#while he and vicki are both working together on the gazette at this point

[talesfromthenorsesmouth]

thinking some more about the backstory for my daft Riddler PI story and now as a result you all have to suffer too yeah i know life’s not fair

so Edward, when first arriving in Gotham in the late 70s, was working at the Gotham Gazette- not, I think, as a journalist, more like the office boy/general dogsbody/runner and crossword setter 

(fairly sure he got his pin badge from a crossword magazine because he’s a Dork)

anyway at some point (one day i’ll work the precise timeline out. one day) he was balancing being the Riddler with being a mild-mannered a sarcastic little Edward so I figured he’d make some attempt at least to disguise that, beyond the domino mask etc, in terms of posture and attitude so this was to try to see that i could make clear its the same person while having two distinct attitudes

PS this was the 70s so YES flares YES huge collars YES kipper ties and YES YES to the sweet Cuban heel he uses to give the Riddler a little extra height don’t judge him. (and YES to him using David Bowie as his style guide you can’t stop me) God knows where he got his first Riddler suit, possibly at a thrift store and then he had to spend a few evenings in his bedsit* adding the question marks with a needle and thread, or a pen, or hell, maybe a potato stamp, he’s always been a crafty little bastard, in every sense of the word

*does america have bedsits or do they get called something else? 

anyway, tl:dr he’s a nerd i love him

[dilfdoctordoom]

What were Bette's first impressions of Selina, Vicki, Talia, Julie Madison, and Silver?

I want you to know that I adore all your asks. Mainly because I cannot shut up about Bette Kane, but also, ‘cause they’re just really nice.

ANYWAYS. LONG ONE AHEAD, SO LET’S GO.

Selina:

It’s probably important to remember that Bette first meets Selina when she’s, like, eleven & Bat-Girl & Catwoman is trying to rob a museum. You know, normal stuff

Bette’s not even mad at the criminal activity, she’s mad that Selina called her adorable and pinched her cheeks when she was trying to be a very serious crime fighter

So Bette’s maybe a little biased against her. It’s not anything serious, it’s just that Bette mostly remembers Selina from fighting her & unlike Dick, she wasn’t really exposed to her much outside of that environment, until she & Bruce were in a serious relationship

Bette & her do form a better dynamic, but that takes a lot of time & honestly it’s more due to Holly’s influence than anything else

She does like that Selina legitimately loves Bruce. I mean, Bette’s not gonna accept anything else, to be honest, she adors her older cousin & she just wants that idiot to be happy

Also very much approves that Catwoman seems to care about the assorted Batkids

Again, Bette... very much knows Catwoman, but not Selina. And, yeah, that’s gonna affect how they interact a lot

I mean, Bette approves of her more than she approves of others, but, eh, Bruce’s choice in woman is all over the place, so. Hm.

Doesn’t really like working with her, to be honest, but that’s... Bette doesn’t like working with anyone that she & Kathy fought. That’s not on Selina, that’s on childhood trauma

Vicki:

Bette really likes Vicki

She’d met her a few times before Bruce & Vicki were together, when she was way younger & Vicki was just... nice ginger lady at galas who approved of Bette’s mischief & promised not to tell anyone. 10/10, great approval rate from local idiot

When Bette’s in her teens, she interns at the Gazette for a few months & Vicki helps her out a lot there. Like, Bette never makes a career out of journalism, but she’s a damn good photographer (blame a childhood of hanging around crime scenes & gathering evidence for that one), plus she always had a way of getting good leads on stories... interesting

So, yes, Bette likes Vicki. She thinks she’s awesome. A great reporter, a nice person...

She just. Doesn’t approve of Bruce and Vicki. As a couple.

Mainly because Bette thinks that whoever Bruce is with should know about Batman, but Vicki doesn’t??? So, like, Bette can’t get behind that. It’s absolutely not Vicki’s fault & is more to do with Bruce’s trust issues & Bette judges the hell out of him for it

Bruce & Vicki do obviously break up & Vicki goes back to being her favourite reporter

I think that when Bette becomes Hawkfire, Vicki does find out about it! They have, like, a Ben Urich/Matt Murdock kind of dynamic, I guess?

I’m definitely just saying this because I think Vicki Vale would make an excellent addition to Bette’s supporting cast. If Bette even had a supporting cast

Talia:

You know, I put myself through the torturous experience of Morrison’s Batman recently, so let’s get into this

Now, obviously, no matter what, I’m not gonna act like the r*pe thing is canon. It is not, nor will it ever be, in my mind. Let’s just establish that, first

Because Bette’s got other reasons to dislike Talia! Yay!

