#damian in is 'mine' phase

[spider-jaysart]

Okay soooo, first time I'm doing something like this, but I wanna introduce a fave oc of mines today that I've been working on for a longtime now :)

Her name is Nadja Wayne-Kent and she's a Damijon kid

(Click for better quality)

@camo-wolf @paladin-of-nerd-fandom65

The name Nadja means "hope" in Arabic. My very dear friend @theredheaded-stuff was the one who helped me pick it. And her hero name is Super Canyon, which is inspired by the Canyon Wren bird

(More under the cut)

Backstory:

After being inspired by the story of how Kon was created, a secret group of no good scientists, who just love causing chaos with many of their inventions, decided one day to create a mixed clone of both Damian and Jon, thinking they can do better than Lex did, so they collected both of the boys DNA's after one of their recent battles in public and got to work. Once their experiment was supposed to be done, they saw that their machine had actually created a baby girl instead of a grown, powerful clone like they had wanted, so they were ready to dispose of her as a failed subject, but were suddenly stopped just on time by Damian and Jon who broke into the place and kicked their butts after finding out that a recently committed crime they were investigating was caused by them. When they were done, the boys found Nadja and were surprised to find out she's a clone related to them both. They decided to take her with them and made her their daughter to raise together after that.

Personality:

She's helpful, stubborn, is as intelligent as Damian is, friendly but also tough when she needs to be, observant, sometimes a little too honest about things but doesn't always mean it as rude, courageous (a trait that can be pretty helpful sometimes, but also get her into really big trouble during dangerous situations too)

Abilities and skills:

She has the usual Kryptonian abilities, which are flying, super strength, superhearing, superspeed, superbreath, ice breath, invulnerablity, x-ray vision, and laser vision that's purple instead of the usual red (because Lois has purple eyes, so it's something unique that was passed onto her that way). Sometimes they don't always work though and can accidentally get out of hand too since she's still growing and learning, but Jon aways tries his best to help her get better at using and controlling them. Nadja also uses many concentrating tips from Damian too for improvement, like meditating for example and other things like that, and he helps her practice them

And because she's half Kryptonian, she also has a couple of unlocked special abilities of her own too, which is invisiblity, the ability to phase through walls and objects, plus the power to also transfer the heat of her laser vision into the palm of her hands to burn who or whatever she touches and she can also let it absorb her whole body too if she wants, which makes her even more untouchable and at the same time lets her release a strong fiery blast around herself onto enemies or incoming threats (her body glows completely red whenever she does this and if it's just her hands, the same happens to them too). Nadja hasn't been able to properly master these special powers yet though, only one of them, which is the invisiblity one

For skills, thanks to teachings from Damian, plus Talia whenever she visits her, Nadja knows how to use a sword and fight well in combat in case her powers aren't working the way she urgently needs them to during patrols and missions

Random facts:

She calls Damian Baba and Jon Dad.

She calls Clark "Grampops" and Bruce "Grampbats". For Talia, she calls her "Grandmother" and for Lois, she calls her "Grandmama".

Her best friend is her same age Cousin Dick II, the son of her much older Cousin Jake Grayson and his Wife Meredith Robinson. In the Batfamily (besides Damian), she's close with all her Aunt and Uncles. And while she definitely also gets along a lot with her other relatives who are in the Superfamily, the person she's most closest to there (besides Jon ofc) is Kon, due to them both being created as clones meant for evil but turned out good instead, which got them to bond even more as Uncle and Niece.

Her voice sounds like Clementine's from Telltales the walking dead games, but specifically the version of it from season 2 for the age she's in right now.

She has messy hair like Jon when she lets it loose. Jon is the one who always has to brush her hair whenever it gets tangled up, since the steel strength of it is just too difficult for Damian to actually handle himself.

Nadja laughs at Damian's jokes all the time since she gets his dark humor and he loves that. They always laugh a lot about it together but when Jon's around, they're Iike "You wouldn't get it" and he gets all offended.

Jon passed his love for noodles onto Najda and Damian's like "That's not healthy!!" And tries cooking her vegetarian meals more often or healthy ones that Talia would used to make him back when he was a kid, just so that Najda will eat real food lol. Najda also really loves the meals that comes from Damian's culture too and gets happy whenever he makes them for dinner.

For nicknames, Jon will sometimes call her "Sweetpea", "Sugar cookie", and "Tootsie pops", while Damian calls her "Habibti", "Thamin" (meaning "precious" in Arabic), and "Galbi" (which means "my heart" in Arabic)

Damian matches his outfits with Nadja all the time just like Talia would always used to do with him when he was a little kid. He does this with Jon included too and they take pictures together.

When making her hero suit, Damian was the one who helped Nadja out in drawing the designs and brainstormed ideas with her. When she had finally found one she liked and was ready to make it, Damian and Jon could've helped her sew it and everything, but they didn't have many materials that she could use or a sewing machine either, only a regular sewing kit that they use to fix up their own suits whenever they get damaged, so they let her make it with Ma's help instead at her place when they visit her and Pa again, since she actually owned a machine and also had a sewing room filled with many useful materials. When asked, Ma didn't mind letting Nadja use her stuff at all and was instead delighted about it since it would just give them the chance to spend time with eachother while doing one of her favorite hobbies together.

And next time, while having their usual Mother and Son days out together, Talia helped Damian pick out the sarong skirt for Nadja while hanging around stores, since they thought it would be nice for her to have one. Jon was the one who bought Nadja the red sneakers while shopping together with Kathy, since it reminded him of Kathy's old purple, rainbow ones, but with a twist of red thrown onto it, which also reminded him a lot of his favorite old ones that he used to always wear as a kid too. Dick and Cyborg helped her insert digital tech into her cuffs, which lets out hologram screens that let her know whenever she's over using her powers since she's still mastering them and it does plenty of other useful things for her too.

Najda was also given a mask to go with her suit at first too since she thinks it's annoying to wear glasses in her regular life everyday, but then it got lost during a fight and some villains saw her face, so she was still forced to go with the glasses route in the end anyways.

As adults, Jon's a scientist and Damian's a veterinarian. Najda likes visiting both of her Dads at their day jobs after school and doing her homework while they work. She always promises to behave and not get in the way and if she has no work to do, she'll help them out too, which they appreciate. She also loves watching what they do and let's them happily explain their favorite stuff about the job to her. She knows a lot about taking care of animals and science because of this.

Nadja loves music and making it too. She even thinks about playing rock music for a living when she grows up. Damian and Jon support her in this and buy her the instruments she needs and they also listen to her songs when she wants to show it off to them. Because of them being in a band themselves back when they were kids, Damian, Jon, Chris, and Jake give her lessons sometimes on how to better play her instruments.

Civilians and especially interviewers always question about how they had Nadja and just assume that she's adopted or assume that just because she looks more like Damian, she's probably from a secret ex girlfriend he had before being with Jon. The last one annoys both Damian and Jon so much, especially Jon since Nadja is actually his kid too and he gets jealous at the thought of the ridiculous idea. Both him and Damian hate these rumors and just want everyone to mind their own business.

[bruciemilf]

A crack treated seriously concept that I have just swimming in my mind;

Runaway sugar baby Bruce Wayne AU.

Here's the thing; Bruce and Harvey are married. Bruce may not realize they are! but they are.

Oblivious fucker really went,

" yes, I will have children with my best friend, raise them together happily, occasionally have sex, and wear this cool ring he gave me. Platonically, of course."

I think it all started when Tim came home from school, wearing a bit of a guilty expression, asking with a pinch embarrassment if Bruce could pretend to be a doctor for career day.

Bruce blinks, " I am a doctor, darling." Graduated with flying colors, mind you!

"Well, yeah, but...You know, not anymore. "

True. Ever since he adopted Jason and Tim, he just found it harder and harder to leave home. They were just too precious and he didn't want to miss a moment!

"I just don't understand why he'd lie about it."

"I can," Harvey looks so handsome, arranging his tie. He does a mess of it, but he doesn't look less tantalising,

" Little brats would be...Yknow, mean. They get finicky when they see a weak spot."

He knows it's Harvey because there's no accent melting like whisky on his mouth. " Weak spot?"

" doll, cmon, --"

" I do work, Harvey. Just because it's not defending criminals doesn't mean it's less vital."

" I knowthat. But you're also a rich guy who, let's face it, wouldn't need to work a day In his life. And that's fine by me. "

because Harvey HATED seeing his mom break her back to support their family when his father was drowning face down in debts.

He wouldn't put anyone through that, let alone his pretty little husband. But Bruce doesn't take this well.

