#tim treasures the cape very much

[methoughtsphantom]

Mental image where Batman’s cape gets snatched up by something and he doesn’t notice but nine year old Tim does. Finders keepers rule makes it his now and it’s his version of Jason’s “robin gave him magic” line, in a more “this cape makes me one with the shadows and nothing can hurt me as long as I wear it” way. Tim having it with him as he goes out bird bat watching. Tim hanging it in his window as a makeshift black curtain. Tim bundling himself in it while he slouches over his computer and edits his photos. Tim casually dropping in character and pretending to be batman around his house.

[red-panda-agere]

LITTLE HOWELL AND CRISPIN WIZARD

Little! Howell

Babyspace - Toddlerspace, he likes being baby because they get all the attention (actual headspace ranges from about 1-4, but typically closer to 3-4)

Regressed pretty often with how stressed he gets with running the cafe

Tends to run to his big bothers for comfort, feeling bad if he has to run to Cas or even Tim. He even prefers running to Wesley rather than Merlin because he doesn’t like the idea of Toast possibly seeing him.

He demands all the attention from Wesley, and will cuddle for hours

Is extra clingy when Crispin is little too, not wanting to share with his little brother

Doesn’t like loud games or any loud noise really. He has a meltdown just about every time Toast runs through the house, and it only intensifies when he’s little.

Is embarrassed about it, but he really likes pink and flowery things when he’s little. He even likes the nickname ‘little princess’ even if he 100% identifies as a boy.

Refuses to eat a lot when he’s little, but will shovel crackers, waffles, or thinks like pumpkin and banana bread without hesitation. It’s sometimes the only foods he will eat, and Wesley, on rare occasions, gives him special treatments for dinner/lunch, letting him eat some of his comfort foods.

Carries around a special kitty stuffed animal with him that’s named after him, “Howell-y Kitty” as well as his comfort pink blankie

Even when big, but especially when little, he’ll walk around the house with a blankie around his shoulders like a cape. He tends to get cold really easy, so he he always has a blankie nearby.

Gets fussy very easy, very fast if he doesn’t get enough sleep or a nap of some sort. He takes a lot of naps, especially when little.

Holds the sleeves of his big brother for comfort.

Being a pretty fussy little one a lot of the time, he will whine and cry for everything. He will whine for bedtime stories, even already knowing he’ll get one; he will cry when Wes just so much as goes to the bathroom, even knowing he’ll come back; he will fuss at Wes to grab him something even if he’s already in the process of doing so; etc

He REALLY likes bedtime stories and will ask for hundreds, holding his arms out to exaggerate how many he needs. “Thiiis much!” But if he really has to settle on one, he’ll always pick “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn

Palace Pets, Littlest Pet Shops, Squishmallows, Shopkins, and other small little tools like that. He really likes the playsets, and will play restaurant/cafe with them

Actually pretty nonverbal a lot. Very rarely, he will just do little baby babbles, but he’s either a spoiled little princess/prince or a clingy little koala

Gets really excited at little nicknames like “little treasure” “little flower” “little prince/princess” “little star” “little gem” anything of that sort

Likes being bottlefed as it requires all/most of the attention from Wes

T-shirts and/or tanks tops with pajama shorts/pants and knee high socks. He will not wear long sleeved shirts or sleeper onsies.

Really likes when Wes brushes his hair for him, or even just plays with it

Terrified of storms to that point that not even pillow forts will calm him.

Little! Crispin

(!¡!Pull-up/accident mention!¡!)

Toddler - Kiddo regressor (very rarely is he in Babyspace) 3-6 (rarely around 1-2)

Regressed a lot because of his childhood/the birthday incident, and he just enjoys feeling like a little kiddo

For around the same reasons as Howell, he will also go to Wesley for comfort, and when he first started doing it with Wesley, he’d throw a FIT if Howell was in there with him. They fight over who gets to sit in his lap a lot.

Paci ALWAYS

Very excited and enthusiastic when it comes to brightly colored toys of any kind. Wholeheartedly believe he likes playing with those foam alphabet mat play-set things

Will cover his face in stickers.

Really likes little nicknames like “sunshine” “squirt” “silly billy” and “little buddy”

Probably the most well behaved of the two regressors, but doesn’t understand why Howell seems to get a bit more special treatment than he does. Wesley has explained multiple times that Howell feels smaller and needs a bit more help and reassurance. This usually results in Crispin being extra clingy, now joining in on the cuddling with Wesley, even willing to push Howell a bit to get more attention.

Prefers sippy cups and more “big boy stuff” because he likes to show Howell how much more of a big boy he is. Despite this, he relies on his pacis much more than Howell relies on his

On days when Wesley is busy or if he’s suddenly called out to go help with something, sometimes, very rarely, Crispin will go to Howell for comfort. If it comes down to this, Crispin usually walks in, in tears, much smaller mentally than he would be when he usually regressed

“I’m sorry, please don’t be mad at me.” He sniffled to his big brother, fisting hastily at his eyes with one hand, a plushie cat in his other hand. Howell opened his arms immediately, pulling him close. These two didn’t always get along, but Howell still loved his little brother dearly. Wesley would come in later and take over if Howell felt he couldn’t help or if he needed to be little as well. “Alright, come here squirt.” Wesley climbs into bed with the two of them, Crispin the center of a cuddle pile. He snuggled into the both of them.

His favorite safe/little foods are any sort of “finger foods.” Popcorn, Dino nuggets, and sliced apples especially

Tries to share toys and get along with little Howell sometimes and gets really upset when Howell fusses and pushes him away anyways

Really likes any kind of pajamas/onsies. Footed sleeper onsies or the ones with the buttons and no leg coverings. They’re all comfy.

Sometimes Crispin just gets a little too into his crafts/games, and he forgets to take care of his body and go potty. So, Wesley convinced him to wear pull-ups sometimes, at least when he’s little, so they don’t have a mess to clean up. Crispin was almost inconsolable the first time he had an accident around Wesley.

Really embarrassed about it, but he needs a nightlight to sleep. He also really likes when one of his big brothers reads Goodnight Moon

Gets really excited about the show “Baby Einstein” with the puppets. For Christmas, he got a plushie of Bard the dragon and brought it with him absolute everywhere.

On birthdays, he always has an extra mini birthday that he spends with Howell and Wesley, that he actually looks forward to. They get him little stuff and toys, and even make cupcakes usually.

All around just a little goofball

[thr-333]

Just Another Class Trip :)

Part 1

No, no ignore the smily face i assure you it means nothing foreboding, nothing foreboding at all.

Next >

---------

“It’s suspicious,” Marinette glares as they leave customs.

“What would that be, Mari?” Chloe yawns, not bothering to dedicate her limited remaining brain power apparently.

“Lila,” She whispers back, “She’s been so quiet all the way here,”

“What about how she weaseled her way into first class?” Chloe yawns again, sleep mask resting on her head.

“Or tried to steal your bag,” Kagami says with venom, her having saved Marinette from that disaster.

“Accused you of giving her the wrong flight time,” Adrien adds, somehow being full awake even after their long flight.

“Slipped metal into your pocket so security would go off,” Chloe downright glares at Adrien, but would never admit to the bags under her eyes.

“Came by and woke you up every time you fell asleep,” Kagami looks at her pointedly, shadows under her eyes being her only give away.

“Too quite,” Marinette whispers, the list going largely ignored as they approach the security scan.

“Just relax Mari,”  Adrien pats her shoulder, not enough to break her concentration, “Lila will be so distracted by being in Gotham she won't have time for you,”

Adrien was wrong.

Of course he was wrong.

This is Lila they're talking about.

“Oh Marinette!” Lila all but yells as Marinette is placing her bag in a tray, “I’m so glad you didn’t go through with it,”

Marinette cringes, the security guards all looking her way as Lila dances off. She just sighs as she is escorted away by the airport security, to the protest of her friends and not much else.

“No sir I am not holding any firearms or weapons,” Marinette answers as monotone as possible, the security guard didn’t deserve her ire not matter how tiresome this was getting.

“We interview the source,” Oh no “Apparently you were discussing terrorist activities,”

“I was not sir, Lila must be mistaken,” Yep big mistake, I’m sure that's all it is , “I’m simply here for a class trip,”

“You’re wearing a bulletproof vest,”

Yeah probably should have left that one at home

“My parents are protective, they know how dangerous Gotham can be,” They were not fans of the horror stories Aunt Selina used to tell her from this city, “They insisted I have it as protection,”

While they most certainly wanted her to be safe the vest was more her idea. It was also more for enabling trouble than avoiding it. At least she was trying to be safe about secret crime fighting.

“Makes sense,” He sighs from across the table, checking through some paperwork, “You’re seventeen, here on a class trip right?”

“Yes sir,”

“Well if you’re here on a Wayne funded trip they probably did and extensive background check,” He pauses for a minute looking deep in thought, “Alright then, you can go,”

That seems kind of lax

“Are you sure?”

“We literally have super villains walking through here every other day,” True that, “You’re holding no weapons and have been endorsed by the Wayne's that's better than most people that have been in here,”

“Well if you’re sure,” Marinette stands awkwardly walking to the door as he waves her off, “Is there anything I need to sign, or…”

“Unless I want to fill out extra paperwork, no,” He seems so tired, Marinette wished she could get back at Lila for making his job harder.

“Have a good day then!” She smiles brightly, getting a small one in return.

She leaves, the security guards handing back her bag, fortunately not mentioning the miracle box or her Kwamis. She smiles brightly, even with Lila trying to ruin her trip she could still enjoy her time here in Gotham- and her phone buzzes with an Akuma alert.

With a sigh, Marinette ducks into the nearest bathroom, locking a stall behind her.

“Kaalki,” The Kwami zips out of her bag, “Tikki, Combine,”

With a flash of light followed by another she appears in Paris dropping Kaalki’s transformation.

She looks over the city, some Akuma attacking the Eiffel tower. At least they didn't seem to be the brainwashing type, she didn’t have Chat Noir there to help with crowd control.

With a flip she jumps, planning to kick the Akuma on the way down. They dodge and she lands in front of them instead.

“Well, well if it isn’t the bug,” The Akuma, in a horrible patch work costume mocks, a purple mask appearing over their face, “Hand over your miraculous!”

How about you come and make me Hawkmoth? I promise to stick that cane up your ass

Oh how she wishes she could say just that, but it wouldn't be very Ladybug of her. Why did the younger her have to have a stick up her butt?

“Not today Hawkmoth,” She says instead, making sure to put the practiced amount of enthusiasm into it, “Or any other day for that matter,”

“How are you going to save Paris without your little kitty cat?”

How are you going to beat me with that terrible fashion sense

Besides Chat Noir deserved a break. At least she hoped he was taking a break, he couldn’t tell because of secret identity reasons. It wasn't like she had any right to stop him, she was having a vacation in Gotham right now, and she was out all the time for work. She could manage without Chat for a while, he deserved that much.

“I will do whatever it takes to protect the people of Paris,” Ladybug remembers to answer the question.

“Hand over your miraculous now!” The Akuma lunges at her

I should have chosen a different persona

She dodges the beam of light that can’t mean anything good. Jumping back to get some distance.

Chat Noir had the right idea

She bites back the cutting remark on the tip of her tongue. Instead throw out her yo to wrap around their arm. The Akuma pulls it forward, sending her through the air. She leans into it swinging around to get a better vantage point, studying the monologuing Akuma below.

Maybe I can for Starling

She has created Starling as a vigilante identity to use in Gotham, if the class was ever in trouble. No not if, when . With a sigh she summons her lucky charm getting a table tennis paddle.

