#and loves reading to steph

[decapod-appreciator]

some batgirls thoughts. i really enjoyed the 2020 (?) batgirls run where they live in a warehouse together and Babs uses a cane and Cass gets really into Poe and Steph wears just some of the best outfits ever. SO. my civvies designs, some theoretical winter costumes, and my desperate attempt to merge their 400 different costumes into two coherent ones. like seriously it seems like 90s steph changed her costume every other day.

[theresistanceneverquits]

There’s not enough people talking about how important Stephanie is to Damian’s growth pre-Flashpoint.

Bruce had seen Damian as a beast to be tamed, Tim sees him as a ticking time bomb, and Dick is far better with him but he’s still an authority figure for Damian to combat with. But then he meets Stephanie, a college-aged girl who nobody trusts and he bullies her relentlessly and becomes inseparable from her.

She doesn’t interact with him based on his past, but on what she can see. This 10 year old just threatened to kill her? Wow he doesn’t get outside much. He’s not old enough to have seen Gremlins. What do you MEAN you’ve never been inside a bouncy house before we are fixing that immediately.

They are like cousins to each other. They poke fun at each other for being lame and stupid and Dick has to tell them both to shut up. She doesn’t see him as a project to be molded and redeemed, he’s just a kid with a crappy childhood like her and if he’s nice to her for 5 seconds she’ll do something with him to let him feel like a kid. And he doesn’t look at her and see a liability or a failure or a lost cause, like everyone she’s ever interacted with does. When he’s awful to her, it’s because he’s an obnoxious preteen boy.

And then you get the “there’s room in our line of work for hope, too” scene. Because Damian has gotten to know Steph and he can’t fathom why she’s here. She obviously has had to deal with crap and is still working through being kept on a leash by Nightwing and Oracle, but she isn’t broken like the rest of them are. Damian is surrounded by people who were molded and shaped and torn down and broken to become the monoliths that they are, and then there’s this girl who seems so at peace with herself and is constantly making quips, and it’s so foreign to him.

And she tells him that she’s in his world because she believes people are worth fighting for.

[casscainmainly]

So as much as I loved Batgirl #5, I did kind of raise an eyebrow at this panel:

It's a sweet sentiment but not one I think Cass would have; this kind of sympathy towards her younger self, particularly this idea that she had "no control of her life," runs counter to my view of her self-hatred and guilt. Elsewhere in this sequence she talks about that self-hatred, which feels more true to Cass, and to me somewhat contradicts the way Cass is fully embracing her child self here. I do not think Cass would ever shift the autonomy of her killing away from herself by saying she was "lost" and had "no control."

But then I thought harder about it, about the times when Cass was more forgiving of herself, and realised there was a common denominator: the one and only Stephanie Brown.

From the beginning Steph is associated with communication and language - Brombal nods to that here, where Steph allows her to "find those words." In Batgirl (2000) #20, arguably the start of the Steph-Cass relationship, Cass goes to Steph for reading help. Stephanie has always been a source of communication and connection for Cass, both things David Cain withheld from her.

Then we have this scene in Batgirl (2000) #28, which is SO important to Cass' conception of Stephanie. The "you... won't last" isn't only referring to their sparring, but to Steph being Cass' "best friend" - Cass doubts whether anyone can truly love her like that. But Steph impresses Cass with her tenacity, making Cass realise that this is someone who never gives up, no matter the odds. Someone who might actually, truly be able to love her.

It's this foundation that allows Cass to relate her experiences to Steph's abuse from her own father:

Steph's friendship allows Cass to acknowledge, on some level, that what David Cain did to her was abusive. It's a crucial step to mitigating some of that eternal guilt she holds, and seeing herself as someone worthy of love.

It's why Steph's conversation with Cass in #38 kickstarts Cass' journey of romantic discovery. It's not necessarily the possible crush she has on Steph, but that Steph as a whole represents romantic possibility.

