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phoenixkaptain · 3 months

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I feel it’s a disservice to the character to make Dick out to be younger than he actually is.

Dick Grayson is a power fantasy, same as Bruce Wayne is, but he’s a very different type of power fantasy. This is mainly because he isn’t for the same type of audience. He isn’t for adults to relate to, he’s for teens to relate to.

What do I mean? Well, I don’t think we actually get many confirmations on Dick’s age. When he joins Bruce, there are a few clues to his age, but nothing really substantive. He’s old enough to know that his parents are dead; he has an understanding of what death is. He’s young enough that while adults seem to like him, they don’t take him very seriously. He isn’t particularly tall, but when he’s shown around actual children, he is quite a bit taller than them, I’d say at least a foot, and he is portrayed as a bit taller than most of his peers (peers that aren’t superheroes! Dick is always very nearly the shortest member of Teen Titans, but that’s not fair to judge him on because superheroes are huge) He’s young enough to attend a private boy’s school for undercover, and he’s young enough that younger children seem to trust him enough to do what he tells them to.

If I had to make a guess as to how old I thought Dick Grayson was, I would say 13-15, but leaning heavily on the 15 end. His personality is pretty set for most comics you read him in (barring extremities) which implies he’s developed a good portion of it already. And, to be honest, even if Bruce and Dick first met when Dick was 13, he didn’t become Robin until he was 14. He’s portrayed as either being taken in but trained for several months (I’d give him a low estimate of six months. He needs to learn science. He may be physically fit, but that doesn’t mean that he’s mentally ready) or taking a period of time in an orphanage, being taken in, then spending several months training. Dick becoming Robin wasn’t instant. I always assume he’s 15 when I read early comics because Dick’s brand of petulance - being annoyed at something Bruce said and snapping back with verbal quips, taking Bruce’s instructions and patiently listening to them for all of, at most, an hour before running off to do the opposite, judging Bruce for going out without him - feels like a mid-teen.

So, why is Dick a power fantasy? Well, he’s the embodiment of teenage desire:

Adults listen to him.

The main one is Bruce. Bruce Wayne, who is rich and notoriously a loner and who is considered a detective on the level of Sherlock Holmes, listens to Dick and never doubts him. He takes what Dick says at face value, he talks to Dick to spitball ideas at him, he answers any question Dick asks him and he never seems particularly impatient in doing so. He tells Dick that they’re partners and equals, and he treats him as a partner and an equal.

And there are other adults. Robin is famous in early canon. Everyone knows who he is. Adults in other towns don’t listen to their own children, but they listen to Robin because they kind of have to. I assume people who bully Robin are sent Batman’s patented, ‘live bat in a box mailed to the door.’ (I assume this because it’s funny, mostly.) But no matter why they listen to Dick - they do actually actively listen to him and try to improve in the ways he suggests.

This is what every teenager dreams of. Dick Grayson, a mere teenager who probably can’t legally drive a car yet, has the respect of adults around the globe.

Robin almost always has the respect of at least one adult, that being Bruce, no matter who is actually Robin at the time. I haven’t read many Jason comics, so I can’t say for sure on him, but Bruce treats Tim as an equal. He listens to him, and while he’s protective of him, he trusts that Tim can do things alone.

The only real example of Bruce treating Robin like a child comes with Damian. And even in the cass of Damian, he still makes an effort to listen to Damian and not ignore him. Which, the reason he treats Damian differently is because Damian is a child. I don’t think Damian is even 10 when we first meet him, let alone 13. I think, later on, he’s around 11-12, but Damian just doesn’t start as old as every other Robin. It’s necessary for Bruce to treat him differently.

“Well, what about comics where the adults, including Bruce, are terrible and don’t listen to Robin at all?”

I consider these an example of we in the intellectual world call: bullshit.

I’m sorry, but nine times out of ten, Bruce listens to Dick and praises Dick and believes in Dick ten thousand percent. The Bruce who doesn’t listen to Dick just isn’t Bruce. I don’t know who this poser is, but it’s literally impossible to him to be Bruce. It’s worse than bad writing, it’s blatant mischaracterization and a lazy plot device. Bruce would die for Dick without a second thought, he loves and respects Dick more than anyone. This man cannot physically or mentally resist the urge to listen to Robin and pat his back and say “we all make mistakes, chum, don’t worry about it.”

