#i want more interaction between jason and the batfam

[rockingthegraveyard]

At this point, if I learn that Bruce and Jason are going to interact in a comic, I just assume it's going to go poorly for Jason.

I like the concept of Jason bring the worst out in Bruce and it should be compelling especially since Jason is the kind of character that really gets Bruce to that edge because he knows every button to push to get him there.

And I guess you can argue that how Bruce often reacts to Jason could be his worst. But I don't really want a Bruce where his worst is no holds barred when it comes to Jason.

When Jason gives him no choice but to fight him then Bruce has no choice but to fight him. When he first came back to Gotham is a good example of it. But there are time when Jason's just trying to talk to Bruce. To explain or justify whatever action he's done be it a mistake or that he believes he was in the right, doesn't matter. Bruce meets him with violence.

It's like Bruce thinks Jason can't understand any point outside of one made through physical actions. Like the only way to get through to Jason is to physically beat it into him. And it's just not the Bruce I want out of the situation.

I want a dad who isn't perfect who tries and fucks up, sometimes in a major way, but who in the end doesn't want to hurt his kids in any manner. Especially wouldn't stoop so low as to basically experiment on them. What the fuck?!??

I want a Bruce that loves Jason despite all the bad blood but he doesn't. Jason gets shoved in there when Bruce mentions his family here and there but it feels so hollow at this point.

Bruce doesn't love Jason, he just thinks Jason is his responsibility and his problem to rectify.

[cbartonscoffee]

I think I've never been more aware of just how many people only get their info of the batfam through fanfic. I finally started reading Red Robin (2009) and I can not believe how many things are blown out of proportion. Particularly about Dick and Damian.

First of all, Dick does try to put limits and he does get fed up with Damian's ways sometimes. Out of the three first interactions of them in the comic, at least in two he tells him to shut up. And one of those is when Damian starts to brag about being Robin and Tim being useless, he tells him to shut up twice.

Another thing about that moment, is that they treat it like Dick completely dismisses Tim and treats him as unimportant. He doesn't. He takes him seriously, he tells him he needs him, he tells him he views his as an equal, as someone capable. And he also tells him he's concerned about him and that he needs to start processing Bruce's death. Could that have been a little harsh? Yes, but he needed to do it without making Tim think there was room for him to be convinced about his theory because let's be honest, Tim would've taken anything less than complete refusal and tried to change his mind. And had he been wrong neither of them could have taken it.

Secondly, Dick is always left to shoulder the blame of kicking Tim out and of never reaching out. That's bull. And I need to make that clear. Tim was in a delicate point, he tells us this himself multiple times, but the decision to leave was completely made out of his own free will. Another thing he did was put space between him and the people on Gotham. We see only one time in which Dick tries to call him. Tim picks up and tells him he doesn't want to talk. This tells us that Dick respecting Tim's wish of space included almost no (or even no) contact, and Dick calling was not something Tim appreciated or encouraged.

Now. Going into the second year of the run, when he's back in Gotham, there's a few things to talk about and I'm still in the aftermath of Damian and Tim's fight.

I feel it's important to say that even if they are all family, more often than not they're doing their own thing. Like, Babs and Steph are in the Batcave while Dick and Damian are in Wayne Tower, Cass is said to potentially be in Hong Kong and we haven't even heard Jason be name-dropped except for the fact that he went on a rampage at some point.

So, Dick is immediately called away in League business. So he isn't there. Damian is behaving fairly civil besides being a brat, so no one wastes too much effort in correcting what he says. We need to think about the fact that this is a kid whose world was turned upside down multiple times in a short period of time, who has a need to be accepted, and who hasn't yet found his place. All this is to say, that if it's difficult to get him to eat breakfast there's no way they're controlling his every move and that's understandable.

So Dick is away, Damian is still trying to adapt, Alfred has his hands full and everyone else is doing something else.

The whole thing starts because Tim is being kind of cryptic about what he's doing with his hit list and Damian feels left out and goes looking for more. He finds his name in a hidden double side of the hit list marking him as a threat. He understandably feels hurt and angry, because he's a kid, and he's trying, and his predecessor who at this point doesn't even try with him anymore views him as something bad.

So in classic Damian fashion, he falls back on his upbringing and doesn't deal with the situation as one should, talking about it. Instead he cuts team line, hurting before being hurt. It could've been worse, we see in the panel that Tim doesn't have that much of a hard time getting safely to the ground. The problem is that he snaps and starts a full-blown fight he knows Damian won't back out off. (I'm pleased to add that after cutting his line Damian doesn't start anything else)

So they are fighting, Tim has the clear advantage and he knows this, we know this. And that's how Dick finds them. Having just returned from a JL mission, in the place where the Waynes were murdered, with Tim having overpowered Damian.

They go back to the cave and Damian shares his findings, and Dick understands. And Tim tells him he (Dick) knows why he (Tim) did it. Dick agrees, and tells him he should have tried to make it harder to find. Tim says he hadn't thought Damian would try or even care. Dick tells him Damian wants to be accepted.

All in all, so far the only thing this comic has proven to me is that there's a reason comics are the bomb and that fanon has gotten out of hand. I get making things out to be worse for the sake of a story, but everything surrounding these events is basically used as the foundation for Damian and Tim's relationship as well as Dick and Tim's and I don't think I've once read a fanfic where these events are portrayed correctly or even following the real motivations of the characters. This is a disservice to all of them and only serves to amplify the hate towards a character that doesn't deserve it. There's a lot of Damian hate going around. And it sucks. Mostly because people use his actions against Tim to justify it and honestly? I don't think you should be allowed to use that if you haven't read RR and understood what was going on.

