#because you literally have to CHANGE what Dick ACTUALLY says to Tim to paint him as neglectful or not caring about his emotional well-being

[bigskydreaming]

What kills me in fics is when you have tags going like "Good brother Jason", which, cool, but in the same story there's " Dick TRIES to be a Good Brother" LOL way to switch the dynamics. I also tend to stay clear of the ones where the centric character seems to have a platonic relationship tag with everyone (including the ones where they're antagonists in canon like Jason & Tim) except Dick. You can feel the hate/dislike/prejudice a MILE away.

Yeeeeeeah. You are definitely not alone. Like pretty much every Dick Grayson stan I’ve ever talked to on the subject stays the hell away from any fic tagged “Dick Grayson tries to be a good brother.”

LOL like....it’s basically what I was talking about in that older post I just reblogged a few minutes ago. That thing where Dick’s actions or choices in a canon story or fic aren’t judged on their own merits but are rather inherently weighed against some hypothetical perfect choice that he DIDNT make and so he’s basically evaluated based on how much he falls short of that mark each time instead of anything he actually did.

Sorry not sorry, but I’m just not interested in stories that TRANSFORM the character most commonly referred to as the emotional glue of the family and the only one who consistently even CARES about them all being a family....into the fumbling incompetent relationship disaster man who at best gets credit for at least putting in an attempt at being there for his family.

Especially not when Bruce and Jason and Tim are praised for doing the bare minimum in canon when it comes to family interactions while everything Dick ACTUALLY did is just completely ignored and overwritten in order to make his Failure to People Good the narrative obstacle to be overcome.

Now, the “Dick Grayson Tries To Be A Good Brother” tag applied to Tim-centric fics in particular tho....hoo boy I am out of there so fast there’s a Kool-Aid Man shaped hole in the wall and not a sign of me as far as the horizon.

Like, currently my Pet Peeve Thermostat is set to Battle for the Cowl-referencing fics that don’t use this tag but very much are in that spirit. You probably know the ones, like their summaries suggest they’re open to considering Dick’s side of the situation but turns out the author at most is throwing him a “well at least you tried not to suck” bone while still reading him the riot act for very much still sucking.

Because what drives me up a flipping WALL here in particular, when I naively click on a link that seems different from the usual and ignore the voice of experience because I’m just desperate enough for Tim and Dick food that doesn’t just go on and on about how Dick ruined their brotherhood and it will never be truly repaired....

What makes the fruit bats in my belfry go absolutely B-A-N-A-N-A-S is not just the super fun realization that Psych! You thought this fic might be different but it’s actually the same!

Nah.

It’s how much people, both writers AND commenters, just absolutely LOVE to reference Tim’s shitbag parents and how emotionally abusive and neglectful they were (all true and valid, btw, let’s be totally clear about that)....but bringing them up here specifically to emphasize just how great Dick’s ‘betrayal’ was and how what he did makes him no better than them.

It’s like. Oh. I see.

So because after twenty years worth of stories about Dick dropping everything the second Tim needs him, whether it’s for help or just advice or even just reassurance or comfort or ANYTHING ....because after two decades worth of content showing Dick absolutely doting on Tim in their EVERY SINGLE interaction and buttressing his self confidence at every opportunity, never passing up a chance to call him his brother and emphasize that they’re family and he loves Tim and is so proud of him...

Because after all that there’s a story whose very premise forced Dick to choose between two kids, both still very much his brothers and their shared father’s sons even if one was new to him and didn’t have the same history the other two had....

Because by the very nature of the story Dick had no choice but to prioritize one over the other due to them both hating each other and Dick already being stretched to his absolute limits trying to live his dead father’s life and take on everything Bruce used to do at the cost of giving up everything Dick had chosen for his own life and wants and priorities, all while dealing with his own grief....

And with it being inevitable that the boy he DIDNT choose to prioritize was going to be hurt....

Because after twenty years of never failing to put Tim first the second Tim needed him, never even putting HIMSELF first OVER Tim....because for the first time Dick felt that someone else he felt obligated to, felt a responsibility towards, actually needed him MORE than Tim....

And for that reason and that reason ONLY, Dick picked that other boy, all while trying his best to tell Tim that he still needed him, still valued him, all the things that Bruce DIDNT tell him when he took Robin not even because he thought someone else needed it at the time but simply to take away, with absolutely nothing Dick said in any way negating or contradicting any of his many, MANY assurances to Tim over the years that they were brothers and always would be and with them still very much legally brothers and with concrete ties to each other that declared them family even WITHOUT the connection of Robin....

Because after and despite ALL OF THAT, Dick picked the brother that he didn’t know and frankly didn’t even LIKE, because he knew no one else was going to pick this kid and he also knew he’d already picked Tim a hundred times before and hoped that at least all that HISTORY of past focus and attention he’d given Tim to help build him up, give him foundations to build further upon, that hopefully at least that history that was still there, still relevant, still something Tim had actively benefited and grown from in ways Dick now hoped to help Damian....like surely this would be of at least SOME significance to Tim, SOME kind of proof of how much Dick loved and valued Tim....

Because one time and one time ONLY, Dick DIDNT put Tim’s needs first, not because he didn’t want to or because he was being selfish or short sighted or simply didn’t care, but rather solely because this one time Tim’s needs were in direct opposition with the needs of another young boy Dick saw as his responsibility and in even greater need and with even less of a foundation than the one Dick had helped Tim build....

This puts Dick on the same level as Tim’s shitbag parents, the ones who are infamous for (and practically synonymous with) emotional abuse and neglect. Dick’s basically interchangeable with them now. Certainly no better than them. Tim’s entire emotional well-being rested on Dick and Dick alone and nothing he’d provided Tim with in the past counts, just this one moment in time right here right now, that’s the entirety of their relationship see, it all comes down to this and nothing else, and because Dick didn’t put Tim first, no matter WHAT his reasons or how much he wanted to, he has officially failed Tim as hard as the neglectful parents who did nothing BUT neglect, ignore and just not give a shit at all, simply because they couldn’t be bothered to.

Yeah.

That’s neat.

#and please before certain people get all up in their righteous umbrage and declare a blood feud against me for this #take note of how nowhere did I say Tim doesn’t have the right and reason to be hurt #because of course he does #you will never see me claiming otherwise #but just because someone was hurt that doesn’t mean that someone did it to hurt them #and that is the distinction so many fans don’t seem to care to make #I’ve literally seen people call Dick emotionally abusive and neglectful for this era of canon and holy shit people #in terms of abuse specifically you absolutely can be abusive without meaning to #hell this is basically the nature of neglect. they’re not TRYING to hurt a child because the entire problem is the child #doesn’t even rate as much of a presence in their awareness as they should #but people can yell it’s just their interpretation all they want about this era of canon #but it’s flat out not true. it’s their transformation of the material not an interpretation of it #because you literally have to CHANGE what Dick ACTUALLY says to Tim to paint him as neglectful or not caring about his emotional well-being #you have to CUT OUT all mention of the times Dick tried reaching out to Tim or checking up on him in order to paint Dick as simply moving #on with his shiny newer little brother #that’s not a difference of interpretation. that’s an act of transformation. changing details of a story that isn’t reading the way you want #it to....until it DOES say what you want it to #and the problem has NEVER been some of us just being unwilling to let people have their headcanons #the problem is people’s refusal to call them headcanons or AUs or anything that acknowledges they’ve transformed the source material #in order to CREATE the interpretation they’re going with #AND OTHER FANS HAVE EVERY RIGHT IN THE WORLD TO SAY YEAH WE’RE NOT TRYING TO TALK ABOUT YOUR TRANSFORMATION OF CANON THO #we’re literally trying to talk about what you transformed it FROM....and the fact that despite all your complaints about canon character #choices....some of you repeatedly make the CHOICE to change canon not just to fix or address the poor character choices you don’t like for #your faves.....but also at the same time making this other character do the very stuff you claim to hate canon having your faves do #and that is your CHOICE. AND YOU GET TO MAKE IT. BUT IT IS STILL A CHOICE TO MAKE CHANGES #NOT simply a different interpretation of the foundational material #like you guys keep trying to pass it off as #and that MATTERS #it matters quite a lot in fact

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Ch. 29: Happiest Place on Earth (Vacation/Roadtrip)

AO3

Prev

Marinette blinks at her dad, trying to make sense of what he’s saying.

“B, you have a private jet. Why the fuck are we driving?” Jason asks, and Marinette swears his eye twitches.

“I thought it would be nice to do a family vacation the normal way, complete with a road trip.” Her dad says and Marinette frowns. Now? Now is when he decides to be normal?

“Father, we can not all leave. Someone must stay behind to patrol and watch over Gotham. As much as it pains me, I will stay.” Damian says, and Marinette resists the urge to whack him. It wasn’t going to hurt him at all to get to stay, he was doing it on purpose. She wanted to go on vacation with her brothers and dad and Selina, but she also wasn’t sure she wanted to deal with them being so close to her for over fifteen hours in an enclosed vehicle.

“No need. Clark said he would make sure to listen for any extreme trouble, Stephanie and Barbara will still be here, and if all else fails we’ll use the Zeta tubes to get back.” Her dad says, his tone filled with finality. This was serious. He was really going to do this to them.

“Well, I’ll drive the second car. And I call Pix-”

“We don’t need to take two vehicles, Jason. Selina and I went out and bought a new car that will seat all of us perfectly, and there’s plenty of room in the back for luggage.” He says, and Marinette makes eye contact with Damian. His face says ‘fix this’, but all she can do is shrug. There was no way she was going to be able to save all of them from this one. Their dad looked way too determined. Alfred had somehow managed to plan his own trip to England to line up perfectly with their trip, which meant he was saved from the inevitable horror the trip would bring.

---

Marinette was willing to bet that her dad had never been on a road trip before. She honestly doubted he’d ever seen a movie with a road trip before, because if he had, they would most definitely not be on one. Even movies with road trips show how awful they are. Sure, the family is smiling by the end, but that’s because they’ve come up with a foolproof murder plan. Marinette frowns and blinks. She’d definitely been spending way too much time with Damian.

She had even tried to convince her dad to use Kaalki, even though he hated magic. In fact, Kaalki had begged as well. But no. So Kaalki was riding in the spare tire shell on the back of the car, unwilling to sit with her brothers for so long. Not that she could blame the Kwami. They were only an hour into the drive (that was scheduled to take fifteen hours and forty five minutes, not including breaks or traffic). She wasn’t too upset with the seating arrangement, but it had been calm so far. Too calm. Her dad and Selina were, of course, in the front. The next row, which also contained bucket seats, had Dick (he claimed one of the seats as the oldest) and Tim (who had to sit there because he got horribly carsick). That meant that she was stuck in the very back, sitting between Damian and Jason. But that was fine, they’d gotten along so far. They could keep it up for another fifteen hours, right?

---

They couldn’t even keep it up for another five minutes. Jason reached behind her and whacked Damian, which made him let out a battle cry, one that was way too loud for the car, before turning and attacking Jason again. She wasn’t sure how Tim was still asleep, even with his headphones on, but she supposed it was for the best. She really didn’t want to deal with her brother’s car sickness this early in the trip.

“This family is a fucking nightmare!” Jason yells, kneeing the back of Dick’s seat. Marinette glares at him and his dramatics. He was definitely trying to get their dad to turn the car around and switch to the jet. But Marinette had a feeling that instead of turning around, he’d drive even slower.

“Jay, I love you. But if you don’t stop screaming, they’ll never find your body.” Marinette whispers with a smile. Jason frowns, elbowing her gently.

“What’s wrong with you? I thought you’d be all over this shit.” He says with a huff. Marinette narrows her eyes.

“What, annoying shit?” She whispers snarkily, and Jason blinks. She frowns, until she realizes what she said. “Don’t tell dad!” She begs, latching onto Jason’s arm.

“Bruce!” Jason yells. Marinette yelps and covers his mouth.

“Jason, I am begging you not to do this.” She says, making eye contact with her dad in the rearview mirror and smiling awkwardly. “He was just guessing for, um, uh, I spy!” She yells, sighing in relief as he just nods and turns back to talk to Selina more. She’s about to give Jason an ultimatum, when he licks her hand. She gasps, yanking her hand back and wiping it on her pants with a frown.

“Karma!” Jason declares and Marinette huffs.

“No, it was just gross you mega jerk.” She says.

“Could I have the aux cord?” Dick asks suddenly. Marinette watches amusedly as Jason lunges forward to try and rip the cord from him.

“No, B, why would you give it to him?” He yells, trying to reach it, but unable to because of the seatbelt.

“I think you’re old enough to take turns, Jason. It’s not the end of the world letting Dick use the aux cord.” Dad says, and Dick cheers, plugging the cord into his phone. It’s completely silent for a moment, before ABBA suddenly blasts through the speakers. Marinette turns to Damian, her face stuck in a deadpan expression.

“I know you have a knife. Kill me, please. Or at least stab me badly enough that we have to stop.” She instructs, her eye twitching as Dick starts singing off key.

“If I had two, I would. But I refuse to allow you to escape this hell and leave me to deal with it by myself. If I am stuck here, ukht, then so are you.” Damian says, his tone just as flat.

“Nuh uh. Either all of the resurrected bitches get to die, or none of us do.” Jason pipes up and Marinette sighs.

“Completely unfair, but whatever.” She says, as a horrible thought suddenly crosses her mind. “Oh my god.” She says.

“What?” Damian asks. She pinches the bridge of her nose, and lets out a long breath before looking at her brother sadly.

“We have to drive all the way back, too.” She says, and chaos erupts in the backseat.

---

Jason glares at Bruce in the rearview mirror, waiting for the man to look back and notice him. He finally, finally does, and Jason just grins at Bruce’s responding sigh.

“What?” He asks, and Jason frowns.

“What, can I not just glare at you for no reason?” He asks, snorting at the overly done look on B’s face. “Okay, okay. I was just gonna ask you to stop at the next gas station. I need to walk around, my legs are literally dead.” He says.

“How? I thought Marinette was lying on your legs?” B says and Jason huffs.

“Yeah, she is, but I’m also scrunched up back here because Replacement just had to have the other good seat. I have long legs, B, I’m dying.” Jason says.

“Tt. If you were dying, I would not be forced to hear your voice.” Damian snarks, not even opening his eyes. Jason opens his mouth to argue, but is stopped by a finger raising slowly into the air.

“Shhhhhhhhhhhh.” Pix says before dropping her finger back down and shifting around. Jason just rolls his eyes, trying hard not to smile at his baby sister. Maybe he could wait to walk a little longer. He leans up against the window, letting the soft noises of the car lull him to sleep.

---

Marinette Dupain Cheng was not dressed to impress as she walked into the random McDonalds, somewhere in North Carolina. Her dad had wanted to drive the whole way in one day, so at the last stop before she fell asleep, she’d changed into a pair of leggings, fuzzy socks and one of Jason’s old hoodies. Add in slides and a messy bun that could be mistaken for an abstract art exhibit, and Marinette was not willing to talk to anyone. At least, not until she had some coffee. She’s barely able to order her food before she’s following her brothers to a table in the corner. Sitting in the seat between Tim and Jason, she doesn’t even blink at the oddly stick table. It was six in the morning, the cleanliness of a table wasn’t exactly her number one priority. She narrows her eyes as Dick tries to say something to her, not quite able to comprehend his words. Just as she thinks she’s going to fall asleep on the sticky table, a huge cup is placed in her hands. The smell makes her sigh in relief before she takes a giant swig of the coffee, barely registering how hot it is.

“-nette! God, that was definitely too hot.” Dick says. Marinette blinks, the pain in her mouth finally helping her to register the fact that the coffee was too hot. Way too hot.

“Ouch.” She says quietly, eyebrows furrowing together.

“Kid, you’ve gotta be more careful.” Dick says, passing her another cup. She glances at it wearily and he sighs. “It’s a glass of ice water. It’s gonna feel a lot better than the coffee right now.”

“But, coffee.” She says and Dick gives her a look.

“It’s not going to kill you to drink the water. Now eat up. B wants to get back on the road as soon as possible.” Dick instructs and she groans at the food he passes her.

“You are such a dad.” She mumbles, picking apart the weird hash brown patty he’d passed her, eating small pieces of it.

“I officially hate road trips.” Damian says in a matter-of-fact tone. Marinette glances at him sleepily and grins.

“Just wait til we get to Disney, petit oiseau. That’ll be your own personal hell.” She promises him, snorting at the look on his face. In fact, she doubted any of the family would actually enjoy Disneyworld, given the fact Mar’i and Starfire were off planet again. Well, she knew she would enjoy it. But she doubted her brothers or dad would. Selina would enjoy it, until someone inevitably pisses her off and she steals from them and then gets in a major fight with her dad and- yeah. This was definitely one of her dad’s worst plans ever.

---

Dick insists on taking a family picture at the first rest stop inside Florida. He’s grinning at the palm trees and dolphins painted on the ‘Welcome to Florida’ sign with so much excitement, Marinette almost starts to think that this plan wasn’t awful. Almost. Because three seconds later, Damian is charging at Jason with the katana that he had somehow managed to sneak into the car. Which should have been impossible. She purses her lips as she tries to figure it out, when she sees Kaalki and the wide smile on their face.

“Did you open a portal so that Damian could get his sword and attack Jason?” Marinette asks Kaalki tiredly. She was relieved that her dad had decided they would spend the rest of the day at the hotel (once they finally got there, they were still currently stuck at that stupid welcome sign) instead of trying to go to Disney today. She was exhausted, and right now, the Kwami was not helping.

“I only helped him. He’s so small, and he is your brother, you know.” Kaalki says and Marinette snorts.

“So is the one that he’s currently trying to kill, Kaalki. But okay, sure.” She says, rubbing her face tiredly. She did not have the energy to deal with this right now. She sighs as Jason yells, turning on her heel and rushing after Damian.

“Get the fuck away!” Jason screams at Damian.

“Damian, no, drop the sword! Damian, please!” Marinette yells, rushing after him.

“Todd insists that he’s bunking with me. If he’s dead, I don’t have to worry about that.” Damian calls back, continuing rushing towards Jason. Marinette groans, running faster after him. Apparently, he was excessively crabby when tired. Joy.

---

“Do you think I could get away with wearing these all the time?” Dick asks, pointing to the Toy Story themed ears on his head.

“Might make some aspects of life a little hard.” Marinette points out with a grin as she imagines him, in his Nightwing uniform, with Toy Story ears on.

“We’d definitely amuse more villains, that’s for damn sure.” Jason adds with a smirk.

“Like yours are much better.” Dick says with a pout, pointing at Jason’s bright red Lightning McQueen ears.

“At least I’m wearing one of the better Disney characters.” Jason counters, glancing at Tim. Tim just frowns at him, sleep deprivation clear on his face.

“Goofy is one of the original Disney characters, Jason, I will not be accepting criticism.” He says flatly. Marinette giggles.

“What’re you laughing at sparkles?” Tim asks, pointing at the sparkles and huge bow attached to her ears.

“Nothing. Nothing at all, Timmy.” She says with a grin. She glances down at her watch, wondering what’s taking her dad so long. “Mo-Selina, do you think Dad’s alright?” Marinette asks, barely catching herself. She hadn’t asked Selina, or her Dad, if it was okay to call her that. And she didn’t want to be the kid to ruin the vacation. She currently had money on Jason being the one to ruin things, and she didn’t want to self sabotage that bet.

“Oh definitely. He’s probably just having trouble finding the perfect ears. After all, animal ears aren’t really his thing.” Selina teases, giving Marinette’s shoulders a quick squeeze. She grins and leans into her, content as she stands there and watches the door waiting for- yup. That was her dad. Walking out of a store, in public, with Mickey Mouse ears on his head. Oh this is amazing.

“Nice ears, B.” Jason teases and Marinette giggles. Sure, his ears were the most basic out of everyone (just plain black) but it was still hilarious to see her usually serious dad with mouse ears on his head.

“Tt. I cannot believe that you insisted we all wear them.” Damian complains, but Marinette can tell he likes his ears, even if he won’t admit it. They were Stitch themed, which was Damian’s favorite Disney movie. Really, it was one of three that she’d found that he could tolerate.

“I think you all look adorable.” Selina teases, her ears, like Marinette’s, were on a headband rather than a hat. And Selina’s were white with a veil. Marinette adored them.

“Can we please go get some coffee at Friar Nook’s?” Tim asks, looking dead on his feet. She frowns, slightly worried. They’d only been at the park for half an hour and he was already ready to pass out?

“Did you not sleep at all last night?” She asks, her tone slightly teasing but still concerned for him.

“Blame Dick. He snored all. Night. Long.” Tim complains, sighing deeply. Marinette winces.

