#damian's menagerie

[tracidant]

The Muse has been active the last few days. 🙂

Writing prompt: the batfamily adopts multiple guinea pigs

Damian called an emergency Robin meeting.

"Father says I'm only allowed to have 1 guinea pig, but there are 5 total in the litter, so each of you must adopt one, so we can rescue the whole group. Before you start whining, Drake..."

"I didn't say a thing!"

Damian glared at Tim. "I shall take care of them, feed them, and clean the cages. All you have to do is say they're yours and play with them occasionally. I've already chosen tentative names, but if you wish to name yours yourself, I have a list of acceptable names from which you can choose. I have folders for each of you on proper guinea pig care, plus a picture of the ones I've chosen for you. Are there any questions?"

"Little D, what if someone doesn't want a guinea pig? Most of us don't even live here at the Manor. I don't even live in Gotham!"

Damian reached behind him and pulled out a folder. He handed it to Dick. "Grayson, this is the one I chose for you. She matches Haley's color perfectly, and I've chosen the name Mary for her to honor your mother."

Dick sighed. "Ok then. I guess Haley has a sister now."

Damian nodded at his oldest brother before turning to an excited Stephanie. "Brown, before you ask, yes. You may name yours Waffles. I have more dignified names on the list, but if I picked one of those, you would just give it a ridiculous nickname anyway. It's a boy, by the way." He handed Stephanie her folder.

"Sweet! I got a piggie named Waffles!" She opened her folder. "Oh yay! He's even got crazy hair!"

"Todd. Put your hand down. Yours is female, and you may NOT call her Pig. Creativity won't kill you. Speaking of what will, Crowbar is not an acceptable name either."

"Ouch, kid! Maybe I won't take one then."

"And maybe I have new evidence of a certain mysterious food poisoning incident at Blackgate that occurred at the same time you were a guest there a few years ago."

Jason and Damian stared at each other for a few moments.

Jason blinked first. "Fine. So what's my new pet's name?"

"Well, I know you've been rewatching 'Game of Thrones' recently, and your love of warrior women is no secret, so yours is Lady Brienne. I do have a list of other names..."

"Nah, Brienne is perfect."

"Excellent choice, Todd. Here's your folder."

"Drake, I've given a great deal of thought to the name of your guinea pig. It's a male, by the way, and I've decided on Peter Parker."

Tim was a bit taken aback and a bit suspicious too. "You named mine after Spider-Man? That's actually pretty cool. But why?"

"He reminds me of you. He's really one of the most powerful Avengers, yet he'll gladly step back to being the 'friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man' when needed. You didn't think twice about stepping back into the Robin role when I was gone, because you knew that's where you were needed."

"Wow. Thank you, Damian. I didn't realize you saw me that way." Damian nodded and handed Tim his folder.

"I'm not a child anymore, Drake. I can admit that others are better at things than I am."

"So what's your piggie's name, Damian?"

"Her name is Mademoiselle Marie, Brown. She was a leader in the French Resistance..."

"Wait, isn't that Alfred's baby mama's name?"

"Correct. Although I wouldn't refer to her by that term around Pennyworth."

A week later, the Robins got together again to put together the giant habitats for their new pets. (The empty bedroom next to Damian's was taken over for the newest members of the family.) There were two main sections, so the males and females could be kept apart, with a divider that could be removed for supervised interactions. Both sections had several water bottles, feeding stations, tubes, wheels, and sleeping areas.

Bruce and Alfred were watching the scene from the hallway.

"I know this was just Damian's way of getting all five of those guinea pigs, despite me telling him he could only have one, but at least they're working together."

"I've noticed Master Damian has been much more agreeable towards Master Timothy as well. They're actually working on a case together willingly. Perhaps five guinea pigs are a small price to pay, Master Bruce."

"Yeah, but Duke and Cassandra will be back next week, and I heard Damian mention something about a bonded pair of rabbits at the shelter."

The two men sighed. "Well, we do have plenty of extra rooms, I suppose."

[squishedmellow]

I made my dog play a card game with my family where he randomly nosed at cards to decide and I think Damian would do that. But with all of his pets

[dcxdpdabbles]

Ooh I got something for you.

Cave Danny leaves the house, and comes back with a small child. He of course will be taking the child with him when he leaves, the child attacked him and tried to steal his food, so he must WANT to come with Danny. Stop laughing Jason.

I'll do you one better.

So this takes place before Danny goes on his solo trip to the mall and KOs the Joker.

Cave!boy Danny isn't allowed near humans or to leave the manor- to keep the cover story for his dimension traveling- but he is permitted to take walks on Wayne's property.

So Bruce opens the door to tell Danny that dinner is ready, and Bruce is stunned to see him sitting in the middle of the room surrounded by raccoons, birds, squirrels, and some rabbits.

Danny looks up at Bruce with a bright sparkling smile "Aren't they lovely!?"

The rest of the Bats look at Damian and respond, "Huh.

They never knew Bruce liked animals as a kid as much as Damian. Alfred laughs, saying that he used to chase out rats all the time because young Bruce kept scooping them up in the streets and bringing them home.

"Where are the bats?" Steph asks looking at the menagerie that Brucie snuck in. He got them from the property so she suprise he didn't grab some from the caves.

"No. Bats are evil" Brucie says with narrow eyes. "They remind me of tiny vampires. Fruitloop is a vampire"

Jason suddenly cracks up "I forgot Bruce is scared of Bats! That's why he dressed up as bat-man! To be fear!"

Dick laughs alongside him, voice going low and inheriting a growl " I am the night. I am the vengeance. I am the greatest horror to a fully grown man- a bat!"

Alfred laughs with the family until he sees one of the raccoons bite Brucie and all but launches himself at him with a rabies shot. "BLOODY HELL NOT AGAIN!"

[incorrectbatfam]

Who would be the batfam's platonic soulmates? Wrong answers

Dick: Jason

Jason: Dick

Tim: Konbartcassie

Damian: his pets

Duke: his ultra-rare Beyblade

Cullen: his student discounts

Stephanie: the waitress that calls her "sugar"

Cassandra: herself

Barbara: NordVPN

Harper: the drumstick she caught at a concert

Carrie: Build-A-Bear

Kate: flannel

Alfred: his own cookies

Selina: the access codes to the British Museum

Bruce: his orphan menagerie

[msfcatlover]

Reverse!Robins/Titans Timeline

Still trying to pin this down. Not bothering with time intervals, just order of events.

(Gee, can you tell which parts of this team I’m still ironing out, and which ones I’ve put the most thought into?)

Batman: Zero Year

Joker debuts. (Duke’s parents caught in one of the attacks)

Duke starts patrolling/searching for his parents.

After running into Duke several times, Bruce makes Duke his crime-fighting partner to both train & keep an eye on him. Duke chooses the name “Moonbeam.”