Like, according to Batman Inc, Talia... ordered the hit on Kathy. Kinda think that this might have been faked by Kathy herself, but since Bette didn’t know her aunt faked her death... Bette hates Talia for this

And Bette... Bette doesn’t hate people. She usually doesn’t have it in her, but all the clues point to Talia hiring Bronze Tiger to murder the one person to truly, unconditionally love her. She can’t help but loathe her for it

Talia’s not the biggest fan of Bette, but that’s mainly because, while she never assassinated Batwoman, she did have her suspicions about her & she hasn’t completely ruled Bette out as an associate of Kathy’s

They, uh, both realize they’re wrong about the other, but Bette’s well into her twenties by then & it’s like, there’s too much history for them to ever truly reconcile

Talia does respect & appreciate how ride or die Bette is with Damian from the get-go. She likes knowing that her son has another person in his corner no matter what happens

Bette’s never not gonna be impressed by Talia. Like, even when she hates her guts... Talia’s a fucking badass. End of conversation.

But honestly, out of everyone on this list, Bette & Talia have the worst relationship. There’s a lot of bad blood between them & while they can work together for Bruce/Damian’s sake, they won’t like it

Julie Madison:

Bette & Julie never truly get to know each other

Bette first meets her when she’s dating amnesiac Bruce & that’s, like, a whole other thing that Bette’s finding hella stressful (seriously... imagine having to explain the Kane family history. Dear god)

She thinks she’s sweet though!!!

Like, these two never had a chance to form any sort of dynamic, because Bette wasn’t around for when Julie & Bruce were first together & when she finally was there, the relationship was pretty shortlived? And surprisingly, Bette doesn’t keep in contact with all of Bruce’s exes, Viciki excluded

Silver St Cloud:

Bette meets Silver in the socialite circle & they’re more aquaintances than anything else for years

They don’t spend much time together, until Bruce drops the bomb that Silver discovered he was Batman & that they broke up

Bette’s respect for this woman goes up considerably. Like, Bette was pretty indifferent to her before, but now? Damn. Not just everybody discovers Batman’s secret identity

Again, though, Bette doesn’t keep in contact with her cousin’s exes. They meet a few times at events & stuff & make small talk, but never really go beyond that

Bette does think that Silver is easily one of, like, Bruce’s best relationships, if that makes sense? And she’s kinda sad they didn’t work out

She wouldn’t have minded Silver joining the family

When Bette’s an adult, in charge of the family company, she always hires Silver to plan events, because that woman is a miracle worker. Bette honestly doesn’t know how she functioned without her, oh my god

Silver knows vaguely that Bette’s a vigilante, but she doesn’t make an effort to know which one. She wants to respect her privacy

These two never get particularly close, but they’re friendly & Silver’s definitely got Bette’s respect

[violetsmoak]

Pieces of April [8/?]

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21099044/chapters/50202530

Summary: On the anniversary of his death, Jason’s second life takes an abrupt new turn and he’s faced with a challenge that neither Batman nor the All-Caste prepared him for.

Rating: PG-13 (rating may change later)

Warning(s): Past Jason/Isabel, kidfic, minor canon character death (pretty sure you can guess who), I’ll add more warnings/tags as I think of them.

Canon-Compliance: Takes place in between the two RHATO series, so after Roy and Kori and before Artemis and Bizarro. Jason and Isabel Ardila

Author’s Note: Exactly what it says on the can. I’ve had this idea kicking around my head for a while, getting in the way of finishing the next chapter of Philtatos and I figured if I started jotting down the basics of it, I could stop thinking about it.

________________________________________________________________

Tim drives to one of Jason’s safehouses in the Bowery, about halfway between his apartment and the bar where he found Jason earlier. The place is a rundown, fire-damaged building with boarded-up windows and a sign out front advertising cheap studios.

“Do you need any help?” he asks as Jason gets out of the car.

“Just how much stuff do you think I need?” is the irate response before Jason vanishes into the dilapidated lobby.

Tim scowls at his back.

Someone remind me why I’m helping this jerk again?

The memory of the very tiny human still in the nursery at Gotham General makes his facial muscles relax.

Right.

Given the circumstances, Tim supposes he can overlook Jason’s inconsistent moods. He needs someone to lash out at right now while processing, and it’s not like Tim isn’t used to it. Better him than the criminals of Gotham; Jason’s pretty good these days about not using lethal force, but he might not care so much if he goes out without his head on straight.

Speaking of going out…

Tim surprised when Jason actually returns to the car ten minutes later instead of just vanishing. As he indicated earlier, he doesn’t have very much with him, just a worn duffel bag that he tosses in the backseat of Tim’s Porsche before having himself back into the passenger seat.

