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threewaysdivided · 3 years

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How would you describe Wally and Dick's season 1 relationship? It was pretty clear even if you're not paying attention that they've known each other for a long time and you know what? I feel like Dick has a lot of guilt for that whole end of the world situation. He feels like he lead Wally to his death. What do you think?

If I had to sum up how I see Dick and Wally in Season 1, I would probably say "best friends and honorary brothers".

When I think of Season 1 Dick and Wally I think of that scene in E24 Performance where Dick says that he left Wally off the unofficial mission to Haley's Circus because he "didn't want my best friend questioning my objectivity", and Wally replies that "that's what a best friend's for". As well as small moments like the mutual wordless head-nod and the "you knew" in E16 Failsafe.

It's explicit canon that they consider each other best friends in Season 1. We also know from the many little jokes and comments that Wally is in on the secret of Dick and Bruce's identities, and it's strongly implied that Dick was the one who told him.

I'm not sure how much of this is explicit canon and how much of it is Word of God clarification, but I think there's info in the S1 animated canon and tie-in companion comics that - of the current generation of League proteges/"sidekicks" - Robin was the first, with Kid Flash and Speedy having close competition for second. And we know explicitly that there's a much wider age gap between Speedy/Red Arrow/Roy and Robin than there is between Robin and Kid Flash.

Based on that I think there's a pretty strong argument that Wally may have been one of, if not the first close friend Dick made following death of his parents, leaving the circus and joining Bruce, and certainly the first friend who Dick could fully be himself around without having to be careful with the details of his identity. And while we don't have any significant canonical information on what Wally's school life was vis-à-vis friends (aside from that one little joke montage of him having a rubbish day waiting for the bell at the start of E6 Infiltrator) it's possible that Dick was the same for Wally.

That history gives them a lot of closeness and a level of connection that isn't as strong between them and the others. From the Roy-Artemis thing in E6 Infiltrator we kind of see that Wally can be a little possessive and territorial about his friends (he spends that episode and a few of the ones that follow being a bit of a backseat rival to Artemis on Roy's behalf, it's kind of cute), but I think you can also see a bit of the same thing to a subtler degree in Dick. He rolls his eyes a lot at Wally's flirtations with girls and in E3 Welcome to Happy Harbor and the associated tie in comics he has a slightly affronted reaction to just how thick Wally is laying it on towards M'gann (he even takes her hand out of Wally's at one point). And I know some people will (and do) interpret that romantically but honestly, as someone who tends not to go in for the romance-and-sex-stuff, it's also a pretty normal, natural pseudo-sibling/best friend response to seeing them make a genuine advance towards someone and the anxiety about how them getting "other friends" / "a significant other" might impact the relationship that already exists.

There's also a few times where it feels like they might be clued into each other moreso even than they might consciously understand themselves. In Failsafe Wally recognises without being told that Dick is lying to them about the potential of the others being alive for the sake of the mission, and then again in Performance he clocks and calls out Dick for lying about the "official" nature of the mission within just a few lines of their phone call. We don't really see Dick doing the same thing as explicitly to Wally but you can read reciprocity between the lines.

Also the fact that they both know each other well enough to recognise, and feel comfortable calling each other out for bullsh*t when necessary says a lot about the strength, openness and health of their friendship.

As for the "whole end of the world situation", I'm going to assume you mean the train-for-failure mission in E16 Failsafe and not something from the later seasons. Dick is pretty explicit about his feelings and his sense of guilt during his session in E17 Disordered:

"Hurting? Try traumatised. I finally become leader and wind up sending all of my friends to their deaths. ... I know I did what I had to, but I hated it. And that's not even the worse of it... I always wanted - expected - to grow up and become him. And the hero bit? I'm still all in. But that thing inside of him? That thing that drives him to sacrifice everything for the sake of the mission? That's not me. I don't want to be The Batman any more."

Intellectually Dick understands that what he did may well have been necessary. Within the reality of the simulation the whole world was in danger and in those circumstances the needs of the many were worth more than the lives of the few, even if those lives were some of the most important people in Dick's whole world.

He knows he did what he had to, what he was trained to, and on some level he may even understand that he didn't have many viable alternatives given the situation... but despite all that he hated it.

He hated it so much that he decides he never wants to become the kind of person who has to, or would choose to, make those decisions.

(This is one of the reasons why the later seasons are so infuriating to me. We see him openly acknowledge this conflict, but then in later seasons so much of the drama comes from him lying to and manipulating his friends in ways that sacrifices their friendships and even puts some of them in danger. And not only is there little to no evidence that their lives would be in greater danger if he didn't do this, doing so actively hampers their ability to contribute to the mission. So what is he even sacrificing them for? He's become the thing he said he didn't want to be, the thing Bruce also said he didn't want Dick to become, and the series never asks him to confront this or even bothers to engage with how tragic it is. It's really sad.)

With Failsafe I don't think it would be possible to separate where Dick's guilt and grief over the loss of the Team as a whole and each individual member ends, and where his specific grief over Wally begins. But we do see how close they are to each other and how committed they are to heroism - even after Wally realises Dick has lied to him, he doesn't walk away or try to change the plan; he's even reluctant to leave Dick to plant the bombs by himself despite it giving him a better chance to get out. They were literally ride or die, right to the end.

But to be honest, I think Season 1 Dick would always feel a sense of guilt if Wally died, no matter how it happened. We feel responsible for the people we are close to and it's hard not to feel guilty or like there was something more we could have done when someone we care about dies.

It wouldn't matter if Wally had just tripped under a bus out of the blue, the guilt and questions would still linger. If only Dick had been there with him, if only he'd thought to call just then, if only he'd agreed to meet or sent that text or answered that message...

If only I said this.

If only I did that.

The easiest trap to fall for, no matter how much we rationally understand that a situation was out of our control.

#young justice #YJS1 #YJ Meta #Dick Grayson #Wally West #Robin #Kid Flash #death mention #Failsafe #Disordered #Performance #youmaycallmeyourhigness #3WD Answers

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mochegato · 3 years

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Capturing a Dream

Chapter 9 – Who Do You Know

Chapter 1 Chapter 8

*Note: Most of Batman’s dialogue and all of Red Tornado’s is from the show, so, not my words.

This had passed frustrating several rooms ago. Now, Conner was straight up annoyed. He searched each room as they passed by them from the hanger to the communications center, searching for any indication of what time it was. Had there always been this jarring lack of clocks in the Cave? He could swear he had always been able to tell the time before. Or maybe it was just that time hadn’t mattered until he was counting down the minutes to Chimera’s return. As soon as he got the chance, he was going to put a clock in every room in the Cave and start wearing a watch.

She was supposed to be back anytime now. She was scheduled to fly ridiculously early that morning into whichever city she was supposedly staying in instead of the Cave and Zeta tube into the Cave as soon as she could. He absolutely had not been pushing to get the Team back as soon as possible after their mission wrapped up so they would be there in time to greet her. Okay, so maybe ‘absolutely’ was not the correct word there… or ‘not’.

He hadn’t seen Chimera in person for a little over a week now and he missed her, so nobody can really blame him for being excited to see her again. But more than missing her, he was worried about her. She had been extremely apprehensive going home. She had tried to cover it, but he knew her better. And eventually, after much wearing down as a result of a coordinated effort by him and Robin, she admitted she was nervous of being reminded of the final battle. He didn’t know how bad the battle was or exactly how badly it had scarred her, just that it had, but if her reaction to the failure exercise was any indication, it was severe. Being back there without anyone to talk to about it, anyone who could understand her reactions, could be devastating for her.

On top of that, the trip came within a few weeks of Robin’s breakdown after the Haley’s Circus mission and her discovering that Conner had been using shields Lex Luther had given him to enhance his powers. He had never seen her so angry. He didn’t think she was capable of that amount of rage and he prayed to whatever god or goddess responsible for watching over them, that she never directed that anger toward him. He was honestly concerned for Superman the next time she saw him and Conner had kept a close eye on her after she found out to make sure she didn’t go after Lex by herself. After the anger receded, he could see the disappointment set in. That was more disturbing than the anger. While the anger had been jarring, seeing the disappointment in herself for having missed that he had turned to the shields was heartbreaking.

She looked like she was barely holding it together before she left. Her phone call on Christmas had done nothing to calm his fears. She had tried to cover, but he could hear how empty her voice sounded no matter how cheery she tried to make it sound. He could almost convince himself he imagined it but Robin had been there for the call too and he heard it as well. He needed her to get back so he could be assured she was okay. Conner wanted to see her, hold her, feel her in his arms, hear her laugh, so he could make sure she was okay. He wouldn’t believe she was okay until he could.

Superboy was knocked out of his concentration by Batman’s gravely voice. “… The mole was Red Arrow.”

“Rolly?” Robin exclaimed in shock.

“No way,” Kid Flash insisted.

“Batman that cannot be,” Aqualad spoke up. Roy was his best friend. He would more easily believe himself capable of betrayal than Roy. “He was Green Arrow’s protégé. We have all known him for years.”

“Unfortunately, the Roy Harper we have known for the last three years is another Project Cadmus clone,” Batman informed them calmly. Superboy froze, staring at Batman in shock. Roy was another clone, like him.

“We have learned the real Speedy was abducted and replaced immediately after becoming the Green Arrow’s sidekick. The clone was preprogrammed with the drive to become a member of the League.” Superboy furrowed his brow. Had that been their plan for him as well? If the Team hadn’t rescued him when they had, who knows what they could have made him do.

“We believe when his mission was taking too long, they enlisted someone to help him speed up the process. With her help, he was finally admitted into the League, at which point his secondary programming kicked in and he attempted to betray the League to Savage,” Batman continued.

“Who was helping him? Was there a second mole or was it someone assisting from the outside?” Aqualad asked.

“It was a second mole. His girlfriend, Chimera,” Batman answered unemotionally.

“What?” Superboy exclaimed louder than he meant to, shock and hurt quickly flashing over his face before turning to a glower.

“I was unaware they had started a relationship,” Aqualad stated carefully, a slight furrow in his brow. Roy had mentioned he was getting very close to Chimera, but had not mentioned that it had progressed to that level. Not to mention he had thought Chimera was closer with Conner than Roy, but then again, he tended to misread romantic overtures. But, the idea that Chimera may have betrayed them was disturbing, but then again if Roy could be a mole, could he really be certain of anyone. Certainly the timing of Chimera’s introduction to the Team coinciding with evidence of the mole arising was suspect.

“Chimera isn’t a mole and she isn’t dating Roy,” Robin insisted, whirling on Batman in shock.

Batman nodded. “We are not certain she was assisting him, but there is more than a little evidence to support the idea that she was. I’ve been keeping an eye on her since she joined and facts seem to match up. As for dating, I’m sorry to say she is. We didn’t tell anyone because she claimed she didn't want to cause strife within the Team, but with this new information, it seems like there was something more to it. We believe she may have been his handler. She joined the Team to help Red Arrow get into the League and sabotage the Team’s missions subtly.” His voice was cold. “Red Arrow has gone into hiding, but we don’t think he’s been able to contact Chimera about it yet. When she comes back let us know immediately. Do not alert her that we are aware.”

“There is no way…” Artemis interjected loudly.

“She would never!” Kid Flash exclaimed at the same time.

“Chimera would never betray us like that,” Conner insisted angrily. How dare Batman suggest Chimera would betray them! She was like a daughter to him. She might not realize their relationship was like that, Hell, Batman might not realize it was like that, but Batman treated her like he treated Robin and Conner wasn’t blind enough to miss the protective pats and hair ruffling. He certainly hadn’t missed how Robin treated her like a sister. And after all that, Batman would so easily believe the worst of her.

“The clone Roy and Chimera, the Team will apprehend them,” Aqualad stated gravely.

“Negative. Red Arrow is a member of the Justice League and Chimera was working with him to betray us. We will handle them both,” Batman answered. He suddenly turned away, bringing his hand to his ear. “I’m needed in the Watchtower. Tornado, watch the kids.” He strode away without further discussion.

“Okay, but we’re going to get to them first, right?” Kid Flash spoke up quietly, so Red Tornado couldn’t hear him.

He looked up quickly, apprehension on his face when Red Tornado hurried toward them before suddenly stopping midstride. They all stared in confusion. “Tornado!” Kid Flash exclaimed, moving to check for any outward signs of a cause.

“What happened to him?” Rocket asked.

Zatanna raised her hands to her temples. She could feel something strange. Something was off about the whole situation. “I’m sensing a low level mystic force at play. I don’t know if it caused his shutdown, but… come to think about it I was getting the same buzz off Batman.”

“Magic… like Chimera?” Artemis asked.

Zatanna shook her head. “No. It feels different than Chimera’s magic.”

“Could it be different because it’s a trace, not the full impact?” Aqualad asked.

“No. I’ve sensed Chimera’s faded magic. All the Cave is steeped in it. I haven’t sensed this before. Not to mention, Batman said he hadn’t been around Chimera. How would her magic be on him if he wasn’t and why would she implicate herself?”

“That wasn’t Batman,” Robin said aggressively.

“Robin…” Aqualad started calmly.

“He can still be Batman and wrong,” Superboy growled. “We don’t know if he is being lied to. We just know Chimera isn’t betraying us.”

“Maybe she doesn’t know she’s doing it…” Rocket hedged. “Batman said Red Arrow didn’t know.”

“That might be an option except he said she’s his handler. That means she knows what she’s doing. She’s aware. It isn’t programming. And he said she’s dating Roy. Chimera isn’t dating Roy and she isn’t a traitor… And Batman never calls us ‘kids’,” Robin insisted, turning his focus back to examining readouts on Red Tornado.

Aqualad shook his head sympathetically but firmly. “Roy has said he and Chimera were getting close and they wanted to keep the fact secret, which confirms at least that part of what Batman said. We know very little about her personal life.”

“You know less about mine,” Robin challenged, brooking no resistance. He knew Chimera. Maybe he had only known her for a few months, but he knew her and trusted her. She couldn’t do this. She just couldn’t. “I would know if she were dating, especially a team member or hero. There's a reason she told us she doesn't date teammates. There's…” He furrowed his brow, trying to figure out how to phrase what he was thinking without revealing Chimera’s secrets. She did not like to talk about this part of her life. “…deep seeded trauma there. She didn't just get over that in a few days. She wouldn't start dating Roy without talking to someone. Without NEEDING to talk to someone. Since it's a hero, that means taking to one of us, specifically me or Conner or Artemis. She didn't talk to me. Conner?”

Conner shook his head. “She’s only ever repeated that she can’t date teammates.”

“Artemis?” Robin prompted.

Artemis shook her head and sent a smug look to Aqualad. “Never said a word. Never even indicated. Zatanna, Chi, and I had a girl’s night the other day and we had a long talk about dating. She never mentioned him.” She glanced over at Zatanna. “Did she give any indication of dating anybody or liking anyo… Roy?” she quickly corrected herself.

Zatanna looked between the Team anxiously before swallowing and straightening her back. “No. No, she didn’t talk about Roy. And Robin’s right. She doesn’t date teammates. Even if she wanted to,” her eyes flicked over to Superboy so quickly anyone not looking for it would miss it, “she doesn’t. We would know if she went against that.”

Superboy’s head whipped over to them, eyes wide. Artemis said him, meaning she had mentioned someone else. Zatanna emphasized that she didn’t talk about Roy, meaning she talked about someone else. He silently urged either of them to continue talking about that night, release some clues on who she may have mentioned. Instead Artemis cocked her head to the side and thought for a moment. “She hasn't been acting different either. Chi can't keep a secret, other than her identity, to save her life. Remember Kid Flash’s ‘surprise’ party? And let’s be honest the identity is probably only still a secret because we haven’t met her in person. We would know something was going on, even if we didn't know what.”

“Not if she’s been deceiving us from the beginning, if her whole supposed personality was an illusion,” Aqualad noted stoically.

Conner’s brow furrowed in frustration. Aqualad was seriously proposing Chimera was their enemy. Chimera had almost died for them. She’d risked her life and her sanity for them, more than once. And Aqualad was just turning on her. One statement and none of what she had done for them mattered. He clenched his fists and stepped forward to yell at Aqualad when Kid Flash’s voice interrupted his movement. “He’s taken her to the Batcave hasn’t he? Multiple times?” He glanced up from staring intently at a spot on the floor to look at Robin inquisitively.

Robin nodded in agreement. “He has. And he doesn’t let anyone he doesn’t trust completely come into the Cave.”

“So,” Kid Flash started, “he’s trusted her deeply from the beginning. He hasn’t ‘been keeping an eye on her’. And her behavior hasn’t changed… but his has.”

Conner nodded in agreement. “Which means she’s not the one we have to worry about.” He glared pointedly at Aqualad, making sure he understood their point.

“Maybe not about her but for her,” Zatanna offered carefully. All eyes turned to her waiting for her to explain. “He singled out Chimera for a reason. So either they want our whole team here so they can do to us what they did to Batman, or they are targeting Chimera specifically.”

“Why would they target her?” Rocket spoke up again.

Superboy kept his glare at Aqualad. “If we’re being honest, she has more power than the rest of us. They could want to put her at a disadvantage, isolate her.”

“Isolate who?” The voice floated into the chamber like a kitten’s purr, but cut through the air like a fog horn.