Although I’m only meant to use that identity as a disguise to protect the class

The only thing that stood out was the Akuma's hand, she'd have to gather more information before striking.

Maybe Starling can have a word or two with Lila, that could be fun

She drops down in front of the Akuma. They seemed to like monologuing, maybe all she had to do was probe a little bit.

“Why would you want to side with Hawkmoth?”

“This is my family's greatest heirloom it has been passed from generation to generation for centuries, some fool broke it and I was crushed having disappointed all my ancestors!” The Akuma holds up a broach type jewel, “But Hawkmoth- Hawkmoth brought it back and now my greatest and dearest treasure will forever be-”

Ladybug smacks it to the ground, crushing it underfoot.

The Akuma looks at her shocked, letting out a long drawn out gasp. Marinette does not meet their eye as she catches the Akuma. She throws the paddle she used to smack it out of their hand into the air to cast the cure.

I must be really jet lagged, I’m usually at least a little more creative than that, but it worked

She pretends not to see the reporters coming in for interviews, seeing the victim and their broach in one piece. She makes a speedy exit, needing to transport back to Gotham before the class get too ancy.

“I’m sorry the rented bus left a long time ago,” The attendant informed her, looking sorry for the dishevelled teen.

Marinette groaned, so much for running around the airport for thirty minutes with a dead phone. Thanking the attendant she sulks off to collect her bag instead, she’d have to figure another way to the hotel.

She spends another hour hunting down her bag. Chasing after leads of people who might have mistook it. Checking again with Airport security, who again pulled her aside for having a suspicious missing bag. Luckily the security guard before defended her, she brought him a coffee and two for herself.

“Maybe someone will return it?” Tikki whispers, her and Kaalki hidden in the folds of her scarf.

“It’s fine Tikki,” Marinette sighs, halfway through her first cup in under a minute, “I have replicas of all of them anyway, I’ll just grab some samples from the MDC fashion show,”

She’d have to stop by later, the outfits should have been transported last week along with most of her recent catalogue. The only problem was all the other necessities she lost. But that wasn’t a problem, she carried the miracle box in her backpack and that's all that really matters.

“And some of my… special outfits when we go back home,”

She had altered her current outfit to transform into her vigilante disguise. Her scarf pulled up and could be turned inside out into a mask. Her skirt could be transformed into a cape and hood combo. A zip down the middle of the skirt to split it for the cape and a zip up hood that lay flat along her skirt. She simply turned it inside out and wore it around her shoulders. Combined with a bullet proof vest it wasn't half bad, her belt full of weapons could always be hid under her skirt which was a big plus.

She sighs waiting for a taxi in the cold Gotham air, hating it more than most. Although she supposed superhuman strength was a fair exchange for extra cold fingers. Marinette fought to stay awake, she had also been holding Kaalki for so long she was starting to develop the ability to sleep standing up and would doze off randomly. Certainly helpful at times, but not right now.

“Hello,” Marinette is startled out of her drowsiness.

She looks at the hesitant young man before her, looking just as tired as she is.

“Hello?”

“Is something the matter?” Something sparks at the back of her mind, a feeling she often gets from Chloe whenever she is helpful.

Do I look that bad?

“Just a mix up with transportation,” She smiles, he clearly knows it’s fake.

“Do you need a ride?”

“No I’m-” She sighs, what could go wrong getting in the car of a random person in Gotham, “Yes, I do thank you,”

“Over here, I’m Tim by the way” He stifles a yawn, leading her towards a limousine, the door being opened by a driver.

“Marinette, here,” She hands over the extra coffee, “You look like you need it just as much as me,”

Tim looks at her like a god sent, taking the coffee as they reach the limo.

“Good call Alfred,” Tim whispers to the driver, slipping into the car.

“Hello miss, I am Alfred Pennyworth,” She shakes his hand, something stronger fires at the back of her mind, a true holder perhaps? But Chloe was a true holder right?

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” She smiles, trying to assess what miraculous would suit him.

“Best get inside Miss Dupain-Cheng,” She climbs inside at Alfred's behest, “Gotham is awfully cold for a Lady,”

She gets the feeling that is not chivalry.

“Where to Miss Dupain-Cheng?” Alfred asks, already in the driver's seat.

“Wayne hotel please,” She pulls her backpack onto her lap, still regarding Alfred suspiciously.

“Traveling alone?” Tim asks absentmindedly, still nursing his coffee cup.

“I’m here with my class, they left without-” No that's no good , “I got held up they went ahead,”

“Class… staying at the Wayne hotel…” Tim mumbles to himself.

“I believe what Master Tim is trying to ask is if you are part of the Martha Wayne foundation trip,” Alfred informs from the front seat.

“Yeah that,” Tim takes another scalding gulp of coffee.

“Yes I sent in the submission, I’m still surprised we got it,” Marinette had been thrilled at a trip to Gotham, it is where her Aunt Selina lives after all.

“You seem very responsibility Miss Dupain-Cheng,” Alfred complements, “Almost as if you could shoulder the weight of Paris,”

“I didn’t say where I was from,” Marinette tenses getting more than a little unsettled, he seemed to know something more.

“Not to worry, I have close connections with the Wayne's and was aware this years class was from Paris is all,”

“I see,” Marinette nods along, the possible meaning behind the comment still being concerning.

“We forgot your bags!!!” Tim suddenly yells, jumping up and making Marinette jump, they both curse in sync as they spill coffee on themselves.

“It’s alright!” luckily the coffee landed on her black tights, so no noticeable stains, “My bags were stolen,”

“Oh…” Tim relaxes back, “Wait… that's not alright at all!”

“It’s fine, I already have a plan to get some spare clothes and I just need to run to the store,”

“Right… to the Wayne hotel was it?” Marinette nods and Tim starts tapping away at his phone.

She fishes out some wet wipes from her bag, passing them to Tim, who looks confused until she points out the growing coffee stain. With a smile and a few more taps at the phone he takes them off her.

“Left behind and bags stolen, doesn't sound like your Lucky day,” Alfred presses, and he needs to stop, it could be chance, surely its just chance.

“I guess not,”

You don’t know the half of it.

“Well I hope the rest of your day is much better,” Tim bids as they pull up to the hotel.

“Thank you, and thank you so much for the ride,” Alfred opens the door for her to get out.

“Not a problem,” She waves them off, watching them disappear down the street.

They’re nice, probably wont ever get to see them again, thats a shame

“Dick! Holy fuck!” Tim kicks down the door of his brothers room, “I just met the nicest girl who's had the shittest day on earth,”

“First of all welcome back, how was your trip?” Dick greets hanging from the ceiling as Tim takes his desk chair, “Second, what are you talking about?”

“Met a girl at the Airport who didn’t have a ride, she gave me coffee,”

“That's enough to buy your loyalty,” Dick grins, Tim flips him off.

“Listen, she's part of that Martha Wayne Foundation trip and her class left her at the Airport!”

“What?!” Dick drops from the ceiling onto his bed, “Thats so dangerous, especially in Gotham,”

“Right?! She even had her luggage stolen!” Tim pushes the chair over to Dick, “And she was still so nice, even after an eight hour flight!”

“You said she was part of the Wayne foundation trip?” Dick asks, getting a nod from Tim, “Yeah, we are definitely seeing her again,”

[hauntedbythefanficsofmypast]

Betrothal Pt. 2

When Marinette receives Tikki she is freaked out at first but quickly has her explain what she can do as Ladybug, before transforming and taking the Akuma out easily without Chats help.

 She still does the speech to Paris after taking out Hawkmoth's butterfly face thingy.

Alix and Nathaniel are already in her bedroom by the time she gets back, both immediately knowing that Ladybug was their Marinette.

The next day Marinette has Alya claiming they were best friends, she decides to give the girl a chance but doesn't actually bring her into her personal friend group. Plus she really doesnt like that Alya 100% believes that she has a crush on Adrien, all because she had a picture from his recent shoot that she was going to put on her inspiration board.

Alya ignores that and gets all the girls except Alix in on trying to get them together. Marinette continuously tries to get them to stop but after a while she gives up.

Marinette also goes over footage of her fights pointing out to Tikki how under trained Chat Noir is.

"Tikki I'm not doing this because I want a new partner. I'm doing this because I don't want him to die, which he will if we don't train him properly! Stop thinking about this so-called Guardian and think about Chat Noir's life!"

Tikki relents and the next night she and Chat have a heart to heart. She explains to him that she isnt in love with him and won't be, she tells him she's been betrothed since birth. At first Chat points out that the holders are supposed to be soulmates, but Ladybug points out that if anything they are platonic soulmates. She tells him that she wants them to know each other's identities because they are partners and they need to trust each other with their lives. She tells him she'll only allow it if he agrees to begin training with her. Chat Noir agrees and they reveal themselves both a little shocked.

The next day Adrien quits Fencing without telling his father or Nathalie and goes to Marinette's house to begin training with her,  Alix, and Nathaniel.

Adrien realizes after a month that he only thinks of Marinette as a sister. He starts to get annoyed when the boys, except Nathaniel, try pushing him to ask her out.

When it's almost summer Marinette tells Tikki that she is going to Gotham for the summer. Tikki goes to the Guardian and Fu gives her Kaalki in order for Marinette to travel back and forth for attacks.

When the school year ends Marinette's mother is waiting in the car with Marinette's bags on the last day. She kisses Alix Adrien and Nathaniel's cheeks telling them to keep training while she is gone, and promises to be safe. The rest of the class quickly surrounds her asking where she's going and why she isn't spending the summer with them.

"I'm going to Gotham. I go every other year, this is nothing new. I've been doing this for years."

Alya makes a big stink about her 'bestie' leaving and the class tries to convince her to stay. This upsets Alix and Nathaniel, both know the class never cared before, they didn't even help stand up to bullies. Adrien himself wants her to stay but he can see how much she wants to see Damian, so he just kisses her cheeks gently and wishes her a safe trip before opening the door for her. Marinette thanks him as she gets in waving goodbye to her friends before they drive away.

During the school year Damian meets and befriends Jon Kent. At first they dont get along but Damian warms up to him. Damian is proud of Marinette when she becomes a hero, and that their friends are training hard to be ones as well. He even gets permission from Bruce to allow Marinette to train and patrol with them.

Dick and Damian pick Marinette up from the airport and soon everyone in Gotham is talking about Marinette being back. What's even more talked about over the summer is the small dates the two begin to go on.

Halfway through the summer Damian admits to Marinette that he is in love with her and that even if they weren't betrothed he'd still want to marry her. Marinette kisses him softly telling him that she feels exactly the same.

Marinette is excited when she first patrols Gotham with Damian and Dick by her side taking the name Bluebird. 

Bluebird mainly patrols with Nightwing, they both take on Bludhaven side by side. Bluebird patrols  with Robin and Batman every Sunday. Her mandatory night off is on Friday with Robin both of them labeling it their date nights.

Soon after making her debut as Bluebird Marinette discovers Tiktok, and a treasure trove of videos featuring the Wayne family and the Batfamily. She immediately creates two Tiktoks after getting a second phone under a fake identification. This phone is strictly for Bluebird, and so is the Tiktok.

Marinette's favorite Tiktoks are the ones saying that Bruce Wayne is Batman because the butts match. Her Tiktok blows up when her first video is posted.

It starts off with Marinette smiling at the camera with Damian and Bruce standing behind her. When Bruce turns around she gasps opening her eyes widely and whispers to the camera. "Omg...the butts match!"

Marinette continues to make videos of the entire family without any of them noticing, both as Marinette and Bluebird. Both accounts are verified within a week. She posts multiple videos a day all featuring a different member.