“Why don’t you switch with Jason? He can sleep through anything.” She suggests.

“Absolutely not.”

“I would rather chew off my own foot.” Tim and Damian speak at the same time, turning to glare at each other before huffing.

“Come on, let’s go do some rides or something.” Dad suggests, and Marinette agrees, trying her best to hype up her brothers. Even though she’d been wary of the trip, and she was still NOT looking forward to the trip back, she could tell her dad wanted this to go well. He was obviously trying to let them have once nice (normal) vacation together. So she was going to do her best to make sure the rest of the trip was as amazing as possible.

Next

Tag list:  @maribat-bdbwm @vixen-uchiha @stainedglassm @liquid-luck-00 @laurcad123 @waiting247 @jayjayspixiepop @mizzy-pop @jjmjjktth @trippingovermyfeet @queenz-z @thepaceperson @iloontjeboontje @toodaloo-kangaroo @ritacrow-blog @deathssilentapproach-blog @kittenmywaythrulife @nerd-nowandforever @tazanna-blythe @jaybird-and-co @jumpingjoy82 @lady-bee-fechin @corporeal-terrestrial

#maribat #maribat fanfiction #mbdbwm2021 #maribat bio dad bruce #maribat bio dad! bruce wayne month 2021 #maribat bio dad au #maribat bruce wayne #maribat marinette dupain cheng #maribat damian wayne #maribat selina kyle #maribat dick grayson #maribat jason todd #maribat tim drake #platonic dickinette #platonic jasonette #platonic timari #platonic daminette

[batarangsoundsdumb]

guess fucking what? my inbox is so fucking full right now i'm unloading all of this shit in one post.

For the 11th gotham memes: gothamites react to bruce being jacked in a tiktok he made with kids, like super yoked, ripped as hell

fucking hilarious thanks. i think i did it in one meme post, but i genuinely don't remember which one

i dunno which of the batfam would do this but one time i was sleeping over at a friends house and ended up on the floor bc the bed was so very small and i just stayed there because the rug was soft

that's a drunk jason move i don't know what to tell you

tim and jason are "i listen to pop punk" solidarity. whenever jason highjacks the batmobile theyll go on long ass car rides blaring mcr and paramore and then never talk about it again

as they should!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tim: no jason it's my turn using the aux cord i gotta put on my jams jason: don't you dare put on weird shit tim: don't worry, you're gonna love this *plays fearless (taylor's version)

hear me out hear me out, red hood stans 🤝 nightwing stans t h i g h s

holy shit yes.

SNL au: Bruce breaks character when pretending to superman and says something like "I'm not superman! You've seen his gps!! It's from 2001!!!" @sabeanybabe

superman flies past the snl building the next day just to say 'actually it's from 2005, i'm not a heathen'

does your back hurt from carrying the batfam fandom

it hurts more from the exotic rock collection i keep in my backpack, but thanks for the concern.

I love your posts by why would you always leave the best parts in the tags?

as a treat for the people that check the tags ;) (and also because i'm committed to the short post aesthetic)

somehow your playlist was everything i never knew i needed. i mean it. this is my new favorite playlist.

and don't you dare get a new favourite playlist!

babe ur stoner tim playlist is exactly too perfect, earth is literally blessed by ur existence

babe thanks so much! i love my stoner tim playlist because it's just my usual playlist but people think it's an artistic choice that i put taylor swift and britney spears in there, when it's just what i unironically like listening to

JANDKSKDK BILLY RAY CYRUS ON THE STONER TIM PLAYLIST I LOVE IT IT

again it's not even an ironic choice, i know every single word and i genuinely like the song

The last chapter of Fundamentals of Casework has me crying at work. Thanks I love it @dudelookitsalesbian

oh babe, i'm sorry, but also, not sorry i love chapter 4 so much it's my lovechild with the 'mental illness' tag

soooo....stumbled on your tumblr by some stroke of fate??? read your DC fanfic first. which is PHENOMENAL btw. then found all the batmemes; the funniest thing EVER bc everyone forgets about regular old gothamites. kept scrolling and your blog pops up as recommended. clicked on the ao3 for shits and giggles and waddaya know?!?!? it's YOU!!! you're LEGEND!!!! ever seen that meme? it's a video of a cat that got into a baseball field and the two announcers get really invested in his escape attempt and start giving a play by play of the cat instead of the game. memeable moment: "GREAT stuff from the Cat!!!"

i seriously think about this ask every single day and it's so fucking funny to me that i've never seen the meme you're referencing, but i still find myself going 'GREAT stuff from the Cat!!!' whenever i see something funny. but wow i'm glad you liked this steaming pile of garbage

Fav dc character overall? And fav batfamily character?

don't ask me to pick between the loves of my life, but i can tell you i've cried about every single batfamily member and also wally west (my beloved)

What's your opinion on fans having a problem with batfam being "too big"? And some even claim that batfam is just "Bruce Alfred Dick Damian" and the rest of them are just "friends and allies" (source: reddit) Personally, I like batfam because of this reason but idk

stupid. a family can never be too big. i'm not that big a fan of like huge batfam stuff with everybody from every single universe, because as much as it's funny for bruce to have like 30 kids, it just feels a little too OOC for me.

This is the best tag I've seen involving the batfam, thanks for thinking of it

This is canon now @nctxrejects

lmao yeah i think at that point alfred has had to sit through like at least a dozen coming out talks and just has a pride flag collection in the attic that he pulls out whenever a kid comes out

idk why batfam hits different as compared to any other superhero family

bc it's found family and usually the other superhero families are almost all genetically related in one way or another

I don't know if you watch the umbrella academy but I saw your last post about batcest and saw the similarities. But the thing is (although I think it's weird) in TUA, they addressed it by saying "they were raised as weapons, not siblings" or something along those lines, which is simply not the case with batfam.

yeah i watched tua but i also thought it was ridiculous and they still treated each other as siblings so i didn't like the luthor/allison thing, and am glad they stopped doing that shit bc it fucking sucked.

Hot take: Batcest shippers are the same people who believe adopted siblings are not actual siblings

smoking hot take: batcest shippers are the people who watch 'my sister got stuck in the washing machine' porn

Duke was adopted by Bruce?

not technically no, but do i, tumblr user batarangsoundsdumb, look like i care?

True story but I had to change my freaking name because it used to be "Damien" and most people would go "OH LIKE DAMIAN WAYNE" like please I'm just tryna live

true story, but i don't actually think of damian when i hear the name damian, literally the first thing that pops up is damian darkh like bruh what?

apparently dc comics company supported comic stores by giving out new titles and stuff during the beginning of the pandemic to help them run and I just think that's wholesome

ah yeah that's so fucking cool, still don't like dc, the company, because this world is a capitalist hellhole and we're all owned by warner brothers or disney with no in between.

ayo looking at tumblr head canons and finding out bruce is actually a terrible father is a punch in the gut

lmao yes, in like 50% of comics bruce is a terrible father and it gives me whiplash

oooh I just saw the jason todd vs winter soldier post and the real question is: batman vs iron man

while iron man has like hundreds of cases of armor, batman could throw out an emp and have the guy dropping out of the sky in 2 seconds.

dickfast = fastdick = quickdick = quickie

magnum hot take

hey bata(?) just thought I'd let you know I have copied the obnoxious emoji and Billy Ray post for use on simping men going forth

thank you 😘🌷 (@spacebarsidecar)

why would you do that to your followers???? i get why i did it, but why would you???

what is scarecrow made the nightwing funko pop himself, like those diy-ers that paint over other ones

oh god no, horrible take, horrible take, that's a disgusting thought oh no

I see your HC that Bruce and Oliver fucked and raise you this: Dick and Roy ALSO fucked

yes they did and it was a horrible moment for jason to find out dick has fucked both of his best friends

"at this rate bruce adds like 1 child to his family every decade or so" Duke is introduced in 2013, Damian as Damian, not as an unnamed child, in 2006. And he is already 14 years old, Robins rarely remain Robins after 16 😬 It looks like a new Robin and Batkid will appear in a couple of years

i mean i can't wait? but somebody will probably die first tho, we're due for another major character death. my money's on either cass or duke this time.

BRO you're so right all of your Bruce's ex headcanons are amazing but they aren't ships, that's kinda wild. Like I don't want any peeks into how their relationship was I just want to see everyone make fun of them

lmao YES it's just i love bruce being a slut, like good for him.

I am in love with your posts your honour thank you

omg thanks are we like,, gonna kiss now?

The justice league needs to have a meeting to discuss how many of their members/partners have slept with bruce. Because through a combination of cannon & fannon (if DC wasn’t homophobic) we have AT LEAST: 1) clark 2) lois 3) oliver 4) dinah 5) john

Thats not counting villains or random civilians @dudelookitsalesbian

yes yes yes, they'll have a yearly meeting about how many of their collective exes could be out for revenge and batman's list just keeps getting longer.

tim was like "i'm drake now" and everyone was like ahh so your fursona is a dragon and tim was like pffffft no. ducks.

and what about it?

when steph's fighting livewire and she zaps her with lighting and nothing happens and then they both just. stand there awkwardly for a second and talk. yeah i couldn't stop laughing at that batgirl steph is the BEST

oh yeah that was fucking hilarious and i think it would be so cool and sexy of dc to give steph a little comic series,,, as a treat

Hi I absolutely adore all of yours "Bruce and Oliver very badly pretending they didn't fuck each other" memes

lmao i do too

I need you to know that “Bruce Wayne had frosted tips” is one of my favorite Bruce takes of all time it’s so galaxy brained. you’re right and you should say it

he also painted his hair blonde once when he was travelling and in conclusion, this is why he's being blackmailed by the gotham gazette.

you know my thing about gordon being branded as the only good cop in gotham is its a load of shit like arguably he's a good person and not working to screw people over or anything but the fact that he also works w. batman makes him a shit cop. like yea batman is better than the mob but its still illegal its still an abuse of power he just not making bank

babe, all cops are bad cops. (but yeah youre absolutely right, working with vigilantes makes you a shit cop, but also working against vigilantes just makes you an asshole cop yanno?)

ruh roh i think i’m about to add “so not yeehaw” every time i don’t like something

that's a very good vocabulary upgrade

somehow i feel like steph already knew. like babs obviously knew but i feel like bruce got high/drunk in front of steph and started telling his boarding school stories and steph was just like “oh you fucked up i’m never gonna forget this”

steph and bruce have weird uncle/rebellious niece dynamic and they just hang out sometimes and bruce will be like 'i once broke my arm when i tripped over a hedge when i was drunk so oliver drove me to the hospital on an electric scooter' and steph will just have to sit there with that knowledge in her head.

Hello I just wanted to tell you you are So right in all your steph opinions bc she is, in fact amazing and I think that's very sexy of you. Ps. Your Bruce/Oliver fic is hilarious

babe, thank you so much and yes steph is amazing and i love her and she deserves the world and she's the best member of the batfam hands down. also thanks

In Supersons we see a couple of kids that are implied to be Damian and Jon's children and the boy has laser eyes and can fly, so I asume he's not adopted. The girl, who calls Bruce grandpa, can also fly, btw. So it's canon (probably by accident) that Jon can have kids and he must have married one of Bruce's kids. (I'm hoping for Damian, mostly because any other of his children would be waaaaaaaaaaaaay too old.) @artemisa97

lmao that was probably an accident seeing as jon is a 17 year old superhero in the year 3000 (by the jonas brothers)

You know, I'm a die hard fan of your memes, but I gotta say one thing: if Gothamites actually took gas mask everywhere with them, then the Scarecrow would just be a weird dude in a weird costume, and not a villain oh so scary. DC really should just takes notes from you.

bold of you to assume there's no gothamite anti-maskers

How does it feel being the funniest person on this app?

horrible, next question.

I can't listen to Green Day or Billy Joel without thinking of your post about how Bruce got arrested at a Billy Joel concert @nightwings-kid

yeah that's your mistake, i on the other hand can't enjoy billy joel without thinking about the glee rendition of 'uptown girl'

I've FINALLY been watching the Batman animated series and I gotta say, after watching "the gray ghost" I am CONVINCED that Batman is a closeted super hero geek who was 100% freaking out the first time he met Superman and is just REALLY good at hiding it.

superman: so what do you do in your free time? batman, thinking about the superman fanfiction he's writing on the batcomputer: i have no free time

bruce and oliver be like boyfriends to co-workers 401k (do the justice leagues get 401ks??? not that bruce and ollie would need them, but-)

lmao yes just 400 thousand words of bruce realising 'oh dip oliver is such a fucking dumbass' (also i don't know what a 401 k is but i assume they don't?)

Gothamites would totally boo superman as he saves Gotham while batman is out. @meenje

he's like 'okay think about that next time you want to be saved from an alien octopus'

I just took long break from dc comics and I come back to see ric grayson ??

i think it's very cool and sexy of dc to see dick and just think 'you know what? let's just give him a traumatic brain injury' and then didn't develop his character in any real way

SPEAKING OF RIC GRAYSON, gothamites making confused memes out of ric grayson is much needed

'dick grayson is my taxi driver? can anyone explain what the fuck happened he looks like an italian plumber?'

i hate to say it but batfam are def "marvel characters" in that sense they are characters who are human but become superheroes unlike most dc characters who are gods trying to be human maybe this is why I like batfam

fair enough

#this is only like half of it #but at least you can get like a few answers #yanno fuck it #bataranswers #ask #asks #anon

[animemangasoul]

Who Are You?

Summery: A Wizard takes away Tim’s memories of his least important person. Unfortunately for Damian, that’s him.

He doesn’t remember him. Doesn’t remember the little kid with the pinched face and uncertain eyes. He looks at him and he feels... something, but it’s not enough so he doesn’t pursue it. Just gives the little guy a wide smile and asks him his name. He must be important, he thinks. If he lives with Bruce.

“Damian.” The words are spoken softly, hesitantly, but they are also firm, strong. Tim feels like if he had known him, he would have admired him for that.

Instead he smiles even wider and reaches out a hand. “Tim,” he says in return and something flashes in the kid’s eyes; the sharp gaze darting between his outstretched hand to his face and then back to his hand again. Tim frowns. Maybe they hadn’t gotten along back--

But the kid doesn’t give him a chance to retract his offer, darting forward almost in desperation as he lungs forward to sandwich Tim’s fingers between his own two hands. “Pleasure to meet you again Timothy,” he blurts out; cheeks turning beat red as he does. But Tim can only smile, because the sincerity behind the halting words are very evident.

He wonders if they’d gotten along well.

He wonders if they did, why had he forgotten him.

The least important person the wizard had said..... So why Damian?

The rest of them, his family were firmly lodged in his brain. He could remember their every laugh, their every hug, tears, smiles, love. Good, bad, ugly. He remembered it all. Bruce with his confidence and safety, Cass with her warm hug and kisses. Dick with his laughter and comfort. Jason with his honesty and wild personality. Duke with his brilliance and gentleness. Alfred with his Alfredness.  

Remembering them wasn’t hard because the memories of them have never left him. So why Damian? Why him?

------------------

He wonders about it for the rest of the week. Especially when he hears the kid’s last name.

The little kid who skitters around the corners. The kid who doesn’t quite know how to laugh but his eyes would still manage to give him away every single time he found something funny.  

The little Robin who must have inherited the mantle after him and carried it with dignity and respect that must have made Tim’s heart bloom with pride.

Damian Wayne.

His little brother.

His only little brother.

And yet..... He didn’t remember him.

Least important.

Why?

---------------

Dick finds him one morning standing in front of the family portrait. The hall is empty except for the two of them, and when Dick comes to a stop next to him, neither speaks for a long while.

Tim is busy examining the expressions on everyone’s faces. And Dick, well, Tim wasn’t quite sure what he was doing but he leaves him to it. Dick would talk when he felt like it and not a second earlier.

“If you can’t remember him, how do you remember Duke?”

The words are no louder than a whisper and Tim can feel the unease coming off of his older brother in waves, but he elects not to comment on it. Instead he shrugs and focuses his gaze on the little face of the forgotten kid standing regally next to Bruce.

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know!”

Tim scoffs. “A wizard messed with my head Dick.”

His brother winces and Tim finds himself smiling at that. Damian and Dick were much alike. It was cute.  

“Did we get along?”

“What?”

Sighing, Tim leans forward to press a light finger against Damian’s painted face. “Did we get along? Me and Damian?” Scrutinizing the stern gaze and the almost hunched shoulders of the kid, Tim wonders what he must have been afraid of in this frozen moment. “I’ve always wanted a little brother you know.”

Dick remains quiet for an inordinate amount of time.  

His silence tells a full story, so when Dick finally musters up a casual. “Yes, but you were both just kids so you disagreed sometimes.” He hums in agreement and lets its slide.

Dick was lying to him but Tim did not elect to hold it against him.  

Pretty little lies could make even the best of men tempted in telling them and whatever dynamic he and Damian currently held most be infinitely better for Dick than their previous shared history.

Still, ‘strike one Dick,’ he thinks as he turns around to make his way down to the kitchen, he was hungry after all. ‘Lying doesn’t suit you big brother.’

“Wait.”

Foot frozen midair, Tim drags his eyes up from the stairs and back to the silent figure by the portrait. Dick looks so very still.

“Yeah?”

One hand coming up to run through his hair, his older brother gives him a sheepish smile; eyes gleaming suspiciously but smile as sincere as ever.

“You got along better at the end. Damian he.... you guys weren’t.... you didn’t like each other in the beginning,” Dick pauses and there is pain there, in those words. Bitter pain. Protective, angry.  

Something most have been stolen from him too Tim supposes. And it hurts more because Dick remembers. Whatever built relationship he and Damian had most have meant more to Dick than he was letting on.

Interesting.

“Thank you for telling me.” He leaves at that. Not without a second glance or thought.

Dick doesn’t follow him. Tim thinks that’s for the best.

----------------

“You hated him?”

Tim blinks in surprise. “Really?”

Kon nods. Eyes on the bright screen and tongue sticking out in concentration. “Yup.”

“Why?”

Kon curses loudly; leaning back and dragging the controller with him to avoid the upcoming wall. “I don’t know man,” he grits out. “You never got along and Dick used to pit you guys against each other or something. Choosing sides and shit.”

“Why?”

Shrugging, his best friend elects not to answer the question. “Beats me.”

Frowning in confusion, Tim nods slowly. “That’s super weird right? I mean, Dick wouldn’t do something like that. That’s not who he is. Or at least who I remember him to be.”

Kon shrugs again. “Never liked the guy so don’t ask me dude.”

Tim thinks about it for a second but then he too picks up his controller and Kon restarts the game. It really didn’t matter in the end, did it?

So what if he’d hated Damian in the beginning for some weird reason. The kid seemed pleasant enough last time he saw him so maybe he’d changed. Jason had managed it after all and well, Tim had frequently encountered and even befriended less than decent people before. So a little kid like Damian couldn’t be quite that bad right?

Maybe he needed to have a sit down and actually talk to him.

Talking to everyone else about how he was supposed to feel about Damian wasn’t really working after all. They most have had some form of relationship if the kid looked hurt when he didn’t remember him. It couldn’t have been all antagonistic, their relationship. And it couldn’t have been all that great either.

Maybe they’d reached a sort of an in between.  

----------------

Finding the time to talk to Damian proves to be difficult. Not only is work literally drowning him in stress and gives him less free time than a man working three jobs but turns out Damian was avoiding him.

It becomes all too obvious when he turns a corner one day and is met with the startled gaze of the kid who then; unable to avoid him any other way, actually turns around abruptly and sprints away.  

Tim is left standing there with an outreached hand and a mouth open for a yell that never leaves his lips.

After that, it becomes more and more difficult to pin the kid down. No matter what he does; waking up early, coming home an hour before his time, choosing to patrol with batman instead of alone, he can’t seem to get the kid to talk to him.

Somehow, that hurts.

Not in the normal sense of faint disappointment. Not in the way of feeling sad because a stranger elected to be rude to you, no. It was this gut punching pain that just wouldn’t go away.  

He didn’t even know him, but it hurt. It really really hurt and Tim didn’t like that one bit.  

Damian Wayne.

He needs to talk to him. Nothing was going to fix this otherwise. Even if he doesn’t remember him, he.....

“He’s hiding at my apartment ya know. That’s why you can’t find him.”

Tim practically jumps out of his skin. “What the hell Jay!”

His older brother grins. A savage sort of smile pulling at the corner of his lips as he barely seems to refrain from outright laughing at him.  

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” Jason snorts. “And if you wanna catch the little brat you better go now.” And with that he disappears behind the roofline, leaving Tim to glare after him.  

“Jerk.”

--------------------------

“Found you!”

This time it’s Damian’s turn to jump out of his skin and well, Tim would definitely be lying if he said he didn’t see why Jason loved doing it so much.

