#halys circus

[audhd-nightwing]

can we talk more about how dick didn’t go to school until he lived with bruce? like. bro grew up in a traveling circus

idk i just wish that was touched upon more in fics and stuff. he most likely lived in a trailer with his parents, was probably homeschooled by them and maybe other members of the troupe

i also wish we got to see more of haly’s in general because like. that was his family. they watched him grow up! and for him to just get taken in by some millionaire and never see them again? dick grayson would never leave his family in the dark like that

anyway this is all just to say: dick should’ve stayed in contact with other troupe members and visited them/had them over. in my heart they send him postcards from every place they perform, and he has haly’s number (everyone takes turns talking to him when he calls)

they would probably recognize dick if they met robin cuz of the color scheme & quadruple flip, but i don’t think they’d ever really have the opportunity bc yk. traveling circus

i just want him to have a bunch of aunts and uncles from the circus that teach him cool stuff and tell him fun stories. they go to his high school graduation and try to make it to every birthday

[waynzel]

still cooking up that that 'auntie harley comes to gotham with dick as they were both part of haly's circus' au 🙏🏽

[spider-jaysart]

Starburst Duo Headcanon Ask;

Dick is preparing a grand opening night for Haly’s Circus’ new permanent home at Bludhaven Central Park. However during the preparations for the opening performance, the main headlining acts had to be postponed due to the performer getting a bad flu. That means someone would have to fill in that spot

Can you Chris and Jake volunteering to fill fin for the man in act? If yes, what would their act be?

@paladin-of-nerd-fandom65

Yess! They both definitely would want to volunteer to help out after hearing about what had happened, especially since they both have always admired the skills of the entertainers at the circus when watching them, especially when seeing Dick's trapeze skills as well

And maybe they would try to create their own stunt for the show that's a little chaotic, like doing trapeze through fire hoops, which makes Dick worry like crazy once he sees their live performance during the actual show, since they hadn't told him that they were going to actually use fired lit hoops for their performance lol

Thanks for the ask, Buddy! :D

[dexterityemma]

where were you the night after the incident?

[dcxdpdabbles]

DC xDP idea: Misplace Baby

Danny makes a mistake.

He was messing around in Clockwork's lair-specifically the one with all the various clocks- when he accidentally broke a glowing gold hourglass on himself. It was the size of a house, so as the sand practically drowned him, he didn't notice his body shrinking until he dug out of the shimmering sand.

Danny stumbles on chubby little legs, panicking when he notices his clothes are suddenly too big and his hands are tinny. He fumbles to one of the old grandfather clocks to check his reflection in the glass. A small three-year-old stares back at him.

Danny screams, pushing away from the old clock. His actions cause him to trip over the leg of his pants, and he falls. Just as he tries to catch himself, the clock starts to ding.

Danny briefly recognizes the old melody of a Westminster before the clock's glass case swings open, revealing a portal, and he falls through. He catches a glimpse of Clockwork with a hand on his forehead, shaking his head in the doorway as he falls.

His face is dragged against the carpet as the Westminster chime rings behind him in the otherwise silent room. Groaning at the burn on his nose and cheeks, Danny sits up.

He turns around, watching in horror as the portal closes.

"No! No, no, no!" He opens and closes the glass door, but all he sees is the slightly swinging pendulum. Repeats his actions again and again. "Clockwork! Help! Clockwork!"

His mentor does not answer, and Danny can't feel him in the air. Can't sense his new father figure's gentle control over the flow of time. If he's learned anything in the last year he's been working as his appearance, this means Clockwork isn't in charge of this timeline.

He's in a universe so far from his original that not even the god of Time is the same. Moby Dick, he's gone and goofed now.

"Who's there?" A voice demands, and Danny whips around to see a startled man in a suit. A fine black two-piece suit that looks more expensive than Danny's house and car. Oh no, a rich man.

The man's blue eyes soften when he sees Danny. "Hey there, chum. What are you doing in my study?"

Danny blinks up at him as the man walks closer. At the closeness, the halfa's body betrays him. He starts to sob. Strong, painful sobs that wreck his whole body, and he can't breathe from how much he's crying.

The man's arms are around him in seconds. "Oh, Chum, it's okay. You're okay."