“Chi!” Superboy exclaimed, rushing over to her.

“Hey.” Her smile beamed as she hugged him.

He examined her face quickly. She was smiling, but she looked exhausted, like she’d been through a grueling mission, one that isn’t dangerous, just draining. His expression turned concerned. “How was the trip? You look tired.”

Her smile weakened. “It was good. I missed my friends and family so much.” She slumped against his chest. “Being back was just… a lot.” She took a deep breath and straightened up. “But it was good. I’m good. It’s all… good.” She let out a defeated sigh, but looked back up with a plastered on smile that lasted until she examined his face, morphing into a concerned frown at the sight. She raised her hand to run it over his face, but quickly realized what she was doing and dropped it to his shoulder instead with a faint blush. “How was it here? How have you been? How is Robin? How was the mission?”

“I’m fine. Robin’s fine. It was fine,” Superboy hedged with a strained smile, slinging his arm over her shoulders and guiding her over to the group.

“That was too many ‘fines’ to be true,” Chimera commented apprehensively, looking at him questioningly.

“You really want to throw that stone Ms. ‘all good’?” he commented back with a pointed look.

Her face went slack, her eyes widened at the call out. “Uh… no,” she admitted turning back toward the group, eyes flicking between them under her lashes. “Can we not discuss this… now?”

“Later?” Superboy asked hopefully. He knew her natural inclination was to bury things deep down, until they were so hard to see, she could pretend they never existed. Internalizing every emotion, every let down. It was the opposite of his way of handling things. Letting them simmer on the surface, where the slightest touch sent them radiating out into the world around him, usually with screaming or punching. Chimera hummed noncommittally in response, absolutely no intention of bringing up memories and emotions she wished would disappear.

“It was after the mission that was enlightening,” Aqualad stepped forward. “We need to talk about Roy.”

His voice was serious and laced with a significance that Chimera didn’t understand. Superboy’s arm tightened incrementally on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. She looked up in time to catch the dark look he was giving Aqualad. She turned back to Aqualad with a quizzical expression. “Like, Rogers?”

“Rogers?” Aqualad repeated.

Artemis tried to stifle her laugh. “No, Chi. Not like Roy Rogers.”

Aqualad looked between them, his brow furrowing in confusion, before he returned his gaze back to Chimera. “No, Roy Harper.”

“Oh!” Chimera nodded in understanding. “Okay…” Her brow furrowed faintly and she looked to the side in thought before looking back at Aqualad with a wince. “Is that… another actor? I haven’t really seen many… any westerns. I really only know who Roy Rogers, John Wayne, and Woody Strode are. Well, know is a stretch. I’ve heard their names.”

Aqualad blinked at her a few times, unsure what she was talking about. “No. Red Arrow.”

Realization rippled across Chimera’s face. She nodded, her eyes going wide. “Oh! Okay. Yeah.” Robin and Kid Flash talked about Red Arrow a lot, but by his code name, rarely by his real name. She would never have been able to remember it if she wasn’t prompted first. Her eyes darted over to Robin to see if he held any answers, but instead of looking back at her, he was glaring at Aqualad as well. She looked back at Aqualad, noticeably more apprehensively. Her brows furrowed in confusion. “What about him?”

“Batman said he’s the mole,” Aqualad informed her, watching her reaction carefully.

Chimera’s face immediately fell, her eyes darted back to Robin again. “Robin,” she whispered. Her eyes moved over to Kid Flash, next to Robin, and turn pained. She looked back to Aqualad. “Is he sure?”

Aqualad nodded. “Batman said he’s actually a clone of the real Roy Harper programmed to infiltrate the Justice League, but was discovered by Batman before he could do any damage.

Chimera gasped, eyes entirely focused on Robin and Kid Flash. “What happened to the real Roy Harper?”

“He didn’t say.” Aqualad answered. She tensed to go over to hug Robin and Kid Flash. Robin and Kid Flash always talked about Roy like he was one of them. They understood each other in a way few others could. They would tell stories about him and laugh like their lives weren’t constantly at risk, like they were just normal teenagers. Those times were some of the few she got to see Robin like the kid he was.

Artemis’ voice cut through her thoughts before she could move. “But we have reason to believe that isn’t true.”

Chimera turned to her with a hopeful smile. “Really?” A flash of relief appeared in her eyes. She couldn’t imagine the toll it would take on Robin and Kid Flash if it was true and she didn’t want to have to see it. They’d all been in this for a long time together, grew up in it together. They were like family. Not to mention she knew he and Aqualad were close as well. If there was a chance Batman was wrong, they had to investigate it.

“I wanted to let you know because… we know you're dating him.” Aqualad informed her carefully.

Chimera’s eyes snapped back to Aqualad, her mouth hanging open in shock and her body turned rigid. “That I’m what?” Her voice came out an octave higher than normal.

“Batman told us,” Aqualad informed her calmly. “And Roy has mentioned it as well.”

Chimera flinched back and shook her head. “What? I've never even met Red Arrow. Why would he say that? Why would Batman?”

“That’s why we have reason to believe Roy isn’t the mole. Because Batman told us you were dating Roy at the same time he said Roy was the mole. He said they thought you were his handler,” Robin bit out bitterly.

Chimera’s heart stopped. She gaped at Robin. Batman… Batman said he thought she was betraying them. Batman thought she was a traitor. Batman was her mentor, as much as she had one, or at least she had thought of him as hers. She had thought he might be more than just a mentor as well, but that must have just been her. More than that, he was a League founder. If he thought it, the rest of the League must as well. They would all believe she was a traitor. They would all turn on her, even her team.

Her breathing picked up. She couldn’t handle this. But she couldn’t even blame them for it. This was her fault. This is the price of anonymity. This was the tradeoff of keeping yourself guarded. You keep people from knowing you, but then they don’t know you. They don’t know who you are, so they don’t know who you are and who you’re not. She never let them know who she is, so of course her team will believe Batman.

She was going to lose them and even if she proves herself, there will always be that doubt and once you’ve lost that trust, it never fully recovers… as her trip home proved. Everything seems the same on the surface, but if you pause to examine it more closely, everything is different. The way they look at you, the way they relate to you, the way they see you, has changed. Robin wouldn’t trust her anymore. He’d put up a wall between them, the same one he put up with anyone he didn’t fully trust, keeping them at a distance with a false smile. And Conner! He’d pull away too. Still friendly, but not friends. Still there, but not the same…

“…imera! Chimera!”

Chimera felt a squeeze on her shoulder and a hand on her cheek, bringing her back to reality, stopping her descent into panic. She slowly moved her eyes to the arm belonging to the hand on her face and followed it back to its owner, looking up to see Superboy’s soft, concerned eyes. He gave her a supportive smile and nod to let her know they were on her side. “That’s why we knew he was lying,” Superboy assured her.

Chimera let out a shuttering breath and buried her face in Superboy’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, nuzzling into her hair. “We know you better. We know you would never do that. No matter what he said, we know you,” he whispered into her hair.

Aqualad looked between them and nodded once, satisfied for now with her innocence. “Roy… Red Arrow is the key. We need to find him and see what he can tell us. If Chimera is innocent then he may be as well. Regardless, we need to find him before the League does. Artemis, Superboy, Zatanna, you’re with me. The rest of you, see what you can do about Tornado.”

“Wait, what’s wrong with Red Tornado?” Chimera’s eyes peeked out from Superboy’s chest.

“I’ll stay here,” Superboy responded with a sharp edge to his voice.

“We’re potentially going up against Red Arrow. We need you with us to bring him in if…” Aqualad took a breath. “If he decides to fight us.”

“I thought you didn’t think he was the mole,” Chimera asked uncertainly, subconsciously clinging a bit closer to Superboy. If they still thought Red Arrow was the mole, did they really still think she was his handler as well?

“I don’t…” he looked away in contemplation. “I don’t know. But we need to speak with him to figure out what is going on. Hopefully peacefully and it is best to be cautious,” he added. His voice was even, but anybody familiar with him could hear the strain in it.

Chimera gave him an understanding smile. Although he didn’t speak about Red Arrow often, and almost never with Chimera, she knew they were close. Believing his friend capable of something like this must be hurting him deeply. She looked up to Superboy. “You should go,” she whispered.

“They can handle Red Arrow,” he argued back quietly. “I can stay until you’re… I can help with Tornado.”

Chimera shook her head. “I’ll have Robin. I’ll be okay until you come home.” She glanced subtly over to Aqualad. His shoulders were more tense than usual, his grimace more pronounced. He was trying to hold it together, but he was suffering. “Aqualad needs you more right now.

Superboy huffed and looked over to Aqualad and the others Aqualad had singled out for a moment before looking back into Chimera’s eyes. “Fine. But I don’t like it.”

Chimera rested her head back on his chest, watching the rest of the Team. “Nobody likes what’s happening right now.” She closed her eyes and squeezed him for a moment. “Be safe.”

She stepped away from him, avoiding his eyes. “You too,” he whispered, letting his fingers linger on her as she walked away to join Robin, Kid Flash, and Rocket.

“The problem’s hardware, not software,” Robin mused, examining schematics on a holographic display. He didn’t even look up when Chimera stopped next to him. He reached out, giving her a one armed hug. She slung her arm around his shoulders, returning the squeeze. “But where do we start?”

Zatanna paused on her way out of the room. “I have an idea.” She glanced quickly behind her to see how far away the rest of her group had gotten. She bit her lip nervously, not wanting to upset Aqualad with her tardiness. “Chimera, you remember the android he had in his quarters?”

Chimera perked up immediately. “Yes! New hardware for his existing software. Brilliant idea, Zatanna. Good luck with your mission,” she called to Zatanna as she ran to catch up with the rest of her group. “Hey, Rocket, do your force bubbles move? Might make moving the body easier.”

<><><><><>

“I heard we’re dating,” Chimera started out with a sarcastic smile, extending her hand to shake Red Arrow’s. “It must have been a terrible relationship if I can’t even remember you. I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but I don’t think this relationship is working out for me. I think we should see other people.”

Red Arrow huffed out a laugh and smiled against his will. He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked up at her sheepishly. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

Chimera shrugged and moved past him to sit on a bulkhead. “Not your fault. And not the worst end to one of my relationships, so...” She offered him a smile. Red Arrow smiled back and moved to sit next to her for the planning meeting, but was cut off by Superboy taking the spot before Red Arrow could sit.

Red Arrow raised an eyebrow at him, but backed down. He wasn’t looking to start a fight with the only heroes he knew that weren’t under mind control. Instead, he took a seat between Robin and Kid Flash.

“Would anyone care to enlighten us as to why you have Black Canary tied up and gagged?” Aqualad asked, bringing the conversation back to the issue at hand.

“Yeah, about that…” Kid Flash started with a grimace, warily eying the hero that was bound and gagged at their feet.

“Can we start from the beginning? I don’t think I’m the only one who doesn’t have a clear picture of everything that’s going on,” Chimera requested.

“The entire Justice League is under the complete mental domination of Vandal Savage,” Red Tornado spoke up from his android body. “Red Arrow seems to have been his means. His method was something Savage referred to as Starotech. An alien bio organism infused with nano technology and magic. It shuts down the mind’s autonomy allowing Savage to reprogram the individual to suit his needs. Even my inorganic brain was not immune.”

Chimera straightened up in surprise. “Wait, so Red Arrow was the mole?”

“I was the mole,” Red Arrow confirmed with a grimace. “I just don’t know why. If it was the Starotech, then they wouldn’t have needed to have a handler for me or key phrases that would shut me down and ready me for new orders.”

Superboy watched him curiously. “Batman and Tornado said you were a Cadmus clone, like me.”

Red Arrow sighed and looked down. “That explains it. I must have been pre-programmed to infiltrate the League. I was probably given occasional new orders as well. I think one of those orders was to focus suspicion on Artemis and Superboy. More recently, I think Chimera was added to the list, in a much more explicit way.”

“Why?” Superboy straightened, glaring at Red Arrow. His arms twitched to circle around Chimera and pull her closer to him.

“They didn’t tell me,” he shrugged. “I never knew why I did any of it. I wasn’t part of the team, I was a tool.”

“I’m an easy target,” Chimera spoke up quietly. “He was already implicating Superboy and Artemis. Robin, Kid Flash, and Kaldur have known each other or of each other for years and see each other regularly enough to know if something was off. Zatanna and Rocket joined after Kaldur started noticing indications of a mole. That leaves me. And since you know almost nothing about me, I don’t even have a mentor to vouch for me, it makes doubting me easy.”

Superboy ran his hands up and down her arm to comfort her. Chimera leaned into his side slightly, keeping her focus on the conversation. Superboy looked over to Kid Flash and Red Tornado. “So where does Black Canary fit in?”

“Oh! Riiiiiight.” Kid Flash awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “We were transferring Red Tornado’s consciousness from his regular body to his android body when she interrupted us. She attacked us and we had to stop her.”

“So she’s infected as well,” Artemis observed.

Aqualad frowned at the ground in concentration. “If it’s an infection, then we need a cure. I will contact Queen Mera about creating an immunization based on Starotech. We have Black Canary we can test the cure on. Let’s move.”

Robin wormed his way next to Chimera as they moved to the communications hub for the ship. He pulled her into a quick side hug. “You know, we don’t need to know everything about each other to trust each other. And I do trust you.” He spoke quietly so only she could hear him.

Chimera closed her eyes as she hugged him back. “I trust you too, birdbrain.”

Robin rolled his eyes and shoved her away. “I take it back. I hate you.” Chimera cackled with laughter. Robin reluctantly joined her, trying to keep his annoyed facade. They tried unsuccessfully to school their expressions when Aqualad glared at them until Queen Mera answered, drawing his attention away.

<><><><><>

Waiting was torture. It always was. Waiting for something to happen when there was nothing you could do until then except think about the upcoming event, was agony. Chimera looked around the room. The Team was scattered each in their own space, waiting for Black Canary and Red Tornado to finish their preparations so they and Red Arrow could go in first and distract Savage, while the Team put the vaccine patches on the rest of the Justice League one member at a time.

Everyone was in their own head, bodies tense, and emotions on edge. They were going up against people they’d looked up to their whole superhero careers, parental figures, mentors. People who taught them how to fight, how to strategize. They knew more than the Team did and it was still unclear how much of their previous fighting knowledge they retained or if the person controlling them would have to come up with their own moves and techniques.

The Team was clearly dreading the former option, including Chimera. With so many different powers to go up against, she had cleared out the miracle box so she would have options for which powers to utilize. Changing was going to be tricky and she was going to have to keep Trixx well fed so she would be able to keep up her illusion of her suit not changing, but there was too much of a possibility for failure not to at least try.

She hoped she was hiding her apprehension better than the rest of the Team. No matter how much they tried to hide it, Chimera knew their tells. She knew Artemis set her jaw like that when she was anxious. She knew Aqualad clenched and reclenched his fists like that when he was nervous. She knew Kid Flash held his arm like that with his other hand when he was afraid. She knew Robin stared intently like that when he was apprehensive. She knew Zatanna bit her lip like that when she was unsure. She knew Superboy glowered like that when he was worried. It was slightly different from his many other glowers. And she didn’t need to know Rocket and Red Arrow to see their nerves in the darting of their eyes.

She looked between them and furrowed her brow until she perked up, something occurring to her. “So… it’s like a video game, right?” All the eyes in the room darted to her with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance, but she continued on undeterred. “I mean, they’re like characters in a video game, being controlled. That means there’s someone with some kind of controller.” She looked over to Aqualad. “Do you think there's any way that we could get our hands on that controller?” she asked with a devious glint in her eyes. “Just for a few minutes?”

“Oh my God! Yes!” Kid Flash exclaimed, immediately seeing where she was going and excitedly bouncing. “Can we? Can we, please?”

“We will not take advantage of our compatriots and mentors in such a demeaning way,” Aqualad answered sternly.

“Yeah, yeah morally reprehensible reshmensible. But, do you think we could?” Kid Flash asked again, his eyes bright. In an instant he was next to Chimera, both giving Aqualad overly wide smiles.

“No,” Aqualad said firmly.

“Angelic smiles aren’t working,” Chimera noted in a stage whisper. “Deploy kitten eyes.” She and Kid Flash immediately switched to sad, pleading eyes, aimed directly at Aqualad who barely noted them before rolling his eyes. Chimera harrumphed when she realized hers wouldn’t work since she had sunglasses hiding her eyes. Instead, she elbowed Zatanna who looked confused for a second before grinning and schooling her face to offer her own kitten eyes.

Superboy quickly looked to the ground to hide his smirk, but Artemis and Robin made no attempts to hide her laugh that echoed throughout the room. “Oh my God, you guys are such dorks,” Artemis eked out between laughs.

“Yes,” Kid Flash agreed, “dorks who love video games.” He turned back to Aqualad. “Pleeeeeeeeease.” He held his hands out in front of him in supplication.

“Are you two going to take this seriously?” Red Arrow snapped.

Chimera rolled her eyes and offered a kind smile. “Come on, tell me you don't want to see Batman punch Green Arrow.” Her smile turned enticing. “We can make that happen,” she singsonged at him.

Red Arrow scoffed. “I don't need remote control to do that. I just have to tell Batman any of the things Green Arrow has said behind his back and then suggest a spar between them.”