The most popular video of Dick is him hanging upside down from a chandelier all smiles while Damian is a few feet away looking up at him.

Damian-It's going to fall.

Dick-No after the first couple times Dad got this one reinforced so it wouldn't.

Tim walked past literally drinking from a coffee pot-No he got the one near the West sitting room reinforced.

Dick looks up when the ceil creaks and a second layer he and the chandelier are falling

Dick-Shi-!!

The video then cuts off.

Jason's most popular video is him blindfolded as he puts a gun back together in seconds not knowing Bruce is behind him.

Jason- Impressive right?

Bruce- I thought I said no guns in the manor

Jason screams before calming down- Oh its you I thought it was Alfred.

Alfred- Master Jason

Jason screams and tries to run with the blindfold still on but runs into a wall.

Tim's popular video is multiple clips of Tim right as he passes out and falls with a loud thump. After three clips people here three voices yelling Timber in the background after he faints. The last video shows Tim knocking over a bookcase only to look at Marinette confused when he hears Timber screamed from three different parts of the manor.

( @daddybats-and-babybirds Hello! So I saw your headcanon a while back and really liked it. If you're seeing this I tried to find you on Tumblr to ask for permission but couldn't. If you don't want me using this please message me and I will remove it immediately! Thank you!)

Cass's popular video is very sweet. It's different clips of her taking care of and spending time with her family. The first clip is her slowly reading aloud curled up next to Bruce, the next is her pushing a chair underneath Dick as he goes to sit down after Jason pulled the other one out without him realizing. Third is her gently cleaning a cut Jason got after falling from a tree. Fourth is her covering Tim with a blanket and moving his work onto the table. Fifth is her painting Stephanie's nails while Barbara does Stephanie's hair for a date. Six is her carefully moving Damian to his room trying not to wake him up. Seven is her helping Alfred during spring cleaning, and eighth is her posing in some of Marinette's clothes as the boys help with lighting and Stephanie takes the pictures.

Bluebird's Tiktok features a lot of videos of her flipping around and laughing wildly as a few older villains run away yelling about the second coming of the first Robin. After every  one of those videos another is posted of Nightwing bent over cackling at what the villains yelled. Everyone in Gotham is thrilled when it's confirmed that Nightwing is actually the first Robin, all recognizing the cackle. A few videos feature the Batfamily arguing through body gestures without saying anything, she'll flip the camera around to show her grinning and writing will pop up saying what they were arguing about. Most of the time is about getting food while on patrol, but one time Red Hood insulted Nightwings butt. The two most popular videos are one where she is a few feet behind Batman and all you see is his cape and head, and she has "Bruce Wayne???" written in. The second is Red Robin sitting in the back of an ambulance with a shock blanket around his shoulders.

Red Robin-  What now? I'm in shock! Look I've got a blanket!

Batman- Red Robin!

Red Robin- And I just delivered twins while stuck in an elevator! Twins Batman!!

Batman turns and walks away silently while Red Robin looks at the paramedic.

Red Robin- Im going to regret that during training tomorrow.

The only time Bluebird makes noise during a Tiktok is when she is laughing wildly. She does this because both her Tiktoks are popular and she doesn't want to take the chance of someone recognizing her voice. She is not worried about the wild laughter because she is calmer as Marinette but as Bluebird she lets herself be wild and carefree. Batman enjoys having Bluebird on patrol with him, her hero persona reminds him of when he and the first Robin started.

Marinette announces that her and Damian are finally dating in a Tiktok showing them on a date at the parks with Barbara and Dick as their 'chaperones'. The video shows her holding his hand walking behind him before she flips the camera and winks at it, in the background walking behind them is Dick pushing Barbara's wheelchair, while looking down at her lovingly.

An hour later Marinette is recording a video where they had been pulled over by Commissioner Gordon himself. Dick is pale as he nods to everything Gordon says while Barbara is groaning refusing to even acknowledge her dad. Before the video cuts out she whispers, 'I forgot a lot of Gotham officers follow me, oops…'

The family also helped Marinette master the art of coming up with excuses and slip out without being noticed, for when she has to rush back to Paris.

The family celebrates their birthday together before having a Gala the night after celebrating it for the cameras. The family shows up wearing Marinette's own designs and she is buzzing with excitement when multiple people ask for the designer's information for commissions, they turn 14.

When summer is coming to an end Marinette really doesn't want to leave but she knows she must. Marinette promises to visit for Christmas.

When she returns she is excited to see Alix, Nathaniel and Adrien at the airport with Gorilla to pick her up. Adrien smiles mischievously, telling her that his father agreed after Adrien mentioned that his friend was a rising Fashion designer, MDC. 

Marinette enjoys her first day back spending it with her friends. The next day she is slightly annoyed when Alya bursts into her room at 7 in the morning demanding details about her trip and if she met anyone famous.

Marinette decided in that moment that she was very thankful she never shared her Insta with Alya and that Alya doesn't know about Tiktok. She does however indulge the girl telling her she had a lot of fun and tells her some of what she did. Alya is quick to tell her all about what the class did together and what she did over the summer. However her tune changes when she sees a few pictures of Adrien pinned to a board, and suddenly she's once again trying to come up with ideas to get them together. At this point Marinette is thankful when her mother comes up, asking Alya to leave so that Marinette can help with chores.

The school year starts the same as always and Marinette decides to run for class president. She is surprised when she wins and names Nathaniel her vice president much to Alya's annoyance.

Marinette also meets Jagged Stone only a month into the school year after designing glasses and an album cover for him. At first Jagged doesn't realize the rockin' girl that made his glasses was MDC until at a party when someone excitedly points out the MDC signature on the side. He begins talking to her more with her parents permission and takes her in as his new niece. Soon he is only wearing clothes that she makes.

Half way through the year Lila shows up. The class sans Mari, Adrien, Alix, Nathaniel, and Chloe are all taken by her immediately. Marinette is not there the day she arrives.Lila attempts to lie her way into Adrien's graces using her Ladybug excuse. But Adrien quickly tells her that he doesn't want to hear it, because there is no way Ladybug would let her defenseless or possibly disabled friends know her Identity out of fear they'd get targeted.

Lila is outraged that her lie failed, but she wants Adrien under her thumb and starts devising a plan for it to happen.

The next day Lila tries to charm Marinette when she is upset over her desk being switched without even asking her. When everyone heads out for lunch she quickly snatches up Marinette apologizing and selling her sob story of Jagged's kitten. She is shocked when Marinette begins to laugh and tells her that it was a nice try but Jagged Stone has a crocodile named Fang because he is allergic to fur. Lila gets even madder and decides to just threaten Marinette telling her that she'd take away all of the class. Marinette just rolls her eyes and tells her good luck with that before walking away to join her friends.

When the four return from lunch they find Lila sitting and crying with the class surrounding her as Alya comforts her.

Lila is quick to claim that Marinette refused to listen to her when she tried to explain the seat switch and that instead she made fun of Lila's disabilities. Alya is upset at Marinette and tells her that she is disappointed that her best friend would act like this and that she needs to give Lila a chance.

Marinette just signs walking back to her new seat and sits down, Adrien follows her up and sits next to her while Alix and Nathaniel take the bench in front of them.

Alya huffs continuing to comfort Lila until she finally stops fake crying, the rest of the class sits down in their seats and starts talking again. However they don't talk to the four

As Lila is there she slowly learns more and more about Adrien and Marinette planning on getting Adrien under her thumb and to take Marinette out. She learns about Marinette's huge crush, Alya's words, on Adrien and that Adrien's dad is so strict that he won't even let him have a birthday party. She begins studying the two of them before making her final plans.

She attempts to get Marinette expelled but fails when the Principal insists that it must be a misunderstanding . Even when she starts crying and claiming Marinette is bullying her, the teachers do nothing. It isn't until Chloe confronts her that she finds out Marinette is the top student in the school and a certified genius. Chloe smirks, informing her that if the school even attempted to claim she was cheating they'd not only come under fire, but they'd lose their funding from having her there.

Lila decides to just make the class hate Marinette while still trying to get Adrien. She is unable to get a foothold even when she manages to get Gabriel's attention claiming  Adrien is hanging with terrible people. However the moment she mentions Marinette's name she is shut out. Gabriel telling her that Marinette has a higher standing than the daughter of an ambassador any day.

Lila's anger gets her akumatized into Volpina, she goes after Marinette determined to hurt the girl in some way. She finds her at the skate park watching Alix practice. She creates an illusion of Adrien and has the illusion walk up to Marinette. The illusion begins to tear into Marinette claiming that she is a terrible person, and doesn't deserve anything that she has, before telling her that they were no longer friends. She gets angrier when Marinette asks the illusion what her nickname for him was and smirks when the illusion doesn't answer. Volpina gets so angry she just attacks Marinette swinging at her with her flute getting angrier when Marinette blocks each hit with her arms barely flinching until Chat Noir tackles Volpina away from her. Marinette is quick to run away, Alix following her. Soon after Ladybug joins them in the fight, once they defeat Volpina. Ladybug turns to find Lila crying claiming that she didn't want to hurt Marinette but the girl had been bullying her. 

Chat Noir growls but Ladybug quickly stops him from doing anything. 

'I know you're lying Lila. I suggest you stop lying, and have that video removed claiming to be my best friends. The only friend I have while in this mask is Chat Noir. You are putting yourself in danger by lying.'

Lila however just stops crying and galres at the heros huffing and storming away.

The next day everyone is talking about Lila taking another trip to Achu to visit Prince Ali. They get annoyed when Marinette asks Rose if she is going to email the Prince asking about her.

Eventually things return to slight normalcy and they only have to listen to Lila's lies when she video chats the class.

A few weeks after she has left Adrien finds the Miraculous grimoire, he immediately brings it to Marinette and shows her. Once Tikki sees it she insists that they bring it to the Guardian so she and Adrien set off together finally meeting Fu. Half way through their conversation Adrien is called back home by Gabriel. Gabriel demands the book back and is deeply upset when Adrien says he lost it. Gabriel dismisses him and he destroys his room before akumatizing himself.

Meanwhile Marinette is tearing into Fu for giving them the Miraculous without any proper training. Soon after she gets a message from Adrien saying that Gabriel had been akumatized. She quickly transforms meeting up with Chat Noir on the way once they defeat The Collector they return to Fu and take pictures of the book. Marinette then heads to the Agreste Mansion with the book in hand. When Gabriel comes to the door she quickly introduces herself before handing the book over. 

"Adrien was really excited to share the book with me today while we had lunch at my home. However he forgot it in my room, sorry it took me so long to get the book here Mr. Agreste!"

Gabriel takes the book and thanks Marinette before questioning her and Adrien's relationship. Marinette laughs softly telling him that Adrien is like a brother to her. He then asks why brother and not best friend. Marinette grabs the ring around her necklace playing with it gently. 

"Because my best friend is my boyfriend and my betrothed."

Gabriel then issues an invite for her to come over more, saying that she is clearly a good influence on Adrien. Marinette thanks him before saying goodbye and leaving.

That night they all meet in their wearhouse to talk about it. Even though Adrien is distressed he agrees that his father is still their biggest suspect.

Marinette pulls Oracle and Batgirl into a video call as they all sort through Gabriel's dealing since Emilie's disappearance. They determine that he wants Tikki and Plagg for a wish relating to Emilie. Marinette pulls Adrien aside and they have a heart to heart.

"Do I want my mom back? Yes, more than anything, but she-My mom would never want this. She'd be so incredibly disappointed in my father for terrorizing the city she loves. She'd be disappointed in me for thinking for even a second to help my dad."

