#Lady shiva

[soranatus]

Batgirl (2024) #2 variant cover by David Talaski

[aingeal98]

Any story where Cass learns to be more like Shiva and less like David Cain is a good one to me. Cain took Shivas abilities and bastardised them, twisted a child into a murderer which left her feeling guilty for the blood on her hands and her gift for violence for years. And the batfam helped Cass realise that she wasn't doomed to be evil just because she enjoyed violence, that in the right context she can do good, can BE good.

But it's always limited. Always as gentle as possible (Cass, not Bruce). Always restrained and controlled and with the executioners axe hanging over her head, waiting for the second she goes too far. She can imitiate them, do good work the way they do, but in her eyes she will never truly be fully like them.

Enter Shiva. Who understands Cass in a way no one else can. Cass's ability to read body language, her talent with martial arts. David Cain pushed them to extremes but the gifts originated with Shiva. Cass will never share her birth mother's comfort with death or her detachment from the world around her but she can reach her in other ways. Connect with her, talk to her as an equal and peer the way no one else is for them. And she can learn from Shiva too, not just skills but philosophy. How to live with all the different contradictions that make up your personality. How to reconcile your love of violence with your desire to help people. How to be unafraid of what you are capable of, to let go and enjoy it because it is not evil, it is simply you.

Shiva will never be a mother or a mentor or even a trustworthy ally. She doesn't want to be and she doesn't need to be. Cass has all of those things already. Her connection with Shiva is based off something different, and it works for them even if no one else understands it.

[mrdogface]

it always feels incorrect to see bruce beat shiva.

her whole function in the 70s - early 2000s is to be the scary bitch bruce needs to outsmart or outplay, because he can't beat her directly. and like, the fact that the unquestionable best fighter in the setting was a woman in a time when women were not allowed to be cool in comics (or real life, if you're good at boxing while she/her, corrupt Russian boxing organisations and children's fiction authors will insist you're actually a man) was always rad as fuck to me. so, seeing shiva catch such an easy L is lame and feels like a disservice to not just shiva, but every single interaction shiva has had with the batfamily so far. why was cass scared of a one punch loser, yknow?

to be fair in this scene she's mind controlled - shiva written by someone who understands the incredibly deep, sophisticated character writing of dragon ball z or WWE wouldnt have her show up during a villain gauntlet featuring solomon grundy and mongul. she'd look at that and be like

[but-a-humble-goon]

I've always felt that Cass and Shiva's faces resemble each other so perfectly that the only consistent difference is that Cass can look mean but Shiva could never look kind.

[ditzybat]

i love the headcannon that both tim and cass look scarily alike, to the point they could be twins.

like they both share the same general lithe build, they’re the same short height, cass has a short bob while tim has his baby mullet, their training is similar due to their backgrounds with lady shiva and the loa, and (depending on your headcanon) both waisan- so i can definitely see instances where they’re confused for each other or where they mess with everyone around them.

cass on patrol in red robin gear so tim can go on a date with bernard:

random thugs seconds away from being one hit k.o’d: yo since when did red robin start melting into the shadows like an eldritch horror?

jason: hey tim -

cass: wrong.

jason: no, im pretty sure you’re tim, i gave you that scar right there in your neck

cass: nu-uh, this is from cain

jason:

cass:

jason: well this got awkward…

steph hugging tim from behind: hey babe

tim: wrong wayne

steph: ew, i should’ve known, your ass isnt nearly as —

tim walking away with his fingers in his ears: lalalalala im not listening to you

damian: i think you’re the only one in this family i respect

tim who has been silently hanging out with him for the past 3 hours: aw thanks damian, i’ve come to love you like a brother too

damian: drake? i thought you were cassandra, my apologies, i retract my previous statement

tim: don’t care, you love me, don’t try to deny it

lady shiva hugging both tim and cass: my beautiful twins, such well trained weapons, unfortunate that you both ended up with cain

bruce pulling his children back: tim isnt yours…

shiva: well that cant be right, he’s s the spitting image of my sister carolyn, and that birth was far too painful to only produce one small child

tim: woah full circle, my drag-sona is called caroline, maybe you are my mom, i wouldn’t put it past janet drake to adopt

bruce: tim no, you’re not even the same type of asian

cass: too late, we’re blood

shiva: see!

