping out the door? Did you hop off the bed too sharply?

A hand took yours and you blinked, finding Damian before you. He pulled at your hand slightly. "Come on."

"But- it- it's two. My mom- she's-"

"We informed your mother that you would be staying the night. You do not need to worry Mx. Y/n." Alfred suddenly chimed in.

Looking back towards him you raised an eyebrow; he was nonchalantly wrapping a bandage around Jason's torso. Tilting to the side you notice ripped abs. You only managed a quick glance before Damian pulled you from the room.

"It's time to sleep Y/n."

Turning back towards Damian you smiled before following after him.

"Coming."

Taglist:

@andromedaj2003 @thomasbeloved @instabull @zvtanna @daemonnix96 @krswrites @thefallingstarlights @masset-fotia @yorsgf @ssak-i

#y/n x damian wayne #damian wayne x y/n #reader x damian wayne #damian wayne x reader #reader #y/n #batboys #Damian Wayne #Jason Todd #Alfred Pennyworth #fluff #requested #one-shot #best friend! reader #gender neutral! reader #batkids #batfam #batboys x y/n #cute

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us-the-voices-and-more-voices-2 · 3 months ago

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headcannon for all the batfam members

there’s so many.

Helena Wayne

she’s currently nonexistent in the comics, but she’s the daughter of Bruce and Selena. I’m going to put her age as like near Damien’s age as in 10 or 11, let Helena exist she’s cool.

Helena and Damien constantly squabble, but they are pretty close. Jason taught her how to use a bow, because he’s actually a really good marksman and wanted his little sister to you know not be completely useless in a fight. Dick and Tim kinda don’t know what to do, because she just kinda doesn’t like them as much. But they practice gymnastics together and Tim is trying to teach her coding she does not understand it.

She also was taught loads of skills by Selena who is beyond proud of her, yes Selena may be retired from the theft business but she still helps Bruce all the time with break-ins and stuff.

Bizzarro

He’s here, he’s 100% Jason’s adopted son.

He would literally cry if anything happened to him, everyone is incredibly confused by who the fuck this guy is (I’m taking from current cannon and making him a Superman clone) Jason does not explain.

he rocks up to dinner one day with this guy and everyone is fucking confused, Jason stares at them and they all eat together like every Thursday night.

Conner and bizzarro hit it off and become good brothers, since they were both force grown to their age and Luther is their father. Eventually Superman/clark meets bizarro and is like “who the fuck are you” Jason also is there and stares at him and makes sure he plays nice.

Bizzaro helps out in Gotham but he mostly just vibes.

Jarro

Jarro is a piece of the alien evil guy starro, who Batman straight up adopted.

everyone loves this guy, he’s adorable, he’s one of the fill in robins, he mostly just vibes with everyone, starro lost visitation rights, he’s just a cutie.

Tim, and Jarro are the closest no one knows why but Jarro kinda just adores Tim.

Athanasia Al Ghul

Since she and the other Al Ghul kids are from alternate universes, I’m just going to throw them in.

Athanasia Al Ghul Is very similar to Damien except she has a great appreciation for music, she’s an extremely classical composer and composes whole ass ballads so proper that she releases the songs to choirs and singing schools.

Yeah she’s an assassin and yeah she’s kinda evil, but she’s not THAT evil. Red hood manages to punch some sense into her along with Dick and Damian, I’m putting her age as a a year younger than Damien and they manage to get through to her and convince her to not kill them all.

she’s actually from an alternate universe though I’m shoving her in my fanon/canon universe. She, Helena, and Damien are all dicks to each other seeing as they are the youngest of all of them, they gang up on Dick, Jason and Tim and beg them to listen to their stories and music and art.

she’s more of Bruce’s kid, since she literally does not leave his side and kinda adores the positive attention. She becomes well idk what her vigilante name is, but it’d be something incredibly distracting and punny.

Anita Jean

The first robin, technically.

she has 9 Red Robin’s, and loves them all.

had a murderous streak and kinda adores being scary.

Jason after the events of the “robins” run found her and took her in, yeah maybe they don’t know each other but they went through the same shit.

Her vigilante name is “Wren” and is basically Red Hood’s robin, she and penguin are sworn enemies because she loves birds so much and penguin is a dick to them.

Jason, and Anita/Jane kinda just vibe. Yeah we made mistakes we both kinda suck, but we are chill now. They became close siblings.

she kinda loathes Dick, for replacing her and all that but she let go over it after a screaming match.

and uh, that’s all I got!

yay

#-pop #Batfam #batfamily #jason todd #red hood #bizzaro #anita Jean #Jane wren #Jarro #jarro the starro #Athanasia Al Ghul #Helena Wayne #headcannons #headcannon #my headcanons #Jason and his found kinda semi-murderous family #along with Bruce who has 9 kids

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frozenrose20 · 6 months ago

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Just know in another universe instead of Percy Jackson and the Olympians it's Jason Grace and the Dii Consentes.

Im very curious to what the books could be about in that universe though. Heroes of Olympus is probably the same except Son of Neptune would be first and that would be called The Lost Hero and then The Lost Hero would be the second book and probably titled Son of Zeus.

But here are some ideas about the books the first books.

Book 1: the wolf house

this book starts off with him being young and it's him being Peak feral wolf boy Jason learning everything from Lupa and this book is pretty much just his journey of getting to camp because if it was as chaotic as it was for Percy with the curse of Achilles at 16 imagine what it was like for baby Jason all alone without a curse to help

The next three books are just about him rising to become leader with this strange looming threat of the titans except there is an even bigger shroud of mystery around it because he doesn't have the Insight Percy did. An interesting twist that could be interesting is that since he's the champion of Juno, they could have Juno in such a highlighted as having this motherly/mentor position towards him like he respects her like his mother and he prays to her just as much as he does his father but then everything in Heroes of Olympus happens where Hera is portrayed as a villain and it would be a nice switch between the two books and this audience that has spent the past five books have seeing Jason have a respectable relationship with Juno just see everything thrown in the trash because she had to sacrifice to save the world .

The last book is him fighting and defeating krios and something interesting they could do is hint towards the emperors because they themselves are roman maybe a throw away line like, "beware the beast." And Jason takes it as litteral and thinks a monster would come for him. Another angle could even be that in Heroes of Olympus when Percy comes to Camp instead of them describing him as this otherworldly Godlike figure they refer to him as like a beast or wild/feral so the readers are tricked in into thinking he is the beast, add that to the fact that Jason's missing and that they think he's a Son of Neptune and it can really explain why they were so strongly distrusting of Percy.