Yara Flor becomes Wonder Girl. Bruce & Diana encourage their proteges to become friends, so that they have someone their own age who understands their vigilante problems to talk to.

Connor Hawke reunites with his father, and becomes Marksman (Green Arrow’s first sidekick.) Connor is also encouraged to join this friend group.

(Clark occasionally asks the teens to babysit his son Jon, when the adults are busy.)

Damian shows up in Gotham, making a huge splash & overturning the Batfam status quo. After killing a few criminals, Damian is forbidden from patrolling until he proves himself trustworthy.

(Damian does not join the group, but the others know about him because Duke complains. Damian does become friends with Jon after a little while.)

A ship crashes while the JL is busy. The teens go to investigate it, finding a single survivor who turns out to have speedster powers & complete amnesia. They use the Batcomputer to trace the ship, trying to help their new friend.

Damian sneaks onboard the shuttle the teens “borrow” to follow their trace, still trying to prove himself.

This team finds an illegal alien market and breaks it up, rescuing Pam in the process.

Upon return to Earth, the JL commends the kids for their work. A new team is formed with Yara as their leader, and named the “Teen Titans.” The lineup is:

Wonder Girl (Yara Flor)

Moonbeam (Duke Thomas)

Marksman (Connor Hawke)

Kid Flash (Bartholomew “Tolly” Taurus)

Menagerie (Pamela “Pam” Merlo)

Damian does not get to be part of the team, deemed too young, but he has proven himself enough to officially join Batman & Moonbeam on the streets. He goes by “Shadow.”

Arthur Curry asks if his protege, Kaldur'ahm, can join the Titans. Aqualad is added to the lineup.

Pam’s sister, Sonja, tries to get in contact. Whole arc occurs of Pam struggling with her own transformation and the two of them reuniting.

Chimera (Ra'ut L'lwer) joins the Titans.

Yara’s arc where she’s manipulated by Eros & Hera happens here.

Jon becomes Superboy, and joins the Titans.

Damian joins the Titans.

Tolly’s past comes to light, throwing his relationships with everyone in the community into chaos. The team barely manages to pull themselves together in time to mount a defense and keep him from being punished for the crimes of a life that was not his. 

Tolly still feels the need to pull away from the Titans a little out of guilt over what he’s done (especially to Pam.)

Barry Allen dies, and Tolly becomes the Flash.

Yara is at this point over 20, and feeling out of place at the head of the team. She starts to pull back a bit, trying to figure out where her life is going next.

Cassandra Cain is adopted by Bruce Wayne. Duke is the only one who can train against her, as his precognition lets him just about keep up with her body-reading abilities. They bond, and he introduces her to the team.

Spoiler debuts in Gotham. Batman tells her to go home.

Damian decides to make Spoiler his apprentice.

Anima (Courtney Mason) joins the Titans.

Yara announces she’s officially stepping down as leader of the Titans. Duke steps up, announcing his own change of name to “The Signal,” and officially passing his mantle to his little sister, Cassandra.

Anima & Chimera manage to figure out how to free Pamela from her swarm. Duke’s first official mission as team leader is facilitating this.

Pam leaves the Titans for a normal life with her sister. Many tears are shed.

[I’m just double-checking my current lineup.]

The Signal (Duke Thomas)

Marksman (Connor Hawke)

Aqualad (Jackson Hyde/Kaldur’ahm)

Chimera (Ra'ut L'lwer) 

Superboy (Jonathan Kent/Jon-El)

Shadow (Damian Wayne)

Moonbeam (Cassandra Wayne)

Anima (Courtney Mason)

Steph’s mom goes to rehab. Bruce fosters Steph in the meantime, and this is how she discovers their identities.

Damage (Grant Emerson) joins the Titans as community service, after his powers manifest by going completely haywire.

(Yara decides going by “Wonder Girl” is undermining her attempts to be an independent adult hero. She changes her name to “Diadem.”)

Damian introduces Steph to the team. Spoiler becomes a Titan.

Chimera announces she’s going independent and leaves the team.

Just like in canon, Grant’s trauma catches up with him and he has to step down from hero work. Connor takes Grant under his wing formally and they both leave the team.

Emiko Queen takes Connor’s place on the team, going by the name “Red Arrow.”

Duke is too overwhelmed by being Gotham’s only daytime hero and running the team, as well as feeling guilty for not giving Grant more support. He goes independent, leaving the team.

Jon & Damian step up as co-leaders of the Titans.

Roundhouse (William Wu) & Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) join the Titans.

Anima is stranded in another dimension on a mission with the team, in a dramatic act of self-sacrifice to ensure everyone else can make it home. Everyone is very upset, but they comfort themselves knowing she’s still out there being a hero, just... somewhere else.

After a lot of introspection, Aqualad decides to dedicate himself full-time to his studies & duties in Atlantis, and steps down from the team.

[Double-checking the lineup]

Superboy (Jonathan Kent)

Shadow (Damian Wayne)

Moonbeam (Cassandra Wayne)

Spoiler (Stephanie Brown)

Red Arrow (Emiko Queen)

Roundhouse (William Wu)

Blue Beetle (Jamie Reyes)

Damian & Jon decide to go independant together, becoming Bluhaven’s new superheroes as Nightwing & Flamebird. Damian formally passes his mantle to Steph in private before they announce the change to the team.

Steph & Cass take over as co-leaders.

Steph meets Tim at school, and they become fast friends. After a couple months of being study buddies, they start dating.

Jon introduces his adoptive younger siblings, the Super-Twins, to the team.

Vaporlock (Natasha Irons) joins the team.

Atom (Ray Palmer) is de-aged. He temporarily joins the team until he can recover his memories.

Argent (Antonia Monetti), Static (Virgil Hawkins), & Power Girl (Tanya Spears) join the team.

Atom goes back to normal and leaves.

Cass takes on Tim as her apprentice after catching him following the Bats around Gotham. Steph is a bit thrown by this discovery, but training together only stengthens her & Tim’s relationship.

Until Cass decides Tim’s ready to follow them on patrol (if not fight anyone yet,) and gives Tim the Spoiler mantle without asking, assuming it’s just a placeholder name and not realizing it has any special meaning to Steph.

(This is the beginning of the end, though they don’t realize it yet.)

Steph feels betrayed by the theft of her old identity and it compounds with her initial uneasiness over Tim befriending/dating her without telling her he knew their identities. She tries to put it aside for the good of the city, but can’t.

The sudden rockiness between Steph & Cass bleeds over into the Titans. When the team meets Tim, it becomes clear something about his apprenticeship with Cass is what has lead to the rift, though none of the Bats will clarify.

Emiko introduces her own apprentice, Mia Dearden, the second Marksman.

Steph & Tim have a really nasty breakup.

Steph has the same death she suffered in War Games.

The entire Batfamily are left reeling.

Tim gets fired.