[vodrae]

AU where Jason, Cass and Damian meet in the League and cause so much chaos that a burnt out Ra's just dropped them with a note

"Two of them are yours the third one is free"

And Bruce rolls with it

[cloakedsparrow]

Dick: Okay, I think we’re gonna have to do ‘Good Cop, Bad Cop’.

Jason: Yeah. It’s tropey but it works.

Dick: Exactly. Wanna flip for Bad Cop?

Jason: You’re kidding.

Dick: Or we could play Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock?

Jason: Dude, I can’t be Good Cop. I kill people, remember? You can’t kill people and be Good Cop.

Dick: Those were traffickers and mob lieutenants. These are Rogue goons.

Jason: What, like that matters?

Dick: Yes, that matters. They don’t care that you took out some mobsters. They care that you revived the Joker after beating him to death and then let him go.

Jason: I didn’t revive him, I just didn’t let him die yet! And I didn’t let him go either! That was Batman! I was gonna kill the psycho!

Dick: Yeah, well, you still kept him alive and the goons probably know it. Just like they know I was happy to leave him dead when I killed him.

Jason: What?

Dick: You heard me.

Jason: You…?

Dick: Killed the Joker? Yes. I thought he killed Timmy and then when I confronted him, he said your name and…I didn’t stop hitting him until he choked on his own blood.

Jason: Then…how is he still alive?

Dick: Batman revived him.

Jason Fucking what?

Dick: Yeah.

Jason: Well, now I definitely can’t be Good Cop. I’m way to pissed for that shit.

Dick: Well, so am I.

Jason: Fuck.

Dick: Fuck.

Jason: So now whadda we do? Try to beat it outta him?

Dick: No, he'll lock down. That's why I suggested "Good Cop, Bad Cop" to begin with.

Jason: So we need a Good Cop.

Dick: Okay, I’m gonna call Timmy and see if he can come play Good Cop.

Jason: Good plan.

Dick [talking into a secure (& Batman-proof) phone]: Hey, Robin, you busy?

Tim [on speakerphone]: Kinda, yeah. What’s going on? You sound weird.

Dick: Hood and I need to get some intel from a goon, and we’re thinking “Good Cop, Bad Cop” is the way to go but neither of us can pull off Good Cop right now.

Tim: Shit. I’m in Bangkok right now-

Jason: The fuck are you doing in Bangkok?

Tim: Speedy needed help with a thing.

Dick: In Bangkok?

Tim: No. She’s in Korea.

Jason: So, again, why the fuck are you in Bangkok?

Tim: Because Lady Shiva’s here and she’s perfect for what Speedy needs, so I’m calling in a favor she owes me.

Dick: You’re calling in a favor from Lady Shiva because Speedy needs help with a thing in Korea.

Tim: Yep. You got it.

Dick: No, that’s- You say that like it doesn’t require any further-

Tim: Can you hang on for a second? There’s an assassin tailing me.

Dick: Shit. Do you need us to send someone out there?

Jason; Starfire should be done with her thing by now. She's not on your shit list, right?

Tim: No, I like Kori. But I’m good now. My assassin got the other assassin.

Dick: You have an assassin?

Tim: Kinda? She defected from the League of Assassins and is up for hire but she always gives me priority since she feels like she owes me a life-debt.

Dick: Again, you sound like you think that statement doesn’t require any further explanation.

Jason: So you hired your assassin buddy to kill the other assassin?

Tim: What? No. Of course not. She didn’t kill him. We’ll question him later. She never kills on my jobs since she knows I don’t like it.

Dick: What about other jobs?

Tim: That’s her business. We aren’t all control freaks, you know.