I need to emphasize here that Dick does the complete opposite of what Bruce tells him to multiple times, and end up kidnapped or in a tight spot for his efforts, and Bruce just isn’t upset. He’s worried, but he doesn’t even fucking care. He doesn’t get mad at Dick, I feel like he can’t even look at Dick without feeling a bit happy, there’s no way- are you really trying to tell me that Bruce goddamn Wayne would blame Robin for not preventing a crime that DiCK WASN’T EVEN PRESENT DURING?? He wasn’t even fucking there, he was off getting a police officer! You know, an adult! Because there was a crazy gunman shooting up a rally, what the actual fuck is Robin, a mortal child, supposed to do against an adult gunman twice his fucking height??? What did you want him to do, Bruce, get fucking shot? Because that’s what would have fucking happened, you absolute lunatic piece of shit, you want him to goddamn die to save one fucking person-

Ahem.

For the majority of comics, Dick represents teenagers. He fulfills that desire that teenagers have, the desire to be listened to and trusted. Dick is the first person in comics to ever know that Bruce Wayne is Batman. And while timelines shift and change, Bruce and Dick’s mutual respect for each other doesn’t. They get mad at each other later on down the line, but for a good 40 years, Bruce talked to Dick more than his own fiancée.

Dick isn’t a child. He and Bruce never met when he was a child. Dick also isn’t an adult. He still has a few years that he needs to spend growing into an adult. He’s that middle ground we all faced. That awkward period where adults expect you to act like an adult but don’t treat you like one. The power fantasy inherent in the character of Robin is that adults treat him like an adult while allowing him to make mistakes and act like a child.

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salparadiselost · 3 years

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Hiii!!! I love your demon AU so much. I was wondering if you could possibly write a snippet of an AU where police officer!Dick saves some demons or something as a police officer and he knows how to handle them and uses mimicked demon behavior to calm them and all his colleagues are like "where did you learn that? whaaat are you doing" and he gets to gush about his baby brothers and sister who are all demons?

Sure thing! I love Dick could be a good police officer and help to make a difference in bridging the gap between species.

———

Dick knew that Jason hated him living in Bludhaven. He knew that Jason hated the fact that he was a cop and was putting his life on the line without the protection of a pack or a cape.

But there were some things that Dick needed to do without Jason’s approval.

Surprisingly, Bruce had been the one to understand that the most and helped Dick present his case to Jason.

The demon wasn’t happy, but he relented under the pressure of Head and the Head’s second.

Dick only stayed in Blud four days a week, returning back for long weekends in order to help feed the Incubi and settled pack bonds that got ruffled without one of their own. It was an easy schedule because the drive to Blud wasn’t that bad and Dick was more than grateful for the extra Friday to spend with his baby brothers.

That didn’t stop Jason from grumpily glaring like an affronted cat every time Dick packed his suitcase to return to Blud after his usual 3-day weekend at the Manor, though.

The Incubus was the worst mother hen out of all of them even if he vehemently denied it.

Dick sighed leaning back against the leather of the patrol car, idly watching as cars passed by. He chuckled as speeders suddenly pressed on the brakes in an attempt to pretend they weren’t just going 15 over. Dick wasn’t in the mood to actually pull one over and entertained himself with the panicking drivers.

The radio crackled and Dick listened as another officer spoke into the channel.

"Attention code 45 on East Street. Back up requested."

45... that was...

Feral demon. The highly dangerous kind.

Or, at least the cop who called it in thought the person was highly dangerous.

Dick jolted in his street, scrambling for his radio. "This is Officer Grayson. I'm on my way."

He pulled onto the street, turned on his sirens, and raced to the location.

His tires screeched when pulled up next to an alleyway that already had two other cop cars parked next to it. The lights were flashing and made the alleyway be bathed in bursts of red and blue.

He was too fucking late. He wanted to be the first one here to stop the damage before it could be dealt.

He flung open the door and rushed into the alleyway where four other officers were already huddled around was what he assumed was a demon. Hands were on guns, muscles were tense and there was a low, angry hissing filling the air.

"Grayson, good thing you're here. We have a pretty nasty one."

Dick bristled at hearing the demon get called a "nasty one". They were probably terrified, growling and snarling because they were cornered and outnumbered.

"Species?"

"A Succubus and an Alectos."

There were two of them? Dick only heard the hissing of one.

Dick broke through the group of other officers, shoving his way to the front, and stopped.