Oracle looks into every dealing Gabriel has had while Batgirl focuses heavily on going through camera footage.

Oracle points out a few months before Hawkmoth started Gabriel paid the city to remove the camera from around his mansion. Batgirl shows them footage of the house before he paid the city off pointing out the window designed like a butterfly. Showing that the small middle section is designed to open. Oracle finds something big from a few months before Emilie disappeared. She found that Gabriel hired multiple workers to come and build an underground garden, paying them off so that they would never mention it. She also found he bought a pod specially designed for those in coma to keep them from dying.

They all start planning on how to take Gabriel down. The only reason they haven't acted is for fear of his company. They don't want it to fall and have millions lose their jobs. They also want more evidence to take to the police. Oracle hires someone to install a camera facing the window in order to get confirmation.

Adrien meets Kagami much the same way except Marinette confirms that she did win. She however gets akumatized when her mother brushes off her success. After being defeated, Adrien extends his friendship to her, and they slowly grow closer. Soon after Marinette meets Luka when he drops something off for Juleka. He helps her pick up the books she dropped and they are quick friends. Marinette can immediately tell that he is a meta and Luka is surprised but tells her that he can hear people's soul songs.

A few weeks later Gorilla is akumatized after Gabriel thinks he is Chat Noir. Ladybug is easily able to save Adrien getting him to safety before defeating Gorizilla she tells Hawkmoth to watch out because they are on to him.

After this Luka invites Marinette to his family's house boat during the music festival, when his mom gets akumatized Luka is quick to help Mari escape. Afterwards he tells her that he knows she was Ladybug and Adrien Chat Noir. Marinette brings him into their fold and when she does Adrien asks to bring Kagami.

Before the school year comes to the end the class meets Clara Nightingale. Clara becomes fast friends with Marinette and tries to get her to be Ladybug in her video. However Chloe has the shoot shut down and she is akumatized into Frightningale. After the fight Marinette encourages her to have everyone in the video wearing masks showing that they are all heros in their own way. Clara agrees and Marinette is very thankful that neither of her masks in her hero persona a black.

Adrien admits to Marinette that he has a slight crush on Kagami so Marinette enlists the help of Luka and together they go ice skating. While Kagami and Adrien are skating Luka and Marinette are calmly talking about the pair. Mari asks about their songs and Luka is silent for a second before smiling softly and telling her that their songs are beautiful together.

Two weeks before the end of the school year Lila returns to school. Once again the class is listening to everything she has to say.

She quickly convinces the class to exclude the four including Chloe from class plans over the summer. She is dumbfounded when the four don't care. Once the school year is over the class only sees the four in passing and every time there is an unknown boy with them.

Lila gets pissed when Gabriel stops having her do photoshoots with Adrien and gets even more pissed when Adrien announces on Twitter that he is dating Kagami.

Halfway through summer the classes are talking excitedly about Fashion week in Paris, excited to see Adrien and Lila modeling. They are surprised when they arrive and Marinette is sitting in the front row with Nathaniel, Alix and four unknown boys and three girls. One of them in a wheelchair. When Audrey arrives she is greatly upset at the seating until Marinette and Cass politely offer her and Chloe their seats. Audrey calms down but is still upset at the slight Gabriel has given her. She accepts the seats and both girls get up, Marinette moves and sits on Damian's lap leaning back against him as he wraps his arms around her waist. Cass goes to sit behind Jason but he gets up giving her his seat before sitting behind her. Marinette greets Chloe politely before introducing her group.

"You already know our classmates Chloe but this is my boyfriend Damian and his brothers and sisters. Richard, Jason, Cass, Tim, and Stephanie."

Chloe is polite in return introducing her mother, Marinette nods politely

"Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Bourgeois, I am Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Some of my designs are being shown today along with Mr.Agreste's"

Audrey sniffs slightly starring Marinette down before offering a curt greeting. She then attempts to call Gabriel only for her call to go straight to voicemail. She grows more and more angry as she sits in the stands. Half way through the show she gets up and storms out angry that a girl that is unknown got a front seat but not her. When she is akumatized she goes after Marinette, she is unable to fire her because Damian jumps in the way getting turned to gold instead. Marinette is quickly pulled away by Tim who gets her to a safe place encouraging her to transform. Adrien joins them a few minutes later. After they transform Chat Noir agrees to distract Style Queen while Ladybug gets four Miraculouses

Nathaniel- Trixx- Youkai

Alix- Fluff- Bunnyx

Kagami- Longg- Ryuko

Luka- Sass- Viperion

When the fives get back they discover that Chat Noir had to change back, and after he de-transformed Style Queen found him and fired him as a way to get back at Gabriel. They launch into action fighting her. Viperion and Bunnyx sit on the back burner watching the fight. Viperion periodically shifting back using second chance and Bunnyx jumping in to grab one of the others when he tells her. Once she is taken down Gabriel comes and apologizes to Audrey telling her he fired the person that gave her a second row seat. Gabriel then apologizes to Marinette and Damian for this mistake causing her to be attacked. Adrien hurries over quickly hugging the couple telling him that he is happy they're both safe now. Audrey takes note of his clothes and comments that it's far from Gabriel's usual designs.

"Because it's not this outfit that was designed by MDC herself. He and I did a collaboration. She designed all the male outfits and I the female."

Audrey immediately jumps on him, admitting to knowing MDC.

"You know MDC? You know the Wayne family, along with Jagged Stone, and Clara Nightingale's personal designer?"

Gabriel nods gesturing to Marinette who Adrien was still hugging. Tell Audrey that MDC had been standing right next to them along with the Wayne's. Audrey is silent when she realizes she didn't recognize the Wayne family while she was angry. She immediately extends the offer for Marinette to come to New York with her to grow her exceptional talent. She brushes Chloe off when her daughter is upset over her mother never taking her. Marinette however refuses to go before telling Audrey off for telling her own daughter she is not exceptional.

"She may be mean and a bit of a bully but Chloe is exceptional in her own way. I will never work with someone who treats their own family like dirt. Ya know I always thought she was just a mean person, but now that I see who her mother is, I can tell you raised her to act exactly like you."

Marinette then walks away with her friends and the Wayne family following her along with Adrien. The next day Chloe shows up at the bakery and apologizes then thanks Marinette. Tell her that Audrey actually took what she said to heart and decided to stay in Paris to get to know her daughter.This starts a shaky friendship between the two

"Also why haven't you told anyone you're dating a Wayne??."

"Alya is obsessed with famous people, how do you think she'd react to finding out I'm famous in America but also betrothed to the youngest Wayne."

"You have a point but wasn't she your best friend?"

"No she was a friend but honestly she never really listened to me. I mean she thought I was in love with Adrien."

For the rest of the summer Chloe joins the group of friends and even though she is still mean they can tell she does care for them. Much like how Damian acts to the others except Marinette. Damian and Chloe actually enjoy getting into little arguments over different things.

They celebrate their birthdays at Le Grand Pairs at Chloe's place Gabriel even allows Adrien to attend, while Marinette's parents cater the party, they turn 15.

When summer ends the entire group is at the airport saying goodbye to Damian.

The school years start rather calmly with random akumas popping up but none particularly dangerous. It isn't until halfway through the year when Heroes Day comes around and Hawkmoth akumatizes Lila allowing her to create the illusion of an akumatized Ladybug killing Chat Noir.

The fight gets so bad that Fu joins in desperation to help. However at the end of the fight he realizes that his time has been shortened. He proceeds to name Marinette and Adrien Guardians, telling them that he'll shortly lose his memories and a few weeks later die. He tells him that they will not lose theirs unless they recreate the potion he was given.

A few weeks later Marinette is visited by a lawyer, Fu leaves her everything in his will. Marinette has enough money to last a lifetime.

Hawkmoth's akumas are steadily getting stronger and it seems like Lila is getting akumatized every other month. The Miraculous Team begins to think that Lila is working for Hawkmoth, and after hacking her phone Oracle confirms that she has been. 

Before the end of the year Lila convinces the class to kick Marinette as their class president. Marinette steps down without a care however in front of the class she tears apart her notebook that had everything in it for the class's end of the year trip. Telling them to have fun planning another trip, before turning to her friends. 

"Chloe, Alix, Nathaniel, Adrien, you're coming to Gotham with me this year. We'll let Kagami and Luka know when they come over today. You're gonna love it Wayne Manor is beautiful, and we all get to stay there for the whole summer!"

Lila scuffs saying that her Damiboo would never let a bully like her into her house. She then tells the class that she was asked to keep it a secret for a while but her and Damian had been dating for three months.

They are startled when they hear Dick laughing from the doorway.

"My little brother is dating you, good one, especially since my brother has been betrothed since he was born."

Alya immediately jumps to Lila's defense demanding to know who Dick is. Causing him to roll his eyes before turning to Marinette. Telling her that he was taking them to the airport and that they'd be taking the jet to Gotham one their last day. Before he leaves Alya demands to know who he is.

"Richard Grayson-Wayne, now I'd appreciate it if you stopped telling lies about my family. Damian would never go out with you, he has been dating Marinette for almost two years now. Oh and Mari, I'll let dad know your six friends will be coming with us."

The class is stuned and Lila immediately starts crying, telling them that Damian must have lied to her. However Max, Juleka, Rose, Ivan, and Mylene no longer believe her.

When the class ends the group of friends leaving ignoring everyone excitedly talking about their trip.

Once back at Marinette's they all relax talking about what they are going to do while there. The group is upset that Marinette and Batman won't let them patrol Gotham but they don't put up much fuss. Marinette tells them they'll use Kaalki to get back and forth for fights and that while there they'll be finalizing plans to take out Gabriel with the help of Batman.

[butwhyduh]

Rise of Batboy and Spoiler

Reverse Robin au Tim first

Summary: Tim Drake becomes the first batboy at 13.

Tim was a very precocious child. He knew things that kids shouldn’t know. He said words that were far too big for his tiny mouth. And he wasn’t scared of just about any person who threatened him. This was a massive problem for his parents.

Jack and Janet Drake were perfectly normal wealthy white Americans living in Gotham New Jersey. They were archeologists that also inherited a banking firm from Janet’s family and Jack was the heir of a still active line of raw oil, one of a few in the entirety of the North East.

They lived in the Drake family manor. Built in the early 1800s with 23 bedrooms and a carriage house that was so large that it easily converted to a car garage when the time came. And Tim Drake knew every room by heart.

Since his parents wanted to be seen as respectable and Tim was unpredictable and uncontrollable, in their eyes, they left him home. Tim wasn’t taken to galas and parties, trips and work vacations. He wasn’t alone. His parents left him with a nanny or sent him to boarding school as was proper.

But it was lonely. Tim was so very lonely as a child. And so he collected hobbies to fill the void. Pokémon cards and train parts were in near boxes in the attic that he had once treasured. He had learned 3 languages and had taken multiple martial art classes in various styles.

Currently a camera hung around his neck, part of his latest venture. He had even made a miniature dark room in one of the spare bedrooms and started printing his own photographs. There was an adjustment period but now he was pretty proud of his work. Tim would take photos of dogs and flowers and even people on occasion. His father considered it all junk.

But Jack Drake was currently working in South America, trying to uncover and take their latest find. It didn’t take Tim long to realize that many museums stole from culture to entertain another. And so Tim would easily sneak out of the house at all hours of day and night and the nanny left in charge was none the wiser as long as he pretended to visit a friend’s house. Sometimes Tim would and other times, like tonight, he would on a rooftop in a part of Gotham that would make his mother cry to even imagine.

