#he needs to save gotham and avenge his parents still :(

[happysyn]

Thinking about a reverse robins au where...

Talia leaves Damian, age 8, with Bruce due to infighting in the League of Assassins. Damian is Batman's Shadow until he and Bruce have a falling out over Bruce refusing to admit the Teen Titans to the League. Damian, age 18, takes on the name Nightwing and moves to New York to lead the Titans with Jon.

When Arthur Brown is killed, Crystal overdoses and Stephanie, age 12,  becomes Spoiler to avenge her parents. Tim, age 11, sees her while stalking Batman and provides her with pictures and intel under the alias Shutter. Bruce catches them one night, and Tim blackmails him into mentoring them.

When Bruce realizes Stephanie is living on the street, he decides to adopt her. Jack and Janet are their typical absentee selves, so Tim's adoption remains unofficial. Damian, age 19, resents Tim and Stephanie so much that he refuses to let them train with the Titans.

The Joker kidnaps Tim, age 14, while he's on patrol and turns him into Joker Jr. Steph, age 15, goes solo to save him and Joker makes Tim beat her with a crowbar, then locks them in the warehouse with a bomb. Stephanie dies trying to save Tim, then is resurrected and taken by Talia al Ghul, who wants to use her as leverage to win Bruce and Damian back.

Tim, now paralyzed, becomes the Oracle, saying that there's no Shutter without Spoiler. Unbeknownst to anyone, he gets to work trying to clone Stephanie.

Damian, age 23, blames himself for Stephanie's death and moves back to Gotham. While hunting the Joker, Nightwing runs into Jason, age 13, who's working for Two Face. He finds out that Jason is trying to support his family - Catherine is still battling her drug addiction and Willis was left wheelchair-bound after working for Two-Face. When Damian looks at Jason, he sees another desperate teenager that he failed, and he's determined not to make the same mistakes again. He takes Jason under his wing, training (and paying) him to fight against crime rather than for it. Jason takes on the mantle of Michael (he is going to be the guardian angel of Crime Alley. He's going to defend them from every threat.)

Tim, age 15, finds out about Jason and comes as close to a villain origin story as he gets. He thinks that Damian is trying to replace Steph, and accuses him of grooming another martyr to die for Gotham. When Damian won't back down, Tim insists on being included in Jason's training and swears to pull the plug the *second* he thinks Damian is putting Jason in undue danger. Training Jason together gives Damian and Tim the common goal they need to build a functional relationship for the first time.

Stephanie, age 19, comes back to Gotham as the Red Hood to kill the Joker, only to find that he's been missing for years. Still, she's plenty annoyed with the new street kid who's stolen her place. (Damian wouldn't even LOOK at her, but he'll take this stupid kid to a baseball game? With Tim?)

She and Batman dance their dance for a few months, then she finds out that Jason isn't an orphan. That Bruce paid for rehab so his mom could get clean, then found his dad a job so they could move somewhere safe. And it's just... Where was Bruce before? Where was he when her mom overdosed? When her dad was killed? Where was he when Tim was taken and twisted, when he was beating her to death for that fucking clown, when she tried to shield him from the blast even as he was strangling her? Where was Bruce then?

Red Hood kidnaps Catherine and lures Jason, age 16, to the warehouse where the Joker killed her. She reveals his secret identity to Catherine, then beats the brakes off of him.(In another world, Sheila Haywood smoked a cigarette while Jason was beaten. In this one, Catherine Todd begs for his life.) There's a bomb because there always is. Because there has to be.

Batman isn't too late. He saves Jason and Catherine, but Hood gets away. Catherine begs Jason to hang up his suit, but Willis stops her. He tells Jason that he's proud of him, and glad that he's chosen a better path than Willis had.

Nightwing, age 26, hunts down the Red Hood while Oracle, age 18, puts together the pieces of her identity. Nightwing catches up to Hood her in one of her safe houses and has a very dramatic monologue, as a treat. ("The last person who left my siblings trapped with a bomb thought it was funny, too. But he wasn't laughing when I was done with him. I wonder if you'll have that same look on your face when I kill you.") He nearly kills her, but is stopped by Oracle.

Tim drags Stephanie back home kicking and screaming. After months of therapy, healing, and screaming at Bruce, she allows herself to be brought back into the fold. She and Jason will never be friends, but they've made amends enough to coexist. Stephanie takes up the Spoiler mantle again.

To celebrate, the family goes to Haly's Circus. The Grayson's die, and Bruce takes in Dick, age 9. Dick discovers their secret identities and dubs himself Robin. He's an angry little gremlin determined to murder Zucco, and Bruce feels like he's been here before a few times already.

Later, there's a rumor of another Spoiler running around. Stephanie, age 22, is not prepared to find tiny Barbara Gordon, age 10, running around by herself, trying to catch bad guys. She starts chasing Barbara around, trying to talk her out of heroics. ("Is this how Bruce felt? Oh, hell, I'm too young to be a mother.") She finally relents and starts training Barbara herself. ("But you can't steal my name, kid. Gotta come up with your own."  "Fine. I'll be Batgirl, then."  "Batgirl, huh? Alright, let's see if you can live up to it.")

I'm just so 😩 about them

[the-alice-of-hearts]

Okay, so while I sit here and not work on my final assignment of the semester I am having thoughts

Succubus Tim who has been starved as a child because his parents wanted an incubus and therefore is just as touch starved.

Angel Jason who was a guardian for his mom until she died and then became guardian to the Gotham citizens all around him

Tim does his little stalker thing, Jason is his Robin. Jason senses the demon following him but can’t care enough to do anything about it because clearly the kid isn’t causing any harm.

Tim gets jumped one night but Jason saves him and then offers to carry him home. Tim can’t say no this is Robin after all. But he gets too comfortable in Jay’s arms and forgets to keep a hold over his powers because he’s like 12. So accidentally charms Jason. But like, natural resistance to demon charm because he’s an angel so Jay is just like ‘fuck this kid is touchstarved’

They become friends and Jason falls a little in love with him when they are cuddling and he decides that Tim won’t have to be touch starved anymore.

Tim becomes decently healthy and no longer sickly because he has someone giving him attention/contact/touch he needs and it’s nourishing him. He starts doing all the rich boy things he should have been doing like galas and stuff.

Jason dies

Tim wastes away slowly because he’s lost all his interaction.

Tim desperately becomes Robin because Bruce needs a Robin. But Tim still is touch starved and floundering because of it. Dick is brought in because who better to help? But Tim doesn’t take any more than he is forced to to survive so he’s still kinda sickly again.

Jason comes back as an avenging angel, takes two seconds to look at the sickly kid who has taken over Robin to realise that this is his idiot sickly kid.

Speed run fix it because Tim is still starving himself out of grief and Jason can’t stand to see the guy he kinda fell for be so hurt.

Tim gets his angel boyfriend to come home with him, Jason is now the proud partner of a succubus.

[unfortunately-obsessed]

"I'm vengeance"

Do you guys go insane as much as I do over this single phrase? This simple statement? The first thing he said to a civilian – He's vengeance for the city, for the people. Not Batman, he's what grief love hope anger all culminate into, a gruesome raw open bleeding wound and spiked knuckles. Avenging everyone that was wronged on Gotham, by Gotham

Something something "the grief is neverending but so is the love" and "a man takes his sadness down to the river and it in the river / but then he's still left with the river. / A man take his sadness and / throws it away / but then he's still left with / his hands" "and rage who is love – rotten!"

And Batman is the compassion the anger the grief, for himself, for the people, for his parents, for the many children that didn't get childhoods, for every victim. He loves gotham and he hates the city because it took away everything from him, and he never wants other people to feel the way he felt, so he adores the city and its cruel love, the cannibalism the violence like a dog that knows no better because Gotham consumes burns and destroys but the innocent people still need to be saved, need to be avenged

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

Superheroes question

People say that Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark should use their money better.

But why no one asked the spacefaring aliens or the other advanced civilizations such as Wakanda and Atlantis to help humanity?

I mean for Batman he need to stop joker from blowing up a kid hospital every Tuesday and Tony basically the avengers and shield sugar daddy 80% of the time.

Thoughts?

You're right. People are very quick to blame certain characters for not being "better", but make constant excuses for others. And people who make this kind of commentary don't understand the characters they're talking about, real world economics, or basic storytelling.

It's been talked to death before, but Bruce Wayne absolutely uses his money to fund multiple charities and provides jobs for disenfranchised Gothamites, including criminals he's stopped as Batman. Tony Stark I don't follow as much, but even just in the MCU he basically bankroles the Avengers and created a clean, renewable energy source with the intention of sharing it with the world. But nobody wants to hear that, because it's "not enough". Because to them, all rich people should have all their wealth confiscated and then put directly into their bank accounts used to fix everyone's problems.

And this is where the economic illiteracy comes from, because that's just impossible. Even if the governments of the world would use that money purely for good instead of just embezzling it or using it for their own gain, all that would accomplish is temporarily alleviating a few societal ills. One that money is gone, there's no more money to confiscate from the super rich, because most of the money that rich people have is tied up in their businesses and investments. Once that money goes, so do those businesses (and the jobs they provide) and whatever industries or initiatives were being propped up by those investments. It's a childish power fantasy that if the right people were punished then all the problems of the world would just disappear. Which is ironic, considering point number three.

These people have zero idea how fictional stories work. Especially serial fiction. Stories need drama. Stories need conflict. Stories need characters who react to events in character to drive the plot along. If Bruce Wayne used his money to end all crime and poverty in Gotham, then there would be no more Batman stories to tell. Batman can't exist without Gotham being what it is. Because Batman isn't a 500k slowburn coffee shop slice of life story. It's a superhero story. Specifically, it's a superhero story about a traumatized boy who vowed to clean up the massively corrupt, crime ridden city that killed his parents. He knows his mission is futile. He knows he'll never succeed. But he still tries. He struggles against impossible odds that he will never beat, and we root for him and we keep reading about his struggles because it inspires us to face our own impossible problems. Or at least gives us an escapist fantasy where we can live vicariously through someone who can take on the impossible and triumph. Because even though his overall mission is impossible, he still racks up wins along the way. He saves lives that wouldn't otherwise be saved. He stops evil criminals and corrupt politicians and bad cops. He forms a family from people just as broken as he is. He struggles to live up to his own moral code and to balance his life's work with his interpersonal relationships. That's what makes Bruce Wayne interesting to read about. Having him write a check and cure all the worlds problems isn't just boring or unrealistic, it's lazy. No one can relate to that because there's no allegory to anything we experience in our own lives. It's an unearned victory. And in storytelling, unearned victories are flat and unsatisfying.

[aikoiya]

DC AU - Bruce the Burdened

You know, I wonder how Bruce would've turned out if his parents never died. And if he himself hadn't died like that one universe where Thomas became Batman & Martha became the Joker.

Which, I have thoughts on.

But that's for later.

Generally, I think that he would've just been Bruce from the Animated Series, but with only small hints of Batman in there every once in a while.

Like, he's Bruce, but not the oblivious, idiot Brucie Bruce. More so the Bruce from the animated series but with Batman's innate competence. Because Batman wouldn't exist, at least not yet, he doesn't need to distance himself from it, so he's free to be as intelligent as he truly is.

Now, this is the product of my Legacy 2 idea, which you can find here:

You will have to read the link if you actually wanna understand where I'm coming from here.

But anyway, the idea is that instead of becoming Batman, he sorta becomes a warden of Gotham. He learns the apotropaic magics of his family like he was always meant to & maintains the seals & wards like the Waynes who came before him. He sort of becomes a magic user/supernatural hunter.

However, that doesn't stop all of the problems that continue to show itself in the Batman continuity. Like, the villains might not be the same as in the original.

For one, there's no Joker because there's no Batman.

There's also the fact that Mrs. Fries didn't get Huntington's Chorea, her husband did. So, we get Mrs. Freeze instead.

Harley & Bruce become besties, even date for a bit, but even after breaking it off, they stay besties.

Keep in mind that the Batman Rogues Gallery is still out there basically in tact, just without Batman, so Bruce sees what's happening with his home & comes to the conclusion that he can't just work from the shadows anymore. So, as a teenager, he runs away from home & goes on the same training journey as in canon, but this time, the fuel isn't to avenge, but to save.