The Succubus was crouched on the group, half shoved behind a dumpster and hissing with all the fury her small body could manage. She couldn't be older than Damian, probably only 12 or 13. She hadn't grown enough to get a full, deep growl of an adult demon.

Behind her, a tiny impling shivered and whined in fright. He looked up with his multicolour eyes that constantly shifted hue in the light. He was so young that it hurt Dick's heart. The imp had only tiny nubs for horns, and clung on to the older demon fiercely.

The familiarity meant that they were probably siblings. Maybe adopted. Maybe with one child taking after their Mother and another taking after their Father.

They were definitely pack and the Succubus acted just as any demon would act to a packmate being threatened.

Dick could easily imagine Jason acting the exact same way, making himself as terrifying as possible to protect his implings.

But Jason, a full-grown Incubus with fangs and claws and snarl that could shake bone, was actually terror-inducing.

This Succubus with her high-pitched and stuttering snarl and her adorable baby brother peering over her shoulder, just looked heartbreaking and scared.

"Everyone get back," Dick ordered, sweeping an arm out. "I can handle this."

"Grayson..."

"I can," he snapped, "My siblings are demons. I know how to handle them."

The officer stepped back and Dick heaved a breath before walking forward.

The Succubus's eyes instantly snapped on to him and her growling became more panicked. Dick felt her desperately try to grapple with his emotions and bend them to her will, but her attempts were amateur. Dick was used to sparring with Jason, a highly trained demon who could wield his abilities like a knife, and he was more than capable of shutting down the Succubus's emotion grabbing.

He didn't let her manipulate his emotions, but he did open them, letting her know that he was safe and meant no harm.

"Hi," he said as he watched the Succubus taste his emotions. Some of the tension in her muscles began to ease and she tilted her head in confusion. Humans wouldn't normally know how to portray their emotions purposefully to a Succubus.

"I'm Dick. I'm not going to hurt you."

Her eyes flickered to the officers behind him.

"They want to take my brother," she said, her voice gravelly with a growl. "They want to take me."

An officer stepped forward, her face scowling. "We just want to bring them to the CPS. They shouldn't be out here alone."

Dick agreed, but he knew better than anyone that CPS could be just as dangerous as living on the streets from a young Succubus and an impling.

The Succubus stiffened and horror flashed on her face. Her eyes flickered between Dick and the other officers. She tried to snarl, flashing her fangs at them even as her eyes looked terrified.

"I won't let you take him. I won't."

Dick could see the situation quickly getting out of hand. The Succubus was slowly growing more frantic, the officers were getting tenser because of it. Dick needed to de-escalate.

So he shoved himself in front of the Succubus, breaking her eye contact with imposing officers, and he chuffed.

The Succubus startled at the sound, eye-widening and locking on to him.

Humans didn't chuff. They didn't know what chuffing meant, that it was supposed to call implings and let them know an older, protective demon was there.

But most humans didn't have demon brothers that constantly needed corralling and cuddling to feed.

The Alectos impling was the first to respond, chirping towards Dick and instinctively answering back to what he perceived as an older demon.

The Succubus was slower, but eventually, also let her growling die down and also chirped to Dick.

Dick gave them both his almost-purr and spoke calmly.

"I'm going to help you. You won't be separated. I can get you somewhere safe."

"But, trafficking..."

"I know and I know somewhere you can go where they won't touch you."

The Succubus blinked and Dick slow blinked back, finally easing the last of the tension in her muscles.

"How do you know?"

Dick gave her a soft smile and let her have a peek at the bright packbonds in his chest.

Her eyes widened in shock and she looked at him in a new light. "You have a pack."

"Yes, two of my brothers are Incubi, one is a Luciferean and my sister is a Wraith."

"And you're a human?"

"Yes, and so is our Head of pack."

She wrinkled her nose and it was the first time that she looked like a proper, innocent impling instead of a scared, out-of-her-mind kid.

"That's weird."

Dick laughed and offered her a hand so she could stand up. She hesitantly took it. The impling at her side chirped again and nuzzled into her.

"Yeah, I guess it is pretty weird, but I still love them."

Dick walked with the Succubus, motioning the other officers away and guiding her into the back of his police car. When they were settled, Dick heard her begin to purr for her baby brother and groom the dirt away from his face.

Dick couldn't help but smile to himself as he called to one of the Wayne Enterprises-sponsored demon shelters and told them he was bringing the siblings.

He couldn't save every demon he came across, but it brightened something hopeful in his heart whenever he could help just one.