Trials of Apollo also would be the same except people would probably be destroyed and even more shocked when Jason died in that Universe and hey he did die in water so technically they were right to be wary of a Son of Neptune because their leader died in his father's domain.

Also Imagine the entire five books Jason has his memories of Thalia and he talks about her in such a fond tone and the readers are led to believe that she's dead only for the absolute shock of him walking into the Zeus cabin and seeing a picture of her.

#pjo #hoo #pjo hoo toa #toa #percy jackon and the olympians #jason grace #heros of olympus #trials of apollo

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slasher-dasher · 1 year ago

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Halllooooo

Of you are comfortable can you write headcanons for

Brahms, Billy, Stu, Bubba, OG!Micheal myers, and Jason Voorhees reaction to seeing their s/o with fresh or old SH marks/Scars?

Comfort headcanons with them would be *mwah!* cheifs kiss

(Anon I'm so sorry this took so long, I hope you enjoy!!)

Slashers Reactions to Seeing S/O's Scars

︶꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷♡꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦︶

Brahms:

Hard to hide them (if you are) since his eyes are constantly on you. If you're not, he stares at them before asking questions, (He's very blunt, the only scars he knows about are burn scars for... obvious reasons-)

Speaking of, since he has his burn scars, so he knows how to care for yours, and he is so so careful about cleaning and wrapping them. The last thing you need is a worried Brahms and an infection

Rubs them sometimes, usually when you're asleep or if you two are cuddling. It's always absentmindedly, and once he realizes he's doing it, he stops and hugs you

He wears his mask less around you, generally because he trusts you and partially because he knows you won't push him away. The support goes both ways in this house!!

Wraps you in his cardigan for comfort, especially if he sees fresh marks

Very very mindful about where he clings to you, he doesn't want to hurt you

Billy Loomis:

It takes him a bit to process, but once he does he's looking up as much as possible, but ends up getting frustrated at all the information and just asks what he can do to support you

His biggest tactic on a bad day is distraction, usually by asking to take a walk or watching a movie. If that doesn't work, he gets you a cold water and sits with you. He's much more of a listener than a talker

Will punch anyone who upsets you because of them (and in general). Don't expect to see that person again

If he sees fresh marks, he won't comment on them but he will look at them every once in a while to make sure they're healing properly

Overdramatic kisses, like he's saying "mmmwah" on every scar to make you giggle. He's trying to make sure you feel safe and comfortable around him by knowing he'll never judge you

Stu Macher:

Harm-reduction master. He knows all the techniques and figures out what works best for you

Also helps you figure out any triggers you may have and how to navigate them when he is and isn't home! He wants to make sure you'll be safe either way

Wraps you in a blanket and comforts you on a bad day. Makes you tea, gets your favorite snacks, sets up the TV for your favorite movies/shows, and plays with your hair on the couch all while showering you in support

Tries his best not to look worried but is internally screaming whenever you're hurt, he's a very emotional guy when it comes to you

He trusts you though, and does his best to make sure you know he's always available if you need him

Bubba:

Texas heat means he likely sees them from day one. At first he thinks they were caused by others, but if/when he sees fresh marks he puts the pieces together

He doesn't want you to have a heatstroke while working, but he also wants to make sure you're comfortable, so he'll send his brothers away and stay close to you around the farm

He does technically know how to clean and dress wounds, but he does get a bit panicked because it's you he's helping, not just one of his brothers who got unlucky while chasing a tourist

Makes sure his brothers don't joke about them or use them against you. Drayton made a comment once and he lost his mind.

Happily and regularly checks up on you, he sees it as part of his routine to ask you how you are just in case you need him but don't know how to approach him

OG!Michael Myers:

He's indifferent about them for the most part

On one hand, he's lived around people who had scars practically his whole life, so he's used to seeing them in general. On the other, he wasn't used to seeing them on you, and he took a little longer than usual to process the first time he saw them

Has many of his own, and isn't shy about showing you them if it would help you feel more comfortable around him.

Knows how to tend to his own wounds, so he doesn't mind tending to yours

Support headpats. They're his "I love you/I'm here for you"

Sticks around you more than usual for a while, just to make sure you're alright, you might even get a hug if he's feeling brave. He'll even get in bed and cuddle if you've had a really bad day

Will kill anyone who comments on them in any way that makes you upset.

Jason Voorhees:

Doesn't quite understand them, which makes him very curious.

Always taps your shoulder to get your attention if he wants to see them, and nods and kisses your forehead if you say no

He truly does mean well though, he wants to know how to help you if you're in distress (and in general)

Makes sure to bring you a gift every day! Most of the time it's flowers he found around camp, but he will settle for a nice leaf as well

Tells you you're beautiful/handsome all the time (through sign and body language too). He did this before knowing too, but the guy loves giving you words of affirmation, even if he can't speak them

Kisses them often, his mom always used to do that when he got hurt, and it helped him, so he figures it'll help you a little bit too

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gerryrigged · 2 years ago

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dick&tim, jaytim - the favorite

sort of sideways to my dicktim jaytim 'the girls are fightinggg' post, but -

look even in a world where DickTim genuinely isn't a thing it would be so funny for Dick to get increasingly perturbed watching JayTim get closer. He doesn't even clock that they're flirting - he pays a bunch of lip service to appreciating Tim's efforts to bring Jason closer to the family, but in private he corners Tim like,

"So you and Jason are getting along really well huh? Spending a lot of time together. Hanging out. Buddying it up, you might say."

And Tim's a lil nervous because he thinks Dick knows they're fucking and he's 100% sure that Dick is going to be a nightmare about it, so he's like, "Uh, yeah, we've been working on some cases. It's going pretty well… He's not so bad, really."

And Dick just puts his hands on Tim's shoulders gravely like, "Just be honest with me, Timmy."

Tim gulps.

Dick's hands tighten, and his eyebrows crease in distress.

"Am I neglecting you as your big brother? Are you shopping for a new favorite? I can do better, I swear - hey, let's go to the retro arcade this weekend and break all of our old Batman Pinball scores!"

Tim thinks he's joking and cracks up a little but is gob-smacked when it turns out Dick is like Actually Upset, lol. It's so simultaneously endearing, hilarious and ridiculous that Tim's face must do something pretty weird, because Dick worriedly asks if he's alright.

Tim legitimately has to reassure Dick that he remains Tim's favorite brother.

"Not that the demon brat gives you much competition," he jokes.