“Hope there aren’t any severed heads in there,” Tim remarks lightly as pulls away from the building. “I just had the seats redone.”

Jason rolls his eyes. “A guy makes one grand statement and they never let him forget it.”

“You don’t want people to forget it.”

“True,” he agrees with a sharp grin that is anything but humorous.

It’s a short journey back to Tim’s place, but he still drives around the block to use the secret entrance to his base of operations.

“What, I’m not good enough for your front door?”

“Be my guest. Say hi to Vicki Vale when you do, she’s usually lurking nearby.” When Jason shoots him a sharp, questioning look he elaborates, “An occupational hazard of being the face of WE is having paparazzi camped out around my place every now and then. I figure you don’t want your face showing up on the front of the Gotham Gazette.”

“Yeah, that might have been worth mentioning when you offered your guestroom.”

“Guess it’s a good thing like all responsible Bats, I have an underground secret hideout.”

He pulls into the back alley and flips the switch that activates the hidden ramp; the ground falls away and leads down toward the carpark. Tim won’t lie, he enjoys the way Jason’s eyebrows go higher the further in they get. The rest of the Family doesn’t come here—even during citywide emergencies, the agreed-upon convergence point tends to be the original Batcave—so Tim doesn’t have a lot of opportunities to show off.

And maybe showing off to his former childhood idol is something that doesn’t go away, no matter how many years or murder attempts.

That subbasement is nowhere near as large as any of the Caves, but there are two other cars and a half-dozen motorcycles in various states of modification parked in a circle. Tim eases into the only empty space and cuts the engine.

“Welcome to the Nest,” he says as he gets out of the car. “It goes three floors up not including this level. Outside it looks like just another apartment building behind my place, so no one would expect an actual secure installation inside.” He gestures as he speaks. “Ground floor’s got my crime lab and containment units, the second floor’s all training stuff, and the third’s the communication’s hub. There’s even aerial access, but I haven’t had to use it yet.”

Jason shakes his head. “Must be nice to be Dad’s favorite.”

“I wouldn’t know, you’d have to ask Dick.”

“Is that a popcorn machine?”

“No self-respecting hero’s lair should be without one,” Tim quips. “Come on, the living area’s this way.

They head up the stairs to the main level, and Tim doesn’t miss the appreciative glances Jason casts his tech and gear. He opens his mouth to offer to hook Jason up—extend the olive branch, so to speak—but stops himself; he doesn’t know if, after this whole baby adventure is over, Jason’s even going to want to stay in Gotham.

He slides open the hidden door, revealing Tim’s apartment. It’s the same deliberately clean open-concept room as he left it, except for one change. Across from the aquarium that hides the entrance switch, Tam Fox is reclining on the divan in the living room, one hand holding a glass of wine and another flipping expertly across her tablet.

She startles at the sound of the secret door sliding open, and that movement makes Jason tense, fingers ready to grasp for a weapon if need be.

“Relax,” Tim tells him, unsurprised when Jason does the opposite. “She knows everything.”

“And that’s reassuring how?”

“I trust Tam with my life, and to put my interests above WE’s or Bruce’s,” he explains. “Since at the moment you and I are working together, that means she puts your interests above WE and Bruce’s too.”

“She can hear you and knows how to speak for herself,” Tam quips, putting down her glass and standing up. “Who’s this?”

“This is Jason, the friend I was telling you about.”

Tim can almost hear Jason scowling at that; he trusts new people about as much as Bruce does.

Funnily enough, they both make the exact same face.

“And since when is there wine in my apartment?”

“Since you sent me scrambling around Gotham running errands, you generously decided to buy me a bottle of this very nice Riesling,” she replies, studying Jason. “When you said you had a friend with an emergency that required diapers, I was expecting Batgirl. Or Wonder Girl. Or Pru. Or, heck, even that Lynx-woman.”  

“Lynx?” Jason repeats, shooting Tim a disbelieving look. “Ghost Dragons Lynx? There’s no way you have that much game.”

“Then he didn’t tell you about what almost happened in Paris,” Tam informs him.

“Anyway,” Tim interjects. That’s all he needs is for Jason to hear about his own near brush with fatherhood. “This is Tam. Officially she’s my personal assistant, but I think ‘friend and confidante’ covers the relationship a lot better. And Tam, this is—"

“Jason Todd,” she says immediately, her eyes fixed on the other man in disbelief. Tim is momentarily caught off-guard. “It took me a minute, but I recognize you anywhere.”

Okay. I didn’t expect that. Though I probably should have. The Foxes were invited to all the same benefits and events Mom and Dad were. She probably knew or knew of Jason.