As such, when he comes back, he becomes the Nightengale in honor of his ancestry.

He has more of a focus on magic, but that doesn't stop his use of gadgets. Even inventing a sort of magi-tech.

Either way, he's a much more lighthearted hero here. Like, he's still dark & brooding, but not as much as in canon. He actually smiles every once in a while.

Then, he begins collecting kids, but he's got his parents to help him along the way. When Jason comes along, Thomas tells Bruce outright that he shouldn't just give the name Robin to the boy without Dick's permission. It's his title, given to him by his mother. That Bruce has no right to take that from him. So, Jason goes by the name Cardinal because they symbolize strength, courage, & loyalty. However, there is a secondary symbolism that comes in later.

If the guy who became Joker still becomes a villain, it won't be because of Bruce. So, it won't be Joker & more than likely, he'll stick with og Red Hood.

If dude gets as bad as Joker it'll be due to his own choices.

However, if Red Hood ends up killing Jason, then, due to Bruce not having been traumatized at such a young age, he won't even hesitate.

That's the last the world sees of Red Hood, period. Whether it was by the Nightengale's own hands or by him simply turning a blind eye when Nightwing did it to avenge Jason is entirely up to the writer.

At the same time, because of the presence of his parents, he's able to understand shit better & the name on the headstone is written Jason Todd-Wayne.

However, because Robin is not just a symbol here, Tim has to choose his own name too.

When Jason comes back, his vigilante name comes with an entirely new meaning because it's said that when you see a cardinal, it means that the spirit of a dead loved one has come to visit. This one just happened to be very angry & aggressive.

I also feel like due to Bruce being more well-adjusted, he'd have managed to get into a legitimately steady relationship with Selena. Even married. He doesn't try to make her stop stealing, but he does ask for a compromise. Only steal from master criminals &, if she can manage, why not help him to expose their dirty dealings. After all, what better whetstone to sharpen her skills with?

Selena finds that... Yes, that is very much acceptable.

Talia still steals Bruce's DNA to create Damien & when he shows up, it creates turmoil between Bruce & Selena.

Random Stuff Masterlist

[skeetlebeetle]

batman works alone. except for robin. and robin. and robin. and robin. and girl robin. and jim gordon. and harvey dent before he’s two-face. and alfred. actually i think there’s another girl robin now.

[ellana-ravenwood]

“Life is worth it, I’ll prove it” - Bruce Wayne/ Battinson x Fem!Reader

Synopsis : Tonight is the night. Tonight, you’re finally too tired to continue, it’s enough. Your decision is made. This is the end. Finally. Except, your path crosses The Batman’s, and he’s not about to give up on you. He won’t ever give up again. Can he really save you, though ?

TW : Suicidal thoughts. Spoilers for the movie (about Bruce’s character development, but no major plot points or events).

                                          ************

Bruce, atop one of his favorite building (Old Wayne Tower had always fascinated him, even as a child), was perusing Gotham city. 

His city. 

And, he realized, he did not feel the usual rage inside him, that overwhelmed him whenever he looked at those streets. 

Those streets which took his parents away from him.

How novel, to not feel this resentment. 

To look at what he once only saw as grim, and a way to avenge his parents mindless murder, in a new light. 

To look at those streets...

Those streets which took too many parents away from their children. Too many children from their parents. Too many brothers, sisters, lovers, friends...

Yet. Yet here he was. Looking down there, with a new sense of purpose. Without this need for vengeance. This pure hatred and grief turned into violence, that was all too familiar...was gone. 

It was both odd and amazing. It was both exhilarating and a little scary. Because, being “Vengeance” was easy. He could just pounce on villains, and use his brain to foil their plans. Destroy. Hurt. Ravage. Easy.

But being a sigil of hope ? It colored everything in a new way. It meant he had to be more careful, to be the one who will give Gotham City’s inhabitants a new ray of sunshine. Difficult, when you were a night vigilante. 

Bruce couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. To think he realized, after two years “on the job”, what he really stood for, was still a little strange. 

Yet it happened. Finally, some might say (some being mainly a certain Alfred Pennyworth). And although the pain inside his heart would never truly go away entirely, it wasn’t a source of vengeance anymore, but of hope. And love. 

Because in the end, what drove him to become the Batman ? Was it the need to avenge, or the love for his parents which turned into pure hatred for crime ? A love so strong that once it was torn apart by their death, it was also distorted into something dark and unbearable. 

Yes. It was love which drove his every decisions. Love for his mother and father, for Alfred, for his city and its inhabitants. (And maybe a little love for punching those who deserved in in the face, without fear of repercussion).

Another chuckle. What would the Bruce from two years ago think ? And the one from over a decade ago ? Ah, but those Bruces were ones that were still stuck in the “anger” phase of grief. And the Bruce from now ? 

Acceptance. 

Acceptance to be more than his pain. Acceptance to be a beacon of hope. To be more than that kid who witnessed his parents’ murder. Acceptance to be truly and fully, The Batman, the one that city deserved and needed. 

The pain of his loss would never truly go away, but now...Now there was a silver lining amongst the clouds. 

And he felt -no- he knew there was a future, after all. One not constantly dimmed by an endless amount of hurt.  

Maybe it was fate, that just as he truly processed all of that, as he realized there was always hope even amongst endless nights, that he met you. 

Someone who looked utterly lost, and all alone in the world. 

Someone who had the same inkling of pain and despair in their eyes, the one Bruce could recognize anywhere because he saw it every day for the past fifteen years every time he looked at himself in the mirror. 

Someone standing way too close from that building’s edge...

************

Climbing on the little wall “securing” the rooftop was easier than you thought. 

What if it was too high ? What if you couldn’t lift yourself up ? 

You told yourself that if it was the case, then it was a sign that you shouldn’t do it. That you shouldn’t jump. It was always like that right ? If everything wasn’t perfectly aligned, then you wouldn’t do it. 

This wasn’t the first time your suicidal thoughts overtook your entire being.

The first time it felt like nothing mattered anymore, not even you. The first time you felt like a burden pulling everyone down with you, and honestly, wouldn’t they be better without you ? 

This wasn’t the first time that you felt dead inside, like you’re just a ghost living in a body you don’t recognize. When look in the mirror, you see a stranger. A pale, tired, miserable stranger that kind of looks like you. 

This wasn’t the first time. 

What once made you happy is now tedious, and what once made you just a little bummed out makes you want to die. 

You scrolled through your phone contacts that night, as this moment of deepest need started to rise. But you were sure that there wasn’t a single person who would help you without resenting you. Have you been lying to yourself all along about how much you matter ? Yes. Yes you have, haven’t you ? 

Everything was so dark and hopeless. And you get that all too familiar tunnel vision surrounded by pain and the only way out is to end it all. The numbness is so deep and excruciating it overwhelms and drains everything out of you. Words can’t even describe how lonely and terrifying this is.  

You’re tired. 

This isn’t the first time. And you’re so tired. 

When will this end ? 

It’s as if you don’t even exist. You feel useless, worthless, unworthy and like you’re a burden. It’s like an elephant is sitting on you, holding you down and keeping you from living (but also keeping you from dying ?). It’s as if you watch, lifeless and numb, as everyone carries around unaware you even exist, unaware of your constant fight inside, unaware...

You did try to talk about it. 

A few times. 

To friends. Or, at least, people you thought were friends. Because when you started to finally talk about your never-ending suicidal ideas, they shrugged it off as you being too stress. Or said things like : “you need to seek professional help” and HOW ?! 

Your health insurance wasn’t covering therapy sessions. You barely scraped by, like many in Gotham City...how could you afford professional help ? You knew they were right. You did need to see a therapist. But you also all knew that their suggestion was unfortunately impossible. 

Because you didn’t have the money. Because this was “the American dream”, and you didn’t even have time to do any self-care. When you weren’t working, you were sleeping. And vice-versa. Or quite literally, you would end up not even being able to pay to survive (and was it so bad ?). 

And so here you are. All alone again. And you feel like you’re drowning in the middle of the ocean, and Death is a floating raft. All you can do is to keep wading until you completely exhaust yourself, or finally climb aboard it...

Nobody could help. Nobody would help anyway. 

You were sure of it. 

Because you already tried to talk, and the answers were all the same. Friends ended up drifting away from you. Couldn’t blame them. After all, who would want to be around someone who could sometimes just be a total buzzkill, and rant too much about how they felt everything was wrong ? 

When you so often felt suicidal, rejection from others was normal, you thought. 

Others too, had to take care of their own mental health. Being around you was a curse. That’s how it felt. Talking to you drained people. And your countless call for help ended up isolating you even more. 

Why ? Did they not understand ? Was it too much for them ? Was helping someone like you...just impossible ? An unbearable burden ? 

Yes. Yes. That was it. 

And this was it. 

The wall was easy to climb. You didn’t meet anybody on your way up to the rooftop, and there was not a soul around to even try to stop you. Everything was aligned, that night. 

And here you were, on the edge of the building. 

And strangely, you weren’t scared. There was even a sense of peace. Because it was all going to be over soon. This endless pain. It was going to be gone. You just needed to take one small step forward. 

And you did. Closing your eyes, and feeling both relieved this was going to end soon, and scared of what was going to happen afterward. 

It was too late to think about it. Because you took that step. And you started falling. And-

Stopped. 

Right in your tracks. 

A hand took hold of your arm, just as you were falling. You turn around and...

************

That, you didn’t expect. 

You were ready. Everything was aligned. And then- 

A hand. A strong one at that. Pulling you away back on the edge. 

And then arms wrapping around you, to make sure you’re not going to resist and try to jump again. 

You’re too surprised to resist. You turn your head, and...

Batman ? 

THE Batman ? 

What the fuck. 

************

“Um. Can you let go ?” 

“Can I ?”

“I’m not going to jump.”

“Promise ?” 

“What the- Are you a child ?”

“I’m sorry. I cannot let you go if you do not promise.”

“What even makes you think I will keep my promise ?”

“A feeling.” 

A feeling that is right. You hate people who break their promises. Maybe because too many people broke theirs to you ?

You nod. When he doesn’t make a move to let you go, you groan and say out loud : 

“Yeah yeah. I promise.” 

“Alright.” 

He releases you, and doesn’t take you away from the edge. Why ? You’re not sure. Maybe because he knows he can just stop you again if he has to ? You can see a grappling hook, on that belt. 

Not like you were going to jump anyway. You promised. You weren’t going to. At least, not right now. 

There’s an awkward silence. What is going to happen now ? You’re not sure how long this goes on, this weird staring at each other. 

You look at him, he looks at you. Neither moving. Neither speaking. 

Too awkward. You have to say something. And so you do : 

“Um, are you just going to stand there ?”

“Until I’m sure you’re safe, yes.” 

“Don’t you have people who actually wants to be saved to, you know, save ?”

“I cannot leave until I’m sure you’re safe.”

A dry chuckle escapes you. One full of sarcasm, which he clearly understands. You’re sure he’ll eventually leave. Once that bat signal turns on, he’ll leave. 

Everyone leaves eventually. 

And then everything will be aligned again, for you to do what you came here to do. Because what if he stopped you ? He couldn’t change what was in your heart. Nobody could. And you just wanted the pain to stop. 

Death was the only hope. 

Ah. Funny. “Hope”. Because what was going to happen next, revolved entirely around hope, right ? 

************

He stayed. What else could he do ?

Early in the morning, he had a few meetings at Wayne Enterprises (he only just recently decided to fully commit to his job there). And now, there was maybe other people to help. But he couldn’t leave you. 

What could he do, but stay ?

He knew that force wouldn’t work. That if he, let’s say, put you in a cell for the night so that you had no mean to kill yourself, it would make things worst. Once upon a time, to be fair, he probably would’ve done that. Put you somewhere he was sure you couldn’t harm yourself, maybe tie you up or something, and leave to go beat up criminals who needed a beating. 

But that was him before. And he couldn’t leave. The bat signal wasn’t on anyway. No emergencies. Except for this one, right in front of him. 

Except for you, eyes devoid of hope and looking lost. 

A kind of “lost” he understood oh too well. 

When he was younger, he had felt so desperate that he wanted to die. Just for the pain to stop. And if Alfred hadn’t been there, he’s pretty sure he would’ve tried to end it all at one point. 

But during that time, Alfred was annoyingly (but fortunately) always there. He never let his dear “Master Bruce” out of his sight for too long, because he knew how the boy felt. 