Chimera waved him off. “Fine. Green Lantern or Wonder Woman punch Green Arrow,” she offered instead with a knowing smirk. “I’m not even a protégé and I definitely have JL members I’d like to see get punched a few times.” She shrugged in an overly casual way. “Or, you know, one member anyway.”

Red Arrow cocked his head to the side considering the image of Wonder Woman decking Oliver. “Now that you mention it...”

“Oh my God!” Chimera exclaimed, eyes widening in excitement. “Dance Party!”

“Yes!” Kid Flash jumped on to her thought process, mirroring her excitement. “The Flash breakdancing. Hawkman doing the Carlton.”

Red Arrow looked over to Chimera with an analytical look. After a few seconds, his face broke into a reluctant smile. “Batman doing a scene from Phantom of the Opera, that’s angsty, he’d like it.”

“Yes!!” Chimera exclaimed, jumping with excitement that he had joined.

“Green Lantern and Aquaman doing the Kid ‘n Play,” Robin gave a small smirk, nerves still there, but lessening.

“Do you think we can get Martian Manhunter to do the Macarena?” Superboy pondered, coming up behind Chimera and resting his arm on her shoulders.

“It’s our imagination. We can get them to do whatever we want,” Chimera laughed.

“I would pay to see Wonder Woman do the worm,” Artemis smiled coming up next to Zatanna and bumping her hip with her own.

“Can we get my dad to do something? What should we get him to do?” Zatanna added with a hesitant smile.

“How about the Running Man?” Rocket offered, joining the rest.

“Green Arrow doing Gangnam Style dance,” Red Arrow gave Chimera a playful smile, joining the group to stand next to Chimera.

“My flute records. I can take video for posterity,” Chimera grinned back conspiratorially.

“I’ll take you up on that,” Black Canary grinned as she came up behind them. “I think it sounds like fun. Plus, I need more blackmail material. If I come across the opportunity, I’ll let you know.” She winked at them before turning to Aqualad with a serious expression. “We’re ready to go.”

Aqualad’s expression immediately transformed from light to serious. He stepped forward to address his team. “It is time. Are we ready?” He looked around to the Team waiting for nods from the group. Once he received them he watched Black Canary, Red Tornado, and Red Arrow step up to the Zeta tube. With them in position, he turned to Chimera. “Open the portal.”

*Note 2: The android body is from the show as is Queen Mera and some scientists coming up with a vaccine in a few hours, so those cheap cop outs are theirs not mine.

Chapter 10

Tags:

@mickylikesstuff @mystery-5-5 @roguishredaxion @vroomtaka @laurcad123 @just-an-observer-ignore-me @emimar7 @moonlightstar64 @maribat-writing-and-prompts @aespades @yokomisaki @glastwime859 @mysticknown @glastwime859 @fan-writtenen @stackofrandomstuff @jalaluvsu @ultimatetornshipper @charme-de-malchan @lozzybowe @deathwishy @too0bsessedformyowngood @kokotaru @ichigorose @nathleigh @dorkus-minimus @ira-sairain @jayjayspixiepop

#maribat #Capturing a Dream #connette #connerette #konmari #conner x marinette #Marinette x Conner

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dangerousconnoisseurdonut · 3 years

Text

Dark Carnival Gotham AU Idea

The Carnival has come to Gotham! And this is no silly circus like Haley’s; here, you can forget the woes of the outside world without the sight of drunk, brawling clowns messing up the act!

Bruce, Jonathan, Selina, and Ivy have been friends for a couple years now, so when the Carnival comes to town, the girls set about convincing the boys to attend, this time with the surprising help of Alfred. Bruce and Jonathan, who have been dating for a year, eventually relent, especially when they hear their other friends are all going; Jim, Ivy’s guardian after he arrested and put away her father for killing her mother, is being taken by Oswald, Barbara, Selina’s stepmom, is being taken by Tabitha, and Dr. Thompkins, Jonathan’s guardian after his father was killed by accident in a shootout between a gang and the police, is Alfred’s personal guest, leading to some teasing from ‘the children’.

When they arrive, everyone is amazed by all the sights and sounds, to say nothing of the acts! There is Bridgit, a beautiful woman who both eats flame and is a remarkable fire dancer; she has some scars, but those are badges of all her hard work and her fearlessness. There is the Riddler, a man who can guess anything about you, but if you can answer his riddles, he’ll give you a really good prize. There’s Ecco, a brilliant fighter and if you manage to pin her for even a minute, you can win a prize and free admission for the next night. Then there’s Victor Zsasz, the knife thrower; his Zsaszette’s have no fear when he wields his blade. There’s Jervis Tetch, also known as the Mad Hatter, who is a famous hypnotist who can make you do anything, even believe you are without fear and can do amazing feats. Then there’s the frozen King and Queen; Victor and Nora Fries, who can turn things to ice just by touching them. Not to mention the Ringmasters; Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska, who do quite the comedy act that has them rolling in the aisle’s as well.

And to add to the fun, even if you don’t win any prizes at the games, you’ll either get coupons for free snacks, or the staff will give you little gifts; you just have to say Thank You. Bruce and his group have been enjoying the Carnival for about an hour, but have yet to eat or drink anything but water as Bruce worried the food would be all greasy so they got something to eat before they got there, despite Alfred encouraging them to get something to eat at the Carnival. Bruce and his group just enjoyed the Mad Hatter’s performance when Jonathan realizes he dropped his inhaler that has his medicine for his anxiety. He goes back to get it, sneaking into the tent as he hates explaining his anxiety, and when he does, he catches a glimpse of Jervis in a mirror and is shocked by what he sees; his skin is paler, his features sharper, but the biggest surprise comes in the form of his eyes and mouth; warm, friendly brown eyes have turned blood red and his mouth is full of razor sharp teeth! Jonathan remembers a passage from a book he read for Mr. Fox’s class and realizes what he’s looking at; a Sidhe, otherwise known as a member of the Fae Court!

He races back to the others to warn them, who are a little skeptical until Bruce pieces things together and reminds the girls that Jonathan is not prone to flights of fancy. He points out the unusual behaviour of both the staff and even themselves; the food is cheap on it’s own but they still give out coupons for food, and they give out little gifts to everyone, even if they weren’t playing the games. And they always make sure you say Thank You which allows the Fae to feel like you owe them. Then there’s where they set up the Carnival; all around an old Ebony tree that just died, but some mushrooms have recently started growing in almost a perfect circle; a Fae Ring. And then there’s their own odd behaviour; more than once they’ve been asked their names, but instead of giving it, they’ve all given their nicknames; Bat, Scarecrow, Cat, and Poison Ivy. Names have power in the Fae Courts, so you must never ever give them your name or they will have power over you.

Realizing the danger they’re in, they set about telling everyone that Jonathan smelt gas near one of the vendors and they should leave so the crew can fix it. Bruce and Jonathan have just found Alfred and Lee, but Alfred thinks they may be mistaken so he calls a man over; he’s tall, pale skin but intense eyes, willowy but Bruce has the uneasy feeling this man could snap a person in half like a twig. He is Ra’s Al Ghul, owner of this Carnival, leader of the Sidhe who have come to save Gotham’s children from growing up in a city that would corrupt them and, once all the children are safe, the Sidhe will feast on Gotham’s corruption and despair. Bruce, Selina, Jonathan, and Ivy are all horrified to realize that there were Sidhe scouts around them for over two years and no one realized a thing; Oswald, Harvey, Tabitha,... and Alfred.

Alfred had been placed with the Wayne’s since Bruce was born as, if Gotham could be saved, it would be through the efforts of Thomas and Martha Wayne. And they had been inching towards salvation, until a gunman tragically took them away from this world, and sealed Gotham’s fate. After that, Ra’s offers the four a chance to join the Carnival for, though they are not children, his scouts have informed him that they are special and would do well in the Carnival. Bruce begs for the chance to save Gotham as there are good people living there and don’t deserve to be destroyed.

Ra’s agrees as there is no Fae alive who can resist a challenge; It will take four more days for the mushroom circle to finish growing and thus complete their Fae ring; a portal to their realm. If Bruce can find the heart of the Carnival and destroy it, Ra’s will release the children of Gotham, pack up his Carnival, and leave. However, for each night he fails, one of his friends will be taken and his ‘Star Attractions’ will work to convert them. Bruce and the others know they have no choice but to agree, especially since Jim, Barbara, and Lee have all eaten the food of the Fae, meaning they themselves are trapped.

Mr. Fox meets with them the next morning to help them as he knows a lot about Sidhe and often tries to stop them from taking children and destroying cities. One of the most important pieces of advice he can give them, is that Fae seldom say what they mean and that what the Owner Wants is not what he Desires.

Will Bruce and the others save Gotham? Or will they become Ra’s new Attractions?

#I've stopped fighting it #new prompt #gotham #bruce wayne #jonathan crane #selina kyle #ivy pepper #legion of horribles #carnival #fae folk

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creativitycache · 4 years

Note

It still seems like the Eye is if not THE most powerful, then at least sharing that position with the Web in different manifestation of power. And Jon has been able to easily overpower the other Avatars and, except Daisy and Annabelle, they haven't been able to exert any power over him (i.e. Not-Sasha and Jude). Do you think that has more to do with the fact that Jon brought the Entities through rather than the Eye being top dog?

Buckle up, this is going to be a long one. TL;DR: I suspect that both Jon and Elias gained an upgrade from the effects of a Ritual, rather than being inherent to Eye Avatars.

Ritual effects we’ve seen:

1. Jonah: failed ritual for the Eye. Result: Power Boost for Jonah, death for everyone surrounding him, destruction of the Millbank Prison. No interference from outsiders.

2. Agnes: failed 2 part ritual for the Desolation. Part 1 Result: Power Boost for Agnes, death for her mother, destruction of the forest, cultists survive. Part 2 Result: inconclusive, as we don’t know what blocked her ascension for round 1, nor why she suddenly knew she had to kill herself years later. Interference from a Web-bound Eye.

3. Unnamed: failed ritual for the Vast. Result: all hands lost to the depths. Interference from the Hunt.

4. Unnamed: failed ritual for the Slaughter. Result: all hands lost due to a missile, except non-slaughter aligned survivor. Interference unclear, but presumed Web.

5. Peter: failed ritual for the Lonely. Result: The ritual was abandoned before it even was truly launched. Peter seems to think this counts and that he’d have to try again decades later. No power transfer, no death. Interference from a Web-bound Eye.

6. Unnamed: failed ritual for the Buried. Result: Death to all who attempted, and the surrounding innocent people. Interference from a Web-bound Eye.

7. John: failed ritual for the Corruption. Result: Death to John via concrete- unknown fate of Adelard Dekker but presumed death. Death to the surrounding victims. Interference from a presumed unaffiliated.

8. Jane: failed ritual for the Corruption: Result: It is unclear if Jane’s attack on the Institute was part of her ritual. Certainly all the worms forming the living tunnel of writhing insects to usher in the Corruption into our world all died. Interference from a Web-bound Eye.

9. Cult: failed ritual for the Corruption: Result: all those bound together were still alive when the police came, but were unable to absorb all the cult members. No word on surviving cultists. It is unclear if this was a ritual attempt, but considering the religious themes surrounding it + their Herald, I’m counting it. Interference from a presumed unaffiliated.

10. Nikola: failed ritual for the Stranger: Result: death of all circus members. Death of all witnesses. Interference from the Web-bound Eye.

11. The Mechanical Turk: failed ritual for the Stranger: Result: Unknown if the Slaughter Avatars killed all performers, witnesses survived. Interference from the Slaughter.

12. ExplorerDad: failed ritual for the Hunt. Result: continued unending life for all Avatars who join, but they will periodically turn on previous crewmates and view them as others. Man who pretended to be of the Hunt until he could get away survived. Interference from a presumed unaffiliated.

13. Unnamed: failed ritual for the Flesh. Result: death of all participants except unaffiliated statement-giver. Interference from the Web-bound Eye.

14. Gabriel: failed ritual for the Spiral. Result: many servants of the Spiral dead, Gabriel presumed dead, the Distortion fused with Michael Shelly. Michael Distortion has no noticeable significant power boost different from the Distortion, but he was specifically chosen because of his unsuitability towards fusing with the Spiral. Helen calls Michael “rubbish” and seemed to level up/lose her humanity at a faster rate than Jon after being absorbed by the Distortion. It is unclear if this power acquisition has anything to do with the Distortion’s history of being the nexus of a failed ritual. Interference from the Web-bound Eye.

15. Manuela & Haley: failed ritual for the Dark: Result: nictophobe sacrifices dead, the Beast dead, all other cult members died. Manuela survives with no noticeable powers aside from being able to behold the Dark Star. Haley survives with no mentioned power differences, and is later killed trying to transfer over to a new body. No interference from outsiders.

Phew, that’s all done off the top of my head so I may have missed something. That’s 12 out of 14 Entities, with the Web and the End both missing due to no noted ritual attempts. (See my earlier post for my theory that the Eyepocalypse was a Web ritual, which Anon is referencing).

But! Laying it all out like this proves my ultimate theory.

1. The Rituals most often result in death, and the most likely potential survivors are those who were unaffiliated.

2. Twice the Rituals have been noted to give power upgrades- the Eye and the Desolation. Potentially three times with the Spiral and Micheal, but that is subtextual and VERY tenuous. Agnes’s mother was the one who chose to be the nexus of the ritual and she burned. Agnes was the outcome of the ritual, and debatably the focal point.

3. The Spiral and the Dark both had no textually noted upgrades. The Dark had no human focal point. The Spiral had no human focal point until Michael was unwittingly merged.

4. The most likely sources that prevent a ritual are: the Web manipulating an Eye avatar (7), a presumed unaffiliated (3), collapsing naturally (2), the Slaughter (1), the Hunt (1). Gertrude and Jon definitely skewed the numbers heavily, but there’s evidence to suggest that the avatars are all easily manipulated into prevent the “other side from winning”.

5. When a Ritual is left on it’s own to collapse AND has a person as a focal point, that person gains a power upgrade. In ALL OTHER scenarios, there is no power exchange and death is the most likely result.

Therefore:

Jonah Magnus and Jon Sims are the only people left on Earth who have been successfully granted a power boost due to a ritual.

Jon was the nexus of the ONLY successful Ritual in history, but Jonah already had the boost from one Ritual and may have gained some power due to his hand in the second ritual. The two combined may put him on the same level as Jon, but Jon may be stronger.

Therefore:

It is ENTIRELY plausible that the reason Jon is so strong and that Jonah’s tower can exert its presence over all the other realms is because they were the nexuses of Rituals- NOT because the Eye won.

Therefore:

Jon’s power boost does not mean the Web did not win.

#tma #the magnus archives #jonathan sims #jon sims #jonah magnus #elias bouchard #the web #the eye #beholding #the mother of puppets #spoilers #Asks&Answers

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redhoodssweetheart · 4 years

Text

I’m Batman

Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending

Relationship: Bruce Wayne x Gender Neutral!Reader

Requested: Yes @clarizuliani (ONLY DC REQUESTS ARE OPEN. PLEASE REFER TO THIS POST IF YOU WISH TO REQUEST A STORY.)

Word Count: 2.8K

Warnings: Angst, fluff

Description: You meet Bruce Wayne at a charity event where the two of you strike up a conversation. After months of dating Bruce has started growing distant, and out of all the reasons why he could be pulling away you never imagined to learn his greatest secret.

Things had started out great between you and Bruce. You had met him at a charity event for the local children's hospital. He had been as charming as everyone said, that smile and his beautiful eyes had hooked you right away. You had been somewhat surprised when he asked you out for dinner a few evenings after the charity event. There had been many people at the event hanging off of his every word. You had been one of them, but you didn’t think he would pay that much attention.

As the evening wound down you had managed to find a quiet corner and just be away from the crowds. That was when a man had came to stand beside you, “I hate the crowds too.”

You jerked your head up at the sound of Bruce’s familiar timbre. He was gazing out over the crowd, but there was a hint of a smile that told you he had noticed your reaction to him joining you in the corner. “I put up with it because it’s for a good cause,” you had said once the initial shock had worn off. This was your first time having a private conversation with Bruce Wayne. “I would have thought you would be used to this seeing as how you run your own company and are invited to soirees like this constantly.”

Bruce looked down and chuckled, “You would think that yes. But I hate the crowds and how everyone expects something from me at these things. They don’t want to just talk to Bruce, they want to talk to Bruce Wayne.”

That must have been incredibly tiring for him. You couldn’t imagine the pressure he must have been under, the expectations that were placed on his shoulders. He was one of the richest men in Gotham, of course people would want a piece of him and his money. The mental effect it must have had on him to never know who was truly in his corner or using him for clout.

“Then why come over to me and my corner to strike up a conversation? What if I’m just here for Bruce Wayne?” You posed the question for your own curiosity. “Because I can tell you right now, Mr. Wayne, that I am not here because of your money or because I want clout for having held a single conversation with a man I barely know.”

He held your gaze for a moment before looking back at the dwindling crowd, there were a few stragglers left, some women looking yours and Bruce’s way and whispering. You knew they were wondering what the two of you were conversing about. What could Bruce Wayne want with you? Were you going to be his latest conquest for the evening?

You shook that thought from your mind. You were not going to be a notch on Bruce Wayne’s bedpost, no matter how attractive he was.