He lifts him up, pressing his wet face against his neck as he pats Danny's little back. It is humiliating, but Danny can't help but cling to the strong shoulders and curl against the warm chest as he cries. His tears and snot are all over the man's suit, but he doesn't seem to care as he comforts Danny.

Eventually, he cries to sleep, tear-stained face still pressed against the stranger's neck and his little head leaning against a strong shoulder. The rich man carefully tilts his head to ensure the toddler is fast asleep.

Once confirmed, he takes the small boy to the guest rooms. He needs answers- who is the boy? Where did he come from? Is he the son of one of the Gala attendees? What had the boy been doing at the clock guarding the Batcave?- but he will find those later. Right now, he needs to tuck this small child into bed.

"Master Bruce, your guests are waiting for you to give the speech," Alfred says, catching him at the stairway. The butler's eyes zone in on the small child in Bruce's arms before nodding. "I shall inform Marster Dick to speak for you. Who may this young lad be?"

"I'm not sure. I just found him crying in the main study." Bruce tilts his head to the upper floors. "I'm going to tuck him in."

"I'm afraid I only prepared the room next to Master Damian in preparation for Master Jon's visit. Thankfully the lads would not be opposed to sharing a room for the night if I request it of them."

"Thank you, Alfred. I'll be down as soon as I-"

"Who's child is that!?" Jason demands, stomping his way up the stairs. He's missing his suit jacket, and there is a nasty red stain on the front of his white shirt. Likely he's come for a change after "accidentally" dumping it on himself to get away from the Gala.

The toddler's nose wrinkles, indicating his sleep may be interrupted. Quickly, Bruce pats his back, humming a lullaby before the child can wake. The boy settles after a small sigh. He gives Jason a warning glare that the young man has the decency to look remorseful.

"Jason," Bruce starts, voice hushed. "I found him in the main study. He looks distressed, but a few minutes ago, I got an alert that someone had gotten into the manor. When I followed the motion detectors, it led me to this little guy."

"A baby broke into the manner? That's hardcore." Jason replied, peering at the sleeping child only to gasp. "It's another mini-you!"

"No," Bruce tells him, but secretly he thinks the same when he first finds the little boy in the main study. He had already taken a lock of the boy's hair. Just, you know, in case.

"Nice try, old man." Jason pulls out his phone, his thumb flying over his screen. A soft ding comes from the pockets of Bruce and Alfred. He doesn't have to look to know his son has just told all his siblings about the child.

A series of dings follow shortly after.

Bruce sighs, choosing not to answer, nodding to Jason and Aldfed as he quickly goes up the stairs. At least Alfred delays Jason from following by scolding him over the red stain.

Once the boy is safely placed into the bed, he carefully changes him into a pair of Damian's smallest pjs. They are still far too big for the boy but better than the jeans and white shirt he wore. He's happy to find that besides the red on his face- it looks like carpet burn- and a small bruise on his knee, the boy is unharmed. He places a stuffed octopus in the toddler's arms- smiling as the little one automatically clings it to it - before rushing down to the Batcave.

There he runs the DNA tests just as he reviews the camera footage. There he catches the toddler walking out of the woods, pushing himself through a small gap in the metal fence and wandering around the manor until he finds an open window and crawls in.

The window was opened by one of his Gala guests taking a smoke break. Bruce felt a small annoyance that they didn't follow his "no-smoking" rule even when he had explained on multiple occasions it was due to Tim not having a spleen and being worried about his health. He'll have to blacklist that man.

The child had not gracefully fallen into the manor, and Bruce winced as the boy slammed against the carpet floor as tripped. It explains the marks on his face. The boy had then cried for a few minutes- his cries must have been drowned out by the music of the Gala- but then he must have realized that no one was coming for him, so the baby had gotten up and wandered through the house crying.

He had found himself in the main study, where a few minutes later, Bruce had seen him.

Rewinding the camera, Bruce's eyes narrowed at seeing a piece of paper pinned to the boy's clothes. It looked like it fell off when he crawled through the window. Checking on the DNA test, Bruce left the cave to look for the paper.