At the time, Bruce didn’t believe him. But Alfred knew. Bruce just didn’t care enough yet to ask about the majordomo’s past life, before he became the faithful Wayne family’s butler...But that was another story. 

Long story short, Alfred understood. And so he made sure to be the boy’s shadow for years (and even Bruce never realized how much that was true). Up until Bruce’s despair turned into the need for vengeance, and he left to train, coming back years later with this “Batman” idea...

Although he didn’t have those thoughts anymore, Bruce knew how it felt. Knew how it was, to be overwhelmed by this sense of isolation. Like nobody understands, and you don’t want to bother them anyway. 

He felt this before. When the pain inside you has so far exceeded your threshold, that your only option left is to give up, or give into it (which he did, as he turned to violence for an ounce of relief). It’s like you keep trying to swim back ashore, but isn’t getting anywhere closer, and you’re just slowly wearing out as if caught in a riptide, drifting further and further. Screaming at people on the shore, but they can’t hear you. After a while, you feel like the world and everyone in it will be better off without you. 

Bruce told Alfred, once. When he was ten. He told him that he probably would feel better without him. That he was a burden and stopped him from living his life properly. Alfred, in that moment, did something he still regrets up until now, but that shook Bruce to the core. 

He slapped him. He slapped him and said : “never say that again, a world without you in it, Master Bruce, would not be worth living for.” 

Did the Alfred think like him, then ? Without his parents, it didn’t feel like he should go on. Only ten, too smart for his own good already, and matured too fast. It stuck with him though. This slap. And Alfred’s words. 

A lot of time, he genuinely thinks it’s because he kept thinking of the man who became his father figure, that he didn’t end it all. And because he turned his grief and despair into hate, which wasn’t the solution either. 

Yes. Bruce knows. He knows what it is to be at the end of the line. 

So he stays. Right there. Next to you. 

There’s a silence. A long one. And he just stays. 

He doesn’t guilt trip you for your thoughts and behavior, he doesn’t try to argue with you about the morality (or immorality ?) of suicide. He doesn’t do what so many people did before him. 

You don’t feel ashamed, somehow. 

So many people belittled you, although not on purpose, for feeling the way you felt. And he doesn’t. Even as you thought this was exactly the kind of man to do that. 

He doesn’t. And he’s here. He stays. 

Naturally, you both sit down on that dangerous edge. You don’t think about jumping though, too taken aback by this man sitting next to you. 

“Do you want to talk ? It’s ok if you don’t.” 

For so long, ever since you were rejected by a few friends when you talked about it, you found yourself unable to tell anyone your true feelings. You were unsure how to speak about it. Concerned they wouldn’t understand. Fearful of being judged and shunned. Worried you’d upset them. 

But here is that man, dressed as a bat, who’s pastime you knew was to beat up criminals...sitting there. Asking you if you wanted to talk to him. And telling you it was ok if you didn’t. 

And you found yourself beginning to talk. 

About how you were born in Gotham’s slums, and you knew nothing else. How you thought it was normal, to constantly be abused because that was the only life you knew. How you first broke down, and nobody was there to help. 

You tell him about things he already knows. He’s aware how tough life in Gotham can be, and how it affects people’s mental health. Gotham had one of the highest suicide rate in the country...

He tells you you’re not weaker than some people. He tells you resilience isn’t always a quality. That everyone breaks, at some point. And that reaching for help is ok. That it’s hard, even. That it took him a long time to understand that. 

And your suspicions are confirmed. He also went through what you’re going through. 

And you continue. You talk. And talk. And talk. And he listens. Truly listens. 

“This city took everything from me.” You say. And he answers : 

“I know.” 

That’s when the tears start. And don’t stop for a long time. You barely notice an arm around your shoulder, making you feel oddly safe. 

And you cry. God. You needed that. 

He doesn’t tell you your feelings are wrong. He doesn’t tell you “you don’t have good enough reasons to feel depressed, and lost, and alone, and pain”. He doesn’t tell you you have to change. He doesn’t judge you. 

It’s not your fault you have those thoughts. It’s not. And by not making you feel small because you hurt (sometimes without knowing the reason why), he already helps. It’s ok. It’s ok. Your feelings are valid. 

They are valid. 

The sun comes up. And he’s still here.

“You’re really not going ?”

“I’m really not going.” 

“Won’t people be suspicious if you’re not around today ? In your real life, I mean ?” 

“I doubt that. So, I’ll stay. Just for a little longer. Okay ?”

Silence again. Up until you turn your head to look at the horizon, and answer : 

“Okay.” 

************

All it took was someone reaching out. All it took was finally truly saying “yes” to this help. 

“I was blinded by my emotions. I couldn’t see past those hopeless feelings. Now, things are clearer to me. Suicidal thoughts aren't permanent, things do improve. You can find your motivation to live again. Please, reach for help.” 

Bruce was so proud. You went such a long way, since he met you that fateful night. Things weren’t always easy. Hell no, quite the contrary. 

There were times he was sure he was going to lose you, if he only closed his eyes for once second. That you were going to make that jump... 

He never left though. No matter how hard things were. Because he promised himself he would never again let despair overtake him, and because you were too good a soul for him to not try everything possible to keep you away from that dark pit. 

After that day and night, when he stayed with you up until you promised you would stay safe, he kept on checking on you. 

Every single day. No matter how little time he had. He came by, even if for just a few minutes. And he was the first step to you recovering from your suicidal thoughts. 

“Build your support network”, was one of the first advice your therapist gave you (therapist you were able to see thanks to an “anonymous benefactor”, not suspicious at all...As if you didn’t immediately guess it was him). A precious advice. Because it truly was primordial. Up until then, you realized you just weren’t around people who were good for you. The toxic environment didn’t help your thoughts, and it wasn’t normal that some people made you feel worthless and as if it was your fault you weren’t feeling well. 

Surrounding yourself with positive influences and people who made you feel good about yourself was the key. And who else but him, made you feel the best ? You would’ve never thought that The Batman was so funny, and witty. You always had that image of him being super scary (which is the feeling he wanted to instill), but he wasn’t. He could even be really sweet (he did came by EVERY SINGLE DAY). 

The more you invested yourself in other people, in your community, the more you realized you had to lose. Which helped you ground yourself in reality. Because yes, now, you did have things and people to lose. And it helped you stay positive and onto recovery. 

Because he was around so much, it became easy for you to guess who he really was. You could see “Bruce Wayne” getting more and more invested in bettering Gotham...how could you not recognize that jawline ? 

You waited for him to tell you first though. Which he did. And that was another thing : trust. 

Trust in others. Recovered. Thanks to him (and to him, thanks to you). 

He did tell you. One day when he wasn’t feeling well, and needed your support. This is why you work so well together. When one falls, the other one is always there to catch them. 

You helped each other to identify your “triggers”, and other situations that lead to feelings of despair. The anniversary of his parents’ loss, your first mental breakdown, sounds that were too loud, drugs...You made a list. And made sure you would be careful, not getting upset at others if they triggered you. Because how could they know ? You were responsible for your triggers. 

But you two ? You knew the other one’s weaknesses. You knew what could send them over the edge. So when a situation arose, you were always saving each other. 

You also developed “self-care days”, or moments, if you didn’t have much time. Ate right, never skipped a meal (Alfred made sure of that), and got enough sleep (not “plenty” unfortunately...but enough). Exercised a lot too, which released the right amount of endorphins...Not like Bruce didn’t exercise before. Maybe doing it with you now, did help ? 

Somewhere along the way, your relationship naturally bloomed into love. A kind of love you never felt before. A kind of love worth living for. 

“Life is worth it, and I’ll prove it” he once told you, near the beginning of it all. You were skeptical, and told him “sure”, rolling your eyes. But he did. 

He did prove it to you. Every single day. Even before you fell for him, and he for you. He showed you the things worth living for. 

Helping others, making the suffering of people smaller, a simple smile could brighten someone’s day. As The Batman, he often encountered situations that were desperate, and he couldn’t always save everyone...

But hope never died. That’s something he showed you. Every day. 

One, two, three...one hundred, two hundred, three hundred...The number of days he kept trying increased. Love slowly build itself. 

A love worth living for. 

And there were so much more, worth living for. 

You developed new interests. Being with Bruce gave you the opportunity to volunteer a lot, and your life took a new sense of meaning and purpose when you were finally able to build foundation for others. Such as the one you created now, to help those in need who struggle with mental illnesses. And hey, when you’re doing something fulfilling, you always feel better about yourself. 

Yes. You both help one another tremendously. Although you will always felt he helped you more, and he was the reason you slowly found a new taste for life. All it took, was the impulse he gave you. 

His endless pain turned into endless hope. Given to you. 

“I know the fear of loss because of you” you once told him, and this was a good thing, although it sounded like it wasn’t. Because being afraid of losing what you loved, or thinking of him once again losing someone he loved...

“Life is worth it, I’ll show you.” 

He did. He did show you. 

You couldn’t help but think there was a little “luck” factor, that you saw as destiny. Fate. You met the right person, at the right moment. Every rejection you went through, every toxic relationship, lead you there. 

On that rooftop, on that night. 

You met the right person, at the right moment. 

You both did. 

You, because you were saved (although this didn’t came with a snap of the fingers, you actually WORKED hard on yourself to finally feel a little better...The support did help). 

Him, because it was right at a moment he needed to know there really was hope. And convincing you to not jump, that day, was just that. 

Pure hope. 

Which fructified. 

Because look where you both were, now. 

You, talking about the important issue of mental illnesses, and opening your first very own organizations to help those who need help but cannot afford it. 

And him, still being The Batman, but one who achieved and found his purpose. 

Both of you, becoming beacons of hope in a city that desperately needed it, and that was slowly rediscovering the sunshine. 

_________________________________________________

This story is very personal and close to my heart. I poured all my feelings into it. This is a therapeutic story, to close a really bad chapter in my life. I’m doing great now so please don’t worry, but felt like I needed to write this. I hope you liked it. And a few more words : 

If you feel suicidal, please call your countries’ lifeline (it does help). Or talk. To anyone. Do not stay alone. The hardest step is to reach out, and I know it’s hard, especially since there WILL be people who reject you for how you feel. My DMs are always open, if you need to talk. And unlike many, I really mean it. I went through this, and am one who luckily survived. Writing this story was like purging myself from the “experience” (my English is lacking to find the right word), and I know how it feels to be fully consumed by those thoughts. Reach out. Please. This is your sign to not give up just yet. 

[pinepickled]

some big UTRH meta

or whatever

so I reread UTRH and I have thoughts, particularly on the actual theme and reasons behind UTRH being the way it is. The long and short of it is one thing and one thing only: what does Bruce care about more?

Firstly, let's talk about the setting of UTRH, particularly in respect to the other Bat's brood. Jason is dead, of course, but also at this time Barbara has been paralyzed by the Joker. Stephanie is dead. Cassandra, Tim, Dick, and Barbara have all cut off contact with Bruce due to his deep grief and inability to cope after Jason's passing resulting in him pushing them away.

I'd like to focus on one thing, though, and it's the fact that Joker, as seen in the papers Talia gives Jason, hasn't been contained in the slightest. At. All. Still alive, still kicking, still hurting people under Batman's watch. He's even gone to the heart, one of the eldest of Batman's children, Barbara Gordon. He put her into a wheelchair through nothing short of bloody, torturous violence. Joker has done at least 2 horrific things to two separate little kids that were supposed to be protected and loved by the Bat when UTRH starts.

Knowing this, we can see where Jason's idea of the Joker needing to die takes root. Batman claims that killing the Joker would be wrong on the simple moral ground that killing is wrong, that exerting great power over others isn't ethical. What Batman doesn't know is that he ultimately exists in a comic, which we'll get to later. Jason can see plainly that Batman is incapable of doing anything substantial to keep Joker from hurting more people, and he knows he's willing to do what Batman cannot. What's the obvious conclusion here? What can be done to stop the Joker from making another Jason Todd? Another Barbara Gordon?

The man says it himself.

Not only does Jason bring up what Barbara has gone through because of the Joker, he also brings up the 'graveyards' that the Joker has filled, the thousands of innocents who have suffered at his hands. Jason isn't just thinking of the Batfamily here, he's thinking about the average Gotham citizen who's lost a parent, a spouse, a child, because of the Joker.

