#Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating

[gio69-ao3]

So, I read this very distressing and wonderful Batfam fanfiction, but I can't find it.

In this fanfiction, we have the basic:

> Bruce "I don't know how to communicate my feelings" Wayne

> The Batfam's lack of communication

> Bruce is distant from his family; he loves them, but he doesn't know how to express it. Then, on patrol, if I'm not mistaken with Steph, Bruce gets shot, which he doesn't even try to dodge, and ends up in a coma for some medical reason I can't remember, and everyone is in anguish.

And yes, I already searched the "suicidal Bruce Wayne" tag and didn't find it, but I could very well have just misread it. If anyone knows the name, I'd appreciate it.

[melloollem]

Jason would never say what he felt out loud and neither would Bruce and they always hurt each other because between half-words Jason saw the worst in Bruce and Bruce saw a lot of his faults in Jason.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

I created this paragraph for a fanfic, but I think it's so good that it deserves its own post on my profile.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Phantom Grin

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam

Summary: Bruce Wayne visits his son’s grave on the night of his resurrection. Will it change Jason’s fate, or is it all simply inevitable?

Chapters: 20/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain

Relationship(s): Jason Todd/Original Character

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Jason Todd Has Chronic Pain, Jason Todd is Disabled, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Resurrected Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne Get Along

Chapter Twenty: Conduit

Jason curled up in Bruce’s chair while Barbara talked to Dick, Bruce, and Helena about a few of the missing person’s cases around the same time Jason was buried. Bruce glanced at Jason, who seemed worse for wear. “Are you okay with listening to this part?” Bruce asked. Jason nodded.

“I’m okay now… I wanna see this through,” Jason whispered as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Lucia Arevalo. Fifteen-year-old exchange student. She fell from the bell tower of St. Peter’s. She’d been strangled prior to falling, and a witness on the scene said he could hear her reciting a prayer. He didn’t see in time to tell if she was pushed—.” Jason glanced up at the crime scene photo on the screen, and Barbara hesitated. 

“She climbed up there to get away from him, and he forced her to pray before he shoved her. She thought that it would buy her time. He’s a ritual killer, so she didn’t think he’d push her. She knew people would be in the bell tower soon after she climbed over, and he pushed her anyway to cover up his crime. I was still able to taste the communion wafer she ate before she died,” Jason explained. Everyone stared at him, silently horrified by Jason’s answer. 

Barbara cleared her throat to break the silence. “J.D. Christensen. Twenty-year-old Gotham-U student went missing after her niece’s christening. The main suspect was her boyfriend at the time, but with no body or blood, they let him go,” Barbara described. Jason swallowed hard as he looked at her university ID picture. 

“Abandoned apartment building. Tied to a radiator and beaten before he stabbed her in the chest, dragged her to the bathtub, and let her bleed out while he washed up. She thought about her dad… He um—. She thought of her dad surprising her on Christmas. He lied and said he was on a business trip, and he met her outside her apartment. She jumped into his arms… It was the last time she felt truly safe,” Jason forced the words out. He turned his head away to regain his composure. “I don’t know where he put her… I’m sorry. I didn’t—. I couldn’t stay in the—.” Jason couldn’t catch his breath long enough to think. 

“You’re doing fine,” Bruce reassured him, “This is all great. We know who did it, we know what happened to an extent, and we have insight on where to look because of you.” 

Jason ran a hand over his face. “They need to dig up some of the graves in the cemetery I was buried in,” Jason stated. 

“What’s eating at you?” Dick asked. 

“We can’t prove that it’s him unless we catch him in the act,” Jason replied. 

Tim entered the cave, looking at his phone. “I can go undercover with Cass and Steph,” Tim volunteered. 

“He targets women, Tim,” Jason replied. He didn’t mean to sound exasperated, but he was tired and achy and reliving three different girls’ trauma all at once. 

“I know… I can go undercover as a girl, too,” Tim answered. Jason looked at Dick. Dick shrugged. 

“It wouldn’t be the craziest thing Tim’s done to break a case… And we’ve got better chances of him attacking one of three girls,” Dick suggested. 

“Which one of the Powerpuff Girls are you?” Jason asked, half-amused. 

“I’m Blossom for sure,” Tim answered. Jason chuckled. “Laugh now… Wait until you see what I look like in a wig and kitten heel.” 

Jason’s shoulders raised as he thought about it. “No thanks. I’m already in therapy, Tim,” Jason joked. “And thanks for offering to help. Do you even know what—?”

“I’ve been listening in on comms this entire time,” Tim interrupted, “Gonna get Cass and Steph… We’ll get our cover stories together. Don’t worry about anything. We’ve got it from here.” 