" well! I'll show you! I'm more than capable of making it on my own, I'll prove it!"

Now. Bruce doesn't think too much. He's not an expert in it. Man can stitch up a 5 inch incision with floss, but his own well being? Leave it to Alfred.

But he'll make them proud. So next time, they don't have to lie.

He just packs up way too many luggages, packs Damian up too, and leaves while Harvey's at oh his back breaking, gruelling office job.

It's only when he's on a bus that he realizes he forgot the rest, but that'd be cruel! Their boys loved their father.

Dick, who's in his I Hate Dad phase, is extremely hysterical while they leave to find Bruce. Only stopping occasionally to fix his eyeliner, then start over again.

Jason, Harvey's second oldest, drives beside them on his motorbike.

He guesses its an extra middle finger to him to not wear a helmet. His beloved little hellion, raised on the devil's edge.

"Listen to me; If I find him, I'm moving back home. If I don't, I'll put you in the ground."

" I'll let you."

Now; Bruce does find a place. It's a little town with big characters.

Harley has a diner that she's more than happy to welcome him in, even if Bruce, Spoiled Spouse of the Year, can't quite pick up.

Anything for old roomies.

But there is someone in there who catches Bruce's attention. Towns mechanic.

Clark, his name tag says, who played with Damian behind Bruce's back while he talked to Harley.

He smells of salty motor oil; Fresh sweat, smoked apple pie. His eyes are dreamy blue, rendered with sharp cleverness. And Clark likes him.

Clark recommends him a good motel, brings Damian some toys to play with, even brings his own babies so they can have a playdate. " They're not mine. The toys! These two are. I have a receipt from the hospital."

"...A birth certificate?"

He's delightfully awkward.

When Harvey comes to pick him up, when Bruce jumps in his arms, claws at a pristine shirt stained with his brand new blisters and cracks and worked hands, he's not awkward.

He's disappointed; Like Bruce strangled the joy from his soul.

"You're...Married?"

When Bruce and Harvey respond, in perfect, consice sync, " Oh no, darling,--" " Yes he is, four eyes--" they're ALL confused.

"Oh, dear..."

[wolfjackle]

So, who else thinks it would be really fun for Danny to be around when Clark's and Damian's (and any other Justice Leaguer's) clones come up casually. (As in, just the fact that the clones exist, not the history yet.)

Danny: Oh my god, you guys have clones, too? Mine is the best!

Clark: You've been cloned?

Danny: Yeah, evil billionaire who wanted me as a son. You know how it is. You have to see this picture she sent me last week. *pulls out his phone and shows a selfie she took from the back of a polar bear she's riding through a tundra or something* She's got an ice core just like me, so spends a lot of time in the arctic. She spent a month or two with an Inuit tribe last year. Brought me back a whale bone pendant!

*Danny goes on to show off like 20 more pictures and pull out 3 trinkets he has on his person that Dani gave him, it takes an hour.*

Danny: Oh, how rude of me. What are your clones like? Any cool pictures?

Damian: Mine try to kill me.

Danny: Ah, yeah. That phase. When they haven't broken their creator's conditioning yet. How long did it take yours to break it?

And then Damian doesn't have the heart to admit he was forced to kill his. And Clark takes over and tells a little bit about Conner, since they're cool at this point. But he can't quite match Danny's energy.

[anna-no-emma]

Batboys current ages:

Dick 27-29: His first phone may well have been the first iPhone. He also would have had most of the models of iPod. In his very early teen years people still used digital cameras. He would have been very active on Facebook and probably played facebook games with his friends (does anyone remember that gardening game on facebook?). He also would have played online games (www.friv.com would have been constantly typed into the browser). He also would have begged Bruce for an Nintendo Wii, really emphasizing all the sport games you can play on it (like we all did with our parents - mine didn't fall for it). Also always had the newest Game boy and played a lot of Mario Brothers. He also would have gotten a Playstation Protable.

Jason 19-21: He may well have gone through a minecraft phase when he was 11-13. He also would have had an early iPad growing up (those early ones were HEAVY) and probably used it to play that tombraider game (the one where you run and collect coins and it steadily speeds up while you dodge obstacles) and subway surfers. He has facebook and used it a little when he was younger but doesn't use it all now. He played with Dick's old Gameboys growing up but also had the newest Playstation Portable models.

Tim eternally 17: Definitely has a Nintendo Switch and got super into Animal Crossing (at least briefly). He also had to have an iPad for school. Fashion-wise he wouldn't be caught dead in skinny jeans. He doesn't have Facebook. He nearly fell for a lot of the TikTok conspiracies and if it hadn't been for his fact-checking nature combined with his access to the Bat-computer resources he would have fallen for at least one of them. He has a mac laptop and an eleborate gaming pc set-up at home.

Duke 15-16: Not so different to Tim but he is a little obsessed with Dick's/jason's collection of old Gameboys and Playstation Portables. They let Duke have them. Duke and Tim also mess around with Dick's old digital cameras (Tim is immediately disappointment by the quality - those digital point and shoots were not great - and looses interest. But Duke thinks they're fun)

Damian 11-13: Has his iPad and phone within spitting distance at all times (excluding missions and patrol obs). He uses his iPad to draw. He has all the newest electronics (mainly because everyone else at his fancy school has it all and he see's it as a status symbol, refusing to be thought of as lesser).

(I haven't included Playsation models in this because I'm not familiar and my light googling wasn't helpful enough. But they all would have had the newest Playstations corresponding to their ages).

[mercurygray]

Merc, what kind of Historical Military Man gets the wheels turning for you? What are the markers of 'Oh, that one, that one is now mine'?

Nat, I'm going to be honest, this question provoked something of an existential crisis. so I went back through, like, 20 years of fandom favorites to see if there's a pattern.

Spoiler: there isn't, apart from a perennial need to be different. This is kind of long .

2001 (ish) - Lord of the Rings is coming out, and you are either a Legolas or Aragorn girl. I am deep in my 'not like the other girls' phase and decide Boromir is actually the superior choice here. (This leads me to watch A LOT of period dramas that are probably not appropriate for for me at this age, including Clarissa and Lady Chatterley's Lover.) It also leads me to the Sharpe books, which are great and awesome. Richard Sharpe doesn't necessarily do anything for me as a character, but that gets me into Hornblower, which gets me into the Aubreyad, which leads me to read a lot about the Napoleonic Wars in high school. Cliff-diving into a different historical period is now something I do every single summer.

I also spend about 5 years (2008-2013) writing a 225,000 word fanfic in which Boromir doesn't die.

2010-2015

Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) is really only in the army a brief while but who can say no to the blue eyes and the absolute vibe he has going with Mary?

During the Downton phase I decide to raid the library for other period dramas, again, and watch The Forsyte Saga. Soames Forsyte is not a man you love, but Damian Lewis has A Face and I know he was on Band of Brothers, which the library perennially never has a copy of.

2011

I finally watch Band of Brothers in its entirety my senior year of college and am a little disappointed I appear to be missing large parts of the story. (Future rewatches will explain that this is actually a feature of the show, not a bug.) My recollections of this are hazy, but I'm fairly certain my favorite character the first time I watched this was Lewis Nixon (Ron Livingston). He's dark-haired, he's funny, he's an absolute mess with a trust fund. Dick Winters (Damian Lewis) also has one hell of a face. He's a red-head, he's in charge of everyone else, he doesn't say much, and he is tall. I know there must be fic for this show but am also very, very sure it is shippy in a direction I do not want to read, so I do not go looking for it.

TURN - 2014-2017

Ben Tallmadge (Seth Numrich) is the guy to watch on TURN: he's a lieutenant, he's tall, he struggles with rules, but the entire fandom is also crazy about him and the leading queen bee in the OC end of that fandom is a real pain about it, so I decide I will not be writing for him no matter what it costs me to hold off admitting I want to. However, in the next episode we meet his best friend, Caleb Brewster (Daniel Henshall) who is short, bearded, dark-haired and chaotic. The moment he comes onscreen I love him. Sadly, no one is reading fic for him and this project is abandoned.

In Season 3, we meet the Marquis de Lafayette. Historical Lafayette is a tall, awkward redhead in need of a father figure who makes up for war experience with boundless enthusiasm. His letters home are adorable. Show Lafayette (Ben Wiles) is tall and enthusiastic. I love him anyway and I make it everyone's problem for, like, a year.