Now you may be saying, 'But Pine! Killing is wrong because (long, long list of political reasons that vary based on your brand of progressivism)" and normally i'd say you're right! In the real world where people are not a means to push a narrative or tell a story, taking life is wrong in any circumstance!

But, you see, the real life New Jersey doesn't have a psycotic clown going around killing people and being thwarted by a man in a bat costume. Although Batman's reason for not killing the Joker is a sentiment that exists in real life quite well, it just can't be used on it's own to justify why Jason is wrong. This is a world where aliens go around saving the Earth in spandex or shirtless. the real world way of things is extremely loose at best.

The real way to look at this, aside from the capital punishment argument, is through the lens of family. Parents go to the ends of the Earth for their children, everyone knows it or so we're told. Losing a child is one of the greatest pains that anyone can go through. Jason isn't telling Batman to suddenly be glocking every random villain that crosses his path, he is begging his FATHER to do what fathers DO. He says it plain as day that the familial love goes at least one way, that if the roles were reversed then Joker would be dead in the ground. He is begging Bruce to give him a real answer, be honest about why he won't do it.

In the world these characters live in, where the impossible happens daily, where a man with so much power and so much nobility had the worst thing taken from him, Batman avenging Jason makes sense. Especially when the boy himself is begging for it. It's not to prove Batman loves him because Jason knows he did, he knows he deserves to be avenged.

He looks so damn young in that last panel.

But this isn't just to say that Jason is completely opposed by the logic of the DC Bat universe, or even by the Batman himself! There are multiple times in the story where Batman second guesses himself, so close to being able to give Jason the love he wants but always shying short.

Allow me to explain.

Time and time again, Batman has been ineffective. He cannot stop the Joker and it keeps coming to bite him in the ass, especially when it comes to the batkids! Jason was fucking killed, one of the few comic book characters who died and was going to stay dead. He has plenty reason to be upset, and it is very lucky for Bruce that Jason only ever wanted him to kill the Joker and not everyone else he's failed to rehabilitate, such as (appearing in this story alone) Black Mask, Mr Freeze, Clayface, and im sure there are more!

Not even to mention that Alfred actually does somewhat see the logic in Jason crossing the one line no bat crosses. In this panel, Alfred is reminiscing on Robin!Jason being """dangerous""" and the reason, as Jason observed it, for why the crazy 'dress ups' like captain nazi and joker and the like were so bold whereas other street thugs weren't.

In the universe of Batman, Alfred Pennyworth finds himself seeing the logic in Jason's ideology even though he knows that it opposes him and Batman morally! Also, let me say again, in real life Jason's actions would be morally reprehensible but it is a Batman comic, not real life. Bruce and Alfred privately doubting their own ideology despite fighting Jason is another way to push a narrative, the narrative that even though the Wayne family grieved, even though Bruce to that day was not over Jason's death, even though Bruce resorted to self destructive behavior, reclusiveness, seeking out the scarecrow just to see his greatest fear, to see Jason, again.

And in this panel, we can see that Bruce's ideology actually does start to cave! Batman and Alfred are telling each other a story of son and father, of a father being proud when the son overtakes him. Is this not blatantly saying that Jason's new way of dealing with Gotham criminals is the way that surpasses Bruce, that could actually make a difference instead of repeating tired cycles? Or at the very least, that Bruce thinks it is so? On some level?

Check out that silence in the middle. Bruce, Alfred, and the empty Robin!Jason suit. All three of those people are thinking the same thing.

UTRH is a story about doubt, about times changing, and about DC itself. It's a sort of meta comic, expressing Judd Winick's and ultimately our, the fan's, discontent with the Batman storyline. Nothing has changed, nothing has resolved. Things happen and then a reset button is pushed, like it never even mattered at all. The one character who did matter, who's reset button wasn't pushed to erase his trauma, is being used to criticize DC and Batman in one fell swoop.

UTRH wants the cycle to end. UTRH wants a new Batman. UTRH wants an end to the 80 year retcon.

UTRH wants Bruce to be a kind, loving man again.

Capital punishment is the last thing on the minds of the writers.

[andieperrie18]

a thousand love to another daughter of another universe

That's a long title but anyways this is my pull on the prompt that I made a millennia ago ahahahaha. It's short as it's just a trial of writing but I hope you guys like it. P.s. English is not my first language so forgive my grammar.

“I love you 3000…"

Morgan was the first to react.

Bruce along with his sons and the JL eyed his Y/n who stood in front of them. Their face who had heard the phrase contorted into confusion and curiosity.

Tony had already stopped from his steps along with Morgan who was fully facing Y/n. His gaze turned towards the girl clad in her signature hero suit that bore a significant resemblance to his Iron man suit that at first was just a co-incident as the girl was of another world.

Throughout the mission of planning to take the Avengers back to their world. Y/n had remained reserved and contained herself from jumping on her father who hasn't seen him for five years after she woke up in the body of Y/n Wayne. The daughter of Bruce Wayne, who had a lot of prejudices with her family of superheroes. Y/n Wayne was a normal kid, but Y/n Stark wasn't.

Like Y/n Wayne, she didn't have powers and barely had any kind of high-end combat abilities but she was smart. When she was reincarnated in Y/n Wayne's body, she had retained her IQ level and had remembered how the Iron Man Suits came to be. As living memory of her lovely life in the past that she will never dare to forget, she became the Iron Maiden. She had a rough start at the Wayne Manor as she barely had any interaction with the people within the house and the only way to distract herself from a lonely home was building, a hobby that she and Tony would do in their spare times.

In school she managed to get friends, she entered robotics and technology that gave her access to the science labs where she created all her tech. The sudden presence, she created in Gotham Central School was the time Bruce finally took notice of her and so did her siblings. From that point on she's been with them, living a good life. But she missed her past life, as much as she wanted to move on from it. She really can't and just treasured that life of hers.

"W-what did you say??" Tony asked with high hopes that what he heard was true. His footsteps slowly made their way to her with his youngest daughter following close, her eyes twinkling with light.

Y/n smiled, eyes watering, and chuckled, "I said, I love you 3000…" she said again. Her eyes shifting to each person she called along with the endearing phrase.

Y/n felt an all through familiar warmth. A warmth she distinctly remembers from the very first time she had been pulled to an embrace by Tony when he came back to Afghanistan after being taken hostage for a long time. And another warmth when she first got a chance to cradle her newborn sister.

The two captured her in an embrace.

There was confusion etched on Bruce Wayne's masked face as he watched another father hold his own young like if he was his own. Granted that he did his best to be the father Y/n but it was unknown to him that another person had taken the body of his child who had the same name but had a more attentive father.

Seeing a natural gesture of fatherly love somehow never looked so different in his life upon seeing Y/n break into an ocean of tears which is a gesture that she had never shown ever since she started gaining presence in the family.

Tony pulled away muttering a small "let me look at you sweetie" as he cradled Y/n's tear-stained face in his callused hand. Y/n giggled and hiccupped at the childish nickname but she didn't mind, even if they were in the presence of the JL and the other avengers.

"You're so big," (A/n: *sigh* *remembers endgame…*)

Y/n broke into a small fit of laughter before turning to her sister about half of her high as of now. Sharing wide smiles first before pulling each other once more in an embrace.

"I knew it was you," Morgan muffling in a whisper to her big sister. The Y/n smiled and pulled the teen closer, "I knew you did," she trailed.

"Will we see you again?" the young teen looked up Y/n who's eyes furrowed but retained her sweet smile then turning to her father who gave the same expression.

A parent's greatest pain was burying their child six feet of the ground. He could still remember the moment on the battlefield when his daughter took the blast for everyone, for her friends, for Pepper, for Morgan, and for him. Then she left a message, a message that woke him, that gave him the peace that left him in peace. In peace while living a good and half normal but okay life as an ex-avenger.

"I know you dad. And I understand that you want to save everybody and I saw you do the recording. At first, I want to accept it but I can't let you do it. I can't let you do it, Morgan needs you. Pepper needs you and Peter… needs you…

So I hope you forgive me that you had to bury a child but I let you do it. I am contented with my life because you gave me all the love you can give for years ever since you hugged me in a one-armed hug after you came back to Afghanistan…

I only ask one thing, just live. Just live happily for me." Tony wiped his teary eyes as she watched the recorded holographic message of her daughter. He watches her sigh in the record before pulling the happiest and most genuine smile that pulled all of him out of his guilt that day.

"I love you 3000 dad,"

Tony caressed her Y/n Wayne's face that bored an extreme resemblance of his own. He smiled once more, his eyes then cast themselves towards the Dark Knight who gazes back at him in return.

There was no word of exchange but Bruce knew the message the man was sending. From a message from a father to another father.

"Take care of her, treasure her… love her…"

With that, Batman nodded with a soft smile slightly growing on his lips.

Y/n led her father and sister towards the portal saying their final goodbyes. Morgan pulled her in another warm and tight embrace and Tony simply but lovingly planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you kid," he mumbled with a sappy smile before he and Morgan walked backward to the portal and had completely entered through it.

Y/n smiled, she somehow she to herself this was a closure she needed before she fully embraces her new reality. Her new family. Granted they weren't as close that she had in her past but a family nonetheless.

Bruce eyed Y/n's figure staring from a distance as the portal that she faced had already disappeared from existence. His eyes never left as she finally moves to turn to him, and then she gave a sad but somehow contented smile towards him.

TAGS:

@laurcad123 @woderfulkawaii @webslingingspidergirl @emilythezeldafan @teenwolflover28

[our-happygirl500-fan]

You know the whole Baterang to the throat thing that causes a lot of discussion in the fandom? I think Bruce might not have been aiming for the throat

It ricochets

This point in comics Bruce has been through a ringer Steph's died, Barbara and Jim have left, Leslie betrayed him and he's had to send Cass and Tim away and now Jason is back but for revenge so Bruce isn’t at his best and I think Bruce threw the Baterang in a moment of panic and either over or undershot which ended up with well that.

This moment causes a lot of debate but I don't see it as “Bruce harming Jason to save the joker” the way a lot of fics paint it I see it more as he'd been aiming for Jason's arm or something to disarm him but overshot and it’s kind of like a symbolism of their relationship. 

 Which is basically Bruce takes an action to stop Jason from going down a path that he thinks will end up hurting Jason, but ends up hurting Jason in the long-run.

Like when he discussed taking away robin from Jason (because he thought Jason needed time to deal with issues that were becoming more prevalent) which only ended up making Jason feel insecure about his position in the Wayne household, contributing to why he so desperately pursued a stable parental relationship in his biological mother.

Bruce knows that if he gives in and kills the Joker he'll never stop killing we've seen timelines that prove that and I think Bruce also thinks the same of Jason that if Jason kills the Joker he won't stop at all so it’s not that he’s saving the Joker but that he’s trying to save Jason but Bruce ultimately misunderstands Jason’s needs and winds up hurting him.

Bruce is trying to save Jason from what he sees as a downwards spiral, but he ends up hurting him not just emotionally, but physically, and in the most extreme way possible. It's like an even darker echo of how trying to bench him as Robin led to his death.

Bruce has spent YEARS haunted by the memory of Jason’s death his death fundamentally changed Bruce's entire character Alfred said that Jason's death affected Bruce more than his own parents death.

In Underworld Unleashed it's revealed that his greatest desire is to have Jason back, in Hush he talks about how he wanted to put Jason in the Lazarus Pit and how he believes Jason knew he always loved him, and in As The Crow Flies we learn that his greatest fear is Jason coming back as an enemy and then in Under the Red Hood he gets Jason back (his greatest desire) but as an antagonist (his greatest fear) and moreover his belief that Jason 'knew' he loved him is WRONG.

Jason's insecurities from before his death combined with the perceived betrayal of Bruce not avenging him have led Jason to the point where he genuinely believes Bruce doesn't care, and in Jason's eyes, killing the joker is the only way Bruce can prove that he does but instead, in that moment, Bruce's attempt to diffuse the situation backfires.

Bruce misunderstands what Jason needs in that moment like he misunderstood what Jason needed at the start of Death in the Family it's just the ultimate representation of their constant emotional feedback loop. They trap themselves in a cycle of fighting because Jason can't read how Bruce really feels and Bruce can't read what Jason really needs and in that moment both those things are true, with Jason not seeing that Bruce truly cares anymore, and Bruce not knowing how to properly deescalate the situation and show Jason that he still cares.