“What.... why are you here Drake?”

Landing soundlessly on the floor, Tim shuts the window behind him before shuffling over to where Damian is sitting, careful not to trigger another run. “I just want to talk.”

The little guy glares at him. A proper glare with death threats and all. Tim is mildly amused. “Won’t you give me five minutes? Please?”

Damian flinches. “I do not wish to speak with you Drake.” He sounds young and scared and..... Tim doesn’t quite understand how he could have ever hated this kid.

“I don’t remember you,” he says slowly, the words leaving his mouth easily enough, but somewhere deep down, at the very bottom of his soul he finds himself retching at the casualness with which he says them.

It doesn’t help that the kid can’t quite hide the brief flair of hurt that dances through his eyes.

Fuck.

“I already know that Drake,” he snaps, but Tim steps forward, waving his arms frantically. “I didn’t mean it like that ki—Damian!” Swallowing thickly, he tries to take a deep breath. “Look, I just..... I don’t remember you that’s true. But,” he carries on quickly preventing Damian from cutting him off. “I would like to remember you again and just...” here he gives a helpless shrug. “Wanna help me find the wizard who did this and make him change me back?”

Clearly that’s not what Damian had been expecting him to say, for his supposed little brother is standing on the other side of Jason’s living room, silently gaping at him.

Tim bites down on his tongue to stop himself from saying anything stupid that’ll ruin things. And then--

“Why?” Damian’s voice is angry and suspicious, but it’s also pained and confused and.... Tim just wants to hug him. No kid should ever look that forlorn, ever.

“I want my memories back and I want to remember you,” he answers instead, giving the kid his most winning smile.

“Why?”

Sighing, Tim drops the smile and gives the kid an almost helpless look, because..... what do you say to that? How can he possible explain the disparity between what he’s feeling and what he knows. That his mind might not recall the little kid in front of him, who looks so much like Bruce, but his heart does.  

How can he just....

“I think you’re worth remembering,” he settles for in the end. “You might not have been part of my most important memories, but you were still important to me and that’s why the spell worked.” This time when he tries to smile, it comes out rather sad, a bit empty, slightly heartbroken. “We were getting there, weren’t we? Becoming brothers?”

Damian looks away and that tells him everything.

“Let me remember you.” Tim says, an almost plea breaking through his faked bravado.

This time when Damian looks back at him, it’s not fear or hurt or pain he sees, but a quiet sense of determination. It’s shaky and still uncertain, but it eases something within Tim. “So what do you say?” He asks again just to make sure.

The kid nods. “Very well Drake. You have yourself a deal.”

Tim grins and Damian, well Damian smiles just the tiniest bit and for the first time in days, Tim feels as if something broken in his heart has finally been put back together again.

It’ll work out in the end. Tim wouldn’t let it end any other way.

The End

@punjabj-ninja @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @river9noble

Anyone else who wants to be tagged please let me know. Or untagged either way :)

#Tim Drake #Damian Wayne #Batfamily Fanfic #batfam fic #Jason Todd #Dick Grayson #red robin fanfic #Red Robin #robin #red hood #nightwing #batbros fanfic #batbros #batsiblings #batsiblings fic #batfamily angst #this has been laying in my drafts for weeks #so finally finished it #it was literally 70% done jeeez #I'll tag people as soon as I wake up tomorrow

[ragingbookdragon]

Love Despite Imperfections

Tim Drake & Batmom Story! 

A/N: So this was formerly, ‘He Might Not Be Perfect, But She Loved Him Anyway’, but I thought the title could be changed to this, so I did! Enjoy! -Thorne <3

There were three words he never wanted to hear from her mouth. Three simple words, but three words that carried the weight of her judgement farther than any lesson Bruce could ever teach him. It’s partially what drove him to be the perfect son in her eyes, even though he knew she had no standard for perfect. Those three words came out of her mouth that night, and ever since then, he couldn’t stop replaying the scene in his mind.

Earlier Tonight:

           He stood beside Lucius, smiling and chatting to one of the corporate leaders from Metropolis. Negotiations had gone smoothly, and he’d scored Wayne Enterprises three new subsidiaries; it also gave them reason to throw the giant party they were at. He gave a final goodbye to the corporate leader and scanned the ballroom, looking for his parents; he found them a few seconds later, standing near the bar talking to Clark and Lois. He glanced at Lucius and spoke quietly. “I’m going to check on mom and dad.” Lucius nodded.

           “I’ll be here Tim.” He nodded and made his way over, occasionally stopping to say hello to the WE employees. Eventually, he walked up on the two couples; she was the first to notice, turning to him with a dazzling grin on her face.

           “Timmy.” He grinned at her as she reached over, pulling him into a hug. His arms wrapped around her waist and he squeezed lightly.

           “Hey mom.” She pulled back and reached up, cupping his cheek.

           “I’m so proud of you baby.” A soft pink tinged his cheeks and he shrugged.

           “It wasn’t anything super big mom. Just a few subsidiaries.” Her response was cut off by Bruce who rested a hand on the back of his neck.

           “Are you kidding me Tim? You literally brought in fifty million into the company, just by adding in these three subsidiaries.” He smiled lightly and glanced at Clark and Lois.

           “Mr. and Mrs. Kent. Good to see you.” Tim stuck out a hand, watching Clark take it with a smile.

           “You can call us Clark and Lois, Tim. It won’t hurt our feelings.” That brought out a chuckle from everyone and (Y/N) turned back to Tim.

           “Are you enjoying yourself?” Tim nodded and looked around.

           “Tonight, was more of a success party than a gala. There’s not a lot of press here to cover the story.” Bruce nodded at that.

           “I didn’t want all the press in your party tonight.” Tim looked around once more before turning to (Y/N).

           “Where’s the others?” She shrugged and sipped her champagne.

           “Dick and Jason went off to raid the buffet table, and Damian and Jon were around a few minutes ago.”

           “So, the demon-spawn and his super went off to explore?” (Y/N) looked at Tim and raised an eyebrow until Tim mumbled, “Sorry.”

           “I think the two of them went to Damian’s room. But I’m actually betting they went to the game room and are currently playing Cheese Viking.” Everyone laughed at her assumption and she smiled at Tim. “I am proud of you Timmy. You’ve taken on a lot at WE and managed not to collapse under it.” He snorted at her words.

           “I don’t know, it’s been hard. I really had to work at it.” (Y/N) raised an eyebrow and questioned,

           “Really?” Tim shook his head and deadpanned,

           “No not really.” The two of them chuckled and she reached out, hugging him again.

           “I love you baby.” A smile graced his face and he replied,

           “I love you too mom.” She pulled back once more and patted his shoulder.

           “Go enjoy the party Timmy. It’s for you anyway.” He nodded and turned to the others, saying his goodbye before walking off. He hadn’t even made it ten feet when he felt him come up beside him; he turned and glared at him.

           “What do you want Damian?” Damian smirked and crossed his arms.

           “Nothing.” Tim raised an eyebrow and leaned back.

           “Then why are you standing beside me?”

           “No reason.”

           “What did you do?” Damian shrugged and looked around.

           “I haven’t done a thing.”

           “That’s bullshit.”

           “Perhaps. But you will never know.” Tim stared at him for a few seconds before grunting and walking off, not in the mood to deal with Damian tonight. He got about five feet away before a taunting voice called out behind him. “They say they are proud of you for achieving what you have. But have you ever considered the fact that this was expected of you?” Tim stopped dead in his tracks and turned around.

           “Excuse me?”

           “Umi and Father expect a level of perfection and demand from us. What you’ve achieved was merely something they expected you to do.” Tim knew he was being baited, but he couldn’t help himself.

           “And I’m assuming you’ve got something better?” Damian smiled smugly, something that sent waves of anger through him.

           “We could paint a picture of the things I have that are better than you Drake. Father’s blood, for starters.” The low blow hurt Tim, but Damian kept going. “And more, Umi’s love.” Tim raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

           “And what makes you think that mom doesn’t love me?”

           “Because you aren’t her favorite.”

           “For what reasons?”

           “Umi clearly has favorites Tim. And you aren’t it.” Tim swallowed his anger, clenching his jaw and spat,

           “Of the two of us here, we both know who mom’s favorite is.” He stepped forward and got in Damian’s face, his voice dark. “And while it might not be me…it sure as hell isn’t you, problem child.” Damian’s eyes widened a fraction and Tim felt a surge of satisfaction at it as he turned and began walking away. He hadn’t even moved a foot when he felt something slam into his back; it sent him hurdling to the floor, and the next thing he knew, fists were flying at him. Tim rolled onto his back, bringing his hands up to block Damian’s punches. No words were said, but he could feel the fury radiating off Damian as he blocked another punch, throwing one back at him. They rolled on the floor for a good minute until strong arms pulled the two of them apart; Tim thrashed until someone’s voice reached his ear.

           “Tim! Tim stop!” He halted and glanced up, seeing Jason staring at him alarmed; his gaze moved over and saw Damian being held in a grip by Dick. Tim’s arms dropped to his sides, and Jason let him go. Then, Tim felt eyes on him, and he realized the ballroom had gone completely silent; he glanced around, seeing the shocked looks on everyone’s faces. His eyes kept moving until he came upon (Y/N) and Bruce, who were too stunned to even move from their positions; Bruce’s gaze he could deal with, but (Y/N)’s was unbearable. A second passed, and he heard the clack of heels coming their way; he looked up and saw (Y/N) storming over, a seething look on her face. She stood in front of them, and Tim opened his mouth to apologize.

           “Mom I-” He was cut off as she rebuked him angrily.

           “Zip it.” He shut his mouth and she glanced between him and Damian. “Both of you to the study. Now.” They obeyed, following in a single file line towards the study, the crowd parting for them; she glanced at Dick and Jason and murmured, “Help your dad settle this please.” They nodded and watched her walk behind Tim and Damian.

           The door to the study slammed shut and she pointed to the couch. “Damian. Sit on the end of the couch. Tim, the other.” They sat down and she stood in front of them, her arms crossed as she tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for Bruce. A few moments later, he stepped into the room, Dick, Jason, and Alfred following. Bruce stepped beside her and she let them have it. “Are you two out of your fucking minds?” Their eyes widened at the curse, taking in the note that she was truly angry. Also, Jason’s minor, ‘oh she’s mad-mad’ made it clear that she was. “I cannot believe the two of you would do something like this in public. Patrol is one thing. Your faces are obscured. But in public? Where pictures and videos can be taken? The both of you have really stirred shit up in the pot this time.” Damian opened his mouth to defend himself, but she pointed at him. “I don’t want to hear a word come out of your mouth young man.” His lips pursed and he nodded, then she turned to Bruce. “They’re off patrol for a month.” He nodded and she turned back to them. “For a month, you two will neither go on patrol or step foot in the cave. You will go to school, any after-school activities, work, and you will come straight home. You will also write apology letters to the higher ups of the company WE just signed with and apologize for your horrendous behavior. Am I clear?” They nodded, but Damian spoke up.

           “What are we to do for the whole month we are ‘grounded’?” (Y/N) turned to Alfred and nodded.

           “I’m sure Alfred can find work for you two to do. This manor is big enough for it.”

           “That isn’t fair Umi!”

           “No what isn’t fair is the fact that you two have embarrassed not only Bruce and I, but yourselves.” (Y/N) gestured between them. “What the hell were you two fighting about anyways?” Silence enveloped them and (Y/N) crossed her arms. “I asked a question and I expect someone to answer it.” The two of them glanced at each other before Tim sighed and mumbled,

           “Damian insulted me.”

           “And it’s something new?” She paused and turned to Damian. “What did you say?” He was silent a few seconds before murmuring,

           “I said…that his achievements were expected of him.”

           “And?”

           “…And that he wasn’t…that he wasn’t loved because he wasn’t father’s blood…or your favorite.” (Y/N) went quiet at his confession, then she faced Tim.

           “Damian didn’t jump you until you said something back to him.” She tipped her head back a little. “What did you say to him?” Tim swallowed thickly before whispering,

           “That even if I wasn’t your favorite, he wasn’t either.” Damian pointed at Tim and blurted out.

           “He called me a problem child too!” (Y/N) raised a hand, effectively silencing him; she stared at them for a while, and the longer she did, the more Tim squirmed under her gaze, ashamed of the weight. After a few minutes, she inhaled deeply and wore a sad look as she uttered,

           “Shame on you.” Their eyes widened at her words as she continued. “Shame on you two for fighting over something this ridiculous.” She turned to Damian. “Just because Bruce is your biological father, it does not make you any more or any less his son than any of your brothers. He loves you the same as Dick, Jason, and Tim, blood or no.” She paused and faced Tim. “What you said to Damian was cruel.” She pointed to herself. “I have no favorites. I love each of you equally. And you four damn sure know that.” Her hand lowered and she looked between them. “I’ve given you your punishments. Go to your rooms.” They were silent as they rose from the couch, moving to the door and to their rooms. Tim had stopped at his door, sensing Damian pass behind him on his way to his room, and Tim looked at the back of Damian’s head before shaking his and going into his room.

A Month Later:

           It was the first night since they’d been grounded that they could finally go back on patrol, and they were ecstatic to go. Damian had already gone off with Dick, speaking animatedly about something involving a bank heist they were going to stop. Tim on the other hand was still lingering in the cave, apprehensive to go out. He stood at the Batcomputer, fiddling with his gauntlet before a low voice caught his attention. “Your mother isn’t angry with you anymore.” He looked up in shock at Bruce who wore a firm look. “She got over being angry at you two the day after the party.” Tim looked away murmuring,

           “She seemed like she was still angry.”

           “Disappointed is the better word.” Tim let out a quiet sigh.

           “I’d much rather have her anger than her disappointment.” He paused and looked at Bruce. “Anger is easy to wade through. But disappointment? That sits in your bones for a long time.” Bruce nodded and rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

           “She loves you Tim. More than anything in this world.” He squeezed again. “You make her proud every day.” Bruce let go and began walking towards the Batmobile but stopped and spun back around. “And I love you too, son.” He gave Tim a small smile and hopped in the Batmobile, taking off and leaving Tim to his thoughts.

           He finished his quadrant early that night, and sat on the ledge of a building, watching the city go by. He could go back to the cave and start cold cases. He could even call Conner and have him come over and hang out. But something drew him to WE, and he stood up, making his way over the rooftops in its direction. He came up on it and grappled his way up to Bruce’s office. His hands gripped the railing and he clambered over, walking towards the door; he disabled the security and stepped inside, scanning the room. His eyes feel on a figure stretched out on the couch on the other side of the room, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was (Y/N). He knelt beside her and placed a hand on his shoulder, gently nudging her. “Mom…mom…mom.” (Y/N) jerked, rolling over and raising her hands until Tim came into view, then she dropped them; she sat up slightly, rubbing her eyes and murmuring,

           “What are you doing here baby?” Tim sat on the edge of the couch and pulled back his cowl.

           “Came to check on some things in the office. I didn’t realize you were here…I thought you were at home.” (Y/N) hummed, shaking her head.

           “The new subsidiaries needed new contracts for their workers, so I’ve been pulling some late nights to write them up.” Tim nodded and glanced at the computer.

           “Everything coming out alright?” She nodded replied,

           “I just have to proofread the last one before I send them to your dad so he can look them over.” They went silent, and after a few seconds (Y/N) said, “You hungry?” Tim looked at her and nodded.

           “Now that you ask, I am.” (Y/N) rose from the couch, stopping and stretching before walking to the bar and picking up a pizza box.

           “It’s a little cold, but there’s pizza.” Tim nodded and she motioned to the ceiling. “Wanna go sit up on the roof and watch the city?” He smiled and rose from the couch, following her into the elevator. It rose to the top and they walked out onto the roof, sitting down on the ledge and flipping open the box. They both picked up a piece and tapped them together before eating. “Any problems tonight?” Tim swallowed the food in his mouth and shook his head.

           “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

           “What happened?”

           “Two-Face and his goons were hitting one of the banks.” (Y/N) stopped mid-bite and turned to him, a look of shock etched onto her face.

           “You…took them all out by yourself?” He nodded and she pointed at him. “As your mom saying this, that was incredibly dangerous and reckless. Don’t do that again unless you have help. Understand?” Tim lowered his head and nodded, then a hand gently rested on his head; he looked up to see (Y/N) grinning at him. “But as a former vigilante…you made me proud.” Tim broke into a smile as his heart lightened and (Y/N) pulled back her hand and rested it on his hand. “You know I’m not angry with you about that night anymore…right?” Tim went silent for a few moments before nodding.

           “Dad told me you weren’t.” (Y/N) nodded and turned to face him.

           “I’ve already talked to Damian about that night. Now I need to talk to you about it.” Tim looked at her and waited for her to continue; it took her a few minutes, and when she did, her voice was soft. “Do you know why Bruce and I never had any kids?” Tim’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “…A couple years after Bruce and I started dating, we were driving along a road when we were hit by drunk driver…my side took the impact.” She paused and sucked in a breath. “We both survived impact, but on closer inspection of the damage, a piece of metal had lodged itself into my lower abdomen. We were rushed to the hospital and were put into surgery. They were able to save my life…but at the expense of my uterus…which had been shredded beyond repair by the metal in the accident.” (Y/N) swallowed and cleared her throat. “Bruce and I drifted on ice for a few months, not wanting to hurt each other. But one night, we decided to go to couples’ therapy and try to get some help.” She glanced a Tim and gave a small smile. “That day turned into a night, and we found ourselves at Haly’s Circus.” Tim’s eyes widened and he whispered,

           “Where…” (Y/N) nodded.

           “Where we met our first son. Though at the time, he wasn’t.” (Y/N) sighed and scooted closer. “I never had the chance to bring children of my own into this world. And where I sometimes wish I had been able to…that I wish I still could…” (Y/N) glanced a Tim and brought a hand to his face, cupping his cheek and whispering, “I wouldn’t trade the boys I’ve been given for anything in this world.” Tears began to swim in Tim’s vision, and he lowered his head. “I’ve been given four of the most amazing sons to ever have been birthed on this planet, and I love each of them more anything.” Her other hand reached out, gently taking his chin and she tilted his head up until he looked at her, tears still running down his cheeks. “I love my sons so much that I would die for them. I love my sons so much that I would willing give my life for them. I love my sons so much that no one could ever take their places.” Tim couldn’t form words he was crying too hard, and (Y/N) reached out, wrapping her arms around him. He buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed; (Y/N) brought a hand up, caressing the back of his head as she shushed him, tears of her own dripping down her cheeks. After a few minutes, (Y/N) pulled back and cupped his face in her hands, her thumbs wiping the tears away as she murmured, “Each son that has come into our home has been loved and is loved.” (Y/N) squeezed his cheeks gently. “I love you Timmy. And all I’ve ever been of you is proud. You got that?” He nodded and she smiled, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I love you.” He opened his eyes and gave her a wobbly smile as he whispered,

           “I love you too mom.” They stared at each other for a few seconds before (Y/N) patted his cheeks.

           “Now that we’ve had our boohoo fest and talk…let’s go home and re-watch Game of Thrones.” Tim grinned as they rose from the ledge; they began walking and he nudged her in the side.

           “So…mom.” (Y/N) eyed him.

           “So…Tim.”

           “How do you feel about Bran sitting on the Iron Throne?” He laughed as (Y/N) walked off, her hands raised in the air.

           “WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE ENDING! IT DOESN’T EXIST!”

           The three words that came out of her mouth at the party, hurt him to hear them. But the three words she told him tonight meant more to him than anything in the world. And Tim remembered one very important thing…he might not always be the perfect son…but his mom loved him anyway.

#tim drake imagines #batmom imagines #batfamily imagines #batfamily x reader imagines #batmom x batfamily imagines #tim drake imagine #tim drake fanfic #tim drake fanfiction #batmom imagine #batmom x batfamily #batmom x batfamily imagine #batfamily imagine #batfamily #batfamily fanfiction #batfamily fanfic #batfamily fic #batfamily x reader imagine #batfamily x reader #bruce wayne #batman #dick grayson #nightwing #jason todd #red hood #tim drake #red robin #damian wayne #robin #dc comics #dc imagine

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

What Dogs See - fic

Characters: Titus, Krypto, Damian Wayne, Jon Kent, bits of others Summary: Dogs see more than we think they do. A/N: A gift for @mayleebaby28! Thank you for being such a supportive, unconditional and kind human being! I hope everything is going well for you and yours and know you are so loved and appreciated, especially by those furbabies. Also sorry if this is jumbly and not good, ugh! You deserve better D:

From the second he saw him, Titus loved him.

The man had talked to him on their way to the house. Warned him.