2016-2017 - Mercy Street

Henry Hopkins (Luke Macfarlane) is a military chaplain in a hotel-turned Union hospital in Alexandria, Virginia. He's tall, he's a little tortured, and he has a knack for putting others first. Wrestling with some past choices, his romance with Emma Green, the privileged daughter of the family who owned the hotel, is sweet and full of pining. I write so much fix-it fic for them it's not even funny. (I love this show because the female characters I love come pre-installed. Please watch this.)

2016 - Dunkirk

I see this movie three times in theaters and love it more each time. Collins (Jack Lowden) is a blonde RAF flyboy with a very adorable face. (Tom Glynn Carney is also a face I like but he's on a backburner for a bit.) I write a lot of fic about it and affectionately refer to this as my first Planes Go Zoom phase.

2020

Two weeks into the pandemic I decide rewatching Band of Brothers is a good idea and buy the book and the DVD set from my local secondhand bookshop like I am doing a drug deal in a parking lot. Two weeks after that I am writing a fanfic for Dick Winters (Damian Lewis) because I am a loon who likes men in charge and painfully slow burns.

2021

Still in the middle of a pandemic I decide to watch The Pacific, because I make good decisions, apparently. Hoosier Smith (Jacob Pitts) is a taciturn, wise-cracking friend of Leckie's who is joked about as being the pretty one. He is. Andrew Haldane (Scott Gibson) is quiet, unassuming, and in charge, and played college football for Bowdoin. Very dad energy. Extremely charming. Dead in three episodes as history intended. Fix-it fic incoming.

2022 Top Gun Maverick comes out. Jake "Hangman" Seresin (played by Glen Powell, who I loved in Hidden Figures and The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society) has a jawline you could cut something with and an attitude. My friends think I am mental. Second Planes Go Zoom phase coupled with Devotion, which comes out shortly after.

SAS Rogue Heroes comes out. I have been really looking forward to seeing Tom Glynn Carney in something else and he delivers. Mike Sadler is blond, extremely good at his job, not capable of suffering fools, and far too attractive for the desert.

2024

We do not even make it out of trailer season before I realize I still have a Thing (TM) for Callum Turner's face, which I have known since he was Theseus Scamander in Fantastic Beasts. Watching The Boys in the Boat before this all starts doesn't help - he has regrettably blond hair but thighs for days and shoulders you could hang the universe on. John "Bucky" Egan, is tall, dark-haired, incredibly generous spirited and nominally in charge. I want all of it. The rest of the fandom does too. I try to make peace with that and write anyway. Third Planes Go Zoom phase.

[devine-fem]

i see you're asking about winter hcs for jondami so here, have some of mine!!

-Damian isn't really big into Christmas (it's not really a LoA thing, and Bruce is canonically Jewish, so probably not something he grew up celebrating much), but Jon IS. As soon as December 1st hits, their home is COVERED in lights and garlands and whatever else Jon can get his hands on. But he never protests or complains (beyond his normal level of both, anyway) because it makes him happy to see Jon so happy.

-Damian has a lot of chronic pain, which tends to act up in the cold, sore and achy joints especially. Jon makes a habit of cuddling and/or literally sweeping him off his feet and carrying him around if he notices it getting too bad. (Damian is supremely embarrassed by this but also would never, ever tell him to stop.)

-Due to being half Kryptonian, Jon is pretty much not phased by the cold temperatures at all - he can feel them, but it's not painful or uncomfortable. It infuriates Damian that Jon can go flying around in the dead of winter (and the literal ARCTIC) in jeans and a hoodie, while he has to wear several layers, sometimes even in addition to his advanced, insulated Robin costume. Jon happily offers snuggles as compensation for his troubles.

-It snows more in Gotham than it does in Metropolis. Jon ends up coming over all the time during winter, excitedly waiting and watching for the first snow of the year. (The first natural snow, anyway, Mr. Freeze's doesn't count.)

The chronic pain one is really cute. I think I mihr steal now headcanon now LOL mine now ty. just he probably would get chronic pain from his spine and back, and the ammount of stress his body is under typically.

thank you thank you anon

[wweincorrectquotes]

Austin: That was a really good dinner

Damian: It really was, steak was magnificent!

Austin: You do love meat

Damian: Oh you know I do

Austin: God I didn't realize the time, it's getting late

Damian: Really is, y'know it's kinda dark out, you wanna spend the night at my place?

Austin: Um...sure yeah

Seth: *bursts into room* DON'T WORRY AUSTIN I'M COMING TO SAVE YOU!

Austin: Whoa whoa!!! Are you okay?!?!

Seth: Where's Finn??!!?! WHERE IS HE?!?!?!!!

Austin: Bro are you okay?

Seth: FINN KIDNAPPED YOU AUSTIN I GOT HOME AND YOU WEREN'T THERE

Austin: Oh....oh no

Damia: Austin you didn't tell him?

Austin: I didn't think he's be supportive

Finn: Damian it's eleven o clock what is all this noise?

Seth: I'm sorry Finn I thought you kidnapped Austin

Finn:·Kidnap Austin? Why would I do that he's an idiot. They're on a date right

Austin: Oh no

Seth: Wait...you two...are on a date?

Austin: I didn't want you to find out like this!

Seth: NO SON OF MINE IS GOING TO DATE A HENCHMAN!!!!!

Austin: BUT I LOVE HIM!!!

Damian: That's a strong word

Austin: It's not a phase!!!

[kriosv]

My personal kinda rant thoughts on GODS AND MONSTERS DCU.

Now, this is going to sound critical and negative, but that's just the part I want to share in this. I am still super excited and optimistic and will always find something to love in this universe

The announcement that really soured my view of the whole phase was The Authority. Gunn described it as a passion project. It is not a passion of mine. Purposefully pushy superhero stuff has been far to prevalent for decades. Not that I can't enjoy it. I have a rule; when consuming media that wants to push a genre in an extreme direction, I ask myself, who I watch this without the extreme violence/sexuality/edgyness? That's why I really enjoyed Invincible but not The Boys. Because I would still watch Invincible if it was just a normal superhero show with no gore or shocking violence.

So, I might enjoy the Authority. But it being described as a passion project made me skeptical. Alongside other references Gunn made, it gives me a sense of someone who wants to make the edgy, deconstruction superhero comics into the mainstream.

I'm hoping for new announcements to tamper these fears. Some specifics:

Paradise Lost: I like Game of Thrones. But the idea of Wonder Woman coming from a place inspired by Game of Thrones or Amazons Attack, makes me fear that we'll get a very common interpretation of Wondy I don't like. The character I liked fine in Injustice 2 as a villain, but too often made the protagonist. If they contrast Paradise Lost with a caring Wonder Woman Movie, I'll love them both.

Damian Wayne: he is my favorite. He is #3 on my favorite superheroes of all time. However, making him the introduction to the bat family could start a trend of all the batfam being the darker side. I like the way the robins are portrayed now in retroactive stories, being cyclical. Dick(fun), Jason(Dark), Tim(fun), Damian(dark). An oversimplification, I know, but the idea I want to get across is the contrasting view. If we get a Nightwing or Young Justice in the DCU, great. If they don't make them all dark.

Supergirl: I haven't read Tom King's run. I know of Tom King's work and it's not my taste. I've seen the darker, more tragic/broken side of Kara before, and it's not my taste. This is just a personal taste one, I like the happier Superfamily. Superman is my #1 hero, and a large part is his humanity and good attitude. The superman family isn't as consistent in tone as batfam, but I like the contrast of Conner and Jon(my #4). Unfortunately, Kara has been both sides of this cycle gerself. My hope, is that Kara meets a kind, gentle Superman, who helps her so she isn't as dark

Gods and Monsters: I really like the story that this is referencing. The problem is, it's an elseworlds story. A story where villain take up the JL mantles as anti-heroes. It works great as an elseworld story, but it looks like Gunn wants to make this the mainstream. I said previously what I'd like to contrast the announcements, but it looks like that isn't Gunn's vision. Here's hoping Gunn has some people working with him who feel the way I do, so we xan have some genuine heart in the DCU, and not just deconstruction and dark humor.

(Once again, I'm looking forward to the deconstruction and dark humor, just want a counter balance)

[ravenkinnie]

when damian is like 25 he's gonna say he's bringing a bf or a gf to family dinner and all of his siblings will have an emergency meeting because they need to compile a folder of his most embarrassing teenage moments because his puberty years aged everyone like 10 years and they've been waiting for revenge

"remember when you recited rage against machine lyrics to your crush like it's a poem"

"remember when bruce gave you the talk because he found your rammstein slash fanfiction"

"remember when you walked into a column at a wayne gala cause you couldn't see shit through your emo fringe and the video trended on twitter"

"remember when you wore the same chain collar as titus instead of an actual chain necklace"

"remember when your first boyfriend broke up with you and when dick tried to make you feel better you told him he will never understand real pain"

[bigskydreaming]

William Cobb is a total asshat and I hate him, thanks, BUT I will admit there’s a particular AU that’s been dancing around my Brain Cave for a few years that’s like.....hmmm.

