#why is Gotham so uniquely fucked up

[dickgreyson]

I think Bruce Wayne is normal and fine, everyone else is the problem

[clockwayswrites]

Orange, City Pigeon, Danny & Batfam @roanawayspoons WC: 864 CW: Blood, injury

“I’m just saying, you shouldn’t get to be Red by default.”

“Well I can’t be Robin and Hood is a unique identifier.”

“No, nope, just because you weren’t creative enough to come up with something other than Red Robin you shouldn’t get to just claim Red.”

“Creative enough? Oh that’s rich from the man who ripped off the Joker.”

“It was poetic!”

“It was lazy.”

“Look here, bird bones—” …and Tim was gone, Jason thought with a sigh. He turned back to see Tim still before the last jump, staring down into the alleyway with a tilted head. Jason’s hand went to one of his guns. “Red?”

“Blood.”

“And? It’s Gotham. I think the city is held together by blood at this point.”

“Green blood, Hood.”

“How do you know it’s blood then?” Jason asked, but stalked forward to look. Alright, maybe the splatter was pretty distinctive.

That particular shade of green was also concernedly distinctive.

“Well, fuck.”

“Yep.”

“Who bleeds Lazarus water?”

“No clue,” Tim said unhelpfully. “Guess we better find out.”

They dropped silently down into the alley, one after another, and followed the trail of toxic green blood. The trail went cold a few times, whoever was bleeding was clearly trying to hide, but they were inexperienced at it and the Bats had spent enough time stalking through the streets of this city that the cement and stone basically spoke to them. The trail couldn’t hide from them.

Without warning, Jason shot his arm out to stop Tim. He tapped the side of his helmet silently; he heard something. Tim nodded and they fanned out to search. A door in this latest alley they were in was cracked open, like someone had tried to close it and it had bounced back off the latch.

A green hand print was smeared down it.

Jason pulled a gun from his holster, but let Tim go through first. While Jason was far lighter on his feet than someone his size should be, there was no denying that Tim was stealthier. Jason would be just a few steps behind ready to provide the muscles and firepower.

It was odd, then, when Tim purposefully let his foot scrape against the ground as he rounded the corner. Jason just cursed silently as the idiot continued forward, cutting himself off from Jason’s line of sight. “Hey, looks like you could use some help with that wound before you bleed out.”

Jason couldn’t hear what was said back; he edged closer.

“You must not be from Gotham. I’m Red Robin, one of the heroes here.”

The person snorted. “Just… over… then?”

Tim laughed. It was one of his many fake laughs, but the one meant to soothe people in trouble. “Why would I do that? I’m a vigilante. Do you know how illegal what I do is? I just don’t want to see you bleed out. Maybe I can even take you to a safe house where you can rest.

“So… interrogate me?”

“I mean, I’d like to know who tried to kill a kid, but that’s to make them pay, not you.”

Jason’s hand gripped his gun so tightly it hurt.

The person… the kid laughed. It was a broken sound that no kid should have to make.

Jason had heard it a lot on the streets.

“Maybe I deserve it.” Their voice was raspy, like every word caught in their throat.

Jason came around the corner. The kid went rigid, which was the last thing they needed with how blood seeped from their fingers where their pale hand was clutched against a too big hoodie.

Tim leaned casually into Jason's space in a way he wouldn’t normally, putting on a show for the kid that Red Hood was safe. It was at least true for the kid. Jason leaned back, mostly for the comfort of having his brother close in the face of the sight. Seeing bloody kids never got easier.

“You’re what, sixteen?” Jason asked.

“…fifteen?”

“Yeah, no fifteen year old deserves to bleed out. You know who I am?”

They shook their head. It dislodged the hood a little. The tangled, chin length hair was startling white and splattered with dried green blood. Jason forced himself to take a breath.

“I’m Red Hood. I protect part of this city called Crime Alley. I’m not afraid to kill a shithead, especially ones that hurt kids, but I never harm a kid. I’ve got places to put you if you need somewhere safe; places not in the system. Or get you somewhere. Do you have a place to go to?”

The kid laughed again. Somehow it sounded worse this time. “That’s the thing. I do. I might, I guess. Just no one is going to believe me.”

“Why won’t they believe you? Where do you need to get?” Tim asked.

The kid looked up. Jason felt Tim tense against him. Hell, Jason tensed. They were the wrong color, but Jason knew those eyes, those brows, that slope of the nose. Everything was just a little sideways, but Jason knew that face. He knew what the kid was going to say.

“I need to get to Bruce Wayne.”

--- AN: Happy Trauma Tuesday~

Feel free to continue this, use it as a prompt if you'd like!

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Age gap!Bruce is so in love with his wife, I’m sure that he believes she can’t do nothing wrog. Like, he’s the type to brag about how amazing she’s to everybody.

I love your writing and this scenario in particular has me very interested bc I think is so original. Usually, I don’t like age gap bc writers tend to make reader a little childlike or with no personality, but age gap!reader is so unique that I love her so much.

I like to imagine one of Bruce’s exes, like Selina (I’m sorry, but I always remember how she left him at the altar. I love her but my heart breaks for Bruce) comes back to Gotham and everything is kinda awkward bc yes, they have this weird off and on relationship (they haven’t seen each other for more than a year), not string attached but serious at the same time. And suddenly, he’s married to a fucking pop-star and actress??

Even a one night stand seeing Bruce “the playboy” marrying reader.

I can see this with anyone who used to be in love or having feelings either for Bruce or reader. “That should be me” by Justin Bieber will be in their spotify wrapped

I think it was the hard launch of the YEAR. Everyone will be so shocked by it that it becomes an iconic and part of Gotham’s pop culture. They did an interview and suddenly, the next thing they knew?? They got married at a private ceremony where only close family and friends knew.

"This is a stunt even for you, Bruce," Lois scolded tapping her foot. "Honestly-"

Bruce held his hands up, "The only reason it's public now is because we got caught in public. She was perfectly happy to be a private thing."

"Bruce," she scoffed giving him a look, "I know she's an adult but still. You're old enough to be her dad-"

"Not unless I was 16 when she was born," Bruce snorted, "she's the same age Dick is. Damian is 9-"

Lois rolled her eyes and took a seat, "So what did your kids say?"

"Over all, they were fine with it. If not happy about it. But Jason had to make a scene about me dating his childhood crush and betraying him all over again for dramatic effect. And Damian had to lecture me about the security risk."

"Naturally," Lois said smiling. "Jon said Damian had a lot to say about it. That's how we heard about it."

This time it was Bruce's turn to roll his eyes. "Be nice to her-"

"Are you kidding?" Lois asked, slightly incredulous.

"No-"

"Why would I not be? She's Iconic, honestly."

"And better at managing her image than I am," Bruce chuckled.

"Sad, really," Lois observed dryly. "But also impressive."

"No one knows who she dates, where she donates, no one knows her net worth for sure... honestly if she didn't volunteer the information I'm not even sure I'd know her favorite color."

"I'm not surprised," Lois mused, "After watching her get ripped apart a few years ago."

"I don't-"

"You wouldn't," Loid allowed, "You didn't have editors that wanted you to write think pieces about it. And you didn't work in an office that had a betting pool to her inevitable suicide or addiction spiral."

Bruce winced. He didn't remember it. Not directly, but you'd talked about it. It was part of why he agreed to letting you keep things private. You liked keeping things quiet. A separation between your public face and your private one. It fucked you up. And no one protected you. You'd had to handle it alone- Sure, you had your team but that wasn't the same as having PEOPLE to fall back on.

"I'll be nice," Lois assured him, "Just don't be a creep or I'll sic Clark on you later."