“He’s a little…prickly.” The man said with a chuckle. “An attitude that…I still don’t know how it fits in his little body.” He sighed. “But…he’s good, deep down. I know he is.” Then almost bitterly. “Dick tells me he is. I wish…” Now a sigh. “Why can’t I see what Dick has?”

But when he saw the boy, in a big dark, cold place, scowling and alone, wearing silly clothes, he knew.

This was his boy.

His to love, his to protect. His forever.

The boy – Damian – scoffed when the man presented him. Said something about being indifferent, barely looked at him.

But then Titus followed the boy up to his bedroom. Watched as he prepared for sleep and laid down. Without any command, or the boy even looking at him, Titus walked silently over to the bed, and laid his head on the mattress.

Damian was facing away from him, but Titus waited. Only huffed a breath once.

I know what you’re doing. I’ll wait as long as I have to.

But eventually Damian rolled towards him, and let those silent tears Titus already sensed drop freely. Titus licked at his face, licked those tears away, and just rested his head on Damian’s when the boy hugged his neck tightly.

Yes. This boy was his.

~~

Krypto met Jon when he was born. He was in the room. He helped Kal-El tend to his wife, tend to his baby.

And when it all settled, when Lois was asleep, and the baby was clean, Krypto just couldn’t stop staring.

This child was beautiful.

A perfect mixture of his parents, of a human and a Kryptonian. Of two worlds, two universes.

The baby squealed in amusement as he tugged absently at Krypto’s ear, and Krypto felt like it was the most important moment in the history of every universe ever created.

He would protect this child. This miracle. But not for Kal-El, not even for the memory of Krypton.

For himself.

Kal-El muttered apologies as he removed the newborn’s fingers from Krypto’s ear, and he almost whined at the loss. Instead, he trailed after the father, watched as he put the baby in a crib, and then curled around its base. Even when Kal-El called to him a while later for some food, Krypto ignored him.

His watch started now.

~~

Damian was his life, to the point he didn’t care to learn about any of the other humans around. He recognized them of course, but beyond that could not care less.

So it was frustrating, when sometimes Damian went places that he couldn’t go. He’d pat Titus’s head, sneak a kiss when the one he called Father, or Batman, wasn’t looking then chase after the man like a shadow.

It was even more frustrating when Damian would return covered in blood or bruises, or unconscious and being carried by that man.

Titus hated it, hated the man for it, actually. Growled at him when he returned with Damian in this state. At least until he realized it wasn’t the man causing his Damian pain, and that he was just upset as Titus was about the predicament.

He also learned over time that his boy only seemed to come home injured when he put on the heavy, bright fabric. So, one day, when the man and Damian were resting, Titus went through those lockers, sniffed out his boy’s uniform, and ripped it to shreds in his teeth.

Damian wasn’t happy with him when he discovered what Titus had done. But Titus noticed a smirk of satisfaction on both the Batman’s face, and the old man with the mustache.

These terrible moments had a small upside, though. When Damian was injured, the mustached man always demanded he rested for a long time. Tucked him into bed and forced him to stay there. During these long times, Titus lounged next to his boy, head on his leg and Damian’s fingers scratching at his ears.

Quiet and safe and with his boy. Sometimes the men joined them, sometimes not. Sometimes Damian used Titus as a pillow, and sometimes Titus would curl around him like a barrier between him in the world.

He just wished these times came when his boy wasn’t hurting, too.

~~

He’d seen the universe. He knew the galaxies – many of them – and all the beautiful, wild secrets they held.

But nothing was as magical, or as breathtaking, as Jon discovering something new.

The way his face lit up the first time he saw a butterfly. His laugh the first time he jumped in a puddle. His gasp the first time he saw blue and yellow paints mix to create green.

It was the most amazing sight, every time. No matter how many times it happened over the years.

And when Jon discovered his powers, his heritage – Krypto was sure that there were literal stars in that boy’s eyes. He hooted and hollered, jumped into the sky and did a lap around the barn’s roof.

But when Jon swooped back down, tried to take Krypto on this first flight, Krypto took the chance to give Jon another first.

Before Jon could grab him, Krypto jumped into the air himself, swirling and spinning playfully away. He watched with a grin of his own as Jon’s violet eyes widened, and slowly, a gap-tooth smile spread across his cheeks.

“My dog can fly!”

Jon immediately flew after him, and they began a skyward game of tag. Jon laughed the whole time, and it was absolute music to Krypto’s ears.

To think – Kal-El was once the last of Krypton. The last hope of an entire race. An entire planet. An entire universe, light-years away.

And now, here’s Jon too.

Learning and growing and the best of them all, here was Jon too.

~~

His boy was strong. Cunning. Genius. A warrior.

But that was not Titus’s favorite part of Damian. His favorite part of his boy was how kind he was. How thoughtful. How he looked at the world around him like everything was new, smiled when he found something beautiful. How he tried to recreate it in his drawings and in his music.

His least favorite part, though, was how much his boy hated himself. And he knew that. He knew that from the day he met him. So he always stayed close. Gave Damian all the kisses, love and protection he could, every time he saw him. Every time he could.

But it wasn’t enough, and sometimes that hurt. He could see it, when Damian separated himself from his family when they were all together. How he blamed himself for things that were not his fault. But worst of all, how he didn’t feel worth anything, or deserve anything.

Like the nights he came back in that colorful costume alone, limping and bleeding. How Titus would try to lick his wounds and Damian would shove him away. How the old mustache man would offer the same, and Damian would snap sharp words at him instead. All but crawl to his bedroom and close the door even to Titus, and allow himself to suffer in silence. Suffer alone.

Or the times Titus would see the man yelling at him. Scolding him. And maybe sometimes it was deserved. Titus would see the mustached old man nodding when it was. But other times it wasn’t, and the mustached old man would furrow his brows and hold his hand over his mouth.

But even if it wasn’t deserved, Damian would not fight back. Not like he was capable of. He might have a little attitude here and there, but generally allow the hateful words to wash over him. Allowed himself to believe them.

The moments with the one frequently called Tim were bad. They would yell at each other, and insult with a purpose. Sometimes it would come to blows, and Titus would do all he could to separate them. Pull Damian back by his clothes. Growl at Tim until the other backed away with his hands raised in surrender.

And then when everything settled down, Damian would retreat. To a corner or the cave, to his bedroom, sometimes down a wandering path around the manor. And he’d repeat what Tim said to him. Repeat it and lament about how correct his brother was in his awful assessment.

It broke Titus’s heart. If only Damian could see how wonderful he was. How lovely. He deserved nothing but kindness, and Titus still did not understand why he did not get it from everyone around him. Why he did not see how much he deserved it.

But his boy could not understand his barks or whines. Just whispered “It’s okay, boy. Everything’s okay,” even when it so clearly absolutely wasn’t. So Titus did the only thing he could. Followed Damian when he tried to disappear, and stayed at his side when no one else would.

Maybe that was why Titus knew how kind this child was, because Damian only seemed to allow himself to be when no one else was around. When no one could see it. Maybe that’s why he always snuck off to be by himself. It was the only time he thought he could be himself.

You are not alone. You can be yourself. Titus would say loudly in his head, hoping against hope that maybe somehow his boy could hear him, or sense his words.

You are not alone, and you are loved.

~~

Krypto would do anything for Jon. Anything.

He’d destroy worlds for him. He’d change the climate. He’d tear another being limb from limb if they so much as looked at him wrong.

But he realized, over the years, that there was one thing he couldn’t fix. One thing he couldn’t do.

Jon was lonely. Krypto couldn’t fix that.

Jon was a good kid – a nice kid. Too nice, some said. Too naive. And instead of those traits flocking the people to him like, in Krypto’s opinion, it should – it brought out the bullies instead. Got him teased and mocked, and shoved into lockers.

And Jon tried to handle it on his own, he did. He’d take a deep breath, fix his glasses and smile. That’d just get him teased more.

On most days Jon could shrug it off. But not all. There were some days he’d come home and go straight to his room and cry. Other days he wouldn’t make it into the house at all. He’d hit their long driveway, or just pass the barn. Krypto would bark a hello, and Jon would hide his face in Krypto’s fur and collapse into tears.

He never believed the hateful words. Of course not, Clark and Lois raised him to be smarter than that. But he had no one else to lift him up. No one else to hold him in these darker moments. And this wasn’t something he could talk to his father about. His father was Superman - what kind of loser would that make him look like?

So he suffered alone, sometimes in silence.

And oh, Krypto tried. Would like Jon’s face raw if he could.

Even if you have no one else, you have me. You will always have me.

Jon never heard him, of course. For all the brilliance of his powers, animal translation was not one of them.

So Krypto did was he could – which here, was not much. No amount of laser vision or super strength would do anyone any good. So he’d whine a little, in solidarity with his cub, and laid with him until the tears dried, or his boy was able to smile again. Let himself be a pillow, a teddy bear, or just a plain shoulder to cry on if he needed to be.

You will always have me, he’d always try. Maybe one day Jon would hear him. Maybe one day Jon would know.

Always.

~~

They were meeting someone new today, and Titus was shocked when the man said that Damian could bring him along. Damian seemed to be too, and the smile remained on his face until they jumped into the car and took off.

The drive was long, and took them out into the countryside somewhere. Titus didn’t mind. He spent the whole time sitting with Damian in the front seat, making him laugh and getting his ears scratched by Damian and the man both.

It was nice.

They arrived at what looked like a farmhouse, and immediately, Titus smelled something interesting. He hopped out of the car and immediately went on alert, wrapping around Damian’s legs. Damian just snorted, and pet his head again.

Suddenly, the door to the farmhouse slammed open, and a large man appeared. He greeted them as he walked down the steps, followed by a woman and child, and then another dog.

Krypto locked eyes with Titus immediately, and a silent truce was formed. Don’t threaten my family and I won’t threaten yours.

Titus remained wrapped around Damian, even as Krypto did the same for Jon. Titus hadn’t paid that boy any mind, not until the woman pulled him forward and introduced him to Damian.

His first thought was: This boy is so sad.

Krypto watched Damian with the same intensity, and took in his posture, his crossed arms, his gaze off to the side of the conversation at hand.

His first thought was: This boy doesn’t like himself.

After the introductions, the adults moved towards the house, leaving the two children alone. So Krypto and Titus stayed with them too.

The boys stood staring at each other, but the dogs approached, sniffing.

“Why does your boy not like himself?” Krypto asked immediately.

“He does not believe he is good enough, that what at, I’m not sure. And he has no one in his life to tell him differently. Though I suppose they don’t realize they need to.” Titus explained. “Why is your boy so sad?”

“He does not have many friends, probably because he has to keep many secrets from the children around him. He struggles to cope with the loneliness sometimes.” Krypto glanced up to Damian and Jon, when Jon sounded like he raised his voice. “…They do not appear to like each other.”

Titus looked back, gave a small scolding yip towards Damian. Damian didn’t seem to hear him. “They don’t.” He looked back to Krypto. “But you know?”

“Hm?”

He looked back at the boys. “I have a good feeling.”

“Funnily enough, so do I.” Krypto agreed. “I just…get the sense this may be the best thing to ever happen to either of them.”

“Perhaps,” Titus thought out loud. “Perhaps with each other, maybe they won’t be so sad and lonely anymore.”

“We can only hope.” Krypto nodded. “Our boys deserve better than that.”

“That they do.” Titus hummed. Jon and Damian appeared to be mid-argument, so Titus barked loudly, making them both jump.

They went quiet as they looked towards their dogs. Damian narrowed his eyes in warning to Titus, but then glanced at Krypto. “…Your dog is beautiful. What breed is he?”

“Uh…a mutt I think.” Jon mumbled sheepishly. “Do you know yours?”

“Le Grand Danois.” Damian said proudly. Jon just stared. “…A Great Dane.”

“Cool.” Jon smiled. “…Can I pet him?”

“I suppose.” Damian sighed. “Only if I’m allowed to pet yours.”

“Sure! Krypto loves belly rubs.” Jon exclaimed. “Don’t you, boy?”

Krypto barked and flopped over. Damian laughed softly as he rubbed his hand over his ribs. Titus graciously accepted Jon’s chin scratches.

As the boys pet the other’s dog, their conversation picked back up. Not into argument this time, but rather a simple conversation about dog toys.

Jon rambled slightly, seemingly thrilled to actually have someone to talk to. Damian smiled as he spoke too, not trying to hide his true, gentler nature.

The dogs looked at each other and grinned.

They finally found exactly what – and who – their boys needed.

#Damian Wayne #jon kent #Titus #krypto #mayleebaby28

[redjaybathood]

For the controversial opinions- All Star Batman and Robin, WHEN VIEWED AS AN ELSEWORLD isn’t *completely* terrible- it’s very sexist, but some of the other complaints rely on the belief that people can’t be substantially different from their alternate universe selves?

I have to confess I have not read All Star Batman and Robin - it’s the one that image of Vicky Vale in pink négligée is from, right? Ugh. I mean, there’s a time and place for all things, and in comics, I feel like all you’re showing at the page should work at the story overall. Does it in this case? Or was it added for the pleasure of the viewer/creator? Experience tells me it’s the latter so - I skipped it.

Like, I’m running on approximately five hours of sleep per night this week, so do I understand the second part correctly, like people complain about characters being substantially different from their main universe counterparts? Well, depends on how different they are, and if it makes sense within the condition of this particular alternative universe, and what you can infer from it, and how it influences the character overall.

It’s a short answer, the long answer below. And it is really a long one, ok? And at some points controversial.

Like, for example, Jason Todd in the world created by Booster Gold, where Bruce’s parents didn’t die? And he didn’t become Batman and didn’t adopt Jason. So - Jason grew up as an asshole who invented a very dangerous anti-theft device that will electrocute to the point of severe trauma or death anyone who tries to steal the tires from a car.

Which, in the story, were children, and a lot of children, and not only Jason didn’t pull the product from the stores, he denied any responsibility and hmm paid someone off to get off the hook? Or just had a scammy lawyer who got him off the hook. I don’t remember what. Basically, he was an anti-thesis to everything Jason Todd was, including at his most psychotic (Battle for the Cowl and onward until the New 52, I think).

Problems I have with this characterization: - weak basis for this kind of change. Can Jason be made into someone who cares about money more than other children who mirror his own fate directly? Sure. Would Batman not adopting him be enough? Nah.

- implications. This kinda tells the reader: oh Jason was a rotten apple, and without Bruce’s wholesome influence he would have become even worse. That’s a very pro-Bruce, anti-Jason opinion. Like, we also know at least one version of Jason who grew up without Batman? It’s priest!Jason, who had, I admit, tumultuous past, being an addict and a member of a gang/cult before being literally reborn (ugh, Jason Todd is literally DC’s Jesus). But this kinda does feel like a realistic outcome in a much more difficult world than main continuity - or the one with no Batman, compared to lex luthor wannabe.

Arguments against my take:

- I love Jason, so ofc I will prefer version of his character that paint him in a good light.

- I sound like Nightwing conspiracy theorist, only, you know, about Jason Todd.

- I actually didn’t read All-Star Batman and Robin and at this point, I’m afraid to do so.

Counterarguments:

- I actually routinely do mental gymnastic making canon make sense. I accept Jason who beat Tim up and make the psychotic break he experienced during BfTC and B&R make sense. I accept him turning into an octopus or impersonating Nightwing. I accept RHATO. So it’s saying something that this is going too far.

- Some points NCT bring up are valid. Like, Didio hated Dick - and specifically because if Dick gets older, then Bruce is aging. You can look up the quote. And it’s kinda the same with other characters. What Lobdell did to Roy and Kory to prop Jason up, what Glass or whoever else wrote Teen Titans recently, did to Damian, because they’re racist (don’t at me - if it looks racist, it’s probably is racist, and there are more than a few Damian’s fans who can explain it better than me), what Morrison did to Talia due to his - I don’t remember, was it mommy issues or ex-wife issues, or racism only, but I also don’t care. Best case scenario he’s just sucks at writing, and that’s why he overhauled all previous characterisation of Talia to fit the story he wanted for Damian. Which - it did not even had to be like that! You could have done it, with Damian and Batman on one side and Talia at the other, with much more nuance and care! Or, let’s remember the epic Jason Todd’s pre-death retcons and the vote. It was simply because the writer didn’t like him! He wanted to kill him off! Oh, and don’t start me with Steph and Cass. Tl;dr: writers, editors and executives influence what is written, and they are themselves influenced by their biases and preferences. And it sucks, mostly.

- I am actually a big liar who lies because I am reading it right now, and boy, Vicky Vale, dumb vapish and vane columnist, how ground-breaking, how interesting that is.

#Bruce Wayne #Dick Grayson #Jason Todd #Vicky Vale #All Star Batman and Robin #DC #asks

[dilfdoctordoom]

What would Bette’s first impressions of the Robins be? (Steph included)

Yet another lengthy one, so under the cut we go.

Dick:

Okay, hottest of takes here, but we’re gonna follow the original Bat-Girl origin for Bette (ie. she didn’t become a hero because of Robin)

She does have a crush on Robin, mainly because like... I think she feels that she has to??? If that makes sense???

Bette will do whatever it takes to fit in and she assumes that to fit in, she has to be with Robin. It’s a mess born of extreme insecurities & I don’t think it’d happen is somebody had sat her down and explained... she doesn’t need to

But yeah!!! She does genuinely think she’s cool

Technically her first impression of him is made when she saves him, Batwoman & Batman... she keeps on calling him Damsel after that

He hates it but she thinks it’s funny

As for Dick Grayson...

She thinks Dick Grayson is a dork, but he can do cool flips so maybe he isn’t all bad

Probably one of his first friends in Gotham, if we’re being honest? I think Bruce would’ve wanted someone Dick’s age around him, so Bette got invited over a lot & they became friends eventually

Bette and Dick get along far better than Bat-Girl and Robin, okay, I don’t make the rules. They’re just dumbasses together... absolutely no brain cells... the chaos they unleashed, utterly unparalleled

Jason:

So Bette actually knows he’s Robin, so no weird two first meetings

Bette arrives the second she reads on the Gotham Gazette that Bruce got a kid. How could he not tell her? They’re supposed to be family, she should be informed if she has new family, did you know the kid’s birthday is soon? He’s left her in an awkward position on getting a gift but this is Bette Kane. She is inhumanly persistent

Jason is quizzed on his interests the second she arrives at Wayne Manor. And her arrival is... wow. He didn’t know people could drop glitter with every step but apparently, that’s a superpower beauty pageants give you. Weird.

Oh, you like books? What kind of books? Classical, huh... thank god Bette knows Bruce’s library inside and out, she might actually be able to get him something that isn’t already there

Bette’s general impression of Jason is holy shit, this kid is adorable? Literally so cute? She wants to pinch his lil cheeks. 10/10 excellent decision on Bruce’s part, she will support this

Jason thinks Bette is... a lot. Which she is, to be fair. Not, like, the worst person he’s ever met, but he seriously doubts he’d be able to handle her in large bouts

Tim:

This one is actually kinda fun because I’m headcanoning that they meet before he ever becomes a hero! They’re both a part of Gotham’s elite, they meet before he starts kicking people’s heads in

They’re very formal with each other. The Kanes & the Drakes aren’t exactly close so...yeah

Bette always does kinda try to help him out when she can

She actually ends up being hired as his tutor for a few subjects. It’s a case of unstoppable force, immovable object; Tim Drake’s hatred of school vs Bette Kane’s inability to give up on anything

He does actually end up learning stuff. He places it down to the fear

Bette thinks he’s just a sweet little kid

Tim doesn’t actually find out she was the original Bat-Girl, or that she’s Flamebird until he becomes Robin. He was too focused on Batman and he just... loses his mind when he realizes it. It makes so much sense but also what? What? Bruce explain it huts his head make it make sense but also make it make less sense

Steph:

They first meet when Steph is Spoiler. Bette is Flamebird at the time & they team up to take on the Joker & insult Batman

It is pure unadulterated chaos

Who let this happen? Unclear, but Batman’s already got a migraine & Eddie wishes that this never occurred. He wants to go back to a time before they knew each other

Steph throws bricks, Bette is surprisingly good at riddles, this was a disaster in the making. Have you met them? Can you imagine them working together? God. I fear for Gotham

Bette thinks Steph is super cool... and like, hey, maybe she does relate a little to the whole ‘Batman and Robin disapprove’ thing...