Then Stephanie dies, and we get #62:

Imagined-Steph encourages Cass to fight for her life. This is huge compared to Cass' death wish in the beginning of Batgirl (2000) - even though Shiva helps her overcome that in #25, this is the first time we see Cass fully embracing her desire to live, fully choosing to live. And this choice is framed not through her own voice, but through Stephanie's. It's as if Steph represents the fact that Cass is actually worth saving.

So although some other people might have worked for this hallucination, for this specific part - Cass embracing her younger self - I think no one would have allowed her to do it except Stephanie. Nobody except Steph allows her to look at herself as someone worthy of compassion and love.

Batgirls (2022) #14 and #15

[aingeal98]

Batkids and their last words

Jason Todd: "What's wrong?"

Cassandra Cain-Wayne (first death): "Ready."

Stephanie Brown (first death): "I think I need to rest now."

Cassandra Cain-Wayne (second death): "I win."

Damian Wayne (first death): "... Mother."

Damian Wayne (second death): "Go!"

Stephanie Brown (second death): "I c-can't... see you..."

Damian Wayne (third death. Seriously someone please stop this kid from dying so much): "But... I'm..."

[welcometogrouchland]

Was skimming through some Dixon era BoP for no particular reason and came across a scene where 3 DIFFERENT MEN (Dick Grayson, Ted Kord and Jason Bard) all show up to Babs' door at almost exactly the same time bc they're all in love with her.

Birds of Prey (1999) #19

Which is, A) really funny on its own and B) actually extremely based from a representational view. Oracle was important as disability rep in comics for a lot of reasons, one of which being that she got mad bitches in her wheelchair. She had too much swag and they had to kill her

[theerurishipper]

Honestly, I do love Dick as Nightwing and Bruce and Dick's complicated relationship, but sometimes I like the old days when things were sweet and simple you know? When it was just them and Alfred and they all had fun with each other. Like when they blew off boring parties to go on patrol by using Dick's bedtime as an excuse. When Bruce let Dick go off on his own and said he was allowed "a little escapade" and ruffled his hair. When Alfred always brought coffee and "turkey sandwiches with Swiss cheese" to the Batcave while Dick and Bruce happily talked about their nightlife escapades. When Dick would make Bruce laugh regularly.

When they discussed Hamlet while riding in the Batmobile. When Alfred picked Dick up from school and dropped him off on dates and helped him go behind Bruce's back on cases. When Dick and Bruce would play fight with each other. When Dick made Batman's meetings with Gordon "more optimistic." When Bruce was being a helicopter parent and wanting to know why Dick would want to go to a public school. When Dick would sneak off with Clark when Bruce wanted him to stay back to finish his homework, and Clark did it for him before Bruce noticed. When Bruce teased Dick about his failed date, and they talked about it and their love lives. When Bruce apparently told stories about Joker to Dick during rides in the Batmobile. When Dick was actually the one who named the aforementioned Batmobile. When they would banter even in between a serious case. When Dick would cling onto Bruce to annoy him. When Dick was contemplating how alone he felt, and Bruce just showed up to catch him and do a routine on the trapeze with him. When Bruce would call Dick "kiddo." When Dick even called him stuff like "Bruce-ter." When Bruce used to call Dick "chum." I miss those days.

Yeah a lot of these are from Robin: Year One but that's just because it's the one I remember most. But there's a lot of them just having a good time and it doesn't feel like we see a lot of that anymore.

[somnoir]

Inspired by that one person who continued a fic after their best friend died...

Jason Todd had an ao3 account. Jason Todd had balls of steel and logged into the batcomputer. (Trying to figure out his username but I keep thinking BlueBird or CrimeAlleyBoy)

Bruce was well aware of this. He didn't think to log it out of the batcomputer, keeping the tab open just for Jason. He's read some of that stuff that Jason has written (mind you, the kid was an avid defender and writer of WonderBat). He found it rather cute and it wasn't like Bruce has never read fanfiction about himself (both Bruce and Batman).