**

Jason sat across from Bruce at his desk a few days later, feeling on edge. Bruce ate his pasta quietly while he searched for a neutral conversation topic. “Dad,” Jason mumbled. Bruce looked up. “Can I try yours?” Bruce passed his container to Jason, and Jason gave Bruce his plate. 

“Veal’s good. We should do catering days at the office more often. You were so right,” Bruce whispered. 

Jason smiled weakly as he picked over Bruce’s spaghetti. He saw how hard Bruce tried to help him, and he wanted to give him more energy. It felt like too much of an effort. “I love you,” Jason whispered. 

Bruce’s eyes widened. “I love you too, Jason… Are you feeling okay?” Bruce asked. Jason took a sip of his juice before lowering his turtleneck to reveal handprints. “Does it hurt?”

“It hurts to swallow… But it’s not as bad as it was this morning. I feel like I’m using the missing person’s cases like a checklist. I’ve re-lived him killing three girls, and it’s only been a few days. Three. Has he photographed any of them yet?” Jason replied. 

“All three of them,” Bruce smiled. “Tim can be a very nice young lady in the right wig.” Jason chuckled. 

“Mr. Wayne, Veronica’s here to talk about the details of your date tonight,” Bruce’s assistant announced. “Oh… I—. Hello, Jason.” 

“Hi, Corcoran. Have you eaten lunch yet?” Jason asked. Corcoran hesitated. “Grab some pasta and sit down. I wanna hear about your day.”

“It hasn’t been that interesting,” Corcoran replied. 

**

Bruce gently parted Jason’s bangs with his knuckle as Jason slept at his desk. Jason jerked awake, looking around before meeting eyes with Bruce. “I’m sorry—.” 

“There’s another one… When I came back—. It’s all jumbled and broken… I couldn’t see very well. I—. If she—.” 

Bruce opened his arms, and Jason hugged him. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out. Okay? We’ll figure it out,” Bruce reassured him. “I’ll have Barbara look into the night you came back… And—.” 

Jason’s phone rang. “It’s Dick. He promised to pick me up, so we can get something to eat,” Jason whispered. Bruce tensed up. “If I can control it, I won’t wander off. I just want to eat. That’s all.”

“Jason, please be careful. Promise you’ll try,” Bruce whispered. 

“With everything in my spirit, Dad. I love you… Will you walk me out?” Jason requested. 

“Of course,” Bruce smiled as he escorted Jason to the elevator. 

**

Dick looked Jason in the eyes and snapped twice. “What’s on your mind?” Dick asked. 

“I don’t wanna talk about it… I um—. I want this to be over soon,” Jason replied as he closed his eyes. “This is taking so much out of me… I don’t know how much more I can take.” 

Dick pushed Jason’s hair out of his face. “Stay with me. We’re gonna figure this out,” Dick whispered. “We’re gonna get some burgers and fries. You’re gonna get a milkshake, and—.” 

Jason turned toward the window and pressed his palms to his eyelids. “I don’t want this… I don’t want to carry all of this inside me,” Jason cried. 

“Jason, did something else happen?” Dick questioned. 

“No… Yes? I don’t know. I think I remembered something from the night I came back, and I—. What if I were walking through the cemetery during a girl’s last moments? I can’t—. I can’t carry that. I feel horrible. I was already gone. I could’ve died again, and it wouldn’t have meant a thing. I—.” 

“Jason, you can’t make yourself responsible for her death. You weren’t in any condition to fight,” Dick reassured him. “Collapsed lung, broken limbs, orbital bone fracture, severe brain damage—.”

“It would’ve given her time… If only I could’ve seen her running,” Jason wept.

“We’d have two victims that night instead of one,” Dick explained. “You’re doing everything you can.”

“I want to do more… I feel like I’m being punished for not doing enough,” Jason whispered. 

“You’re doing enough… It’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna find those girls. Okay?” Dick reassured him.

[ao3statistics]

This is self-made. And also slightly concerning. Date: 28.12.2023.

I assume no guarantee or liability for the completeness, correctness and accuracy of this chart despite my best efforts.

Includes fanfictions in all languages available on Ao3, NOT English only.

Includes all popular Ao3 tags directly connected to the tag "Bruce Wayne".

More charts will follow. :)

Want to have a chart for different pairings, headcanons etc. in your favourite fandom? Send me an ask!