He was trying to capture the caped crusader, Batman, on camera. The masked vigilante had been working for a few year. He was first a myth told to Narrow children about the dangers of a ghost getting them if they were bad. But the more that thugs and bad people were attacked and strung up for the police, the more real this person must be. Tim was a little obsessed. He had a notebook that he glued articles about cases that the Batman had solved.

It wasn’t easy to follow Batman. Tim was grateful for his many years of taking various martial arts as his mother required some sort of athletic class multiple times a week since he was 5. He even signed up for a new exercise class type called parkour. It would help him safely jump across the roofs. Tim was kinda proud of the changes he’d seen in himself in the past few months of roof climbing. He felt muscles grow harder in his arms and back and while the 13 year old didn’t have abs or anything like that, he felt strong.

Finally he was in the correct spot, probably. There was a drug deal of gigantic proportions to be had in an hour time at the spot Tim was sitting up his camera. He had invested a lot of money in silence and durability of his camera. If his father knew how much they spent on this hobby…. Tim laid down on his stomach with his camera posed like a sniper rifle down at the open lot that was slowly filling with people.

Tim wished he had brought a listening device to know what they were saying. He’d add it to the list. After half an hour of laying awkwardly taking a few pictures of the men, a black flutter startled them all.

“What was that??” One yelled, pulling out his gun.

“Batman,” another said.

“That’s a myth. Don’t try and run out of this deal,” said a man clearly on the other side of the negotiation. But Tim could see that he too was shook up. They all kinda stood around as if nothing was wrong with their guns out, ready for a fight.

3 little balls was tossed on the ground that immediately began releasing gas into the air. Tim cursed as it ruined visibility as he heard the cries and shrieks as the Batman beat the gangsters up. He took a few grainy photos, nothing to write home about. After a few minutes the ground was quiet and the smoke began to clear and gangsters were tied up for police in a nice little row. Tim took a bunch of photos for proof. Sure Batman was not really caught but here was proof. The dark knight was real.

“Kid, can I see your camera,” came a gruff voice behind him and Tim quickly rolled over while grabbing his camera. A tall man dressed in black leather suit with a grey bat symbol on his chest and a black cape was standing in front of Tim. Tim clutched his camera protectively. It wasn’t the first time someone had threatened his camera.

“Uh no,” he said looking for a good place to jump to get away. He’d loose his tripod and a few lenses but Tim could replace them.

“Don’t. You won’t make it. That’s too far a jump,” Batman said. Tim stared. “I just want the film on your camera. You can keep your equipment.”

“Why?” Tim asked suspiciously.

“Because it’s evidence I’d like to not have lying around. I think you understand that,” Batman said. Tim did. One of his billion hobbies had been criminal justice where he read a dozen textbooks.

“Okay,” Tim finally said with a note of defeat in his voice. He pushed the button to roll the film up. Once it was rolled, he took it out and handed it to Batman who stored it in a pouch.

“Thank you. You should go home. This area of town is dangerous,” Batman told him. “Especially for a kid from the good side of town.”

“How did you-“

“Your clothing and watch are expensive not to mention a couple of thousand in camera equipment. Travel lighter and in cheaper clothes,” Batman told him. “And stop following me,” he added before he was gone into the night.

Tim cursed himself for not taking a picture with his phone. He’d have to come prepared with multiple devices next time. Tim made his way back home with an excited hum under his skin. He couldn’t wait to go out again. This time he’d catch photos but just knowing that the Batman was real.

He barely slept that night before going to school. Tim considered telling his friend. He met the Batman! That’s nuts! But, would they believe him? Would they tell everyone? Would his parents find out? So instead, Tim got the highlights of what he missed the night before in a D&D game they had played while lying and saying he went to bed early. He was getting pretty good at lying.

Tim was out on another night on another rooftop. This was becoming a habit. He was getting pretty good at moving between roofs. He was taking a break and eating a cereal bar he had packed when Tim heard a sound like a scream. He moved quickly to look over the edge.

A woman was screaming as a man grabbed her. Tim looked around, hoping the Batman would show soon but he was no where in sight. Tim struggled with himself. Would he help her and probably get beat up or not?

Tim jumped down to the ground. His heart pounded.

“Hey, leave her alone!” He yelled and his voice echoed. The guy turned to look at Tim. He let the woman go who ran away as fast as she could. Oh man this guy is big, Tim thought.

“What do you want, you little punk?” The guy snarled.

“Stop hurting women,” Tim said with a little fist clenched. Sure he’d taken various classes for years but it was different than fighting a grown man. The guy laughed. He balled his fists up.

“Showing kids how to respect-“ was all he got out before a brick violently smacked the side of his head. The man went down hard. Tim looked up to see a purple figure with a hood covering her face jump down from the dumpster.

“Ugh, first women and then kids. This guys a creep,” she said and Tim could tell she was young.

“I’m not a kid,” Tim protested. “How old are you?”

“Older than you,” she said with a snort.

“I’m 13,” Tim said. “Either you’re tiny or you’re young too.”

“14 is to old for you kid. I’m almost 15,” she said.

“I’m not-“ Tim sputtered. Sure, she was cute but he was more interested in the goon. Who by the way was waking up.

“You little fuc-“ he got out before Tim kicked him in the head, knocking him out again.

“Good kick,” she commented.

“Thanks, I’ve been working on it,” Tim said.

“Yeah? You should work on a mask,” she teased.

“Hey! I’m not trying to be a vigilante,” Tim protested. She laughed.

“Yeah and I’ll eat my cape. I’m the Spoiler,” she said dramatically.

“Of what?” Tim asked.

“It’s a long story, kid. What’s your name?”

“Not a kid and I’m not telling you my name,” he said as if the question was ridiculous. A fluttering could be heard and a streetlight blinked out before someone landed in front of the pair. Spoiler ran before the other person was even on the ground.

“Byah Batboy,” she called.

“I’m not-“

“Your photos were excellent and helped get those guys put away for a long time,” Batman said after she had left. “But I must insist that you don’t come out anymore. It is very dangerous,” he emphasized.

“Sure, but-“

“No buts, Tim. Go home,” Batman said. He used a grappling gun to shoot to the roof where he did a backflip before swinging to the next building.

“God, his form is awful. How does he even land that?” Tim said to himself before realizing, “how does he know my name??” Tim went home after that.

——————————

2 weeks later, Tim was being fitted for his suit.

“You should eat more and you won’t be so skinny,” he dad laughed and the lady measuring Tim’s suit eyeballed him quietly. Tim was actually weirdly fit under his oversized hoodies he always wore.

“I eat,” Tim answered with a little laugh. His dad laughed louder and Tim’s smile fell.

“Okay that’s the final measurement. They will both be ready this afternoon,” the woman said standing.

“Thank you for getting this done with such a short notice,” Jack said with a smile. She smiled back.

“Of course sir,” she said. Tim looked at the the two. Was his dad having an affair? Tim felt queasy at the thought.

“It’s not everyday that Bruce Wayne personally invited your entire family to his gala. I mean, I’ve known him for years, but this is new,” Jack bragged. Tim looked out the window and wondered if he would die from a 1 story jump. Probably not.

“Wow, is this your first gala,” she asked Tim.

“No. But it’s been a while,” Tim said. The last time he was 6 and had announced that Mr Thorneheart had a different lady than the one he swam with at the neighbors house. There was a whole scandal and his marriage collapsed over it. All because Tim was a very perceptive child.

The woman smiled and the Drakes were on their way.

A few hours later Tim pulled on his collar as he was lead out of a limo. His mother and father were already inside and waiting. Tim was late. Well, he wasn’t really late but that his parents had been on autopilot and forgot he was coming until after they left.

The place was really nice. What else would you expect from Wayne manor? He walked in quickly to avoid the reporters and photographers that crowded the entrance. There were silver and gold balloons tied up and the decorations gave the illusion of lush. Tim found his parents talking to the director of the largest museum in Gotham. They worked together often.

But Tim wanted nothing to do with it. Boring conversation followed by inquisition about what he wanted to do when he grew up. He went over to the buffet table instead.

Bruce Wayne was there with 2 beautiful women, one clinging on each arm. His suit collar was crumpled and crooked and there was a flush to his cheek that Tim assumed was alcohol. A lopsided smile was on his face and Tim couldn’t help but think how Bruce Wayne was lucky he was rich because he looked a fool.

Tim grabbed some small bites on a plate and looked for a table nearby. He watched Bruce flirt and laugh animated. Tim didn’t have to even know what he was saying to get the meaning. Brucie was showing off. The women moved back and Bruce did an exaggerated stretch before back flipping in the middle of a gala while wearing a suit.

After the initial shock wore off, Tim felt it was familiar. Bruce did another and Tim almost dropped his sparkling grapefruit punch. His form was god awful. How Bruce landed on both feet with his neck so awfully crooked was beyond Tim’s understanding. But it was the same form. The same tiny smile that Batman had given him that day. Bruce Wayne was Batman.

Tim thought on it because at first this was ridiculous. This idiot couldn’t hold his liquor, much less hold down crime in Gotham. But if Tim was trying to avoid people from knowing his real identity, he would act exactly opposite. It was genius. Bruce Wayne was rich enough and you c enough to be Batman. Tim could hardly breathe. Batman knew his name and Tim knew his too. Tim grinned for the rest of the gala.

He started going out regularly and even teamed up with Spoiler. Tim wore a domino mask and the pair would often beat up muggers and thieves. And she continued to call him Batboy so much that news made its way to Batman about Batboy and Spoiler running around Gotham. He decided to meet this pair and get these kids out of the game.

“You both have to stop. You can’t do this,” he said to them on a rooftop near the shipyards. “You have school and you can get hurt. It’s dangerous.”

“Whatever loser,” Steph said jumping off the roof. Tim stood and both he and Batman watched her go.

“Will you quit?” Batman asked.

“No Bruce, I don’t think I will,” Tim said and Bruce froze. Tim had a little grin. “Didn’t think I knew?”

“Stop talking,” Bruce commanded.

“Train me and make me your partner,” Tim said. “And I’ll stay silent.”

“Are you blackmailing me,” Bruce said standing taller. Tim resisted the urge to step back.

“I have a system set up where it will automatically upload if I don’t regularly reset it,” Tim said.

“Not many people can blackmail Batman.”

“Not many people are Batboy. People already think we work together…”

“Fine. Don’t make me regret this,” Bruce growled before moving to the ledge of the roof.

“Wait! When are you going to train me?” Tim called.

“Tomorrow night. Wear black.”

Tim blinked and the dark knight was gone.

[singtheskyandfightlikehell]

BatFamily Headcanons: Stuffed Animals

In an attempt to productively combat my recent writer’s block, I’m practicing writing the batfam characters through short character study fics (which I will post once I make enough) and comparative headcanons. I might end up making short fics out of these, as well, since some of them got a bit long anyways

Today I decided to explore how many stuffed animals each member of the batfam (plus an adjacent character or two) has, what they think of them, how they got them, etc. I’ve got eleven characters on this list (and I’m still missing some, sorry)

Bruce:

Bruce put aside stuffed animals when he was eleven, deciding it was time to become serious. However, since acquiring children, he has been gifted a number of stuffed animals, ranging from a small and realistic brown bat to a child-sized bear wearing his cape and cowl. None of the children know this, but he keeps them all in a prominent position in his walk-in closet. Sometimes, when he has a particularly nasty fight with one of his kids, or he discovers something (like an injury) that they were hiding from him, he’ll tell the stuffed animals all the things he struggles to tell his children in the hopes that, one day, he’ll figure out how to express himself when it actually counts.