“I have a good intuition about people,” he told you calmly, unruffled by what you had said. “My intuition is telling me everything you just said is true. I wanted to see if I could get to know you better.” He reached into his jacket pocket and produced a card. It had his name and a cell phone number on it.

Gently you took the card between your fingers, it was smooth with the words and numbers raised slightly off the surface. You stared at it as if he had just handed you something rare and incredibly priceless. Which in a way he had. “Mr. Wayne-”

“Please call me Bruce,” he interrupted, he wanted you to feel less formal around him. He wanted to see a more natural side beside the more formal one had seen this evening as you had talked with hospital officials and other prominent members of society.

“Bruce,” you corrected, testing his name on your tongue. It sent a little thrill through you that he had wanted you to call him Bruce, most people had been calling him Mr. Wayne all evening, very few dared call him Bruce. “What do you expect me to do with this?”

“Two nights from now I would like to take you on a date. I want to get to know you better, and seeing as how I need to take my leave now I’m leaving the card with you so that you can give me an answer.”

“What if I already have an answer for you?” You asked.

He paused and smiled at you, “Do you have an answer for me?” When no response came his face softened, “There is no pressure, just consider going out with me later this week and when you have an answer for me just let me know. If the answer is no then I’ll lose your number and you won’t hear from me ever again unless the rules of polite society come into play. Good evening, Y/N.”

It took a moment to register that he had known your name as you stared after him. You carefully tucked the card away and made your way toward the exit, stopping only briefly to say goodbye to the hosts of the event.

The next night you were staring at the card that Bruce had given you. It felt as though your mind was going a million miles per hour as you tried to figure things out. Should you say yes? Did you want to say yes? There was no pressure since Bruce didn’t have your number. Yes he was expecting a text or call from you, but that didn’t mean you had to send him anything.

You pulled your phone out and entered his number in and stared at the contact for five minutes. To say you were curious was an understatement. You wanted to know what Bruce would be like on a date. You wanted to know where he would take you. And to say that you weren’t excited by the prospect that Bruce Wayne had given his number to you would have been a lie.

Y/N: Hey Bruce, it’s Y/N from the charity event.... I just wanted to say that I would love to go out with you.

You hit send and waited for a response.

Those three little dots appeared letting you know that not only had he seen your message but he was now responding to it.

Bruce: Wonderful, meet me Haley’s Circus at six P.M. Friday evening.

You told him okay and conversation lagged after that. You spent the rest of the evening wondering how the date on Friday was going to go and what you should wear to it. Even though you had your worries you couldn’t help but smile every time you thought about going out on a date with Bruce Wayne.

Months past and things had been going great between you and Bruce. Your first date had been a success and you knew that night you were seeing a side that few were privy to. He won you one of the cheap carnival bears and the two of you ate food from the concession. You had to admit that when he had said he had wanted to go to the circus you had been a little shocked. When you had agreed to go out with him you had figured a fancy restaurant would be where he would take you, but the circus had been a welcome surprise.

From there you either had quiet evenings at your apartment, Wayne Manor, fancy restaurants, weekend getaways, and many other dates. You were on cloud nine most of the time and you were slowly falling in love with him. He was easy to talk to and you enjoyed being in his company. You texted constantly and those small interactions were enough to get you smiling. Then he grew a little distant and worry crept in from the dark corners of your mind. Was he growing tired of your relationship? Had you done something wrong? Had he met someone new?

You wanted to approach Bruce on the topic, but he was barely around long enough for you to work up the courage to broach the subject. He dropped by one night and had barely started the dinner you had made for the two of you when his phone made a noise and he quickly checked it. He had quickly stood, made apologies, and was out the door.

That night you had sat at the table as the candlesticks burned down to just stare at the food you had made. You understood that Bruce was a busy man having to run his own business, what was bothering you was the fact that he was keeping something from you. You knew he was, he was secretive and selective about what he said when you asked certain questions.

Finally, you had grown tired of waiting for him to give you a proper response. If he wanted to keep secrets and leave in the middle of dates, that was fine. But he was going to have to find someone else to do that with. You were tired and you wanted an actual relationship, one where he trusted you enough to let you in.

Driving to Wayne Manor you could feel your anger burning below the surface, you were ready to tell him that this was it. You were done.

Alfred opened the door and was surprised to see you. “Where is he?” You demanded.

“Out, he’ll be back shortly, would you like to wait in the study?” You merely nodded and let Alfred lead you there.

You waited for a little over an hour for him to come home and when he did he went straight to the study to see you. He found you there staring out the window, a frown on your face. “Y/N?” He was confused as to why you were there. You all hadn’t scheduled a date for that evening.

Turning you finally looked at him, he seemed disheveled and… and was that bruise forming on his cheek? “Oh my God,” you hoped up, your anger directed toward him momentarily forgotten. “What the hell happened to your face?”

“It’s nothing,” he deflected. “What’re you doing here? Did I forget a date?”

The reason why you were here came crashing back down and you pulled your hand away from his face. Right. You were angry with him. “No you didn’t, but Bruce I can’t do this anymore.”

Bruce’s eyes widened in shock, those were not the words he had expected to hear from you. He thought things had been going well, sure he had to miss a few dates, but there had been emergencies, things he couldn’t control. “Y/N,” he started, but you held up a hand and cut him off.

“No Bruce, I don’t want to hear your apologies. I don’t want to hear that you’ll do better, I don’t want promises that won’t mean anything!” You felt your anger rising and you clenched your hands into fists. “At first I thought, ‘Oh it’s okay, he’s a busy man. He runs a business, this is normal’. Then it started to happen more frequently and more often. It hurts when I’m left at on our dates alone and I don’t know the reasons why. You never pause to say, ‘Hey they need me at the office something just happened’ or ‘Darling, I’m sorry but Lucius just called and needs my approval on something’. It’s never any of those it’s a simple I need to go and then you’re out the door before I can say a word! How do you think that makes me feel, Bruce?”

Bruce could see the tears beginning to well up in your eyes and he felt terrible. He hadn’t thought about what his disappearing acts may do to you. One reason being because he had never really had to deal with something like this before. There was a reason people thought he was a playboy and that’s because that’s what he wanted them to believe. His lifestyle didn’t have room for a full-time relationship.

Then you had come into his life. He had seen you at that charity event watching him and actually listening to what he had to say. How long had it been since someone had just listened to him? Too long. Alfred and Dick seemed to be the only ones that really listened to him besides you. But Dick could sometimes be a pain seeing as how he was still just a teenager.

He wanted to keep you in his life, he wanted you to stay. He wanted to let you in.

That thought made him pause. For once he actually wanted to let someone in on his secret. “I need to show you something… It’ll hopefully explain things for you, or at least put them in a new light. And I’m showing you because I trust you, Y/N and because, well because I love you.”

Those three little words made the whole world stop. Time slowed and for a moment you thought that maybe you had misheard him. Maybe you were hearing things. “I’m sorry, you what?”

He chuckled and pulled you closer to him, “I love you, and if you’ll hear me out I promise things may make a bit more sense and we can talk about how to fix what we have. Because I don’t want to let you go Y/N. I like having you in my life. Besides Dick would kick my ass if I let you go. He says you make me happy and he’s right you do. Though my actions probably haven’t proven that to you.” He took your hand, “Come along, we have a lot to discuss.”

He led you through the halls of the manor and to the library where he opened a secret door to an elevator. Heading down deep you began to squirm. What was he hiding from you?

When the elevator doors opened and Bruce led you out onto a walkway where you paused, your eyes widening. Below was a cave and not just any cave, but the Batcave. You saw the Batmobile, a bank of computers, a sparring area, and a section for the super suits. “Holy shit,” your voice was soft as the words slipped out.

“I’m Batman,” he said simply. “This is where I disappear on nights when we have our dates. Alfred will message me and tell me something big is going down and I jump into action.” He turned you so that you were looking at him and not the freaking Batcave.

“You’re… you’re him,” you said. You were still trying to process that Bruce Wayne was Batman. It made sense, but holy shit he was Batman! You gripped the railing in front of you as you continued to stare at the Batcave.

Bruce stood by silently for a few moments to let you process what you were seeing. He knew how hard this could be to wrap your head around. Batman was an important figure in Gotham, people had been speculating on the Bat’s identity for years. Some had even been bold enough to say that Bruce was Batman. He had always found a way around it, a way to prove those people wrong.

After a few minutes passed Bruce said, “I’m not showing this to you because I’m trying to excuse my behavior, it’s just that I want you to understand. I’ve never really had anything long term as I have had with you, it made it easier to keep the secret. I’m not used to keeping this secret from someone I care about. I can’t promise that if you stay with me that it will get easier. I’ll have bad nights and close calls, but I want to share it with you. I want you to be the reason I look forward to coming home at night. The reason why I don’t come home to cold sheets and emptiness.” He gently placed a hand over yours and you looked up at him, your chest tight with emotion. Bruce looked more vulnerable than you had ever seen him, the sincerity of his words written all over his face. “So will you stay with me?”

The answer was an easy one now that you knew the truth. “Of course I’ll stay with you, Bruce.” Bruce visibly relaxed and there was a smile appearing on his face. You moved to stand directly in front of him, “Because I love you too.”

There was a lot that you and Bruce still needed to discuss, but as he pulled you into his arms you didn’t care about how much your life would change. For right now all you cared about was being wrapped in his warm embrace and relishing in the fact that he loved you too.

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absentlyabbie · 4 years

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a family and (mis)fortune fic

on ao3

moments growing up in the life of tommy merlyn, part-time wayne foster child. (three)

—————

Judging by the look on Bruce’s face, he would have preferred Dick not to be hanging from the chandelier by his knees the first time he brought Tommy Merlyn into the foyer of Wayne Manor.

Dick just gave him an upside down grin. The little kid Bruce was shepherding with a hand on his back had his eyes on the ground and a frown on his face. He looked… sad. And tired. Not the kind of tired you get after a long plane ride, but the tired of losing everything and not knowing where you are anymore. Dick winced, remembering that feeling way too clearly for comfort.

Tightening his grip with his knees, Dick swung the chandelier just enough to make it creak and fell back on his entertainer training, loudly calling, “Hi!”

Tommy’s head jerked up, eyes wide with surprise as he looked around and then, finally, looked up. Dick waved as Tommy’s eyes widened even further, his mouth falling open. “Whoa! Cool!”

With another small swing, Dick let go and did a simple somersault, landing barefoot on the entry rug just in front of Tommy and Bruce. Dick stuck his hand out, still smiling. “You’re Tommy, right?” Tommy nodded, taking Dick’s hand and shaking it limply, still staring at Dick in awe. Dick couldn’t help but preen a little. “I’m Dick, I live here too. Wanna be friends?”

Tommy’s face broke out in a huge grin, eyes alight, and it was like the kid was transformed. “Seriously? Yes! That was so cool, how did you do that? Can I do that too?”

He turned excitedly to Bruce for the last question, and Dick didn’t miss the surprise on Bruce’s face. He wondered if it was because of the change in Tommy’s demeanor or because he wasn’t used to actually being asked permission.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Bruce said slowly, which wasn’t the hard no Dick had been expecting. However, when Tommy instantly deflated, that light in his eyes all but flickering out, Dick figured he understood why Bruce was reluctant to really put his foot down.

“Oh.” Tommy’s shoulders slumped in disappointment and he looked quickly away from Bruce and back to the floor, embarrassment turning his cheeks pink.

Dick decided to come to the rescue and save Bruce from being the bad guy Tommy clearly didn’t need right now. “It’s because I’m a circus freak,” he announced blithely. Tommy looked back up at Dick in confusion and Dick nodded. “Really. I lived with my mom and dad as part of Haley’s Circus before here.” He threw his arms out wide, showboating a little. “The Flying Graysons! Famous trapeze artists and tumblers!”

“For real?” Tommy looked skeptical, but also interested again, like he wanted to believe Dick but didn’t want to be the dumb little kid falling for a joke. “But you’re a kid!”

“Hey, I’m fourteen,” Dick corrected, hands on his hips. “And I did my first show when I was eight. It takes a lot of training and practice, like, so much. Same somersaults over and over and over and swings on the low bars for years before you ever get to go up the ladder.” He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. “Ages of boring before you ever get to the fun stuff.”

“Oh.” Tommy’s face scrunched up, clearly rethinking how interested he was in swinging from chandeliers.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dick could see the relief telegraphed on Bruce’s face before he tucked it stoically away.

“So why’d you come live here?”

The question caught Dick off guard entirely, and he felt his cheery grin fall right off his face as Bruce inhaled quietly. Tommy’s expression was thoughtful and curious, and the question hadn’t been meant to be cruel. And though Dick really should have seen it coming, he supposed he was never going to stop being unexpectedly pricked by the grief and anger of that very last night at the circus.

“Tommy,” Bruce started softly, but Dick shook his head.

Looking Tommy in the eye, he answered seriously. “Same reason as you.”

Surprise flickered across Tommy’s face, and in an instant he was serious and sad and looked way older than nine. “I’m sorry.”

It wasn’t the syrupy, patronizing apology of adults who looked at orphaned kids like they were lost puppies, and it wasn’t the awkward, wincing sorry of people who just didn’t know what else to say and clearly wished they’d never asked.

Tommy said sorry like he meant it, because he understood it personally, and probably had heard it himself too many times already.

Dick just nodded, because it didn’t need dressing up and putting on a show, for either of them. “Me too.”

Tommy offered him a little smile that felt like the first real peek at who he was, a tentatively offered connection. Dick gave it right back.

He hadn’t been sure what this would be like when Bruce told him he was bringing some other kid home to live with them part-time. He knew Tommy was five years younger than him and had lost both his parents, same as Dick. Same as Bruce. And when Dick had asked, Bruce had been very firm that Tommy would under no circumstances be joining them in the Batcave and that Dick wasn’t to tell him about Batman and Robin.

It wasn’t like Dick was jealous, or nervous about being replaced, but he couldn’t quite picture what it would be like with some younger kid running around underfoot, if it would be annoying or fun. He knew how much it sucked to suddenly be an orphan, and Bruce was awkward at being comforting even if it counted that he tried really hard. So Dick had done his best to reserve judgement and try to be welcoming.

Now, though, he was pretty sure he and Tommy Merlyn were gonna get along just fine.

The front door opened again to admit Alfred, a rolling suitcase in hand. “Master Bruce, the car has been unloaded, and the rest of young Master Tommy’s belongings arrived yesterday. I took the liberty of unpacking some of them in your new room,” Alfred said to Tommy, smiling gently. “If you’d like to unpack your suitcase, you’re welcome to rearrange anything in the room as you like. It belongs to you now. If you’ll allow, I’ll show you where it is.”

“That’s cool, Alfred, I’ve got it,” Dick cut in, reaching out to take the suitcase from him. Smiling at Tommy, who was looking abruptly overwhelmed, Dick jerked his head towards the stairs. “Come on, I’ll show you your new digs.”

Shoulders falling in relief, Tommy nodded gratefully and followed Dick in a clatter up the stairs.

Dick smirked as, behind them, Bruce said quietly to Alfred, “Remind me to reinforce that chandelier.”

—————

@memcjo @klaus-hargreeves-katz @its-a-pygmy-puffle @keabbs @princesssarcastia @obscure-sentimentalist @icannotbelieveiamhere @p0cketw0tch @andyouweremine @storiesofimagination @acheaptrickandacheesyoneline @cronusamporaofficial @batsonthebrain @adeusminhacolombina @relevanttosomeone

#tommy merlyn #dick grayson #bruce wayne #arrow #arrow fic #batfam #family and (mis)fortune au #fam au #this is the start of a beautiful friendship #bruce is gonna have so many heart attacks

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verratensduo · 4 years

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Erejean week 2020 day seven//superheroes and super villains

The night was calm as Jean stood on top of the Titan’s tower. The wind ever so slightly moved his hair as it went in the dead silent city. Not a crime had been detected by their algorithm and everyone else he was asleep he assumed. This place was nothing like Gotham, it was calm, safe, the gangs even seemed to be a bit less brutal here. Now Jean always felt a sense of fear because of how Gotham was, he shook his head clear of the feeling of dread though. That is just what living in Gotham for too long did to you. Made you paranoid.

He was usually asleep by now, even back in Gotham. Bruce never let him patrol after ten, only an hour later than he had before Jean reached thirteen and asked politely. He understood Bruce’s logic, and really he never worried about Bruce when he went on his second patrol. The man had been a hero for years, there was never a reason to worry about him, he knew what he was doing.

So why was he awake now? He attributed it to the fact a circus was in town. He had never even thought about it much until too night, but it was always the same when a circus came to town. Nights that seemed impossible to sleep on, and when he did sleep it was plagued by nightmares and he woke up feeling more exhausted than he had when he went to bed. Why was it different in Gotham?

Likely because he and Bruce where not stop fighting criminals during patrols, Alfred was always near by in case he started exhibiting distress and did something to comfort him despite him being asleep. And of course he couldn’t forget Ace the Bathound, who seemed to know Jean might need someone on nights a circus was in town. Maybe dogs just had that sense, to tell them when one in their pack was feeling distress. He was especially aware that Ace tended to join him in bed more (much to Alfred’s dismay) when it was a circus that was in town.