[spiders-birds-and-wizards-oh-my]

okay but like i just want a fic where autistic selective mute bruce wayne is a year or two younger than ollie, but was in his classes anyways because he is SMART and so they like grew up together, ollie loves him like his little brother, you know, the usual.

and then, when the justice league is formed (i put both of them in their mid twenties ish, like maybe ollie is 26 and bruce is 24) and ollie just like instinctively recognizes that batman is sorta like his baby brother and like subtly helps him and the league communicate until one day he’s just like hm maybe i should have a conversation with the big scary bat. and i’d imagine it went something like this:

ollie waited for the meeting to end to bring it up, hoping this conversation won’t go too wrong.

“hey, b-man! can we chat in private real quick?” he asks, as the other leaguers are filing out of the room, already having their own conversations.

superman shoots him a strange look, but ollie doesn’t really care about that right now.

batman looks a little constipated, honestly, but oliver knows its most likely not because he is disinterested in having a conversation with him, but more likely because of the abruptness of the request.

he waits patiently, bouncing around on his toes. its a habit he picked up from bruce’s stimming. the kid just always looks so peaceful doing it, and ollie doing it right alongside him usually seemed to make him smile.

batman grunted and turned away, to which oliver smiled and followed him to one of the lead lined rooms built specifically for private conversations.

it’s little things like that, that have convinced ollie even further that the batman doesn’t have any ill intentions towards the league. he’s the only one that thought of creating a safe place for emotions and secrets, even in the workplace.

ollie closed the door behind himself, turning to face an awkwardly still batman. but that’s okay, brucie does that, too, when he is unsure of where he stands.

“i just wanted to talk to you about some of the miscommunication present between some of the leaguers. this isn’t my place, and feel free to punch me if you’d like, but i’ve noticed a few similarities in your and my brother’s behavior, and people don’t always take the time to understand him and the way he communicates, and i think the same is happening here.” as he talks, ollie notices the slightly tense line of the bat’s shoulders, the barely-there clench of his hands, the subtle shifts on the balls of his feet, and further adds to the theory he has landed on.

“some of the leaguers seem to think you’re always upset with them, and-“

“why would they think that? i haven’t said anything.” batman speaks for the first time, the cowl scrunching sightly where the man’s eyebrows are under the thick kevlar.

ollie holds back a small smile, mentally reminding himself to go see his little brother soon.

“i know, and i’ve told them that if you were upset with them then you would tell them, but like i said, a lot of people don’t try to understand anyone who think differently than them.” its something he has told bruce many times, and probably will again. “i wanted to propose-“

“oliver?” and this time it isn’t exactly batman’s growl that interrupts him, and that’s what brings oliver’s head shooting up.

the league hadn’t been together but for half a year or so, no one had said anything about identities, and that was that.

ollie’s first instinct is to be mad, angry that batman had found out his identity and seemed to be informing him that he knew.

but then, before he could say another word, batman was reaching for his own cowl, and soon enough, oliver stood facing his little brother.

bruce’s eyes were wide, his cheeks slightly red from where the kevlar had pressed against it. his hair was a mess that alfred absolutely would not approve of, and his little brother was standing in front of him, bat insignia proudly marked on his chest.

he blinked a few times, processing what he was seeing, before-

“brucie?? what the hell man, i-“

“are you mad?” his voice was soft, confused, and his head tilted just a bit. his hands clenching and his feet shifting just a little more.

oliver breathed, in and out, before realizing no, he’s not mad.

“no, bruce, just surprised is all. but really, i shouldn’t be. god, you never grew out of that bat phase, did you?” and now he was smiling, stepping towards his brother and clapping a hand on his shoulder, beaming when the younger shoots a small, relieved smile back in his direction.

it lasts only a moment, before the furrow is back between his brows.

“who thinks i’m mad at them?” that soft, confused voice is back, and ollie wants to punch his friends for putting that face on his brother.

“just lantern and flash, mostly. i’ve tried to explain to them that you aren’t being dismissive or rude, but they don’t seem to believe me. i wanted your permission to talk with them, and maybe some others if you’re okay with that, more in depth about how you are a founding member of this team, and they need to be the ones to do the work in learning that you are communicating, they just aren’t trying to understand.”

oliver is still slightly boggled at the sight of his brother standing in front of him, brows furrowed and hand gently rubbing his chin as he thinks, the batman cowl hanging down over the back of his neck, but delights in the fact that he gets to share something this big, this deep with his brother in all but blood.

“if you think they’ll listen better than the kids at boarding school did, then i suppose we can try.” bruce’s words bring him back to the present, and ollie smiles and smacks a kiss to the younger’s cheek.