He found in the hands of Cass, whose eyes were going over the words with fascination. She looks up at him, unsurprised by his approach- no one could sneak up on Cass- and smiles widely. "Baby brother?"

"What?"

She hands him a letter. It's short and to the point; it claims to be an old fling that gave birth three years ago, but she doesn't want anything to do with the child. She's sending the boy to the manor and is out of the country by the time he arrives.

She leaves no name.

Bruce can't remember anyone with whom he had a fling three years ago, so he knows it's a lie. Still, he would rather not find her if the child was abandoned like this. He's not sure he wouldn't break all her bones.

"I don't think he's mine," Bruce tells Cass. She tilts her head with a frown, staring at him with a soft glare until he sighs. "But I won't mind keeping him."

She beams.

The two make their way to the Batcave and find Dick already there. He's staring at the screen displaying the DNA results with a stupefied expression.

"Chum?" Bruce asks, but Dick doesn't respond. He only gapes at the screen. Cass skips next to him before she, too, freezes, and Bruce is slightly worried about what he will find.

There is a match between the boy and someone in the manner alright. But it's not with Bruce.

It's a match with Dick.

"Holy rapid-ranging ravens, I'm a father." Dick gasps.

Clockwork runs his fingers through his idiotic son's hair three floors above them. Kronos stands guard at the door, arms cross as he watches the visiting time god carefully whip the dimension travelers' memories.

Kronos is in charge of this universe timeline, but when he was approached by Clockwork asking for a favor, well, it was not hard to shift some events and make Danny a legit background.

He was now the son of Dick Grayson and Stacy Quinell. One was a boy who had been born in a circus but was forced to leave it after the death of his parents. When life got too rough, the boy would join the circus for short trips under the name Dan Danger.

The other was a girl whose parents were so determined to control every aspect of her life and were going to force her to marry a man twice her age she left home at sixteen.

She joined a traveling circus-Haley Circus- where she had a fling with Dan Danger. The night Dan was meant to go, she had seen him without his mask and learned it to be Dick Grayson.

Upon discovering her pregnancy, Stacy feared being kicked out of the circus, so she took a short break, gave birth to the boy, and kept him until he was three, thus demeaning him old enough to be without his mother.

She took him as close as she could to Wayne Manor and left. She intended to return to Haly's Circus, unaware of the fate that waited for her. Unaware of the Cout that needed new talons.

"Are you sure about this?" Kronos asks, "I'm all for discipline, but having the boy forget everything about himself for going into the timeline room?"

"It's not a punishment," Clockwork says. "It's a gift. Danny had lost so much when his parents learned the truth. His sister died trying to get him out of the house. His best friends were crippled when trying to hide him. His town was blown to pieces when his parents decided that no one in Amity Park could have a family if they could not have their children. Danny had spent years wishing to forget but mostly wishing to be a normal child. I will forever be grateful if a lifetime here grants him that."

Kronos frowns. "You have no power here. You do not know what awaits him."

"True, I know not of the trials and tribulations Danny will face, but I know you do. And you would not let anything happen to him, won't you." Clockwork looks at Kronos through his lashes and the other god of time swallows.

"Of course, my love. I will protect him. But unlike you, I can not get involved with mortals as easily. I will not be able to shield him."

"His new family will," Clockwork says, pressing his face against Danny's hair one last time to breathe him in. It will be a lifetime before he can hold his son. "The bats have faced worst odds."

Kronos tilts his head in agreement. "They have rewritten fate on numerous occasions. Even the Flashes have only been able to overturn fate but never truly go against it."

"The Court of Owls?"

"Danny will deal with them in time. His new mother is on her way to becoming a Telon. He will erase them from the timeline once he learns what they have done to her." Krono answers, eyes glowing as events of the future play before him. He watches a glowing figure battle against the king of the dead, his white hair shining brightly. "He seems to take the throne from the king of dead even here. Remarkable."

"My son is the most remarkable being around," Clockwork says proudly. He flouts from the bed, leaving behind a child with only memories of three years and a few false imprinted glimpses of the circus trailer his mother hid him in. He presses a kiss against Krono's lips. "I find myself wishing for another child. Will you assist me with that love?"