He dropped the siblings at the shelter, relaxing as they finally got to somewhere safe. There were far too few places that were safe for a demon.

And as he watched the siblings retreat into the shelter, he ached for his own pack and his own siblings. He had the sudden fierce urge to chuff, even though the implings weren't there to hear him.

Maybe he could leave for Gotham a little early? Bruce certainly wouldn't mind having Dick drop by unexpectedly.

Dick pulled his cop car back into the Bludhaven street and tugged at his bonds. Everyone in his family tugged back.

#drabble #though it is a bit long #Dick Grayson #Demon AU #I didn't get to the gushing about his siblings #but this was getting long already lol

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violettedouceur · 5 years

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The way tumblr depicts the Batfamily and how wrong it is.

Last edit:15.03.2021 This had so many grammatical and punctual errors that it hurt my eyes. Why did it go off? :D

In this post I will do a big comparison of how the Batfamily (mostly the male part) is depicted in the tumblr community. I am not trying to insult anyone. Many of these are also DC’s fault and their inconsistency. (+ a P.S)

Batman

How tumblr sees him:

THE BEST DAD, adopting machine, always has time for his kids!!! always understand his kids! IS never mad at his kids and never hits them or something like that!! Over all the best dad!!

How he is in the comics (mostly depending on the writer):

Neglecting his children, snapping at them, doesn’t do well with parenting, because.. he had no parents after the age of 10. Tries to do well with them, but still does major mistakes. He doesn’t always understand “his” kids and does big mistakes - like hitting Jason for e.g. Generally doesn’t understand a lot of things.

Nightwing (KINDA LONG ONE):

How tumblr sees him:

Ray of sunshine! Happy-go-lucky, hyperactive mom!! He loves being sexy! Likes to be complimented on his ass!! !!Very social!!! Womanizer!!!! Always really positive!! thiccer than a sniccer

How he is in the comics:

In the comics even if yes - he is not as dark as Batman on the outside and talk a bit more than him, he is not a “mom” type of character that the tumblr community portrays him as. Actually he has pretty negative thoughts and doubts himsels and his decisions. HE DOESN’T LIKE TO BE SEXUALIZED OR TO BE COMPLIMENTED ABOUT HIS ASS. EVEN FROM COMICS IN THE 80-90S HE SAID HE DOESN’T LIKE ATTENTION.

DICK IS NOT THICKER/BIGGER THAN JASON AND NEVER WAS. Idk why in recent years people (also comics artists) portray Dick as someone who is very VERY muscular, bulky and even bigger than Jason (many times!). Yes he is fit, but he is not thicc kind of fit. Even if Richard had many relationships he actually is unsure when he is in one, he doesn’t always know what to do and he definitely is not the type of a “womanizer”. DICK IS NOT A RAY OF SUNSHINE. Actually he has some type of social anxiety (when overbeared with his role of a leader and his job he watched channels/shows in which there are no humans, i feel like it’s obvious why.) RICHARD TAKES HIS VIGILANTE JOB SERIOUSLY, TO THE POINT HE IS WORKCHOLIC AND CAN SEVERLEY INSULT PEOPLE. When Barbara told him he needs to rest and not concentrate so much on his vigilante life he literally told her that she needs to shut up and that he regrets installing elevator in the building (SHE WAS IN WHEELCHAIR.) Almost all of the fandom in tumblr forgets that DICK HAS FLAWS and is extremely flawed and negative many times, because of his job as vigilante.

Red Hood (Jason Todd):

How tumblr sees him:

ThE BAD BOY OF THE FAMILY, never got through his emo phrase, MCR fan, very not violent, aha.

How he is in the comics(written very inconsistently, many times one dimensional, please let me write him):

(yes he is NOT a heartless murderer, this is why he is an anti-hero, but he is still pretty violent)

At first a boy with severe temper problems, extremely violent, doesn’t think about conequences, always puts himself in danger,l because of his stupidity and naiveness (hence way he experienced such way of dying). (also feels constantly compared to Dick, which didn’t help him. LIKE CONSTATLY COMPARED TO DICK.)

After being revived he started having SEVERE MENTAL PROBLEMS, not only his mind didn’t heal properly, but it left him with really, really bad problems. He is SUICIDAL, HE HAS DEPRESSION. He actually has severe mental health problems that he tries to fight off, but no one here is saying a thing about how suicidal Jason actually is. The person that helped him the most is Roy Harper, that actually had his own problems (drug addiction having a baby by a super villain, clones, that baby dying, losing an arm and the list goes on. (depending on the comics you read).