“we’ll meet up for lunch later this week or early next week to chat about what details you’re willing to bring up at the next meeting, yeah? haven’t seen alfred or the kids in a bit.” and bruce just gives him that small smile again, and oliver is overjoyed at the thought of seeing this part of his brother, and sharing his own secrets with him.

[shinyspanishgem]

Chapters: 1/2 Fandom: Batman - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alfred Pennyworth & Bruce Wayne, Thomas Elliot/Bruce Wayne, Thomas Elliot & Bruce Wayne Characters: Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Martha Wayne | Joker, Thomas Wayne, Thomas Elliot Additional Tags: Wingfic, Wings, Bats, Batman turns into a bat, Animal Transformation, Animal Traits, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Bruce Wayne-centric, bat!batman, Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, batman has wings, Protective Alfred Pennyworth, Don't bring your kid to galas, Alfred Pennyworth is Bruce Wayne's Parent Summary:

Bruce Wayne only ran into the cave as a tantrum, he wanted to be outside, not in that boring lunvh. The child who had always been a natural explorer, was surprised to find such a place near Wayne Manor.

To his surprise, he turns into a Bat.

[tiger-grace]

Superman: I haven’t seen you at the watchtower for a while. Where have you been the last few weeks, Batman?

Bruce: Rehab.

Superman, worriedly: Oh, I’m so sorry- I never knew you struggled with that. If you don’t mind me asking, what for?

Bruce, grimacing as he watches public footage of Signal and Red Hood starting a dumpster fire out of Pro-Joker merch: ..adoption.

[littlefankingdom]

I fucking hate when one of my silly incorrect quotes post is successful and people reblogged it with some Bruce's slander. Get the fuck off my post.

"Talia took care of Jason because Bruce abandoned him."

Wtf are you talking about. Bruce didn't abandoned Jason, he died. And he didn't abandoned him when he came back, Jason was not in the right to ask people to prove their love to him by killing others. And he also tried to kill the Joker after Jason died, he thought he had succeeded. Like, shut the fuck up.

"I don't give Bruce credit for anything regarding Dick's education."

Well, who the fuck raised him from 8 to 18 then? Alfred Pennyworth? The same Alfred Pennyworth that raised Bruce Wayne? The one that maintained the "employee/employer" distance with the grieving child he raised. Look at young adult Bruce Wayne and I dare you to tell me Alfred Pennyworth can raise a child better than Bruce, I dare you. And don't you fucking dare blaming Bruce for it, that would be ableist af to fucking blame him for being mentally ill and labelled it as "difficult", I don't tolerate that shit. Bruce Wayne was there for Dick when he lost his parents, he helped that kid through grief and showed him love, he held him close contrary to how Alfred held him. He taught him how to be a great detective, how to be a great fighter, and all he wanted was Dick to be a better man than him. Go tell that bs to your fav and see if he agrees (he doesn't, Dick doesn’t agree and would bite your head off for saying that)

[haveihitanerve]

Jason's reasons for trying to hurt bruce and doing all he did when he was pit mad- red hood stuff? Insecurity. All the Robins grapple with it. That fear they aren't good enough. They weren't enough. Jason? He realizes the reason Dick “hated” him was because he was jealous of losing robin- of having it be given away to Jason. And now Jason feels the same. Tim has the mantle. Bruce gave it to him… when he was dead. Bruce never cared. Is whats running through his head. He died, he failed, he wasn't good enough to live, to save himself. And Bruce saw it, and replaced him. Its all the insecurity. 

[lizardpersonyknow]

No Ok this is very out of left field but Tim would absolutely collect completely unnecessary blackmail on the justice league just in case there's another timeline incident where nobody believes him. Even if they don't believe it the majority has been blackmailed to say they do

[spacedace]

Had an idea, thought I'd make it a prompt, 3k+ words later realized this wasn't a prompt anymore but a ficlet 🙃

Anyway, here's the first almost 2k of Talia being a good parent and deciding to not go with either Bruce or Ra's and go off and do her own thing and raise Damian and oops she got attached to Jason while checking in on Bruce and saved him from dying in Ethiopia. & now has 2 sons lol

-

When her Beloved and her father demanded Talia make a choice, of who she would choose, she didn't hesitate.

She chose neither of them. She chose her child. She chose herself.

Outwitting both Ra's al Ghul and Batman was no simple feat. They were both brilliant, relentless and with endless resources at their command. It was why their clashes were as devastating as they were. Immovable objects and unstoppable forces the both of them. If there was something they wanted, it was something they would have.

But not her.

They would not have her.