[deaddovedecadence]

Title: First Meeting (The Sunshine Verse)

Summary: You come face to face with the leader of the Batclan mob

Warning(s): Possesive behavior, scarring, kidnapping

You don’t remember being drugged, you don’t remember losing track of Lyre, you don’t remember going anywhere and yet you’re here, stuck in an unfamiliar room, a chain on your ankle. You’re unsafe, you know this, and there’s nothing you can do about it. The room is clean, not a speck of dust anywhere, and it smells like lemons, not lemon scented cleaner but real, fresh lemons. You hate it. It's not your first time being kidnapped but usually you’re confined to a dark room or messy, dirty basements that make you want to throw up. This is your first time being kidnapped since joining the force (you had a really unique childhood okay)  and you can’t help but wonder why you've been taken, if someone thinks you'll have real information for that.

Soft, well muffled sounds start up next to the door but quickly fade to silence. You hate it here, the thick silence, the not knowing where your best friend (brother) is, the chain that rests on your ankle. Speaking of the chain, you haven’t tried to walk yet and you can’t help but be curious. Slowly, carefully,, you get yourself out of bed and walk to one of the doors, letting it creak open. It;s only a bathroom. There’s one other door in the room and you’re pretty sure that you know where it leads. Out of here. You start walking towards that door but the chain stops you before you can get too close. Going back a few steps, you make a few loops in the area that seems safe and attempt to run towards the door. Immediately the chains are pulling you back and you slam to the floor. Well whoever has you certainly isn’t an idiot, which makes your job all that much harder. 

Eventually you pull yourself off of the floor and crawl to the bed. As soon as you’ve arranged yourself in a manner that doesn’t hurt too much, you’re asleep. 

“Lyre,” you call, listening to the echoing chirps of the birds, trying to ignore the sounds of “lyre, lyre, not lyre,” to themselves, loud as can be. It’s foggy out today, but not so much that you can’t see in front of you. The walk to work is weird without your best friend, but peaceful, even though the birds are chirping loudly, mocking birds calling Lyre’s name. As you’re approaching the police station, you note the crowd of people, how their murmurs grow and change. They’re all saying his name. You get closer and your best friend (brother) is just laying there, spread out on the pavement, his blood staining everything a terrible shade of red. You kneel down, staring at him. Lyre’s eyes are wide open, unseeing and you can’t help closing them. Your hands are red now. 

You wake up screaming. 

It takes a minute of blind panic for you to calm down and become aware of your surroundings again. You’re in the same room as yesterday and still sore as fuck. The only real change is that there’s a chair in the middle of the room, well more like a throne (you may or may not role your eyes) and a man sitting on the throne. He’s wearing a venetian carnival mask, black with a white bat around each eye. Every gothamite knows it as Sire’s mask. 

You’ve been kidnapped by the fucking bats. Shit! 

“May I help you?” You ask politely as you can manage. Sire’s mask, cold and porcelain keeps smiling,golden even as the man takes off his fucking mask. You’re going to die, you’re going to fucking die. You look down so you can’t see his face. The man sighs.

“You can look up. I have no plans to kill you. Rather I’d like to thank you. You took care of my son while he wouldn’t allow me to.” Now you’re confused. You chance a look up and meet the eyes of bruce fucking wayne, gotham’s biggest  philanthropist. You don’t even know what to say, because the man who’s been credited for saving Gotham is the one keeping it in order as the cruelest man on the east coast.  “I don’t understand Mr.Wayne. I don’t know any of your children.” 

Bruce Wayne smiles faintly, “Not even Jason?” Every single person born and bred in Gotham knows the tragedy of Jason. It’s said that a mobster went after him and killed him, and in revenge Mr. Wayne swore to oust the mob from Gotham city. Knowing what  you know now makes you wonder what really happened. “No offense but I’m pretty sure that Jason is dead.” Wayne laughs bitterly. “We thought so but when your friend Lyre had to go to the hospital,, my doctors found something pretty interesting. A blood match. Would you like to guess who exactly is the match” everything starts to fade out and go dizzy. You were the one that made Lyre go to the hospital because he’s always hated hospitals. “Was it Jason?” 

“It was Jason.” Wayne unless his legs, neatly rearranging himself. “I’d like to tell you a story.” You shrug, looking away. “When my son was a child, he lived on the streets. One day I had a meeting in Crime alley and he was crazy enough to try and steal the tires off my car. You can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of you. It’s so much like the Lyre you know that you know, mischievous and carefully reckless, always doing something that he shouldn’t be. What was real? “And when I came back to my car, there was this tiny vicious little boy fighting my guards and fucking winning. I’ve always been fond of stubbornness and there was something about Jason’s desperate desire to survive that stuck me so I brought him home with me. He’s been a member of the family ever since.” 

When Wayne talks about Jason, you’re reminded of a Pet owner talking about their best show animal or something. He’s not talking about them like they’re humans but as if they’re prizes to be won. He sounds like a collector, marveling over his trophies. You can’t help but want to upset this man, can’t help but dislike him. 

“If he was a member of your family, why did he leave you?” Maybe he’ll hurt you, maybe he’ll kill you but either way you’re going to mouth off for lyre. Wayne’s expression doesn’t even change.  “I have six other children,” he explains, “and half of them have anger issues. Do you really think that you’re going to phase me?” 

Your logical mind reminds you to be polite, your desire to live tells you to go apeshit. “That doesn’t answer my question,” you snap, ignoring his question all together. He doesn’t even blink. “Jason left because he didn’t agree with our methods. He did not understand the reasons I allowed my youngest to work in the basement at twelve nor did he appreciate our love. “ You’ve heard the stories from Lyre about his family, about the scars he carries from their love. Now that you've met Wayne you can’t help but wonder how many of those scars are physical. There’s a scars on Lyre’s back, tally marks, five of them to be exact. Are those from here? Are his tattoos from here? 

“When do I get to see Lyre again?” 

Wayne smiles Serenely, and for a moment he doesn’t look like a monster, instead he looks soft, and almost genuine. “When Jason calms down enough to be safe to be around again.” You tilt your head, wonder what he means and carefully do not ask. “Am I stuck in here permanently?” Wayne shakes his head politely. “No you’ll be coming to dinner tonight and Alfred will help you order anything that you might need.” That’s not what you mean. You want to go home. “Can I go home?” “This is your home.” You scoff and bear teeth. “My home is a little apartment by the wharf, not a mansion full of crazy people.” 

Wayne’s smile turns sharp, vicious. “I’d like to remind you that your privileges hedge on your good behavior. It’d be very easy to lock you away until you’re feeling more polite.” You get the feeling that wayne isn’t making a threat. He’s making a promise. 

[pixiatn]

Danny & Duke Prompt/idea for y'all while I'm still trying to write my fic

Now I still don't know if I'm gonna include this in my fic, but I wanted to post it incase I didn't but essentially, Halfa/Quarta!Duke

Ok so basically Pariah Dark would be a halfa (until giving up his humanity/human half like Dan) and was sealed into the Infinite Realms by his brother, Gnomon The Eternal Light who was also a halfa, this in turn not only makes Duke part ghost, but also the biological nephew of Pariah Dark.

Duke has a very small amount of ectoplasm flowing throughout his body and also has a core much smaller/underdeveloped than other ghost and even halfas. He inherited abilities from both his father and his uncle resulting in him having a mixed core (light and dark [psh, ok y/n✋🏽🙄])

Insert traumatized Danny attending Gotham Academy after running away for whatever reason👁️👁️, ahem, and staying in the schools dormitories. Danny's first day is going great, he woke up early, made it to class on time, and his classmates were being nice to him, maybe things here wouldn't be so bad. THEN FWOOSH, almost instantly Danny feels a powerful (and somewhat familiar) chill down and his ghost sense goes off and then he starts panicking, cause if he goes ghost then the GIW will know where he is, if he doesn't help then this ghost will seriously fuck up the school.