And Jason? He wasn't really sure if Bruce knew but he didn't really care that much. And besides, being Robin made sure he was prepared for anything the Ao3 curse was going to throw at him. If that damn curse sent Riddler then his fist would be the solution.

There were around 20 fics in that damn account, ranging from his OTP that was WonderBat, some SuperBat, and the crack fics of Bruceman. (Jason would never allow himself to tell Dick his username but he sure as hell has his older brother beta read all the Bruceman fics. That man was one of the OGs and he wouldn't disgrace his brother.)

He avoids the Ao3 curse until it appears in the form of the Joker.

When Jason dies, Bruce keeps the tab open, making sure that the account doesn't log off. Because that was a part of his son. (When he missed Jason a tad too much at times, he'd read one of those ridiculous fics that would make his two eldest sons laugh.)

When it's around two months after Jason's death, Bruce gains the courage to post an announcement on his son's account, making sure his fans were well informed and not anticipating for the next chapter.

I'm sorry to announce that this account will no longer be posting any updates. This is the author's father and I must unfortunately inform you that my son has passed away. Thank you for being there for him and reading his stories...

The post is along those lines.

(Tim was an avid reader of that account and was utterly devastated when Robin's death was further confirmed through this post. Yes he knew this was Jason's account. Of course he did!)

But Jason comes back from the dead.

Sees his account again after getting out of the league. Sees Bruce's announcement and maybe it makes him feel a little better.

But Jason's a menace and the day he started posting fics was the day he vowed that he wouldn't let the Ao3 curse take him. He even announced that to his readers in his first story (WonderBat obviously)

He posts an entire fic of oneshots consisting of Batman with numerous members of the Justice League. In his end notes, it says:

Not even death can stop me. I write WonderBat in the face of Death and told him to fuck off.

The next few posts consist of Batman/Justice League, even a few Bruce/Justice League (yes, that includes Batman). And Bruce, with Jason's account still logged into the batcomputer, is mortified when he sees Tim shamelessly read a 5+1 fic of BatLantern on that huge ass screen.

[erinwantstowrite]

i get a lot of asks about what fic recs i have and i am in fact compiling a list (i discovered most of them from alighterwood) but right now my favorite fic that i have been following is The Buzzard by FlightL3ss_Bird1029 on ao3 and it needs its own post specifically because i am that in love with it

it's an au where Tim doesn't become Robin and instead, Steph takes up the mantle. It has a prologue called Fledge that had me hooked from the beginning.

Fledge's description:

"When Jason Todd died, Tim took it upon himself to find a way to save Batman from his dark spiral of violence. Maybe if things had gone differently Tim would have offered himself up to take the Robin mantle and work alongside his hero. Unfortunately, Tim was too busy running his parents' company after the untimely death of his mother. But he knew how to be useful, and other opportunities presented themselves for him to do just that. He felt a little bad about helping to kidnap Damian, but decidedly less bad about helping Steph become a hero. He just hoped that his use wouldn't run out before getting to help his Robin."

The Buzzard's description:

"After a difficult year (for many reasons) Tim goes back to Gotham to help Jason Todd reconnect with his family. Whether Jason wanted that or not, well, Tim had time to wear him down. Between the tutelage of Deathstroke and Lady Shiva, he was well equipped to handle himself as Jason's equal and hit Gotham's vigilante scene as the Buzzard. His parents were dead and the lonely cavity in his chest kept growing every day, but it didn't matter. Tim's mission could and would succeed despite his personal feelings and failures. He was fine and he had a job to do."