She had her own networks, her own people, her own keen intelligence and sharp cunning. It took time - time she really didn't have - and a great deal of pain and loss, but she slipped them eventually. Shrugged off the shroud of who she had been - who she was made to be - and stepped confidently into her new life.

Her son was born nine days after her freedom had finally, fully been assured.

He was small and perfect in every way. Soft and warm cradled close to her chest, unblemished by the cruelty of the world as he slept soundly in her arms. Even as exhausted as she was after such a long labor, she couldn't bring herself to sleep. Her attention narrowed down entirely on his every quiet breath, his downy soft hair, his round peaceful face.

In the weeks that followed his eyes would shift and change from a newborn's blue to her own green. It would take years before she could know if he inherited any of his father's features, but that was fine. He was hers and hers alone.

She named him Damian.

In another life she would name him with her father in mind. That her son would rise as Heir to the Demon and conquer the world. That he'd stand as ruler of all.

In this one, she named him with hope in her heart that what he would master was his own life. That he would never be forced to bow to the will of anyone else. To be made to act as servant or puppet. Let him tame his fate into something good and kind and happy.

She did her best to give him the life he deserved.

Lavished him with all her love and affection. Gave him everything he could ever want or need. The friends she began making for herself - not just trusted allies, but friends - laughed that she would spoil him rotten. It was probably true, but she didn't have it in her to care.

Her son would have the childhood he would have been denied if raised raised in the home of either of their fathers. Her father would have demand harsh lessons and frightened obedience and impossible standards. Damian's would have tried - she knew her Beloved would have tried - but his heart would always be for his city first and all else, even his children, second.

Talia kept tabs on both of them, covertly. Ensured she always kept a healthy distance from anything that involved her father or his people. Gathered stories of her Beloved's exploits to share with her son when he was old enough to hear them.

It gave her insight on just what choosing her Beloved would have meant. Reassured her that while not choosing her father had been the right choice, choosing her Beloved would have been the wrong one.

Bruce Wayne was a good man. Brilliant and driven with his kind heart and admirable goals. Breathtaking in his skill and ability.

Disappointing in his parenting skills.

Talia knew she was lacking as a parent herself. That her own upbringing had left its scars and that try as she might she'd undoubtedly end up doing the same to her own child over the years. But she always pushed herself hard towards improving, in making herself better for the tiny boy that she loved more than anything else. And she felt satisfied that in the very least that when presented with options on how her and her son's life would be, she'd made the one that was best for Damian.

Not the life of an assassin or a vigilante, but the life of a child.

A child who was taught some of the skills of both the worlds she'd turned her back on, admittedly, but only ever for his own protection. Damian was safer knowing how to hide, how to escape, how to fight. She had done her best, but there was always the looming threat that they might be found one day. She needed to be sure he was ready, if that time ever come.

She didn't teach him the way she was taught.

When her son fumbled or failed she gently corrected him. Walked him through what he'd done wrong, how he could improve. Made a game out of the experience so that he came running up to her on toddling feet with bright eyes begging that they have a lesson. His excitement and delight in it all made him a better student then her fear and desperate need for her father's approval and affection.

There was a day she caught sight of him, all of four years old, tiny face scrunched in a look of concentration as he practiced the form she'd taught him the day before with his small, wooden practice sword. Some of his father's features lingered at the edges of his face, but he'd deepened his resemblance to her by picking up her mannerisms and expressions. Her son, going through the same steps and motions she had when she'd been his age, little body wobbling as he turned to fast before plopping on the ground with a tiny oof.

Talia had small silver scars on the back of her hands, so thin and so old as to nearly be invisible anymore. They burned all the same as she recalled herself stumbling in nearly the same way. Stomach churning as she remembered the terror she'd felt as her instructor had snatched her up by her hair and drug her over to a low table, holding her hands in place with a massive hand. The way she'd bit her lip hard enough that her mouth filled with blood as he struck her with the thin lash, knowing that if she cried the punishment would be all the worse.

Damian only blinked his big green eyes and scowled the same way she did whenever something of minor importance didn't go the way she wanted it to. Then he saw her standing there in the doorway watching him and his face lit up, bright as the son and just as beautiful as he jumped to his feet and darted over to her. Tiny hand clinging to the loose fabric of her pant leg as he begged her show me again Mama!

It was moments like that where she knew beyond any shadow of a doubt she'd made the right choice.

Her father would have broken her brilliant, kind hearted son. Would have done to him what was done to her to forge Damian into a weapon.

Her beloved...

He would never hurt her son like that. Not the way her father and his loyal followers would. But she couldn't ignore the fact that Damian would still be hurt all the same under his father's tutelage.