Bbg spends a bit too long in his head contemplating his options and feels this overwhelming presence get closer, he doesn't hear anybody screaming so thats good. It very quickly becomes not good when the presence comes closer and he realizes why it feels so familiar, it was an aura similar to that of Pariah Dark. Well great that's just fucking great, first day at a new school and he's possibly gonna get beat up by the former ghost king, which by the way, WHO THE FUCK LET HIM OUT-

Danny is thoroughly surprised though when it isn't a ghost capable of mass destruction that comes into the class but actually a rather cute boy his age (oh very pretty ghost guy ok) it isn't until Duke sits at a desk and people start talking to him does he realize (holy fuck this guy is like me)

During his lunch break Danny-boy slips into the Ghost zone to ask his lil ghost council (which consist of Pandora, Dorothea, Frostbite, Wulf, and Clockwork) if it's possible for two different ghost to have similar auras, Pandora states the each ghost aura is unique to that individual, the only way for two ghost to have similar auras is for them to be related

Great, so Danny's classmate is a relative of one of his strongest enemies, and former king of the Infinite Realms? Fucking great

Edit/update: On Dukes side, he finds himself rather drawn towards the pretty new boy in his class and he doesn't know why (it's bc unlike him, Danny has a shit ton of Ectoplasm running through and Dukes still developing core is drawn to that)

Anyway when he starts hanging out with Danny, his core starts absorbing the ectoplasm in the air surrounding him (which comes from Danny constantly exiting/entering the Ghost zone an using portals) which in turn helps Dukes core develop faster, making his powers stronger and granting him new ones

Meme time

[wwrenwrites]

Jason Todd x reader with multiple piercings

A/N: if you’re in doubt this is your sign to get that piercing!

- He LOVES how you style your piercings

- He thinks it shows what kind of person you are besides you're personal taste in clothes

- More than three piercings, seven, ten ??

- LOVE LOVE LOVE

- He thinks it's hella attractive

- He would be especially in awe if one of your piercings are quite unique like tragus piercing or an industrial or a rook piercing

- He would ask so many questions: if it hurts and the type of accessory style you like

- Heck, he would surely gift you really pretty ones you like as gifts

- If you buy stylish fake ones

- OOF sis he would be stubborn af to not want to spoil you in buying actual gold or diamond earrings for you

- “Jay it's fine. Let's go, the price is baffling."

- “We're also getting the two gold ones as well."

- Promise ring? PFFT- he would buy rings make it into a necklace for himself

- While that one ring is customized to be used as earrings for you

- HECK I stan the fact he had ear piercings himself at one point of his life and got them re-pierced if needed. Then both of you have matchy couple earring studs

- He would stop you from removing you're other earrings into a normal pair of two when you insist you want to be more 'presentable' in front of his family every single time

- "Babe I swear. Don't remove them."

- "I want your family to like me, Jason."

- "If they don't like you just for how you like to express yourself and your interest then they will have to fuck up their close-mindedness."

- "Jay-"

- "Also more reasons for me on why I will not drop by the manor."

- “Don't use me as an excuse!"

- If you also have facial piercings he finds it pretty badass and hot

- May it be septum, nose ring or lip piercing or even if you have a fake nose ring (which is cheaper and practical)

- He would hold you down when you feel like you want another piercing

- And you told him so many times, you had enough beforehand

- Like you said you don't plan to get more

- But you had a rough week and you're coping mechanism is getting piercings than dying your hair

- He would support you if you really want it

- But he would also have his own way of telling you to not go through your plan

- "Jay I think I’ll get that tongue piercing.”

- "Okay. But I've been craving for really hot soup for the next few weeks if you're fine with that though."

- If you have body piercings like nipple piercings

- That will always be one of his favorite parts to get you turned on since it’s extra sensitive than the regular

- Always a wonderful sight to see when its see through your crop top or oversized shirt

- Obviously he has the most staring and groping privileges

- Others gotta watch out for him if he catches anyone staring at you maliciously

- Would always tease your nipples even if there are people few meters away while nibbling your ear

- You sitting between his thick legs squirming, then getting pissed off when he stops once he heard someone call for him leaving you extra angry and horny

- Both of you also talking about genital piercings

- He salutes other people who were really eager to get it pierced there

- You telling him you would pay him if he gets his dick pierced for ‘experimentation purposes’

- Which is extra ridiculous to Jason since he knows he satisfies you well even with your toys

- Jason rolling his eyes when you even offered $500 to him

- Clearly remembering how you were whining the first week or two on how sore and painful your fresh nipple piercings were

- Running around Gotham with a fresh dick piercing nor any needle near his cock? Not appealing

- “Cheap.”

- “Fine 1K.”

- “2.5K”

- “Thats a price of a tattoo!”

[serpentinegraphite]

...re: your tags on the WFA Jason crowbar incident -- might one be directed to your referenced essay?

Since it's been a min, here's the DC meta post this ask is referencing.

I thought it was on my blog, but I haven't been able to find the essay in the weeks since this ask came in? It might have been a tag rant more than the proper essay I thought I had posted. Or I might have been thinking of a broader and more general essay on the current trauma in fanfic portrayal, which I have definitely posted on this blog somewhere and in several friends' inboxes.

The gist of the essay is that a) fandom as a whole has a tendency to treat panic attacks/flashbacks as the Only and Right Way to experience trauma, even though that's by far not universal and b) will apply this even to characters who have canon trauma and show specific trauma reactions!

With Jason Todd in WFA having a Crowbar Sound Flashback, it's a perfect microcosm of both! The problem, therefore, isn't necessarily WFA being Uniquely Terrible and Inaccurate; WFA just exclusively plays with a lot of softball, fandom-popular tropes, so it remains popular even and especially with people who aren't super familiar with the canon. And because WFA thrives on softball, popular tropes, of course it's going to pick up on the Best Way To Write Trauma.

The essence of the problem is actually the way trauma symptoms in fanfic are homogenized to the most palatable, most sympathetic reaction guaranteed to woobify even the most hardened crime lords and war criminals: a panic attack. But not ANY panic attack! Specifically the hyperventilating on the floor, curled up in a ball kind of panic attacks! (Characters who lash out in anger when they're scared? Characters who shout mean things? Not anymore! Now they're hyperventilating on the floor and they need tender care and possibly a hug.) The momentary full helplessness is integral to creating a miniature h/c journey for the characters (panic –> helplessness –> rescue –> bonding).

Panic attacks actually have a pretty wide range of symptoms! Sometimes they're focused more on derealization reactions or heart racing (loads of people irl end up in the ER thinking they're having a heart attack, when it's actually a panic attack).

This specific portrayal of trauma as panic attacks is, I think, most egregious with characters who would actually fucking die if they had this exact trauma response. E.g., Jason Todd, who infamously both commits crimes and fights them. If he has a panic attack at every scum bag who waves a crow bar at him, he's probably getting beaten to death with a crowbar again. If even one of his regular criminal contacts or enemies catches wind that he has a crowbar panic attack weakness, he's dead! And this could be played for drama in this kind of fanfic, but it never is. (Because drama isn't the point, quick and dirty h/c is.)

Distilling his trauma about dying into panic attacks dismisses his entire history and canon trauma response (rage and vengeance and trying a completely different tactic from Batman to better the city of Gotham when the Red Hood is being a good guy and not just being a crime lord for profit). Here is a solid discussion on how Jason reacts to his own death (I'm new here and this essay is already long lol, I'm not citing whole comics runs or anything myself), with a great addendum from Ragnarok-hound in the tags on the Doylist reasons for why the canon goes over Jason's death again and again anyway.