She kinda breaks a lot of rules & tells Steph her identity that night because look. Bette gets how important a proper support system is. If Bruce had been a little more honest with her a little earlier, things in her Bat-Girl era probably would’ve gone better

So Flamebird lets Spoiler know her secret identity. She hasn’t said anything that links her to Bruce or anybody else so it’s probably fine and even if it isn’t... Bette doesn’t see it as a bad thing if a kid that wants to do good knows where to find more help

The next morning, Stephanie Brown meets up with Bette Kane for waffles and is taught the importance of being underestimated, how to weaponize it

Damian:

Bruce is dead. They both go to his funeral but they don’t meet then

Bette goes completely silent for a week after his death and then she shows up at Wayne Manor, the entirety of the Gray Ghost in hand

As far as she knows, Bruce is never gonna get to show his son this and that’s... not fair, in her mind

So they watch it together. Sometimes Damian paints, sometimes one of his pets is there, but most of the time, it’s just the two of them

It takes him a while to start talking to her. His information on Bette Kane doesn’t paint an overly flattering picture and he’s extremely dismissive of her, but also, Dick’s been changing how he sees things and she’s actually trying to let him know Bruce, not Batman

Sometimes, completely unprompted, she’ll tell him stories about his father. It’s never about Batman (because that wasn’t all her cousin was and his son deserves to know that), always Bruce Wayne. The Bruce that she knew, not the playboy facade

He... he isn’t mad about it. It’s different from anything that Dick or Talia has ever told him

Robin V & Flamebird don’t ever work together but. The second he’s in danger, in genuine danger, and Dick has sent out the call... she’s there

I wouldn’t say Bette is in the best place when Damian arrives (her cousin is dead, like, that’s gonna hurt) but she sees a kid that needs help and that overrides everything else. Besides, Bruce would be disappointed in her if she didn’t give Dick a little assistance

She sees a lot of her cousin in him and it takes her a while not to be awkward about it

It takes a lot of time, but eventually, they do get along much better and aren’t always so silent around each other

Duke:

Duke is Bette’s favourite Robin, even if she first meets him when he’s the Signal

Like, sorry, there’s absolutely no doubt about this. He’s got cool light powers, she loves that he doesn’t take Bruce’s shit and she just... she thinks he’s awesome, you know?

Sometimes she’ll help him patrol during the day. It’s actually what gets her back into the Flamebird costume, it’s a lot of fun

They have a different dynamic than any of the ones she has with the other Robins for a lot of reasons. Like, it’s never gonna be how it is with the first three, because Bette is so much older now. It’s not gonna be how it was with Steph, because she & Steph bonded over how Batman and Robin shoved them aside. Damian is Bruce’s kid and that added a different element to their dynamic

But Duke. Duke’s got this light in him and Bette is fiercely protective of him. They have a different dynamic -- because Bette has seen what usually happens to Robins, to anyone that wore that mantle. She won’t see it happen again

#q & a #bette kane

[kirazalea]

For the fanfiction asks: 3, 4, 11, 12 for the "Breathe In, Breathe Out" series (you can answer for either fic; i couldn't choose between them) ♥

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

For The Silence Grows Louder (TSGL for future reference because I'm lazy), probably the last sentence of Jason's pov, "[The phone] lay shattered on the floor, and Jason knew exactly what it must have felt like, lying there with no way of putting itself back together the way it was before." because (although looking back now I would've changed the wording around just a little) I still really like the image it painted in my head when I first wrote it, of Jason having part of his worldview just absolutely demolished right in front of him. In most versions of Jason that I've seen, Dick was always the unreachable ideal, the golden son who could do no wrong and knew no true pain, and here, that's completely thrown out the window and he realizes that Dick is just as hurt as him, y'know?

For I Can't Hear You (ICHY), literally just the entirety of Cass's section to be honest, "There it was; the familiar, languid way her tongue curled around his father's name, the same as everyone else in this city that thought they knew him, felt entitled to him. No one Bruce cared about said his name like that." because the implications of Brucie Wayne are so fascinating to me. Clark, his kids, other heroes that know him, I imagine that they all say his name with a bit of warmth, or that it's a very quick and blunt "Bruce" that fits his personality, whereas all of these socialites say Bruce like it's a bargaining chip, a secret weapon, or else they say Brucie very indulgently and condescendingly, like just by being able to refer to him as Brucie, they have an unspoken prestige and power. Idk if that made any sense, lmao, but god, I could write essays about how much that entire dynamic fascinates me

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

For TSGL, "Just because you have a pretty smile, doesn't give people the right to take what they want from you."

For ICHY, "And just what is my best feature?" because that's the first time Dick gets to fight back, to fuck someone up and feel like he's in control and a threat instead of eye candy that doesn't have the right to object, y'know?

11: What do you like best about this fic?

Obviously the fact that it challenges the way Dick's been treated for so long (and all of the lovely comments and conversations it spawned in the comments), but I loved focusing on all of the other batfam members too! Giving Kate and Harper and Duke and everyone else their own turn in the spotlight was a really good exercise for me, but also they're so often left out of fics, so I'm really glad I could fix that just a little

12: What do you like least about this fic?

Although it was the thing that spawned this whole series, I do regret putting so much detail into describing the video in the fic (the Tim and Duke section of TSGL). Looking back, if I hadn't been as pissed as I was while writing, I would've left out a few details that aren't actually relevant to the plot of this story. Granted, I'm still furious about that whole thing and I don't regret shoehorning it into the fic, I feel like it kind of... I don't know, takes away from the impact just a little? It opened up the avenues i really wanted to address (the objectification and harassment) but I don't know. I would've done that scene different if I were writing it now

Also, I just want to say thank you so much for the ask, and I'm so glad you liked both of my fics ❤❤❤

#yes i AM incapable of shutting up #i'm aware don't worry #asks and answers #fanfictions #batfam

[viktcrr-alt]

MAXENCE DANET FAUVAL / NONBINARY — don’t look now, but is that viktor samuels i see? the 24 year old visual arts student is in their senior year and he/they are a rochester alum. i hear they can be observant, ingenious, reticent and dependent, so maybe keep that in mind. i bet he/they will make a name for themselves living in garcia row. ( james. 20. est. she/they. )

LAST INTRO WOOOO !! u know what to mf DO !!

TW DEATH, HEAVY GRIEF, OVERDOSE / DRUG ADDICTION, HOSPITALIZATION, HYPERSEXUALITY, RELIGION MENTIONS, MENTAL ILLNESS

a e s t h e t i c s

old tvs and their static, worn tapes, horror movie screams, spilled ink, a sculptor’s hands, clay-stained, chicken scratch handwriting, messy notes, messy hair, scoffs and eye-rolls, bruised knuckles, sore throats, funeral homes and a crying preacher, shattered ceramics, knife fights, high ledges, vertically-striped pants, red lights, the moon shrouded in clouds, cigarette butts.

general info !!

full name: viktor phillip samuels

nickname(s): icky vicky :/

b.o.d. - jan 2nd

label(s): the black hole, the crepehanger, the impious, the opaque, the tempest, etc.

height: 6′0″

hometown: rochester, new york

sexuality: uuuhhh god … probably pan tbh

pinterest

stats

biography !!

okay so … born and raised in rochester, new york to the well known samuels family. preacher father, a mother, a twin sister born 15 minutes before him - aka tatiana samuels, who died back in january.

kinda … grew up as a really awkward, quiet kid? like … just didn’t really interact with other kids super well, preferred being alone and like … digging up bugs in the dirt. only friend was like … his own sister.

grew out of this as they got older, instead sort of … becoming a bit of a dick? to compensate for years of awkwardness? will bite the hand that feeds him. was a full on nuisance by middle school. tatiana was not, at least, noticeably.

has always been a fan of darker materials, y’know - grim and creepy, morbid shit. big fan of tim burton ever since he was a kid, which isn’t … a good look for a preacher’s son, but he’s never really felt ~in~ with the rest of his family, anyway.

drew disturbing pictures as a kid probably tbh that prompted one or two or five phone calls home 2 assure everything was fine.

has always been really … good at art, in general - from drawing to painting to playing with clay, that’s always been viktor’s Thing.

aNyWaYs. being tatiana’s twin brother was kinda hard sometimes. tatiana and him were near opposites besides their same mean-spirited trait. she was better in the public than he was, but viktor was arguably more talented than tatiana. they both loved each other deeply and found each other as competition for their parents’ attention - a rivalry, of sorts.

high school is when viktor really started to act out - started extreme, like losing his virginity in their church and vandalism around the neighborhoods. faked being possessed in the middle of sunday service. almost had an exorcism performed on him, probably.

the only redeemable trait was like … his sheer talent with art. was in a 3d art AP course, specialized in sculpting - could pretty much create anything he wanted with enough dedication.

because his parents would be focused on disciplining him for his antics, tatiana could sneak away and get away with stuff easier. so like, y’know, that’s on the bright-side of things.

never been particularly motivated to do much - wasn’t planning on attending lockwood but his parents kinda … did and sent in his application for him b/c they were Not on board with him Wasting Away (wanted him out of the house asap)

actually pretty smart !! just doesn’t like … want to apply himself ever. double majoring in english and visual arts because they’re like … two of his only interests :/ plus he wants to write and illustrate his own series of children books with a style similar to tim burton’s

he’d been experimenting since high school but college is where he really started to like … crack down on himself and figure himself out. was out as pan & nonbinary by his sophomore year of college, just … not to his family, necessarily. thinks tatiana always knew, but didn’t … really use it against him, blessedly enough

always felt like the whole twin - connection thing was … both wack and also not-wack? sometimes it felt believable but sometimes he had no idea what was going on in tatiana’s head. but he felt oddly transparent to her, always - like he was predictable to no one but her.

( TW DEATH, GRIEF, OVERDOSE / HOSPITALIZATION BEYOND THIS POINT )

but when tatiana disappeared - it was like, like viktor knew. the moment she had been kidnapped - felt something deeply wrong in his gut. and when tatiana died - viktor felt something cut so severely in him. he knew, he always knew exactly when. he couldn’t put his finger on how - but he knew. even when everybody else held out hope for her to be found - he knew.

went on a bender around the same time, had always struggled w/ drug addiction but it got worse the longer tatiana went without being found.

( also struggled heavily with his mental health, too ?? has manic and depressive episodes. will fixate on a sculpting project for six months and then purposely knock it off the table and destroy it in the matter of seconds once it’s finished for. no fucking reason. impulse spends A Lot. )

when her body was found, viktor went off the rails. ended up overdosing and being hospitalized where he spent the next like … however long months … until they deemed him better.

has been back since the beginning of fall semester in an attempt to finish his senior year - mostly out of his parents’ insistence that he did, because he very much did not want to. 

is still dealing with a lot of trauma & grief, which was only amplified with dean lockwood’s death - causing him to spiral and be unpredictable with his mental health. some days are good, and some days are very bad.

personality !!

the human embodiment of a gremlin, fed after midnight. a goblin, if u will. one of those cats with a narrow head and big ass ears. that’s him.

b i g horror & halloween enthusiast. loves the old campy horror movies. probably has an abundance of masks from different movies. dresses like a grimy millennial beetlejuice more than he should. love those vertically striped pants!

fashion alternates between e-boy (would b tik tok famous if he were like … 17), millennial beetlejuice, and like … goth in a crop top and sweatpants. big fan of crop tops. big fan of sweatpants.

he can be fucking mean. petty, aggressive, instigator. will literally spit in ur face or no reason. kind of person who’ll stick his gum into other ppl’s hair. other than that he’s like … pretty okay. he’s not always mean, he’s just a dick like … 70% of the time lmao

i mean yeah okay he’ll call someone a stinky bitch for no reason except He Feels Like It And Believes It. it’s fine he’s fine, we’re fine.

despite the fact tht he’s probably getting into fights whenever - considers himself 2 be a lover n not a fighter but that’s just because he Fucks a lot. kind of uses it like a coping mechanism, like he’s this big fancy carnival show that’s like ‘come one, come all! fuck the dead girl’s twin brother!’ may have a problem w/ hypersexuality but it’s nothing he’s fully. aware of.

the preacher’s whore son, basically

like i said he’s pan & nb, switches between he and they pronouns but like … he has such a fragile grip on his identity that u could call him ‘dog-faced bitch’ and he’d turn like hey wassup :)

vastly impulsive, like i’ve mentioned … destroys his own creations 4 the fun of it, spends all his money on useless shit, will cheat on someone bc he feels like it. screams into the night sky frequently, like a cat in heat.

i mean he also creates useless shit for no reason too. spent six months sculpting a hollowed out tree the size of him and then took a sledgehammer to it.

dramatic fuck. used to play the organ at the church like … when no one was looking after him and service was about to start. just these creepy as melodies. would do the same thing at home on his keyboard w/ the organ setting whenever he got grounded until his parents took away his keyboard sadjfkg

won’t talk about his time away b/c it’s not rly anybody’s business but ofc nothing is sacred to the watershed app, y’know, nothing’s private.

still like - he absolutely refuses to talk about tatiana’s death and like, his mental health or his addiction (he’s fallen back into it tbh but it hasn’t gotten bad again … yet) or like … anything involving his own emotions

will literally just change the topic! abruptly, no warning, asks about the jonas brothers instead.

that being said he’s obsessed with tatiana’s death. tatiana was very much a rock for him, kinda dependent on her in a way? just … being there, y’know, kept him grounded.

so he obv became a shepherd bc he wants to know Everything there is abt the app, wants to be deep inside it, wanted to know Who Exactly Killed Tatiana and like … not saying he wants 2 commit murder but :/ yknow. he’s very upset.

emotionally unavailable while also like crying twice a day.

will tell you straight up what he wants from you, no bullshit, no beating around the bush - just blunt. if he wants to just fuck, nothing else, then that’s that. if he feels deviation he’ll ghost in like. less than a second. kinda awful like that! feels no shame.

but like … also is emotional ?? as shit ?? it’s confusing. he’ll cry on a whim and then flip u off if u try to console him or like. ask him anything. will bite you.

he goes to therapy but he generally fucks around and wastes most of the time until the therapist threatens to like … idk what therapists r allowed to threaten. to send him off to another therapist? idk.

likes being intimidating but like … not with his body or nothing ‘cos he’s a TWIG, but like … uses his love for horror n creepy shit to his advantage. has an abundance of fake blood. has channeled the energy of jack nicholson and used it on tatiana’s boyfriends before.

( also a big fan of sfx makeup, has dabbled in it)

probably chases kids with a chainsaw (w/o the like … chain … or w/e … so it’s not actually Dangerous) around halloween

he’s generally never doing good, both mental health wise and morally.

would probably steal candy from a baby for the fun of it.

i don’t know if there’s a good to him, deep down, and i don’t know if he sees any issues with himself either !! nothing really breaks through to him anymore, the only person who ever really made him stop and Think about his actions was tatiana.

kinda introverted, recluse type who doesn’t rly like most people or going out, but he’ll go to parties if it means he’ll be high as shit.

pretty observant. likes to analyze people even though he’s probably not … fully right.

wanted connections !!

he lives alone currently but like … ex - roommates where viktor was just. a nightmare to live with.

feel like a lot of enemies is also a possibility !! viktor’s messy.

people that like … knew tatiana. dated tatiana, even, and viktor would pretty much try to intimidate / scare them at any given chance :/

close friends of tatiana too

people who hated tatiana but liked viktor. people who hated viktor but liked tatiana

people who take pity on him and he Hates it viciously and vocally.

a band of hooligan gremlin kids who do drugs and fuck shit up around town like they’re edgy teenagers even though they’re all early to mid 20s.

the girl he lost his virginity 2 in high school lmao … a distant memory

fellow rochester locals, from church or school or whatever

exes from the past !! good terms and bad terms, but i love bad terms a whole lot mainly b/c viktor’s a jackass.

don’t know if he’s soft towards anybody but we can try. we can Try.

friends, old friends, new friends, bad friends, good friends, close friends, frenemies, etc. etc. all of it

hookups !! so many hookups. fwbs, one night stands, whatever.

uuhhhh god. i don’t know. im so sleepy rn. people in the same major or similar majors.

maybe a ride or die.

people he’s a bad influence on / an enabler towards / all around toxic for them / each other.

people he’s fought !! people who’ve seen him get into random fights and were like ‘uh wtf’

fellow shepherds !!

literally anything im not picky.

#huntingtonintro #death tw #grief tw #overdose tw #drugs tw #addiction tw #hospitalization tw #hypersexuality tw #murder tw #religion mentions #mental health tw

[bigskydreaming]

IGN’s recent Bat-focused article (Batman: What Does Red Hood Need to Do to Get A Good Story?) praises fanfic writers and also is an amazing critique of how stagnant Jason has become under recent DC management and I’m so surprised at how good it is and how well thought out the solutions were

Hmmm. I just looked it up and I mean, I’m not trying to start anything but I both agree and disagree? Like, it makes some points for sure, I mean, its not like its saying things that I haven’t said a thousand times about Dick, like.....these characters need to be allowed access to a full range of emotions, both good and bad, in order to be fully fleshed out, so I mean yes on that premise alone I absolutely agree this is as true for Jason as it is for Dick or anyone else.

Tbh my only real criticism of the piece is it thinks Jason exists in a particular predicament the other characters aren’t in as well. And that I just don’t agree with, like they kinda lost me a bit with their first paragraph:

His complexities and moral ambiguity make him a compelling and distinct character among his more strait-laced Robin-brothers. Sadly, the character has seen little growth since his rage-filled reintroduction into comics. The ‘former Robin becomes a villain’ idea was enough for DC to coast on for a while but since rejoining the heroes, Red Hood has done little else.

First off, this may just be me being pedantic but I’m ALWAYS going to go fetch a grain of salt before continuing reading anything that pits Jason against his brothers in a war of his moral ambiguity against their strait-lacedness. Because to me, that’s just a fundamentally shallow view of the Batfam that caters to the idea that they each must have their own distinct niche in order to be fully viable individual characters, when a) no, and b) they don’t fit neatly into the niches people keep trying to slot them into and it never ends well for anybody. 

Like Jason is morally ambiguous in a lot of ways too, yes, but umm, even if we assume that the writer is only speaking of Dick, Tim and Damian, we’re talking a guy who beat the Joker to death with his bare hands and has ten assassins and mercenaries on his speed dial and who co-led the Outsiders, a guy who was deeply immersed in weighing the pros and cons of getting revenge for his father by getting Captain Boomerang killed and is forever being DMed by Ra’s because he’s convinced he can get Tim to say He Has Some Points Actually, and the kid who was an assassin with a body count by age ten and who has struggled constantly ever since his debut to define his OWN personal view of morality that is not wholly predicated on what he was taught by any single individual.

And this is a big part of where I part ways with the article, because I think it falls into the same trap that a lot of people do by believing fanfic is inherently better by doing the same thing from just a different angle. Fanfic CAN be better than the canon, I absolutely believe that, I believe it is at times, but to do so, it has to like, BE BETTER. It has to do things differently, and not just paint a slightly different veneer over the same things. Like, pedantic though it might be, I outlined the above issue because its a mode of thinking the canon absolutely falls into again and again, and just like the writer of that article themselves, like....I think fandom as a whole is no different? 

Like, yes there are great stories about Jason out there, some writers have done great and interesting things with him, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a huge trend in fandom of doing the exact same thing I see here.....which is honestly a huge part of the exact same problem the article is decrying canon for......LIMITING Jason (and all the Batfam) by reducing them and their stories to finite niches as a way of spotlighting them as different from their siblings.....except they’re not that different! And that’s okay! They don’t have to be! Families can have lots in common, families DO have lots in common due to like.....shared variables during their formative years. 

I mean Jason was heavily influenced by environmental factors in how and where he grew up before he ever met Batman, but like the article goes into itself, he was no less influenced by Bruce himself as his father figure.....which is something he absolutely has in common with his siblings, thus its not hard at all to see how his siblings could have similar complexities and moral struggles that stem from trying to reconcile Bruce’s influence with the many other things and people that have influenced their childhoods.

And similarly, while the article is dead-on about Jason’s stagnancy....this is something that applies in equal measure to the rest of his family, because they’re all facing the same issues in terms of how DC views and utilizes them, and fandom as much as it likes to condemn DC for doing just that....frequently does the same thing. Like, Jason’s stuck in canon, absolutely......but Dick keeps being popped out into his own microcosm to experience a couple years of stories that essentially turn him into completely different characters isolated from every communal part of his character’s history, and then ERASE everything that’s happened at the end of each of these stories and reset him to square one.....and that’s just a different kind of stagnancy that again, still never allows for actual character progression or development. Tim has LITERALLY been regressed back to Robin, like a hard reset that’s its own kind of stagnancy and Damian has had years of character development upended just to kick him back to where he started, effectively strip away all the connections he’s developed at least in any meaningful way, etc.....and the same holds true for Babs and Cass and Steph and even Bruce himself IMO, in a lot of ways.

Its absolutely a problem, but its a problem that extends far beyond just Jason even if he is a great example of it. And its also a problem that extends into fic itself, and that’s why I don’t agree with a lot of the conclusions that article draws beyond just the fundamental “these characters need to be allowed access to a full range of emotions.”