Dick smiles a bit, obviously relieved, but does add, "I mean, technically Jason is also your brother - you've both been adopted by Bruce - "

And Tim very firmly is like, "Nope, nope, nope, the zombie undead have no legal status; I only have one older brother and that's you."

Dick relaxes a bit, but continues to playfully argue the point, given that he still sort of sees Jason as his younger brother. He relaxes further with every exaggeratedly disgusted face Tim makes.

Tim tells Jason about it later and has to whack him repeatedly with a pillow in embarrassment when Jason nearly dies in a laughing fit.

Jason has never had a single iota of brotherly feeling toward Tim in his life - diametrically the opposite, actually, in both negative and positive directions at different points. But after this priceless revelation of brotherly insecurity he renews Dick's paranoia by hamming it up to insufferable levels whenever he knows Dick is around to notice.

Putting a chummy arm around Tim's shoulders; calling him "buddy" and "little bro"; condescendingly offering to like, play catch with him and educate him on the birds and the bees (Tim elbows him in the stomach for that one); making up recent trips to a ~certain arcade~ ("Our retro arcade?" Dick whispers, heartbroken. Tim is about to fold like a wet tissue but Jason hurriedly smothers his face in Jason's shoulder in the guise of a big-brotherly hug); even sacrificing a smidge of his stubborn familial rejection of Bruce by referring to him as 'OUR old man', though he carefully makes sure Bruce isn't in earshot.

Dick is just Gripped by resurgent Anxieties, lmao.

Tim considers putting a stop to it (his boyfriend even play-acting the older brother role is pretty gag-worthy tbh), but ultimately he doesn't because Dick deserves a little ribbing over this. Or a lot.

Master detective, honestly.

Until finally one night Tim is slow-riding Jason in one of Red Hood's apartments, smirking down at Jason's blissed-out face as he rolls his hips sensuously - when Tim glances up and just about has a heart attack seeing Nightwing's upside-down face sprout abruptly from the top of the window frame.

Dick: HOLY SHIT, YOU'RE JUST FUCKING, THANK CHRIST

Jason: WHAT THE -

Dick: oh my god this is such a weight off my mind you don't even know -

Jason, literally balls-deep in Tim: - will you fucking GET LOST, DICKHEAD, we're in the MIDDLE OF SOMETHING -

Dick: - I've been losing sleep, Tim, how could you let me think you were replacing me -

Tim, hands over his beet-red face: Dick could you just - look I'll call you later -

Jason, thrusting pointedly: THE FUCK YOU WILL, WE'RE BUSY, YOUR NIGHT IS BOOKED

Dick is still a little bit of a nightmare about it later, but not nearly as much as he otherwise would have been because he's so relieved to still be Tim's one and only Favorite Big Brother, lol.

#dick and tim #jaytim #dc #gerryrigged #I make myself laugh and that's all that matters #gerry words

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lurkinglurkerwholurks · 4 months ago

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Chicken Bones

First posted: October 2, 2019

Focuses on: Bruce Wayne & Jason Todd

Favorite bookmark: "Jason technically has a panic attack and runs away from dinner" I mean... yes? I guess?

Tier: In top 20 for hits, middle of the pack for everything else

This is my “behind the scenes” series where I indulge myself horribly by annotating my fics. Link to the fic itself above. Thoughts below the cut.

Not to be weird about it, but I feel like I have... I don't know, eras? Not eras, because I haven't been writing enough for that, but I do have groupings or pockets of fics that come out together that I just really, really like. This is the start of one of them.

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, that might just be Whumptober. Whoops.

This fic started, really, with me mulling over the fact that Jason Todd murdered people. He hunted people down, trapped them, killed them, and cut off their heads. Comic violence is different from IRL violence in its flamboyance, I know, but that's SUCH a big thing. And comics and fics tend to come at it from the POV of it being a point of strife between Bruce and Jason as a point of principle rather than dealing with the practical ramifications, but I wanted to get into—if you'll forgive the pun—meat of the issue.

“Peace does not come before salvation, and salvation does not come without truth.”—Ekemeni Uwan

This is, as far as I can recall, the only time I've pretentiously opened a fic with a quote, but it was stuck in my head the entire time I was writing. It's from the opening to a song called "Facts" by Lecrae. So he was being pretentious first, really.

His life back in Gotham would never be fully settled. There were still cracks in the sediment, lingering fissures from upheavals both inflicted upon him and created by him, and the ground would never be wholly at rest. . . . But Jason liked to think he had learn to find the rhythm amongst the turmoil. He might not be able to prevent the earth from coming unmoored, but he could learn to anticipate the trembles before they arrived.

I have no idea where the earthquake metaphor came from. It worked, though. And came in handy later. But also I really like the idea of Jason working through lingering issues but being prepared to deal with them as they come? That's progress, baby! That's health!

It had been a good day, a good day at the end of a string of good days, a day that Jason had woken up happy to be in.

I think I felt a little bad about some of my previous Sad Jason fics. But also, psychologically, he needed the good days to make the sudden revelation snap into place.

He had cleaned in the morning, dust and hair and grime flying up in clouds before duster and broom and lost beneath cascades of soap bubbles.

I prefer Jason as a neat freak. I also absolutely pictured him scrubbing on his knees and singing to soap bubbles like Cinderella.

They were seated in the back dining room, the glass doors rolled aside to let the crisp autumn air filter into the little-used space.

Logistics, logistics, my head spins with logistics. I hate visualizing spatial things. This one was weirdly easy, though. I knew what was going to happen next needed SPACE, so it needed to be outside. But it was also a meal, so I needed a sort of in-between space. The nice thing about the Manor is it's very TARDIS-y. Just slap on an extra room. Unfold that pocket dimension.

Bruce had his collar unbuttoned to his sternum and sat with his elbows on the table, hands loosely clasped as he listened to his eldest.

Casual ho Bruce Wayne, ilu

The menu for the evening was a compromise between the butler’s exacting standards and the relaxed nature of an indoor picnic. The initial pitch for fried chicken had been rejected and replaced by individual Cornish hens for that classy Alfred touch. Plates were passed around, a hen per person (except for Damian, who was given a fruit salad), and enough sides to make Jason feel contentedly full just looking at them.

Again, logistics strike. I knew what the main course had to be for the story, roughly, but Alfred's not going to plunk down a store-bought rotisserie chicken on the table. I also more or less hew to the fanon of vegetarian Damian, so that was another obstacle. Have I mentioned that I don't cook? Food is a mystery. Rich people food is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Why do I do this to myself.

Dick’s story reached its peak, the air around them bright with the bite of autumn and the wheeze of Bruce’s asthmatic goose laugh.