The problem further stems from everyone learning panic attack symptoms from a combination of personal experience (which for the AO3 crowd in the shippy tags does not as often include people with uh combat or crime experience) and actual mental health web resources, so any panic attack scene reads like it was written by someone between high school and college age checking off a list of psych textbook panic attack symptoms. So it makes sense why they would go with the thing that is easiest to write for them and stick with the approved symptoms they know will garner the most sympathy from the audience and, importantly, other characters in the scene. E.g., to return to bullying WFA's portrayal, having Bruce arrive to tell Jason everything will be okay and fix everything.

(I think ymmv more on Bruce portrayals, depending on Your Preferred Batman, whether that's the corresponding era of comics with Red Hood, the animated series, or some campy/classic live action Batman portrayal, but one thing that is pretty consistent in every Batman media is that he's not fucking great at feelings, so even with a generous reading, WFA simplifies a lot of fraught history between Jason and Bruce here. Further, I could write an entire second essay on how bystanders in fanfic always have the perfect response, to either use the right therapy speak and handle a panic attack perfectly or hug the person to help them calm down or what have you, but this is long enough as it is. To be brief, though: sometimes, especially in a situation like Jason and Bruce's, it's perfectly normal to see someone panicking and then also panic and fuck things up even worse! It's also common to feel frustrated or tired of seeing someone panic over the same thing! Like I know fanfic and WFA are wish fulfillment, but like. There's a lot of nuance and basic trauma understanding missing here.)

And that brings us to another point, which is that PTSD triggers don't necessarily manifest as anxiety disorders and textbook panic attacks. I mean, this feels obvious, but there are a lot of ways to experience PTSD! and that's the thing about Jason Todd! He has trauma, not an anxiety disorder! While panic attacks as the default and most common trauma reaction are very common in fanfic, it's not like even the top most common trauma trigger reaction? And it's weird that it's everywhere like this. Trigger responses have a wiiiiide range, e.g., nightmares, lashing out (the Netflix Jessica Jones show was especially good at this actually! Billy Hargrove on Stranger Things is a fucking perfect example too), dissociation (The Raven Cycle books do a great job with this, and then the fanfic forgets that it happened entirely), or simply activating one's fight or flight instinct (and we've seen with Jason, it's often a fight instinct!). There are probably also loads of Batman comics exemplifying each of these variations, but a) as stated I'm new here, I don't have comprehensive citations for every character (yet) and b) I really want to illustrate how fanfic specifically keeps sticking to one particular portrayal in a way that most canons don't.

Jason Todd can be easily written as having a Specific Traumatic Incident (dying hideously via crowbar) or having complex PTSD (little daily bullshit! you can do an entire deep dive on complex PTSD resulting from poverty, homelessness, and regular repeated exposure to violence as a child e.g. by being Robin, which is not even getting into the stuff you can gather from popular hc/later retcons about his mom's drug use or how his dad's working for Two Face and getting sent to prison might have affected him; another example it's a common hc that he's straight edge because of what drugs may or may not have done to his mom depending on the canon you're working with, but I don't see a lot of people writing him with the corresponding control issues that often pair with that). There are a lot of options is what I'm saying.

WFA choosing to double down on the sound of a crowbar scraping (when also like he's the one using a crowbar for actual mechanic things in this scene, he's probably used to a variety of metal scraping sounds, okay I'm nitpicking here again) over any of the more complex trauma under his belt is very lazy writing. They're distilling his entire history to one specific sound that causes a very targeted panic response, which I know. Is the format. That's how WFA works, it's not supposed to be deep, but this is again, a pattern I keep seeing again and again in fanfiction (to bully another fandom: Stranger Things fans insisting that Steve Harrington is afraid of his own swimming pool when the canon strongly contradicts that; he's swim team captain for 3 years running after this AND that's actually Nancy's trauma reaction, not Steve's).

Again, the problem isn't necessarily specifically with WFA or people who enjoy it or with h/c. But, yeah, the crowbar scraping sounds panic attack is a huge disservice to Jason's character, and it's like a ubiquitous pattern of writing trauma in recent years.

[jugsjules]

Oh no help i’m thinkin about Bruce’s unique relationship with Dick, and I’m givin myself emotions over it

Like all of Bruce’s kids have unique traumas, right? Cass was raised a child soldier by an uncaring father, Jason was an abandoned street kid in the heart of Gotham, Tim was ignored and neglected even before his parents died.

But Dick had a happy healthy family cut short by unexpected tragedy right in front of him. Exactly like Bruce. That was the whole reason he was the first kid Bruce brought home. Batman had seen kids in bad situations before but Dick was the first kid in an almost identical situation to Bruce himself as a child. He thought “I know firsthand exactly what this kid needs and what he absolutely does not need.” Every other ward Bruce has taken in he’s been equipped for by his past experience with Dick, and by knowledge gained from his work as both Batman and philanthropist Bruce Wayne. But Dick is personal. In some ways Dick being okay is a means for Bruce to be okay.

Hence the reason why Bruce and Dick tend to have the most and worst fights. Like yeah Jason is the family rebel but his bone to pick is more with Batman than Bruce, and boiled down is pretty simple: he died on Batman’s watch and he’s pissed about it. Bruce knows this and honestly agrees hence Red Hood doesn’t get the broken bones and prison treatment.

But Dick? Dick is the one who fights with Bruce and Bruce fights back. Because nothing freaks out a parent more than seeing all the ways their kid is primed to make the same mistakes as them, the things that kid learned because their parent went “well they’re just like me, so I’ll raise them like I was” and realizing the downsides to that until it’s too late. But those kinds of insecurities are often subconscious even in people who aren’t as emotionally stunted about their own traumas as Bruce Wayne so instead it’s like every so often out of nowhere Bruce will pick Dick up and try to huck him as far away as possible and of fucking course that confuses and pisses Dick off. And Dick, who was not raised with Batman hero worship, who knew the man under the cowl before the myth and the legend, who was raised equally by both, and is a goddamned adult man, has absolutely no qualms going “Oh absolutely the FUCK not” and either stomping back to get in his father’s face or stomping off to the west coast, depending.

And with Dick having the same deep fear about Not Turning Out Like Batman as all of the kids, even if Bruce says “I just panic sometimes because you’re so much like me, and I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did” chances are Dick won’t realize the me his dad is talking about is in fact Bruce Wayne, the always witty and fun social butterfly, with the reputation of being a wild child, who never settles down with any of the million people he flirts with, who buries all his pain behind a much more human mask.

And Bruce has to wonder, how much if it is nature and how much is because one fateful day Batman saw a child and thought “he’s exactly like me?”

[pastamansta]

🔥 Tim Burton (him as a person or his aesthetic, your choice!)

"Beetlejuice" (1988) reminds me a lot of another film I watched recently; "Tombstone" (1993). Sold by an aesthetic and a FANTASTIC performance from a side character, audiences were conned into loving a mediocre film. I'm not Lindsey Ellis, so don't expect me to talk about the cartoon.

"Batman" (1989) and its sequel is proof that Burton will not be giving up his aesthetic for God or money. Gotham is heavily disconnected from both the film and its source material, with little reason other than its director. There's a reason no one calls these "Keaton's Batmans," they call them "Burton's Batmans." Jack Nicholson is great as The Joker, but that's no hot take. The hot take is that Devito is too horny as The Penguin, and it makes me uncomfortable for a film that's already so sexual.

"Edward Scissorhands" (1990) is a bitter, bitter film where artist finally meets muse. Not, like, in the plot, but in the production. Depp and Burton were made for eachother... or at least that's what I'm supposed to think. This movie's just too messy, however, and can't decide where its focal point lies and leaves me wishing I had just watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000) instead.