Dick: That’s-

Jason: That’s good, Little Red. Good that you have healthy boundaries.

Dick: I have healthy boundaries.

Jason: Sure you do.

Tim: Okay, you’re gonna have to argue that on your own. I’m supposed to help my friends out with something after I get Shiva to help Speedy, but I have to handle this interrogation first. So how about I just send my friends the twenty-five plans I drew up and ask Bunker if he minds helping you out before he joins us? He should be able to get inside Gotham in less than ten minutes.

Jason: Oh, Bunker’s perfect for Good Cop.

Tim: Right? They’ll spill everything and probably give him their grandma’s secret family recipes on top of it.

Dick: Wait. Back it up. You have twenty-five plans drawn up? What are you guys up against?

Tim: Nothing we can’t handle. Young Justice figures, why even bother with a plan B if you aren’t gonna cover the whole alphabet?

Jason: There’s twenty-six letters in the alphabet, Little Red.

Tim: Yeah, but plan Z is always the same, so we don’t bother listing it anymore.

Dick: Is it ‘get an adult’?

Tim: Of course not.

Jason: When you were a Teen Titan, how often did you call in an adult when you probably should have?

Dick: Okay, that’s fair.

Jason: So what’s plan Z?

Tim: ‘Fuck it, we ball’.

Dick: That’s not a pl-

Jason: That’s perfect. I love it.

Dick: No. Don’t encourage him.

Tim: Thanks, Red. So do you want me to ask Bunker about helping you? I’m kinda on a time crunch now.

Jason: Yes, please.

Tim: Okay. He’s on the way. Is there anything else?

Dick: Whe-

Jason: No, we’re good. Have fun storming the castle!

Tim: ‘Kay, bye!

Jason: Bye!

Dick: The fuck-

Jason: Bunker and I can handle the interrogation here and Timmy and his assassin friend are gonna be busy with an interrogation there for a bit. If you take off now, you can probably catch up with him and go all big brother like you’re dying to.

Dick: You sure?

Jason: Yeah, I’m sure me and Bunker can handle this asshole.

Dick: Thank you.

Jason: Yeah, well, you did kill the Joker. That’s gotta count for something, right?

Dick: I’ll tell you all about it after I make sure Timmy doesn’t get himself killed or lose another organ.

Jason: I’ll hold you to- Timmy lost an organ?

Dick [already calling Kori to get him to Tim]: Later. I’m on a time crunch now!

Jason: I’m holding you to that!

Jason: *sighs* No one in this family knows how to share.

[theflashjaygarrick]

New look at Cassandra Cain and Lady Shiva from the upcoming Batgirl solo series

[yuinterrobangapologist]

Bruce is coparenting literally all this children.

He coparents Dick with Clark.

He coparents Jason and Damian with Talia

He coparents Tim with Lady Shiva

He coparents Steph with her literal mom

He coparents Barbara with her literal dad

He coparents Duke with Luke

Cass is like the only child that he is the sole custodian over lol.

From now on I absolutely headcanon that Bruce has shared custody with all of them but Cass and has to constantly remember pick up and drop off times for 7 different children across 6 coparents.

(Yes I choose to believe Bruce must pick up and drop off his adult children as well fight me)

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

I see a lot of fanon-y posts about rogues having a soft spot for the Batkids and kind of looking out for them, especially Harley and Ivy since they're completely defanged now, but all of that truly pales in comparison to whatever Lady Shiva has going on with Tim.

"I respect your moxie, kid. someday when you're an adult let's fight to the death." they're fascinating.

from Green Arrow #135 (1998)

[damian-navarro-art]

CASS! i haven’t shared here yet any of all the drawing i’ve done of her last months but you can check them out on my Instagram if you like ;) …. But in the other hand, here is the first time im sharing this, i madly love Cass <3

[but-a-humble-goon]

I sometimes see posts about Tim and Shiva and I’m curious if that’s an actual thing? Like, have Shiva and Tim had any sort of dynamic? Or is this just a fanon invention?