Talia knew the man she loved well. Adored his strengths, but was not blind to his flaws. He kept his heart well guarded, hidden behind imposing walls of silence and razor wire of words he didn't truly mean. Still kind, but horribly distant when it came to those he cared for most. It shielded him some, perhaps, but it left those who loved him feeling lost and alone.

She saw how Dick Grayson had grown over the years. Tall and clever and lonely and bitter. Fighting for independence, for acknowledgement, for his father to speak words of love and respect. Things Bruce felt but almost never said unless he thought things were dire.

She saw too how the heavy weight of her Beloved's priorities weighed up on his second son.

Young Jason Todd who saw magic in the harsh world he'd been drawn into and desired to be the protection for others that he never had growing up. She saw much of herself in him, though he faced the world with far more hope than she had at his age. He was a bright boy with a good heart that had weathered a harsh upbringing that Talia could sympathize with. There was a familiar anger in him too, broiling just beneath the surface, flaring up and burning him as much as everyone else when triggered.

Most of all though Talia could see the desperate loneliness that had marred her own life in the boy. The soul deep fear of abandonment. The painful desire for love from a father that always seemed to stay at arm's length who spoke rarely of affection and often of missions to be completed.

She kept a close eye on her Beloved's second Robin.

When he left for Ethiopia, searching for family in a stranger that had already given him up, she'd followed.

Jason only ever wanted family and love. A good boy, bright and fierce and brave. A boy Talia saw a lot of herself in, who faced the world with such determined brightness in spite of the pain and hardship he'd known.

Shelia Haywood took that boy that Talia had grown so fond of, took his trust and his love and crushed it beneath her heel. Callously handed him over to the Joker without a second thought. As if he was disposable, as if he was nothing more than a puppet to use and toss away when it suited her.

Talia had risked everything when she'd decided she would not choose either her father or her Beloved. She'd turned her back on her entire life, everything that had ever been and ever could be on either side. She spent months running, hiding, fighting and killing, in orchestrating a plan that could outwit and outmaneuver the two most brilliant men she knew. And she'd done it all so that her son could live free, as master of his own life.

Jason Todd had come to Ethiopia looking for a mother.

Talia, with blood on her hands and a burning warehouse behind her as she carried his broken body to safety, made sure he found one.

[finemealprompt]

DP x DC Prompt #38

The observants are in a bit of a pickle, at the moment. The young Danny Fenton is refusing to be the Ghost King, saying he is too busy and doesn't want the responsibility that comes with it. Clockwork insists they don't need a king, but what does he know?

Who else could be their king? The other halfa, Vlad Masters? No, no, he'd be almost as bad as Pariah Dark. The clone? No, she's not nearly stable enough. Ruling the realms would be the definitive end of her.

That's when they remembered. There was this guy who reeked of death in Gotham. He had started a legacy, he helps lead one of the strongest team of heroes in the world, surely he'd be a great fit! He's not exactly a ghost, but beggars can't be choosers!

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Phantom Grin

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam

Summary: Bruce Wayne visits his son's grave on the night of his resurrection. Will it change Jason's fate, or is it all simply inevitable?

Chapters: 1/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain

Relationship(s): Jason Todd/Original Character

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Jason Todd Has Chronic Pain, Jason Todd is Disabled, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Resurrected Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne Get Along

Chapter One: Moonlight Promise

It'd been nearly ten months since the night Jason dug himself out of his own grave. Bruce sat by Jason's bedside, reading to him. Most days, Bruce read to him. When some of Jason's broken bones healed up, Bruce would hold his hand. He tried not to think too hard about the night it happened. The thought of Jason's broken body reaching out to him from the grave made his stomach turn. "I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way," Bruce read in a soft voice. Bruce listened carefully to the rhythm of the machines, making sure Jason's vitals were in order. Jason's heart rate often slowed depending on what Bruce read to him. He could tell that Jason loved poetry, or at least he thought Jason did.

Bruce squeezed Jason's hand gently. "Jason, I have to go earlier today," Bruce whispered, "But we'll finish The Highwayman when I come back. And I'll tell you about Clark's visit... Maybe when I come back, you can—." Bruce's phone rang, and he sighed. "Jason, I promise I'll make things up to you." He stood up and rested a gentle hand on Jason's forehead.

His phone continued to ring, and Jason opened his eyes. Bruce froze. "Jason?" he asked. Jason kept his eyes open for a few breaths before closing them once more. Bruce sat back down and brushed a knuckle against Jason's cheek. "Attaboy," Bruce whispered gently.

Bruce's phone rang again. "I'm not going anywhere... I'm just gonna answer this," Bruce whispered.