“Tam,” Jason repeats, tilting his head to one side and frowning at her for a moment like he’s trying to place her. His expression clears. “Tam. Tamara. Fox, right? You knocked Ned Davenport into a potted plant during Bruce’s birthday party one year.”

For once this evening, Tim is the one to feel a little bit off balance. Jason never talks about his time at Wayne manor in anything but unpleasant terms. And yet, Tim knows from Alfred’s stories that there were happy times and that once, Jason was as much a part of life at the manor as Tim or Damian.

 “He deserved it for ‘accidentally’ grazing my boobs when he passed by. Three times. And—and that’s not the point! You died!”

“I got better,” he replies with a bitter twist of his mouth.

She gapes for a moment, then reaches for her glass and downs the remainder of it.

“I’m going to become an alcoholic before I’m 25,” she tells the empty glass in a resigned tone before turning back to Jason. “Okay. I don’t even question this stuff anymore,” she informs him. “He could show up tomorrow with the Devil himself and I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Kid Devil, maybe. Lucifer doesn’t like Gotham. He's more of a beach-party kind of guy."

Tam stares, clearly unsure if Jason is being serious or not; Tim actually isn’t sure either and decides to change the subject.

“You want something to drink?” he asks as he heads for the kitchen. He doubts Jason will notice or care, but his mother raised him to be polite even to people that don’t like him. “I doubt you want anything alcoholic after everything today, but I think I’ve got Zesti—”

“Water,” Jason says absently, looking around the apartment. Now that Tam has been proven as a non-threat, he’s clearly more interested in assessing his surroundings.

He notices the large pile of boxes and bags by the stairs at the same time Tim does.

“What the hell’s this?”

“I called Tam and said it was an emergency and that we needed a few things.”

“This is not a few things.”

“Well, you don’t know how long you’re going to need them,” Tam replies. “Congratulations, by the way.” Tim can’t see Jason’s expression, but doubts it’s a good one from the way Tam quickly adds, "Or no congratulations? Where are we on the whole 'congratulations' thing?”

I don’t think either of us has the energy to get into what happened with Isabel just now. Redirection time.

“Did you have any trouble picking up the stuff?” Tim asks as he gets two glasses from the kitchen cupboard.

“Trouble?” she snorts, and her voice instantly goes from bemused to annoyed. “Do you know how hard it was to get all of this delivered without someone seeing me? Or seeing that it was baby stuff? That’s all I need now is Vicki Vale adding cradle-robbing and teen parenthood to her stories about us.”

“What’s Vicki doing this time?” Jason asks.

“She’s been trying to prove Tim’s Red Robin for the better part of a year,” Tam says. “She tried to get me to confirm that last year when all those ninjas tried to kill us, but I panicked and said we were engaged just to distract her.”

“Talk about taking one for the team,” Jason mutters.

Tim glares at him, and if he shoves the glass of water into his hands a little more forceful than he needs to, oh well. “She trots out that dead horse whenever Tam and I happen to be in the same room together.”

“Which is doing wonders for my career,” Tam deadpans. “People already scream nepotism because of who my father is, but now I’ve been reduced to either Tim Drake-Wayne’s assistant or Tim Drake-Wayne’s fiancée.”

“Hope he’s paying you overtime,” Jason says and wanders over to the intimidating tower of cardboard and plastic. He makes a face. “How much of this shit did you order? There’s like a lifetime supply of diapers here.”

“Trust me, that’ll last a month if you’re lucky,” Tam informs him. “My nieces and nephews did nothing but eat and poop for the first year of their lives.”

Jason appears vaguely horrified. His gaze rests on something else. “Is that a car seat?”

“How else were you expecting to bring home a baby? Carry her on a subway?”

Neither man has a response to this.

“Oh, this is going to go well,” she sighs. “Neither of you has any idea what you’re doing, do you?”

“That would be putting it lightly,” Tim acknowledges, and side-eyes Jason. “We should probably sit down and talk options, but that can wait until tomorrow if you want.”

“Tomorrow,” Jason agrees, and he sounds so exhausted and lost, that Jason takes pity on him.

“Come on, then. I’ll show you to the guestroom,” he offers and starts up the stairs. “It’s right next to the bathroom, if you want to shower. The water pressure here’s not great—” He shrugs, as if to say, ‘Park Row, what can you do?’ “—but it’s unlimited hot water.”

Surprisingly, Jason follows without comment.

“I’ll be here,” Tam says, and there’s an undertone to her words that suggest she’s not going anywhere until Tim explains the whole story.

And isn’t that going to be fun…

________________________________________________________________

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