Okay, so he’s a full on douchebag, but imagine if he was a full on douchebag who in this AU did still have an actual soft spot for family instead of drinking the Kool-Aid and thinking like ‘being the 1%’s elite murder moppet is actually the greatest honor I could ever hope for myself or any descendant of mine’ he’s like.....not awful about the subject of family and is like ‘well I’M a terrible person, but I will fight for my family’s right to choose to not be a terrible person, because like, they’re family, and its their life to fuck up if they want to be all weird about it or whatever.’

So BASICALLY, what I’m getting at is like, so, the Court was all into nabbing the Gray Son after Dick’s parents died, and William Cobb for once in his miserable existence experienced like, actual Internal Conflict about this because he’s like oh nooooo, but my great grandson is so cute actually and I can speak with some authority to the fact that if the Court gets their hands or requisite-Talons-pun on him, that like.....will not last long.

But then he breathes an undead sigh of relief or whatever the equivalent for him is when Bruce Wayne, one of the most powerful figures in the city, powerful enough for the Court to be wary about picking a fight with him, like, randomly swoops in and makes with the adopting of said great grandson.

And the Court’s like, ugh, what is this feeling of being denied something we want simply because we think we should have it? Do Not Like, 10/10 would absolutely NOT recommend, except to mortal enemies we hate. But whatever. I GUESS Bruce Wayne can keep the brat, but only because we simply don’t care enough to make a big deal about it and definitely not because we’re intimidated by his own power and family prestige. Cuz we’re totally not. We’re not! Shut up.

BUT.

THEN.

YEARS LATER.

The Court is engaged in active conflict with the Batfamily, and his Internal Conflict appeased and years behind him, Cobb’s like, all into the fight and giving it his all, until Something Plot Contrivey happens to unmask Nightwing and Cobb’s like. Oh shit. That’s my great grandson. CURSE YOU, SUDDEN BUT INEVITABLE RESURGENCE OF INTERNAL CONFLICT! NOBODY FUCKING ASKED, JEEZ.

And Dick’s just like.....uh, what’s happening right now? I feel like I’m missing context. Can a bitch get an MLA citation here or something?

All of this culminating in Cobb maybe not HELPING the Batfam demolish the Court but perhaps at least oh so conveniently not NOT helping when the Batfam delivers a metaphorical death blow to the Court O’Assholes. Like, the Grandmaster dipshit calls him on his celly to be like COBB! THE COURT HAS BEEN BREACHED! COME DEFEND YOUR MASTERS and Cobb’s like bzzrt....click....whrrrr....sorry going through a tunnel can’t hear you oh no dropped my phone in the sewers, signal lost, much regret.

And he just happens to arrive to the fight too late to change the outcome and he’s like oh dang, did I miss it? Shucks, I KNEW I shouldn’t have taken the freeway. My bad, guys. This one’s on me.

Because of Plot Contrivancey then, by this point the Batfam knows who this dude is and they let him go with a shovel talk like we still know about all the murder, FYI, and we’re doing this for Dick’s sake not yours, so you better not do ANY murder from here on out or its on sight.

And Cobb’s like okay first off, you’re not the fucking boss of me, but secondly, like, eh, whatever. I’m fucking old. I can retire. Its fine.

BUT because being a lying liar who lies about just kicking back and taking it easy and having hobbies is literally encoded into the Grayson DNA, he fucking lies like a lying liar who lies, and after trying to pick up fly fishing for like, two whole hours before calling it quits, he decides to devote his undead golden years to stalking his great-grandson like the creepiest guardian angel that literally nobody ever asked for. Dick included.

Dick keeps trying to like, Old Yeller this situation and is like GO HOME! You GO home now! Go on! But Cobb’s just not having it and he accidentally kills another up-and-coming Rogue who sets his sights on Nightwing. Great-Grandson and Great-Grandpa engage in heated stare-off, Battle of The Wills. Batman arrives and clears his throat menacingly. Cobb’s like oh no I’m so scared, I would totally be sweating right now if I weren’t physiologically incapable of sweating and oh yeah DYING.

And then its Cobb and Bruce engaging in the Battle of the Wills: Grudge Match edition, because they’re both glaring each other down while thinking the identical thoughts of “ugh the literal worst person in the world made one point and one point only and that’s that we must protect this mutually loved person at all costs and taking each other down would ultimately only deprive said loved one of a protector who could like, be key in protecting him from some future Murder Demise or whatnot” which segues neatly into both Bruce and Cobb shaking their fists at the sky and being all CURSE YOU, SUDDEN BUT INEVITABLE RESURGENCE OF INTERNAL CONFLICT! NOBODY FUCKING ASKED, JEEZ.

And Dick’s like, okay I can see you’re both very busy right now and this is no longer about me really so I’m just gonna leave you to it and go get ice cream with Damian. I’ll check back in a couple of hours to see if either of you has blinked yet, I guess? Idk. Whatever. You guys do you.

“My family is so fucking weird,” he grumbles under his breath as he walks off into the sunset. His siblings apparate into his presence, mouths open and ready to argue the comparative greater weirdness of their grafted branch of the Wayne family tree and he’s just like first person to bust out a flow-chart isn’t getting any ice cream, FYI, but because they’re all the kids of a billionaire who can be counted on to give them some spending money of a few hundred or so with just a puppy eyes look and a “why yes, Bruce, a hundred dollars IS the price of one banana,” like, they are not actually phased by this threat and it all swiftly devolves into ‘Whose Relatives Are Like, The WORST Worst’ competition that nobody will ever win, not that that actually matters.  

Its like, the Wayne Family Forever War. Just family tradition at this point. You get it.

[htmlerror]

☕ + wfa

i do not like wfa with ham, i do not like it, sam i am.

I have a lot of problems with Wayne Family Adventures. The idea for it is solid enough, but the execution is. bad. I've put my thoughts below the cut because this got long, so I hope you don't mind me going in depth on my feelings.

Duke Thomas as a POV character - I'm plagerizing heavily from my convo with @phamtai about this. Def check them out for more info and better insights than mine into the character. Duke is extremely well established in canon despite only having been around for a decade or so. Remarkably, it's taken until WFA to butcher his character. Duke in this series is too polite. He's too clueless. He's been presented as the Relatable Kid archetype that he doesn't fit. In canon, Duke has never not been self-assured. He's a relatable character, yes, but not because he doesn't know what's going on. He has experience as a hero long before the batfam became involved. And since then, he's bonded with them. WFA doesn't show his connection with Cass, his dynamic with Bruce or Jason, and completely ignores his conflicts with the family. In a supposedly family-focused product, those are damn near cardinal sins. He may as well be a totally new character. Duke has been watered down so much for the sake of this series. WFA could be a vessel to explore so many things about him that we don't see a lot of on the regular page. We could see a dive into the parallels between him and Bruce, the full psychological impact of losing his parents, epecially in contrast to Jason, how his world view and morals differ from Batman's, the daily consequences of his powers, or the fallout of his mourning independently for the friends he's lost. But those would be interesting angles WFA doesn't seem eager to explore. If you can't imagine a version Duke punching a cop just because they're a fucking cop, you're doing it wrong. Another issue is, unfortunately, Duke's role as the only Black batman member. I shouldn't need to explain why it's problematic to be showing his as constantly less knowledgeable and presumably skilled as the other bats. (No, it doesn't matter that Dick and Damian are drawn with dark skin. Dick has been written as a white man for nearly his entire existence. The person who retconned that is notoriously racist and has spent years defending her inclusion of sexual assault in her writing. I have no issue with Dick being Romani, but just changing the color of his skin is not the way to do it.) DC has recently had a push towards inclusion, on the page an behind the scenes. This is good, of course. Though if they really are committed to representation and inclusion, it needs to be an effort seen across the board. Faux pas like this paint a pretty obvious picture.