Generally Jason is fucked up. I like his version in the RH and the outlaws, but he will always have mental problems and I think the fandom should talk about his broken side way more than his bad boy one.

Red Robin (Tim Drake:

How tumblr sees him:

LOVES COFFE, nerd aha, sassy af., very talkative, annoyed by everything LOL (I generally see this three as his main personality traits)

How he is in the comics:

Indeed a nerdy type of character, but he constantly tries to prove himself. (Imagine being an adoptive child to someome who recently lost their child in horrendous way and another one that left you because it wanted freedom, you would definitely want to prove your worth to Batman). Unlike Jason or Dick he is not very talkative, Tim is introverted and not confident, extremely socially awkward. Constantly doubting whether or not he is good enough (rarely seeing this to be talked about in the fandom). He is (un)arguably the best detective out of the all Robins. HE DOESN’T EVEN LIKE COFFEE, BUT PREFERS TEA. In old issues he is always seen with a CUP OF TEA in hand, rather than coffee. I feel like the fandom thought that when workacholic he is instantly in love with coffee, but this isn’t more far from the truth.

Robin ( DAMIAN WAYNE):

How tumblr sees him:

VERY ANGRYYY, ball of angryness, wants to cut off everything with his katana, wants to kill everyone,aha. ANNOYING AF.

How he is in the comics:

A character that actually has redeeming qualities, feeling other emotions aside from angry-ness, doesn’t literally want to cut everything with katana. Indeed having issues and being portrayed differently by comics artists, leaving him one dimensional sometimes or doing too irrational things. His ignorance is bred by Thalia, raising him with the thought of being “the heir of Batman/Bruce Wayne”. He actually needs help, a parent figure that can understand where his issues are and make him realise that. He is extremely flawed, but is a child, that needs a real parenting.

Alfred Pennyworth:

y’all forget that he is the one and only true parent figure of the family, he is not just there to be wise - but to remind all of them that they are humans and need to R E S T. That the things they do are actually not right. He is the true parent figure of all family members - especially Bruce.

Duke Thomas:

constantly forgetting he exists and it’s sad

Barbara Gordon:

many of y’all see her only for her role as a love interest of Dick, it’s sad.

Stephanie and Cassandra:

sometimes y’all include them

sometimes y'all don’t

very inconsistent of the way they are portrayed.

deserve more fanarts

Cassandra is not some badass that doesn’t talk - she can’t talk and desperately tries to learn.

Stephanie is way more than a nerd.

If you disagree - do it repesctfully, under the post.

P.S - I have nothing against fanons and headcanons, but such topic should occassionally be brought up so new fans don’t get wrong idea of how the characters are in the comics! Sometimes we should remind ourselves that in the typical DC universe matter the characters we love are darker than we portray them, but I support creativity in every way! Do your thing! :)

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itzagothamcitysiren · 4 years

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Welcome to the Family

and here we are finally, the last chapter of Welcome to the Family. I can’t wait to start posting what I have planned next. Tim is coming and I’m so excited cause he’s just so much fun to write.

Also I made a post about who would be the best actor to portray Damian in this post here. I’d love you’re guys feedback, because after Tim comes Dami and I have no clue who I would want to play him and who to use for gifs for this lol. Help a girl out and give me ya’ll’s opinions.

Love Is a Burning Thing and It Makes a Fiery Ring pt.7

8 MONTHS LATER

“Are you sure you don’t care?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Hmp,” Sam huffed, blowing her hair out of her face as she stared dead ahead of her in frustration. “Are you really sure because I feel like you’re just lying to me to make me not pushy. Or too stop my rambling. Oh my god, you are lying aren’t you? Come on we talked about this-,”

“Sam!” Halley’s nerves busted, pinching the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes. The box she held underneath her armpit slacking forward a tad as her shoulders slumped in her own frustration. She motioned towards the object that was the subject of their little spat, motioning to it with wide, tired eyes. “For the last time I said its fine, I truly, honestly, deeply and with every fiber of my being do not care if you want the bottom bunk.”

“Right, sorry.” Sam hushed herself, rubbing her neck sheepishly, slowly backing away as if Halley was steaming. She cleared her throat, furrowing her eyebrows when she picked up on Halley’s stance. She motioned about as she tried to defend herself. “I’m not used to having friends!”