"Sleepy Hollow" (1999) leaves me, a fan of the original text, I know that's probably a weird thing to say, miffed, even if understanding. Outside of some pacing issues, it's a bold reimagining that feels like Burton attempting to get out of his comfort zone... but I just didn't need this story to be turned into an homage to B-horror. Go watch that Disney short, eh?

"Big Fish" (2003) is his best film. I am hardly qualified to speak on it, and even if I did, I would cry. So, you know, just go watch that shit.

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005) is destined to be compared to "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (1971), and why wouldn't it? In thirty-four years since the making of the original, not a single person worth listening to said "i need this done right," including Burton himself, which is why he tries to add so much, but no amount of additions changes the fact that he casted his muse instead of someone who could, you know, act like Wonka? So, you know, destined for failure and to be loved by everyone who won't watch movies made before 1987.

"Corpse Bride" (2005) is one of only two claymation films that Burton would actually direct, and he uses this time to steal a Jewish story and make it less Jewish. I don't like the ending or the songs and it feels like it could be cut in half and achieve the same effect.

"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007) literally doesn't have the iconic opening number from the stage play??? Overall, there's rarely a pairing of source material and director that works as well as this one... If only I enjoyed the source material, eh? So dark, so bitter, so edgy, so... nothing. I never think about this movie. When I do, I think of Mrs. Lovett's dream sequence and remember the good old days of "Big Fish" (2003) when Burton liked to use color.

"Alice in Wonderland" (2010) is one of my guiltiest pleasures in all of film. It is the reason why every time Disney announces a live-action remake, my ears perk up. If all of them were as wild, unhinged, original, creative, and inspired as this one... Well, I think Disney might not be fucking bleeding money right now. No one ever even mentions that it's a sequel to the original animated film. A SEQUEL, not a remake. Sometime movie-goers surprise me with how little they think.

"Frankenweenie" (2012) blows. I don't care how unique it is, I do not like it.

"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" (2016) is one of the funniest remnants of the teen dystopia genre. Like, it hardly applies, but is trying SO HARD that it's unbelievable. Also, props to Mr. "Black People Aren't My Aesthetic" for casting Samuel L. Jackson as a dude who eats white babies. (I do not mean that.) Seriously, this is proof that Burton, as a modern director, should no longer be taken seriously.

"Dumbo" (2019) is AAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAHAHAAAAHAHAHAHA I FUCKING HATE THIS DUDE HOLY SHIT

If I didn't mention, I haven't seen it. Yes, I know I skipped some big ones. I may watch them one day, but I am in no rush.

[androxys]

Favorite Batman Story Tournament - Round 1

Welcome, folks, to the very first round of voting for our fan-favorite Batman story! The submissions are in, the bracket is made, and now... we vote!

Fan-submitted propaganda below, but feel free to add your own!

No Man's Land

Batman story of all time. It's the iconic epic. The US government really said 'fuck them kids' and then Gotham proceeded to spend a year in an apocalypse story line. Does it make any sense? No. Does it compel me? Hell yeah. Bruce abandons Gotham. Oracle stays in her tower. Helena becomes the Bat. Gordon has a loud messy breakup with Batman that gets in the way of what he could be doing. Bruce tries to reveal his identity to him when they finally make up. Cass makes her debut. We've got so many great stories about gothamites living their lives as everything goes to hell around them. In the Secret Files issue, there's a story about a guy who Gotham City speaks to after he's bitten by a bat and maybe has Rabies. She tells him to deliver a message to Gotham's gaurdian spirit, and in the end it's the Huntress that he finds. It makes me go a little insane.

Unique and pushed Batman to his limits. He had to get over himself and a lot of story already happened before Batman came back to Gotham. Really shows a story where Batman didn’t win, couldn’t win, but still did in the end. I mean how could he can beat an earthquake? Not by punching it in the face a few times, that’s for sure. Plus the whole country abandoning Gotham. Great huntress moments too. Cass coming into the fold. The ever updating map of which faction controlled Gotham. Lex Luther trying to be the hero in the lead up to his presidency. Heck, it’s such a good story they write a novelization about it! Very underrated though. I’m always surprised at how little fic there is. Such a unique time for Batman.

Contagion

not why I think it’s the best but it was just really awkward whenever someone asked me that question peak Covid times and I needed someone to know

[epiemy]

Dick Grayson dating a Brazilian!Fem Reader - Part 1.

Warnings: just cursing

Have fun!

You in all your glory, Y/N da Costa is the niece of Beatriz, popularly known in the heroic world as Fire, the flaming heroine;

in a unique opportunity to get to know another country and escape the flawed government of hers, she decides to live near the headquarters of the company that her aunt helps to lead, Wayne Enterprises in Gotham City;

obviously the move wasn't so easy as his English was a little scratchy and he didn't know anyone, but Beatriz's boss was nice enough to give him a place in his company so that you can work and pay for the new apartment;

the first day in Gotham you already wanted to cry, but the Costa family is not made of losers, so fuck if a car wet you from head to toe, everything will get better, right?

wrong, damn time to spill the beans about how things could get better;

you see, normally you are an optimist but even someone like that gives up after being locked out of your apartment because a floor below yours had caught fire, when another company intern spilled hot coffee on you and now you have to endure a terrible rain ;

in your genius head, it would be a great idea to call your aunt's boss, after all, why not call a billionaire you barely know?

lucky for her Alfred, who found out to be Bruce Wayne's beloved butler, had answered the phone and sent a car to pick her up, after all she would be sick for sure after two hours under the storm that was happening in the city;

upon arriving at the mansion you are welcomed by a man a little older than you, but with a stunning appearance and electric blue eyes, those damn eyes;

oh shit...

"And you!!!" / "You fool!" is said respectively by adonis and by you, when acknowledging that he was responsible for you being soaked before the rain even started;

you changed looks for just over a minute until a clearing is heard inside the mansion, making the beautiful image of Bruce Wayne appear in all its glory in front of you;

"Mr Wayne, it's a pleasure to meet you even if it's not the best of circumstances" you smile at the businessman and he returns it shaking your hand and inviting you in;

"I didn't fail to notice that you've already met my eldest son, Richard-"

"Dick" the boy cuts off Bruce's speech and you mutter a "it suits you" while the older man covers his smile;

"Make yourself at ease Miss Y/N, I have matters to attend to but Dick could show you the mansion while Alfred prepares something to keep you warm" he nods and leaves the room without hearing a response from both;

"Suits me, huh?" Dick smiles and you just roll your eyes - "okay right... I owe you an apology for earlier, I was really in a hurry and didn't notice you on the street until it was late" he admits sheepishly, and it's gratifying seeing a man that size feel so small around you.

tired of so much talk you just ask him to show you his room, he agrees and you go to the next floor of Wayne Manor;

"I think you better buy me a brigadeiro after that" you point and close the door in the confused brunette's face, just shrugging and changing into comfortable clothes that were left on your temporary bed, allowing sleep to lull you lightly.

[laurarolla]

So I have now played all four of the mainline Arkham games. I haven't 100% completed City and Origins, and I never finished Knight, but I've played all of them. In spite of feeling a bit off in places, Origins is definitely a worthwhile experience alongside the Rocksteady trilogy. I've heard good things about Arkham Shadow as well but fuck Facebook/Meta.