The Webtoon format is shit - Webtoon is a great platform for indie writers and artists. It's not my style of content, but I get the appeal. IMO, it's ridiculous to accept a professional comic publisher shitting out 12 page fluff pieces. Yes, the weekly comic format has been phased out for a reason. Yes, halving the workload is a possible way around that restriction. But there just isn't a good enough reason to do it. It's a pretty obvious ploy to seem "hip" and "get in with kids these days." It's lazy and frankly kind of embarrassing. For anyone who doesn't know, a standard comic book is usually 24-28 pages. This isn't an arbitrary number, it's part of the format for the art form. That length allows for necessary plot developments in a serial story line while also giving the characters, themes, and artwork time to breathe. Furthermore, it's what most comic readers have come to expect over the decades. Halving that wouldn't necessarily be a problem, there are plenty of examples of well made shorts out there, but coupling that WFA's love affair with single panels and splash pages is a major issue. Say you make a 12 page comic with 4-6 panels per page. You have 48-72 panels to work with. You can sit a compelling story into that, with or without heavy dialogue. But bring that down to 12-24 panels, and you have one of two options: either 1) ultra-compress your narrative or 2) reduce the plot to compensate. Ignoring the formatting choices, WFA is a convenient reason for DC to keep the worst of the status quo in the bat titles. There's no need to acknowledge criticism of Bruce's treatment of his family when they can simply point and say "Jason's throat hasn't been sliced open here! And look, Damian hasn't been left with the crushing guilt of his grandfather's death! We even let Tim exist as his own character!" WFA doesn't change anything, it shows that DC is aware of its problems but would rather outsource them than put in the work to fix it. There's a special kind of rejected feeling that comes with being told "I hear you, I just don't care.

Fandom isn't bad, but - Everyone is familiar with the incorrect quotes format by now. Sometimes they're funny, most of the time they tend to over-saturate. WFA is like if a incorrect batfam quotes blog was a comic. It's a steady supply of one-liners and references, sure, but it lacks any real substance. If that's what you like, I can't fault you for it, but it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. The way the batfandom has piled onto the "this is the best thing ever" bandwagon is concerning to me. There has been good batfam content in canon, you just need to know where to look for it. The lack of critical analysis of the project and dismissal of critiques is always an alarming pattern, but the way WFA has come to be the odd face of the fandom is just bizarre. It's everywhere, as you know if you've ever tried avoiding it. Thinking about WFA being the default interpretation of these characters makes me nervous. They lack the depth their canon counterparts. I don't care if you enjoy WFA, I do understand the appeal of it, but for the love of the gods, take it down from it's pedestal.

WFA is... fine. It's yet to commit any sins too egregious, but, like all DC properties, it's a ticking timebomb. I won't be surprised when it goes off, and I can't say I'll be sad to see it go. Ao3 has better content, anyway

[quibblesticks]

i had the excellent idea of writing those asking for advice posts from the povs of the batfam and other gotham citizens. please enjoy. (all posts are posted under anonymous)

Bruce: 

my son came back from the dead recently. he still hasn’t gotten over being beaten to death by the joker after having been betrayed by his mother who sold him out so that she would be able to cover up the fact that she’s a drug dealer, only for her to die at the joker’s hands as well... and now he’s mad at me because i refuse to kill the man who killed him. given that i have a no-murder policy, i find this disconcerting. my son has taken to becoming a crime lord, and i’m about 96% sure that he has or is going to try to kill me. i’m not quite sure what to do. has anyone’s children been through this phase? i need some help.

Jason: 

my dad (kinda???) won’t kill the guy who killed me, my mom, and countless others, and he keeps referring to my criminal murdering spree as a phase and i’m totally over it. should i just kill him?? 

Tim: 

ldkfittkthink my best firens kisdna in lovewithme but kasdfnot realyl sure ani i gotta lotathinkimfto do 

edit: I was sleep deprived when I wrote this. Now that I’m hopped up on coffee (that glorious nectar), I can clarify what I meant. 

I THINK MY BEST FRIEND IS IN LOVE WITH ME AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO BECAUSE MY ENTIRE FAMILY IS EMOTIONALLY CONSTIPATED AND MY BEST FRIEND IS NOT BEING SUBTLE LIKE AT ALL WHAT DO I DO HELP ME PLEASEEEEEEEE

Dick:

I argue with my father almost every time I see him. There’s obviously a ton of underlying issues there that I cannot and WiLL NOT get into, but is there any way to resolve some trauma without talking about it? lemme know

Damian: 

I am not supposed to murder my “brothers,” as my father has a “no-kill” rule. If one of my “brothers” were to disappear under mysterious circumstances, there is a chance it would not be traced back to me; rather, it would be traced back to a criminal or a different “sibling” of mine. However, I am loathe to make rash decisions, and feel the urge to contemplate on this matter. While your advice is not necessary and will not be taken into account, I have heard many times that writing about your problems makes them easier to solve. 

That is all.

Steph:

I think my boyfriend is cheating on me. I’m not 100% sure, of course, but he keeps disappearing under mysterious circumstances and he’s not always around when I need him so be so I kinda think that’s whats going on... Should I break up with him? I want to know if he’s cheating on me, but he’s really smart, and he’d do a good job hiding it... and it’s probably better if I don’t invade his privacy... and I know I really should get more information before I make a decision like this but idk I don’t know if it’s really working out... what do you guys think? Should I wait for a little bit and see how it plays out?

(the rest of the batfam is smart enough to ask alfred about their problems.)

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

Do you think in the BroodAU that the kids have trouble at school? Like bullying and stuff? Thinking like yours, mine, and ours type where they get made fun of for being in a big family? Or maybe just because they're from Gotham? Small town schools are not nice.

I think Dick and Jason had some teasing troubles when they first joined their new schools, probably because they joined like, mid-year or something. (Clark doesn't put them in school until six months+ after taking them in, because he still hopes Bruce will come back.) But after the initial 'new kid'/Clark Kent suddenly has children??? phase from the kids and their parents, they both settle right in.

Tim I feel like actually doesn't get bullied too much. Maybe when he stands up for his siblings. Otherwise he's fine/a fly on the wall in most high school scenarios. Conner would get the same as Dick and Jason in the 'I'm sorry you're from WHERE and WHO is your dad?' vibes.

Cass I'd say has a bout of bullying, mostly for her speech impediments/struggling speaking. I would say that's part of why she starts spending time with Lois to regain her social confidence. (Her brothers, of course, take care of those bullies, so it's not a constant/forever thing.)

Damian absolutely gets bullied, mostly because the American midwest is still hella racist, so he'd be referenced by his skin tone a lot, even though he's basically grown up there. Not having Bruce, or memories of him, also makes him angry, so he's prone to fighting back a lot, or calling people nasty names, so Clark gets called a lot. He's learned to deal over the years, but the situations still pop up on occasions.

Jon, I think, would also be bullied, but because he's seen as a goody-two-shoes brown-noser. He too is prone to fighting back though, both for himself and for Damian. Bruce is not the first one he's ever gotten in a staredown/interrogation/etc with haha.

Clark gets a lot of gossip from the other parents. First he gets the nosy ones, who don't recognize the Gotham gang, and then the few ones who DO recognize Bruce Wayne's kids and questions why he has them. Especially when anyone hears any of the kids call Clark 'dad' and whatnot. But once Lois gets pregnant with Jon, thus is around more often and the two of them come to all the school functions for all the kids, some of the parents back off. A) because it's Lois fucking Lane and she'll beat the shit out of you for all these kids and B) there's ~mother and father figures~ now and that's all traditionalist midwest america wants.

I swear I haven't forgotten this AU, haha. I plan to write for it again soon!

[icerosecrystal]

Blood-Stained Rose - Chapter 2: The Royal Meeting

First previous next

Oddly enough, nothing remarkable happened besides everyone getting used to a new monarchy. Although there were hushed mummers throughout the meeting about the newlywedded couple, it was mostly peaceful. But that just made Damian all the more suspicious. Who knows what any of them were planning to do to get him off the throne. Or to hurt his wife in some way. Lady Rossi was also becoming a nuisance at this point.

She was always giving him these looks. Lustful eyes that made Damian uncomfortable. Marinette also expressed her uneasiness towards her actions, if her tenseness was anything. She had told him of her suspicions towards both Rossi and Agreste before the meeting. Even if Damian did not find Marinette all that trustworthy, she had no reason to lie either. As Damian continued talking about the new monarchy, he caught sight of Agreste giving Marinette bedroom eyes and Rossi sneering at her with an evil glint quite apparent in her eyes. It made Damian frown deeply. If Damian was blunt about it, he feared for what the two would do once the meeting was over.

After meeting between the royals, they were usually allowed to mingle in the Great Hall before they were to go back to their respective manors along with their servants. No one paid much attention to anyone during that time. Most had in mind who they wanted to talk to and would succeed in doing so. That was what made these after-meeting sessions all the more dangerous.