Cass struggles to go on as both Moonbeam & the leader of the Titans, when she’s supposed to be part of a matched set. She ends up quitting both, and the team completely falls apart.

Cass puts together a new costume, made originally from old Batman suits, and gains the street name “Black Bat.” (She didn’t choose it, it was given to her; Batman has the yellow belt & circle, where Cass’s suit has neither. So which Bat is attacking? “The black bat.”)

Tim gives the family until after Steph’s funeral before dropping by (to argue his case, but if that doesn’t work, to pick up his stuff.) He sees Steph’s memorial, and is furious that Bruce would reduce Steph’s legacy to that.

After weeks of arguing, Tim throws on his own version of the Shadow costume (back to Damian’s original black, but the cloak is lined with Steph’s signature purple) and eventually forces his way into the role, refusing to let Steph’s dream die with her.

Damian is incensed by the whole mess that’s happening with Tim. That’s his mantle Tim is taking, and Damian’s still wracked with guilt that Steph died, blaming himself for not training her thoroughly enough. Damian demands that before Tim ever goes out as Shadow, Tim has to go to Bludhaven every weekend to train with Damian. 

The training is absolutely brutal, but Tim refuses to give up. Eventually, Duke finds out about it and goes to ream Damian out for taking things so far (and Jon, for not having already given Damian this same lecture.) Duke essentially tells Damian that Damian’s no better than the people who originally hurt Damian and storms out.

Duke tells Tim he doesn’t have to go back the next weekend. Tim shows up anyway. Damian stares blankly for a few seconds, then takes a very confused Tim out for ice cream.

(Damian spends years trying to be better, to make up for what he’s done, but he never manages to get over that double-dose of guilt. He veers hard in the other direction, being incredibly supportive whenever they’re around eachother, but also avoids Tim whenever Damian can justify it to himself, because it just... eats at Damian.)

Tim also pulls the Titans back together. Or, more accurately, he pulls Vaporlock, Marksman, and Blue Beetle back together, before he ends up recruiting... well, basically the Young Justice lineup to be his new team.

Tim’s parents die. Tim tries the whole fake uncle thing, but Damian rats him out.

(Somewhere in there, Tim ends up on Ra’s al Ghul’s radar.)

Jason tries to steal the Batmobile’s tires.

Jason manages to convince the family to let him help. They offer him Moonbeam, but Jason doesn’t want to be Moonbeam. First of all, Jason can’t do any of that weird precog stuff Duke & Cass have going on; second, Jason’s personal hero was always the Shadow with the Crime Alley accent.

Tim gives Jason Spoiler instead (Tim himself thinking Spoiler is a training-wheel mantle, but more importantly, it was Steph’s.)

During a public event, Tim is shot by an assassin who took a contract from Ra’s. Laying in the hospital, Tim all but begs Bruce to go out on patrol and Jason to put on the Shadow costume, not wanting Tim’s injury to be the reason their identities got outed.

Tim’s spine was clipped by the bullet. While he’s not completely paralyzed, he’ll never be able to walk unassisted again, and even with mobility aids, Tim suffers from chronic pain thanks to the nerve damage.

(Tim finds a get well card from Ra’s, inviting Tim for a dip in the Lazarus pit whenever Tim’s ready to admit he “needs” it. Tim borrows Jason’s lighter and burns the note. Only Tim & Jason ever know about it.)

Tim becomes Oracle.

When Jason joins the Titans, it’s assumed he’ll be their new leader, as Shadow and/or Moonbeam have always been one of the leaders of the Titans. He also suffers a lot from the comparison to his predecessors, and with how people perceive the speed at which he took up Tim’s mantle.

Jason does win that place and prove himself as a leader, but it is a rough ride to get there.

[Jason’s Titans lineup]

Inherited from Tim:

Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark)

Impulse (Bart Allen)

Miss Martian (M’gann M’orzz)

Joined while Jason was Spoiler:

Red Devil (Edward Bloomberg)

Ravager (Rose Wilson)

DC (Daniel Chase)

(Yes, Danny thinks hero names are stupid and only ever used one to fake his own death. But, frankly, Danny used his real name as his spy code name, which makes him mocking everyone else for having hero names just… so goddam insufferable. I’m cutting the middle ground here; it’s not a full-on alias, but it’s not just shouting his real name in a high-stakes/arguably undercover situation.)

Joined under Jason’s leadership:

Beast Boy (Garfield Logan)

Raven (Rachel Roth)

Cyborg (Victor Stone)

Halo (Gabrielle Doe)

Risk (Cody Driscoll)

Redwing (Carrie Levine)

Prester (Jonathan Levine)

(I found a pair of twins I both know & like better than Jade & Obsidian. Seriously, John & Carrie are the best part of the entire Team Titans fiasco, and given we do see some overlap between the timelines, I’ve no idea why they got wiped from reality but fucking Mirage didn’t.)

Steph comes back to life. 

Cue the Lost Days/Red Hood arcs.

Steph does try to scare Jason out of being a hero with the fight at the Tower. She shows up in her Death Mask costume and frames it as a fair duel--“More fair than any other rogue will give you.”--to prove that non-powered (non-ninja) kids like them can only meet a nasty end. The fight doesn’t stay “fair” long, as Steph fights dirty to make her point, and throws both her own history & Jason’s insecurities into his face. Jason adapts, but doesn’t win, eventually left reeling by the reveal of Steph’s identity.

The fight is interrupted by Eddie, who gets back early from an off-planet mission and therefore was not factored into Steph’s contingencies for the other Titans. Steph escapes by first holding Jason in front of her with a knife to his throat, then driving the knife into his thigh, forcing Eddie to choose between going after her and keeping Jason from bleeding out.

Red Devil stays behind to cauterize the wound, and Death Mask gets away.

.

After that, the chronology gets a lot more muddled.

Steph reunites with the family after saving Jason from the Joker.

Bruce takes in Dick after Dick’s parents die, but it’s a very rough transition. Then Bruce dies, leading to the family falling apart all over again, Jason getting the Red Robin (”Bluejay”) arc, Cass becoming Batman, and Dick becoming her Moonbeam.

When Bruce comes back, Bluejay joins the Signal as a daytime hero.

When Bruce can eventually no longer be Batman and Cass steps up again, she’ll offer Jason Black Bat if he wants it. He accepts, and everyone assumes Dick will be Bluejay when Dick graduates from being Moonbeam.

When Dick grows up, his final hero identity will be Robin.

[thewritingowl]

When word finally reached Batman and his menagerie of Batlings of strange rumors about ‘ghosts’ of all things in a sleepy little town called Amity Park, Duke signed on with no further questions. Little did he know his travels to the small town in Illinois would reveal not just the answers he was seeking, but also reconciliation through new found family.

He just had to make sure he and Damian kept the kid alive long enough to escape.