I can't remember where I picked up the idea that Bruce has a thoroughly unattractive real laugh—Audrey, probably. Everything I pick up and can't immediately attribute inevitably circles back to CEC. I like it an awful lot, though.

Jason passed the basket of rolls to his left, then took the leg of his hen and twisted. It was like a gunshot, like an explosion, like a death. He didn’t hear it so much as feel the snap of the toothpick-wide bone against his fingertips. It felt like an earthquake and he was shattering.

I am curious how many people forgot that the fic started with a warning and were lulled into happiness and contentment just like Jason.

Blunt fingers touched his wrist.

Bruce Wayne has square fingertips, I will die on this hill.

Bruce caught up with him yards deep into the lawn, in the empty space between the house and the ring of trees that separated the Manor from the rest of the lawn.

LOGISTICSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I'd already written about the exterior of the Manor in a few other fics so I had to keep those details AND figure out exactly where to place Bruce and Jason that would make sense both for them and for the family watching from the deck. I didn't want anyone else involved.

Also, note that Bruce booked it.

He wanted to keep running, to run and run and run until he passed the eastern edge of the world and drowned in the sun and the sweetwater.

Hello Narnia reference, specifically my favorite book in the entire series.

The others were watching from the house. He knew this without turning to look, could feel the pressure of their attention and concern like chains around his neck.

In my dreams, someone would draw this. Jason and Bruce in the forefront, crouched in autumn golds and reds, the rest of the family standing alert and alarmed on a raised brick patio.

Also, some part of the vibe of this backyard comes directly from my aunt's big house that we would visit before she got divorced. Not a thing about it is the same and yet, the vibes, the vibes.

Bruce was here and Bruce knew. Bruce had been there, had seen, had still invited Jason to his table. Jason whirled, reaching blindly for a hand he knew would be there.

This is part of what I was really eager to dig into, not only Jason remembering what he did and fighting to reconcile that resurfaced memory of who he was with who he is but also grappling with what that must meant for about about Bruce.

Even without knowing who was reaching, Bruce’s hand would always be there.

I don't remember writing that specific line and I want to time travel back just to high-five myself. EVEN WITHOUT KNOWING WHO WAS REACHING, BRUCE'S HAND WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE.

He had seen a video once of a beach as the water pulled out, sucked back by the tsunami building out at sea. While disaster gathered miles away, tourists had gathered to gape at stranded sea creatures, gasping on the newly exposed seabed. Jason felt like one of the fools stuck in the muck, wet sand squelching between his toes. Disaster was coming. It wasn’t here yet.

See, the earthquake metaphor in the beginning is coming back, Fukushima style. (Those kinds of videos freak me out, PLEASE be aware of what an impending tsunami looks like.)

He was on the lawn and then he was in the trees. Jason's voice had been building, rising higher and higher like the crest of a wave, like the crescendo, towering above and throwing the world into deep shadow. But Bruce was the impact, the force of the ocean crashing down on him. Bruce’s hands gripped his arms like iron bands, lifted him off his feet, and dragged him into the ring of trees.

I know I was mentally seeing a specific action segment from a movie when I wrote this because of how clearly I can see Bruce react and haul Jason bodily away. I just can't remember the movie now. Pity.

Jason knew he had blood on his hands. He knew what he had done. But he had forgotten how it had felt to hack through the vertebrae of another human being. How it had felt to plant his boot on a broad, lifeless back to get the purchase to sever the last few stringy tendons of flesh. How it had felt to chuck his prize into a waiting bag like a piece of rotten fruit.

Yeah, a little gruesome, but I wanted to treat comics violence as real violence for a minute. If I'm to treat these characters with realism and common sense, then fine, we're going to go all the way. Taking a life deliberately is a psychological hurdle most people cannot cross (thankfully), and decapitation is a huge step even beyond that. The actions Jason took were unnecessary, depraved, and evil. That was why he did them, for the shock value derived from breaking such innate taboos. He was never meant to be treated as right or justified in any way, and I am staring factions of the fandom dead in the eye when I say this.

“How can you stand to look at me?” Jason’s throat felt scraped raw and the question was little more than a rasp. Bruce shifted slightly, an inquiry without words. “I killed people, Bruce,” Jason said, voice cracking anew at the confession. “Not just killed. I decapitated them. And I liked it. How can you—how can any of you—“ “You are my son.”

something something mortifying ordeal of being known something something unconditional love not meaning excusing all because of love but persevering even through the inexcusable to labor to a place of reconciliation and redemption

“Do you still love Catherine?” Bruce asked.

I had zeeeeeero idea how I was going to dig myself out of this conversation or find an explanation that was satisfactory to me for how Bruce could be so steadfast without excusing or minimizing what Jason did, but then, tada. Yay brain.

“She made choices, Jay, and they weren’t always good. Some were very bad, and you paid the price for them. You both did. But her addiction was real, and it wasn’t an excuse, but it was a reason. And you still love her.”

Catch me also separating the deification of Catherine through Jason's eyes from objective reality.

Bruce’s thumb wiped the last lingering tear from Jason’s cheek. Jason huffed a broken laugh, embarrassed at last. “Thanks, B.” Bruce didn’t answer. His only acknowledgement was to pull his arm around Jason’s shoulders and guide them both toward the Manor where their family waited for their return.

w o w that last bit is a doozy since I wasn't even writing The Return yet and wouldn't know for AGES that the two fics were even connected. Huh.

Also, the secret tucked into the end note was something I knew while writing but couldn't figure out a way to work in (Bruce would NEVER tell Jason that and Jason can't know, from his own perspective), so it's just a little treat for readers now.

And lastly, this fic was originally published under the name "Chicken Leg" but that felt wrong and stupid so I changed it almost immediately.

#bruce wayne #jason todd #fanfic bts brain dump #batfam #fanfic #batfic

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cologona · 5 months ago

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All-Caste headcanons:

- Essence is short for “Breath Essence”. She prefers to translate her name rather than to allow anyone to know what it actually is. She is more militant than her mother and generally has a more youthful personality.

- Ducra prefers to tell people the phonetics of her name but never the meaning. Her precognition is clearer and she is generally the more level-headed and capable of conniving.

- Essence and Ducra don’t have true immortality due to rejecting the Spirit of the Well of Sins. Instead they take turns giving birth to one another each time they die.

- While the League’s base is located in the western end of the Himalayas, the Acres of All are located in eastern Tibet. Essence, Ducra, and the Untitled are all Tibetan. (Or more accurately, they’re so old they come from a proto-Tibetan culture.)