Once Damien finished talking about things that would change during his rule, he dismissed everyone, telling them all to mingle and have a refreshment before heading back. He looked around and saw Agreste walking up to Marinette and then dragging her to god knows where. Damien stood up with a purpose to follow them. The moment he did so, he saw Lady Rossi sauntering over to him, her intent clear in her eyes.

Once she reached him, she put a hand on his chest, trailing it downwards before purring to him with her high-pitched voice", Your Majesty. It is an honor to make my acquaintance with someone of your status. I have to say I am very impressed with your new ways. But not so much with your wife. Why would you have someone like her as your wife when you have so many other choices.“ Rossi then leaned in closer and trailed her hand on his chest some more to prove her point.

Damien said, "Tt”, before backing away from her claw-like nails. “Well, it is not an honor to meet you. And if you are suggesting that you could replace a woman such as Queen Marinette, then you are sorely mistaken.” He then leaned in a bit closer, whispering, “Your idea of seduction is quite laughable. I would never take myself to be with someone of your likes.”

Lady Rossi seeing that she was not going to win this argument today, just sneered to Damien, “Oh, but your majesty, you never know what your supposed queen might do. After all, you just met her on the day of your wedding.” She then flipped her hair and left haughty. But she had already done what she needed to do. She had planted the seed of doubt in Damien’s mind. Phase one of her plan could start. She smirked to herself as she wandered away.

Damien watched Lady Rossi walk away. As much as he did not want to admit it, she was right. Damian did not know anything about Marinette. No matter how much he wanted to believe that she would not betray him, he had no proof that she would not do so when she has the chance.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a blonde figure shoving him harshly. He snapped his head up, realizing that Agreste must have finished talking with Marinette. “What do you want?” Damian asked harshly.

Agreste looked at him with anger quite visible in his toxic green eyes, yet he did not make any move to touch Damian. At least he had learned his lesson from last time. “I want you to stay away from Marinette. She is MINE. We are soulmates.”

Damian gave him a disgusted look, “The way you are talking about Marinette is as if you will be choosing who she can be in a relationship with, arranged or not. And the lustful eyes you give her at her presence in the room is not the way you should treat a lady, much less a queen. It is insulting for me to watch a man look at my wife in such away. I advise that you stop your poor chosen actions at once.”

The look of rage upon Agreste’s face would have any man cowering in fear. But Damian was not just any man. He was a king, a leader, and a general in a war. It would take more than a glare from a spineless fool such as Agreste to scare him. Damian put the glared back at him with a ferocity that left Agreste pale in the face. Agreste quickly escaped the conversation without a word, in hopes that he could still maintain some of his dignity.

Damian shook his head, disappointed that there were lords such as Agreste that possessed no amount of courage within their whole body. He looked around once more for his wife. Damian finally spotted her at the far end of the room. As he made his way over, the closer he got, the more noticeable Marinette’s pale face was. It left Damian worried. What could have possibly happened to have Marinette acting in such a way?

(Five minutes before Damian’s conversation with Lila)

This whole meeting had left Marinette uncomfortable and mentally exhausted. Between Adrien’s eyes practically trying to eat her up and Lila’s occasional dirty looks, Marinette had no idea how she had managed to survive the meeting. She saw Damian’s uneasiness as well. But with everyone present, she had no choice but to wait until she could talk to him in peace. She nearly sighed in relief when Damian announced the conclusion of the meeting. Eager to have some time to herself, she got up from her chair and walked to a corner of the room.

As she relished the peace, luck was only on her side for so long. She saw Adrien approaching her. Her whole life, she had been taught that it was not proper to leave a discussion, no matter if it had started or not. Once she made eye contact with the person approaching her, she must mingle with them. Although Marinette hated it, the lesson is ingrained inside of her. And it was not something that she could easily forget. So she put a tight smile on her face and watched as Adrien approached her.

Once he was in front of her, he lifted her hand and kissed it gently, “Milady, I am glad to have the honor to talk with you at the fine hour.”

Tight-lipped, Marinette replied, “It is a pleasure to be able to do the same with you, Lord Adrien.”

Adrien looked at her, his eyes dark with want, “Would you give me the pleasure of visiting me at my manor. I would love to have the company. But by yourself, of course.”

Marinette smiled sweetly, “Lord Adrien, while I do appreciate the offer, I had the wish to spend some time with my new husband. Our marriage was so recent that I have the urge to get to know him better. You do understand, right?” She looked up at him, her bluebell eyes glistening with a look of innocence within them.

While Adrien looked mad with her answer, he let it go, “Of course, my queen. I perfectly understand. I am glad that I was able to talk with you today.” He gave her hand one more kiss before walking away.

Marinette sighed, thinking that it was over. But then suddenly, sharp nails dug into Marinette’s shoulders, harshly turning her around. Marinette whimpered in pain as she felt the blood from the nail marks ooze down her shoulder. She looked at the person that had been the cause of her injury and was not much surprised to find Lila’s sneering face staring back at her.

Lila leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Sweet, little, naive Marinette. Do you trust everybody?” Not waiting for an answer, she continued, “You know, I was infuriated when your families announced that you were to marry King Damian. I do not understand what he sees in someone like you. Now that you guys are married, I am giving you two options. Either you are with me, and you let me do what I want to do to accomplish my goal, or you are against me, and you never know if someone might accidentally slip a secret or two. Or maybe spread some rumors about you.” Lila shrugged, “The possibilities are endless. So what is your decision?”

Lila’s words had left Marinette reeling. Lila was asking her if she either would allow Lila to do something that could potentially hurt Marinette’s kingdom or that Lila’s spread god knows what about her. Marinette was shaking in rage. How dare she make her choose something like this!? Both choices would have consequences, but one would make her seem selfish and the other one selfish. For Marinette, the answer was a no brainer. “While I appreciate the offer Lila, I will not be joining you in your schemes to hurt my kingdom. You can harm me all you want, but you will not hurt anybody else.”

Lila looked at Marinette in shock. She thought that she had Marinette stuck with choosing either one of her options. Lila shook her head. Before whispering, “Oh sweetie, you do not know what I am going to do to you. By the end of my plan, you will be nothing but a memory. You picked the wrong option. It would have been better for you to be with rather than against me.” Lila then sniggered at Marinette’s rage before sauntering away.

The whole conversation left Marinette pale and worried. What was Lila planning?

(Present)

As Marinette wandered around the room, she caught sight of Damian hurrying over to her. He must have seen her pale face as he started walking faster. Once he reached her, he quickly pulled her close. Once he realized what he did, he released her in an embarrassment of his actions. He started profusely apologizing. Marinette waved him off, happy that she was next to him again.

It was then that the clock struck noon, signaling the end of the meeting and mingling. All the lords and ladies bid them farewell and then went outside to their specific carriages. Once everyone had left, the two sighed deeply, shooting each other amused looks at doing it at the same time.

It was then that Damian’s face expressed worry once more, “Are you okay? You looked like you saw a ghost a while ago.”

Marinette smiled at him and replied, “Of course, I had an interesting conversation with Adrien and Lila. It was quite concerning. It left me feeling more uneasy around them than normal.”

Damian frowned, “Did they say anything to you? And please do not lie. I want to be able to protect you.”

Marinette sighed and decided to tell a half-truth, “My conversation with Adrien was not concerning. It was the average conversation we seem to have often. Ever since our families announced our marriage to the public, he had been rather hostile. Lila’s conversation was more concerning. It seems that she also disapproves of our marriage.”

Damian, knowing that she was not telling him everything, asked, “What did she say to you?”

Marinette reluctantly told him, after some consideration of her words, “She essentially told me to back off from you. She also made me choose between being on her side and my - our side.”

Damian raised his eyebrow and asked, “What did you say?”

“I told her that I was not going to be on her side and that I would never let her have you. I could tell that it shocked her, but she then told me to watch my back. It is probably nothing. I mean, what could she possibly do?”

Damian looked at her in doubt for two reasons. He was aware that Lila could easily do something to Marinette. Damian was also still doubting whether what Marinette said was true. Due to him not knowing much about her. When he stopped thinking to himself, he saw Marinette looking at him worryingly.

He quickly reassured her, “I am sure you’re right. Anyway, now that the meeting is over, I wanted to tell you that my family arrived this morning. Your parents will arrive for dinner. Would you like to get to know them? They are in the throne room waiting for us. You do not have to, but it would be most beneficial to get to know them. They are your in-laws, after all.”

Marinette quickly gave her consent before saying, “Lead the way, Your Majesty.”

Damian gave her a look before stating, “Please, I already told you to address me as Damian when we are alone or King Damian in public.” He grabbed her hand before asking, “Are you ready to meet my family.” Marinette nodded nervously. Damian, seeing this squeezed her hand before leading a slightly anxious Marinette with him to the throne room where his large family was awaiting their presence.