Narratively, this game is quite amazing. However, there's something about the narrative that I don't think was necessarily intended, but it definitely ends up being how I read the game in the end. Arkham Origins is not a Batman vs. Joker story so much as it is a Batman vs. Bane story. Bane is the most threatening foe for Batman in particular in this game, with encounters with him making up 3 of the last 4 boss fights. He's the one who threatens Batman's secret identity. He's the one who plans around Batman's actions and personality the best. He's the one who nearly kills Alfred. The Joker isn't the direct threat so much as the catalyst for the chaos that overtakes Gotham in the game. And honestly, that is kind of brilliant. The Rocksteady Arkham games are deep dives into specifically the relationship between Batman and Joker. Origins, while providing the inciting incident of Joker's obsession, isn't really centered on that relationship. Considering the overall focus of the game mechanically, this works quite well.

So, this game is heavily weighted toward fisticuffs compared to the other games feeling like the Predator encounters were more evenly distributed. I love the Predator encounters more than the Freeflow combat, and considering how much I really love the Freeflow combat, that says a lot. Unfortunately, it feels like there are so few Predator encounters this time. While I never really got tired of the brawls overall, I can totally see many others feeling like they didn't get what they were expecting. Additionally, the shock gloves result in the whole game being geared toward how absurdly broken they are, with enemies feeling a bit spongy compared to the other games in the series. On the plus side, the difficulty curve did feel better than Arkham Knight to me, introducing new elements little by little the way Arkham City did rather than starting with a decent number of unique enemy types very early in Knight. There are a few minor alterations I'm not the biggest fan of (especially how interrogation works), but overall the game still feels pretty good to play most of the time.

One last really significant complaint before closing out, though. The leveling system, the Dark Knight system, and locking upgrades behind side quests is a bad move and I'm glad that seems to be a one-off in this game specifically. I mean, why did you lock Critical Strike behind the Shiva encounter that takes about a third of the game to reach? Why was the Sonic Batarang knockout locked behind doing so many Predator encounters when there are so few of them in the game? At least the takedown upgrades that come from doing gliding challenges are pretty unnecessary.

Overall, I very much recommend the game if you like the other Arkham games, but I don't recommend it as the first Arkham game you play. My recommended play order if you want to play all the games is Asylum, Origins, City, then Knight. If you only play one, play Arkham City.

[zeroducks-2]

Zero, I need to rant about DC's mistreatment of my son.

Why can't Tim craft his own identity outside of Robin and Batman? Every other member in the Batfamily (not Damian just yet but idk if DC wants to do that considering all their writers are pushing for him to be either Ra's Heir or Batman's heir) who has been Robin is has distanced their new heroic identity away from their time as Robin.

For whatever reasons, the writers seem to be allergic to Tim growing as a character and stepping away from his identity of Robin. They couldn't even give him an original NAME. WTF IS RED ROBIN?? I'm so pressed about it because a alias is so important and unique to the hero and mostly tied to the core of their character, origin, or development.

Bruce chose Batman because he feared bats, and he wanted to be the fear that scared straight the criminals of Gotham.

Dick chose Robin because it was a way to carry on his parent's memory and legacy, and Nightwing was chosen due to Superman (Someone who Dick looks up to) telling Dick about the Kryptonian myth of Nightwing and Flamebird.

Clark got his superman alias from his father, one of the only parting gifts he has from him.

So Timmy, my dude, wtf is Red Robin about? I feel like it's such a cop out to him as a character. Like, we get why Robin was so important to him due to him being a freaky little lonely fanboy. But during his Robin run, he grew so so so much. Why would the DC Writers not let his growth show? Why also reduce and retie his identity to Robin?

Tim is known to be a great detective, it's one of his shining marks as a Batman protegee. Ra's al Ghul even states that Tim is a better detective than The Batman himself. Hell, when Tim was 14 he discovered that Dick was Nightwing and Robin, because his freaky loner obsession and past trauma of witnessing the flying Grayson's murder made him connect the dots when Dick was flipping and doing acrobatic feats that no one but an extremely skilled and gifted acrobat could do (Tricks that have only been successfully done by a fucking FLYING GRAYSON - note how silly and girlie pop Dick was for that one).

Like, fr DC, why not tie Tim's new identity with his amazing detective skills?

Honestly, I think DC could have taken some inspiration from an Edgar Allan Poe character and given Tim a detective-associated. Because, Poe's character C. Auguste Dupin, is literally the first ever detective we see in fiction and the backbone of how so many other detective character's created.

Like a name that inspired from the first ever detective himself would be so damn cool. And it would tie into Tim's origin as I'm pretty sure Tim is the first person who actually discovered Dick and Bruce's identities with just his raw and untrained detective skills. So a name like New August would be so damn cool.

Or hell, if DC didn't want to be even that level of creativity into his name and stick with the bird theme (because we all remember the Drake incident so well). Nightingale would be a cool (given not so original) name unless they wanted to spell it like Knightingale. They're one of the few birds who hunt at night, and it could also be a call back to the nurse Florence Nightingale who was a badass and known for the Nightingale theory of nursing:

"A nurse must use her brain, heart and hands to create healing environments"

AS IF that could translate into the hero world. Mister-Dropped-Out-Of-Med-School-Bruce-Wayne is foaming at the mouth.

To conclude, fuck DC and fuck them for doing my TimTam dirty. Let him be his own man :/

I don't agree with all of this but Tim does deserve better that's true. He's sort of stuck in limbo and his growth should have happened a long time ago tbh.

He could have been Flamebird like Dick is Nightwing to name one. Dick has always been his inspiration. Maybe Red Robin for a time (since back then he and Dick had grown apart), and then Flamebird after they reconciled.

It's sad because some of the main things with Tim are that love for him is conditional because of his shitty parents, and that he has a hard time crafting his own identity, and DC doesn't let him grow out of any of this and keeps using him as a chew toy. It's sad.

(and no being queer isn't character development)

[murcielagatito]

seeing astronomically wild dpxdc takes so i thought id share this as someone whos in both fandoms but HATES the crossovers n ill tell u why

danny is a good kid. but hes not gotham material. and yeah sure the HORRORS but the reality is his trauma just doest affect him mentally in the same way it does any of the robins. he hasnt lost himself he hasnt lost his support system hes got people that love him and care for him and he really just isnt some edgy dc teen sorry. he doesnt wanna be a hero and its an important plot point!!! he wants to have a semi normal high school experience and be noticed by the girl he likes. he literally has an ENTIRE episode abt not having time to be a teen and how much it sucks for him

danny is special BECAUSE of how unique his environment is and how unique HE is to his environment. by putting him in a world like dc everything special about him is diluted n he becomes another annoying boring tired unspecial nuisance that would just get mixed up with a million other white characters just like him:

dannys personality and attitude would cause for most if not all the batboys to wanna punch his gut and not get along with him. nobody wants another snarky angry stuck up boy (unfortunately bc the writers r racist assholes) damian is there already. hed never be good as a rich kid tim has that covered and danny has the moral backbone of cooked spaghetti the second money is involved. but what about coming back from the dead? jason is RIGHT there

“but hes got black hair and blue eyes” the dc fandom is SO fucking tired of more white boys with black hair and blue eyes. duke cass n all the other characters of color get pushed aside BY OUR OWN FANDOM as it is!

its just so annoying bc what yall actually want you could easily get from JUST reading any comics centering ANY of the three white boy robins that already exist stop tryna add wonderbread to the mix and call it a gourmet meal

and if this falls on deaf ears PLEASE at least stick to strictly crossover tags. dc AND dp fans are tired of looking thru tags to mostly find crossover stuff EVEN after blocking all the crossover tags and if you want your dp art to reach more of the dp fandom tagging it as dcxdp will most likely make sure most of the dp fandom WONT see it. also the show danny phantom itself is literally a parody and play on the superhero genre

[taldigi]

So I was rereading some of your old posts about the miraculous setting, and it made me wonder something. How interesting do you think it would have been if Ladybug Classic took place in a fictional city instead of Paris?