- Jason spent a few weeks with the All-Caste during his Lost Days world training tour. Ostensibly to learn meditation and how to protect his mind against outside influence, but in actuality Ducra also wanted to offer Jason the All-Blades. (Talia didn’t know until after Jason had already done the deal.)

- Despite being The Good Guys, the All-Caste are technically still users of black magic. Jason wasn’t really given the All-Blades so much as he was forged. They are a manifestation of his soul. Typically, the only thing left of the ritual’s subject is the blade. That Jason is alive to use, and even mutate the number and shape of the All-Blades is an anomaly. (Ducra foresaw this -among other events- which is why she made the offer in the first place.)

- Having become a spiritual weapon, if Jason ever dies for real he will almost certainly neither go to hell nor heaven. The condition that the All-Blades can only be drawn in the presence of evil is something Jason himself asked for. His magic glowing tattoo is a curse meant to allow him a modicum of agency even if he loses everything else.

- After Jason emerged from his meditation in the caves, Essence took him on a day out to do some mounted shooting. This is how Jason learns to ride a horse. Despite some members of the All-Caste feeling uneasy about involving him, for a variety reasons both political and ethical, Jason’s time with the All-Caste ends on a high note.

- The Untitled thrive in a miserable psychic environment like plants, and are basically energy vampires. Although they have a craving for human flesh (and are even able to learn information based on the organ consumed), cannibalism isn’t necessary for them.

- The treaty between the All-Caste and Untitled determined that the League of Assassins would protect the Well of Sins as a sort of neutral third party, and as long as neither the All-Caste nor Untitled ‘significantly interfered with mortal matters’ they would not go to war again. Both the All-Caste and the Untitled pushed the boundaries of this treaty over time though.

- The “Rahul Lama” that Tim learned pressure points from in Paris was a former student of the All-Caste!

#jason todd #essence dc #All-blades #headcanon #All-Caste plots in RHATO are very obviously hastily conjured bullshit but there is potential there #Tibetan all-caste headcanon #put a pin on it #📌

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adjit · 1 year ago

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So what really happened in Red Robin between Dick and Tim?

Because I am constantly seeing misrepresentations of it, I want to talk about the actual events of Red Robin, and Dick and Tim's relationship during it. It's a favorite storyline for fandom to use and riff on, and so for people who haven't read the source, it's hard to know what is canon and what is fanon.

Honestly? It might be easier to just go read the issues. The majority of what I'm going to discuss here all happens in the first 4 issues of Red Robin (though I cover some stuff through the first 12), and I enjoyed that entire run, but if you'd rather hear a random internet user tell ya their take on it, read on.

This is going under a cut because it's long. But TLDR? Dick is not the bad guy in this situation. No one is the bad guy in this situation. If we had to name one... poor coping skills? And though they do fight, they ultimately reconcile because Tim and Dick are brothers who love each other.

Damian

First things first, let's talk about Damian. Did Dick give Robin to Damian without even informing Tim, so Tim had to find out by Damian showing up in the Robin costume? Not exactly.

So, some technicalities. Damian had worn the costume before the infamous Batcave scene. In Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3, he's given it by Alfred and goes with Squire to save Tim. So, not only has Damian worn the costume before, Tim has seen it.

However, arguably this is also before Dick has accepted the mantle, so the scene in the cave is still notable as it is Dick specifically informing Tim that Damian will be his Robin. And Tim had also worn the costume out for a one-time rescue months before he officially became Robin (also enabled by Alfred), so I'm still of the idea that the cave scene is The Scene about the Robin mantle being passed down.

That being the case, I'm still going to defend Dick anyway.

Firstly, he told Tim before Damian showed up. But it's true that he didn't give Tim a choice, and that Tim was NOT okay with it.

Damian shows up and talks some shit, Tim punches him in the face, and then storms out.

Overall, it went pretty terribly! But I'm of the opinion that there was no good ending here. Damian needs the family connection that the mantle of Robin would give him in order to feel accepted, not to mention the close supervision that the duo of Batman and Robin would provide. But Tim is extremely attached to Robin 14 years after this comic and he still hasn't given it up and would never be happy being asked to give it up, especially when he's already lost so many things. One of them was going to end up unhappy. (Fwiw, I'm of the opinion that Dick is right, and Damian needs Robin a lot more than Tim does. But that doesn't mean that that decision wouldn't hurt Tim, too.)

Arguably, Dick could have been a bit nicer when doing this, but let's be fair to Dick: his father figure has just died, and suddenly he has to be Batman, and he now has a young child he is partly in charge of. That's a lot to be dumped on his lap, not to mention that he didn't want to be Batman (he initially refused despite Bruce's wishes, and only took it on after basically being forced to after Jason tried to take on the mantle, killed a bunch of people, and injured both Damian and Tim), and said child is a highly traumatized child who is still in the process of basically cult de-conditioning! So Tim could also be asked to be a lot more understanding than he's being. But Tim's too wrapped up in his own grief to see that. Just like Dick's too wrapped up in his own issues to properly deal with Tim.

He has a lot of shit going on and he can't juggle it all. Tim is coping incredibly poorly with his own circumstances. They clash and neither comes out happy. It sucked. But to say that Dick is the bad guy here... He made the best decision he could when given no right options. I do think that he made a mistake here in his approach, but to call his entire relationship with Tim into question due to it... doesn't make as much sense to me (especially because of the events which follow!)

Self-isolation

So, did everyone abandon Tim? Did his family forget him and leave him out to dry?

Absolutely not. The opposite, really. Tim pushed everyone away, despite them repeatedly reaching out to him.

One thing to note about Tim here is that he is self-isolating extremely hard. Even after their argument about Robin, Dick keeps trying to reach out to Tim. Tim pushes him away. Tim pushes everyone away. And this is not even subtle- it's shown in the text very clearly.

Multiple people try to talk to Tim, and Tim absolutely refuses them.

Tim is pissed even at the idea that Dick might be checking up on him. And Tim and Steph's relationship is super rocky right now, and he takes her concern for him poorly. Part of that can be attributed to an ongoing fight between them, a lack of trust implicit there, but combined with everything else it's also clearly Tim pushing away all of his lifelines.

Cassie also comes to try to check on him- after he dodges her attempts to contact him, she flies all the way to Gotham. But when told that a man who everyone knows as dead, and whose body was recovered and buried, is still alive, she doesn't believe him. (And considering Cassie has already dealt with Tim's grief regarding Conner and his suuuuuper rational reaction there, one might understand even more why she doesn't believe him right away.) And Tim immediately pushes her away for it. He doesn't try to give her any explanation, doesn't respond to her concern, he just immediately cuts the cord.