“You have friends,” Halley chuckled, moving further into the room, placing the box she had been holding down onto the desk in the corner of the small room.

“Blah, those aren’t real friends.” Sam made a sound of disgust and with a wave of her hand. Her voice then changed to a proud tone. She moved the hand she waved about down, smugly placing it on her hip as she popped it to the side. “They just liked me because I threw awesome parties.”

“They really weren’t that great,” Halley chuckled again as she began to unpack the box, pulling out different books and knick-knacks.

“Okay rude.” Sam pretended to be taken back. She plopped down onto the bed against the wall, letting her hands rest in her lap. She looked up at Halley, who was already busy away as she was intent on unpacking quickly. Sam played with her fingers. “Are you sure you’re okay with top bunk?”

“Oh my god, yes.” Halley let her head fall backwards in annoyance. She pulled it back up and craned her neck to the side so she could look at the girl, she’d become surprisingly good friends with over the summer and fall. “I truly don’t care, Sam.”

“Okay, okay.” Sam raised her hands in honest defeat. “Sorry, I’ve just never had a roommate before. I don’t want to come off pushy or demanding.”

Halley frowned, knowing that it was only about a year ago that that’s how she had viewed the girl and how many people still had. Sam honestly wasn’t that bad, their friendship forming surprisingly quick after their shared moment in the Gotham Academy girl’s room. They didn’t have much in common but there was just something between them that clicked. Halley couldn’t pin point what it was at first, never voicing her inner conflict she had within herself over the new friendship until only a few months ago.

Halley had skipped the fall semester, still not sure of herself and was undecided if she was ready to move on with her life without Jason. They were supposed to be on campus together and she was still trying to move forward. It was when Sam started collage and continued to reach out to Halley, actually wanting to continue the friendship they formed even with her busy school schedule. Sam still made time for her, inviting her to her dorm and even a handful of parties, which during she never abandoned her and stood next to her the entire time.

Halley was still surprised with herself for attending them but Sam had been all to convincing, finally caving and agreeing to let Halley introduce her to Star Wars. Sam was now just as obsessed with the movies as she was. She even started going to the arcade with Halley and Dylan and their group of friends every now and then. The group had also planned a group trip to a big comic convention in Metropolis one weekend.

Sam brought back some sort of comfort and normalcy in Halley’s life and that was what made her click with Sam. Sam made her feel like what a regular eighteen year old girl should feel like. Halley never felt like this before even with Jason. Of course she missed him more than anything but it was nice to just be normal, having given up on being a vigilante ever since the night Bruce fired her. That part of her life was behind her and now she was reborn in a sense.

“And this is the last one,” Dick’s voice snapped Halley out of her thoughts.

She stared down at the book she was holding, placing it down onto the desk before looking up at him. He entered their room, holding one last box. Halley gave him a thankful nod as he placed it down at the foot of the bunk beds. Halley snickered to herself and shook her head, hearing Sam’s sudden change in tone as she thanked Dick. Her crush on Dick had been jarring at first. Halley almost always finding herself regretting inviting Sam over the pair’s apartment as she spent most of the time blushing and stuttering over the blue eyed man.

“So I was thinking we could go grab lunch? You know, celebrate you starting classes. I think that’s what parent’s usually do on drop off day, right?” Dick placed his hands on his hips, his expression pondering. He caught himself and laughed, “I mean I’m not your parent but you know,”

“I’m starving!” Sam cut him off, excitedly. “That’s a great idea Dick, thank you.”

“Cool, let’s go. You guys have all weekend to unpack.” He said clapping his hands together and moved to leave the room first.

Halley rolled her eyes, wanting to unpack first before thinking of food. She had plans tonight. But Dick was right, they did have all weekend to settle in and it wasn’t like they had much to unpack, it was a small room after all. Halley grabbed her bag and room key, following Sam to the door. As she closed and locked it, she raised an eyebrow at Sam, who was unsurprisingly staring after Dick as he walked down the hall.

“That’s a great idea, Dick,” Halley mimicked her friend, pulling the key out of the hole. She tossed it into her bag, zipping it up and adjusting it around her back. “Thank you, Dick.”

“Shush, he’ll hear you.” Sam hissed, gently pushing her aside. “I can’t help that your brother is so hot. Like honestly just look at him.” Sam whispered, staring longingly as they picked up their step to follow him.