Kronos snaps them out of existence just as Danny opens his eyes and feels a small loss. It's quickly forgotten as his new father runs into the room to gasp. "Hey there, buddy, do you know who I am?"

Danny Grayson is introduced to his uncles and aunts later that night. He also meets John Jones and his niece Megan Morse who ask him a few questions about his past. Danny gets a funny feeling around them, as if someone was running their fingers through his hair but inside his head.

Thankfully they find everything to be alright.

And a new generation is born.

[allovesthings]

Dick Grayson: is an extremely independent person living alone who struggled with money but refused to ask Bruce for it even though he was broke several times.

Some interpretations of him: himbo trust fund baby....

[theforgottendaydreamer]

I think people forget that in addition to all the shit that Dick goes through in the YJ animated show, like losing Wally, countless betrayals/double agent-y stuff, losing even more teammates, watching Babs get paralysed, etc, Dick also lost Jason in that universe.

And we don't really get to see much of it, we get a glimpse of it only when Dick himself tells Tim "Just don't die", and later when Kaldur says "Now Jason is dead".

But Dick goes through that too. Despite all the suffering he was put through ever since S1 basically (Haly's, failsafe, "I don't want to be the Batman", ...), we collectively need to remember that he lost Jason too, there.

Not to mention, the potential that the next season has (they must make it.) with the Sanctuary.

[scintillyyy]

anyways, i'm not going to say tim is a paragon of sensitivity or anything, because he's not, but i do think the graysons' death is an area where he does actively try to at least be somewhat delicate and sensitive about discussing it.

batman #441

like he very much actively does not want to have to tell dick how he knows, and he's very apologetic that bringing it up is hurtful to dick.

secret origins 80 page giant

like honestly. this is actually a very neutral way of telling the story. very bare bones. "it was the best day of my life. then your parents died." which. is objectively true?? and tim is still very apologetic, especially when he realizes how he might be coming across. like. idk. obviously dick is the center of this tragedy, but it is fundamentally like. a super, super terrible and traumatizing thing for a child of indeterminate age (anywhere from 2-7) to witness a death, not just in general, but at a happy place like a circus. hell. it was fundamentally terrible for the adults at the circus to witness this death, bruce and jack and janet and every single person in that audience included. and while it's a little cringey that tim is narrating the worst day to dick's life to dick, this conversation only even came up because dick brought it up to begin with.

and at this point dick and tim have known each other for almost a decade in real time and have been explicitly written as brothers for probably about 4 years real time, so dick probably genuinely doesn't mind talking about this with tim. i do like the idea of how this probably progresses for dick over time. like, at first, dick is probably super, super annoyed at this thirteen year old kid who wormed his way into dick's personal tragedy but then as dick gets to know him and love him and that's his little brother now-

like how much it must crush dick (now that he knows and loves tim) that tim had to experience the same horrible thing that happened to dick and that dick's parent's death happening is what ended up bringing the two of them back together again eventually.

[damianwaynerocks]

listen okay i know the gotham show isn’t canon & i know that jerome & jeremiah weren’t ever technically called the joker but there’s something so funny about the joker & dick grayson both having roots in haly’s circus but just. neither of them know about it.

joker sees the fancy flips that only the flying graysons can do and “hey that new robin looks like john” but joker just. it doesn’t even compute in his head. i think that’s very funny.

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Okay, I said previously I’d make a post about Mary and John in the Lost Carnival book.

Well, here’s some key moments I found the most interesting and memorable from that book, a further showcasing how close knit of a family the Flying Graysons 1.0 are, no matter which DCU they inhabit

Amazing Acrobats As Per Usual, to the point even Dick (in fairness in this elseworld he’s a teen that’s been performing for a long time with his family) can say it’s boring lol

John catching up with his son after a small incident, part of the larger story of course, making sure he’s alright

This scene ……Oh Me Oh My…Dear God, X’hal and Rao gosh I love this scene so freaking much. Mary being there to comfort her boy and giving life advice (Granted sure it’s an elseworld so meaning it’s not Kory being involved sadly though I state had it been Kory, this advice would still be there. Mary seems like that kind of Mom ya know?)