I don't normally post my WWT entries here, but like I'm just so happy with the fact that my partner in crime, @nightshiftshenanigans picked out the title, tags, and wrote a summary for me. :) She also wrote my notes so we could fool friends in the game. I hope you guys enjoy this little angstie fic!

[somereaderinblue]

Interlude

Gotham Menagerie Menace AU: 1 | 2 | 3

-Kagami always sensed something off about Gotham. Like a perpetual storm cloud constantly lingered overhead, thunder rumbling but downpour not starting....not yet at least. The first week, goosebumps prickled across her skin, hairs standing on end. However, she's proud to say she has adapted. That doesn't mean she's let her guard down (just ask the 12 failed mugging attempts).

-Still, Gotham Academy lived up to its reputation. She's there for a student exchange program & finds herself enjoying it. The best part of it was undeniably her 2 new friends: Damian & Skylar.

-She clicked well with the former & the latter had 0 problems adopting 2 introverts. They bonded over art, expectations, swordsmanship, manga & enjoyed silent companionship.

-One day, Skylar brings up rumors of a mini menace in the seedier parts of the city. A stray whom, if fed will protect others from harm. But if crossed, will scratch your skin off & curse you with bad luck.

-Kagami’s curiosity is piqued. She’s kept up with the news in Paris & knew abt Adrien’s disappearance which coincided with CN’s ‘betrayal’. This was a possible lead.

-And well, she never hesitates.

-She shares the news with her newest & now closest bodyguard (re: friend), the Gorilla. Together, they venture in search of Gotham’s newest stray.

-Unbeknownst to her, Damian has shared similar news with his family, prompting Nightwing, Red Hood & Robin to investigate.

-In the airport, Nathalie and (her recently adopted) the kids set foot in Gotham for the first time. Two of them have brooches gleaming under their hoodie/coat respectively & all them carry a taser and/or mace spray.

-In a basketball court that’s seen better days, Stray plays with a group of street kids, cheering as one of the shorter boys finally got the ball through a hoop, blissfully unaware of the chaos that’s soon to erupt with him as the eye of the storm.

[dramatic-squirrel]

Daminette December Day 22- Flatter

@maribat-calendar-events

In the front of the class, Ms. Bustier lectured about the literary merit of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, not that Marinette paid much attention to her. Instead her focus was on her desk mate, she peaked another glance at Damian. There was something off about him today, well… that was usually something off about him. Only Chloe and Felix rivaled Damian’s awful personality most days, but somehow he seemed… quieter than usual. Although that still wasn’t quite right. It was difficult to put it into words, just that Marinette knew something was off with Damian.

Thirty minutes in, she couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe she was just curious but I bet every other miraculous holder would call her a nosy meddler. Tapping his shoulder with her pencil, she got his attention and wrote out a question on a blank page of her notebook.

Are you ok? He glanced at the words then ignored her, returning his focus on Ms. Bustier and that’s when Marinette knew something was wrong. Normally he would have mocked her concern as superficially and insincere.

Solving this problem would be difficult though. Her normal process of helping people involved talking about their problems and helping to find solutions. Damian didn’t even tell people his name until three days after he joined the class and even then he only relented because he was annoyed at being called “USA” by Kim and everyone that followed suit. 

The idea of a pun or joke crossed her mind, although she wasn’t sure Damian would appreciate humor. Besides, that was more of Chat Noir’s specialty than hers. Thinking hard, a memory came across her mind. Of the last time her parents found her freaking out in her room about being Ladybug, not that they knew that, and the perfect words came to mind.

I know you won’t tell me what’s going on, and you probably think I’m being nosy here, but I felt that I should remind you that out of everybody in this classroom, and everybody I’ve personally met, you're stronger than all of them. Physically and mentally. I’m sure you’ll get over whatever it is that’s bugging you. The words sounded cliched to Marinette, but she was a designer not a poet. For good measure, she drew a cartoon of a cat in the corner of the note, then tapped Damian on the shoulder again. 

This time when he looked over and read the note, the tiniest smile appeared. That was already a big enough shock to Marinette’s system, she wasn’t aware that Damian could smile at all, but what happened next almost made her fall out of her chair. Damian picked up his pencil and drew next to her cat a menagerie of animals. She wasn’t sure what she wrote that made him so happy, but she was glad to see him feeling better.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nothing had been going well since coming to Paris. He couldn’t bring his pets, he had to go back to high school again, and he didn’t even need to be here since the Parisian superheroes already got rid of the smuggling ring based in the city. Today was worse than usual, since he received a call from his father informing him that he couldn’t leave until he finished out the semester in Paris. His father’s reasoning was that Damian could use more time around regular kids and less time being a vigilante.

It stung a little that his father still believed him to be volatile and in need of changing. Personally, Damian didn’t see why he needed to conform to those standards, he just wished that his father thought the same. 

As he brooded over these recent events, a tap on his shoulder caught his attention. Turning he saw his desk mate Marinette Dupain-Cheng, then she started writing in her notebook and turned it to him to look at. All it said was a simple Are you ok? Which he chose to ignore. He didn’t see how his state of being mattered to her, or rather, he knew why it mattered, he just didn’t want to entertain her obsession with making everything better.

Five minutes later, he was tapped on the shoulder again, and this time he saw a paragraph already written out in the notebook. I know you won’t tell me what’s going on, and you probably think I’m being nosy here, but I felt that I should remind you that out of everybody in this classroom, and everybody I’ve personally met, you're stronger than all of them. Physically and mentally. I’m sure you’ll get over whatever it is that’s bugging you. It was cheesy, but the sentiment and the little cat that reminded him of Alfred lifted his mood a bit. 

If he was honest with himself, he missed Alfred, Batcow, Titus, Goliath, even Jerry. So before he even knew it, he began drawing the rest of them next to the cat that Marinette had made. He also had to admit that maybe it wouldn’t be such an awful thing to spend some time in Paris afterall. At the very least, he might be able to join the Parisian superheroes on patrol, without his father’s knowledge of course. He glanced at Marinette who had a self-satisfied look upon her face. His peers in Paris were certainly better than those he had in Gotham, with the exception of Jon of course.

[ali-annals]

Main Masterlist

Happy endings (or the option for one, in the case of CYOE fics) are the norm here.

Most fics are one-shots. Two-shots or miniseries have their prequel/sequel/chapters posted beside the name. Series are free from summary but have a status (completed/in progress/hiatus) posted beside their name.

Most Akuma Class fics are salty. I write Adrien and/or Chloe salt/sugar 50/50

Filed by: DATE ☄ SHIP ☄ MULTICHAP/SERIES ☄ COLLECTION ☄ AO3 ☄ ART

Format: Posted Fics - Date [title] | ship | rating | wc | - summary* Unposted Fics - Date [title/description] | ship | - summary/blurb

*series will have no summary; it will be at the top of the series masterlist instead

Summer 2021

☄ Chaotic Coffee Zombies | Timari | T | (in progress)

☄ How You Get The Girl | Jasonette | G | 1k

“Hi, Marinette.” She laughed sharply to hide her hurt. “‘Hi, Marinette?’ Jason, it’s been six months.”