Yes. That. That right there, THAT I think is crucial, but I think that writer needed to widen the scope a little to take in the full impact of what that actually MEANS for the characters....so as to not accidentally repeat the same problem they’re being critical of by essentially arguing for a full range of emotions for Jason....while still defining or viewing Jason through a finite lens of “the more morally ambiguous Bat character, at least as compared to his brothers.”

Because its that last part that’s so detrimental, because it seems like such a little thing at first, until you realize that essentially its just putting a ceiling, a cap on how far those full ranges of emotions can be expressed. Like the problem with Dick Grayson in canon and fanon is NOT that he can’t be written with a full range of emotions.....its that his character absolutely can encompass a wide range of opinions and viewpoints and emotional stances from “I don’t believe in killing as a first option” to “I absolutely can, will, and have beaten a damn clown to death for joking about murdering my brother”.....and he can still walk away as Dick Grayson after expressing both those things, because his character is big enough to include them both. HE’S not limited as a character, its canon writers and fandom writers that both heap artificial limitations of their OWN on him, say that his character is so defined in such a specific way that there’s no way for the latter expression of his character to actually be IN character.....and the fatal flaw here is fully fleshed out characters are never just one thing. They don’t fit in niches anymore than people do, and notice the problems we all run into when we try and pigeon hole people as being just one thing, like humans can’t be contradictory or act against their own self-interest or be hypocritical or evolve or even regress past prior viewpoints....basically, any time you try and sum up a human being in one line, no matter how accurate that description is, there’s still SOME things that are going to be left out of that picture. 

Now, these things don’t always have to matter that much, like if I look at a serial killer and say that’s a serial killer, like, I might be leaving out of the picture that once he helped an old lady across the street and didn’t kill her and he doesn’t even know why, and I for one, simply do not care that I leave that out of the picture. Its irrelevant to the big picture for me. I can acknowledge that it adds a smidgen of nuance to that particular picture and then go yeah but also I don’t care, nuance denied.

But in terms of fictional characters, these things that get left in the discard pile when we try and sum up characters as just one thing, like, they can be hugely significant, because characters unlike real people, are simply WHAT WE MAKE OF THEM. That stuff that’s been left out of the big picture look at that character because its stuff most people to DEFINE what that character looks like have deemed irrelevant....its still there, and still perfectly relevant for anyone who wants to pick that stuff up and make something of it, use it to change the overall picture or even just point to ways and places that picture can absolutely encompass and include these other elements and STILL fundamentally be that same picture, that same character.

And this isn’t to say that characters can never be written out of character, its to say that usually IMO what ACTUALLY makes the difference between something being out of character and something just being an unexpected but still valid character choice is just.....how these things are executed. The latter is when writers make the effort to JUSTIFY their character choice, to sell audiences on why and how this is absolutely something this character would do, to take them on a journey of what led the character to making this choice and let them see how those steps actually line up, that’s an actual journey that character might take. The former is when writers just don’t bother and are just like, well here’s a thing that character did, and you know it was in character because well that’s the character and that’s what I wrote them doing lol, what more do you want. No. Yawn. Next.

But the trick is if you’re going to try and make a character a SPECTRUM of emotions and choices rather than just a same datapoint recurring over and over again endlessly, a literal sticking point that never advances, never progresses, never changes......you have to actually give that character free range to utilize that spectrum of emotions and choices.....not just confine them to accessing all those possibilities but ONLY within a narrowly defined niche that is its own kind of limitation.

A character can START from a logline, absolutely. Can BEGIN in a narrative niche as a way to INTRODUCE them as seemingly different from their surroundings or their peers when they do not yet have the backstory, the evidence of past stories and character choices readers can use to interpret their actions or guess their choices.....but narrative niches, IMO, are meant to have a shelf life, an expiration date. They’re a seed for characters to grow FROM, to grow PAST, not return to over and over again.....because that’s when a niche just becomes another house that stagnancy built.

Anyway, thanks for the thoughts and the article mention.....it was an interesting exploration of thoughts for me even if I didn’t ultimately agree with a lot of what was already said....still a worthwhile read though I think and I mean hey, its cool if you still agree with it more even if I don’t, lol. This is just my take.

[violetsmoak]

Philtatos [2/?]

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20101543/chapters/47630773

Blanket Disclaimer

Summary: During a patrol where Red Hood and Red Robin cross paths, Jason is infected with the blood of the Eros, the ancient God of Love, who informs them that they must track down his missing bow and arrows, or Jason will go slowly mad with an obsessive desire--for Tim. Though overwhelmed by the sudden attention being paid to him, Tim sets to work trying to solve the case, before Jason succumbs to madness. In the meantime, Jason discovers that there's more than godlike powers at work here, as well as a legacy that reaches back through the sands of time. 

Rating: PG-13 (rating may change later)

Beta Reader: None at the moment.

JayTimBingo Prompts This Chapter: #gods in disguise

First Chapter

_______________________________________________________________ 

Predictably, Jason is the first to respond to that.

“Bullshit.”

Tim sighs and rolls his eyes because he’s sure the reaction is more Jason being oppositional than actual doubt. They’re staring at a guy that until a few minutes ago had giant black wings sprouting from his shoulders, who’s been collecting suggestive art and carving a swath of hedonism across the city. They’ve dealt with stranger things and less plausible explanations.

“God of Love?” he inquires. “You mean, like Cupid?”

“Gaia, I hate that name. Stupid little Valentine’s Day mascot. I blame the Romans. The Hellenistic was great, except for that.” He waves a dismissive hand. “I mostly go by Steve these days. Cuts down on the explanation time.”

Which just…what?

“Steve, the God of Love,” Jason deadpans. “Because that doesn’t sound like a cringy mascot at all…”

“Why are you in Gotham?” Tim asks, more direct this time.

“And what the hell are you dosing people with that they’re all down to fuck without remembering it? I don’t know how it works wherever you came from, but here that’s assault.”

“I’ve never assaulted anyone!” Eros protests, all wounded integrity. “If anything, I’ve been the one people keep jumping ever since my bow and arrows got stolen.”

“Your bow and arrows? That’s seriously the defense you’re going with?”

“How does one steal from a god?”

“You wait until he’s stoned out of his mind in an Amsterdam coffee shop and knock him out,” Eros grouses. “It’s either brilliance or suicidal madness. I’ll decide which one after I track down the bastard that did it and give them a reminder that I’m Ares’ son as much as Aphrodite’s.”

“Right,” Tim says, raising an eyebrow. “On that note, if you’ve got all these divine connections, why don’t you just get new weapons made?”

“If it were that simple you think I’d have dragged myself to this armpit of the universe? The bow and arrows act as a constant diviner for my abilities. It focusses them or controls them if you will. Otherwise, my powers veer wildly out of control.”

“What powers?” Jason snorts. “If you had anything beyond your feathers, you wouldn’t have been so useless with those mob assholes and made us do all the heavy lifting.”

Eros’ eyes turn hard and his lips pull into a cold smile. He reaches for Jason’s face and wriggles his fingers threateningly. “Would you care to find out?”

Not wanting to give Jason a time to respond by breaking the digits in his face, Tim places himself in front of him.  

“Both of you, knock it off—”

His move manages to divert the Olympian from losing fingers, but it also puts him straight in his path. Impossibly soft finger pads graze his jaw, and it is as if a current of electricity has been passed through his spine.

Tim seizes up, his brain going cloudy and his stomach suddenly hot and trembling. Sight and sound vanish or rather sharpen to a single point, the figure in front of him, and a visceral want edges out every other thought and impulse.

He is dimly aware of moving, of being rivetted at the individual motions that bring him into Eros’ personal space, and which have him fixing his upon the other man’s shoulders. Then he’s dragging him forward and crushing their mouths together.

The taste and smell of pomegranate and ozone overwhelm him, and he doesn’t wait for reciprocation before he’s shoving his tongue into the Olympian’s mouth, harshly trying to chase the unique flavor. All other intent vanishes in the single-minded pursuit of that goal, and he wonders if it’s not just his mouth that tastes like this, if the rest of him—

“What the fuck?!” Hands grab him roughly and he’s being jerked backward, stumbling into an unyielding armored chest. “What the hell did you do to him?”

Tim whines at the loss. “No—I need— he—”

Words aren’t really a workable thing right now, not in the face of the fact the world suddenly seems colder.

There’s a clicking sound, and then Tim’s world tilts as if he just stood up too fast. When his wits return, he realizes that Jason is holding him up with one arm, practically lining them up from ankle to armpit. His other hand is elevated, semi-automatic pointed at Eros’ forehead, glaring him down as if daring him to get closer.

The Olympian raises in slow surrender.

“Just making a point,” he tells them with a butter-wouldn’t-melt expression that could do Dick proud. His voice sounds like it’s coming from underwater.

“Try it again. See how it works out without a head.”

Every passing second brings reality back into sharp relief, and with it a mounting sense of dread.

“I…please tell me I didn’t just do that,” Tim says, mortified and still punch drunk. He was never even that forward with Steph.

Out of the corner of his eye, he notices a flash of irritation flicker across Jason’s face, and then the older vigilante fixes Eros with a look of utter loathing that Tim’s only ever seen when he goes up against one of the crazier rogues. Black Mask or Scarecrow, maybe. That usually precedes extreme violence, which they don’t need right now. They need detachment, to look at this clinically.

(And he needs to focus on something else to erase the fact he just tongue-kissed the God of Love in front of his childhood crush.)

“What was that?”

“I project a field across the surface of my skin that causes instant sexual arousal and frenzy in any living creature. The longer you’re exposed to it, the stronger and longer-lasting the effects—and the more the out of control you get.”

“So basically, you’re a walking Viagra date-rape drug,” Jason sneers.

“It’s not supposed to be like that…”

“Again, I call bullshit. I remember all the stories. Whenever you’re involved, someone ends up falling for someone else without having a choice and bad shit happens. Helen of Troy ringing any bells?”

Eros crosses his arms, resembling Damian at his most petulant; meanwhile, Tim stares at Jason, who notices and scowls back. “What?”

“How do you know that?”

“I have depths,” he replies, tone mildly defensive.

“The stories get so much wrong. Blame primitive writers and centuries of telephone for that,” Eros mutters. “Here’s the deal—my mother, she’s got the make-people-fall-in-love juju. The overwhelming, powerful, love-at-first-sight thing that basically causes the honeymoon period of a relationship. You know, that point where you only see the good qualities in a person?”

Tim exchanges a perplexed look with Jason; he’s never been in a relationship with anyone where he saw only their good qualities, and judging by the older vigilante’s blank expression, neither has he.

“Right, forgot who I’m talking to. You cape types aren’t exactly the hallmark of romance, are you?”

“Yeah, well, you deity types aren’t exactly the hallmark of not getting punched.”

“We’ve already established why that would be a bad idea,” Tim mutters, his ears burning.

“I’m wearing gauntlets.”

“In a healthy relationship,” Eros goes on, ignoring the byplay, “sure, you spend a bit of time totally enamored with your boo. They’re your world. But after a while, that starts to fade. Some people, okay, they’ve stuck together for the getting-to-know-you period and decide to keep going. But others—they get a very real sense of buyer’s remorse.”

“Like Helen did. Or Phaedra or Atalanta,” Jason suggests, and Tim frowns; he only recognizes one of those names.

“Exactly. They realized they’d compromised themselves and ruined their lives for some petty asshole without even knowing it. And they couldn’t exactly do anything about it—in the old days, you were stuck with the guy and you had to make the best of it since, you know, no divorce. Nowadays, it’s not so bad—those whirlwind romances don’t last, but it’s not the end of the world. Celebrities are famous for them. Literally.”

“I don’t understand what all this has to do with you being here and now,” Tim says.

“I’m getting there. I was giving you guys context, geez! Anyway, with me, it’s a little different. It’s more than just that love-at-first-sight, quick and dirty thing. It’s about desire. That bone-deep connection, all need and hunger and slow-burning.” His face relaxes, mouth easing into a fond smile. “It was a deeper thrall than anything Mom had the patience for. With my tools, I could awaken that—in a controlled fashion—and focus it. But now—well, you saw what I can do with just a touch.”

Tim’s cheeks flame.

“The longer I don’t have my tools to temper me, my abilities will become more unstable. You ever see people literally fuck each other to death?” Eros challenges. “Trust me, you don’t want to. And it’s not just sex people desire. This one guy pissed me off once and I made him develop an unhealthy desire for corned beef—”

“If you know your power is about to go Chernobyl, why the hell are you running around town robbing people? You’d think you have more important things to worry about.”

“It’s because I’m losing control that I’ve been doing that.”

Tim narrows his eyes, even if no one can see it. “Explain.”

“Over time, artists pour their souls and creative desires into their work—into the canvas, the clay, the paint, whatever. There’s a magic in the creative act that turns a medium into a vessel. I’ve been having to bleed off my power into these vessels so I can get out and search for my diviners without causing riots. The process takes hours, though, and people generally don’t like me standing in a museum touching the merchandise.”

“So you steal it.”

“It eventually finds its way back. And their original owners usually find that the pieces seem somehow more—magnetic—once I’m done with them.”

“I don’t know how you made that sound dirty, but you did,” Jason grumbles.

“Are you kidding? I created innuendo. And the double entendre.” Eros makes a dismissive gesture. “Anyhow, it’s all moot. I won’t be capable of bleeding off my powers for much longer. As you just saw, my control is slipping. So, you two are going to have to find my bow and arrow for me.”

Tim blinks at the sudden turn of the conversation. “What?”

“Right. Because we don’t have enough of our own shit to deal with, we’re going to go on a scavenger hunt for some entitled godling? That’s not how we operate.”

“You won’t have much of a choice,” Eros replies, and there’s a cruel edge to his smile now. “Not if you want to save your life.”

“That a threat, buddy?”

“Oh, I’ve no need for threats. It’s already done.” Eros points at the still bleeding wound on Jason’s shoulder. “When you saved bird-boy here, you got tagged by the same bullet I did; my blood’s in your veins now. And unless it’s because of the horizontal tango, there are some really nasty side-effects when Olympian blood gets in your frail systems.” His smile remains cold and cruel. “Mine’s particularly nasty.”

Jason crosses his arms, radiating skepticism. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been poisoned. Probably won’t be the last.”

“It’s not poison, per se,” Eros muses. “More like a virus that manifests as an intense, increasingly growing desire that will turn you mad and cook your brain unless you find a way to stop it. And the only cure, I’m afraid, is to be, heh, pricked by one of my arrows.”

“And who the hell am I supposed to be desiring? Because if it’s you, I’m going to claw my eyes out now and get it over with.”

“Thankfully that’s not the case. While I’m sure you would look amazing splayed out in my bed, that doesn’t exactly give your friend here any incentive to help me.” He considers Tim a moment, and his smile turns knowing. “Or perhaps it would.”

“Why me?” Tim asks, trying to keep his voice level. A sudden spike or worry shoots through him at one possibility. “Anyone else could do this.”

“Uh, you’re the first person Helmet Head set eyes on after being infected? Honestly, it’s right there in the myths.”

“I was never into the classics,” Tim mutters, breathing a sigh of relief; none of this has anything to do with his ill-advised crush, which means Jason doesn’t have to know about it. “If it’s just me being around him, I can stay away from him. It’s not like it’s hard.”

I wish that weren’t true.

Jason is staring at him oddly and Tim’s stomach jumps at his inability to interpret anything through the lenses of his mask.

“Okay, princess, let me know how that goes,” Eros chuckles.

Tim swallows.

He knows that Olympians have power—that their relics do, as well; how could he not, considering he’s known Cassie and Diana for so long?

Still, it’s laughable that Jason could ever desire him.

(There’s only a little pain and bitterness in that knowledge.)

Jason appears to be on the same wavelength.

“I call bullshit. I’m not in the habit of lusting after people I’ve tried to kill. Bit counterproductive, you know?”

“You might resist it for a little while,” Eros allows. “Looks aside, you capes have a lot of restraint. And it’s not like I was feeding you my blood or anything, so it might take a little longer still. But even that will fade as the infection spreads.”

For the first time since Eros’ threat, Jason shifts uneasily.

“Now,” the Olympian says, rubbing his hands together, “while watching you two get down and dirty in front of me would be good entertainment—” he leers at them both in a way that makes Jason tense like he’s going to punch him again and Tim consider letting him, “—I don’t have the time. I need the two of you on your game as much as possible if you’re going to help me.”

“Who says we’re going to help you? We could just hand you over to Wonder Woman and have her deal with this. Gods and mythological relics are more her areas of expertise.”

“Ah, but my dear cousin won’t have the same…motivation that you do, darlin’. Unless you want Prince Charming over here to get to the point of losing his mind over you?” Eros tilts his head toward Jason. “I mean, I guess that’s your choice. He is a bit of a douche—”

“I will rip off those wings of yours and stuff them up your—”

Tim grabs Jason and pulls him back a few feet so he can speak to him quietly, but keep an eye on Eros. Almost instantly Jason shoves him off as if he’s just been burned, and Tim raises his hands in surrender.

“Arguing with him obviously isn’t going to do anything,” he informs him.

“He’s obviously lying—trying to mess with us to do his bidding.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Until we know if this is truth or a bluff, we need to put him in a safe location. He needs to be tried for the thefts, regardless of his reasons. And since he has abilities, we’ll need a facility that can cancel-out meta powers.”

“Just keep him the fuck out of Belle Reve,” Jason grumbles. “We don’t need him ending up as one of Waller’s not-so-secret projects.”

“And in the meantime, we monitor your condition,” Tim goes on. “Back at the Cave, B has—”

“I’m not going to the damn Cave.”

“J—Hood, if he’s telling even part of the truth, you could be in trouble.”

“Because I’m going to lose my mind over your scrawny ass? I don’t think so.” He turns away. “Screw this, I’m out. You can figure this out. Gods are above my paygrade.”

He has his grapple gun out and an instant later vanishes into the night. And it’s like any other patrol; barely an acknowledgment of their team-up or thanks or farewell.

“He shouldn’t have done that,” Eros says, shaking his head. “Bad things happen when you repress your desires. It comes out in ugly ways.”

Irritation sparks in Tim.

“That bullet that went through your wing—has it healed yet?” he asks tersely, rummaging in his utility belt as he approaches the Olympian. “I can’t see since they…disappeared.”

“It’s not gushing blood anymore, but there’s still a dirty great hole there. Why?”

Without warning, Tim turns around and sticks a syringe into his neck, careful not to brush any skin accidentally as he pushes down the plunger.

“What the fu—” Eros’ words cut off with a gurgle.

“Just need to know how much time I have before the sedative wears off,” Tim replies. It was designed with Wonder Woman in mind, so he really hopes it’s strong enough.

The Olympian pitches forward. Tim catches him, and curses at the weight he hadn’t expected; wherever those wings are, they still contribute to the body’s overall mass, it seems.

⁂

Jason makes a beeline for his safe house on the Upper West Side; the events of the night have been such a disappointment that he figures he deserves to crash at one of his more comfortable properties. Somewhere with good heating and decent water pressure and a few of his favorite books tucked away.

“Not the leftover pizza I was looking forward to, but it’ll do,” he murmurs to himself. To be honest, his appetite’s all but disappeared in the wake of tonight’s revelations.

Not that Jason is concerned about whatever Eros or Steve or whatever-his-name-is told them. Some guy calls himself the god of love and informs Jason he’s been infected with an unholy desire that’s going to drive him mad and kill him?

“Been there. Done that. And for Drake of all people? Pfft. Please.”

The Condiment King had more credibility.

Besides, even if it was a believable threat, it’s not as if he’s going to just accept it. Jason’s always had issues with other people telling him what to do, and he’s been on the wrong end of Poison Ivy’s concoctions far too often for that. If there’s a chance something’s going to impact or impair his control over his own actions, he’s got a problem with that.

And it’s just…it’s Tim Drake.

Jason has been carefully trying to reconfigure his mental categorization of the guy for years, from ‘Replacement—Must Beat To Death On Sight’, to ‘Timbers—Ally-Possibly-Friend-Kinda-Brother-Sort Of?’. It’s still a work-in-progress figuring out which category he fits in, and Jason doesn’t need to add more complications, such as those that will no doubt ensue if he considers adding any other relationship dimensions.

Not like the kid’s a terrible catch or anything. Jason saw that long before he figured out he isn’t one hundred percent straight. But that was his own discovery, born of conscious choice. Not from someone telling him in plain English that he’s got no choice but to develop a thing for a workaholic pretty-boy Bat with self-esteem issues.