It's extremely easy to read the batatrang throw as purposeful even though I wholly believe it was accidental but if that moment was explored more, I'm positive that Jason would believe it wasn't an accident, and would view it as proof of his already held view that Bruce doesn't love him anymore after all, that could have killed him, symbolically disowning him in the most extreme way possible.

Heck in Jason's appearance in Green Arrow (2001) Bruce had thought Jason might have died again! Before Jason turned up to mess with Mia.

The thing that's tragic about Jason that actually leads to a lot of his own suffering is that Jason doesn't really know what a healthy relationship looks like so I'm not sure when his actual 'last straw' would be.

Jason is the kind of person who sees love and acceptance as entirely circumstantial. He believes he must /earn/ love and acceptance, i.e. by being Robin, rather than it being inherently given.

A huge piece of understanding Robin Jason is understanding how much he lacked proper support systems back then. School was his only connection to his kids his age, and he didn't benefit much from that connection, his life was essentially: manor, school, Robin, repeat.

Jason loved school, but his school life was also pretty depressing. Jason kept to himself, he didn't have the time to participate in extracurriculars even when he wanted to and his peers didn't view him very positively. Jason was also really isolated from the rest of the hero community, there was his stint with the Titans, but it was pretty brief. He was also penpals with Kid Devil, but for the most part, he just had Batman.

The lack of support is actually one of the reasons I give for Jason and Steph dying in universe since they were the two Robins without support systems outside of Gotham. When Bruce was a jerk Dick and Tim could be like 'fine I'm going to go hang out with the Teen Titans or Young Justice' but Jason and Steph could only be like 'oh no' plus Bruce would deliberately try to take away Steph's support systems that she did have multiple times like when he ordered Cass to stop training with Steph.

But that's besides the point, I wouldn't be surprised if Jason confused being Robin with being accepted in the manor so when Bruce threatened to take away Robin from him, he might've seen it as his only proper support system being taken away from him, his world felt rocked back into instability once again.

When you look at it like that, it's very easy to understand why Jason sought out his biological mother. He had a hope that Sheila would offer him that stability once more, and that he'd get support and trust and unconditional love.

And that’s what make it all the more heartbreaking to me he came to this woman seeking love and gave her his greatest secret and she repaid him with a horrific death.  Jason’s death is one of the saddest to me because there’s no high stakes 'he died saving the world stuff' he’s just a kid who wanted a mom and got killed for it.

DC’s habit of taking away who he was is so detrimental to his backstory as the Red Hood because the transformation from someone who tried being kind and who did give it their all being killed for it and coming back like ‘no more’ is so much more interesting than ‘we always knew this would happen’.

Robin disobeying orders is nothing new. If that was the core of why Jason died, then any Robin disobeying orders should never be put in a positive light, but often it is. Jason (and Steph) were just the ones unlucky enough to emerge dead and judged for it instead of alive and praised for it.

Jason died because he was a child who just wanted to be safe and loved.

So many times Robin disobeying orders saved lives it’s nothing new and Jason had a pretty solid reason, the story of Jason Todd should be portrayed as the tragedy not make him some warning sign.

This is why I always hated the victim blaming after Jason & Steph's deaths because they died doing what if it had been Tim or Dick a Robin would be praised for, like take Steph for example we've seen constant stories of Bruce firing Robin, them going off on their own & Bruce realising he's wrong & taking them back but when Steph goes off on her own she dies the only reason Jason & Steph died is that the writers forced them to fail where they would have allowed the others to succeed.

But anyway back to my point the thing about Jason feeling like he had to earn love is why he was initially so hung up on the idea of Bruce 'replacing' him when he came back to life, he viewed Tim being robin as Bruce /transferring/ his love for Jason to another person, rather than seeing that Bruce could love Tim while still loving and missing him.

The reason Jason sought out his mother after Bruce benched him as Robin was that he viewed Bruce benching him as Bruce rejecting him and latched onto the idea of finding someone, i.e. a birth mother, who is supposed to give /unconditional love/.

The fact that his birth mother REJECTED HIM and then played a hand in his murder undoubtedly affected his attitude when he came back, if even his mother didn't want him, and then Bruce let the joker live and replaced him, then, in Jason's eyes, OF COURSE Bruce doesn't care and as mentioned previously Jason didn't really have any friends in school or the hero community, believing that the only real close personal connection in your live, someone you spent all your time with, had forgotten about you and rejected you is bound to mess a person up.

[unmaskedagain]

Irredeemable my foot

Hi everyone, I decided to write a fic centered on Chloe; is a sugar fic. I always liked her character. And I would like to dedicate this fic to Sienna, aka @catsandfanfic. Happy 14th birthday. Her birthday is March 6th. In my time zone it’s March 6 so hopefully you’re not getting this too early. I hope your birthday is amazing, and I really hope you enjoy this fic; i heard you like Maribat. And @justdyingontheinside gives you a shout out on your special day.

Chloe knew how everyone expected it to go. The blond could admit… She was spoiled, selfish, petty, and insecure, with mommy issues galore.

           But she wasn’t a villain. Yet she could understand why people thought she’d go down like one.

           Nevertheless, for people to think she’d ever willingly work for Hawkmoth; a man who ruthlessly used his power to corrupt the hearts and minds of innocents (like her father, mother, Adrien, Sabrina, and everyone else in Paris) and use them to further his own agenda… was too much.

           The people who believed that was basically saying Chloe was irredeemable; that there was no way she could ever be anything more than what she was. Like she couldn’t grow. Like she couldn’t better herself; like everyone in the world had that ability except for her. She was fourteen-years-old.

           Only fifteen!

           Why was it so easy to write her off?

           Chloe Bourgeois was a bully, not a freaking serial killer.

She wasn’t a Supervillain.  However, Chloe could admit, that for one brief moment when she realized she was passed over yet again by Ladybug for the chance to help save the day, hurt and anger had filled her. That if Hawkmoth had sent a butterfly after her that maybe… MAYBE for a second, she’d take his offer.

At least, he thought she could be of some use.

It wasn’t fair, Chloe remembered stomping her foot as jealously filled her.  Why didn’t Ladybug pick her? She was so much better than all those other stupid heroes! So much better than that mangy Chat Noir even. Queen Bee would be a much better partner. If she could just prove it!

           And that suddenly it was like a lightbulb went off above her head, the kind you only see in cartoons. A smile spread over her face.

           The dark butterfly that was headed her way suddenly changed its course.

Yes, Chloe had thought, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll prove it. I’ll show them all. I’m a hero. And I’m going to save everyone!

She could be better.

She would be better.

           (And once she did, maybe Ladybug would think so too)

           Nevertheless, even if Ladybug never knew. Chloe would. She would know she did the right thing because it was the right thing to do; no other reason. That would be enough for her. Even if it meant she’d never be Queen Bee again.

           Chloe was going to prove she was a hero after all. With or without the mask or magical powers.

           The world thought she wasn’t redeemable. Well, she was going to show the world what a real redemption arc looked like.

           The first thing needed to do was plan. Hawkmoth was too strong. He needed to be brought down fast before he becomes unbeatable. Ladybug was perfect but she was still just a kid. She needed more help.

           Outside help. Chloe knew there were other superheroes out there. The Avengers. The flash and his team in central city. Superman and his superfam in Metropolis. The Teen Titans. The Justice League. But to beat Hawkmoth would take stealth. It took intelligence. And people used to dealing with total nutjobs in costumes. Heroes who could help finally crack the mystery of who Hawkmoth was.

           Paris needs the Batfamily.

           Which means Chloe was going to Gotham. But she wouldn’t go alone. She needed an Ally, or preferably Allies.

Chloe decided to figure out who was who on the best board of life.

           The first was easy Ladybug was the White King; a true, just, and kick-butt hero. Chloe made herself the Queen; because whether Ladybug knew it or not, Chloe had just become her strongest protector. (She only just manage to argue against making Chat Noir a pawn; instead named him a Knight.) Sabrina, though had some major insecurity, was a good friend of Chloe. She was smart enough not to fall for Lila’s fool’s gold.

           Sabrina had learned at the heel of her father when it came to detective work. She had mastered computers thanks to her mother who was a high-level computer programmer.  She knew self-defense since her parents shoved her into Karate when she was younger. The redheaded was organized to the point of being OCD. She was loyal to a fault.

           With a little confidence, Sabrina could be a real asset to Team Ladybug. And she would be. Chloe just needed to show that she trusted the redhead, believed in her.            

Chloe wished she could bring Adrien in but he was a civilian with the backbone of a twizzler. He was too forgiving and to sheltered from the real world. It had worked in her benefit before, otherwise, he’d have dropped her as a friend a long time ago. But things had changed. Chloe needed friends who would stand up against her not just threatened to not be her friend anymore. It wouldn’t do any good in the long run after all.

           Hawkmoth was the Black king; pure evil. The Peacock shrew was his Queen. And, Chloe decided, Lila was his bishop. The sausage haired was a manipulative, rancid, liar. And from what she had seen of Lila’s akumatization, the Italian girl was fully in control of her actions. Which meant Lila was working with Hawkmoth willingly.

           And since Lila was the only bad guy she could give a real name for, Chloe decided she would be the key to bringing down Hawkmoth.

           Thus Lila Rossi became public enemy number one.

           Lila was dangerous in a way hawkmoth couldn’t be. She lied and twisted minds with no powers whatsoever. She turned nearly all of Bustier’s class into untrustworthy minions. They should’ve been White; on the side of good. But they had proven to be disloyal and easily influenced. The class couldn’t be trusted.

           They had turned against the one person even Chloe had a hard time not deeming a Saint.

           Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

           Chloe strongly disliked the girl, mostly out of envy. The blond didn’t need therapy to know that she wanted what the bluenette had; a mom that adored her, a dad that actually tried to help and not just throw money at any situation, sheer talent, and pretty much the instant admiration of almost anyone she met.

           However, she was also strong and fierce. Marinette was a force of good hard to reckoned with. Chloe needed all the help she could get.

           Which meant recruiting Dupain-Cheng for the cause.

           That might prove harder than getting Batman to help out.

           When Chloe and Sabrina showed up at the bakery and politely asked to speak with Marinette, she was given a suspicious look by Marinette’s mother (Sabel or something, Chloe couldn’t remember). Still, she called her daughter downstairs.

           Marinette walked into with a bright happy smile that quickly faded when she saw Chloe.

“We need to talk, Marinette,” Chloe forced herself to say the other girl’s first name. “Its an emergency.” Sabrina nudged her. “Please.”

           It was obviously the shock of Chloe saying please that got Marinette to take them up to her bedroom.

           Marinette tried her best to smile, “So what’ s the emerg-” Chloe cut her off.

“We’re going to Gotham to recruit Batman and his fam,” Chloe told her. “To help Ladybug bring down HawkLoser. You coming or not.”

           The bluenette just blinked.

           Sabrina winced at her best friend’s lack of tact, “What Chloe is trying to say is… We could really use your help. Ladybug could use your help. Everyone likes you. You can convince Batman to come.”

“…Why?” Marinette asked after a moment of silence.

“Ladybug needs help!” Chloe told her. “Chat Noir throws tantrums all the time. Hawkmoth has the Peacock and Lila at his deposal. Ladybug hasn’t called in Rena or Caraprace in almost a year, so there has to be a reason for that. She needs help! She needs us!”

           The Asian girl nodded slowly, “I mean, why come to me? Why help Ladybug like this?”

           Chloe frowned, “Because you always do what’s right; the good, noble thing even if it’s utterly ridiculous for you to do so. I’m doing this, helping, Ladybug, because she needs help. I’m a hero, no matter what anyone says or thinks. And Heroes help.”

           The bluenette looked at the two girls. They had been a thorn in her side for years. But she always thought they could change. She believed they could. And coming to her, Chloe archenemy, was proof that they were changing. “What’s the plan?”

           The blond smiled. “Sabrina managed to outline the patrol routes for the batfamily.”

“They switch who does what route but there is a predictability to it,” Sabrina added. “The idea is to force a confrontation. I’ve gathered evidence to show them so they could understand the gravity.”