I would have liked them to actually have used Paris to its full potential. It would have been ideal.

The show runners are completely obsessed with cartoons and superhero media but It feels like they forgot that one of the most important characters in those pieces of media tend to be the cities! Gotham is a huge character of its own, so is metropolis and Spider-Man's New York. Hell, look at Miles Morales' New York.. a big part of those characters is their ugly side. Sometimes the setting is what makes the character shine the most. Sure Batman is cool right? But outside of Gotham City he definitely feels odd. (Coming from someone who only watched some cartoons when she was a kid and only experience with Batman is through the Justice League cartoon)

Ladybug's Paris is.. weird. It's like a shiny doll house version of Paris where everything is beautiful and the streets are clean and there's no crime so the police can be incompetent and they send their trash into space... But they still can have their little episodes where they pull in the entire police force to fight a single akuma based on the fact that it's a Chinese person rather than all the other akuma that were not. It's also weirdly futuristic. And I don't think I like that. That is a huge personal point but I think series based around ancient magical fairies trapped in magical artifacts probably shouldn't have a futuristic tint to it. Just make them superheroes with super suits instead of fairies with magic. Just go iron Man on them. That contrast might be interesting to some but it's incredibly frustrating to me as to why when fairies eat ancient potions suddenly again the ability to wear space suits. Even the characters having a weird hex overlay is way sci-fi for the setting. It's frustrating and I hate it. I know they wanted to give the suits a sort of texture but...

It's like solar punk done wrong. Or like eco.. vaugeism... There's a word for it, but it's not solar punk. Solar punk would be interesting. It's trying to be eco forward, but it's not doing well because it's not actually doing anything worth saying. And then again I haven't seen the recent episodes because I refuse to watch it. Though I hear the last episode has some pretty fucking weird decisions in terms of setting like how different characters in different grades can now intermingle and go to the same classes or whatever. I can't be asked to look it up.

They also never explore any other part of France. Which I think is odd. They want this to be a uniquely French story but they only really feel like expanding out into big major cities. Honestly them expanding out to New York and introducing their own Justice League or Shanghai or even dystopia France just kind of shows that they're all playing in baby mode.

Honestly what they should have done and what they probably would have been happier with is if they had just gone ahead and made it their own original city sort of like how Gotham is original and made it this funky futuristic eco city that they seem to have always wanted and they could have just made it really Chinese because that's clearly what they want to do with all of the kung fu and Chinese mysticism they're forcing into the show.

Something something in the daytime my name is Marinette but when the sun goes down I become ladybug and I watch over Miracle City. Something something. They could have even had like big art centers to do their history episodes in or have like a giant statue or a giant tower be sort of their big monument.. anything that makes the show uniquely French is interchangeable. There's nothing so intricately French about the show that It would ruin or severely damage the show if it changed settings.

As for ladybug classic... It's a chance to do Paris right I guess. I wouldn't change the setting. If I wanted to change the setting I would just play with my faewild characters instead..

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Into The Unknown, Part 52

First

Previous

“What the fuck,” Marinette mumbled, her eyes fixed on her computer, a hand hovering above the trackpad unsurely.

Tim shifted his legs from her lap so he could lean over and look.

Marinette slammed the laptop closed.

Which, she supposed, was probably the most suspicious way to go about that. Something that was confirmed by the way Tim stared at her with wide eyes.

She smiled sheepishly. “Oh noooooo my – uh – I don’t know – fuck – porn I was watching porn yes totally – my porn closed out! Guess I can’t show you!”

“You do realize you said all of that out loud, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think you’re going to snoop if I say you shouldn’t.”

Tim pressed his lips together thinly.

And then he groaned, coming to rest his head on her shoulder again. “You know, if you’re going to play the whole ‘you are a moral person and would never do anything wrong’ card then I’m going to pull the ‘you know you can come to me with anything’ routine to guilt you.”

Damn. That’s a good routine.

Marinette thought it over for just a few moments more, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully, before she sighed and opened up her computer again to show off her many tabs dedicated to college searching. “I’ve been thinking about applying to get into college. Y’know, since we’re going to be here for a while. Figured I might as well get my degree and all that, since my last attempt at going to college was rudely interrupted.”

Tim smiled despite the tiny jab she had sent his way. “That sounds nice. Why’ve you been hiding it?”

A blush rose to her face. “Don’t know. Just. It would be… embarrassing if I told you about it and then didn’t get in. Could you imagine? How lame would that be?”

He hummed and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Well, if you don’t get in, I’ll just hack the system and change it for you.”

“Aw, honey,” she said, turning to press her forehead against his, her lips curled into a cheeky kind of smile. “You’d commit domestic terrorism for me? So romantic.”

“I’m very sure you’re not using the word right. It’s closer to fraud than anything.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Getting less and less romantic by the second.”

“I will commit domestic terrorism for you, darling,” Tim corrected himself.

She snickered and pressed a short kiss to his lips.

He smiled a little dopily as she pulled back, and she was very tempted to kiss him again, but she had suddenly remembered what had started this conversation in the first place:

She pointed an accusing finger at her screen. “Why are college apps in Gotham so weird?”

“Hm?” He said, blinking once to snap himself out of it, and then looking down at her computer.

He snorted.

Because the essay prompt read as followed:

Tell us about an event that played a major role in shaping who you are today. (We advise you to choose something unique, and not fall back on cliches such as a car crash, kidnapping, or mugging.)

~

Tim smiled as he watched Damian draw. The kid was getting better at it. As he aged, his hands got steadier and steadier, allowing for more clean-looking pictures.

And what was he drawing?

Well, at the moment, Frank. For some reason, the kid really liked drawing things in the world around him. Not that Tim was complaining, he really didn’t mind.

The only one that minded was, apparently, Frank. The dog was trained to stay with Damian but, usually, that still allowed for some movement.

Which is where Tim came in. He petted the dog to keep her still and satisfied while Damian attempted to figure out shading on his own.

Tim and Marinette had both, of course, tried to show him themselves… but Damian had seemed less than happy with this. Their little boy was growing up so fast. He didn’t need them anymore.

Just kidding. The moment he deemed the picture finished, he held it up for Tim’s approval.

Tim, of course, didn’t hesitate: “It’s really good, kiddo. I really like how you used grey to show the lighting of the room. Really adds depth.”

Whether or not he fully understood it, Damian beamed at the praise.

And then, after a few moments where he seemed to mull it over, he showed Frank, too.

Frank, of course, didn’t seem to know quite what was going on. She nosed at the picture a little bit, but didn’t seem to know what to do with the fact that she had been presented with something that was not food.

Damian started to look a little nervous the longer he went without response.

Tim shifted his hand to scratch behind the dog’s ear instead, in that spot he knew she loved.

Frank’s tail wagged accordingly.

“I think she likes it!”

Damian’s eyes lit up. He nodded once, as if to say this was the only possible outcome and he had entirely expected it, and then pointed to the fridge.

Said fridge was running out of space to put drawings on, but Tim would find a way.

Anything for Damian.

~

Marinette poked her head around the doorframe, peering into Bruce’s office. He had no appointments at the moment, she knew (as that was literally her job), but she felt that it was perfectly normal to be somewhat cautious. Even though she knew firsthand about all of the amazing benefits that Wayne Enterprises offered – it was why she had started working there in the first place – she couldn’t help but be hesitant about asking.

Bruce, apparently having the strange sixth sense that all parents do to know when their kid wants something from them, looked up at her.

He raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Marinette?”

She grimaced. No going back now.

She slipped inside, shutting the door behind her, and made her way over to the chair in front of his desk.

Somehow, Bruce’s eyebrow crept higher.