Taglist:

@clumsy-owl-4178​  @i-am-ironic​ @indecisive-mess-named-me​ @miracleofadisaster

This is everyone who wanted to be tagged on my old account. I’m sorry if I didn’t get you and you wanted to be tagged. Also, let me know I should start a permanent taglist or not and if you would potentially want to join it. Thank you for reading!

[wisdom-walks-alone]

we’ve got mistletoe and firelight

a christmas fic for my friend @queerbutstillhere! this was originally for the @damijonsecretsanta but i didn’t finish it in time fhnusihf sorry it’s a bit late korey but you know me DHFUSHYFSL

read it on ao3 The first Christmas was spent in Hamilton County, at Jon and his family’s house. It was snowing. Jon was just about to lose hope for a white Christmas, but mother nature seemed to pull through.

There was excitement in the air, as there always was during this time of year, and Jon was watching as the snow fell lazily outside the window.

"Down, boy," his mom chided, chuckling and putting a hand on his back as he realized he was hovering.

"Sorry, Mom." Jon lowered himself back onto the couch, a sheepish smile on his face.

Mom shook her head, smiling herself. "It's fine, Jon. You know powers are fine in the house, I just don't want you getting in the habit of using them without realizing."

"I know, Mom, I'll be careful," Jon assured her. She ruffled his hair, was met with his protests, then disappeared back into the kitchen to check on dinner.

Just then, Dad walked out of the kitchen, a steaming mug in each hand. He handed the one piled high with whipped cream to Jon, who thanked him avidly. "I would say it's hot and to be careful, but I'm not sure that really matters anymore," Dad commented, and Jon took a tentative sip of his hot chocolate to test it.

It felt fine to him, so he shrugged. "Don't think so. Tastes good, though."

Dad smiled. "You got a little something on your lip there." He pointed and Jon went cross-eyed for a second, then licked the whipped cream off his lips. "You're a bit too young to be shaving, still."

Jon rolled his eyes. "Daaad, you're not nearly as funny as you think you are sometimes."

"It's Christmas, Jon, humor me."

Jon stuck his tongue out and took another sip of hot chocolate.

When the doorbell rang, Jon was the first one up, at the door in a split second, mug left forgotten on the coffee table. “Damian!”

Damian stood in the door, wearing a long coat and a nice shirt and tie, contrasting Jon and his family’s matching sweaters. His dad stood behind him, dressed similarly.

It was a little surreal to have Batman over for Christmas Eve dinner, but then Jon was starting to get used to surreal.

“Bruce, Damian, thank you for joining us!” Jon’s dad came up behind him, placing a hand on Jon’s shoulder. 

“Thank you for having us, Clark,” Mr. Wayne replied, stepping inside and reaching to shake his hand.

“Hello, Corncob.” Damian brushed snow off of his shoulder before shrugging his coat off, handing it to his father when he held out a hand for it.

“You can hang those right here.” Dad gestured to the coat rack. “Dinner’s almost ready. And Lois made pie!”

“Can’t wait. It’s been too long since I’ve had Lois’s pie,” Mr. Wayne said.

“Me, too,” Dad agreed.

“Mom made pie last week,” Jon commented, looking at his dad quizzically.

“Exactly,” Dad replied solemnly.

Damian shakes his head. “Tt.”

Dinner went by without much fanfare. And Mom's pie was delicious, as always. Dad had three slices and Damian's dad had two. Luckily, Mom had thought ahead and made two pies. Always one for preparedness.

Once they were all full and done, Damian wiped his mouth and stood. "Now that dinner is finished, I believe it is time for the main event…" He paused, looking around at all of them. Drama queen. "Presents."

"Yes!" Jon leapt out of his seat and made a beeline for the tree.

"Just one, Jon!" Mom called after him. "It's only Christmas Eve!"

Damian met him by the tree, picking up a box that Jon knew wasn't there before. "Here, open mine."

Jon took the box slowly, looking at Damian. "Really? For me?"

Damian scoffed and turned away. "Yes, Jonathan, for you. Who else would it be for?"

Jon smiled widely. "So we are friends,” he said, smile turning devilish.

“Tt. Don't push your luck.”

“You loooove me,” Jon taunted, floating over Damian’s head. “Can’t get enough of me!”

“Just open your present, Hayseed.”

Jon laughed, landing cross-legged on the floor. He started tearing open the wrapping paper, eyes widening when he saw what was inside.

"Monk-E-Monsters! I've wanted this game for months! How did you know?"

Damian shrugged, a knowing smirk on his face. "I'm Robin," he said simply.

"But I thought it was all sold out until after the Christmas season," Jon remembered, looking at him quizzically.

Damian shrugged again. "I'm also Damian Wayne. I pulled a few strings."

Jon grinned and threw himself at his friend (they were friends, whether Damian liked it or not). "Thanks, Damian."

Damian froze for a second, then relaxed. "Of course," he replied, patting Jon on the back. "Merry Christmas, Jon."

-

Wayne Manor was always cold this time of year. It was an unbelievably old house, and unbelievably big. But gathered in one of the smaller living rooms by a roaring fireplace, it wasn't so bad.

Decorations covered so many of the rooms that Jon would have thought it impossible if he didn’t know who lived here. Even then, the bats must have really had to pull together for something like this—probably all under Alfred’s watchful eye, of course.

A good amount of the caped community was here for one big Christmas party. Jon and Damian's dads were talking with some other members of the League. Dick and his friends were testing how many ornaments he could juggle before dropping one. From his vantage point, Jon guessed they were up to eight or so. He could see some more of Batman's allies in the hallway, Kate and Duke sitting on the stairs chatting, Harper, Cass, and Steph giggling over something on their phones. Conner was hanging out with Tim and the rest of their Titans team, while Jon and Damian sat on the couch with their own Titans playing Super Smash Bros.

"Again?" Gar whined, throwing his hands up.

"Man, you gotta let someone else win every once in a while," Wally added, already resigned. He and Gar sat on the floor, Damian on the couch with Emiko on one side and Jon on the other. Raven sat on Jon's other side, her controller floating in front of her, most of her attention taken up by her drink and her book.

Damian shrugged. "Emiko wins sometimes. So does Raven, when she's paying attention."

"We mean you should let one of us win for once!" Gar wailed.

"You'd win if you were good at the game."

"You little sh—"

"Hey, hey, hey." Jon put a hand on Gar's shoulder to keep him from lunging at Damian. "We are not having a brawl on Christmas."

"But it would be so entertaining," Emiko said disappointedly.

"He is kinda right, though," Raven piped up, not taking her eyes off of her book. "Just get better at the game and maybe you'll win."

"Et tu, RaeRae?" Gar looked up at her, looking like a sad puppy. Literally. He had turned into a little green puppy and was staring up at her pathetically.

Raven wasn't even phased, just turned a page in her book. Jon snorted.

Gar turned back, but the pout remained.

Just then, somebody wolf whistled, and everyone in the room turned to the culprit: Tim. And once everybody saw who it was, they followed his line of sight, right over to Jon and Damian. Jon suddenly felt very vulnerable, which was ironic in of itself, shrinking in on himself a bit while he tried to figure out why everybody was staring at him.

"Hey, Rob." Gar grinned toothily, staring at the space above their heads. Damian's face turned beet red, and Jon looked up to see Kon floating over them, dangling what was unmistakably mistletoe over their heads.

Damian crossed his arms haughtily, pulling a leg closer to his body, clearly trying to downplay his embarrassment. "Tt. As if anyone would partake in your childish holiday games."

Jon couldn't help but laugh. He leaned over, pressing a quick peck to Damian's cheek. "Merry Christmas, Damian." Somehow, Damian's face had managed to turn a deeper shade of red, and he looked away as he pulled his other leg onto the couch.

"Tt. Whatever." Then, when the room had once again filled with chatter and they were about to start another round of Smash, Jon heard Damian mutter a quiet, "Merry Christmas, Jon."

-

Their first Christmas in their new apartment wasn't looking too shabby, if you asked Jon. He was quite satisfied with the way everything was decorated, by the lights laid out on the TV stand, the tree in the corner letting off a soft glow. Of course, Damian was a perfectionist, so obviously everything would look perfect.

Damian walked out of the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate, sweater sleeves pulled over his hands, and plopped on the couch next to Jon. He pulled the blanket over his bare legs and tucked himself under Jon’s arm, turning his attention to the Hallmark movie Jon had put on. Jon still didn’t understand the point of wearing shorts with a sweater, and when asked, Damian would just shrug.