(And just a note that when Cassie doesn't know who else to turn to about Tim? She turns to Dick! Because she knows how important Dick is to Tim. And yes, right now Tim is mad at Dick and resents that Steph and Cassie go to him, but that doesn't change the fact that when people think about caring for Tim, Dick is the first person they go to.)

Dick and Tim's argument

Did Dick refuse to believe Tim, despite Tim having evidence, call him crazy and threaten to throw him in Arkham? NOPE.

That is entirely fanon. And one of the more pervasive, and annoying, misrepresentations of Dick's character, as it causes people to talk shit about him.

So. What actually happened? (We're getting into full pages here because I am not letting anyone get this conversation twisted.)

Dick shows up and speaks to Tim compassionately, though decisively, about the fact that Bruce is dead and they need to learn to move on and deal with that grief in a healthy manner. He then offers help to Tim once more, and is rejected, Tim instead opting to start a fight in classic emotionally-repressed Bat tradition. (Which, sidenote, do you think they do this just so that panels during a long conversation are more dynamic instead of two people standing there talking to each other?)

Tim pleads his case to Dick....to an extent. Notice, however, that he never mentions that he has any reason to believe what he does. Doesn't even try to convince Dick to believe him, really. Just insists that he's right after he makes a good case on why he does in fact sound crazy.

And then, Dick offers help. He suggests that Tim talk to a therapist. This person is, notably, NOT ARKHAM ASYLUM. Isn't even secretly Arkham, because they're in Metropolis!

And, frankly, the idea that someone suggesting therapy to his brother who is dealing poorly with grief has been equated to "calling him crazy and trying to get him thrown in jail/committed" is absolutely bonkers to me. I know that it's more likely that someone escalated the stakes for drama in their fanfic or something, and for some reason that's the version that circulated, but from here to there is a LEAP. And for people to claim it's canon is frustrating to say the least.

And finally. Tim tells Dick to let him leave. And Dick does. Dick stops trying to stop Tim, and lets him go. He trusts in Tim enough to let him do what he thinks is right, even if Dick himself disagrees. He does it because Tim asks him to.

Is it a mistake? Maybe. Does it make Tim forgive Dick for choosing Damian as his Robin? Definitely not. But it's very clearly not because he doesn't care, not because he's too busy to pay attention to Tim. It's an act of respect, of treating Tim as an equal who is capable of making his own decisions. In that way, it's showing his trust to Tim.

I have an entirely separate post on the subject of why Dick not believing Tim is narratively supported to make later (EDIT: posted here!), so I'm gonna go on a little Tim rant here instead. Because this post isn't long enough.

During this time, Tim is consistently begging for people to believe in him, while also refusing to play all his cards. The picture that started his hunch is never brought up. Frankly, I'm not sure that even if he did show it to everyone that people would believe him, but I think it's telling that he doesn't.

First, I kind of see it as Tim engaging in a "relationship test". They're the kind of thing that only people who are deeply insecure or in a bad place think to do- if I stop talking to all my friends, how long will it take people to notice? Who's going to notice that I'm upset without me saying anything, who really cares about me? If I share an insane theory, who is going to believe me point blank?

They're the kind of thing that is....not healthy in any way, shape, or form, and really aren't fair to the people you're testing. Sure, someone "passing" the test may show that they care for you (and, ultimately, the only person who believes Tim without reservation is Kon, once he comes back- and that unquestioning belief and loyalty is meaningful), but "failing" the test doesn't mean that they don't care. And they're ultimately a sort of self-sabotage, because you know that most people are going to fail because you know the test is unfair.

And that's exactly what it is: self-sabotage. As previously mentioned, Tim is massively self-isolating during this part of the arc, and pushing people away because they "don't believe him" is just one facet of that self-isolation. But he also doesn't try to get them to believe him, doesn't even give them that chance, because his ultimate goal is not to actually get anyone on his side, but to push everyone away. That's not to say that he secretly doesn't want people to believe him, but... he's acting mostly irrationally. He wants people to believe him but won't let them close enough to meaningfully give them the chance to do so.

Second, as much as Tim says that he's positive he's right and he's going to prove it, he's straight up lying, and he's actually not that sure at this point. And he's probably terrified that if he does show his proof, that someone will see it and still not believe him, and he'll have to face the fact that his only piece of evidence is extremely flimsy and that his conviction is based much more on grief than it actually is on logic.

So. Yeah, no one believes him. And that does suck, and it's a hit to him. But he didn't exactly give them a chance. He's preemptively cutting people out before they have a chance to hurt him or point out where he's wrong.

Tim is still a pitiable character here. He's a disaster and a wet puddle of a man who is living through the worst time in his entire life. But he's not a poor victim, scorned by his family and the world at large, thought to be crazy for no reason at all! Instead, he's (much more interestingly, imo) a kid dealing with his grief incredibly poorly, self-isolating and refusing every outstretched hand, clinging desperately on to his last hope that maybe his world hasn't changed as much as it seems like it has.

Blackest Night

Blackest Night is a huge crossover event that happened during the Red Robin run; technically speaking, you can skip it without missing anything in the plot of Red Robin, but it does have some good moments that highlight Tim's mental state and his relationship with Dick.

So, Tim leaves Gotham, but when Black Lantern Rings start bringing a bunch of people back from the dead in the form of zombies, including Dick and Tim's parents, Dick calls him back to Gotham. And Tim, looking at the decaying zombie corpse of his parents, is also arguing that he can save them.

When faced with an evil zombie that is trying to kill him, Tim still says "I can still fix this, I can save him". And Dick, as compassionately as ever, tries to talk sense into him. It's the exact same situation as with Bruce, but this time Tim is absolutely wrong.

And with this situation as a parallel, I think it's a lot clearer how unreasonable Tim's mental state is. He might seem like he's just a misunderstood genius in Bruce's case because he happened to be right, but the fact of the matter is, he's not thinking clearly. And he'd cling onto the same hopes even when he's wrong. With Bruce's case, he got lucky.

Also! This panel.

Even with all of this between them, Tim still answers Dick that he trusts him, with no hesitation. Of course.

Reconciliation

So, does Tim come back to Gotham, replaced and forgotten, and become isolated from the rest of the Bats?

Nope! There is, actually, a reconciliation of sorts between Dick and Tim. Admittedly, there is no scene where Dick outright says he's sorry, and Tim says he forgives him. But in my reading, there are interactions that serve a similar purpose, if you read between the lines.