She sighed, deciding to cut to the chase: “I’ve been applying to colleges. And, uh, I was wondering about the scholarships the company offers.”

“Oh,” said Bruce, his expression lightening into something that could almost be described as fond. “Well, we pay for up to $30,000 of what FAFSA and the school’s scholarships don’t cover, which is basically everything for most people.”

She nodded dutifully. She knew this, she had looked it up. But she wasn’t going to tell that to the person paying vast sums of money for her.

“Coolcoolcool,” she mumbled, running a hand through her hair as she thought everything over.

“Are you going full-time or part-time?”

“Full-time. I’m enrolling in twelve credits – for scholarship reasons – but they’re all night and early morning classes so it won’t affect you too much, promise.”

“I’ll reduce your hours either way. I’m sure Tim would run over to beat me up if he heard I was overworking you,” Bruce said.

Then, he laughed at the bitter look that came over her face.

Marinette thought her pout-iness was more than justified. How dare her husband care about her mental and physical well-being? Truly, he must hate her.

“And… what are you going to do about recommendations?”

Marinette smiled nervously. “Well, as you are my current employer, I’m going to have to list you… as for the others, I’m going to ask the WP people to help me.”

(This was, of course, a lie. They were not in witness protection, and therefore would find it very difficult to get an agent to give them a recommendation. In reality, they were going to commit so much fraud.)

He smiled. “I’ll be sure to give you a glowing review.”

“Please don’t,” she groaned, her face flushing. “I’m fine with a normal recommendation.”

He laughed lightly. “Fine, fine. I won’t go into ‘proud dad gushing about his kids mode’, as Jason likes to call it.”

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. That had gone well. Not that she had thought that it wouldn’t, but she was allowed to be nervous about things. She pushed herself up to stand.

Only to be stopped with a quiet question: “What are you intending on studying?”

Marinette hesitated. She had, originally, been intending on going back into psychology. But that wasn’t really useful for her, and she understood herself well enough to know that she had never gone into psychology because of passion. She had gone because it was the closest she could come to what she was comfortable with.

And everything about this reality was so different, so why not make a tiny change? One that would help once she got home?

“Medicine, I think. It’ll take a while, but the time will pass anyways –.”

And then, to her horror, she realized Bruce’s eyes were starting to water.

She, awkwardly, walked over and gave him a couple of pats on the back. “Are you okay, Bruce?”

He sniffed loudly, rubbing under his eyes. “Of course.”

~

There are many lessons that could be taken from this story. People, over time, with the right kind of support, will get better. Love, be it platonic or romantic, is a beautiful thing. Do not try and rush life, things will come when they come regardless of what you do. But do not run away from the things life throws at you either, because you are only ever just delaying the inevitable, and prolonging your stress.

Tim, however, would impress upon you a different, very specific lesson he would like you to learn: never go to Japanese restaurants with karaoke bars if you aren’t alone.

If you go with friends, it’s very likely you will end up peer-pressured into going up with them, or dared to go up alone, or drunk enough off of sake to go up on your own accord. Sure, maybe you and your friends are the type to make fun of people that go up there, but you’ll never really know until you’re there, and is this really something you want to risk being wrong about?

Want to go have food with your family? Too bad. Now you’re singing a song from The Tiny Merperson’s soundtrack in front of a crowd.

Tim isn’t sure what’s more embarrassing. The fact that he is singing a kid’s song up on stage (Damian is singing into the mic with him, belting his heart out, and they both sound terrible, but since when is the point of karaoke to be good), the fact that Marinette is definitely recording this (she has a soft smile on her face, and this only makes cheeks go even more red), or the fact that he doesn’t have to look at the lyrics on the screen once (his kid stumbles over a good third of the words, his eyes narrowed to near slits in concentration as he looks at the lyrics as if he can will the words to make more sense).

Okay, it was somewhat fun. Embarrassing beyond belief, but he did enjoy it. If only a little bit.

It ended up being worth it, though, because when they got back to the table, Marinette leaned to press a kiss to the corner of his lips and said that she loved him quite a lot.

This wasn’t news, really, but it was always nice to be reminded.

~

Marinette wasn’t a coward. She had been through too much – done too much – to ever be called a coward.

She did, however, have anxiety.

Which is why she was currently staring at a particular bit of mail. It sat on the counter, looking far too innocent for something that could ruin either her next week as she dealt with the pain of rejection… or her next several years as she struggled through school.

Basically, the options weren’t great, and she couldn’t bring herself to open it.

Frank was bumping her nose against her repeatedly, and Marinette scratched her behind the ears distractedly. She knew that this meant that she needed to sit down and give herself a couple of minutes to relax, but she was too jittery to sit.

Thankfully, Tim chose that exact minute to get home from work, Damian on his hip.

He blinked a couple of times at the scene – she must have looked weird, hands braced on the counter in front of the letter, staring at the slip of paper like it was going to explode.

Which, admittedly, was normal in Gotham, but not this version of Gotham.

And then a soft look came over his face. He set down Damian (who immediately ran to greet Frank) and walked over until he could wrap his arms around her from behind. “Do you want me to open it and read it for you?”

Marinette snorted, even as a strange kind of warmth seemed to envelop her. Surely, it was this sudden hot flash that was causing her face to redden. “I’m fully capable of opening it, Tim.”

“I know.” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, and she could feel the way his lips were curved into a smile against her skin. “But I’m not sure I want to wait until next year to find out.”

She whirled around in his arms to glare at him, but it was hard to be angry when he was smiling at her so sweetly.

She huffed. The tension bled out of her, bit by bit. She gave a tiny groan and pressed her forehead against his. The arms around her squeezed.

“Dickhead,” she mumbled.

He laughed. “Only for you.” He pressed a short kiss to her lips, and then slowly reached past her for the letter.

She let him, so he was quick to open it and empty the envelope into his hands, not feeling any need to drag it out any more than she already had. There was more than one slip of paper, which was promising, at least.

His eyes scanned over the first line, and she just barely had enough time to take in the way his smile widened before he pulled her into another hug.

She hugged back, if hesitantly. “This… is a good hug, right?”

“You got in!” He said brightly.

And relief flooded into her, nearly making her knees buckle. She was sure that Tim would have caught her if they had. But she didn’t, she held steady, and buried her face in his shoulder.

“Holy fuck,” she whispered.

She pulled away to look for herself, and the bolded words of congratulation at the top of the page made a smile stretch itself over her face.

Damian made grabby hands, and she didn’t hesitate to hand it over.

Green eyes narrowed as he looked down at the paper. Brows furrowed as he scanned over the contents. It was plain to see that he didn’t really understand what was going on. But, still, he looked up at her with a tiny smile.

“Proud of it?” Damian asked.

Marinette exchanged mildly confused looks with Tim, but told him that she was.

“Then it's for the fridge,” Damian said. He nodded once, as if agreeing with himself. 

And it was a little embarrassing, but the kid was clearly trying to support her in his own way and how was she supposed to say no to that?

So, it was tacked to the fridge beside one of Damian’s drawings.

If her eyes were a little wet, it wasn’t because she felt like she was drowning in love or anything, she had just yawned.

~

Steph was the one that had pointed it out to him. She hadn’t even realized what he’d done – couldn’t, for she didn’t have any context. But she had ruined his life.

How, you make ask?

She had just mentioned, offhandedly, that he should tell her if Marinette needed help with her homework, because she didn't trust her to do it herself, and med school was difficult.

Which promptly sent him spiraling.

Steph. Marinette. Hell, even Bernard was an EMT, even if it was only an alternate version of him that was dating the man. This was starting to get ridiculous.

Why was his type so specific?!

~~~~~

Next

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