Alfred:

Alfred has no stuffed animals of his own, but he keeps the old, worn teddy bear that was once Thomas’ and later Bruce’s, alongside the somewhat lopsided bunny that Martha attempted to sew for Bruce when he was two. They sit side by side in a spotless glass cabinet filled with other memories that various members of the family have at one point or another attempted to cast aside.

Dick:

Dick has a pair of stuffed elephants, Eleonore and Zitka, and a teddy bear of his own, all from the circus. Most of the time they sit on the shelf under one of his nightstands, but when he has a particularly bad day, he’ll hold them all tightly until he falls asleep. If he’s crying, he finds it slows the tears to press kisses to the tops of their heads, or just smoosh his whole face into them. Sometimes, if he’s having a particularly good day – especially if no one else is sharing in his good mood – he’ll tell them about whatever made him happy. The rarest occasions are a bittersweet combination of both, the moments when he dwells on his happiest memories of his parents. When this happens, he is more likely to address them than his family, talking to them like old friends who were “there” for the things he’s recalling. It reminds him of the parties he would host as a small child, attended by his stuffed animals and his parents and sometimes other people from the giant family that was Haly’s, and for just that moment he’ll feel suspended somewhere between grief and content.

Barbara:

Barbara had lots of stuffed animals growing up, but as she got older, she gave most of them away. The only one she kept was a little otter that her father gave her for her first birthday. She doesn’t remember this, of course, but they have an old home video of that day which she’s seen a few times, and she know it’s one of her dad’s favorites to watch when he’s feeling nostalgic. She does remember the way she used to drag the otter with her everywhere she went when she was about four, and it’s so worn now that all of its original fluffiness has disappeared. She sets it up near her main computer and uses it in place of a rubber duck.

Jim:

When Babs decided she was too old for her stuffed animals, Jim was instructed to give them away at one of the Gotham children’s toy drives he helps run as commissioner. Only about half of them ever make it out of the house, because he keeps looking at them and remembering little moments that involve each of them. He has two boxes full of them that he swears he’s going to bring to the next drive, but he’s been swearing that for over ten years now.

Jason:

When Jason first arrived at the manor, he swore up and down that stuffed animals were dumb kids toys that he was way too old for. The first time Dick showed up at the manor after Jason was there, he brought a plush dog he’d picked up on the way there, unsure what to get his surprise new brother but not putting an excess of thought into it either. After all, he wasn’t about to ask Bruce what Jason might like. Jason made a show of scorn and tossing the toy in the trash, but when Dick was gone he dug it back out. When he was sleeping, he clutched the dog protectively against his chest like it might be snatched away at any time. When he wasn’t sleeping, he kept it hidden in a box wedged under a floorboard beneath the bed, alongside his other contraband. It was there when he died and it’s still there now. Every time he’s in the manor, he thinks about sneaking into his old room to retrieve it, alongside some of his other old belongings, but he never does. His reasoning alternates between not caring, being too old for toys, not wanting to set foot in his old room, and not wanting to get caught caring after all these years.

He does however have an obnoxiously long bright red snake that Roy won at some sort of archery carnival game while they were supposed to be tracking a suspect. He’d griped at Roy for wasting time with frivolous games, a complaint that was very on brand for their relationship. He’s pretty sure Roy saw through him, though, and understood the real reason he was so antsy to leave the carnival, given his soft apology later that night. He also recently acquired a floppy stingray, a gift from Lian for his latest birthday. She told him that she’d gotten to pet a stingray at the aquarium where she’d bought it, and it reminded her of him. Specifically, she’d said he was, “Kinda dangerous and maybe a little scary, but actually really soft to anyone who’s nice enough”. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that description, but the gift had a place of pride, resting atop an old model of his helmet that Roy had “defaced” with a sweet message that always made Jason smile.

Cass:

Cass grew up without stuffed animals, and was honestly a little confused at first about why she might want one. The first one she ever got was a tiny key-chain cat that was given to her by a little girl she saved. She was unsure what to make of the object itself, but she treasured it as a symbol, proof that she was doing good in the world. It was Steph who convinced her to look for more, to look for stuffed animals in her “style”. Eventually, she got two of the most different ones she could find: an iridescent octopus packed tightly with beans and made of a coarse fabric, and a large fluffy goose that squished like a cloud and was made of the softest fabric imaginable. She likes tossing the octopus lightly in the air to feel the weight of it, and faceplanting into the giant goose. She also has a big bear holding a plush heart that Steph got her for their first Valentine’s.

Tim:

Tim’s relationship with stuffed animals is a bit more complicated. He had five growing up: a dog, a bear, a lion, a rabbit, and a lamb. They had names, stories, personalities, and they were his friends (his only friends, at the time). When he was seven, he woke up one day to find them gone. His mother scolded him for his tears, explaining that he was too old for baby toys, and that his attachment to them would only hinder his path forward. For years, he felt ashamed whenever he thought of his grief towards them, because he knew they were just toys, he knew he was being a baby about it, and yet…

It wasn’t until he was fifteen years old and stumbled across an article about autistic people and the projection of feelings onto objects that he understood why he had been willing to sneak out at night to search through pawn store after pawn store and – once – the landfill in the hopes of seeing his beloved toys again. As a teen in the Wayne household, he knew he could get as many stuffed animals as he liked, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so after what had happened before. He got one giant, floppy moose, barely half a foot shorter than himself, that he clings to like an octopus when he manages to lay down, whether he succeeds in falling asleep or not. Additionally, on a night after Jason made amends with the family, Tim returned to his room to find a fifteen inch plush latte with a cute little face on the mug portion and a sticky note on top that simply read: Sorry for trying to kill you a bunch. My bad :) He keeps it on top of his dresser, and while he doesn’t really hug it, he did discover it was the perfect object for chucking at his siblings’ heads whenever the situation calls for it.

Steph:

Steph loves stuffed animals. While she never got any of the fancy brand name ones, or the luxuriously soft ones, or the hyper-realistic ones, her mom had a tradition of buying her one for every birthday, Christmas, and Easter. She soon had quite a collection, and – like Tim – she gave them all names and personalities. She played out complex scenarios with them and the few dolls she had, designing an intricate world of wild concepts and plots. She also used her stuffed animals to conquer her fears, like thunderstorms and darkness, by pretending they were all more scared than she was, so she had to be brave for all of them. Steph still has her whole collection, as well as quite a few “nicer” (though equally loved) ones that she has acquired from various Waynes. At this point, pretty much everyone in the Wayne family has given her a stuffed animal at some time or other. For a couple of years now, she has taken to posing with her massive collection and making fake family Christmas cards to send out to everyone she knows, where she will update them on the well-being of any plushie they’ve given her.

Duke:

Duke also has a great love of stuffed animals, although he doesn’t match Steph for quantity. He only had a few beloved animals growing up, all of which he’s held onto (a panda, a penguin, a turtle, a frog, a leopard, and a pikachu). Since being fostered by Bruce, Duke has taken to searching out and buying only the rarest stuffed animals he can find: an anteater, a platypus, a manatee, a sloth, and an axolotl have made the cut so far. Bruce knows about this and has taken to keeping an eye out for anything interesting whenever he’s out. After accidentally mentioning it at a gala one time, it has since become his favorite topic, as getting drawn into an intense discussion with Bruce Wayne about where to acquire strange plushies for his son elicits one of two reactions from his guests: delighted awws or hilariously awkward attempts to steer the conversation back to high society definitions of business and pleasure. At Duke’s request, a large shelf was built around the top of his room, so that all of his stuffed animals can sit comfortably and be clearly seen.

Damian:

Damian was much like Jason when he arrived at the manor in more ways than one, but his determination to prove himself above stuffed animals was certainly on that list. He sneered at his siblings’ attempts to treat him like the child he swore he wasn’t. And honestly, even after he began to lower his walls just a little, he still wasn’t particularly fond of stuffed animals. Sure, he privately thought they were cute, and sure he might (might) find himself holding one at night if it happened to have been left in his bed by an annoying sibling, but in general he preferred live animals to fake ones. Real animals had personalities and feelings, fake ones did not, it was as simple as that, no matter what Stephanie claimed. But as time went on, Damian found himself acquiring a small army of stuffed animals against his will. Some of his siblings (Jason, Tim, sometimes Duke) gave them to him because they found it funny to watch him growl about how he was not an infant in need of deceitful comforts. Some of his siblings (Dick, Cass, sometimes Duke… sometimes his father as well) would give them to him because they knew he liked animals so they assumed he’d like imitations of animals as well. Steph would just give them to everybody, every now and then. But regardless of motive, Damian soon found his room overflowing with stuffed animals that were moderately cute but ultimately pointless.

It wasn’t until a patrol a few years after he’d taken on the mantle of Robin that he discovered a solution. Tim had hidden a tiny stuffed bear in the medical supply compartment of his utility belt, a felt bandage wrapped around its little head. He hadn’t been wounded, but the young girl he’d rescued had been bleeding from a wound that looked worryingly dirty. The bear had fallen out of the pouch, right into her lap, and she’d stared at it with wide eyes, surprise halting the flow of her tears. She’d held onto it the whole time he disinfected her arm and bandaged it, and afterwards he had insisted she keep it. For the first time that night, she’d smiled. After that, Damian began taking a few of his many stuffed animals out on patrol with him, ready to hand out to any and all injured, lost, or otherwise traumatized children once he’d rescued them from their troubles. Eventually he began running out of toys he’d been gifted, even though he kept getting new ones, so at some point he begins to regularly sneak out for the sole purpose of acquiring stuffed animals to hand out. He never tells his siblings, but he suspects they’ve found out anyway, when the presents they give him drastically decrease in size.

[redrobin-detective]

if I only had a moment, I’d speak only of you

His parents were right in front of him. Thomas and Martha Wayne, who have been dead going on 30 years, have appeared in the middle of the broken battlefield in the aftermath of a rather nasty League fight. They’re dressed as they were the day they died, with looks of shock on their face as they take in the sudden shift in surroundings. He vaguely hears Zatanna talking in the background about the emotional tether used to defeat Felix Faust brought them to the present, probably just moments before their deaths.

“Bruce, it’s not going to last long, a few minutes at the very most,” Zatanna says with sad, compassionate eyes. He nods, understanding that this little miracle won’t last forever but he’ll take advantage of it while he can. There’s so much he wants to tell them, about his life, about his accomplishments, how much he loves and misses them. But all those seem like such bland topics, not when there are better and brighter things to discuss.

“Bruce?,” his mother, ever perceptive says cautiously and he does not hesitate in removing his cowl. He trusts his teammates, his friends, to give him these precious few minutes of privacy in the deserted city. “My god look at you, you’re all grown up.” She takes a step forward and brings a hand up to his cheek. He leans into it for the briefest moment before gently taking her shoulders and turning her towards the others.

“See the man with the blue stripes on his costume,” he begins and he sees Dick look over curiously to be suddenly included. “That’s Richard though he goes by Dick, he’s your first grandson. He lost his parents at a young age so I gave him a home at the Manor. He’s a police officer during the day but he still makes time to go out with the family. He’s the most stubbornly optimistic person I’ve met and he saved me in every way possible, I can’t take credit for his accomplishments because he just naturally that kind and talented.”

His father steps forward as he gestures over to Jason who looks a bit like a deer in the headlights. “That’s Jason, I caught him stealing the tires off my car and adored him immediately. He’s a voracious reader with a powerful stage presence that makes Alfred proud. He gives me the strength to be more than a vigilante, to tackle crime where it lives in corrupt institutions. I… lost him for a time, but he’s come back to us and being able to have my son back has been the greatest joy in my life, second only to knowing him in the first place.”