“My job is to get us,” Chloe said. “You have plenty of time to come up with one of Disney motivational speeches to get them on board. We leave for Gotham tomorrow.”

           It was after midnight. Three girls stood on top of an old condemned building in the heart of Gotham; dressed in black, shivering from the cold.

“By my calculations,” Sabrina said. She held a computer under her arm. “At least two of the bats should be by monitoring the area during this hour.”

“And we’re sure this is going to work?” Marinette asked.

           Chloe smirked, “Oh yeah.” She took a deep breath and screamed. “AHHHHHHHH!! Help!! Help! Someone please!!” She gave a fake sob and fell to the ground; causing Marinette to jump back in shock. She looked up at Marinette and Sabrina with a wide grin on her face, “How was that?”

“Become an actress,” Marinette told her. “Let me design the dress you wear when you accept the Oscar.”

           There were two loud thuds behind.

“What’s going on?” A tall hero they recognized as Nightwing asked.

“We heard screams,” Red Robin stated.

“Its go time,” Chloe told them as she got up.

           Sabrina nodded firmly as she opened up the laptop and started quickly.

           Marinette smiled at the heroes, “Hi. My name is Marinette. This is Sabrina and Chloe,” She motioned to her friends. “We’ve come from Paris to seek the aid of Batman to stop a supervillain that has been terrorizing our city.”

           Red Robin stepped forward, “A supervillain? In Paris?”

“We haven’t heard anything about it,” Nightwing said. “We know there are heroes there that takedown small-time villain, But nothing too damaging that we’ve seen.”

“Hawkmoth possesses people,” Chloe hissed. “Turns them into monsters. Turns kids into monsters. Literal Babies into monsters. A girl who can control the weather and could end the world.  Another who absorbed energy from people so she could travel back in time. Until the people she steals energy from will freeze and slowly disappear. A man with the power of the Egyptian gods and tried to revive the dead. A villain who could trap people in pictures. Another that can bring people the worst nightmares to life. How about one that caused most of the citizens of the city of Paris to drown. One man caused all that happened. Our city gets destroyed over and over again. People die over and over again. Hawkmoth is behind it all.”

           Sabrina turned her laptop to them, and show the video they clipped together. “This is a news real, videos sent from regular smartphones.” The video showed proof of the fights, the monsters, the deaths, the damages, the terror. “Check any new channel centered in Paris. It will show you. This. IS. Real.”

Marinette fought the urge not to tremble as she remembered every villain she fought. “Ladybug fixes the damage the akuma causes; including bringing people back to life. But the people who die still remember. Ladybug can’t do this alone anymore. Even the help of Chat Noir isn’t enough. If Hawkmoth gets what he wants, it could be the end of everything and everyone.” It hadn’t been for a long time, she thought bitterly. Chat Noir loved the glamor and excitement of being a hero but it was like he never really felt the burden of the weight of Paris on his shoulders like she did. To him, it was all game. Or some stupid action movie. And he was too busy trying to get the girl to realize that they might not be able to save the day.

The bluenette looked hard at the heroes, “We need help. I know it’s not your city. I know you don’ have to care. I know you have your own villains and problems.” Tears burned in her eyes. “But we wouldn’t be here if we had other options; if we could handle it by ourselves. So We’re asking anyway. Will you please help us?”

Two identical horrified looks were on the batkids’ faces. Dick and Tim looked at the three kids, thousands of miles away from home, in the middle of the most dangerous city in the world, at night, to beg for help against what sounded like an undeniable monster. The teen girls were scared, near hopeless, and willing to ask for help from Batman and his family, heroes most civilians were too scared to even cross paths with.

Their situation was dire. Direr than the risk of being three, alone, beautiful, teenage girls in Gotham.

The other bats had been listening and or watching the conversation and were equally horrified. But that quickly gave way to fury.

“Red Robin, I want the intel off Sabrina’s computer,” Batman growled. “Oracle, I want everything you can find on Hawkmoth. We’ll start preparing to leave for Paris”

“On it,” Barabra stated. “I also brought up info on the girls. They’re all clean. Sabrina’s dad a cop. Marinette’s an all-star student, who has quite a few famous friends. Chloe’s the daughter of the Style Queen and the Mayor of Paris.”

“I get to kill Hawkmoth, right, B-man?” Jason asked. “I mean, I’m watching a video where he turned a crying baby who literally just wanted a lollipop into Gigantitan and used him to terrorize people. That’s gotta be a free pass on the killing thing.”

           There was silence. No answer from Batman.

“Holy shit, are you considering it?” Jason asked stunned. “Kids really are your Achilles’ heel.”

           Nightwing nodded. Batman always had a soft spot for kids. But even Dick was considering beating Hawkmoth to death. “Batman has agreed to help.” He told the girls who visibly sighed in relief as weight had come off them.

“May I use your laptop?” Tim asked the redhead. Sabrina nodded quickly and handed it over.

           Nightwing observed the girls, “What else can you tell us about Hawkmoth?”

“No one knows his identity, obviously?” Chloe rolled her eyes. “His Allies include another villain named Mayura, identity unknown. And a civilian named Lila Rossi.”

Sabrina still couldn’t believe Lila stooped so low. “We have evidence that she has been willingly working with the known terrorist Hawkmoth and has allowed herself to be akumatized multiple times.” She pushed up her glasses. “She’s in our class. She has been lying and causing emotional distress to multiple students, increasing Akumas.” Lila had always caused the near break up of Ivan and Mylene, Nino and Alya, and for several friendships to nearly be destroyed. It was awful. “We think she will be the best way to finally snuffing out the villain. She has some connection to him we’re trying to figure out.”

“Suspects?” Damian asked in comms. “Stop being obtuse. We need to know who they suspect.”

“Robin, you shouldn’t be on the comms,” Batman reprimanded. “It’s your day off. Relax.”

           Tim nodded, “Any leads on Hawkmoth’s identity.”

“Just one,” Marinette admitted. “A man named Gabriel Agreste. But we ruled him out after he was akumartized.”

           Chloe snorted, “That’s stupid.” She said. “If Ladybug’s cure can heal the damage of an akuma, including what’s inflicting to her and that Alley Chat; there’s no logical reason, Hawkmoth can’t use his own powers on himself. To think otherwise, would be ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.”

           Sabrina agreed, “Or he could’ve gotten Mayura to use it. I mean Ladybug and Chat Noir switched before. Why couldn’t they?”

           Red Robin nodded, “That’s a good point. We’ll investigate him further.” He told them. “How much are you involved?”

           The girls shared a look. Chloe stepped forward proudly, “I was the Hero, Queen Bee.”

“No!” Marinette said strongly. “She is the Hero Queen Bee; a loyal friend and ally of Ladybug.” She swallowed hard as she fought the nervousness. Tikki and her had talked about what would happen next. Chloe had proven herself as far as two were considered. The blond deserved a real chance to prove she what type of hero she could be.

           Marinette took a deep breath and reached into her bag and pulled out a necklace and a hair comb that Chloe recognized instantly. A series of emotions flashed over the blonde’s face; recognition, understanding, disbelief, envy, embarrassment, frustration, acceptance, and then finally a look of admiration.

“Here,” She handed the comb to Chloe and the necklace to Sabrina. The kawami’s floated out.

“My queen,” Pollen purred as she landed on Chloe’s shoulder. The blonde looked ready to cry.

           Trixx spun around Sabrina’s head, “Kit. I have new Kitt!”

           The batfamily was just confused.

           Marinette straightens up, “Chloe for your show of loyalty, for your dedication to justice, and for your willingness to help from shadows; I name you an official and permanent member of the miraculous team. Keep moving forward. Keeping bettering yourself. I believe in you. And I welcome Queen Bee back.”

“Wha…” Nightwing said only to be cut off by Chloe

           She yelled, “Pollen, Buzz On!" And before they’re eyes, she transformed into the hero Queen Bee. “Eat your heart out, boys,” Chloe smirked at the stunned heroes.

           Marinette giggled. She focused on Sabrina who now realized exactly what was about to happen. “Sabrina, when Chloe brought you, I didn’t know what to expect. It turned out you had spent months researching and gathering evidence. I didn’t there was proof Lila was working with Hawkmoth willingly, you did. You saw through the lies and deception to find the truth despite the danger it could bring you. Which why I give you the kwami of Illusion.”

           Sabrina shakily put on the necklace. Trixx patted her head, “Now say, Trisx let's pounce.” The redhead did as she was told as was instantly transformed into a fox themed hero. Unlike Alya, Sabrina’s look was grey and a startling silver. It was more like an actual combat uniform.

“Truth is neither right nor wrong,” Sabrina stated. “It's not good or evil. It's not light or dark. Truth just is. I am Renarde Gris.”

           Marinette smiled and then said, “Tikki, Spots on.” And was transformed into Ladybug. Her suit was different; darker and better armored. “I am Ladybug.” She told the bats. “And I thank you for help.”

           Nightwing opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.

           Red Robin just pinched his nose, “Did you just make a civilian into a superhero just like that?”

           Ladybug tilted her head innocently, “Why? Isn’t that how batman got you?”

           Jason snorted, “She ain’t lying.”

“You were trained before going into the field,” Batman corrected. “You all were. But let’s focus, Ladybug is a child!”

“You’re just a kid,” Nightwing said. “You’ll all just kids.”

           Sabrina crossed her arms, “Weren’t you the first Robin? And didn’t you start at like ten-years-old? At least we’re teenagers.”

“And we don’t dress like traffic lights!” Marinette and Chloe snapped together, to their surprise, and then high-fived with a laugh.

           Red Robin examined Ladybug in a new light, “You’ve been protective Paris for three years.”

“Alone?” Damian growled in their ears. “Father, you said I was too young. I am the same age as them. I demand to be treated befitting of my status.”

           Ladybug shrugged, “The current Robin has protected Gotham on his own many times. He’s even led Teen Titans on missions. He has proven as I have that age is meaningless in the pursuit of justice. “

           Nightwing shook his head, “You’re just kids. Robin is just a kid.”

“Tell me, what bothers you more?” She asked. “The line of children that followed in your footsteps. Or that current Robin is better than you ever were.”

“…I love her.” Damian said. “Father, I love her and I will marry her.” It went quiet. “Red Robin, tell her of my affections. Superboy wants Chloe’s number. Spiderman requests Sabrina’s. I still don’t understand, why, you thought a ‘kids’ game night’ was necessary, father?”

           Batman just sighed.

           Tim cleared his throat, “Robin would like to, uh, court you.” He said. “Superboy would like Queen Bee’s phone number.” He could wait to tell Conner that Jon had a crush. “Spiderman request Renarde Gris’.”

           The girls all blushed prettily.

“Then he can hero up and ask me himself,” Sabrina smirked in a way that made Chloe proud.

“Same,” Marinette said with a smile. Chloe nodded in agreement.

“…We’re on our way,” Damian said into the comms.

           The sigh that answered that statement clearly belonged to Bruce.

[kairos-polaris]

Eris(Demon’s daughter)

Demon's head daughter couldn't be anything other than perfect. She must master every martial art. Her education must be flawless. Failure is not a choice. Even the smallest mistake is a disgrace.

Marinette knew it. That’s why spent hours and hours training and perfectimg her form. But something was lacking and she craved to find it.

Chapter 2, 3, 4, 5

On the far east, high up in the mountains is a city, Nanda Parbat. There hides and lives Ra's al Ghul, the demon's head. 

The walls in Nanda Parbat have no warmth. They're permanently soaked in blood and death. At night you can hear the anguish screams of the long dead. 

In a small room without windows lives a girl with eyes as blue as sapphires and hair as black as night. Dark skin makes pale scars visible. 

The only welcome visitor is the girl's sister. She will tend to the girl's wounds and help her prepare for sleep. 

"You must be more careful, Marinette." Berated her Talia. "Your training will grow harder with time. You must be ready for this, ya albi. I can't lose you."

"Why do we have to train so hard?" 

"Father has a lot of enemies. We must know how to protect ourselves," Talia answers softly. 

"The League doesn't condone uselessness and everyone must reach a certain standard. It's even higher for us because of our father. And I am sure you enjoy a part of your training, don't you?"