Halley didn’t respond, just shaking her head and following the two out of the building and towards the parking lot.

Hours had gone by and the threes lunch date had been long over. Dick was already on his way back to Bludhaven, having given Halley a tearful goodbye only to earn an eye roll from her. She would only be about a half hour away, Dick was just being dramatic she told him. The sun began to set when she finally pried him off of her and got Sam to stop making conversation so she could finally start getting ready for her plans.

When she was sure Sam was deep asleep she quietly climbed down from her bunk, tip toeing as she reached for her shoes. Creeping out of the room in a pair of pants and Jason’s jacket, she made her way back out into the chilly Gotham air. She had barely spent any time in the city since moving to Bludhaven. She’d only go whenever she hung out with Sam and the guys but she hadn’t truly seen the city; not like how she used to see the city.

She walked down the empty streets, keeping her hood up and her hands in her pockets, her pace steady. She cut through streets and side alleys, easily avoiding the people of Gotham’s nightlife as she did so. She reached the subway and took her first train then her second until she was close to where she needed to be and returned to the streets. Looking from side to side as she exited the underground, she made sure the coast was clear before disappearing into an alleyway and into the shadows.

She came to a stop in front of a fire escape, looking side to side once more. When she was absolutely sure she was safe, she hopped up and gripped onto the bars. Pulling herself up, she heaved herself onto the metal, climbing up and up until she was up and on the roof. The cold air made her instantly put her hands back into her pockets, cursing herself for forgetting to bring gloves. Digging them deep in, Halley walked forward, seeing her destination before her.

She sat down, her feet dangling over the edge with Jason’s gargoyle perched besides her. She frowned, but only for a moment, the view before her bringing a smile to her face. Gently, she placed her head to rest against the statue, humming to herself as she shrugged her backpack off. She reached in, pulling out the beat up copy of the first book they had read together, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. She been wanting to reread it for a while but never got to it. It also didn’t real right since this was their book. But she let out a breath and opened to the first page, smiling when she saw the familiar handing writing inside.

Jason had always had the habit of writing in his books. He’d underline lines he thought were interesting or important, and scribble notes of thoughts and comments. Halley never understood why and would always tease him for it but now she was thankful that he did it. She felt her eyes water as she caressed her thumb against his first note. She looked up to the gargoyle and sighed again. Turning her attention back down to the book she began to read.

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audreycritter · 7 years

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:o CAN YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT THE BATFAMILY AND TRAUMA because it feels like this is a subject in which you have a great deal of knowledge

Okay, I could talk for hours about this, honestly. There are so many lettered disorders that fit the Batfamily (OCD, RAD, FAS, SPD, PTSD, ASD, plus bipolar, depression, anxiety, insomnia, etc) and they can all be the RESULT of trauma or the result of innate brain structure. There’s so much that I’m actually tempted to write a few essays about it. But for the sake of answering the ask, I’ll hit a few major points and I am 100% open to questions/more specific asks.

Canon is a mess, obviously, but there are some things that either consistently track or show up regularly in fanon for each character. I think first we need to differentiate the kinds of trauma each character has experienced because both the type of and duration of the event and the age at which it’s experienced can make a difference.

Bruce and Dick both are portrayed as having loving, stable parents and backgrounds that were taken from them by abrupt violence. This means that they have event-based trauma like PTSD or other things that it can trigger but they do not have chronic or infancy-related brain damage (because this, essentially, is what most trauma is: brain damage). The age at which they were exposed was mid-adolescence so there are many crucial developmental stages that the probably hit appropriately.

Tim, while born into a home with money, is written as often neglected emotionally which is an important detail. Meeting physical needs does not prevent trauma when there is gross emotional neglect. If there is one stable caregiver, like Alfred with Bruce, it can resolve (to some degree) a missing parent even if there is bitterness or hurt. But with a rotation of attachments of varying interests or levels, the reality is that there are going to be long-term attachment issues. The kind of trauma that missing attachment creates in the brain can have all kinds of affects and trouble regulating sleep is one of them. It’s highly likely, in the context of realistic trauma depiction, that Tim’s coffee habit, sleep troubles, and anxiety predate his tenure as Robin and are rooted in the lack of attachment to a consistent caregiver. When a child’s emotional needs are not met, they often have trouble regulating themselves and in some personalities this results in the physical component of difficulty recognizing a need for sleep, water, or food or seeking them at odd times/in crisis states.