He answered the phone, and Dick immediately started apologizing. "I know you asked me not to call—."

"He opened his eyes... Just for a second," Bruce interrupted.

Dick didn't reply immediately. Instead, he made a soft noise. "Do you-. Did it seem like—?" Dick couldn't find the words.

Bruce sat with the phone between his ear and his shoulder. He squeezed Jason's hand. "He's never done it before. He opened his eyes and—. It was like he was trying to wake up," Bruce whispered, "Do you want to speak to him?"

Dick took a deep breath. "Put me on speaker," Dick whispered.

"Jason, I'm putting Dick on speaker," Bruce whispered. He let go of Jason's hand and set the phone on Jason's bedside.

"Good morning, Jason," Dick whispered, "I'm gonna come and see you pretty soon. I might get you something new to listen to. I know your birthday's coming up in August." Jason lay there, his eyes closed, and Bruce moved Jason's bangs out of his face. He didn't want to cut Jason's hair, not yet. In the months since Jason's resurrection, his height and hair were the only things that changed. It was the only way he could cope with the thought of Jason's condition.

Bruce stayed for an hour more and left in time for sundown. He'd be back later that night, but not as Bruce Wayne. Bruce always came at night in the middle of his patrol to make sure Jason didn't suddenly awaken in the night. He even hid motion sensors around Jason's hospital bed so that he'd know the comings and goings of the nurses. Leaving Jason was always hard. In the days following the incident where Jason first opened his eyes, Bruce started to see more and more movement in Jason. Sometimes Jason would open his eyes, other times, Jason would involuntarily grin when Bruce would touch his face. By the end of the year, Jason started responding to simple commands.

One afternoon, Bruce sat in the manor, eating dinner and talking to Dick. "He's gonna wake up any day now," Bruce whispered.

"And what are you gonna do about Tim?" Dick asked.

"Tim can have whatever he wants. He can be whatever he wants... Once Jason's able to come home," Bruce paused for a moment, "Jason'll need my full attention." He picked over his dinner.

Dick looked at him and furrowed his brows. "Gotham needs Batman—."

"And Jason needs me," Bruce raised his voice, "Had I been Bruce more often with Jason, maybe he wouldn't have died in the first place. I need to be there for him. I need to take care of—."

"And I'm not saying you're wrong, but from what I'm hearing in your voice, it sounds like you're calling it quits," Dick interrupted.

"Not permanently. I'm just prioritizing Jason for once," Bruce whispered, "Don't you think he deserves to be put first for once?"

Dick froze. He knew Bruce loved Jason, but he never thought that Bruce would ever set aside his priorities for anything or anyone. "I'm not judging you. I know you love Jason. I love Jason too... I just-. You don't have to do this alone. We're a family, and we're all willing to help in whatever way we can," Dick reassured him, "Maybe it's time you stop thinking you can do all this alone. Don't you think?"

"I can't let him down this time. I can't," Bruce whispered as he took a sip of water. "I should go check on him again soon."

"How many hours would you say you spend at the hospital?" Dick asked.

"Well, since he's gone from comatose to being in a vegetative state... Three hours in the daytime, on and off for two hours at night," Bruce replied. Dick tapped his fingertips on the table. "Yes, I'm thinking about going right now. You should think about coming with me."

Dick nodded. "I'll come along tomorrow before I leave," Dick replied, "No use in asking if you're staying for dessert, huh?" Bruce got up and took his plate to the kitchen.

Bruce's phone beeped, and he checked his phone. "I gotta go to the hospital—."

"What's wrong?" Dick asked.

"He's awake," Bruce replied as he rushed past Dick to the car. Dick followed closely behind.

"Is he okay?" Dick asked. Bruce handed Dick his phone, and when Dick saw what was going on, he pushed his hair back in distress. "Okay, I'm sorry for saying you were crazy for installing the motion sensor cameras."

[wesavegotham]

Oh...also, I'm not dead. I just haven't really read many comics these past few months.

I heard PKJ is taking over the Batman and Robin book from Williamson and while I'm not that thrilled that the solicitations are teasing Bruce and Damian to argue again I do hope that PKJ will move the book away from Williamson's slice of life approach.

I know there are many out there who started to like Damian under Williamson because he made him more of a normal teenager, but I personally feel like DC already has more than enough "relateable" teenage heroes and prefer Damian to always be weird/obnoxious.