"Yes, I enjoyed training with Lady Shiva. She taught me how to use a war fan. Dansen uchiwa* is my favorite, but mubuchae is nice, too." At her sister's questioning look she continued: It protects my arm and I can use it to dodge attacks. Then I will stab the attacker using balisong**. .. And I can also.." the next fifteen minutes were spent discussing different ways of using war fans and daggers. They briefly touched on the subject of Japanese martial arts and weapon making.

"...and that's why I prefer straight blades." Talia stopped talking and looked at Marinette. The girl was staring at the wall. 

"Why can't we just leave?" Marinette suddenly spoke. "We would go everywhere and stay nowhere. You could pose as my guardian. If anyone asked about parents, we would give them a sob story about their death." The brief training with Lady Shiva made the walls in Nanda Parbat feel more suffocating than before.

"Oh, ya albi, you know that's impossible. Father would track us down immediately. He has ears and eyes everywhere." Talia chuckled bitterly. Somehow her answer made Mari more enthusiastic. 

"But you want to run away! That's what matters! One day we will bribe Nyssa and she will help us. And we won't have to live under our father's tumb." 

Talia just hugged her sister. Getting out of the League of Shadows was impossible for them. Especially for them. She could only pray that Marinette would be happy one day.

***

Eight-year-old Marinette understood it the day she failed for the first time. She stood there, before her father, waiting for his verdict. The small voice in her head whispered how it wasn’t her fault, that even famous designers don’t have this much security as Gabriel Agreste does. “I should have been prepared for everything. This failure will be my lesson if I survive this,” she thought bitterly.

Demon's head daughter couldn't be anything other than perfect. She must master every martial art. Her education must be flawless. Failure is not a choice. Even the smallest mistake is a disgrace.

Demon's head daughter isn't a child, she's a weapon. A perfectly sharpened dagger.

"You failed me, Marinette. Not only you didn’t kill that man, but you were caught and Talia had to save you. As your master, I’m furious, as your father, I’m disappointed.”

The cold stone hurt her knees and her ears burnt from embarrassment. His words were sharper than the sharpest knife. That’s why he is called Demon’s Head after all.   

“I’m sorry, father. It won’t happen again. I..” Marinette tried her best not to falter under Ra’s’ glare.   “I don’t remember giving you permission to speak.” His words left goosebumps on her skin and Marinette had to bite her tongue to stay silent. “Your actions will have consequences, so be prepared for your punishment. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, father,” she answered softly, but Ra’s seemed satisfied and dismissed Marinette to her room. She left as fast as possible.In her room, she would think about the nature of punishment and try to be prepared. Hey, how does one prepare for their death?

Marinette was sure Ra’s wouldn’t let her walk away without proper punishment, but she decided to humor her sister.

***

After that Marinette had to spend even more time training and studying. Talia was happy to hear that. “Ya albi, if you continue training, you won’t fail again. You were lucky father decided to pardon you.”

Marinette spent a lot of time practicing with her blades and darts. War fans slowly became her weapon of choice. You can hide it. You can show off with it. There are multiple ways of using it making it perfect for Marinette.

Unfortunately, Marinette never used sharp tessen during practice. Later, Marinette would regret it, because fighting ten trained and armed assassins with two fans wasn’t her definition of fun.

Scratch it. It was hell. Given the number of attacks, she could avoid them only for so long. She couldn’t take out her daggers.

Swish. Kick. Jump. Repeat.

Marinette slowly rose from the water. The first thing she noticed was the absence of scars. "How many new scars will litter my skin before I die again?" She wondered silently.

Marinette was skilled, but so were the assassins. And it still took them an hour to take her down. “At least I managed to injure them, too.”    

***

Waking up in Lazarus' Pits wasn't something she wanted to repeat ever again. The water felt gross on her skin and the smell made her want to throw up.

Another prominent difference was anxiety she could feel in her bones. She craved to do something, to the blood of her killers on her hands, to feel how life leaves their bodies. A whisper in her head sung how glorious it would feel to get her revenge.

"It's not punishment when I feel so high and mighty, father. It's a gift I will treasure." With these words Marinette dug her nails into her arm, leaving small marks. The skin felt too clean for her.

“Marinette,” he greeted her. “I see you’re feeling better now. What is the reason behind your visit?”

In this state, Marinette didn't notice her sister entered. Talia stood there watching the last bits of Marinette's innocence fly to hell. It was the point of no return.

***

Ra’s was sitting in his room when he felt movement behind him.

Marinette tilted her head and slowly answered; “I wanted to ask your permission to return the favor.”

“You can do whatever you want to them. Just leave them alive. But you were very effective at taking them down, so three of them can’t stand.” This was the closest thing to praise she could ever hear from Ra’s al Ghul.

One time Talia gave her a book with Greek myths. It soon became her favorite book. She loved the stories about gods, and heroes, and monsters. The heroes knew when to kill and when to spare someone. Marinette could admire this.

“Thank you, father.” With a small nod, she left to enact her revenge. If there were more screams than usual, nobody paid attention to it.  

***

Reading was a great way to escape reality. Books told her about different worlds and people. Unfortunately, Ra’s had to approve every book given to her. Only for very significant achievement could she read something other than textbooks.

“I just don’t understand what you see in that fury! His enemies constantly escape Arkham and he still won’t kill them. His negligence hurts other people and they still call him a hero! Father respects him, too!” it wasn’t a common occurrence for them to argue about Batman, but Marinette was just too annoyed with Talia’s pinning.

“Bruce impressed our father with his skills and devotion to a cause. Bruce is hopeful. He believes everyone can change and be a better version of themselves. We know that’s not true and some people will never change.”

Marinette wasn’t impressed. “I know some people can’t change. We work with some of them.” Talia just laughed at her expression..

“One day you will fall in love. That day you will understand me.”

“Ew, disgusting. I will never, ever fall in love. Especially not with a hero. I’m sure of it.”  Talia just shook her head fondly. Her little sister still has so much to learn.

“And where will you go, Marinette?” Asked Talia. Marinette spared her a glance noting bags under her eyes and multiple cuts.

***

Eleven-year-old Marinette had an agency. She had a goal. She knew what she wanted to do.

“Gotham. I will tell Batman everything I know about the Light. But don’t think I do it to help him. I want to destroy everything for our father.” She threw a suitcase with much more force than needed.

“Why now? You seemed so eager to please him.”

“Pits did something with my brain and changed my memories about The fight. I thought it was their own decision. With this knowledge I asked father for permission to avenge myself. My overall perception of him changed.”

“And now you are angry. But you shouldn’t run away like this. Batman won’t trust you. He will think you are a double agent sent by the League.” Marinette just grinned at that.

“I will give B information and leave immediately. I’m going to travel the world. I have money and I can take care of myself.” Talia sighed and took Marinete’s face in her hands.

“I know I can’t change your mind, but please be safe, ya albi.” She whispered softly.

“Thank you, Tals.”

“You are more important to me than our father.”

[froglegsz]

well in that case, could i get like a little backstory for the characters in wya? i've heard names before but i dont really know the characters' pasts that well yet

of course! the order in which i go about this is going to be WACK but stay with me here. im starting with batman and going with the order of appearances in the webtoon.

bruce: bruce wayne. the batman. hes rich and in the eye of the public as a rich playboy, his parents were killed in front of him at a young age and he became batman to avenge them and to stop that from happening to anyone else as much as he can. hes a brilliant detective.

whole lot more under the cut!

duke thomas: the character chapter 1 focuses on, duke is a metahuman, known as the signal. he's the son of a villain (you're going to find this is a reoccurring theme HRDLAJHRKS) um some shit happened with the riddler snd duke met bruce when his family helped him or something. something something foster system something something the robins saved him something something he was robin for a short time. hes still understanding his powers that tbh. idk how to describe. you can read the wiki if you want to know his abilities

damian wayne: son of bruce wayne and talia al ghul, who is a villain and the daughter of notorious capital e Evil Man ra's al ghul. damian was raised by his mother and the league of assassins, the organization led by ra's al ghul. he eventually was able to go out and seek his father and became the fifth and current robin.

jason todd: the second robin, the son of a petty criminal and a mother who died from an overdose, jason met batman because he tried to steal some tired off the batmobile. yadda yadda, he became robin. the joker eventually tricks him, by giving him information about his real mother and her whereabouts. the joker brutally kills jason. something something he's revived and some more stuff happens, he becomes the red hood, an antihero.

tim drake: tim met dick grayson (more on him later) when dick and his parents were acrobrats at a circus, something something he figures out dick is robin and that bruce is batman and something something he pushes the idea that batman needs a new robin sidekick after jason's death. his mother was killed, his father was put in a coma, and he was motivated to do the Right Thing which put him in the good graces of bruce. he takes on the title red robin.

cassandra cain: raised as a child to be the perfect weapon and bodyguard for ra's al ghul, she was taught martial arts as if it was a language. she didnt know how to speak or communicate with words, she was taught how to read body language with uncanny accuracy, almost like she was reading their thoughts. at eight years old she killed a man and was deeply traumatized, she saw death through the man's eyes, and she ran away. something something homeless something something she ended up in gotham city when she was 17, and became an agent for barbara gordon (more on her later), eventually she was brought in by bruce, becoming one of his most skilled and loyal followers. she became batgirl, but a psychic gave her the ability to understand words and her ways of understanding body language and martial arts was completely erased, and bruce had to retrain her. in the wayne family adventures she is orphan, though i prefer to still think of her as batgirl.

stephanie brown: daughter of, you guessed it, a villain, cluemaster, she became spoiler in order to stop him for good. she left clues for batman and robin to capture him. something something crush on tim drake something something they dated something something she found out she pregnant from an ex boyfriend, and put the baby up for adoption. uhhhhhh she saw tim talking with another girl and broke up with him and demanded bruce train her as robin. yeah that didnt last long. she became batgirl, and now shes spoiler again.

barbara gordon: the niece/adopted daughter of commissioner of police, jim gordon, she was batgirl for a while, though she decided it wasnt a fulfilling role for her and she retired. one day the joker shoots her and she is left paralyzed. she becomes an intelligence force for the batfam, operating as oracle and using her photographic memory and kick ass computers to help batman and co.

dick grayson: has not yet shown up in the wayne family adventures BUT, he is the first robin (and my personal favorite) , he used to be an acrobat with his family, known as the flying graysons. his parents were killed in front of him, and bruce would take him under his wing as the first robin. he now operates as nightwing.

OKAY THERES MORE CHARACTERS THAT COULD POP UP LATER BUT THATS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

[kittyilana046]

A Short  Analysis of Themes in Batman Beings and The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan is interested in philosophy; he is fascinated with the fragileness of human nature. Through Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark knight (2008), he asks how fear affects human nature. Nolan takes two characters that believe in the power of symbolism, believe in goodness, and examines the darkest part of their psyche.   

In Batman Begins (2005), Nolan explores themes of revenge and fear (common themes in his movies). The theme of fear gets presented from the beginning of the movie. Bruce Wayne is afraid of the bats in the cave, he experiences fear when his parents are killed, Joe Chill is fearful when robbing Bruce’s parents. As an adult, Bruce does not want to be consumed by fear. He does not want to be the helpless child unable to save his parents. His fear transforms into vengeance, to which he dedicates his life. Bruce was going to kill Joe Chill to avenge his parents. At this point, Bruce had not established his “no guns and no killing” rule, but he still was willing to compromise his morals and doom his life to act out his revenge plot. After Joe Chill gets murdered, Bruce realizes that his death did not bring him the closure he thought it would. He remembers the kindness his butler Alfred Pennyworth and police officer James "Jim" Gordon showed him. He seeks to provide the same kindness, warmth, and protection to innocent people. Bruce no longer lets himself get consumed by fear or vengeance, and he throws the gun he was going to kill Joe Chill with into the river. For a time, he gives up his identity as a rich boy and lives like the less fortunate do in Gotham City because, as Falcone says, “You’ll always fear what you don’t understand.” From then on, Bruce turns his trauma into strength, into the Batman. He dedicates his life to fighting crime in Gotham City, so no person has to experience the pain he did. Bruce is no longer afraid. He uses the bat symbol as a symbol for good for victims and a warning to criminals that he is to be feared.  