☄ Enchanted | Jasonette | G | 1k

Jason laughed. “...Do you have a name or shall I call you M?” “You haven’t earned my name yet, monsieur, so M will have to do.” “What does earning it involve?” “Mmm, normally you’d have to be family or a close friend, or a loyal patron for over two years.” “Would a waltz make us close enough friends?” He extended his hand with a flourish, which she took. “Perhaps. No stepping on my toes, though,” she warned. “I’ll have you know I never step on people’s toes unless they deserve it,” he said in mock offence as they move onto the dancefloor.

☄ my tears ricochet | Daminette | T | 4.5k

It was over. Everything was done. Hawkmoth and Mayura were defeated. Ladybug was dead. Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s “friends”/classmates were crying around the fresh grave. She’d been revealed as Ladybug in her death, her transformation dropping one final time. The city mourned their fallen heroine. Chat Noir gave the final Miraculous Team’s press conference, stating that Marinette was dead, attacked by Hawkmoth; though she had defeated the villain and his partner, she had succumbed soon after to irreversible injuries. He would be retiring now as well. ... The next day, a lone figure made its way back to Ladybug’s flower-covered grave. He was the class’s foreign-exchange student, Damian Grayson. He set a single white rose on the headstone and stepped back to pay his respects. The dirt began to move, and a hand poked through.

☄ invisible string | Daminette | G | 13k (completed)

☄ Call it what you Want | Jasonette | G | (see February 2024)

Autumn 2021

☄ Marinette “Valkyrie” Wayne | Marijon, Platonic Maribat | G | 10k (completed)

☄ knock knock/who's th-/-interrupting bats | Daminette | M | 1k

Damian is kidnapped and the Bats try to find him. Rewind: Damian wants to spend time with his girlfriend and the Bats have really bad timing | SEQUEL

☄ Stars Around My Scars | Jasonette | T | 13k + drabbles (completed)

☄ Unexpected Visitors | Daminette | G | 1k

An unknown woman shows up on Wayne Manor's doorstep asking for Damian Wayne...

☄ Mazel Tov | Daminette | G | 0.5k

Talia attempts to arrange a marriage between her son, the Heir to the Demon, and the League of Assassins' rival order's head, the Grand Guardian. The Bats are insistent on stopping the wedding, but the couple don't seem that opposed to it...

☄ gold rush | Timari | G | 1k

Marinette has plans to meet her online gamer boyfriend on her class trip to Gotham, but gets distracted watching Lila flirt with their host, Tim Drake.

Winter 2021-2022

☄ Is this Hope just a Mystical Dream? | Jasonette | T | 5k

Did you know that some soulmates' souls are literally connected, meaning that when one half dies, the other follows them soon after to a personalized deathscape? Marinette and Jason sure did. | PART 2 (FINAL)

☄ clover blooms in the field/spring breaks loose, time is near | NetteWorth | T | 0.5k

☄ Renagerie | Jasonette | T | 1k

Red Hood and Menagerie hate each others' guts; everyone knows that. The Bats just want to know when they'll move from the Enemies phase of their relationship to the Lovers stage.

☄ It’s a Small World | Jasonette | G | 2k

Jason brings his fiancee home to meet his family. She gets along great with everyone! There's just one problem… They've met her before.

☄ I Wanted a Date, Not a Spouse! | Jasonette | G | 1k

Marinette bemoans her dry love life to her aunt. Jason is done with dating and tells his mom if she wants a daughter-in-law to find one herself. He should've known she would take him seriously.

March 2022

☄ The Terrifying Trio | Daminette | G | 1k | DCxDPxMLB

Everyone knew about the T3, as they called themselves. No one imagined they were real until they met them, and then they wished they hadn’t; the trio were far more terrifying than their tales.

April 2023

☄ sugar & bikes & everything nice | Jasonette | G | 0.5k

Biker meet car passenger...only Marinette's the biker.

☄ Outflirting an Outlaw | Roynette | G | 0.1k

Roynette meetcute, what more needs to be said?

☄ Ice to Meet You | Daminette | G | 1k

Marinette mistakes her new partner for her coach and a meet ugly meet cute ensues.

☄ sweet denials make for even sweeter victories | Konette | T | 0.3k

Conner is back from his trip with the JL, but his girlfriend isn't welcoming him as warmly as he would like.

☄ Pixie Reviews: Nightwing vs Red Hood | Jasonette | T | 0.5k

On patrol, Hood overhears a very interesting phone call from a very interesting woman.

☄ You don’t need to save me...but would you run away with me? | Jasonette | T | 2.5k

"What if Jason is hunted/captured by someone trying to remake the Lazarus Pit" but a meetcute.

☄ The Very First Night | Jasonette | T | 3k

Marinette’s phone rang, breaking her attention from her friends’ conversation. She checked the caller ID and excused herself. “MDC speaking,” she answered professionally, knowing her friends were half eavesdropping before she moved out of overhearing range. “Pixie, do you know how much I miss you?” whispered Jason. “These annoyances are driving me to do stupid things like call you in front of them just so I don’t blow us all up and alert the people we’re watching to our location!” “Aw, poor Jay,” she commiserated. “You need some reminders to keep you from eliminating your siblings?” “Please.” His exasperated tone in that one word told her volumes. “You’ll be in your family’s bad books if you do that, which means they’ll keep an even closer eye on you, which means you can’t see me without alerting them to my existence in your life.” Jason exhaled sharply. “Thank you, Pix. I shall restrain myself. Two more weeks.”

☄ Pretty petty pranks | Brucinette | G | 1.5k

“Damn right I'm pretty.” “I said petty.”

☄ All’s fair in love and Prank Wars | Jasonette | G | 2k

"Damn right I'm pretty." "I said petty."

☄ maroon | Dickinette | M | CYOE | 3k

“Can you hold my hand? My ex just walked in with her new boyfriend.” … "I see no one around besides us."

☄ Reputation 'Verse | Jasonette | E | 4k+ (hiatus)

May 2023

☄ Interrupting Bats Sequel | Daminette | M | 1k -prequel-

1+3 times Damian and Marinette interrupted their interrupters.

☄ look at those flowers that look like you | Jasonette | T | 3k

Hanahaki AU of my Reputation AU.

☄ Rival Mob Boss AU | Jasonette | M | 5k+ (hiatus)

☄ high tide came and brought you in | Jasonette, one-sided Daminette | T | 6.5k

Reverse Robins Little Mermaid AU where Jason is Ariel and Marinette is Eric.

☄ only bought this dress so you could take it off | Jasonette | M | 3k

Marinette finds her patrol rival/crush at the Wayne's party. They take things in a new direction.