Of course he always had the same nightmare. Watching his parents fall to their deaths, hearing the panicked and confused screaming from the audience, his parents, and other circus performers. He remembered hearing Haley screaming for a ladder. All of that and more. How could he forget? It was the worst night of his life. Perhaps knowing a circus was here in Jump city reminded him too much of how much he missed the circus, and how traumatic the night his parents died had been for him.

“I had a feeling you would be up here. You’re thinking about what happened that made you Robin, right Jean?” Jean had jumped when another voice cut through the otherwise silent night air, but he relaxed somewhat hearing a familiar laugh at his reaction and processing who’s voice it was.

“Yes Eren....but how would you know that?” Jean looked behind him, now curious as to why Eren would know, or even come up here to look at him. He knew Eren had insomnia, but to think of that he knew to come up here, or had even been looking for him was a bit of a shock.

Now Eren walked up next to him, the brunet’s hair was also being slightly blown by the breeze as he looked out over the city with Jean now.

“Because, I come up here whenever I am thinking about the event that made me follow this path, the reason I became Speedy...I did it after that earth quake a few days ago. It’s nice and peaceful up here, a good place to think, to reflect.” He didn’t turn his head, as Jean returned his head to the way it had been facing.

“The night you got those scars on your face too from what you said Speedy. The ones you hate it when people ask about or stare...not that I blame you...I guess we both just have a trauma we can’t seem to move past, can we?” Jean asked feeling somewhat despaired, blushing a little as Eren took his hand.

“Maybe, but hey we have each other right? Someone who truly understands the toll watching a parent die takes. It’s why we’re together isn’t it? I mean other than when you asked me to dance and then kissed me at that Gala. We know how to comfort the other when necessary.” Eren smiled just a bit.

“I guess.” Jean chuckled squeezing his hand. “Who would have ever thought those two events would somehow lead to here and now...maybe that is just the way life goes for guys like us...whatever the case....I am glad you are here by my side.” His eyes scanned the peaceful city, it was almost midnight and still peaceful, mind boggling, but comforting.

“I guess so....maybe we should get to bed. Combat practice at six after all. We both know Reiner will hate it if we’re late.” Though he said this, Eren made no attempt to even move, he just stood there lightly returning Jean’s squeeze.

“Yeah....we probably should.” Though he also made no move to do so.

For now, he was content just to stand there and hold Eren’s hand and watch as the city as the stars twinkled in the sky far above their heads and silently watched over the earth and her inhabitants, gleaming and giving off a little light of their own, just enough to be seen. What a perfect night.

#erejean week 2020 #erejean week #erejean #eren yeager #jean kirstien #teen titans au #my writing #and finished at last #thanks for the week everyone involved

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iphoenixrising · 5 years

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For 700 Followers!

Hi babe.

That is terribly angsty and now I’m intrigued.

(Just a note for babe not familiar with No Home for Dead Birds or Fracture: I write a scene in which Tim literally has a gun to head. This is not lighthearted angst, please be warned if you read this.)

At one time, his colors had been red, gold, and green.

At one time, he’d been part of something bigger, something important. A legacy.

At one time, he’d been able to fly without being afraid of falling.

Being Robin had been the epitome. Even with all the terrible things he’d endured, all the injuries, all the catastrophes, all the insane megalomaniacal baddies breathing down his neck, he wouldn’t have traded the tunic for anything in the world.

(Dick had known it, had known how painful it was for Tim give it up once his Dad found out.)

He would have died with the R on his chest and never had a single regret.

Realistically, he couldn’t have been Robin forever, and he’d known that someday he would have to give it up and either move on with his life as a regular person, or take on another name, another mask, to keep fighting the good fight.

He hadn’t expected Dick would take it without a thank-you or fuck you to mark the end. That hadn’t been in the plan.

But it’s fine because Dick was the first and Robin had been his anyway, right?

Right.

Wrong.

Staring down the .45 in hand, the gun his father hadn’t had the chance to use to save his own life, Tim Drake wonders how it all came down to this.

(Last one left standing. Of fucking course.)

How it had all come out so badly, how he could barely step foot back in Gotham, how he had to avoid the Manor, the Carriage House, his own family home. How he couldn’t pick up the phone or answer texts coming from his former team. How he could barely keep himself the fuck together now that Bruce was back. How his hands would start to shake when the Manor phone number popped up (Alfred). How his mind’s eye would go back to Dick at the Big Computer in the Batsuit, telling him they were still equals. How he would imagine what would happen if he hadn’t caught himself when that zip line was cut. How he would sit in his safe house, off the Bat radar, and mourn the times when he was actually–

(happy)

–part of a family.

The pictures from an old Vans shoebox, the ones he’d taken back when he’d had the run of Gotham, following Batman and Robin (Jason), are burning in the kitchen sink. He watches Nightwing’s blurry face melt away and pretends there aren’t tears in his eyes.

The old memorabilia from Haley’s Circus is in a storage unit outside the city, along with a box that has his last Robin suit.

The lawyer has strict instructions to deliver the key and a letter to his former adopted father, Bruce Wayne, upon news of his death so anything incriminating can be properly disposed.

(They wouldn’t need any of it anyway. They could just shred all of it and wash their hands of him. The Robin that never should have been.)

A map with all his safe houses would be send to Conner Kent, along with a letter of apology.

His favorite nerd shirts would go to Ives.

The sundries in his Perch would be for Steph, and the penthouse itself would go to Babs in case things in the theatre went sideways.

Bart would get a zip drive with all their old shenanigans on video, the only copies left once his systems uploaded relevant data to Titan’s Tower and his electronic footprint would be–

gone.

The box with the Red Robin costume he wore was already sealed and addressed to Jason Todd. The note on top was short and sweet: You were right. It never should have been me after all.

He’d already arranged for his share in Wayne Enterprises to be returned to Bruce Wayne immediately, handing him his family’s company back without any strings attached.

Months ago, he’d returned The Red Bird to the Cave when he was sure no one would be around to catch him. The implication that Robin would need the car one day right there in the fact he’d brought it back because honestly, it was never really his in the first place.

Alfred would get his pick of antiques from Drake Manor, and the house itself would be given to the city to be used as a halfway home for runaway teens. He’d made sure the funding would be there to run it for a few years. The donation was made in his mother’s name.

The hilt molds to his palm, the barrel glinting bright in the night. To his credit, his hands aren’t shaky when he slides the clip home and pulls the slide back to put one in the chamber.

(The team had been working fine without him for a while now. Even if they did need someone, there was another Robin to join the roster and keep them moving forward.)

An abrupt light in the darkness, his phone screen lighting up with a missed call notification.

Missed call: Dick the OG

Ironic since the last time he’d come this far, it had been him calling out to the last person he thought could pull him back.

(Not this time. He has a new little brother, a new Robin.)

Slowly, without putting down the .45, he presses the ignore when the phone starts buzzing against with another incoming call. He thumbs the button on the side to turn the phone completely off without listening to the voicemail.

The clip makes a difference, but the absurdity of it, of the last time he did this, was when his future self was a murdering, gun-toting Batman, and the only way he could see to stop it was to stop himself.

The press of the barrel is familiar, and not in that soothing kind of way.

He blinks, just blinks, and his face is wet, which is really stupid because no one is going to miss him any damn way.

His chest gets tight when he fingers the trigger guard, giving himself the time he needs to do it right. In the final moments, he inanely thinks about the time he was huddled against Dick, right after he'd almost tried cloning his dead best friends in an insane attempt to bring them back. It's really the last time he remembers being held, being warm, feeling like he still fucking mattered. It was Dick holding him tight with restraining, breathing against the top of his head, fingers buried in his hair.

It's when he could be weak while still in the mask, babbling to Dick about how he can't do this, he can't lose them all. He was crying then, too, when he told Dick about his mom and dad leaving, leaving, always fucking leaving. About how he got used to seeing their backs more than their faces. How he was left standing on his own for too damn long to just let it keep happening. He couldn't keep losing them, couldn't keep seeing people walk away, how it fucking breaks him.

And in the here and now, his chest hitches, eyes fluttering, hand tightening down because he'd said...and Dick had...

"But I'm here, Timmy. I'm always going to be your big brother!"

It had been the last time he'd been surrounded by the famed octopus hold.

(It was the last time for a lot of things.)

He laughed, smothered in Dick shoulder, something further away from a sob. "Then I guess you'll at least never leave me, right?"

"You will never be able to get rid of me. C'mon. We're going the hell home and having a movie day. Screw the Lazarus Pit, Robin. It's time for some R and R."

Dick had half-carried him to the waiting Batplane and talked him down out of trying to use the Pit for his own gain ever again.

The first knuckle rests on the smooth curve, a six-pound trigger.

(In the end, they all leave.)

(Not again.)

Conner's terrible mohawk and leather jacket.

Bart racing Wally at a hotdog eating competition.

Cassie running full tilt to throw herself at him when he'd come to Titan's Tower to ask them for help when Ra's was going to kill everyone Batman ever loved.

Raven nuzzling Gar out of plain sight so no one would think she was totally gone for him.

Jason coming to the Tower, alive good God, and the Robin he used to be super-imposed to be his hero and enemy in the same ghostly figure.

Bruce putting a hand on his shoulder on a ride back to the Cave, chasing the dawn, the Good work, tonight tired but sincere, and his whole body lights up.

His mother looking at peace in her coffin, a lily in her folded hands.

His eyes close on the out-of-the-way safe house, the plain beige walls, stripped and soulless. He keeps the team in his mind, the times he was happy.

Now.

Instead of a resounding boom followed by his grey matter splattering his personality, intelligence, imagination, him all over–

the wall to the safe house caves in under a super punch.

Conner is white as a sheet on the other side, brick and mortar crumbling under his hands. "No! Tim. Tim. Put. The. Gun. Down."

His mouth is dry and his brain pan full of nothing but pain and disappointment.

(But you brought it all on yourself, didn't you? The Robin nobody wanted. The son nobody asked for.)

He isn't numb enough to be calm, cool, and collected. "All...all you have to do–" a hitch in his breathing "–is walk away."

The meta floats in a little closer, hovering over the flooring instead of outside. His hands stretch out, gaze focused and intense.

"Can't do that, buddy. Looks like I should have been more of an asshole after all the League of Assassins shenanigans. Sorry, my bad."

Kon knows he's in trouble when Tim Drake doesn't laugh.

"Tim," he goes to serious in about two point five seconds because the hand holding that shiny automatic tightens enough for him to hear the screws in the hilt strain, "Tim. It's me here, okay? It's just you and me, just like it's always been. We’re besties, whether you're Robin or Red Robin or Tim fucking Drake because that guy is so damn cool." He inches closer, wondering if he's fast enough, wondering if he can really get to Tim in time–

Like the former Robin can read his mind, those violet-blue eye give him a blink.

"I’ve always wondered if you really are faster than a speeding bullet."

“No!”

(...as it turns out, he isn’t.)

#so there's that #winter answers #700 followers #loves to you babe #warnings for possible triggers #you will probably cry #tim drake #kon-el #i cried so yeah #comment if i should continue #my fic #my writing

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revengeofthebluepen · 5 years

Text

Painted On With Laughter Ch 8/9/10

Ch. 8 Time Flies By When You Are Fighting Crime

(Name) decided from that night on she would help in anyway she could for the boys. Weather it was sneaking information from the parties attended or by using her acrobatic skills at night to sneak out and find information. (Name) had decided if she was going to help she needed to superhero as well. (Name) took old clothing and fabric from stores and the attic to make her own costume with the help of Alfred as well. Her outfit was a simple black catsuit completed with a hood and cape. For her mask, (Name) found an old masquerade mask from the attic she decided to use. Her superhero name was still undecided until late on night, while Bruce and Dick were out. (Name) sat with Alfred in the dining room and chatted about her idea of being a superhero.

“I need a name for my hero yet Alfred.”

“Perhaps you don’t, Mistress (Name). If your hero is good enough, to not be seen or caught, then if they had a name, no one would use it.”

“Alfred what would we do without you,” (Name) said giving the butler a hug. (Name) bid her good nights to Alfred and made her way up to her room. She quickly changed into her costume and made her way out of her bedroom window. (Name) never exited from the front door or the same way twice while in costume. She had been doing this for a few weeks and felt confident in her abilities. (Name) jumped roof top to roof top once she sneaked into the city via under a bus. As the she jumped roof to roof, she noticed something wasn't quite right. There was an eerie silence that filled the alleys. It sent chills down her spine to think of the possibilities as to why. (Name) continued to run her portal for the night and returned back to the Wayne Manor. Climbing back into her window unnoticed by outsiders, (Name) looked out onto the backyard. She could still feel that unsettling feeling but didn't know what it was. (Name) closed the window and locked it for once. She closed the blinds and changed back into her P.J.s, before climbing back into her bed. She made sure her outfit was well hidden as well.

The unsettling feeling cause (Name) to stay awake for the rest of the night. (Name) listened to every creak and sound of the world beyond her room. Before the sun came up (Name) could hear Bruce and Dick climb the stairs. She still lied on her bed with her eyes wide open, waiting for Bruce to enter. (Name) watched as Bruce quietly opened the door and stick his head in. Bruce caught a glimpse of her (e/c) eyes watching his every movement. Bruce slowly entered the room and approached (Name). He quietly turned on the lamp by her bed and sat down on her bed next to her small frame.

“What are you still doing up?” He questioned quietly.

“Somethings off, wrong and I just dont know what it is. It feels like something is making things go missing. It's unsettling.” (Name) said as she sat up in her bed. Bruce pondered her thought before replying to the young girl.

“(Name) can I ask you a personal question, you don't have to answer.” (Name) nodded.

“Did you remember your mother and father or any family?”

“I was abandoned as a baby, to the circus, John used to say him and Mary were friends with my mom.”

“And your father?”

“Was never talked about, the only family I had was the circus.”

“Would you like to know?”

“I don’t need to know I have you and Dick to be my family.”

“But if I could tell you,”

“Then yes.”

“(Name), I’m... ” but before bruce could tell her glass was heard shattering from a room near by. Bruce motioned for (Name) to stay put and he shut the door behind himself as he left. (Name) sat up on her bed and listen to the sounds of people moving throughout the house. (Name) quietly made her way out of her bed and to her closet. She grabbed a bag and filled it with a few things such as clothes, a water bottle her stuff bear, and a few personal things from her room. (Name) made her way over to desk. Taking a pen off of her desk, she wrote on a piece of paper that was already out. (Name) quietly made her way back to her walk in closet and closed the door. A few men slammed the door open. As they entered they scanned for a few signs as to where the girl was. They looked in the attached bathroom, behind and under furniture. One of the men laughed as they drew closer and closer to the closet. The laughing man quickly swung open the closet. They looked behind the drawers and hanging clothes. The men threw objects out of their way but alas they found nothing. They exited the closet and as they exited the room one of the men found a note. It read:

Dear Dick,

I’m so sorry I have to leave you but I have to know the truth. I have to know, so I have run away. I will return once I find them. I am sorry for causing you to worry. Thank you for helping me back on my feet.

Goodbye my friend,

(Name) (Last initial)

The man picked up the note and handed to the laughing one. His laughter had died down enough for the words to escape his lips.

“She's making it way too easy” and the man laughed even more.

(Name) heard the men leave the house and drive off. (Name) waited in silence as the hours ticked by. Eventually a pair of heavy footsteps trudged into (Name)’s room. They were followed by a lighter steps and eventually a barely audible pair of steps. (Name) stayed in her hidey hole, listening to the people on the other side. She dared not to move a muscle. The set of footsteps drew closer and closer. She listened as the threw open the door of the closet. It was if they were scared as what they were to find. (Name) listen to the three figures entered the room, and eventually she caught a glimpse of the three figures. The leader was limping, along with the youngest of the three. The middle one quickly scanned the room as the others stood there bewildered. The youngest fell down on the floor ready to cry. As the tears formed in his eyes, (Name) emerged from the her spot and into the shadows. (Name) could see clearly now, it was Bruce, Alfred and Dick, who was on the floor. (Name) rushed out to Dick and pulled him into a hug. Dick sat there in shock while (Name) hugged him. Eventually he came to his senses, Duck hugged (Name) back. Bruce and Alfred soon joined in their hug. The hug soon broke apart but Dick still held onto (Name)’s hand.

“(Name), I’m your father.” Bruce said.

(Name) ran up to him and bear hugged her father while Dick sat in shock. Alfred had a small smile on her face for he had known along. The two broke from their hug.

“Perhaps some cookies and milk are need for celebration.Yes?” questioned Alfred.

(Name) and Dick happily ran down to the kitchen with the two adults on their heals.

Ch 9 This Is The Wonderful Truth

The months flew by for the Wayne family. (Name) grew closer with her father. Dick and her friendship grew stronger and (Name) didn't know it but a certain bird had feeling for her. (Name) and Dick were practically joined at the hip like they had once been. (Name) was currently sitting her room with her precious gitare as Dick sat and watched her. Bruce was doing some business in his office and Alfred was making lunch. (Name) strummed her guitar as lyrics of a song she liked filled her head.

“This is gospel for the fallen ones

Locked away in permanent slumber

Assembling their philosophies

From pieces of broken memories”

Before her (e/c) eyes a memory flashed before her. She was performing on the streets again. It was raining outside but she stood her ground and continued dp flips and other tricks.

“Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart

The gnashing teeth and criminal tongues conspire against the odds

But they haven't seen the best of us yet

If you love me let me go

'Cause these words are knives that often leave scars

The fear of falling apart”

(Name) could still hear the voices of the girls and boys who would tease her for having to perform for money. But what was worse she could still remembering have to go back to the home she had.

“And truth be told, I never was yours

The fear, the fear of falling apart

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart

This is gospel for the vagabonds,

Ne'er-do-wells, insufferable b******s”

She entered her so called home, in hopes he was asleep. Unfortunately he wasn’t. Mr. Haley stood from his spot on the beaten and dirty couch. He walked over to where a quivering (Name) stood.

“Get out and stay out you ungrateful child.” He yelled. She gladly ran from the home.

“Confessing their apostasies

Led away by imperfect impostors

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart

Don't try to sleep through the end of the world

Bury me alive

'Cause I won't give up without a fight”

(Name) ran and ran from the home. She soon arrived in a dark alley. She found a couple of the boxes and sat them up behind a few trash cans. (Name) quietly climbed into the box fort she made.

“If you love me let me go

If you love me let me go

'Cause these words are knives that often leave scars

The fear of falling apart

And truth be told, I never was yours

The fear, the fear of falling apart

Oh, the fear of falling apart

Oh, the fear, the fear of falling apart

Oh (This is the beat of my heart)

The fear of falling apart

Oh (This is the beat of my heart)

The fear of falling apart

Oh (This is the beat of my heart)

The fear of falling apart

Oh (This is the beat of my heart)

The fear of falling apart”

(Name) slept there that night in the wet alley way. She still remembers the fear of every sound that was made in the distance.

(Name) snapped out of her trace of memories when clapping erupted from Dick. (Name) looked at the boy before her. She didn't know what she would do without him and Bruce. Another person’s clapping was heard from behind her. (Name) turned to see Alfred with a plate of food. Alfred brought the food into the room while Dick set up a small table and chairs for them to sit on. (Name) placed a tablecloth on it while Alfred set down the tray of food along with a tea pot and cups. (Name) and Dick took seats across from each other and as Alfred went to leave the room (Name)’s voices rang out.

“Won't you eat with us, Alfred?”

“I was beginning to think you weren't going to ask”

Alfred made his way back over to the children and sat in the small chair. He poured tea for each of them. The three started to eat their lunch and soon Bruce entered his daughter’s room. Bruce raised his brow at the scene that laid before him

“Father will you join us for lunch?” (Name) motioned to an empty chair across from Alfred. Bruce sat down and Alfred poured him a cup of tea and handed him a plate. The small family sat and chatted while eating their lunch. After the lunch, Bruce, Dick and (Name) went into town for some shopping, bring Bruce to drive the family. Both Dick and (Name) wore a backpack to carry their purchases. The family walk together into the mall. Dick grabbed ahold of (Name)’s hand as they walked together along the shops.

“Look (Name), they have stuff animals.” Dick said pointing to a nearby store.

“Father,”

“Yes you may, here is $500, each for the day. Have fun” Bruce said handing money to Dick. Bruce made his way over to a suit shop and was greeted by the owner. (Name) happily dragged Dick into the store. Dick walked behind the hyper (Name), who was trying to do all the math in her head. A store assatiate walked up to Dick, who was looking at a stuffed dog.

“You trying to find something for your friend their?” the worker questioned.

“I really like her and she really really likes stuffed animals, I just don't know what to get her. I don't know if she would like the dog. She’s also planning on buying something. ”

The worker motioned for another employee, who then walked over to (Name). The worker and (Name) happily chatted over the stuff animals. The worker with Dick lead him over to the front desk and grabbed one of the limitations from behind her on a shelf.

“This is our last one, it's twenty dollars.” the worker said handing him the stuff bear. The bear was an assortment of colors and had sparkly ears. The bear also wore a shirt that said “I love Gotham and it's superheros.” with the batman symbol.

“I’ll take it.” Dick said as he pulled out his wallet. He payed for the stuff bear and placed it in his backpack. (Name) came up shortly after with a an armful of stuffed animals and clothes for them. (Name) payed for her purchases and the two left hand and hand. The next store they went to was the candy shop, they each bought several bags of candy. The two walked over to next a clothing store, while (Name) was in the dressing room trying on clothes, Dick excused himself. He made his way over to the jewelry department. Hey payed for something Dick returned as (Name) exited the dressing room. Together they went to the front desk to pay. (Name) and Dick had both spent all of their money, so they had decided to head back to where Bruce had been last. As they grew closer, (Name) could hear someone laughing. She ignored the sound as they grew closer to Bruce. Bruce had purchased a new set of ties and handkerchiefs and once done had waited for the children on a nearby bench. The family exited the store. Once home (Name) put away her new stuff animals and clothes. Dick waited out of (Name)’s room with a velvet box in hand. (Name) exited her room and was met with Ddick’s baby blue eyes.

“Here, I got this for you.” Dick handed (Name) the box.

(Name) opened the box to reveal a charm bracelet. It had a sparrow, a robin, a bat, a guitar, and (fav. animal.). Dick helped (Name) put on the bracelet. (Name) ran back in her room and grabbed something off of her desk. Returning to where Dick stood she held the mysterious object behind her back.

“Close your eye, hold out your hand and you will be given a surprise.”

Dick did as he was told and (Name) took a bracelet she had made with her and Dick’s name on it, out from behind her back. She tied the bracelet onto his wrist. Dick opened his eyes and saw the bracelet. He hugged (Name) and she hugged him back. From that moment on their friendship blossomed into something more as Dick placed a kiss on (Name)’s cheek.

Ch. 10 4 Years

(Name) ran about her room, throwing clothes on her bed and making outfits. Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz It was her phone buzzing on her bed. Taking a break from frantically looking for the perfect outfit, (Name) picked up her phone. She read the message from Dick.

Dick: Don’t forget! Tonight at 8 at the park where you once performed. :)

(Name) quickly looked at her clock it was seven p.m. right now. Putting her phone down she looked at her options. A short (f/c) dress with a leather jacket and black heels or a pair of jeans and a (f/c) shirt. (Name) stood in silence while a war raged in her head. A knocking on her door brought her back to reality.

“It’s open.”

Bruce entered the room. He looked at his daughter and noticed a small scowl on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can't decided what to wear tonight.” (Name) motioned to the 2 outfits.

“Where will you be going”

“We’re meeting at the park and that's all he told me.”

“Wear the dress but not the heels and wear some leggings.”

“He told you didn't he”

Bruce made a humming noise and left the room so (Name) could change. After putting on the dress and leggings, (Name) did her makeup and hair. By the time she was finish it was time for her to leave. She only made it down the hall before she remembered to grab her braclet. She had forgotten to put it back on after she changed. It was a simple charm bracelet that Dick had given to her three years ago. (Name) quickly put on the bracelet and head to the car. Alfred had agreed to drop her off at the park earlier that day. As (Name) got out of the car, she thanked Alfred and made her way over to the fountain. Taking a seat near by, (Name) looked around for Dick. It was 7:40 so she still had some time for him to arrive. The park was almost completely empty except for a couple and a baby, a few businessman walking on the outer edge and a few children with adults. As it drew closer to eight o’clock, the park became more deserted. The parents and children playing on the playground had gone and the businessmen had left. (Name) was almost alone except for the couple and baby that sat across from her. The woman across from her looked up from the baby and waved at (Name), before walking over to her and leaving the baby with her husband.

“Can I ask what you’re doin’ all alone out here?” the woman asked in a sweet voice.

“I’m waiting for my date. You wouldn’t happen to have the time would you? He is supposed to meet me here at eight.”

“Puddin’ do you have the time?” the woman asked the husband.

“I’d say it's, oh,” the man walked over with the baby carriage, “Oh, about time for you to go to sleep.” The man finished saying as the woman stuck a needle in (Name)’s neck. The world went black for (Name) as she was pushed into the baby carriage.

Dick had arrived at 7:55, and walked to the fountain. Dick took a seat and looked around for (Name). He sat in silence as the minutes ticked by. The park was completely empty as Dick sat there. He looked down at the clock on his phone. It was only half an hour past, eight. Maybe she’s running late? Dick thought. He continued to sit there waiting and watching. He sat at the park bench waiting for (Name) till the sun went down. Pulling out his cell phone Dick texted Alfred to pick him up. Dick sat in silence in the car as they drove home. ANger was written across his faces as he entered the manor. Bruce was in the kitchen when he heard Dick storm in.

“She stood me up.” Dick said even though Bruce hadn't asked him yet. Bruce pulled out his phone and dialed (Name)’s number as Dick made his way to the gym. Bruce listen to the phone in hopes his daughter would pick up.

“You’ve reached (Name), sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message at the beep. *BEEEP*”

“Where are you? Call me back when you can.” Bruce said to the machine and hung up the phone. Taking his coffee he had just made Bruce walked back to his office where had paperwork to finish.

“Alfred when (Name) comes back, let me know.”

“Yes Master Bruce”

What none of them knew is the sweet little girl they had grown to know and love would never be the same.

#robin x reader #dick grayson x reader #batfamily #BatFam #jason todd x reader #Tim Drake #damien wayne #bruce wayne #joker x reader #painted on with laughter

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sqoiler · 6 years

Text

family swap au stuff

haley’s circus was in smallville for a rest stop and john and mary went out and were killed in a car crash

it was the talk of the town and martha and johnathan decided to take in their orphaned son, as he was around kara’s age (kara had just landed a few months ago and they thought she could use some company)

they tried to keep the alien thing a secret from dick but it was hard for kara not to brag (i mean come on she’s like 10 have u ever met 10 year olds)

so dick knew and demanded to meet superman and thought clark was the COOLEST EVER

and dick and kara become besties and then one day they’re on a field trip and they go to a lex corp lab for a field trip and one of the workers “accidentally” spills something on kara and dick sort of.jumps in front of her? and then it gets on them both and there’s an electric shock that gives dick kara’s powers. she still has powers but now he has a weird version of them, too

after this clark takes kara & dick and they both move into his apartment in metropolis so he can keep an eye on them and be there for their training

this all ended up with dick and kara sneaking off to the fortress as soon as they could both fly and making themselves suits and supergirl and superboy were born

dick & kara co-found the titans which consist of kid flash, speedy, aqualad, aquagirl, wonder girl, and starfire

the titans eventually disbanded but before that happened kara & babs dated for a while. they mutually broke up when babs decided to move back to atlantis and quit being aquagirl

when the titans disbanded dick and kara decided to. move on and be a lil more solo so they became nightwing and flamebird

they were still partners but they worked less with clark or the titans and more with each other or justice leaguers

their home base is still metropolis but they worked on cleaning up bludhaven and work worldwide

b’ara is an atlanteian and she’s the adopted daughter of orin & mera

she grew up a princess and she learned magic from her mom

when garth became aqualad, b’ara (who’s around his age) forced her dad to let her be aquagirl alongside him and garth and babs joined the titans together

babs & garth were always friends but never super close?

babs dated supergirl for a lil bit but when the titans disbanded babs decided she wasn’t so sure about being aquagirl anymore so she went home to atlantis to work with her mom some more

at some point babs went up to visit with her friends for a titans reunion and while she was up there she got shot in the back of the spine by a mugger and was paralyzed

she had to stay up in the surface for a while after that and started doing tech stuff to help her dad with heroing

this led to her going up to the watchtower and helping the whole jl once she got really good at tech

she still goes to atlantis & can swim around still (her arms are ripped af)

cass & jason were twins born of shiva and given to cain

when they were around seven shiva showed up and killed cain and rescued her kids, leaving them with someone to take care of them. that person, of course, immediately dumped the kids in the first waste hole they could find.

jason & cass are left in gotham and they’re both mini killers who cant talk, all alone on the streets. fun times

black canary, who occasionally teams up with batman, was in gotham and found the two of them, cold and alone

dinah was sorry for them and took them in, just for winter to get warm so she could dump them in the foster system

then she got attached and taught them how to talk and they got cursed by the wizard (who approached dinah about some sort of alternate timeline or something) and now they both had the same canary cry and before dinah knew it she made ollie pull some strings to legally adopt them and jason & cass lance were born

dinah worked to re-train them and when they were 11 cass and jason decided that it was far past time they became superheros and snuck out as gold & red canary

dinah loves them a lot but they really give her a headache sometimes

the three of them live in an apartment in star city and crash at ollie’s place a lot and when roy got addicted and ollie kicked him out dinah brought him in (cass & jason were still pretty little then) and they all bonded and roy’s basically their brother now

when tim & kon restarted the titans cass and jason became reserve members since they were a lil older

cass & raven became really close friends through the titans

jason is close with gar and kid devil and others idk

cass and steph, another reserve member, become pretty close and become known as a nightmare pair

speaking of steph,

she and her parents move to central when she’s like 3ish and crystal dies when steph is six

when steph’s 11 flash brings down cluemaster and adopts her

steph pressures wally into telling her how to get powers and executes the procedure and survives

around this time, wally hung up the KF mantle, so she took it on

it only lasted a few years before she, too, had to give it up

when barry died and wally became the flash, steph picked up the mantle of dart and bart showed up soon after

steph was a reserve member of the titans and befriended cass lance

she dated courtney whitmore when she was kid flash but when she retired they broke up

when she was dart steph & cassie got together and have been going strong since

she and damian became friends and ever since whenever hal looks at steph he gets a mini heart attack

t’hym m’orzz came to earth at the same time as his sister m’gann did, and they both sort of hung around before j’onn introduced them to kon, who’d recently come into existence, and the three of them hit it off and from kon’s older brother dick’s encouragement they re-started the titans

soon enough people like bart and cassie joined, bringing along steph and cass and jason and raven and gar an

t’hym and kon started dating and making plans to see the stars and generally being gay

duke thomas’s parents were killed by a wonder woman villain, and diana took duke in

duke convinced her to train him and she did

the gods found out about this and blessed him with some powers (strength and flight) and he became wonder boy

he’s never been to themescyria and doesn’t really want to intrude or anything

he and cassie are best friends and when cassie joined the titans he wasn’t far behind

duke & diana have a mother/son relationship and cassie jokingly calls him her nephew since she and diana are sisters

duke and bart have mutual crushes on each other and are skirting around the issue atm

damian was dropped off with bruce and he was trying to convince him to be batboy or something when a green ring descended from the sky and announced that damian was the youngest green lantern of earth ever

bruce begrudgingly took him to hal who stuck him with jessica and simon

damian and jess immediately got along really well and it took longer but he and simon eventually got along, too

the three of them are known menaces among the green lanterns of earth and hal is eternally faceplanting at them all

damian & steph met when hal & barry started dating and all the lanterns decided to shovel talk barry

damian voice: allen PLEASE break jordan’s heart i don’t want him to be happy

steph: [snorts in laughter]

anyway damian & dick met when jon befriended damian (as new members of the new titans) and jon invited him over and dick was like “this is my new brother”

damian: hey father i have a new brother and sister now

bruce, tiredly: who

damian: stephanie allen and dick kent

bruce: im moving to ethiopia

(feel free to ask me or my artblog @sam-and-crystal if you have any questions! <3)

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headquartersforlievmuses · 6 years

Text

► Richard Grayson

Dick Grayson is a vigilante in the Batman Family and the original hero known as Robin. Eventually he outgrew this position and was inspired by Superman to become Nightwing, while Jason Todd and Tim Drake succeeded him as Robin. Following the disappearance of Bruce Wayne, he succeeded his mentor to become Batman with Damian Wayne as his Robin during Battle for the Cowl. Bruce's return allowed them to both wear the mantle as part of Batman Incorporated, although Grayson has since then returned to his Nightwing costume in Traps and Trapezes.

Dick Grayson was a twelve-year-old circus acrobat, the youngest of a family act called The Flying Graysons of The Haley Circus. Dick joined the act at a very young age, having been trained in acrobatics from birth. While on tour in Gotham City, he overheard "Boss" Tony Zucco, a well-known and feared crime-lord, threaten the performers unless the circus's owner paid extortion money. The owner refused, and that night Dick watched in horror as his parents' high wire snapped, sending his parents hurtling to their deaths, all while many of Gotham's elite watched on. Young Dick felt responsible, because he didn't warn his parents in time.

Shortly after the tragedy, Dick was placed in an uncaring juvenile services system, on the grounds that social services were full. He got beaten up by a number of the inmates, and he was later sent to a Catholic orphanage. Bruce Wayne rescued Dick by adopting him as his ward, because the boy did not want to replace his deceased father with the billionaire. Frustrated by the lack of attention from his new guardian and the mystery still surrounding his parents' death, Dick sneaked out of Wayne Manor one evening to solve the crime on his own - only to stumble into Batman, who was also investigating the murder. When Dick returned to the circus, he was confronted by Zucco's business associate, Eddie Skeevers who nearly killed Grayson, but Dick was saved thanks to Batman's intervention. After waking up in the Batcave, he is shocked to learn that Bruce is really the Batman. They succeed in revealing Zucco's complicity, but he supposedly dies of a heart attack before his arrest. Seeing a reflection of himself in Dick; that he could temper compassion with a thirst for justice, Batman made the young orphan the offer of a lifetime; the chance to become his crime-fighting partner. Dick chose the name Robin, and his training began. Dick's first mission alongside the Dark Knight involved battling The Hangman in Gotham's sewers, and then Two-Face and the rest of Batman's Rogues Gallery at the Batcave.