[wanderingmind867]

My take on Anarky (Lonnie Machin):

Lonnie Machin was born in sad conditions. He grew up in Crime Alley, raised by his single mother, Jean Machin. Jean was poor, so she relied on Lonnie for many things. He had to pull his weight and help his mom make ends meet. She was also sad often, living in her past constantly (since she'd attempted to have a kid before Lonnie, and it had ended with her nearly dying, and then with her losing her husband).

If you can't tell where i'm going with this, let me spell it out: Jean used to be the wife of Jack Napier. She did almost die in an accident with a bottle heater, and her unborn child did die in the womb. But she fell into a small coma (and was briefly mistaken for being dead). Around a week after her accident, she wakes up. And then she learns her husband's gone missing, and she's also lost her baby. So she just sits in the hospital crying.

But she slowly moves on, and she finds a new man. She fell in love with a man named James Machin, who was charming when she first met him. But James tried to keep Jean stifled, living as a homemaker while she raised their baby, young lonnie. Jean wanted to be an engineer, but her husband wouldn't let her be one. She had to be a homemaker. So when lonnie was six or seven, Jean finally gets a divorce, and she lives James far behind (taking lonnie with her).

In a few short years (when Lonnie is nine or ten), Jean goes back to school and manages to start training to be an engineer. Lonnie is in awe of his mom, and he follows her around reverently. As she leads union meetings, as she tells lonnie about how her bosses and coworkers treat her like a second class citizen, as she talks about how she lost her ex-husband jack, how life has been nothing but unfair to her.

Despite being a single mom learning to be an engineer and a proud union member, she always encourages lonnie's interests. They play chess together (and lonnie learns all about strategy), they talk politics and machinery and tech. Lonnie learns he loves to read, and the library becomes his second home. Whenever his mom is off at work (and lonnie's home early from school), Lonnie goes to the library and reads everything he can.

Lonnie ends up obsessed with politics, reading all sorts of books on communism and anarchism. Marx, Proudhon, Bakunin, Engels, etc. He also reads a lot of fantasy novels, stories of underdog heroes working their way from the bottom to the top, all just with their wits and cunning. It inspires Lonnie to dream of being a heroic rogue, saving society from itself.

When Lonnie is 15, his local library starts getting harassed by conservative parents, who get all the LGBTQ+ and Left-Wing Political books banned from the shelves. Around the same time, Lonnie's mom loses her job as an engineer, since her boss hired a dumb male who did the job worse, but who was willing to work without a union. All these things happening at once solidify to Lonnie that the world is unfair, and it leads him to begin planning his revenge. He owes it to his mom, and he owes it to all those society has oppresed.

A few weeks after the library gets censored of all "filthy material", the conservative city council members find everything is going wrong for them. Their appliances don't work, their computers are all broken, and lewd LGBTQ+ imagery has been plastered all over their homes. Similarly, his mom's old boss finds his home defaced with the hammer and sickle of communism, as well as quotes from all the great anarchist and communist thinkers. And his home has no power or electricity either.

Lonnie didn't view this as bold enough to get his message across, however. So he starts hacking into all the TVs throughout Gotham, and he starts preaching and leading people in union songs. He hides behind a cloak and a mask, but he goes by Anarky and he begins to form a popular front. In the end, he becomes a hero to his mom, and to working folk everywhere!

For his biggest and boldest stunt, Lonnie hacks into the Wayne Enterprises websites, and he successfully manages to steal all their records. All of it. He exposes the company for hiring scabs, for paying below minimum wage, for being a capitalistic machine of evil! And then he begins realizing that Batman must somehow have a connection to Mister Wayne. He never figures out they're the same person, but he quickly learns that Batman is a puppet of the status quo.

Angry and outraged that a superhero could be such a sellout, Anarky begins messing with Batman. He destroys his tech, he almost shuts down the Batcave, Lonnie comes very close to destroying Batman for good. It's only due to speed and luck that Batman manages to track down Anarky before he can find out Batman's true identity.

Now caught and exposed, Lonnie is sent to juvenile hall. But his name is still whispered in proud tones amongst all the poor and downtrodden of Gotham. The name of Anarky is still more popular than Batman in some circles. Because he represents real heroism. This 15 year old boy stood up for our rights, when no one else did. Anarky is revered as a modern robin hood, and he's stunned. But when he gets out of juvie hall, he knows there's still work to be done. He will stop the bat. And he will save this city from the festering rot of capitalism. So says Anarky, the voice of the voiceless!

PS: Yes, the story of Jean Machin wanting to be an engineer was stolen from a union song i've heard before. I've been listening to union music nonstop as I write this. So y'know, that helped me get in the mood for the character.

[batfam-stuff-posts-0]

Bruce: You're alive.

Jason: There's no need to sound so disappointed.