Cass, my darling. There is a very fundamental danger in separation from a mother at birth. Even infants experience grief and to be separated from the smells and sounds of the womb even within minutes or days of delivery severs the first and most basic attachment. This is why even children adopted at birth can have attachment issues, even if they are very mild in a loving adoptive home. But to be separated from a mother and then raised in a home with minimal language or comfort (remember, she tells Bruce, “he never held me” as far as her memory goes) does two things that are present in Cassandra Cain’s story. Children with that kind of physical and mental trauma often have sensory issues with input, so when Cass doesn’t react to pain the same way the others do, it might be that her brain actually doesn’t register pain. A common presentation of this is that actual pain (a broken arm, a deep cut) go unnoticed for hours while a soft hand on the back or a gentle tap are perceived as deeply painful. The other thing the absence of spoken language/dialogue does is affect memory. Memory storage relies heavily on repetitive recollection and the strongest positive/neutral memories are the ones that are discussed and shared. Her childhood, the most traumatic memories aside, is likely a blur or a composite.

Jason. Ooh, boy. Because his return is (relatively) recent and there are three separate but very strong iterations of him, I’m going to focus on his character pre-death just for this. Partly because we’re told the Lazarus Pit changed things significantly for him and each of the current versions have very different, equally valid explanations. So, pre-death, he’s a bit of a punk. We know that he dealt with, like Cassandra, a separation from his birth mom in infancy and then Catherine’s drug problems and Willis’ instability probably worsened those things instead of helping to heal them. Children with reactive attachment disorder and early trauma often have issues with cause and effect, appropriately placed blame, and emotional illiteracy coupled with stress hormone overdrive resulting in explosive anger and deep self-hatred/mistrust. They often pendulum swing between self-blame (“I’m an awful person, I don’t deserve anything, everyone hates me”) and violent shows of external blame (“this is all your fault! You just like to punish me!”). The problem is that with the missing cause and effect cycle and the high stress state of the brain, this means that most things that make the child even mildly uncomfortable are perceived as massive threats AND misappropriately blamed. For example, a child with a healthy brain may forget to do their homework and if the parent asks in the morning about it, may feel slight panic or annoyance in response. A child with RAD might snap: everything is stupid, nobody cares, this is all YOUR FAULT. They may throw or break things or storm off and then defend themselves with “you MADE me do that!” Decisions made to protect or help the child can be interpreted as threats or hate.

Okay, Damian. While it might seem like he is the most traumatized of the lot (and in some ways he is), he also has the benefit of being with Talia and Talia genuinely caring for him. She holds him, she talks to him, etc. It does important things for his brain. Unfortunately, he also has massive physical abuse and the war zone/refugee stress of being forced into dealing with adult violence and adult decisions while he is still small and developing. This is why he seems more mature for his age– he has huge social and emotional gaps as a result. His trauma means that his brain likely considers every input a threat, resulting in massively high stress hormones, chronic exhaustion, and defensive anger. Everything he does is coded as a survival mechanism.

Stephanie Brown! I’m guessing that she is dealing with some form of Fetal Alcohol/Drug Syndrome as well as basic neglect. Inconsistent care is dangerous because the cause and effect pattern in an infant’s brain is disrupted (healthy: baby cries, is fed and changed; unhealthy, baby cries, is SOMETIMES fed or changed– baby learns that crying doesn’t mean much and everything seems arbitrary). FAS means that there is physical brain damage she’s probably had to learn to route around, so mild learning delays. She isn’t stupid but she has to work twice as hard to retain the same academic things others do. Because of the cause and effect gap, she probably has a loose innate grasp of how dangerous things are. I’m guessing if she hadn’t gotten into crimefighting, she’d either be a thrill-junkie or have the reputation as being “wild” even though in basic self-care like sleep and food she’s very self-regulated and responsible. When Bruce or Tim tell her things are dangerous or beyond her skill set, it is probably not just her bravery at work– they might actually have accurate assessments that she cannot and does not see, but through sheer luck, force of will, or discipline she’s managed to escape more severe consequences. That isn’t to say that she isn’t good at what she does, just that she might actually NOT consider the worst-case (or even likely case) scenario when attempting something.

I could go on for hours– there are so many aspects of each of these that I haven’t even touched on but this is getting super long, so I should probably divide it up!

#batfam #trauma #batman #adoption #ptsd #rad #fas #asks #science

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