Everyone is so well written in this and I think about it constantly. The Buzzard currently has 10 chapters, 103,528 words. I don't usually rec fics until they've finished but this one is always on my mind, so I had to

[mamawasatesttube]

"oOoOohhh kon is just sooooo sad about tim/ber for forever and he's pining but he's trying soooOOoo hard to be happy for his best friend and it's just sOoOooo tragic and bittersweet that tim/kon never worked out and he's sooo sad for life--" im actually going to start beating you people over the head with a brick made out of all 100 issues of superboy (1994) until you start to comprehend that kon is a character on his own whose life does not revolve around tim. jesus fucking christ

[franollie]

her personal audiobook <3

[skecherss]

"uh-huh :]"

from Green Arrow (2001) #5

[crow-of-paradise]

Kaladin and Shallan have been in the chasms for less than a day and already Shallan is waxing poetic about his intense gaze and passion.

She is just like me fr!!!

[casscainmainly]

So in Spirit World there's two separate panels that show Cass' family/loved ones. The first I think is more circulated:

The second is this one:

These line-ups are probably different due to space/convenience, but to overanalyse these panels for a bit, it's interesting who's present in which. Bruce, Steph, and Babs are present in both - makes sense, they're the most important figures in Cass' life. Steph is front and center in both, suggesting she really is Cass' favourite person ever.

Bruce is relatively big in the top panel, but much smaller in the bottom. The top panel explicitly is about "family," while the bottom is about people who "know and love you". Bruce becoming smaller suggests that Cass thinks of him as her dad, but the 'knowing' and 'loving' part isn't as secure for her. (This is probably not intentional but reflects their dynamic very well, particularly post-Cass being sent to HK and her unresolved feelings about that).

Babs is pretty big in both, and I love that she's Oracle here (the wheelchair in the bottom panel!!). This makes total sense - the time when Babs loved and cared for her most was when she was Oracle. Cass probably still sees and remembers her that way.

Onto the interesting stuff, which is Duke being missing for 'family' but present for 'know and love you'. I think he should be in the top panel, but maybe he's too new for Cass to consider him family? Everyone in the top panel is from the bg 2000 era, so Cass might think of that time as her true 'family'. Anyway, the fact he makes it into the bottom still shows they're close, and that Cass considers him someone who understands/'knows' her.

Dick and Tim being present for 'family' and missing for 'know and love you' is so fun. Tim maybe should be present in the bottom, but recent canon hasn't made them as close as they used to be (in BG 2000 and Red Robin). So they love each other, but not to the extent of anyone in the bottom panel; he's still definitively family though.

Dick is the same, but there's a lot more sibling rivalry and complicated feelings there. It makes total sense for Cass to see him as a brother, but to not think he 'knows' or 'loves' her all that much; they do get along, but I think they remember their mistakes with each other and think the other person still holds a grudge (they don't). Peak Dick-Cass dynamic to me!

So if I had to rank Cass' favourite people in the Batfam according to these panels, it'd be: 1. Steph 2. Babs 3. Bruce 4. Tim and/or Duke 5. Dick

[nixotinix]

hello! Can I request Steph in the original spoiler costume! Thx! 💕

Stephanie..... pretty lady.....

thank you for the request anon!!! <3

[ithinkineedasideblognow]

Just read "The Road Home: Batgirl", or however you call it, and legitimately I burst into tears as soon as I finished it. I am still crying, and it's very inconvenient.

It's not that the story made me sad--quite the opposite, really, I love her. It's just...I know how this ends. Her run gets cut short, and all of this development--I'll never read her again. I'm mourning what we never got.

Just--look.

Look.

She had such an impactful arc, starting out as Spoiler, chronic fuck-up, dying through Robin, coming into her own as Batgirl, it's genuinely been such a moving ride.

and I'm never going to be able to read her being Batgirl, with everything that entails, ever again. She's gone.

[haithhegimp]

I CAN'T FUCKING TAKE IT ANYMORE. I AM DRAWING DUKE WITH AN AFRO FROM NOW ON UNTIL I LEARN HOW TO DRAW PRETTY BRAIDS BECAUSE I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD IF I HAVE TO GIVE HIM A BUZZCUT ONE MORE GOD DAMNED TIME WHEN HES SO MUCH PRETTIER THAN THAT IN MY HEAD AND MY HEART I AM GOING TO EXPLODE