Which means on principle, Jason’s damn well going to fight that. It doesn’t matter that Tim’s intelligent, sarcastic and the right kind of risky, or that he isn’t repulsive or even unattractive—

Jason adamantly cuts off that line of thinking when he realizes where it’s going, touching down on the roof of his building a little harder than necessary.

“Nope. Not going there.”

Talk about a mind-fuck. Asshole Steve got me thinking about it, and now I won’t be able to not think about it whenever I run into the kid.

And isn’t that a keen bit of psychological manipulation?

Luckily, Jason’s been trained by more than one master in the art of avoidance. He forces his attention onto the routine of checking the perimeter and disabling his security system, then slipping into his apartment through the roof-access.

“Hello, safe house,” he mutters out of habit, heading for his bathroom. Once inside, he methodically checks himself for injuries, which are overall minor. The bullet wound in his shoulder is scabbing over already.

He tries to ignore the uneasy clench in his stomach at that and the prevalent thought of that is not a good sign.

He heads for the shower and turns the water on as hot as he can stand, letting it distract him, unwinding the knots and tension holding him together. Once he’s out, he throws on a pair of boxer briefs and settles in the center of his bed to meditate. It takes longer tonight to get his brain and still-racing heartrate to ease, to remember his All-Caste training and seek acceptance in the darkest part of his soul, and the possibility that that will be enough to counteract whatever real or imagined threat was made by the so-called god of love.

Dawn is peeking over Gotham’s horizon when he finally manages to calm himself down and pass out. For once, he sleeps; for once he doesn’t dream of Glasgow smiles and green sludge.

When he wakes up, it’s with odd energy that borders on manic. He powers through his morning workout at full intensity and still has energy left over, which he uses to cook breakfast and a few advance meals that he can stick in the freezer for the next time he holes up here. All his safe houses include have decent food storage since he never knows when lying low is going to translate as ‘disappear completely off the grid for a while.

When he’s still buzzing and raring to go, he decides he can’t put it off any longer. He’s not stupid—has been in the game long enough to know it’s pointless to ignore something completely until you’ve investigated the hell out of it.

Which is how he finds himself down in his would-be-Batcave beneath One Police Plaza running a full set of blood panels and other diagnostics to see if there’s an actual sign of contamination from the tainted bullet. And when everything comes back negative, he even checks in with Doc Thompkins for her two cents worth that nothing is the matter with him. 

“I’m not sure what you want me to tell you, Jason, everything’s coming up normal,” Thompkins tells him. “The only thing I can recommend is the same thing I always do—stop smoking.”

“But then I wouldn’t have an excuse to come see you so you can scold me,” he grins at her, earning an arch look above the rim of her glasses.

Still, he remains antsy even after leaving the clinic and decides he needs to calm his nerves.

There’s a coffee shop on Winchester he’s taken to because they do tea as close to Alfred’s as possible, at least what he’s found in Gotham. The teenaged girl at the counter blushes and laughs nervously at him when he smiles and flirts a bit, and he makes sure to tip well because kids in the service industry are paid nothing for being treated like crap.

Still, it’s hard to stop himself from drumming his fingers against the counter, his innate impatience ratcheted up today. He knows the place is busy and they can only go as fast as they’re going, but—

“An Americano, please. Double shot.”

Jason’s looking before he even realizes it, and for a split second he expects to see Tim there, sleep-deprived and sheepish, but only finds a blond skater kid and he’s—

Not disappointed.

He’s not.

That’s all he needs, is someone in the Family finding out where he goes to get his tea. That might encourage them to try to hang out with him. Especially Dick.

So, no. Not disappointed. Relieved. He’s relieved.

(He avoids wondering when he memorized Tim Drake’s coffee preferences.)

Jason doesn’t stick around the shop like he originally planned, and the tea isn’t as calming as he intended after he practically chugs it and heads out. He spends the day running around town, checking in with his informants in the shadier parts of the city and restocking the medical supplies in his safe houses.

He’s coming out of the one near Robinson Park when he hears a kid shouting— “Mama, look at the baby bird!”—and his head whips around so fast his muscles scream in protest, and what the hell?

Jason turns in the opposite direction and takes the subway.

He’s tense and angry as he returns to the base beneath the police station and spends longer than usual letting out his feelings on the punching bag in his gym. Halfway through, his phone rings and Roy’s face blinks up from the screen.

“Please tell me you have a job,” Jason says in lieu of a greeting.

“What? No. I’m still on vacation.”

“Your life is a vacation.”

“Yeah, that’s why it’s so great.”

That’s said with a bitter twist to his mouth.

“What do you want?”

“I’m working on camouflage field projector, but missing a key component that happens to be in Gotham.” Jason closes his eyes, somehow knowing what’s coming next. “And I figure, you’ve got an in—any chance you put in a good word for me with your little brother? The pretty one on all the TV commercials.”

“Ask him yourself, I’m not a fucking messenger,” Jason growls. “And he’s not my brother.”

He hangs up and glares at his phone, contemplating whether throwing it at the wall will make him feel better.

This is not happening…

The punching bag no longer cutting it, he throws on his gear and heads out for patrol, hoping that will quell the sensation of fire in his blood. Throws himself into it with brutal abandon, the only goal being to take his mind off everything. Violence is the best way to bring him back to the very basest mind frame, where he is focussed only on the thrill of the fight.

It works, for a while.

He hauls a few johns to the curb when they get too rough with the girls, gives a bunch of teens robbing a bodega in his neighborhood something to think about, puts an end to a bar fight when a customer gets handsy with a waitress, stumbles into a domestic dispute with a guy smacking around his kid—

Jason relishes in the sound of broken bones and the reminders of the fact he’s the one in control. It almost seems like he’s getting back to himself by the end of the evening. He feels more himself, less uneasy; there's still something buzzing beneath his skin, but it’s negligible.

See? It was total bull. God of love my ass, he was just messing with my head.

He takes a moment to rest, gazing out across the skyline and digging for a cigarette. One more loop around the neighborhood, and he’ll head home. He’s just turning his back against the wind so he can light the cigarette when he finds himself face to face with Tim Drake.

Or rather, a giant billboard with his face on it, advertising the Neon Knights initiative.

The cigarette drops from his hands.

“This is not happening,” he murmurs, and he’s said that at least once today already, hasn’t he?

But it’s getting ridiculous. Like he’s being shadowed wherever he goes by the specter of Tim, and all because someone else decided to play mind games with him.

Well, screw that. My head’s been messed with enough.

He takes a running leap off the roof, deciding to forgo anymore patrolling. It might be an idea to get out of Gotham for a few days if only to take a break.

But no, he’s not being chased out of his own damn city. No one chases the Red Hood out of Gotham, except on occasion Batman, and that’s not chasing so much as Jason telling Bruce to fuck off and making a pointed exit. And Steve is no Batman.

I’m going to take off a few days. Been wound up the past few weeks anyway, it’s getting to me. Things will go back to normal as soon as I—

His shoulders tense as he recognizes the sensation of eyes on him.

Someone’s following him.

It’s reflex to melt into the shadows of the next building, slipping around so that he can get a good vantage point. If someone’s planning an ambush, he’s more than happy to turn it around on them. And the mood he’s in tonight if it’s someone that can give him an actual fight—

There’s a sound of someone landing on the rooftop, and the whirring of a grapple line retracting. And then Jason zeroes in on the familiar figure in black and red. That strange knot of anxiety he’s been carrying around the whole day lets go as he recognizes him, and in its place, something else springs up, almost like…relief?

Which, no, he should not be relieved to see Red Robin. The only time he should ever be relieved to see the Tim is if he’s in the middle of a duel to the death with the Joker and needs back-up from someone capable of thinking a dozen steps ahead.

Relief is replaced with anger, and Jason lies in wait until Tim alights on the same roof, and then slips forward to grab hold of him. He neatly dodges the other vigilante’s attempts to free himself from the hold and drags him over to the edge of the roof.

“Jason? What the hell—?”

He ignores him and dangles him over the edge, forcing Tim to grasp at his wrist and hold on tight.

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t drop you for not following the rules—you remember, the ‘no bats in my territory’ rule? I get that it’s unofficial and all, but it’s still there,” he snarls.

“I—I wanted to check on you!” Tim grunts. “It’s been twenty-four hours, and—”

“And what? Wanted to check if I was ready to jump your malnourished bones yet? Wouldn’t looking for me be a monumentally stupid thing to do if that were the case?” Jason yanks Tim back over the edge and tosses him back onto the roof, gratified to see him stumble as he tries to regain his balance. “I don’t need you pretending you give a shit to ease a guilty conscience of because you think checking up on me is something B would want you to do. Go back to California, Replacement. If I need help, I’ll ask. And chances are, I won’t be asking you.”

Tim’s fists clench, and he’s tense like he’s priming to argue, but after a beat, his shoulders droop and he huffs.

“Fine,” he says in a neutral voice. “Just as long as you ask someone.”

And then he’s grappling off without another word, and it isn’t as cathartic to see the back of him as Jason figured it would be.

Like he has any right to sound concerned…

He should feel better, now that he’s gotten his message across, but he doesn’t. The foul mood continues for the rest of his patrol, which he ends up cutting short because his head is just not in it tonight.

He is deliberate in choosing his safe house in Coventry, figuring he’s less likely to run into Red Robin on patrol there or in general. It’s nowhere near his usual patrol route, or the apartment he owns on Park Row—and fuck him for making Jason want to avoid his own stomping grounds!

It’s just for one night. Until I calm down and can be trusted not to shoot the kid.  

But the nervous, frustrated ball of discomfort in his gut doesn’t go away as he settles in for the night. He doesn’t bother with a shower or cigarette, or—well, his normal way to wind down when feeling like this, because he doesn’t trust himself not to let his mind wander to places it shouldn’t while his hand is on his dick.

It’s more difficult to meditate tonight, and he remains aggravated and angry as he drifts off to sleep.

It should be no surprise that that night, he dreams of Tim for the first time.

⁂⁂⁂

Next Chapter

#jaytimweek2019 #jaytimweek #jaytim #jaytimbingo2019 #fanfic #jaytim fic #batfic #tim drake #jason todd #eros (new earth) #mythology #gods in disguise #violet writes #drama #angst #introspection

[viktcrr-archive]

MAXENCE DANET FAUVEL / NONBINARY. — viktor samuels is really making a name for themselves as a tier 3 shepherd. i think that he/they are studying english + visual arts in their senior year at lockwood, living in peregrinis. originally from rochester, new york, viktor is known to be observant & ingenious, but can also be reticent & dependent. — james / 20 / est / she/they.

3/5 !!! once again ... little edits

TW DEATH, HEAVY GRIEF, OVERDOSE / DRUG ADDICTION, HOSPITALIZATION, HYPERSEXUALITY, RELIGION MENTIONS, MENTAL ILLNESS

a e s t h e t i c s

old tvs and their static, worn tapes, horror movie screams, spilled ink, a sculptor’s hands, clay-stained, chicken scratch handwriting, messy notes, messy hair, scoffs and eye-rolls, bruised knuckles, sore throats, funeral homes and a crying preacher, shattered ceramics, knife fights, high ledges, vertically-striped pants, red lights, the moon shrouded in clouds, cigarette butts.

general info !!

full name: viktor phillip samuels

nickname(s): icky vicky :/

b.o.d. - jan 2nd

label(s): the black hole, the crepehanger, the impious, the opaque, the tempest, etc.

height: 6′0″

hometown: rochester, new york

sexuality: uuuhhh god … probably pan tbh

pinterest

stats

biography !!

okay so … born and raised in rochester, new york to the well known samuels family. preacher father, a mother, a twin sister born 15 minutes before him - aka tatiana samuels, who died back in january.

kinda … grew up as a really awkward, quiet kid? like … just didn’t really interact with other kids super well, preferred being alone and like … digging up bugs in the dirt. only friend was like … his own sister.

grew out of this as they got older, instead sort of … becoming a bit of a dick? to compensate for years of awkwardness? will bite the hand that feeds him. was a full on nuisance by middle school. tatiana was not, at least, noticeably.

has always been a fan of darker materials, y’know - grim and creepy, morbid shit. big fan of tim burton ever since he was a kid, which isn’t … a good look for a preacher’s son, but he’s never really felt ~in~ with the rest of his family, anyway.

drew disturbing pictures as a kid probably tbh that prompted one or two or five phone calls home 2 assure everything was fine.

has always been really … good at art, in general - from drawing to painting to playing with clay, that’s always been viktor’s Thing.

aNyWaYs. being tatiana’s twin brother was kinda hard sometimes. tatiana and him were near opposites besides their same mean-spirited trait. she was better in the public than he was, but viktor was arguably more talented than tatiana. they both loved each other deeply and found each other as competition for their parents’ attention - a rivalry, of sorts.

high school is when viktor really started to act out - started extreme, like losing his virginity in their church and vandalism around the neighborhoods. faked being possessed in the middle of sunday service. almost had an exorcism performed on him, probably.

the only redeemable trait was like … his sheer talent with art. was in a 3d art AP course, specialized in sculpting - could pretty much create anything he wanted with enough dedication.

because his parents would be focused on disciplining him for his antics, tatiana could sneak away and get away with stuff easier. so like, y’know, that’s on the bright-side of things.

never been particularly motivated to do much - wasn’t planning on attending lockwood but his parents kinda … did and sent in his application for him b/c they were Not on board with him Wasting Away (wanted him out of the house asap)

actually pretty smart !! just doesn’t like … want to apply himself ever. double majoring in english and visual arts because they’re like … two of his only interests :/ plus he wants to write and illustrate his own series of children books with a style similar to tim burton’s

he’d been experimenting since high school but college is where he really started to like … crack down on himself and figure himself out. was out as pan & nonbinary by his sophomore year of college, just … not to his family, necessarily. thinks tatiana always knew, but didn’t … really use it against him, blessedly enough

always felt like the whole twin - connection thing was … both wack and also not-wack? sometimes it felt believable but sometimes he had no idea what was going on in tatiana’s head. but he felt oddly transparent to her, always - like he was predictable to no one but her.

( TW DEATH, GRIEF, OVERDOSE / HOSPITALIZATION BEYOND THIS POINT )

but when tatiana disappeared - it was like, like viktor knew. the moment she had been kidnapped - felt something deeply wrong in his gut. and when tatiana died - viktor felt something cut so severely in him. he knew, he always knew exactly when. he couldn’t put his finger on how - but he knew. even when everybody else held out hope for her to be found - he knew.

went on a bender around the same time, had always struggled w/ drug addiction but it got worse the longer tatiana went without being found.

( also struggled heavily with his mental health, too ?? has manic and depressive episodes. will fixate on a sculpting project for six months and then purposely knock it off the table and destroy it in the matter of seconds once it’s finished for. no fucking reason. impulse spends A Lot. )

when her body was found, viktor went off the rails. ended up overdosing and being hospitalized where he spent the next like … however long months … until they deemed him better.

stayed out of school until very recently b/c he just … didn’t want to go back. didn’t want to deal with it. didn’t want to be known as the dead girl’s twin. but then his mom kinda just was like ‘u go back 2 school or god so help me’ n he was like FINE.

so ya !! viktor’s back after being gone since tatiana’s body was found. that’s it, that’s him, a lil glimpse of his life.

trying to finish his senior year b/c he … obviously left before he could.

finding out that it was george who killed tatiana has ultimately ... caused viktor to spiral. his lows are some of his lowest, his highs are ... very high, but very bad. unstable & unpredictable in his actions it’s ... a whole thing :/

personality !!

the human embodiment of a gremlin, fed after midnight. a goblin, if u will. one of those cats with a narrow head and big ass ears. that’s him.

b i g horror & halloween enthusiast. loves the old campy horror movies. probably has an abundance of masks from different movies. dresses like a grimy millennial beetlejuice more than he should. love those vertically striped pants!

fashion alternates between e-boy (would b tik tok famous if he were like … 17), millennial beetlejuice, and like … goth in a crop top and sweatpants. big fan of crop tops. big fan of sweatpants.

he can be fucking mean. petty, aggressive, instigator. will literally spit in ur face or no reason. kind of person who’ll stick his gum into other ppl’s hair. other than that he’s like … pretty okay. he’s not always mean, he’s just a dick like … 70% of the time lmao

i mean yeah okay he’ll call someone a stinky bitch for no reason except He Feels Like It And Believes It. it’s fine he’s fine, we’re fine.

despite the fact tht he’s probably getting into fights whenever - considers himself 2 be a lover n not a fighter but that’s just because he Fucks a lot. kind of uses it like a coping mechanism, like he’s this big fancy carnival show that’s like ‘come one, come all! fuck the dead girl’s twin brother!’ may have a problem w/ hypersexuality but it’s nothing he’s fully. aware of.

the preacher’s whore son, basically

like i said he’s pan & nb, switches between he and they pronouns but like … he has such a fragile grip on his identity that u could call him ‘dog-faced bitch’ and he’d turn like hey wassup :)

vastly impulsive, like i’ve mentioned … destroys his own creations 4 the fun of it, spends all his money on useless shit, will cheat on someone bc he feels like it. screams into the night sky frequently, like a cat in heat.

i mean he also creates useless shit for no reason too. spent six months sculpting a hollowed out tree the size of him and then took a sledgehammer to it.

dramatic fuck. used to play the organ at the church like … when no one was looking after him and service was about to start. just these creepy as melodies. would do the same thing at home on his keyboard w/ the organ setting whenever he got grounded until his parents took away his keyboard sadjfkg

won’t talk about his time away b/c it’s not rly anybody’s business but ofc nothing is sacred to the watershed app, y’know, nothing’s private.

still like - he absolutely refuses to talk about tatiana’s death and like, his mental health or his addiction (he’s fallen back into it tbh but it hasn’t gotten bad again … yet) or like … anything involving his own emotions

will literally just change the topic! abruptly, no warning, asks about the jonas brothers instead.

that being said he’s obsessed with tatiana’s death. tatiana was very much a rock for him, kinda dependent on her in a way? just … being there, y’know, kept him grounded.

so he obv became a shepherd bc he wants to know Everything there is abt the app, wants to be deep inside it, wanted to know Who Exactly Killed Tatiana and like … not saying he wants 2 commit murder but :/ yknow. he’s very upset.

emotionally unavailable while also like crying twice a day.

will tell you straight up what he wants from you, no bullshit, no beating around the bush - just blunt. if he wants to just fuck, nothing else, then that’s that. if he feels deviation he’ll ghost in like. less than a second. kinda awful like that! feels no shame.

but like … also is emotional ?? as shit ?? it’s confusing. he’ll cry on a whim and then flip u off if u try to console him or like. ask him anything. will bite you.

he goes to therapy but he generally fucks around and wastes most of the time until the therapist threatens to like … idk what therapists r allowed to threaten. to send him off to another therapist? idk.

likes being intimidating but like … not with his body or nothing ‘cos he’s a TWIG, but like … uses his love for horror n creepy shit to his advantage. has an abundance of fake blood. has channeled the energy of jack nicholson and used it on tatiana’s boyfriends before.

( also a big fan of sfx makeup, has dabbled in it)

probably chases kids with a chainsaw (w/o the like … chain … or w/e … so it’s not actually Dangerous) around halloween

he’s generally never doing good, both mental health wise and morally.

would probably steal candy from a baby for the fun of it.

i don’t know if there’s a good to him, deep down, and i don’t know if he sees any issues with himself either !! nothing really breaks through to him anymore, the only person who ever really made him stop and Think about his actions was tatiana.

kinda introverted, recluse type who doesn’t rly like most people or going out, but he’ll go to parties if it means he’ll be high as shit.

pretty observant. likes to analyze people even though he’s probably not … fully right.

connections to the victims !!

tatiana samuels / his twin sister, other half - the only one able to control viktor.

george craig iii / close family friends ... they could appreciate each other, when viktor wasn’t being an outright asshole.

hana williams / ‘friends’ with benefits, their relationship was rocky at best but she was a good lay. have often fought due to their clash in personalities and viktor’s history with christoph.

christoph wainwright / an ex-hook up, an infrequent occasion whenever christoph wanted to tick off hana. viktor was often on board, never the one to consider others’ feelings.

wanted connections !!

he lives alone currently but like … ex - roommates where viktor was just. a nightmare to live with.

feel like a lot of enemies is also a possibility !! viktor’s messy.

people that like … knew tatiana. dated tatiana, even, and viktor would pretty much try to intimidate / scare them at any given chance :/

close friends of tatiana too

people who hated tatiana but liked viktor. people who hated viktor but liked tatiana

people who take pity on him and he Hates it viciously and vocally.

a band of hooligan gremlin kids who do drugs and fuck shit up around town like they’re edgy teenagers even though they’re all early to mid 20s.

the girl he lost his virginity 2 in high school lmao … a distant memory

fellow rochester locals, from church or school or whatever

exes from the past !! good terms and bad terms, but i love bad terms a whole lot mainly b/c viktor’s a jackass.

don’t know if he’s soft towards anybody but we can try. we can Try.

friends, old friends, new friends, bad friends, good friends, close friends, frenemies, etc. etc. all of it

hookups !! so many hookups. fwbs, one night stands, whatever.

uuhhhh god. i don’t know. im so sleepy rn. people in the same major or similar majors.

maybe a ride or die.

people he’s a bad influence on / an enabler towards / all around toxic for them / each other.

people he’s fought !! people who’ve seen him get into random fights and were like ‘uh wtf’

fellow shepherds !!

literally anything im not picky.