“That’s Tim, in the red and gold,” he continues, the warm bodies at his side as they always should have been. “He came to me in my greatest hour of need and reminded me why I fight so hard for the city and Batman needs a Robin to keep him straight but also to give him purpose. He’s CEO of Wayne Enterprises now and doing far better than I ever did, he enjoys skateboarding and snack foods and computers. If I had a hundred years I could never explain the feeling I get being able to work alongside such a brilliant and loving soul.”

“Over there is Cassandra, she was meant to be a weapon by her father but she came to me and asked to learn how to use her skills for justice. The peacekeeper of her brothers when she’s not egging them on, she is also a stunning ballet dancer and I gave her a set of your pearls, Mother. She looks just as beautiful as you did in them.” Out of the corner of his eye, he sees that his parents are starting blur on the edges. His heart clenches and for the briefest moment is tongue is heavy with all the things he wants to share and all the emotions he’s not used to expressing in words. But then his eyes settle on Damian and the words come forward once more.

“Damian is my blood son from an amazing woman I met who I hope someday to bring home. He came into my life just a few years ago and, while I would give anything to have watched him grow, I am privileged enough to know him now. He has come so far in such a short period of time and I could not be more proud. He takes care of animals and is an impeccable artist, he takes after his mother but most days I can see you two within him.” His children stare openly at them and he looks at them all long and hard in the eye before turning back to the muddled visages of his mother and father, faded like an old photograph. He misses, misses them every day of his life with a low level aching grief that never went away but most days, the warmth of his new family reminds him that love doesn’t end, it just takes on new faces and comes around again.

“There’s others, Barbara and Stephanie are fellow heroes, cherished allies and friends I consider like nieces. Duke is making his own path, alongside but separate from me to create a safer Gotham. Cousin Kate does her own amazing work, doing what I often cannot. Selina has made mistakes but she’s moving forward to be a hero in her own right and a trusted confidant.” He adds in a rush as they grow more and more washed out. He reaches out and lays a hand on his father’s shoulder but there’s barely any substance there.

“I miss you but everything turns out fine for me. Alfred raised me right and he’s just as much my parent as you both are. I’ve wanted for so long to introduce you to your grandchildren because they bring such light and joy into my life, I wanted to share them with you.” They look away from him and over at the children in their various states of injury and disrepair but Bruce can see that doesn’t matter to them. Mother tucks a wisp of hair behind her ear and blows a kiss while Father gives a small smile and nods at them.

“We’re happy for you, Bruce. Take care of them, son,” Thomas says just as he fades away entirely, the last word held aloft briefly by the wind before dying down completely leaving the heroes alone once more. Bruce takes a deep steadying breath as he imagines them going back to the past only to be gunned down. Instead of focusing on such grim thoughts, he looks at the result of their lives: a mismatched family of friends and lost children come together for a common cause and held together by love.

It’s Cassandra who approaches him first, stepping forward gently but resolutely and folds herself against his chest. He holds her tight, only moving when the others crowd forward and try to squeeze in as well. Dick buries face in the cowl’s neck to hide his tears and Tim ends up squashed between Cass and him. Damian was closer to his back, curling up tightly in his cape while Jason stood a bit on the periphery but still undeniably within the groups’ orbit. He feels his children, alive and infuriating and the brightest spots in his life and he smiles to himself. This truly is the final lesson his parents taught him, that the best treasure in life is to spend it with those you love. And by that philosophy, Bruce Wayne is rich indeed.

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

Luke Arnold and Toby Schmitz cast in Michael Bay's pirate drama Black Sails for Starz

TWO mutinous Australian actors are on their way to Cape Town to challenge Captain Barbossa's evil supremacy on the high seas.

GEOFFREY Rush better watch his back. Two mutinous Australian actors are on their way to Cape Town to challenge Captain Barbossa's evil supremacy on the high seas.

Luke Arnold and Toby Schmitz have been cast in director Michael Bay's pirate drama Black Sails, a kind of prequel to Treasure Island, set 20 years before the events in the book.

Arnold, best known for his roles in Rush and McLeod's Daughters, will play a young version of iconic villain Long John Silver.

"Sailing, sword fighting and pretending to be a pirate - it doesn't really get much more fun than that,'' the WAAPA graduate said.

Schmitz, currently appearing in Belvoir's stage production of Private Lives in Canberra, plays Rackham, a character based on a real historical figure.

Created by Jon Steinberg, Black Sails also features Toby Stephens as Captain Flint and Shameless's Zach McGowan as rival pirate Charles Vane.

Executive producer Bay is known for his enthusiasm for large-scale spectacle in films such as Armageddon and Transformers.

An entire cover is to be turned into a olde pirate town for the eight-episode series, inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure novel, which will premiere on Starz in 2014.

Two full-sized ships are being built to accommodate the rival pirate gangs.

To get into shape for the role, Arnold has been working with a personal trainer in Melbourne.

He heads to Cape Town next week for pirate boot camp -- designed to help him and his landlubbing co-stars get their sea legs and polish their sword-fighting skills.

"This role came along at the right time for me. All my friends say I have been typecast. It's certainly nice to have a part where I don't have to worry about shaving and cutting my hair.''

Arnold said he was looking forward to putting a new spin on one of literature's more colourful antagonists.

"There have been so many versions of Long John Silver - Eddie Izzard, Tim Curry, Charlton Heston, Orson Welles. This is a chance to tell the back story,'' he said.

"In the book, you hear about how he lost his leg, but the story comes from Long John's own mouth and I don't think you can actually believe a word he says.

"How the accident came about is very much open to interpretation.''

[letgraysonsheart]

Day Seven/April 14th - Separation 

Damian watches over Grayson, err, “Ric.”

Damian squints at the man walking down the street, far below. The rooftop is steady and safe under his feet, even as the rain works hard to make everything wet and slippery. He can feel the unforgiving water try to make it through the thick kevlar, slithering down his cape. For not the first time today he is thankful for the hood incorporated into his robin costume.

The man has yet to round the corner, walking slow and carefree. More carefree than Damian would approve as safe in this corner of Blüdhaven, in any corner of Blüdhaven to be honest. The city is suffering more than ever. Especially without its favourite vigilante fighting the never ending pour of crime. The street-criminals have slowly but surely started to realise the black and blue is actually gone. Not that they know that it doesn't look like said vigilante will be coming back, at least not in his original form, any time soon. The criminals are still taking their chances, not ones to lay on the soft side.

The family have tried to hold Nightwin'gs.. condition under the radar. It's working better than anyone had expected.

The man on the street, former Nightwing, Dick Grayson, his brother, finally rounds the corner. Damian rises from where he has been perched in a crouching position until now. Father will be awaiting him at home soon, in not long they are supposed to be patrolling the streets of Gotham. As the world have yet to stop spinning, the crime in Gotham continues as always. It seems the need for Batman and his Robin will never be satisfied.

And yet, Damian starts making his way to another rooftop. Grayson must be on his way home, having spent most of his afternoon, now evening, in that ridiculous bar. His apartment is only one turn to the right in the street coming up, and then two blocks down.

Damian still has some time to spare to make sure his brother does not stumble into anything over his head in his current state. That state being completely amnesiac and a little bit intoxicated. Something which seems to be the ordinary nowadays, which is more than a little worrying.

Before, Grayson never used to drink. Not even beer, at least not in front of Damian. He knows that of course, Grayson must have enjoyed his fair share of alcohol at least once or twice (at least if he is to trust Jason). But as long as Damian has known Grayson he has never seen the man partake in drinking, not in any excessive way.

“I don’t need alcohol to have fun, Dami. Plus, don’t wanna ruin all this hard work,” Grayson had once said when Damian had questioned him on the matter at a gala. His brother had then proceeded to flex his muscles in a stupid manner while shooting Damian one of his big sunshine smiles. Tim and Jason had already been 3 drinks down. Grayson’s fond smile as Tim and Jason laughed together, a somewhat rare occasion, was like etched into Damians memory now. Not much later they had escaped the gala, their intoxicated idiot brothers in tow, to eat popcorn and watch movies. They had only been followed by a somewhat angry, but relieved, glare from their father. He was probably happy they took Tim and Jason out of his hands, as they were getting more and more drunk.

Damian doesn’t know if Grayson actually abstained from drinking, or if he pretended to do so for Damians sake. He wouldn't put it past his older brother. He always did hold himself to a ridiculous high standard, even for a bat.

Now though, after that particular awful night, things are different.

Grayson drinks. He doesn't have a stupid tough training routine to keep up with. Grayson’s body has already lost some of the hard earned muscles. It has left the young man looking more too thin than fit and healthy. Damian thinks Dick, Ric, is resembling Drake, at his most stressed out times, a little too much. Ric doesn't care what his three little brothers thinks of him. He doesn't remember those high standards anymore.

Hell, Damian doubts this new Grayson even actually believes that he used to see Tim, Jason and himself as his little brothers. Tim and Jason, Damian could understand being suspicious about. They are grown adults, somewhat unworthy of all the care Grayson so willingly used to subject them to.

But him? Damian used to think he and Grayson were forever, a constant, that they transcended anything life threw at them.

Damian used to be naive.

Grayson had at many points been the most stable and supporting adult in his life. More so than Damians very own father, after he came from being assumed dead, and not from the the lack of trying. Bruce did try, he really did, but Grayson.. their bond, it was special. And Bruce was.. well, Bruce. His father always did have a hard time with change.

Those months he and Grayson had as Batman and Robin, they were special. Even if it was a time filled with hardship and sorrow, it’s become one of the most special and treasured times in Damian’s life.

He lets the memories wash over him as he jumps and grapples his way to another rooftop. It gives him the best outlook of the street Grayson’s apartment complex is sat in.

His older brother has yet to enter the particular street. Damian tries to ignore the growing pit of worry in his stomach. Grayson, as changed as he is, is still capable of taking care of himself, he reminds himself. He has proven that before. The acrobatics and fighting is still ingrained him in. His muscles seem to remember even if his minds does not. Yet Damian can not stop himself from worrying. This Grayson does not know of all the evil out there, all the evil he once faced on an almost daily basis.

The rain is still pouring down, and Damian longs for a hot shower. He won't get the chance before after patrol, and that is hours away.

Grayson finally rounds the corner, crossing the street with a little jog to get to his front door. He is too far away for Damian to properly see his face, especially hidden under the hood of a drenched hoodie. Yet, Damian can see locks of black hair sticking to his forehead because of the rain. At least there is something of what used to be his brother returning.

The buzzcut was not one of Damians favourite looks for his brother. It joins a long list of other bad decisions made by Grayson concerning fashion. Not that Richard had any say in the matter when they buzzed half his head as in the OR to see the gunshot wound. Alfred had buzzed the remaining half, afterwards. Not long after Grayson woke up and asked them who the hell they all were.

Damian wonders if the rest, if the most important parts, will ever follow the hair. Grayson is okay physically, but.. how much does that matter? Are you any different from a robot if you’re just an empty shell walking around?

Damian is thankful that his brother is alive, but sometimes.. Sometimes in the darkest hour of the night when nightmares are tormenting him and he cant sleep he wonders. Would it be better if Richard had died that night? If the bullet had, instead of stealing his older brothers memories, stolen his life? Would it be better if instead of walking around, completely different and a disgrace compared to what he once was, Grayson was actually gone?

Damian knows for sure that Grayson isn’t happy like this, sees it in how his face falls and his shoulders slump.

Damian tries to tell himself these thoughts are coming from how much the situation has hurt his family. A place of empathy. That is it coming from how much it is hurting Grayson’s friends. People who in a many ways has wiggled their way into Damians life too.