June 2023

☄ from all the memories stored in my heart | Timari | G | CYOE | 1k

"Don't forget who you belong to" but SFW

☄ rude interruptions | Dickinette | M | 1k

Marinette is trying to make out with Dick but someone decided to disturb them. Also, why does she want to make out with Dick? He is such a dork.

☄ cracket | Timari | G | 1k

Cricket. Crnch!

☄ RavenBug Hanahaki trilogy | MaRave, Konette | T | 1k | (complete)

-one- -two- -three-

July 2023

☄ long live all the magic we made | Jasonette | T | 9.5k | minor DCxDPxMLB

In Gotham, Jason Todd is looking for Damian's dragonbat, Goliath, when he notices a strange thing in the sky. In Paris, Ladybug is fighting an akuma when a strange creature literally appears out of the blue. It might not be too big of a deal (they've both dealt with weirder things) if it wasn't A DIFFERENT UNIVERSE!

September 2023

☄ you're the hero flying around, savin' face | platonic Maribat, Adrinette | T | 1.5k | (angsty, unhappy ending)

He tasted salt. He cracked open his eyelids again. Oh. Her hot tears dropped past his reddened teeth, open in a half-smile, half-grimace. She was always so painfully optimistic. He hated to be the one to break it to her, but this would be more than a miracle. Optimism only got you so far. Look at him. Actually, don’t; you’d throw up like the person who had just followed her in here.

☄ there was one prize i'd cheat to win | Daminette | G | 1k

Marinette can only be roused from her daydreams by one word: Damian Damian will only respond to one word: Marinette They're so cute, right? Well... They secretly think the other dislikes them, being rivals and all.

October 2023

☄ "here, go stalk" (aka the coffee phenomenon) | Timari | G | 2k

Nightwing knocked on Red Robin’s mysterious rescuer’s window. She opened it with a stern look. “Really? And a blue and black vigilante outside my window isn’t as obvious as simply knocking on my door?” He shrugged, entering when she stepped back for him.

☄ tomorrow's a flower | Cassette | G | 1k

Cassinette meet cute at a fall fair turns to flowery romance.

☄ october request trilogy | T+ | 1.5k

February 2024

☄ the eras tour (jasonette's version) | Jasonette | T | 14k (completed)

March 2024

☄ stupid in love | Timari | T | 2.5k

Tim meets a competent new companion in his fight to make Ra's al Ghul's life hell. They just might be a match made in heaven (after all, Timari heaven is Ra's hell).

April 2024

☄ angel, don't fly so close to me (i'll pull you down eventually) | Jasonette | T | 0.5k

Jason's not the best at flirting; luckily the girl he's interested in thinks his attempts are cute.

Spring 2021

Operation Ruination, or, The Girl Who Fooled the Bats | Daminette | SMAU, all the typical Maribat/Daminette tropes

What I do isn’t a Crime...but it Should Be | Gen | Marinette toys with the Bats

Summer 2021

happiness | Daminette, Adrigami, past Adrinette

Miss Parisiana and the Heartbreak Prince | Jasonette | Jason leaves Gotham and finds a home in Paris

Peace | sequel to MPatHP | Jasonette | The Bats finally track Jason down and are surprised at what they find

daminette drabbles x3

Shattered Glass and Shadowed Ghouls | Daminette |

The Saga of a Ladybug and her Robin | Daminette | Medieval AU

Vengeance of Shadows | platonic/bio-sib Daminette |

bio-dad John Constantine | Daminette

"The Best Choice I Ever Made was Loving You" or, 4 times Damian and Marinette were almost caught and 1 time they were- | Daminette | Arranged Marriage AU

Autumn 2021

Ladybug in Paris, Phoenix in Gotham | Daminette

Ladybug & Kitsune | platonic Daminette | inspired by TheCuriousCat's series on ao3

Dragon Kwami AU | Daminette | Dragon AU

Accidental Marriage

Brucinette

Daminette +John Constantine scribbles

Angelwrath | Daminette | Demon AU, Childhood friends AU |

Innocent | Jasonette | Soulmate AU

bio-mom Lady Shiva

Ladybug & Lightning | Daminette | Soulmate AU

4+1 Daminette

Friends in Paris, Lovers in Gotham | Daminette

How to not Adopt a Pixie | Jasonette | Shifter AU (kinda)

Timari/ Batfam ID shenanigans

Dark Knight of Gotham (Maribat Edition) | Daminette | Mafia AU

Winter 2021-2022

Jasonette parents drabble | Jasonette | new parents fluff <3

Tears Streaming down your Face (I Said I’ll Never let you Go) | platonic Jasonette

Everything Has Changed | Gen | Marinette asks Bruce to adopt her. crack.

Soulmates Soulhates | Daminette | Soulmate AU but angstyish

Neighbours AU | Jasonette | Joker dies and Marinette Is Innocent

March 2022

the lakes | Daminette

Kaos | Daminette | Assassin Mari

[fleetsparrow]

Jason: So, this is my family.

Jason: There's Dick, he's perfect.

Dick: *hanging upside-down from something that shouldn't hold him, angrily arguing with someone on the phone*

Jason: There's Damian, he's my murder pal.

Damian: *casually and calmly petting his ever-growing menagerie, ignoring his siblings*

Jason: That's Tim. He's a gremlin.

Tim: *literally asleep standing up, eyes open*

Jason: And this is Bruce, my dad.

Bruce: *barely restraining himself from hugging Jason because he called him "dad"*

X: I thought you had a sister?

Jason: That would be Cass.

X: Where's she?

Jason: Behind you.

Cass: *tiniest voice* boo

X: *jumps 3 feet in the air*

Jason & Cass: *fist-bump*

[the-demons-son]

//Damian should just retire early and live on a farm and have his own art studio and look after his menagerie of animals.

[incorrectbatfam]

With such a large and dramatic (+Jason love of literature) menagerie of children that bruce have. The batkids have enough to do theater all by themselves!! Any HC of those?

Duke and Cullen are co-writers. They rewrote one of Cullen's Supernatural fanfics to have original characters and be PG. The outcome of each scene is determined by a d20

Barbara plays the main villain—an AI bent on destroying the world. The story is set in 13th century England

Jason is the main character. He's giving it his all. Oh, Dick wants some lines? Too bad, they're Jason's. He's having conversations with himself but he dgaf

Dick is Tree Number 2 btw

Damian is supposed to be a supporting character but he hires Titus to take his place

And Tim is supposed to be an extra for added realism but he keeps checking his phone

Bruce's character is affectionately described as "bastard"

Selina's role involves high-heeled stunts (easy) and taming a wildebeest (not so easy)

Harper is in charge of set design. She already knows this is gonna be a trainwreck so she just writes the town name on a bedsheet and calls it a day

Steph's the songwriter. Come opening night they discover she plagiarized Metallica—the band that copystrikes everyone

Cass is the choreographer. She develops a ballet number to Skrillex and a breakdancing number to Tchaikovsky

Kate is the producer. She never shows up

Carrie is in charge of marketing. She sells the show by making branded coffee cups and giving them out with coupons for 110% of ticket purchases (the viewers get 10%)

Alfred is the critic. He gives them two stars

[soapysudz]

I was just thinking how a Ketterdam and Gotham crossover/mashup has so many possibilities! I haven't really seen much tho so here are some thoughts.