Dick enjoyed his first year as Robin, regarding the job as an adventure until a confrontation with Two-Face served as a rude awakening for the young hero. Two-Face had captured the new District Attorney and Batman, and had each suspended from a hangman's noose in a 'double gallows death-trap'. Robin, in trying to save the D.A., used a batarang to cut the rope of the noose. It worked, but Robin didn't account for Dent's obsession with the number two -- it was a two-fold trap, and the floor gave way, dropping the D.A. into the water, where the man drowned. Robin was unable to prevent his death, and received a beating at the hands of Two-Face. A beating witnessed by Batman, still tied up on the platform trying to free himself. Eventually, Batman was able to free himself and apprehend Two-Face. This event, however, scarred the young crime-fighter, and haunts him even today. Rather than see Dick be further endangered, Batman "fires" his partner, sidelining the Boy Wonder for a time.

The formation of the Teen Titans mainly happened due to the sidekick's mentors making them feel lesser of themselves, which they quickly knew wasn't right about them. Dick, along with Wally West (Kid Flash), and Garth (Aqualad) teamed-up; later on, Donna Troy (Wonder Girl) joined the team along with Roy Harper (Speedy).

Together, they cured the heroes from their mind control; later, their mentors (Batman, Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman) supported the idea of the teens becoming a heroic group, the Teen Titans! Dick became the leader of this team.

Dick continued his adventures with Batman, but Robin started to take on solo missions as well, and found himself to be a capable crime-fighter in his own right. Shortly afterward, the mysterious Raven summoned Dick Grayson, and several other young heroes, to form a new group of Titans. Robin again resumed leadership, and moved out of the shadow of the Batman. Dick rediscovered his self-worth among the Teen Titans and he also found love in Starfire, a beautiful alien who joined the team shortly afterwards. Dick handed over leadership of the Titans to Wonder Girl.

At the age of 19 and after six years of being Robin, Dick was shot in the shoulder by the Joker, and this prompted Batman to end his sidekick career for good. As a result, Dick moved out of Wayne Manor and attended college at Hudson University, but dropped after the first semester. Meanwhile, Dick continued working with the Teen Titans, but his identity as Robin was no longer fit for him and he soon adopted a new identity.

Uncertain what to do, he turned to someone he knew would understand: Superman. Very briefly, Dick had considered giving up the whole crime fighting gig, but he couldn't imagine his life any other way; but if he couldn't be Robin, who would he be? Superman had the answer. Long ago on Krypton, a man was cast out by his family - just as Dick had been. He dreamed of a world ruled by justice, and set out to protect the helpless of Krypton. His true identity was never revealed. He was known only as Nightwing.

When all his teammates were captured by Deathstroke the Terminator, and delivered to the HIVE, Dick assumed a new identity of Nightwing and helped to free them, with the help of new ally (and future Titan), Jericho.

Nightwing had finally moved out of the shadow of the Bat, and would lead the Titans through some hard times. Dick endured brainwashing at the hands of Brother Blood, his relationship with Starfire would suffer due to her marriage of state, he would be deeply affected by the fact that Batman trained a new Robin (Jason Todd) only for him to be seemingly killed at the hands of the Joker.

Bruce and Dick remained at odds with each other, never fully sorting out their strained relationship. After leaving the New Titans, Dick was searched out by Tim Drake, a long-time fan of the Dynamic Duo, who wanted Dick to return as Robin. Dick refused, but he noticed Batman's need for a partner. Although Nightwing assisted Batman in capturing Two-Face, they both required assistance from Tim Drake, who adopted the Robin identity in order to help them. After weeks of persuading and proving his potential, Dick then returned to the Batman to plead Tim's case, with help from Alfred. Due to their arguments and the realization that the Batman needs a Robin, Tim Drake became the third Boy Wonder.

But his relationship with Starfire became strained, and problems in Gotham demanded Dick's attention. Impulsively, Dick proposed marriage to Starfire. The two almost wed, but the ceremony was interrupted by Raven, now reborn as an evil avatar of her father, Trigon. Her brutal attack on Starfire triggered changes in Dick and Kory's relationship. Starfire was implanted with a demon "seed" which causes her to leave Earth and go on a spiritual journey. The two grew apart, and Starfire eventually returned to her home planet of Tamaran.

Eventually, Nightwing learned that Bruce was taken down by Bane and that he had chosen a total unknown called Jean-Paul Valley in his place as Batman. While Nightwing didn't agree with the decision, he trusted Bruce's judgement.

Unfortunately, months later, that judgement call proved to be wrong and a recovered Bruce Wayne summoned Nightwing to Gotham City, to help him take down Jean-Paul, who had gone rogue while wearing the mantle of the bat. While Bruce trained to regain his lost skills, Nightwing and Robin teamed-up to find Jean-Paul. The two of them went to the Batcave and placed surveillance equipment to monitor all of Jean-Paul's activities. After this, they were shocked to see Jean-Paul acting as a madman, talking to himself alone in the cave. They decided to tell Bruce about Jean-Paul, but when they found Bruce, they witnessed how he apparently killed one of his opponents as part of Shiva's training. However, they soon learned that it was all a ruse to deceive Shiva and Nightwing joined Robin to prepare the Batcave for Bruce's final comeback.

Still recovering from his broken back, Bruce asked Dick to substitute for him as Batman for a time; Dick accepted. During this time, Dick was able to confront Two-Face and lay some demons to rest. He also established a wonderful partnership with Tim. Bruce eventually returned to Gotham to reclaim his role as Batman. For the first time in a long time, Bruce and Dick began to heal their strained relationship. Bruce's respect for Dick was at last obvious.

Nightwing travels to London to convince Alfred to come back to working for them, and they foil a military coup together. Shortly afterward, Dick decides to retire from crimefighting since his brief stint as Batman made him realize he does not want to be Bruce. He gives his costume to Bruce and tells him to get rid of it. His attitude changes when he learns that Prince Balsik of Kravia might have been responsible for the murder of his parents. Harold Allnut makes Dick a new improved Nightwing suit. In Kravia he helps overthrow the trannical Balsik and also learns that his parents witnessed an assassination shortly before their deaths. Balsik sends the assassin Goode Ole Bernie to kill Dick, but Dick beats him. Ultimately Dick learns that Balsik was not responsible for the death of his parents, but the experience makes him remember how important being a hero is to him. He reconciles with Bruce, saying Bruce and Alfred are the best family he could have hoped for, and returns to his role as Nightwing permanently.

Investigating a crime in nearby Blüdhaven, Nightwing saw that the city was just as bad, if not worse, than Gotham. With no one to protect Blüdhaven, and a need to forge his own path as a hero, Nightwing decided to relocate there.

This was the beginning of a long, uphill battle for Dick Grayson. He fought many victorious battles in Blüdhaven as its protector, and certainly made it a safer place, but he never won the war. The city, and his losses, took their toll on Nightwing, leading him to eventually adopt a grimmer outlook on being a hero.

The Titans and Young Justice are approached by a corporation named Optitron who want to achieve a massive tax write-off by completely funding them, but Nightwing angrily dismisses the idea as "selling out." They're also attacked by an android named Indigo who hospitalizes a third of both teams, although Cyborg insists that she is not hostile. In the aftermath, Nightwing broods in the hospital over his failures as a leader. The Indigo android continues her rampage and accidentally releases a broken Superman Robot from S.T.A.R. Labs who murders Omen when they try to approach it. Nightwing coordinates the team to fight this robot, but they're badly beaten and Indigo doesn't defeat it until after it's already slain Donna Troy. Following her funeral, Nightwing angrily tells Arsenal that he can't see another friend die and he's disbanding the Titans.

Three months after Graduation Day, Arsenal approaches Nightwing with the idea of rebuilding a team that they're not emotionally attached to. This team of new recruits includes Grace Choi, Indigo, Jade, Metamorpho and Thunder operating out of a bomb shelter under Brooklyn. Their first mission is an invasion of super-intelligent gorillas led by Gorilla Grodd in Manhattan. This is revealed to be a ruse engineered by the Joker to kidnap and torture President Luthor, although they stop him before he can kill the President. In the aftermath, Nightwing explains to Batman that he's tired of being a reactionary hero and wishes to make his team proactive hunters as the new Outsiders.

Deathstroke betrays Nightwing when Blüdhaven is destroyed by the Society. The Society drops the super-villain Chemo on the city, killing 100,000 people. Dick tries to rescue survivors, but is overcome by radiation poisoning, only to be rescued himself by Batman. Nightwing confides that he let Blockbuster die and asks Batman to forgive him. Batman tells him that his forgiveness doesn't matter; Dick has to move beyond Blockbuster's death. Inspired by his mentor, he proposes to Barbara Gordon, who tearfully accepts his proposal with a kiss.

Unable to find Batman, Nightwing returned to the city, where he unleashed his frustration on some street criminals.[61] Upon his return to the Batcave, Nightwing learned of Batgirl's plan to create a new team to replace Batman and he didn't liked the idea at all.

Nightwing returned to New York, where he was contacted by Two-Face, who asked Nightwing to save Carol Bermingham and keep her safe from an unknown threat. Nightwing rescued Carol, but he was badly injured. After recovering, Nightwing took Carol to one of Batman's safehouses and he went to the Batcave seeking Alfred's medical attention. Alfred healed Nightwing from his wounds and after a brief recovery, Nightwing went back to Carol and took her to one of his safe places in New York, but the place was soon attacked by all of Batman's greatest enemies. Nightwing realized that it was all an illusion created by Scarecrow's Fear Toxin as Alfred informed him earlier. Nightwing fought his deepest fears and managed to overcome the illusions, just to find that Two-Face was behind it all. Nightwing failed to save Carol from Two-Face and the villain escaped.[65] After a few days, Nightwing saved New York from Two-Face's ultimate plan to destroy half of the city of Manhattan.

In the wake of Bruce Wayne's disappearance, Gotham was thrown into chaos by a new Black Mask who destroyed Arkham and took control of its inmates using microchips. Nightwing rallied Batman's Network to stop the gang violence, but in the midst of the increasing violence, a new Azrael appeared and Nightwing became aware of his presence. When Azrael broke into the batcave, Nightwing confronted him and they started a sword fight. Nightwing defeated Azrael and returned him to his apartment, where he placed the Suit of Sorrows and the swords attached to a note allowing him to work in Gotham and later he informed this decision to Talia. Refusing to take the mantle of the bat, Nightwing learned of the destruction of Arkham and during his investigation, he saved Damian from a certain death, but in the end they were confronted by Jason Todd, who had started wearing his own crooked version of a batsuit.

At Bruce Wayne's private funeral, Dick announces that they cannot allow Batman to die and his legend must continue. Alfred Pennyworth helps him build a new Bat-Bunker so he can make the identity of Batman his own, and Dick begins his career by taking down Scarecrow.

He makes an immediate impression as a more media-friendly Batman who allows crime scenes to be recorded so his convictions stick. When he goes after the Penguin, Black Mask intervenes by sending Clayface and Lyle Blanco as hitmen. Two-Face breaks into the Batcave using a teleporter and tries to confront Batman as an impostor, but Dick convinces him otherwise. His first mission with Damian Wayne as Robin involves Professor Pyg and the Circus of Strange, who they stop from spreading drug addiction like a virus and turning people into Dollotrons.[83] They continue to struggle with Hush posing as Bruce Wayne, and begin keeping him under constant guard to stop him from damaging the Wayne Foundation. Firefly betrays Black Mask to satisfy his pyromania and Zsasz uses the Broker to construct a gladiatorial abbatoir.

Tim Drake believes that Bruce is still alive, and leaves Gotham as Red Robin to look for clues in Europe when Dick won't support him. They test the mettle of Stephanie Brown as the new Batgirl when they're attacked by Roulette. He also observes Batwoman taking down the Religion of Crime, although he allows her to operate independently. The Riddler gains his respect when they work together on a case involving Conundrum.[88] In an encounter with Booster Gold, he's briefly erased from history by the Black Beetle and then restored.[89] Aqualad visits him for advice on how to handle Atlantis after losing his mentor Aquaman. His new identity is also shown to affect Starfire, who still has romantic feelings for him. When Vigilante arrives in Gotham, they fight and then arrive at a mutual understanding. In his first team-up with Azrael and the Question, Robin is kidnapped and they go after a religious cult named La Saligia.

Black Mask remains cornered by the National Guard in Devil's Square with his mind-controlled False Faces, but he plans to threaten the city with experimental toxins using his Ministry of Science including Doctor Death, Fright, Hugo Strange and the Reaper. Mario Falcone returns to Gotham after many years and tries to take organized crime back for the Roman Empire, although Batman eventually burns his estate down. The Penguin hires a young thief named Kittihawk who plagues Batman, although she eventually becomes Catwoman's sidekick and takes the name Catgirl. Eventually Batman is forced to lead a frontal assault on Devil's Square using the Network, and he exposes Black Mask as the newly insane Jeremiah Arkham.

In the aftermath of Blackest Night, Donna Troy and Hal Jordan rebuild the Justice League inviting Batman into their membership including The Atom, Congorilla, Cyborg, Doctor Light, Green Arrow, Guardian, Mon-El and Starfire.

Grayson and Damian made an excellent job as Batman and Robin and as such, they attracted the unwanted attention of Vicki Vale, and Dick was forced to turn her attention away. However, this only caused her to focus her attention even more, which was bad for Batman and Robin as a new vigilante appeared in Gotham; a man only known as the Insider. Upon his return to the present, Bruce Wayne has turned the concept of "Batman" into a global operation known as "Batman Incorporated", after revealing to the press he has been "funding" Batman all these years. Dick has retained the the Batman identity despite Bruce's return to the mantle. He continues to operate as Gotham City's primary defender with Damian Wayne continuing as his Robin. He has also joined the current incarnation of the JLA.

Powers

Acrobatics: Grayson is a prodigious natural athlete and master acrobat, possessing a peak human level of agility/acrobatic skills. He is regarded as the greatest human acrobat in the DC universe . He is one of three people in the world who can pull off a quadruple flip

Computer Hacking: He is skilled enough to hack into the JLA emergency override codes and hacked an alien Terminal with the use of the Tameranean Language he learn from Starfire.

Disguise

Driving

Escapology: Due to his training with Batman, he possess extreme skill in escapology. He was able to escape a maze before the Flash could [119], release himself from police handcuffs in an instant before the cop could even notice, and was able to use a Tibetan Mind Technique to escape virtual reality.

Firearms: Grayson is also skilled with firearms, as he was trained by Batman to do so.

Genius Level Intellect: He has vast knowledge of different fields. He often shows this when in use with his Detective skills. He was intelligent enough to build his own "Nightcar", build and program a Tech Glider, and also mentioned he can fool a polygraph.

Indomitable Will: Like his mentor, Grayson has a very strong will. He is able to resist Scarecrow's potent fear toxins, resist and overcome mind control from Brother Blood and the Groom. He was even a candidate to succeed the Green Lantern, Abin Sur.

Intimidation: He is skilled enough to get Scarecrow, who only fears Batman, to talk and, during his time as Batman, was able to contain a riot in Arkham Asylum.

Investigation: Grayson is a master detective, and has been said to be second to Batman. He was able to solve a riddle by the Riddler before Batman himself even figured it out before becoming Robin and has been shown to solve mysteries and cases in a speed that even impresses his mentor. Barbara even commented that he was able to solve 4 cases in "America's Most Wanted" in a single morning and solved a homicide case that went unsolved for 14 years. He was also able to deduce clues Bruce left in the manor that suggested he was traveling through time.

Leadership: He is also a brilliant and experienced leader with superlative team skills, having served as leader to the Titans, the Outsiders, and even the Justice League. Additionally, Dick's efforts to remain in contact with other heroes makes him a master at rallying, unifying, and inspiring the superhero community, a skill in which he has surpassed his mentor.

Martial Arts: Grayson is a master martial artist, having studied under Batman and Richard Dragon.. His fighting style has an emphasis on Aikido and Eskrima. He is considered second only to Batman in fighting skill as he as been able to take down Arsenal, Ra's al Ghul, Red Hood, Shrike, and has stalemated the likes of Cassandra Cain, Cheshire, and Deathstroke. He is proficient in various martial arts such as:

Aikido

Boxing

Capoeira

Eskrima

Hapkido

Judo

Ninjitsu

Savate

Stick Fighting

Kung Fu

Multilingualism: Having had the finest education as Bruce Wayne's ward, Grayson speaks fluent English, Spanish, Japanese, German, Russian, French, Swahili, Mandarin, Cantonese, and is possibly fluent in other languages. He has some knowledge of the alien language of Tamaran.

Peak Human Condition: Due to his training with Batman, Dick Grayson is at the peak of human perfection (almost on Batman's level). He has displayed peak human strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, and endurance because of his training at a young age.

Peak Human Strength: Nightwing possesses enough strength to break a holographic construct Bane's back, throw KGBeast through a concrete wall, throw a refrigerator and use a bed as a weapon. He had even been able to damage Blockbuster. Dick can easily lift a man with one hand. His greatest feats of strength were breaking through titanium legs, snap a Superhuman Talon's knee tendons with a single kick, and supporting over 1000 lbs of rubble over his head to save people from a burning building.