And finally, these respecting their son’s choices with his life at this story, sure maybe entering college is drastically different from say being a colorful costume clad crime fighter he is canonically but I’m sure Mary and John will be able to respect that one way or another had they been present.

Gosh, I swear these two were such a highlight in this book, it even makes me pardon the fact that romance here isn’t with Kory. Oh well though, I take what I can get lol

Tagging: @celaenaeiln @spider-jaysart @camo-wolf @gffa @sbd-laytall

If you wish to Reblog or not, it’s up to you ;-)

[brucewaynehater101]

Because Haly's Circus toured around the world, Dick would've had a strong grasp on tons of different languages before meeting Bruce.

What languages would he know best?

[audhd-nightwing]

“dick grayson is a rich kid” “dick grayson is a cop”

you mean the dick grayson who spent the first 9ish years of his life in a traveling circus? who probably lived in a trailer? who was put in juvie for weeks after being orphaned? who was likely taught not to trust cops?

you mean the dick grayson who refused to use bruce’s money once he left the manor? who lived in a shitty apartment in Blüdhaven and worked a job to afford it? who is very independent from bruce?

you mean the dick grayson who saw firsthand the corruption in both gotham and blüdhaven’s police department? who became a vigilante to do what the cops couldn’t/wouldn’t do?

you mean the dick grayson who, after becoming a millionaire (from alfred’s inheritance), gave all of that money to charity? that dick grayson?

[heroesriseandfall]

As someone who works with 2-3 year olds this is absolutely the look of parents who know if they put their kid down for 2 seconds (excepting when he’s around that nice acrobat Dick Grayson!) he will run off to see the clowns and be lost forever

Secret Origins Vol. 2 #50

Batman #436 — Batman: Year Three

Batman #441 — A Lonely Place of Dying: Chapter Three

Highlighting the clown part though, literally in two of these panels he is SO delighted and intrigued by a clown. And what disguise was Dick in when Tim found him at the Circus in their second ever meeting?

The New Titans #60 — A Lonely Place of Dying: Chapter Two

…so he DID run off to see a clown the second they weren’t looking. well, that’s what happens when you leave a kid at boarding school 😔 can’t take your eyes off him for even a second.

[mayamarvil]

Bathound looks different in this picture

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #1

[apidaebee]

You know what one of my absolute favourite things about Gotham the tv show was?

The Joker was from Haly’s Circus. Both versions of the Joker were from the same place that produced Dick Grayson, and from the same circus that the Court of Owls used as a recruiting and training ground.

The implications of all that make me think sometimes

[magnoliasandarson]

million dollar smile

By all accounts, Richard John Grayson was a bubbly child. Lively, ever-smiling, he talked a mile a minute at anyone who would give him a second. He fluttered about under the big top at Haly's with all the joy and energy of a storybook child. He took to the sky with his Daj and Dat, eyes looking out to the crowd—performing as only he could. Then his parents fell.

Suddenly, the smiles never quite reached his eyes; his energy was still there, but it wasn't the same. He didn't soar; hands stretched to the sky, he leaped- eyes fixed on the ground. His jokes weren't cheeky- they were acidic. Now the story didn't end happily ever after; now it ended with Dick Grayson making things right. No matter the cost.

But Bruce tried. He stared into darkened blue eyes that once reflected the happiest summer days and offered a new chance. He took the boy's darkness into his own shadows and handed him a suit made of the sun and everything good. The smiles were real again, painfully so, but there was an awful curl on his lips that made it look more like a snarl. Even so, it worked for a while, but a bandage on a bullet wound never holds.

The darkness crept into his periphery again. Blurred his vision. He kept trying to fly- kept trying to be worthy of his vibrant armor. But Bruce was done trying. He snatched away his salvation- and tossed it to another kid with starry eyes. Dick tried to hate the boy- Jason- the imposter that stole his birthright and legacy in one fell swoop, but his chip-toothed grin stole away into his shadows, and the world wasn't so dark anymore. 

Now, when Robin went flying into the dark, he had a companion in the darkness. More likely to snap than the younger, more ready to make the hard calls. It was his purpose; Nightwing wasn’t meant to be a beacon of light. 

They only ever caught glimpses of him from the shadows.

Just a flash of shiny white teeth before the darkness.