I've not read much of Tim's Robin run but from my understanding yes, Shiva's a recurring character and she's really interested in Tim Drake's noodly ass for some inexplicable reason. Basically everyone agrees it's far from Shiva's finest outing and the batfanon people took it and ran with it straight into hell as they do with everything else.

[ditzybat]

tim: nah man, i stay away from drugs, last time i touched that stuff i killed someone

jason: you… killed someone?

tim: i mean, she was resuscitated after and definitely set it up so i would kill her (i think), but you know it’s the principle of the matter right?

jason: that’s an original experience i fear

[an-gothamite-aka-zannalial]

You know if Jason did become Talia's son I have the idea that he would be someone very famous among assassins and mercenaries, but in the hero community He is an anti-hero who must be captured and nothing more and is also a popular gossip item when it comes to hero failures (along side Roy of course).

As for the heroes he is just a red hood, Crime lord and anti-hero who has a special and complicated relationship with Batman, But for assassins and mercenaries who know enough about the world he is

An Al Ghul, the first child of Talia Al Ghul, the eldest grandson of Ra's Al Ghul, one of the princes of the League of Assassins and Shadows, someone you really have to watch out for because of his skills and position. And they realized that Talia would do anything for her child, even going against her father

Without his helmet he is one of the most feared people in the underworld, he knows many assassins and mercenaries thanks to all the missions he has undertaken and is friends with most of them.

So imagine.........

Dick: You know it's a rare month that Slade isn't trying to recruit me

Jason: Oh, that's because I asked him to look for something a few weeks ago

Dick: you ask deathstroke, ask ?

Jason: Yeah he owes me something

Dick: how ?

Tim: Sometimes I still miss my spleen you know

Jason: want me to ask someone to get it for you

Tim: who you gonna ask,It's literally in ra's

Jason: I can ask so many people like deathstroke,lady Shiva, mother of soul,deadshot, Talia, Constantine drakon, Dusan, nyssa, Ben Turner, merlyn. And more that I can ask, which one do you prefer

Tim:

Jason: what

Cass: I really want to know what happen to my dad

Jason: I can call someone to check on him, do you want

Cass: yes

Damian: this can be done if I can call my teacher akhi, but

Jason: which one do you mean Habibi I Will call them don't worry

Damian: how you gonna call him

Jason: I just call their phone number in my phone

Damian: you have their number

Jason: why not

Roy: you seem to be liked by all the assassin we just met huh

Jason: yeah they are my old friend

Roy: what

Jason: they just happen to be in the same misson with me

Bruce: Jay where did you find all of your trained goon

Jason: oh they are either fired form the league and join me, or just like me and follow me

Bruce: I'm not ready for that actually

Jason: good to hear

[kalopsia-draws]

Mother & Daughter

[proneterror204]

A Mothers Lesson

Lady Shiva thought it was time she taught her daughter a lesson.

Her daughter had grown relaxed in her time with Batman, and the recent news was that she had fallen in love with a boy.

Now she stood atop the boys roof thinking of how finding the boys body was going to teach her daughter that love was weakness, that emotions and family was weakness and remind her to never be weak.

She snuck in through the window, fully intent on catching the boy asleep in bed. This was going to be such an easy lesson- A glowing green fist smashed her in to the wall

Her arm broke-shattered. she looked at a boy, the boy. "I was wondering how long you where going to stand on my roof like a stalker. Even Batman had better manners."

She spoke only to be interrupted; "I am- I know who you are lady Shiva. Cass told me. She still cries your name in her nightmares."

She smiled proudly, only to receive an inhuman kick that broke several ribs. "Are you proud of that you sadist? Pleased with the pain and trauma you've caused?"

She tried to speak but noticed the temperature drop and the shadows grow and animate.

"No more. No more pain. No more trauma. No more nightmares. No More Lessons. I love her. I love Cass and there will be No More.

The shadows grew. they wrapped around her- pulling her into the darkness. The only thing she saw where Lazarus green eyes.