#wshintro #grief tw #death tw #overdose tw #addiction tw #hospitalization tw #hypersexuality tw #religion mention #mental illness tw

[ellana-ravenwood]

“It’s gone...all gone...” - Batsis (Reader) x Batfamily

Summary : Batsis is EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED after she accidentally erase from her computer the entirety of the novel she has been working hard on for the past three years... 

Because I’m actually very frustrated with myself right now , and thought that the best solution was to turn all that frustration into a story, and sorry if it’s pretty bad, it’s literally something I just came up with, and wrote in twenty minutes, because I was so damn frustrated, and here it is : 

You can find my masterlist here : @ella-ravenwood-archives

_______________________________________________________________________

-TIIIIIIIIM !! TIIIIIIIIIIIIM !! HELP ME PLEASE COME FAAAAST !!!!!!!! 

Your screams of panic wakes your brother up from a good nap he was having, and he runs to your bedroom as fast as he can, almost falling down stairs, slipping on the wooden floor in his socks. He burst into your room, ready to fight, and finds you sat at your desk, shaking your computer desperately. 

-Timmy, please do something, I just did something, don’t ask me what I don’t even know it just kinda happened, I pushed some fucking keys on my computer, and my novel just disappeared ! 

He stares at you for a few seconds, a bit in disbelief, before finally answering :

-...Wait, that’s your emergency ? Are you kidding me (Y/N)? 

-Au contraire mon frère, I’m super serious ! My novel alright ?! I’ve been working on it for the past three years, I was almost done !! IT CAN’T BE ALL GONE ALRIGHT !?

As you said those last words, you stood up and grabbed your brother by the collar of his shirt. Realizing what you just did, you let go of him, and straighten him a bit, forcing a smile on your face. 

-Can you, please, my dear and adorable little brother, check my computer to see if it can be retrieved ? 

Tim was a little stunned, he never saw you like that before. It was pretty much the exact opposite in fact, you were known to be the calmest and more collected of the batkids. You usually were the one calming them down...In that sense, you were a lot like your father. So seeing you being so...hysterical, was a bit unsettling. 

-Ok calm down, we can probably retrieve your file. Most files can be recovered from computers. Hell, remember when I got some back from the bat computer after it’d been completely torched down ?

-Yes, I’m hoping for another one of your miracle here. Don’t disappoint bro’. 

-I won’t. 

And on that note, Tim cracked his knuckles and went to work. 

********************

About four hours later :

-I’m sorry (Y/N) I can't get the file back...

-...What ? Of course you can little genius !

-I really can’t though...I have no idea what you did but there is no trace on this computer, or on your google drive or anything, absolutely not one little trace, of your novel. It’s like it simply disappeared...

-No, shut up Tim. I don’t wanna hear it. 

-I’m so sorry (Y/N), I really tried...I guess I...Disappointed you then uh ? 

You look at your brother for a few seconds, and the way he’s avoiding your gaze makes you feel bad. You couldn’t be mad at him, especially when he tried to help you for hours. 

-Of course not Tim, if it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine...I’m the one that erased everything. 

-And you don’t have any back-up ?

-...No. Nada. I know, I’m a complete idiot. 

-Yeah maybe a bit. 

You glare at him, but you know he’s right. With a sigh, you look at your computer sadly and caress lightly the keyboard. 

-Gone Tim, it’s all gone...Three years of work...poof, gone forever because I’m a clumsy stupid ass...

Your brother open his arms, and you almost jump into them. A good hug, that’s what you needed.

********************

You decided that eating an entire tub of ice cream was also totally what you needed. You were mourning your novel in the kitchen when Alfred entered with Dick. Brooding was not something you inherited from your father, and you could see a surprised expression being slowly painted on their face as they realized you were.

-What is it little sis ? 

-Yes lady (Y/N), I haven’t seen you eat an entire tub of ice cream while sulking since Firefly got cancelled. 

-Oh God Alfred, don’t re-open old wounds on top of the new ones ! 

Your brother and butler couldn’t hold the slight smile growing on their lips at your dramatic way of saying those few words. As you shove a spoon full of ice cream in your mouth, you say : 

-I ‘ost ‘ll my ‘ovel.

-...What ? 

You swallow, and, sighting over dramatically, you say : 

-I lost my novel. 

-Which novel lady (Y/N) ? You leave books all around the house, it’s probably not lost, just...misplaced. 

-No, not one of my book, my book !

-Are you drunk ? 

-No Dick, I’m not drunk. The novel I was working on, it’s gone. I deleted it by accident from my computer, and there’s nothing I can do to retrieve it...

-Did you ask Tim ?

-Who do you think I am ? Of course I asked Tim ! He’s the first one I called...

-And you didn’t back it up ?

-No Dick, I didn’t back it up...

-That’s kind of stupid. 

-Yes -you say between clenched teeth- I know. 

-Sincere condolences then. 

You glare at your brother, and throw a spoon full of ice cream at his face, hitting him right on the eye. 

-Hey ! 

-That’s for rubbing it in ! 

And on that note, you leave the kitchen. With the tub of ice cream. 

***********************

You knew you were being kind of a bitch about the all thing, and you knew that there was worst things in the world...but you were just so bummed out about it. You worked so hard on that novel. You spent hours and hours, during your very few free time (between school and your night patrol, you rarely had time to yourself). It wasn’t helping that you were almost done with it either...You were sitting in one huge comfy armchair in the library, still sulking, when Damian came in. 

-Hello sister. 

You don’t answer, and that ticks his curiosity. It’s not like you to be impolite. On the contrary, you annoyed him enough with it that it surprised him greatly that you didn’t respond to him.

-Is there something wrong ? 

-YesIlostmynovel.

You mumble. Fast. And of course, he doesn’t understand. What he does understand though, is that you’re not feeling well, and he doesn’t want to make you repeat what you said because the last things he wishes for is to upset you more. 

-Well that’s...dreadful !

-Right ?! Seems like you’re the only one who gets it little brother. 

-I’m often the only one who gets you...I’m blaming the blood we share. 

-Well the blood we share doesn’t help us understanding dad so...

-Oh yeah...right...Bummer though, about what’s happening to you. 

-Thank you Damian, you’re really cute. 

You know he doesn’t even know what you’re talking about, but it’s true that he’s really cute. He’s trying so hard to be helpful and nice...It’s a nice change of pace. You guys used to not get along at all (here’s the fic about it if you wanna know more : “true blood son...and daughter”), but things evolved between you, and every time he was trying to be a good brother your heart melted. 

So even though he had absolutely no idea why you were upset, he still wanted to be there for you. Awkwardly, he took one of your hand and kissed the back of it. You smiled at him, and pulled him into a hug that made him scream bloody murder ! 

*********************

It was night when Jason came home, and found you in the living room, sitting in a corner, in the dark. He didn’t need to think much about it to know that you weren’t alright. 

-Hey little sis’, what’s wrong ? Do I have to kick a guy’s ass for you ? 

He turns the lights on and you can’t help but smile. He comes to sit next to you, and wrap an arm around your shoulder. 

-No, it’s not that. 

-Of course it’s not, you don’t need me to kick guys’ asses. 

You chuckle lightly, but it’s such a small noise compared to your usual extravagant laugh. 

-Ok, what’s wrong ? 

-I accidentally deleted years of writing work from my computer. Yes I asked Tim to take a look, he couldn’t do anything. So it’s lost forever. Years of work Jason, years. I’m so frustrated with myself right now. 

-Wow...Maybe you should go kick some guys’ asses, good stress relief. 

You give him only a half-smile, and damn you looked a lot like Bruce sometimes. This particular type of smile was very Wayne like...

-What can I do to cheer you up lil sis ? 

-I’m afraid nothing Jay. I’ll be fine, you know it’s just...writing. It’s not someone dying or something terrible like that. I just lost some work. I can re-write things, I guess. It’s just...It’s just...

-Don’t explain yourself (Y/N), you’re allowed to be upset. You worked a lot on it. I saw you often typing away on your computer. I’m surprised you lost everything though...

-What, why ? 

-Well, if there’s another character trait you share with our father, you inherited from him, it’s your obsession of making plans for everything. So I’m just very surprised that you didn’t...

-Back things up I know. Oh god I’m so annoyed at myself !! And a bit at you guys for constantly reminding me how dumb I am for not backing my work up... I’m just so dumb you know ? 

-Come on, you’re not. At least you just learned a very important lesson. Back things up little one. Because when you don’t back your stories up, you lost them, and if you lose them, it’s forever, and forever means...

-Ok, shut up now. I get it. 

He laughs and squeeze you a bit tighter. Your brothers are so damn nice...but you still feel so frustrated about your lost novel ! You just can’t help it. 

************************

It was time for the nightly patrol, and you were putting your suit on angrily, mumbling lowly words only you could hear. Of course, your behavior didn’t escape your father’s eyes. And the question you did NOT want him to ask you surely arrived : 

-What is it (Y/N) ? 

His voice was soft, as he clearly could see you were quite upset. But you didn’t want to talk to him, you knew he wasn’t going to understand and think your behavior was childish. But you also knew he wouldn’t let it go until he got an answer, so you gave it to him : 

-No big deal, I just lost three years of work on my novel. The idiot I am erased the all thing by accident.

His reaction surprises you, he pulls you into a hug, and ruffle your hair lovingly. 

-Oh my little (Y/N). I’m sorry. I know what that novel meant to you. 

-...You...You do ?

Your father turns around to make sure it’s only you and him, and sure enough, you’re brothers are too busy arguing about who’s the best at throwing batarangs to notice what you guys are doing. He bents down a bit, almost kneeling in front of you (as you were your mother’s size, and he was a damn giant). 

-Of course I do honey. I might...I might not always know how to...You know...

-Use words ? 

-Yes. That. Use words to explain how I feel. I don’t know how to talk to any of you most of the time. But I do know I love every single one of you brats. And I pay more attention to things that you think.

-Is that so ? 

-Yes. I know how many hours you spent writing this novel. I know how excited you were that you were almost done. I know it was great because I did read those first few chapters you sent me. 

-...For real ?

-Yes, for real (Y/N). So...I understand, really. It’s difficult to work so hard on something just to see it destroy because of one mistake. Trust me, I know how it feels. 

You smile at him, and he gives you the nicest warmest hug ever...but of course he had to go and ruin it by lacking tact, as usual : 

-But you know sweety, you should have backed things up on multiple hard drives and such, I taught you to always be prepared didn’t I ?

You pull slowly away from him to face your father, and the look you give him is so murderous that he suddenly finds you scarier than any bats in the World. Instinctively, he takes a step back. Damn, you just made the batman take a step back...When you talk again,your voice is calm and collected, but holds a certain danger in it : 

-Well, I’m sure glad the greatest detective of all time is here to enlighten me about the fact that I should have backed things up. Thanks for your input dad, without you, I think I would have never understand my mistake. 

And all Hell break loose. It's the last straw that breaks the camel’s back. You can’t help it, the way he said you needed to back things up, the condescendence in his words...You can’t hold your frustration anymore, and instead of directing it at yourself, like you did all day, you throw everything at your father. 

Of course, you immediately regret your actions, especially seeing his facial expression, as if you were an enraged hyena and not his daughter. You sigh, try to apologize but don’t know how. Your brothers join you and help you calm down. 

You can’t believe you’re feeling like that just because you lost a stupid novel you were writing...You felt that maybe, there was more to it than just loosing your work, but you weren’t ready to psycho-analyze yourself right now, and made a mental note to think about it later. You grab your dad’s hand, and squeeze it. His feature soften, he really do understand what you’re going threw. And the way you’re always so calm, and sometimes just loose it reminds him a lot of himself. He can’t be mad at you. He really did understand...Still, you were scary as fuck when angry. 

-Oh my god I’m just so mad at myself, and I’m sorry for getting mad at you guys, but you know me, when I start being oversensitive, which happen rarely we’ll all agree on that, I’m just gone, I don’t stop until...You know what ? I’m gonna go see mom. We’ll go steal some stuffs, it always help turning the frustration down ! 

And before your father could say anything, you hop on your motorcycle and leave so fast your tires screech on the floor of the bat cave. 

Your dad sigh, and look at your brothers. 

-You guys know we have to stop her right ? 

-You stop her, father. In the state she’s in, I’m not coming within ten feet of her ! We could trigger her with any words ! 

-Yep, you’re on your own for that Bruce, there’s no way I’m even trying to knock some sense into her right now. 

-I’m with Damian and Jay on that one, handle yourself dad. 

-...Same. 

Your father glares at his sons, but it doesn’t work. They were more afraid of you than him right now...Bruce sighs, and says : 

-I’ll just make her give whatever she steals back where it belongs when she’ll be calmer...

Your brothers snicker at your father, of course he will haha. But given how frustrated you were, he was definitely gonna wait until you calmed down. 

#batsis is frustrated #I am batsis today #batsis #Batsis imagine #batsis x batfamily #Batman x daughter!reader #Batsis x Damian #batsis x Tim #Batsis x Richard #Batsis x Jason #Batman imagine #Bruce Wayne imagine #Batfamily imagine #batfam x reader #batfamily #Batfamily x reader #batman x catwoman #Bruce Wayne x Catwoman #Catwoman #Catwoman x daughter!reader #Damian Wayne x sister!reader #Tim Drake x sister!reader #Richard Grayson x sister!reader #Jason Todd x sister!reader

[gwydionae]

11 Questions Meme

Rules:

Post the rules

Answer the questions given to you by the tagger

Write 11 questions of your own

And tag 11 people

Tagged by @sealandangel! ^_^

I am actually procrastinating right now and don’t really have time to make up 11 new questions so I’m gonna be a putz and not tag anyone sorry

What is your favorite way to spend a rainy day?

Just hanging out at home with my computer, kitty, and whatever random project I want to work on that day. ^_^

If you’re in the CLAMP fandom whats your favorite manga and favorite character and why?  

Hahaha, I don’t know that’d I’d say I was in the CLAMP fandom per se, but I do like my fair share of CLAMP stuff. Perhaps surprisingly I think I’d have to say that Magic Knight Rayearth is my favorite of their manga - a bit cliche by today’s standards, sure, but it was one of the first manga series I read, so it introduced me to a lot of those cliches, haha. I just really like the characters and think it’s a solid story with a nice twist at the end.

As for favorite CLAMP character, I’d probably have to go with both Sakura and Shaoran from Cardcaptor Sakura. My heart says that Shaoran is #1, but I know that without Sakura I wouldn’t like him nearly so much. So for me they come as a package deal. They are just both so sweet and innocently adorable, even if Shaoran starts out a bit grumpy, lol. Sakura is a little ray of sunshine that still gets some nice depth, and Shaoran’s journey through self discovery always makes me happy.

Favorite Anime?

My nostalgic favorite is Digimon (specifically Adventure), so I don’t know that anything will ever be able to topple it from that spot as nostalgia is a powerful thing. I love the characters and the fact that it has some surprising depth for a show based on a toy line. Also the backgrounds are GORGEOUS.

But as far as a series where my nostalgia does not taint my opinion, there are a lot I could chose from, but the one that really does just stick out the most is Tsuritama. I love that series so much. <3 Yuki honestly means so much to me, and I truly love the entire cast. That and the story is so unique and fun and interesting! Everyone should watch the show about aliens, fishing, dancing, and social anxiety! XD

Favorite Cartoon?

Oh, this one’s a lot easier: Batman the Animated Series! I mean, sure, there are a ton of cartoons I love, but none will ever top that one. The writing, the atmosphere, the characters, the voice acting, the music... it is truly a masterpiece. BtAS Batman is MY Batman (and none of this later season junk where suddenly all of his personality was zapped away and Babs was, like, dating him or something weird and gross like that and Dick was turned emo and Tim was beyond annoying... ok I’ll stop now...).

Favorite Video game?

I don’t care if it’s the cliche answer: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. While other Zelda games may do individual aspects better (Midna = best companion, BotW’s climbing and paragliding, etc), OoT has the best full package and, in my opinion, the most compelling story. It’s not a groundbreaking story, but as you might have been able to tell by MKR being my fav CLAMP manga, I’m not super concerned about a story having to be unique to be good, lol. That and I love Zelda being Shiek and running around like a ninja for half the game! XD

What do you like to collect if anything?

Hmm, don’t know that I really collect anything. I have in recent years made a point to buy more prints from artists at anime conventions despite not really having the wall space to hang them, so I suppose that might count? lol I want to get, like, a large book I can put them all in or something!

Windows or Mac?

GIVE ME WINDOWS OR GIVE ME DEATH

...I had a rough time in the computer labs back in college. I did so many art projects in a super old version of Paint Shop Pro on my Windows computer simply to avoid having to use the schools Macs because I hated them THAT much. ^_^;;

What languages can you speak in?

Only English... I can understand some Spanish and Japanese, but it’s very minimal.

Do you like the nightmare before christmas?

OF COURSE

Whats your OTP to end all OTPs?

I actually already touched on it: Sakura and Shaoran from Cardcaptor Sakura. <3 It’s just so freaking cute... I won’t start gushing again, though, since, ya know, I already did. XD Just know that I think of it as a super innocent ship - I don’t ship things for the “sexy make out timez” or whatever. I just think they are adorable together.

If you could change ONE outcome in any anime/manga what would it be?

Oooooooooooh that’s rough... See, I’m one of those people who is ok with good characters dying and super bad things happening IF it has significance. So I wouldn’t, like, bring Hughes back or keep Nina from being turned into a chimera, because those are big, impactful moments. So it has to be something that really changed the way I felt about that particular anime/manga...

(I’m... I’m just gonna put this last one under a cut. XD I get pretty heated. LOL It is something that will forever bother me, and if you EVER want to get me going, just bring up Naruto’s Itachi.)

I’ll be honest, the first thing that came to mind is actually from Naruto. I’m not so sure this would be “the ONE” if I actually had time to give this a ton of thought because I stopped enjoying the series even before this happened. But this. THIS was the breaking point. THIS was the one thing that made me turn my back on it completely and despise it with the passion of a thousand burning suns.

Itachi being a “good guy”.

No. NO. NO NO NO NO NO!

This ruined everything. It ruined Itachi who was once this terrifying villain with no remorse toward the killing of his family and made him into a guy who made some really dumb and pointless decisions that ultimately went against what his supposed main goal was all for a cheap shock twist. It ruined Sasuke who should have finally come to the end of his avenging days and had to deal with the fact that it was just as empty and hollow as everyone told him it would be, leading him an ACTUAL path to redemption, but instead was given a lobotomy by the author and only made incomprehensibly dumb choices that went against literally any amount of sense, all so he could stay “bad” until the very end (or whenever exactly that happened - I’m pretty fuzzy on the whole final... war... thing). It ruined Sakura who continued to pine for a guy 100% not worth pining for because he was literally a scumbag when she could have been trying to help a post-avenging Sasuke come to terms with everything instead.

It ruined Naruto himself - say what you want about Sasuke as a character (I loved him pre-time jump, but I know many hated him and I totally get why lol), but one thing you have to give him is that the rivalry between him and Naruto was almost always interesting and fun. They learned from each other, grew together, and yet still wanted nothing more than to one up the other - good, typical shounen rivalry. Sasuke leaving made sense in the story so I was ok with it, but it DID make me care a lot less about Naruto because suddenly I didn’t find the characters he was surrounded with compelling (I’m looking at you, Sai...). If Itachi had not been revealed as a secret “good guy”, this would have left Sasuke with more chances to interact with Naruto in ways other than “I hate the Leaf and want to kill everyone and that includes you”. We could have gotten so much more from the two of them! Maybe they still would have fought sometimes. Maybe Sasuke would help him out before taking off again. It wouldn’t have necessarily meant that Sasuke would have been around all the time, but it still could have given us bits here and there of the two of them interacting with each other which is what made me like the series so much in the first place.

*DEEP BREATH*

Ok. I’m ok. I’m better now. I just... have a lot of feelings about this... XD sorry not sorry

#gwydo's musings #._. #i give long answers XD #sorry... #but this was fun so i don't care XD