He leaned his head on Damian’s, nursing his own mug of hot chocolate. “This is nice,” he said, squeezing Damian a bit tighter.

“Arguable. This movie is maybe mediocre at best,” Daman replied, a smirk audible in his voice.

Jon rolled his eyes. “I don’t mean the movie and you know it.” Damian snorted. “I mean this. You. Me. Us. It’s nice.”

“You’re such a sap,” Damian said, turning his face further into Jon’s chest. “But I agree with the sentiment. I must admit, this is nice.” He played idly with the hem of Jon’s shirt, and Jon pressed a kiss to his head as the movie continued to play.

As the credits rolled, Jon stood up, earning him a whine, with grabby hands following after him as Damian flopped the rest of the way onto the couch. Jon chuckled, walking over to the tree and picking up a small box. He brought it back over to the couch, and Damian’s eyebrows scrunched. “It’s only Christmas Eve,” he pointed out.

“Yeah,” Jon agreed, “but I think you deserve to open one tonight. I hope you like it.” He smiled, holding the box out to his boyfriend.

Damian took the box gingerly, undoing the ribbon carefully and lifting the lid. He pulled out a silver charm bracelet, laying it out on his palm so that he could look at the charms. They were small, nothing fancy, just disks with their initials and a pair of green and blue jewels. “Like I said before, you’re a sap,” Damian told him, but he was smiling. “I love it, thank you.”

He pulled Jon in for a kiss, hand on the back of his neck, fingers tangling in his hair. When they pulled away, Jon gestured to the bracelet, and Damian held out his hand as Jon did the clasp.

Damian smiled. “It’s beautiful. Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome,” Jon said, taking his hands. “Merry Christmas, Damian.”

“Merry Christmas, Jon.”

-

Damian's never been one for mornings. So when sunlight spills in through the window, all he does is roll over and push his face into the pillow. It smells like lemon scented shampoo.

The bed dips behind him, and strong arms wrap around his waist, pulling him close to a warm body. Damian relaxes into it.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Jon mumbles into his skin, nuzzling into his neck.

Damian pulls Jon’s arms tighter around him, and he feels Jon press a kiss into his shoulder. “Morning, love,” he replies drowsily, his voice still thick with sleep. He twists and rolls over in Jon’s arms to face him, reaching up to brush a lock of hair from Jon’s face. Jon hums, pulling him in for a kiss.

“Daddy! Baba!” a little voice screeches from down the hallway. “Santa was here, Santa was here! Wake up, wake up, Santa was here!”

Damian groans, turning his face back into the pillows. Jon just chuckles. “Your son is calling.”

“Before 8 AM, he’s your son.”

“Was that a Lion King reference? Color me impressed.”

“Ari! Ari, Santa came!”

Damian sits up at that, Jon’s arms falling to his lap. “Sebastian Phillip Wayne-Kent, do not wake your sister up this early in the morning!”

Jon sits up next to him and drags a hand down his face. “It’s too late, she’s awake.”

An excited shriek sounds from Aria’s bedroom, and Damian sighs into his hands. “You heard her, Hayseed. I’m going back to sleep.”

“You can’t go back to sleep, you have to see what Santa brought you,” Jon teases. Damian flops back onto the bed.

“Nope, it’s too early for this, goodnight.”

Too quick for him to process, Damian is standing in Aria’s room, the excited and very awake toddler standing up in her crib, jumping and bouncing. “That’s cheating!” he calls out the door. Jon just cackles from down the hall.

“Ba!” Aria smacks him on the chest.

“Alright, alright, let’s go, you little terror. Santa came last night.” Damian lifts her out of the crib and settles her on his hip, making his way downstairs, the smell of pancakes, eggs, toast, and coffee flooding his nose. Of course Jon already made breakfast. He continues to the living room, where Jon is just barely managing to restrain Bash from opening anything too soon.

When he sees Damian he finally lets go, and Bash zooms over to the tree, floating around as he looks for which gifts are for him. Seeing Bash’s excitement and wanting to follow suit, Aria wriggles free from Damian’s arms and Jon has to use his superspeed to catch her before she hits the floor.

Damian sighs and drops onto the couch beside Jon, watching Aria toddle after Bash, trying to keep up.

“Look, Ari, this one’s for you!” Bash holds out a large box that’s almost as big as Aria. Damian knows there’s a doll in that one.

“Yay!” Aria sits down on the floor with it and starts ripping it open, and Bash finds one to tear open for himself.

“Hey.” Jon gets his attention and holds out a small box, a dopey smile on his face. Damian takes the box gingerly, taking off the lid. It’s a new ID tag clip for his scrubs, with a rubber cartoon cat. He laughs.

“Thank you, habibi, it’s perfect.” Jon clears his throat and glances up for a second, and Damian follows his gaze to where Jon is dangling a piece of mistletoe above their heads. Jon looks at him expectantly, and Damian laughs as he leans in.

“Eeewww,” Bash cuts in, making a disgusted face at them.

“Eeww!” Aria echoes happily, scrunching her nose in an attempt to copy her brother.

Jon rests their foreheads together as they laugh. He looks up at Damian through his lashes and says, “Merry Christmas, Damian.”

Damian smiles. “Merry Christmas, Jon.”

[oh-mother-of-darkness]

Asks (10)

Anonymous said:

Hey! How are you?

Being honest, not great. About two months ago, I had a pretty intense stress breakdown that caused me to leave my job, temporarily move back to Tennessee, and enroll in an intensive outpatient program. I finished the program on Friday, and now I need decide what to do next. I haven't been functioning well, and it's all very confusing and stressful. I'll figure it out eventually, but for now I'm fairly discouraged.

Anonymous said:

I hope ur doing okay!! i know things are tough but ur doing well, pls don’t be too hard on urself:) You don’t have to face hardships alone!! God is with you and will work all things for the good of those who love Him! You can count on Him!! Pls know ur loved and appreciated and u matter to this world. You’re doing really well so even if things r difficult pls know ur doing great!! I’m rooting for u:) God Bless always!!!

Thank you my love

Anonymous said:

Hi can I have some advice on eating disorders. I know you probably won’t get back to me but I need help so if you see this I would love for you to just leave a small answer if you can.

Hi anon. I want to be helpful here, but I don't know that I really can be. I don't have any personal experience with eating disorders, and I'm not a mental health professional, so I think the only advice I can give you is to find people that are professionals and follow their instructions. I know that it's difficult to tell people about this kind of problem, and you did do that, even if it was anonymously, to someone random on the internet. That's not a small thing, and I want to recognize that you took action to find help. I would urge you to continue down that path by seeking medical treatment.

All my love,

A

Anonymous said: The Justice League may have rallied to Superman's cause, but they rallied around the Bat

If this is about the Snyder cut, I still haven't watched it, but I promise I will soon

Anonymous said:

are u a weeb?

I'm actually not, but I can see why folks could make that assumption. I believe the only anime I've ever finished is FMAB, which I enjoyed immensely. I've tried out a few others, but typically I don't make it more than an episode or two in before I abandon ship.

@merildae said: what kind of music do you like most? some of your favorite bands??

I grew up with very, very little exposure to modern music, so at this exact moment I'm going through a delayed pop-punk phase. I'm the worst kind of music person, meaning I let spotify generate playlists for me, meaning I don't know a lot about any specific band and rarely know what I listened to on any day.

My youngest brother is a guitarist with a special interest in classic rock, so I end up listening to a lot of that too, though I prefer my rock music objectively a lil shitty and very fun.

Anonymous said: your post about guiding down the dark hallway with lightup sneakers made its way to instagram im crying akdhskshhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CLdvcYfJ-Z3/?igshid=itauye0ioyfulink in case u wanted it

Oh no not again

Anonymous said: Can I use your picture? I have to make a poster, so I want to your picture and to draw up just “lock” and upload my instagram. Can I?

I'm thinking this is maybe a misdirected message? I don't know what picture of mine would go on instagram, but I'm going to say no just in case there's something I'm missing

Anonymous said: Has it ever been said when Damian's birthday is?

To my knowledge no, but I haven't consistently read new comics since about 2016. I did some brief digging while I was putting together the timeline post last year, and I don't recall there being any new information at that time. There are a fair amount of panels that take place on his birthday, but I don't believe any of them give the date.

jillwritesbad said: Hey I just wanted to say that I’ve been following ur blog for a while now and I really love your content and writing! Your style is fun to read and the plot and bonding is literally to die for!

Thank you! I don't know why I'm not being allowed to tag you, but I hope you see the message anyway