Damian knows it is a lie. He knows that those thoughts are only coming from his own selfishness. His own need, his own greed. How can Grayson walk around, looking completely fine, while Damian is hurting every day? How can he act so nonchalant, while Damian is itching with the need to call a brother who no longer exist? How is that fair?

Grayson disappears in the wooden door at the same time as Damians com unit crackles to life.

“Robin, it is time to return to the cave for patrol,” Batmans, not father’s, voice crackles through. It is not a statement, it is an order.

“Leaving now,” Damian responds, with a light press to the piece in his ear. There is no answer from the other side, not that he expected one. He takes on last look at the apartment-building. Grayson's window is now yellowed in light, he can see a shadow moving around inside.

Damian grabs his grapple gun and starts swinging to where he parked his bike on arrival. It is time for patrol like father said, after all. Crime never sleeps.

The empty shell of what once was his brother is not going anywhere anyway, he can return later. Maybe Damian have to start accepting that their separation may be permanent, as much as his heart is hurting because of it. Grayson, Ric - an awful choice of name really, seems to have already made up his mind.

Yet the world continues spinning for another night.

[starspatter]

Do you have ocs of Tim and Steph's kids? Or just general headcanons about their future family life? Cuz I'm dying to hear them

Ahh I haven’t talked much about them since I plan to have them appear in my fic, but it will be quite a while before they show up so I may as well share some now.

DCAU Tim and Steph have two children: Their older son is named Peter Todd Drake and their daughter is Annie Hope Drake.  (10 points each for guessing where I got those names from.)

Peter takes after his father by idolizing superheroes, especially Batman, which makes Tim uncomfortable but there’s not very much he can do about it (just like there was no way his dad could’ve kept him from wearing a towel as a cape and practicing with a Batarang).  Even if he bans Bat stuff in the house Peter will find some way around it, and so Steph usually ends up giving in and buying him merchandise, which Tim begrudgingly allows.

Annie is a bit more sensitive to her father’s reactions regarding the “taboo topic”, and so doesn’t pry about it.  She adores hearing his bedtime stories though, especially the one about the “brave prince who rescues the beautiful princess from a clay monster”.  Her most treasured possession is a Raggedy Ann doll, which is the first thing her daddy gave to her.

Also Dick is their crazy pirate uncle.

[lambpain82-blog]

The best Canada Day desserts from coast to coast

Exploring Canada has long been one of my passions and traveling to the far corners of our beautiful country has allowed me to enjoy a myriad of culinary experiences from coast to coast.

No matter where you land on the map of Canada, you’re sure to find a local dessert, as Canadians have a notorious sweet tooth. Here in Québec, I make my butter tarts with maple syrup and on the Prairies, they bake Flapper Pie from their grandmother’s recipe.

On Vancouver Island, Nanaimo bars are stacked, irresistibly, on every café counter. Salty and sweet, oatcakes can be found at various stops along the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, and in the Yukon, even the cinnamon buns are made with sourdough starter.

I still dream about the partridgeberry pie and hot toutons drizzled with molasses in Bonavista, NL and if you’re ever in Ontario’s Niagara region, cool off with peaches n’ cream ice cream from Avondale Dairy Bar.

Without question, Canadians will be celebrating our upcoming national holiday with something sweet and so today I’m bringing you a handful of suggestions for a perfect Canada Day dessert.

The best Canada Day desserts from coast to coast

Photo by Tim Chin

Maybe you already have your Canada Day dessert traditions, a recipe passed down from your grandmother for Saskatoon berry pie or date squares. Those are gems to be treasured, for sure. But in case you are looking for something new, this round-up of recipes is sure to inspire.

Photo by Tim Chin

Maple Pecan Butter Tarts

I’m starting with my favourite – the classic butter tart, only I’ve taken the liberty of using maple syrup for an even stickier treat. They are a three-bite delight, encased in a flaky crust and delivering just the right amount of sweetness.

Get the recipe for Maple Pecan Butter Tarts in my book, Brown Eggs and Jam Jars.

Sour Cream Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote

On a scorching hot long weekend, it can be nice to cool off with a chilled dessert. Creamy, light-as-air-panna cotta is scrumptious on its own and even better when served with a seasonal fruit compote. Red and white, the panna cotta is keeping with the colour scheme, but best of all is the fact that it can be made well in advance.

Get the Recipe:: Sour Cream Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote

Strawberry Shortbread Jammy Bars

It’s not summer without a crumble bar filled with seasonal berries, and few are as decadent as these jammy shortbread treats. They are reminiscent of traditional thumbprint cookies, but offer the perfect amount of jam in every bite.

Get the Recipe :: Strawberry Shortbread Jammy Bars my recipe via FNC.

Photo by Tim Chin

Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake with Fresh Strawberries

I love this lemon cake so much, I make it year round, even when it’s too hot to bake. It slices up nicely to feed at least 20 people, especially when served with a scoop or two of ice cream.

For a summer spin, I leave off the sugared lemons and heap strawberries on top while the glaze is still sticky. A lemony glaze with the bright berries – there’s your red and white Canada Day decoration.

Don’t worry if you can’t find Meyer lemons, it isn’t the season. Just use regular lemons, organic if possible.

Get the Recipe :: Lemon Bundt Cake

Nanaimo Bars

You’d think that I would have a recipe for Canada’s most popular sweet in my back pocket, but I honestly don’t make them often enough. My very favourite bar comes from the Feast cookbook, and is a gluten-free Nanaimo Bar recipe sourced from Mon Petit Choux in Nanaimo, B.C. They are a lot of work (compared to most bar desserts, which are reputably simple), but they are well worth the effort.

Get the recipe :: Nanaimo Bars from Mon Petit Choux via Feast: An Edible Road Trip

Honey-Sweetened Strawberry Shortcakes

Another simple do-ahead dessert, thanks to a freezer stash of whole wheat shortcakes. Use any local berries that are in season right now and dress them up with mounds of whipped cream.

Get the recipe :: Honey-Sweetened Strawberry Shortcakes

Muscavado Blueberry Plum Sorbet

Keep cool with a scoop or two of this vibrant summer fruit sorbet. I love the blueberry-plum flavour combination because it is a perfect balance of tart and sweet. Our local U-Pick is bursting with blueberries, but if huckleberries or saskatoon berries grow where you live, you can use those in the sorbet instead.

Get the recipe :: Muscavado Blueberry Plum Sorbet

Meringue-Topped, Layered Ice Cream Cake

It’s going to be so hot over the long weekend here in Montreal, so you may want to build an ice cream cake and serve that up to your friends. This one is a crowd-pleaser for sure.

Get the recipe:: Meringue-Topped, Layered Ice Cream Cake

Canadian readers, how will you celebrate Canada Day?

Source: http://www.simplebites.net/the-best-canada-day-desserts-from-coast-to-coast/

[pizzabass8-blog]

The best Canada Day desserts from coast to coast

Exploring Canada has long been one of my passions and traveling to the far corners of our beautiful country has allowed me to enjoy a myriad of culinary experiences from coast to coast.

No matter where you land on the map of Canada, you’re sure to find a local dessert, as Canadians have a notorious sweet tooth. Here in Québec, I make my butter tarts with maple syrup and on the Prairies, they bake Flapper Pie from their grandmother’s recipe.

On Vancouver Island, Nanaimo bars are stacked, irresistibly, on every café counter. Salty and sweet, oatcakes can be found at various stops along the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, and in the Yukon, even the cinnamon buns are made with sourdough starter.

I still dream about the partridgeberry pie and hot toutons drizzled with molasses in Bonavista, NL and if you’re ever in Ontario’s Niagara region, cool off with peaches n’ cream ice cream from Avondale Dairy Bar.

Without question, Canadians will be celebrating our upcoming national holiday with something sweet and so today I’m bringing you a handful of suggestions for a perfect Canada Day dessert.

The best Canada Day desserts from coast to coast

Photo by Tim Chin

Maybe you already have your Canada Day dessert traditions, a recipe passed down from your grandmother for Saskatoon berry pie or date squares. Those are gems to be treasured, for sure. But in case you are looking for something new, this round-up of recipes is sure to inspire.

Photo by Tim Chin

Maple Pecan Butter Tarts

I’m starting with my favourite – the classic butter tart, only I’ve taken the liberty of using maple syrup for an even stickier treat. They are a three-bite delight, encased in a flaky crust and delivering just the right amount of sweetness.

Get the recipe for Maple Pecan Butter Tarts in my book, Brown Eggs and Jam Jars.

Sour Cream Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote

On a scorching hot long weekend, it can be nice to cool off with a chilled dessert. Creamy, light-as-air-panna cotta is scrumptious on its own and even better when served with a seasonal fruit compote. Red and white, the panna cotta is keeping with the colour scheme, but best of all is the fact that it can be made well in advance.

Get the Recipe:: Sour Cream Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote

Strawberry Shortbread Jammy Bars

It’s not summer without a crumble bar filled with seasonal berries, and few are as decadent as these jammy shortbread treats. They are reminiscent of traditional thumbprint cookies, but offer the perfect amount of jam in every bite.

Get the Recipe :: Strawberry Shortbread Jammy Bars my recipe via FNC.

Photo by Tim Chin

Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake with Fresh Strawberries

I love this lemon cake so much, I make it year round, even when it’s too hot to bake. It slices up nicely to feed at least 20 people, especially when served with a scoop or two of ice cream.

For a summer spin, I leave off the sugared lemons and heap strawberries on top while the glaze is still sticky. A lemony glaze with the bright berries – there’s your red and white Canada Day decoration.

Don’t worry if you can’t find Meyer lemons, it isn’t the season. Just use regular lemons, organic if possible.

Get the Recipe :: Lemon Bundt Cake

Nanaimo Bars

You’d think that I would have a recipe for Canada’s most popular sweet in my back pocket, but I honestly don’t make them often enough. My very favourite bar comes from the Feast cookbook, and is a gluten-free Nanaimo Bar recipe sourced from Mon Petit Choux in Nanaimo, B.C. They are a lot of work (compared to most bar desserts, which are reputably simple), but they are well worth the effort.

Get the recipe :: Nanaimo Bars from Mon Petit Choux via Feast: An Edible Road Trip

Honey-Sweetened Strawberry Shortcakes

Another simple do-ahead dessert, thanks to a freezer stash of whole wheat shortcakes. Use any local berries that are in season right now and dress them up with mounds of whipped cream.

Get the recipe :: Honey-Sweetened Strawberry Shortcakes

Muscavado Blueberry Plum Sorbet

Keep cool with a scoop or two of this vibrant summer fruit sorbet. I love the blueberry-plum flavour combination because it is a perfect balance of tart and sweet. Our local U-Pick is bursting with blueberries, but if huckleberries or saskatoon berries grow where you live, you can use those in the sorbet instead.

Get the recipe :: Muscavado Blueberry Plum Sorbet

Meringue-Topped, Layered Ice Cream Cake

It’s going to be so hot over the long weekend here in Montreal, so you may want to build an ice cream cake and serve that up to your friends. This one is a crowd-pleaser for sure.

Get the recipe:: Meringue-Topped, Layered Ice Cream Cake

Canadian readers, how will you celebrate Canada Day?

Source: http://www.simplebites.net/the-best-canada-day-desserts-from-coast-to-coast/

[capecoddaily]

Recently, two treasures in Dennis Village, the Cape Cod Museum of Art and the Cape Playhouse, both were beset with some physical concerns with the buildings that were both important to correct, and very costly. This is where state Rep. Tim Whelan stepped in.By filing amendments to the annual budget, Rep. Whelan was able to secure two $25,000 earmarks to help fund these much-needed repairs, keeping these buildings strong and keeping visitors coming to Dennis Village to help all of our [...]