I picture it as slightly more Gotham, set in the modern (ish) world but also having the political systems and gangs of the Barrel mixed in. The grisha would still have the categories of powers that they do in the grishaverse but less organized, basically considered a subset of meta (my head is currently full of stress so sorry for any and all lore mistakes I make!).

So there's beginning SoC Kaz with the Crows and he hears right away when there's a certain up an coming crime lord in town. Kaz wants to get his revenge on Pekka Rollins but there's the issue of his debt and how many gang leaders don't take him seriously because he's young and walks with a cane. After gathering more info and concocting some convoluted plan that has 43 steps and 15 backups he meets with the Red Hood to see if they can come to a mutually beneficial agreement as Kaz has tabs on pretty much everything in Ketterdam and all the political gang stuff that goes on. He also has PLANS that I'm pretty sure Jason would disrupt and Kaz is gonna do his best to integrate him into those plans while also maybe helping direct him in what he should be doing for optimal takeover.

Like if Kaz has the firepower of the Red Hood to add to his plans? Absolutely terrifying. Ofc there would be interpersonal conflict but that's like half the fun, the character dynamics possibilities are endless! I was thinking that the generally fanon accepted rules that Jason has (I'm more familiar with SoC canon and am more fuzzy on dc details so apologies) like regulating the drug trade, protecting sex workers, etc and strict enforcement of those rules are all things that Kaz wouldn't mind AND if Jason took down Tante Heleen's Menagerie? That would be a great scene for after everyone has started working together and taking over, maybe Jason doesn't know Inej's history but he can probably guess and offers to torture Tante Heleen for her (do I hate Heleen? Yes I do) wether or not he does Tante Heleen won't be conducting her business ever again.

I think that Kaz could definitely spruce up Jason's ten step revenge plot but how idk. For real tho, Kaz's lack of experience is one of the few things holding him back, when he's older? Even just late twenties, it'll be over for everyone lol.

The Barrel seems Crime Alley adjacent so those can be smashed together (would that make Kaz from Metropolis?? Lol but nah probably some farming state)

Omg what if Dick is Inej's brother? Doesn't really fit I think but just an idea. That'd be so freaking sad tho, she's gonna search for her parents and not know they're dead :(

Batman does batman stuff I guess, I didn't really care about him when I was thinking of this crossover but there could be interesting ideas for him. I feel like there's so much going on in Ketterdam/Gotham (Gothdam?lol) that he'd be run ragged and honestly I'd understand him barely putting even a dent in crime there. I'd still have Duke be a meta as opposed to a grisha mostly bc he's closest to a sun summoner and I'm not a fan of the Shadow and Bone books. Damian should definitely have his metal spine, maybe he's a Fabrikator or got that spine put in by one. Steph might be on the very fringes of Crows activity, I really like when her and Jason are besties in fics bc I feel like they have the least amount of baggage/history and have similar backgrounds so its easier if u want to ease him into the batfam one person at a time. Not that I've decided if that's what's happening here but anyways. I'll have more later, ttfn and please take any of this and run with it! Imma tag this thing Gothdam au.

[clickedbait]

Twenty-three years ago, Damian's parents signed him up for a penpal program that landed him writing with Melanie. He hadn't wanted to at first, but his parents encouraged it and even helped him to write them with pictures of his weekly outing or little league practice. Then it would be a bit before they heard back, but soon enough the first reply was in... then the second... then the third. Before he knew it the two were writing up until their little hands could work keyboards, using AIM and other messaging programs for a period of time. It was always supervised, always checked in on-- but their parents had also become penpals of sorts, swapping recipes and checking in on one another but never pushing the two beyond what they had. Their friendship the forefront of both aging preteens. But even as they went through puberty there was always a platonic tone in their messages and whatever was sent, their parents even encouraging that to stay as such. Damian also began to think of her as someone she trusted beyond a friend, but not something more. Something more would mean breaking the familial tone that everyone was placing on them.

So even as they hit high school, Damian continued to text and call and even write to @whatscanon as the friends they were. Cheering each other on, helping one another, and providing updates whenever they could. But really? It didn't take long into middle school for him to start realizing that he felt something for her, but-- always with the cut off. She wasn't someone tangible and never someone he could have, it would be impossible to be much of anything. So he always scrubbed it from his head and moved his focus elsewhere. Which led him through a few relationships through high school and even into community college, but it was never anything that stuck around longer than a two years. Not that they ever hurt less when below that mark..

It was well into his time in owning Minty's Menagerie that he found himself given an opportunity he hadn't ever seen coming. Why wouldn't he? They were bound to meet eventually, bound to fall into a moment where they'd be face to face-- but this? She'd been engaged and getting ready to get married. In fact that was when was expecting to meet her. He was planning on flying out curtesy of her parents and his to surprise her, but now that wasn't going to happen. Instead she was broken off from it and making her way to Hawaii... invitation for one.

And he should've immediately said yes. Should've given her that reason to be even more excited for it, but he was nervous. What if they met and something didn't click? What if they met and suddenly things-- why was he worried about this now? No. He knew why. It had everything to do with her and her fiance being over. Before there was this barrier blocking what thoughts made his heart race and now? Well now neither of them had a barrier blocking them. He had no reason to be nervous.

That's why he went. He packed up himself and Petunia for a round trip to Hawaii the day after she arrived. He only knew all the information because she'd forwarded it to him and she hadn't said he couldn't still show up. So he psyched himself up with some peptalks with his chihuahua the day of the flight, the little thing yipping and spinning circles as he jumped about. This was going to be a good trip and he was going to have a good time, they were going to have a good time.

He arrived in the afternoon-- sorry, they arrived in the afternoon at the resort the group was staying at. Petunia in a sling on his side that crossed along his green touristy opened Hawaiian shirt and a pair of sunglasses to block the glare of the sun. He asked for directions at the front desk then was guided to where their specific bungalows were located, giving the pet shelter owner a run down of the schedules circulating around the resort. He was glad for the distraction because by the time he reached the bungalow? The group was just stepping outside with a fit of laughter over something said.

Petunia gave a short bark in their direction and they turned, one of the girls giving a little gasp of excitement and oh my god, Mel--

"Hey, Melly-Belly," He lifted his hand not attached to his suitcase handle, waving it as his eyes fell onto the woman he'd only ever seen in photos, videos, and FaceTimes, "It's... so good to finally see you." And it was. His heart was racing rapidly in his chest as he looked her over, unable to tear his gaze away from her despite the group surrounding her. Petunia gave another bark and he brought his hand down to pet her head gently, "We've been waiting for this."