In Nolan’s next entry to the Batman series The Dark knight (2008), the theme of revenge and fear continues to get explored. In the dinner scene, the thesis of the movie and; the morality of Harvey Dent’s character is set up, with just one line, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.” The audience can infer that Harvey probably has a fixed moral compass. Later we find out the people call him Gotham’s “white knight.” Harvey’s need to help the people is so sincere that even “I dedicate my life to saving Gotham,” Bruce Wayne is willing to trust him. Through Harvey, the movie asks the question, if Harvey is given power will his goodness be corrupted? Will submission to fear be his downfall? Can human nature be easily corrupted? Harvey believes in the power of symbolism. He believes in the symbolic goodness of Batman; he lies and says he is batman to protect the real Batman. He compromises his moral code by harshly threatening a criminal to protect Gotham. He fears what will happen if Gotham City loses Batman, its symbol of hope. His need to preserve goodness gets him kidnapped and the fire results in the disfiguration of his face. I think Harvey wanted to die a hero, but his destiny was ripped from his hands when Batman saved him. Instead of him dying, a hero's death, his beloved girlfriend Rachael is murdered. He feels angry and betrayed by Gordon and the world he tried so desperately to help. Harvey’s anger transforms into vengeance; he has a mental break murdering everyone he feels betrayed him. Even though Batman ultimately accepts responsibility for Harvey’s murders, protecting Harvey’s perceived goodness. Like Harvey theorized in the dinner scene he lived long enough to see himself become a villain.

~ Kittyilana046

p.s. 

I wasn't planning on posting this because I've never written a meta before. I wrote this for my film college class. Truly, this was not supposed to see the light of day. I hope this was okay. 

[ao3feed-batcat]

Jason Todd's Nine Sisters

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3BhLwlL

by Nobodythehope

Jason todd has been red hood for four years. After he failed at getting revenge on Batman, he went to find himself. However, then the Forever Evil event happens, and Jason saves his big sister Regena Grayson from being captured. Only to get captured himself.

That was the start of a crazy four years for Jason. He had just finished avenging the all-caste and decided to visit his fellow Outlaws at Titan's Tower. Only to learn Alfred died in his sleep two months ago, Bruce adopted the replacement and Married Selina three years ago, and that his best friend Roy Harper died at the sanctuary massacre, his funeral was in two days.

After Roy's funeral, Jason decided it was time to go home, and after riding his motorcycle for 48 hours straight, he arrived home to utter chaos as BatCat had to go out of town. His elder sister and her girlfriend lost control of the rest of his sisters ...Oh, and he apparently does not have two sisters... He has nine and was in desperate need of coffee. Deciding to stay in Gotham, Jason must navigate the world as an older brother. Jason also starts a relationship with Barbara and Gena's friend Helena Bertinelli.

Words: 8832, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Huntress (Comics), Birds of Prey (Comic), Batgirl (Comics), Robin (Comics), Catwoman (Comics)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/F, F/M

Characters: Jason Todd, Helena Bertinelli, Batfamily - Character, Birds of Prey Members, Anastasia al Ghul, Batpets - Character, Ace the Bat-Hound, More, Helena Wayne

Relationships: Helena Bertinelli/Jason Todd, Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake, Batfamily Members & Jason Todd, Birds of Prey Members & Jason Todd, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne

Additional Tags: Jason is the only Male batkid, Jason is protective of his sisters, Jason thought he only had two sisters siblings turns out he has nine sisters, Jason Bruce and Ace are the only men in the family, Alfred passed in his sleep peacefully instead of his comic cannon death, Richard ‘Dick’ John Grayson is Regena ‘Gena’ Mary Grayson, Timothy Tim Jackson Drake is Tiffany ‘Tiff’ Janet Drake, Damian Brat Wayne is Damiana Brat Wayne Note middle name is made up, Duke Thomas is Duchess Elaine Thomas, Tidus is Cleopatra Cleo for short, Stephanie is still a girl, Harper is still a girl, babs is still a woman, Rebirth timeline, Helena Wayne is a baby, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Selina Kyle is a Great Parent, Bruce's daughters have him wrapped around their finger, Bruce is protective of his daughters, Jason's sisters view him as eye candy, Hero names are unchanged, Dick Grayson still joined Spyral, Cullen Row is Colleen Park Row

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3BhLwlL

[taliaquinn]

Infinity War

A/N     

Hiya cuties, here’s my first one shot. I hope you guys like the new series. Expect more to come. Also feel free to leave comments and asks if you guys are curious they are always welcome :). 

One thing Jason Loved about Gotham was the buildings. They were high. Jumping off of them gave him the adrenaline rush nothing else will.

Although he would never admit it he loved jumping off buildings with Dick. Ever since he was Robin he and Dick would play rooftop tag. Dick, of course, would make it difficult by jumping off roofs and creating some of the best acrobatic tricks.Of course, Jason being Jason didn’t like being shown up. He would try to recreate the stunts but unfortunately, Dick was astronomically flexible, Jason was not.

He would usually end up having to deploy his grapple early.

One very terrifying time his grapple didn't deploy and Dick wound up having to save him. Bruce was of course incredibly pissed off. They wound up having a big blow up and didn’t talk for weeks. Again. 

Dick, however, did end up taking Jason to an amusement park and treated him to ice cream. That was one of the best days ever That Jason could remember. Again he will never admit it.

Right now he was racing against Dickface to get to their motorcycles to meet up with bats and bats the second. Marinette was going to be there, she had zeta-beamed from Paris to attend the meeting.

Tony Stark disappeared in an Alien Ship above New York City. The rest of the Avengers or ex-Avengers were missing.

Batcave,Wayne Manor Gotham City,USA 4:30 a.m

“Sup Marinette, what’s our game plan for handling this??” Jason asked once they entered the cave. Marinette was still in her pajamas unlike everyone else who was in their Gear albeit mask-less.

“I tried calling Peter but according to his aunt and mom he’s missing too!!” Marinette exclaimed. Seriously what was it with that boy and his incessant need to get into trouble. He gives a bad name to bug-named superheroes.  

“Unfortunately we don’t know what has happened to the Stark boys” Bruce responded. Placing a reassuring hand on Marinettes and Tims shoulders. Both were very close friends with the spider-boy.  

“Right now we all need to go to our respective cities or superhero teams and prepare for a possible alien invasion” He continued.

The Bat computer began to beep “Guys I think the possible alien invasion started an hour ago” Oracles voice stated. “Crap for some reason our alerts didn’t respond to the breaches in the atmosphere.” 

“Where?” Batman snapped 

“Wakanda”

“The closest zeta beam is 4 hours away from Wakanda” Dick noted bringing up his wrist computer and listing zeta beam locations.

“Some of the rouge avengers are there already, allegedly,” Oracle noted.

“We won’t be of use, we have to get ready to defend the rest of earth if the fighting spreads, No one leaves Gotham, let's get prepped and split into teams” Batman ordered. 

Bruce was scared, he didn’t want to risk his kids and the last thing he wanted to do was get separated from his kids during an alien invasion.

“The majority of the fighting has decreased and most of the Aliens have been kille- HOLY CRAP the energy signature in Wakanda is off the grid!!” Oracles mechanized voice exclaimed.  Jason was cleaning all of his weapons as well as his “hood’. Marinette changed into all black outfit into some sweats. Everyone else was making sure to get prepped.

For a family worried about an alien invasion they sure seemed to be going about normal. Weirdos. 

Crash. Boom

Jason swiveled around and was startled to See Dick doubling over, Damian was frantic at his side trying to ask what was wrong with him. Crash. Jason swiveled around once again but this time he saw Cass doubling over with Bruce trying to help.

This time it was Barbara's voice that can be heard not her voice disguised as Oracle. “Guys something is seriously wrong,” 

Marinette was frantically trying to take off her earrings. Tim was helping her. Jason immediately rushed over to help Damian with Dick.

‘Grayson Speak Tell me what is wro-” Damian demanded. Jason was occupied trying to sit him up. A glance to the side revealed Bruce With Tim supporting Cass and Marinette. Jason had never seen a look like that on Bruces' face. Pain and worry etched into every crevice on his face. 

“DICK” Jason turned towards Damian's frantic cry. He was horrified to see Dick was Disintegrating. What the hell!?

“Jason” oh. Dick was talking to him and holding his shoulder. “Take care of Dami and the family” terrified blue eyes met Jasons.

“Cease that nonsense Grayson” Damian yelled while clinging to Grayson. Dick hugged him “I’m sorry” Damian lurched forward and he suddenly wasn’t clinging to anything anymore. Damian glanced at his hands wide-eyed they were covered in Ashes, Dicks ashes. Jason pulled him up and took him towards the training area and for once Damian didn't protest.

Cass And Marinette

Bruce was there covered in ash as well staring at his lap. Cass was nowhere to be seen. No. Tim was focused on Marinette, who was disintegrating as well but oddly at a slower pace. Jason immediately knelt next to her. 

“W-whats going on, i-it hu-hurts” Marinette wheezed out. She pushed her earrings towards Tim, Tikki was floating nearby terrified at the sight. No way, she couldn’t lose another one of her Ladybugs.

 Bruce was suddenly there.

“Marinette sweetie hold on hold o-please hold on” Holy crap Bruce was crying. 

Tim was frantically talking to Tikki Jason only caught snatches. Soul stone. Snap.Avengers. Dying. 

He was too focused on his baby sister who was disappearing to listen to the rest. “D-dad no, I don’t wanna go, nonononono, Jace, timmy, I don’t wanna leave” She choked out. With a gasp she finally disappeared too leaving Bruce to clutch at her ashes.

Damian was staring at the sight of his Father clutching at his sister's ashes. 

Bruce's face suddenly snapped up and he took off for a mad dash towards the steps, Tim following closely behind. Damian was too occupied staring at the spot where Dick disappeared. Jason noted that his eyes were watering. 

Take Care of Dami. Oh, screw it. Jason pulled Damian towards his chest and clutched him towards his chest. “Damian it’s okay, it’s okay I swear we are going to be fine, I promise” Damian breathing suddenly hitched and sobs started coming out. Jason couldn’t help it and allowed the water in his eyes to release as well.

Hearing footsteps he looked to the side and saw Tim was staring wide-eyed at the sight as well. Surprisingly Damian reached out and grabbed his wrist to pull him into the sob fest. Jason readjusted his grip to make space.

“Alfred's Gone,” Tim said in between sobs. “Jon, Artemis, Bizarro, Kori, Beast boy, Roy, and a good chunk of the Justice League have disappeared.” Barbara included. Jason forgot she was there. Jason hated himself at the moment. He had to let go of the group hug to go to the monitor.

If Roy was gone, who was taking care of Lian? A quick hack revealed Oliver clutching to a terrified Lian.

A second hack showed a cheerful Jon munching on a snack next to his parents who were busy typing on their laptops in a restaurant Suddenly he gasped and his granola bars fell. Clark immediately jumped up and in a few seconds Jon disintegrated into ash Lois fell after she didn't have anything to clutch. Jason cut the video feed before he looked at Lanes and Clark's reactions.

Damian was suddenly at his side. Jason heard a soft "no". Dang the poor demon brat just lost his best friend and a bunch of his more patient siblings.

Tim was off trying to help Oracle figure out how much of the superhero team disappeared. Thankfully Stephanie was spared the disappearing.

A few more video feed hacks revealed pretty much the same thing. People disintegrating in front of loved ones and even rivals. Friggin Riddler disintegrated in front of a shocked spoiler. This was happening everywhere! People suddenly turning to ash. How bad did the Avengers screw up?

Bruce was distraught. He has just lost 3 of his children all in under a minute. The only evidence left of Alfred was a pile of ashes. Bruce picked up a vase and immediately threw it towards a wall. He started throwing whatever was in arms reach. A red blur stopped him from throwing another vase.

Tikki.

“BRUCE STOP” She cried. “Don’t do this Marinette, Cass and Dick wouldn’t want you to spiral”

“Well they’re all dead aren't they?” He bit out. Bruce didn't care anymore. Screw her. How dare she. He lost so much. That darkness that had receded inside of him was coming back full force. This time he wasn’t sure if they would be able to come back. 

The loss of Dick alone is devastating. He was everyone's favourite brother. Cass was the ultimate overprotective sister, and the one that everyone was extremely protective of. Marinette was sweet and gentle, yet she still had a heart of gold. Both she and Dick were the type of people that made everyone around them fall in love with them. Alfred was his father, he stuck with him for everything

They were all gone.

Please leave notes,comments and reblogs. Hope you all enjoy.