After Tim finds proof of what's been going on with Batman, had a whole thing with the League and the Council of Spiders, and blown up a bunch of League bases, he returns to Gotham where Ra's is enacting a plan to get revenge for Tim acting against him: destroying Batman's legacy. Everything he loved and everything he built is in the crosshairs.

And when he's trying to figure out what Ra's is planning, he meets back up with Dick.

Tim is spewing crazy theories, and with absolutely no proof or explanation, he turns to Dick and asks him to trust him. And this time, Dick tells him, Of course. The fraction between them that preceded Tim's departure from Gotham is repeated, and this time Dick tells Tim he trusts him, and asks what he can do to help.

(This time, Dick does call Tim crazy, while he's muttering to himself. And then he chooses to trust him anyway.)

Granted, this is not an actual apology. But it feels like a second chance. One more bid for connection, and this time Dick meets him in the middle and reciprocates.

Anyway, since when do siblings actually verbally say "I'm sorry"?

And then... quick summary, in case you want the real details for the following events:

Ra's sends assassins after all the people Batman cares about to distract Tim from the fact that he's getting Hush (who is impersonating Bruce Wayne) to sign over Wayne Enterprises. But Tim wins because he finally stops self-isolating and gets his many friends to protect everyone who needs protecting while Tim faces off against Ra's. (Which is, ultimately, a climax of his character arc for this story- reaching out and trusting people again. Team up guy back in action!)

Tim's able to keep Ra's busy long enough that Lucius can file the paperwork to make him the majority shareholder of Wayne Enterprises, thwarting Ra's' attempt at a takeover. However, Ra's wins the fight, and Tim ends up plummeting to his death out of the window.

And then Dick catches him.

Later, Dick asks Tim how he could have planned for Dick to be there to save him.

And Tim says "You're my brother, Dick. You'll always be there for me."

This scene has been talked to death, because most people are at a consensus: this is a fucking lie. Tim didn't know that Dick would be there, and was fully prepared to die.

However! I'm not here to rehash this. I just want to add my take. It's a lie, but. Tim is a good liar. And every good liar knows that the best lies have a grain of truth in them.

I do believe that Tim didn't know that anyone would be there to save him. But I also believe that he fully means what he says here, that it's not just to placate Dick. Tim is telling Dick that he trusts him, that he believes in him, that they're brothers. It's forgiveness.

I could keep citing all the places where Tim shows an unconditional belief in Dick that happen after this arc, to prove that their relationship is truly mended after this and that they don't continue fighting, but that happens often enough that you could just read any comic including Tim and Dick and I'm sure Tim will say some fanboy shit eventually.

So, that's it! If you take nothing else from this post, take this at least: Tim and Dick LOVE each other, and they might fight, but they forgive each other, and if you try to talk shit about Dick Grayson, Tim will be one of the first to fight you, guaranteed. Suffice to say:

#Tim Drake #Dick Grayson #Batman #Red Robin #dc comics #batfandom #this post is half Dick defense half I can't shut up about Tim #actually half of this is just summarizing red robin and then a fourth is dick defense and a fourth is me rambling about tim #and like...fandom is transformative and ultimately if you want to make Dick your bad guy you Can #but at least know what the original was and where you're differing so that is a Choice and not just something you do bc it's what's done #I originally was going to delve into Dick and Tim's relationship in general #including first meeting and Tim's Robin tenure #(parts of it at least there's a lot of Robin time)#(and I haven't finished the Robin comics oop)#but this post got out of hand. So now it's just a recounting of what happened in Red Robin with my analysis of the text and their relations #and it's still a Lot #also I haven't read ALL the batman comics leading up to this arc so if I'm missing any context I'd love to hear about it!#mostly I know I'm missing some stuff with his beef with steph

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batfsm · 6 months ago

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A Lonely Place Of Dying (my thoughts):

248-250/ Somehow I doubt you always wait patiently Alfred, you try to though. I do like what you say to Tim though. Think you’re trying to be a good grandfather right here and you aren’t even his grandfather yet.

Oh, so I actually thought Alfred gave it to Tim, the Robin suit. he just left it out and let him come to the conclusion himself. He did kind of try to stop him by mentioning Jason. It didn’t work though.

252/ protesting Alfred? I guess it’s so you can claim Innocence to Bruce later on.

254-269/ Tim is doing OK against Harvey until he picks up the one thing, my brain is not working on what it is. Scares him so much that he comes to Tim’s rescue. I’m glad he did, but Harvey’s mad. Tim finds them, as I knew he would. They don’t look happy he’s wearing the suit, but hey, at least he saves their lives. Albert is coming to his defense, which is good.

I do like the smiles, Dick and Alfred exchange as Bruce and Tim argue/talk before they go to get Harvey and take him back to jail. (All three in the Batmobile? Batman and Nightwing approve.) Or wait is it Arkham Arby’s going to? I don’t know, I think it’s jail.

Love how they end up in the Manor and Bruce still kind of argues with Tim. it’s just gonna be the dynamic. In a way it reminds me of Dick and Bruce, but Tim seems to listen to him a lot better (in someways.) This, I think is where they except him for good.*

Tim, you already earned their trust, you just don’t know it yet. (Neither do they in some ways I think.) Though I do hate what Bruce and Alfred do to you in the future. Especially Bruce but I can understand why also at the same time. He doesn’t want another dead Robin.

Oh boy, ending with the Jokers laugh. Not good.

*So I wasn’t wrong about Tim and how he became Robin.

https://www.tumblr.com/batfsm/750332023903764481/ugh-my-whole-thing-i-was-writing-got-lost-you

I still don’t consider Duke a Robin until he dons the colors but that’s me. I also don’t consider Alfred giving anyone Robin making them Robin because, in Damian’s case, Dick realized he needed to be Robin to not kill or something like that and in Tim’s case, I’m still in the middle of his origin so I might be wrong, he was given the suit, one of Jason’s old ones, but it wasn’t until Dick and Bruce acknowledged how helpful he was, that he technically became Robin.

#batman #batman: a lonely place of dying #a lonely place of dying #dick grayson #tim drake #bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #two face #harvey dent #the titans #titans #the joker

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thesummerstorms · 3 months ago

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So I've seen some debate on this, and I get why. There are absolutely people who use the nickname "Annie" for Annabeth purely condescendingly. The "ie" diminutive at the end there does a lot of lifting that "Beth" doesn't, since we tend to associate the -ie / -y sound with childhood.