Peak Human Agility: Dick Grayson possesses perfect equilibrium, balance, flexibility, dexterity, and bodily coordination far above than the Olympic-level athlete and one of the world's greatest acrobat. He is one of the 3 people able to do a quadruple backflip. His agility also enables him to possess extremely high gymnastic and acrobatic prowess, Dick also can survive at heights that would even concern the likes of Superman and Starfire.

Peak Human Speed: Dick Grayson possesses peak human speed, able to keep up with and even surpass his mentor in speed. He has been said to be faster than Batman. He is capable of sprinting speeds of approximately 30 mph. Nightwing himself has said that he's fast enough outrun a moving vehicle. He is also able to match Metahuman's in combat speed (with the exception of speedsters)

Peak Human Reflexes: He possesses enough skill to detect a Sniper and dodge several rapid gunfire bullets[166] at point blank range.

Peak Human Stamina: At peak capacity, Dick Grayson is highly resistant to toxins, and can exert himself for approximately an hour before beginning to slow down or tiring. He is capable of holding his breath for 7 minutes from training with Batman. Ever since his teenage years, he has been shown to intensely train for exceptionally lung capacity. His most prominent feat of stamina is outpacing Midnighter, who has Superhuman Stamina.

Peak Human Endurance: Dick's muscles and bones are much more tolerable to damage than other humans, he possessed endurance similar to his mentor and is able to survive attacks from Blockbuster, who possesses Superhuman Strength, and Osiris. He continued to function despite a direct gunshot from a .32 pistol grazed to the back of his head. He also functions for up to 4 days straight without any sleep. While not enhanced level, he endure the highly temperatures from the flames.

Stealth: He is capable of breaching very high security facilities without being detected. He can even sneak up on Batman himself on occasion. Grayson is also skilled enough to even sneak away and keep hidden from Speedsters like Jesse Quick.

Swordsmanship: Grayson has bested the master swordsman, Ra's al Ghul, in a sword dual.

Throwing: Grayson is skilled in throwing modified Shuriken (Wing-Dings) to hit thugs at a great distance with his eyes closed, despite occasionally giving them head-starts and even disarm others with his wingdings..

Tracking

Weaponry: He has displayed high expertise with various weapons including Shuriken (Wing-Dings and Batarangs), throwing knives, paired staves, and swords.

Dick actually met his Robin successor Tim Drake at a very young age during the Year Three storyline. Tim greatly admired the Flying Graysons as a child and idolized Dick, even posing together in a picture with him at one point. Drake would later use his knowledge of Grayson's acrobatic style to independently deduce Batman's secret identity during A Lonely Place of Dying.

Dick's parents left him a trust fund that Bruce Wayne's business partner Lucius Fox later turned into a small fortune. Although it is not comparable with Bruce Wayne's wealth, it has been enough for maintaining his Nightwing equipment; for purchasing the rights to Haly's Circus, saving Dick's former home from financial troubles; and for secretly buying the apartment building at 1013 Parkthorne Avenue in Blüdhaven. This address was also the home of the retired hero Tarantula (Jonathan Law).

Dick has an admitted weakness for redheads Both his big loves, Barbara Gordon, and Starfire, are redheads.

Dick has called Alfred Pennyworth his "best friend" on multiple occasions.

Dick's parents were killed on June 27th.

Verses

Dick Grayson v. Flying Grayson

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Dick Grayson v. Tragedy Strikes

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Dick Grayson v. A new Family is created

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Dick Grayson v. Grayson Legacy

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Dick Grayson v. We are a Team. We are the Titans

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Dick Grayson v. Blüdhaven belongs to Nightwing

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Dick Grayson v. Forever in a Kiss

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Dick Grayson v. Positive Blue Stick

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#Batman #Batman [Richard Grayson]#Male Character #non mutuals #face claim: Milo Ventimiglia

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weekendwarriorblog · 5 years

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND February 15, 2019 - HAPPY DEATH DAY 2 U, ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, ISN’T IT ROMANTIC

Well, it looks like I’ve already gotten myself into a bind trying to write two movie columns a week, and unfortunately, this one can only be written as my time allows. It’s President’s Day weekend, incorporating Valentine’s Day on Thursday, with three new wide releases hitting theatres either on Weds or Thursday hoping to grab some early biz before the long weekend.

Also, a reminder that if you want to read my box office analysis and predictions, you can find those over at The Beat later today. (My box office preview column will post around 9:30AM on Weds.)

HAPPY DEATH DAY 2 U (Universal)

Written and directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day,Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones) Cast: Jessica Rothe, Rudy Modine, Israel Broussard, Rachel Matthews, Suraj Sharma, Phi Vu, Charles Aitken MPAA Rating: PG-13

The movie with the best bet of succeeding this weekend is the sequel to Universal and Blumhouse Pictures’ 2017 hit Happy Death Day with director Christopher Landon, Jessica Rothe and the rest of the cast returning… and returning… and returning. The horror version of Bill Murray’s Groundhog’s Day featured a mostly-unknown cast of young actors, including Jessica Rothe, who is destined to be a superstar, and all of them return for this sequel, which ups the ante on the original’s high-concept premise. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to see the movie before opening – I plan on going Wednesday afternoon – but I really enjoyed the first movie, and I expect the sequel to be more of the same i.e. obvious but funny and not necessarily as gory as a slasher movie like this might normally be.

ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL (20thCentury Fox)

Directed by Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids, Sin City, Predators, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Desperado and many more) Written by James Cameron, Laeta Kalogridis, Robert Rodriguez Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Keann Johnson, Lana Condor, Eiza Gonzalez MPAA Rating: PG-13

Next up is an adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s popular Manga series which premiered way back in 1990 and has been a passion project for Titanic and Avatar director James Cameron to make for almost as long. It’s definitely interesting to see Cameron work with a young upstart (by comparison) like Rodriguez, who has built quite a solid industry out of his Austin-based Troublemaker Studios, but I’m not sure if American moviegoers are nearly as gung-ho about the collaboration. The cast is generally solid with The Maze Runner star Rosa Salazar getting the title role, joined by Oscar-caliber actors like Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly and Mahershala Ali, as well as newcomer Keann Johnson. Blink and you might miss the heavily CG-ed Ed Skrein, Lana Condor, Eiza Gonzalez and Jackie Earle Haley – I think he plays the Dogmaster. Reviews have generally been mixed but I really didn’t like it much at all (see my review below) and I’m not sure if moviegoers will feel too differently, as this is going to be a divisive movie. I’m not even sure if and how fans of the Manga will enjoy seeing it brought to life, but that’s really going to be seen for sure after its extended opening weekend that runs from Thursday through Monday.

My Review of Alita

Another Piece I Wrote About Alita

ISN’T IT ROMANTIC (New Line/WB)

Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson (The Final Girls, A VeryHarold and Kumar 3D Christmas) Written by Erin Cardillo, Dana Fox, Katie Silberman Cast: Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam Devine, Jennifer Saunders, Priyanka Chopra, Betty Gilpin, Jennifer Saunders MPAA Rating: PG-13

Last but not least, especially with this week’s Valentine’s Hallmark Holiday on Thursday, is this unconventional romantic comedy that acts almost as a satire of the medium without going into Date Movie territory. It’s another chance for the very funny Rebel Wilson and Adam Devine, both from the Pitch Perfect movies, to break out on their own after mainly playing supporting roles in other comedies. Devine at least has a fanbase from his Comedy Central show Workaholics, and he’s had more featured roles in movies like Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, but this movie has more of an opportunity to reach young lovers and the date night crowd than the other two movies. I probably won’t review this, but I generally liked it quite a bit. I thought it was quite clever and funny in a snarky way that the kids seem to like and really its only straight competition is last week’s What Men Want.

LIMITED RELEASES

Not a ton of limited releases this weekend thankfully, but one of the big ones is the New York and L.A. release of Stephen Merchant’s FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY (MGM), a comedic biopic about WWE Superstar Paige, as played by Florence Pugh (Lady MacBeth) and also starring Jack Lowden, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Vince Vaughn and Dwayne Johnson, who also produced the film along with WWE Films. It follows the story of how Paige and her brother Zak (Lowden) have dreams of becoming WWE superstars, coming from a family of wrestlers, and Paige’s struggles to fit in at the NXT training camp with Vaughn playing her tough coach. Johnson produced the film along with WWE Films, and he makes a couple brief apperances as himself. It’s a fun movie that I really enjoyed. You can read my full review below, and then look for my interview with Paige over at VitalThrills.com.

https://weekendwarriorblog.tumblr.com/post/182726024603/fighting-with-my-family-eds-very-important

Another pleasant surprise for the weekend is RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR (Sony Pictures Classics), Slovenian filmmaker Milorad Krstic’s amazing animated feature centered around the title character, Ruben Brandt, a psychotherapist who has been having nightmares involving 13 famous paintings, so he puts together a band of art thieves (actual pieces of art who are also criminals) to steal some of the greatest artworks in the world. He quickly earns a reputation as “The Collector,” and a group of insurance companies hire private detective Mike Kowalski to get the art back. I didn’t really know what to expect when I saw this movie a few weeks back, and the premise and characters are so bizarre, that it took me some time to adjust to the pace, but there’s some really cool stuff on display here including a number of action setpieces right out of Mission: Impossible or The Fast and the Furious, but all animated with a unique style that reminded me about what I loved about Terry Gilliam’s animation on Monty Python’s Flying Circus. If you’re a fan of animation and/or looking for something different this weekend, this is what I recommend.

Opening in New York Friday at the Quad Cinema and on VOD is Tim Sutton’s DONNYBROOK (IFC Films), based on the novel by Frank Bill, in which Jamie Bell plays Jarhead Earl, who wants to keep his family together, so he robs a gun shop and goes on the road with his son to enter a legendary bare-knuckle brawl called Donnybrook, in which the winner gets $100,000. On his trail is drugdealer Chainsaw Angus, played by Frank Grillo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), and Angus’ sister (Margaret Qualley). (FYI, Sutton will be at select screenings at the Quad.)

Opening on Weds at New York’s Film Forum and at several L.A. theaters on Friday is BIRDS OF PASSAGE (The Orchard), Colombia’s Oscar entry directed by Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra (Embrace of the Serpent). It’s an amazing story set in the rural Colombian drug trade over the course of several decades. The winner of three Colombian Fenix Film Awards, Birds of Passageopened the Directors’ Fortnight at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and has played a number of major festivals since then. It’s a really strong film that showcases the indigenous Wayuu tribe based in the rural area of Colombia who get involved with the drug trade as a way to survive financially. It focuses primarily on the growing feud between two families and the plight of a young man named Rapayet to get out of the drug trade once he’s pulled into it in order to afford the dowry for his beautiful bride. It’s another great-looking film but one that feels a little more contemporary than Guerra’s previous film even though it takes place between the ‘60s and ‘80s and could actually be viewed as a companion film to Tom Cruise’s American Madein the sense that it shows the very beginnings of the drug journey to the States.

Opening Friday at Lincoln Center is Hong Sang-soo’s Hotel by the River (Cinema Guild), which played at the New York Film Festival last year. It involves two intersecting tales, one about an old poet who calls his estranged sons to be by his side as he reaches the end, and the other about a young woman with a broken heart.

Ryan Reynolds narrates the IMAX documentary Great Bear Rainforest: Land of the Spirit Bear, which opens solely in IMAX screens on Friday. It’s a movie about the Great Bear Rainforest in Canada where resides the rare all-white spirit bear, and the indigenous First Nations tribe.

Dog lovers who didn’t get enough canine cuteness with A Dog’s Way Home can also catch the dog movie Patrick (Screen Media), written and directed by Mandy Fletcher (Absolutely Fabulous), which will open in select cities and VOD Friday. It revolves around a young woman named Sarah Francis (Beattie Edmonson) whose life is a mess even before her grandmother (played by her real-life mother Jennifer Saunders, who is also in Isn’t It Romantic) bequeathes her spoiled pug Patrick to her. It also stars Ed Skrein (also in Alita), Gemma Jones and Emily Atack.

STREAMING

The only new movie streaming on Netflix this Friday is the New Zealand comedy The Breaker Upperers, written and directed by Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek, who also star as BFFs Jen and Mel who get paid for ending romances, although their own relationship is put to the test when one of gets a conscience about what they’re doing.

As far as series, Netflix is debuting the new series The Umbrella Academy, based on the comic series by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way and artist Gabriel Ba, this Friday. Meanwhile, on DC Universe’s streaming platform, the new Doom Patrol will premiere, and that’s a pretty crazy bit of counter-programming.

Not exactly “streaming” but Tina Brown and Dyana Winkler’s doc United Skates will premiere on HBO on Monday the 18th. I saw this at the Tribeca Film Festival last year where it won the Audience Award for documentary, and it’s won many other festival audience awards. It looks at the vanishing world of roller rinks and the “adult nights” that brought many of the African-American communities together in cities in North Carolina and California, but one that’s quickly fading away.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

Valentine’s Day at the Metrograph is always a fun time, and this year is no exception with screenings of Casablanca (1942), Ernst Lubisch’s Heaven Can Wait (1943), Werner Fassbinder’s Querelle (1982), David Cronenberg’s Crash (1996), Claire Denis’ Trouble All Day (2001) and even Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning Moonlight. (These are all playing on Valentine’s Day and a couple screenings before/after.) Produced by David O. Selznick ends this weekend with screenings of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca and George Cukor’sWhat Price Hollywood? (1932). This week’s Late Nites at Metrograph is the Chinese crime film Black Coal Thin Ice (2014) on Thursday night and Trouble All Day on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. This weekend’s Playtime: Family Matineesis the beloved 2017 family film Paddington 2, directed by Paul King.

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

Not to be outdone by that young upstart Metrograph, Tarantino’s rep theater will screen the late great Burt Reynolds’ Deliverance (1972) and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights (1997), also starring Reynolds, on Weds. and Thursday, then continuing their Reynolds tribute with double features of White Lightning (1973) and 1974’s The Longest Yard (one of my personal favorites). Saturday night’s midnight screening is D.A. Pannebaker’s classic concert film Monterey Pop from 1968, featuring performances by The Who, Jimi Hendrix and more, while the weekend’s Kiddee Matinee on Saturday and Sunday is Ralph Nelson’s 1971 film Flight of the Doves. Sunday and Monday night are double features of Laurel and Hardy’s Flying Deuces (1939) and Mel Brooks’ The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977), starring the wonderful Marty Feldman. There’s also a screening on Sunday afternoon of Carl Franklin’s 1995 film Devil with a Blue Dress, starring Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

Opening on Friday is the exclusive premiere of Milestone Films’ 4k rerelease of Mikhail Kalatozov’s 1964 documentary I Am Cuba, presented by Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, which features amazing footage of Havana in the late ‘50s. This weekend’s Film Forum Jr. offering is a new 4k restoration of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel (1956)

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Other than Valentine’s Day screenings of Hal Ashby’s 1971 dark comedy Harold and Maude (another personal favorite of mine) and Ivan Nagy’s Skinner (1993) starring Ted Raimi, the Egyptian is mainly focusing on making sure Oscar voters have a chance to see some of this year’s Best Picture nominees like Roma and Bohemian Rhapsody.

AERO (LA):

The Aero is also showing the 1942 classic Casablanca on Valentine’s Day, but mostly, the entire weekend is dedicated to screening Jean Luc Godard’s most recent effort, The Image Book.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

The Goldblum Variations, celebrating the great Jeff Goldblum, continues this weekend with screenings of Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Fly, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Thank God It’s Friday, Into the Night and more.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

Waverly Midnights: The Feds presents a 35mm print of Sandra Bullock’s Miss Congeniality from 2000, this weekend’s Weekend Classics: Early Godard is Vivre Sa Vie from 1962, which is playing Friday through Monday at 11AM. Late Night Favorites has two movies running over the weekend, David Lynch’s Blue Velvetand Dario Argento’s Suspiria.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART (LA):

Friday night’s midnight movie is Blood Diner from 1987!

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

On Friday, the Film Society will show Sergey Bondarchuk’s four-part War and Peace (1969), presented by Mosfilm Cinema Concern, an epic that runs for seven ours over the four parts, each which will run two or three times over the weekend.

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

Starting Thursday, the Brooklyn Arts Museum will begin Programmer’s Note: On Love, a series that will include romantic films such as Love & Basketball on Thursday, Pedro Almodovar’s Bad Education on Friday, and much more all running over the course of the next week.

MOMA (NYC):

Modern Matinees: Sir Sidney PoitierscreensTo Sir with Love (1967) on Weds, Lillies of the Field (1963) on Thursday, and Stanley Kramer’s Guessing Who’s Coming to Dinner? (1967) on Friday.

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

The Derek Jarman-Humphrey Jennings retrospective continues with Sebastiane (1976) on Friday, preceded by the short The Silent Village, plus two more films on Saturday and Sunday nights. MOMI is also screening Roman Holiday (1953) on Saturday as part of the Edith Head series.

That’s it for this week, but next week is a bit lighter with DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and Fighting with My Family expands natiowide. Don’t forget to check out my weekly box office column at The Beat, which you can read right here.

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