[tabaquis-barking]

Day 3: Gun to Temple | "Say Goodbye" | Impaled

Bruce finds himself in a difficult situation

“Ooh, careful, Bats! Any closer and my finger might just slip!”

A vile menagerie of green and purple, the Joker stands precariously close to the edge of a stony Gotham rooftop. In one gloved hand, he clutches a gleaming silver pistol. The other is wrapped around a terrified Robin, doing his best but utterly failing to look unafraid. The gun is pressed to Robin’s temple, shiny muzzle burying itself in wiry black hair. Caught with little other option, Bruce slowly holds both hands up before him, showing that both were empty. Joker didn’t respond--this wasn’t the reaction he was after. “This isn’t the right way to do this,” Bruce tries, his mouth horribly dry. “Put him down and we can talk.” “Cripes, Batman, he’s occupying my hands, not my mouth. We can talk just fine like this! I’ll even keep it PG so that Junior here--” He gives Robin a quick, rough shake. The boy squeezes his eyes shut, terrified, and Bruce feels hot rage bubble in his chest. “--Can stay up past bedtime and chat with the grown-ups. Wouldn’t want him thinking that mommy and daddy fight when he goes off to bed, would we?”

There’s no endgame, here. There isn’t anything Bruce has that Joker wants, apart from Bruce’s own emotional suffering. This isn’t a tactic to obtain anything, or a means to an end. He isn’t holding Robin at gunpoint as a bargaining chip; Joker is emotionally shooting at Bruce’s feet, demanding he dance. The dance is all he’ll ever want. It’s all he’s ever wanted, the tango behind every single misdemeanor, felony, and atrocity the Joker has ever committed. It’s driven him to everything from ominous prank calls to the murder of Jason Todd, and that is what Bruce is truly afraid of. He can’t stop this man from killing another one of his children. Joker knows, too, and so does Damian--tiny, inexperienced, and doing everything he can not to tremble in the mad clown’s grasp. 

The oppressive darkness of Gotham’s starless sky seems to be closing in on him. Bruce feels it like a choking smog clogging his throat--he’s helpless here and feels it in his chest so intensely he can barely even breathe. The weight of his own forced inaction threatens to drag his soul into the ground, shackled and pulled by Damian’s frantic eyes. He knows his father can’t do anything to help. He waits for it anyway. Bored with a silence that had dragged on for too long, Joker sighs and taps the gun against Robin’s head. He whimpers, reflexively cringing, only for Joker to grasp him by the back of the neck. This, by some stroke of luck, is his undoing. The Fifth Robin had come preset with a hair trigger, and the contact with the back of his neck sets it off in an instant. Before Joker has time to react, a sharp little elbow has gone crashing into his stomach, knocking him swiftly off the edge of the building. The gun fires, but Bruce’s eyes haven’t left the muzzle since it touched his son--it’s pointed into the sky as Joker plummets, the bullet whizzing off harmlessly into the sky. He grabs Damian and whips him back, away from the edge, before firing the hook and plummeting off himself after the man who’d just tried to murder his son. He leaves Joker tied up and dangling from the roof, swinging back up to check on Damian. His son is sitting down against the wall, knees brought up to his chest and arms folded over them. When he hears Bruce coming, he stiffens, then sits himself up at attention to look up at his father. Even behind the mask, Bruce can see a betrayed bitterness staring back at him. Damian had, undoubtedly, marked that there was no sound of a body hitting the ground. 

The silence drags on for what feels like hours. Helpless again, Bruce can only stand there, hostage, silently marinating in his own guilt. 

Finally, Damian looks away, staring straight ahead. His tiny fingers drum once against his knee before he speaks; “It was imperative to the mission.” Every time Bruce thinks he’s got no heart left, Gotham finds a way to dredge up a scrap to grind beneath her heel. He’d been prepared to handle all manor of grief and rage from his son, to offer any number of consolations, explanations, and sympathies. He’d been ready for screams, swears, punches and kicks. Bruce hadn’t been ready for Damian to understand. “..It was imperative to the mission.” He confirms, but it feels dishonest and wrong. As sirens draw near below, red and blue lights dance up the bricks of the neighboring building. Bruce wonders, for the umpteenth time, how long this can truly be worth it--how long the toll could drag on before he was well and truly forced to make a decision he’d sworn he never would. The dance was never going to end if left up to Joker. Bruce couldn’t lose another child. 

[glorified-red]

Waking up to 10 thousand alerts on my phone for tumblr from you being asked medieval would you rather questions with Tim and Damian is probably the most hilarious thing ever and has sent my mind spiraling. So, I have decided to throw my lil top hat in the ring. 🌝

Would you rather be a pampered Queen with King! Tim but have to deal with several political struggles and wars as others try to intrude on the land.

Or would you rather be a regular civilian with a Damian who has decided to give up being an heir to the throne; you aren’t super wealthy but you two own a menagerie of exotic pets and creatures (but since you are in the same kingdom of Tim’s it is at risk of being pillaged due to the political mess going on).

Saku!! My love!!

No literally, I woke up this morning and on top of my phone blowing up over the SuperBat post (1500 notes?? wow??) I saw 12 asks after spending the previous night JUST cleaning out my inbox, I think I stared at my phone in awe for ten minutes.

I love getting to interact with you guys so much, I literally started a writing blog dreaming of the day I'd get random thoughts in my inbox to just talk to you guys so I am in heaven right now.

Also?? you have my notifs on??? 🥺 you are a strong soldier if you get a notification everytime i go on a reblog spree, good luck bestie.

Onto the WYR:

This is such a tough choice becaue they both suck 💀

On one hand, as royalty, youd live a pampered life but man the weight and pressure of the crown would make you wish you didn't. Tim is a very politically savvy King and I stand by that, if anyone can get the kingdrom through a potential war, itll be him. He is the definition of a negotiator and then a calculated menace if that doesnt work.

He'd get to the source and talk his way through it and if that didn't change the tide, he'd personally lead a legion to tear it down. Your job at this time is to be his voice of reason, to let him know all the sides of the stories. But more importantly, he needs breaks, he needs the weight of the crown to lesson and that's when you'll step in.

Whereas with Damian, when he gives up the life of royalty you two create a wonderful home for just the two of you and its beautiful. Problem is, politics suck and at any moment your home could be destroyed. Damian is prepared for the worst the second he catches wind of whats going on.

He's more than ready to pick up his life once again and move some place else, so long as he has you, he'll be happy. So if things really turn sideways, you will just get another chance to make a home even more beautiful than before.

But the pets >< I dont wanna think about Damian having to sell them, my heart will literally break.

And for that, Imma go with Tim because I can cuddle him and be rationale and thats easier to me than having to watch Damian sell his pets.