HOWEVER.

I do actually like the nickname "Annie" for Annabeth... Just only in very specific cases and from very specific people.

Thalia and Luke called her Annie because she was a literal small child they were caring for. It was affectionate, in the same way Thalia might have called Jason "Jace" or "Jay".

Thalia still gets away with calling Annabeth Annie, but when she first wakes up in SOM it's too jarring. There's also Annabeth not wanting the nickname to spread. So after TTC, Annabeth is "Annie" when they're in private and Thalia is feeling soft OR when Thalia is emotionally charged and it overrides her brain to mouth filter.

Luke called her that for the first few years at Camp, but it faded out overtime because he was the only one using it. Annabeth sucker punching Connor Stoll for teasing her about it definitely did not help, but Luke's failed quest was kind of the nail in the coffin.

Grover COULD technically call her that, and he did a little when they were on the run, but he never really did it after they got to Camp. She would be weirded out if he started now

Chiron COULD call Annabeth that and she wouldn't say anything, but he probably never WOULD.

As for the list of people who cannot call her Annie under pain of death... We have pretty much the rest of the Camp, including Percy. 'Annie' is an affectionate name from those who have been 'in charge' of her somehow, and Percy is her equal. It would sound weird.

Special mentions on the 'don't' list though:

Connor Stoll. He used it extensively for a few days because he thought it was funny she was annoyed. He didnt exactly realize how MUCH she didn't like it, despite Luke trying to tell him to knock it off, until she absolutely lost her shit and decked him. He is now one of the first to advocate for the 'leave Annabeth's name alone' rule with New Campers.

Annabeth's older Athena siblings didn't get to share the nickname because she was afraid of being 'disloyal' to Thalia's memory at first and then it stuck that way.

Clarisse had toyed with the idea of mocking Annabeth with the nickname for a while but hadn't had the opportunity to do it out of earshot of Luke or Annabeth's siblings. Then she witnessed the fight with Connor and that made her take Annabeth seriously. (Also increased her respect for Annabeth )

Frederick Chase is never, ever, ever allowed to call his daughter Annie or any other diminutive. It's too contradictory for Annabeth, and it would collectively piss off anyone who ACTUALLY took care of her as a small child. This goes double for his wife.

#annabeth chase #pjo #percy jackon and the olympians

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cherrywrites626 · 9 days ago

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Staying and Leaving Chapter 1 Sneak Peek

Since I have committed to posting sneak peeks of new chapters in the time prior to their being dropped for real, even though this is technically not the same thing, here's a first look at a companion piece I made for my now completed work How Far Our Bodies Go that will indeed be able to be consumed stand-alone solely for the Valgrace shippers' benefits, but will also fill in gaps in the story purposely left out to create a more well-rounded experience overall.

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The forge burned hot, red fire and black smoke billowing upward into the cold winter sky high above Leo’s head as he stared into the flames with a gentle frown. Something had been on his mind for some time. A choice he’d need to make for himself one way or another. But until that very moment, he hadn’t quite figured it out in its entirety.

Or maybe he’d already done just that but was reluctant to admit it aloud, seeing as how he refused to let the matter drop no matter how many times both Jason and the elders reminded him the subject was a lost cause.

To someone like him, the forge was everything. It was all he knew. All he was ever going to know.

It was the lifeblood of their people’s safety. The thing that kept their weapons sharp and their arrowheads strong. It was the only feasible option they had left for tempering their steel and hammering their armor back into submission each and every time they needed it fixed. How could anything that had to do with their continued protection not be of the utmost importance to every last person in town?

Of course, there were setbacks involved. Not only with the inherent dangers present, but with how he’d hope to navigate the length of distance necessary to travel while simultaneously carrying loads of precious metal along with him as proof of his successful conquest.

If it were left up to him to decide, he’d simply rig a cart and have one of the younger horses carry it back with very little problem. That was how they’d managed things during their other supply runs. Or how they did once the horses actually came into the picture, seeing as how there was also a time they had to rely on their own manpower to drag things across the several miles between the old town and the new one their people built for renewed safety purposes with little more than their bare hands and a sense of stubborn conviction guiding their actions forward.

Stealing a horse for some selfish purpose after the elders had strictly forbid anyone from going back that way after the disaster that had occurred the first time around wasn’t quite the kind of mischief he wanted to get himself into, though. Even if he was about to go and break the same basic rule in doing just that.

At least his own body wasn’t part of their communal property. Strictly speaking. His expertise was indeed invaluable for the continuance of their way of life, but his father was still strong enough to manage the forge for many years to come all on his own, and if anything did happen to him along the way, there was still plenty of time to find someone else to take his place.

Leo himself wasn’t inherently necessary to achieve that particular goal. Not in the way someone like Jason would be, that’s for damn sure.

Sure, they had far more warriors in their midst than they did in practically any other profession available to pick from, but there was good cause for that, and their importance to the town was far more necessary than he could ever hope to be on his own.

If the forge was what he’d call the lifeblood that kept them all going, people like Jason Grace or Percy Jackson were the body itself that wielded those very blades he created with a kind of practiced finesse rivaled only by the Gods themselves.

Even still, there was little doubt in his mind that going without the swords and arrowheads he shaped with careful precision, someone strong and capable of fighting and handling themselves on the battlefield would still find a way to succeed adequately in that department.

Humankind had to have discovered other survival techniques outside of metalwork that could achieve the same general convenience therein. Stone and leather were of equally beneficial use—as was wood and fiber and cotton and glass and all of those many different materials he’d never once learned to craft things out of that still served a greater purpose.

Metal was just the one that was the most transmutable, in his opinion. A material that could be smelted down and shaped or reshaped for a variety of uses—but it wasn’t the end-all-be-all of civilization’s truest salvation. It was just a tool. Something they could honestly do without.

So maybe Leo did see the reasoning behind Hades telling him they had far more important matters to attend to first and foremost. The guy wasn’t even willing to send anyone out to rescue his one and only son, even while his daughter was the one leading that specific charge. Why would he care about the additional benefits of making such a trip?

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As stated above, this is a companion piece I created for my now finished work How Far Our Bodies Go, which is the Solangelo side of this story and takes place roughly four months after this first chapter here and then catches up with it around chapter 5 to overlap in places, but not enough to feel dissatisfying for anyone who only wants to know this side/wants more but doesn't want a cut-and-paste copy of the original.

I promise its worth reading. Go read this chapter now here!

#valgrace #jason x leo #leo valdez #jason grace #valgrace fic #my work #cherrypiewrites

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