[anxiousnerdwritings]

I am going FERAL over this imagine:

So basically Bruce brings reader home to be his new daughter/the boys' new sibling but Uh Oh! They now want you carnally and reader is just like "you said you wanted me as a daughter/sibling, wtf is this" and being their platonic darling is better than being shared between them romantically so reader tries to come off as innocent and child/sibling coded by being like "yeah I've never actually kissed or dated anyone before aren't I just so innocent" and the boys are like :)))

So then Dick says you can call him your boyfriend "just to feel it out" and Tim starts blatantly stealing your panties and Jason says he can give you your 1st kiss so you can "practice" with him and Bruce offers to teach you how to touch yourself and (and him) and when you try to walk it back cause the boys are being Freaks they're in their delulu era so eventually you end up tied to the bed with the boys and Bruce drawing straws over who gets to take what 1sts (like 1st date, kiss, virginity, ect).

And Damien is just in the background absolutely SEETHING cause the the boys and Bruce's Horny Time keeps interrupting his Mommy Time with the reader

And reader using Damien as kind of a shield cause what are they going to do, feel you up in front of a CHILD? Like just, "Stay Platonic :))"

Just that kind of pseudo incest makes me Feel Things (*/∀＼*)(///∇///)

I'd love your thoughts/a fic based on this! Ty ❤️

TW: Brief mentions of pseudo incest(y) scenarios/behavior, manipulative tactics, yandere tendencies

(Okay so I’ll answer this with my thoughts for right now.)

I know I primarily write incest(y) related topics for my Game of Thrones/ASOIAF stuff but I have been tempted to/curious about branching it out into some of the other fandoms I write for 👀. (I’ve had a few ideas rolling around in my noggin for a bit if anyone is interested.) So I would be willing to give this a try. I’m down to experiment with some new stuff, within reason of course.

I imagine the Reader being older (probably 19-23), maybe even having been a runaway of sorts or not having a very stable home life, so when they’re given the ‘offer’ to become part of the family they’re looking to fulfill a familial void they’ve never experienced or have forgotten how it’s felt like. I definitely see Bruce and the rest of the boys keeping a very close eye on the Reader before they decide to finally bring them into their family, basically full on stalking them from the moment they caught their attention (you know how the Batfam works). It wouldn’t be a surprise if even before the Reader was with them physically that the boys developed a more carnal desire for them. At first, their intentions were completely platonic, but with all the lengthy observing and information gathering of their supposed-to-be-new-family-member eventually something changed in how they all saw their darling.

I really see the change in their obsession starting with either Dick or Tim first. Especially regarding some accidental or purposeful peeping Tom foolery. I feel like Bruce would be the last to fall victim to the change in direction or at the very least he’s the last one to admit to it. If Damian is younger than I see his obsession staying strictly platonic, but if he were much older than I could see him involving himself to the same depths as his family.

At first, I see things happening subtly. Knowing that at the very least a few of them are already in an obsessive-romantic headspace in regards to their darling before they even physically become part of the family the guys would try to be as welcoming as possible without revealing their true intentions. They don’t want to scare you off right away, they want you to walk into it semi-willingly at least. But the interactions with the Reader would show something else. The lingering touches, the being much closer to you than really necessary, the heated grazes over your clothes here and there that leave you wondering if that actually happened or not. I also kind of like the other members not being fully aware of each other’s change in obsession, everyone giving each other the side eye until it sets in and then all out war of who gets the darling to themself unfolds only to eventually end up with them working together and agreeing to share. That’s when Bruce’s heel-turn is revealed.

Once things get truly amped up, the interactions with the Reader really begin to escalate. The boys would walk around shirtless more often, all of them trying to get their darling to look at them, to really look at them. Eventually, it’s not just them being shitless but either them in nothing but their underwear or nothing at all. They start out as accidents but eventually it’s pretty loud and clear that the guys want you to see them, all of them, to even touch them and feel them to your hearts content. But thats not all, of course it’s not. The touching of their darling only gets all the more intense, to the point that you know damn well that they’re touching you and they want to leave you wanting for more. So much more. The Reader’s innocence and lack of experience would only spur them on even more. They absolutely thrive off of it. They all want to be your first, your first everything. There will be a lot of secret ‘lessons’ being given behind closed doors and telling of “Don’t tell Batdaddy or he’ll get real mad.” “Don’t let Jay know, or he’ll want to punish you for not doing this with him.” “Let this be our secret, (Name). Something just for you and me.” “Can’t tell anyone about this or they’ll ruin it for the both of us.” And they only get even worse from there.

I can’t see Alfred being okay with this in any situation, whatsoever. I think he especially would feel like Bruce and the other boys completely took advantage of the Reader and he would try his best to aid them in trying to keep up with the platonic intention of this entire fiasco. He would be a total cockblock, even going as far as helping Damian in his cockblocking endeavors. Alfred’s intention would be to play both sides so he knows how to help the Reader when it comes to Bruce and the others but it wouldn’t take too long for them to figure out that Alfred is working against them. Like, Alfred was all for the familial-platonic obsession but when things started getting more romantic he was ready to shut that shit down ASAP. You can’t tell me he hasn’t, at least a few times, locked Bruce, Dick, Jason, and Tim out of the house to give the Reader some peace and give Damian his much deserved allotted time with them.

Speaking of Damian, he is a menace (as per usual) but even more so than normal. He really doesn’t take too well to the new direction of his father’s and brothers’ obsession for the Reader. He thinks it’s pretty messed up but he sincerely likes and cares about the Reader and he wants them to stay, he wants them to continue being a part of the family forever so he’ll let some things slide. Some. He even may be willing to look the other way when it eventually comes to Bruce, Dick, Jason, and Tim baby-trapping the Reader if it means this whole ‘family’ thing becomes set in stone with the arrival of a new ‘sibling’. But for the most part, at least early on, Damian would be a huge pain in the ass for the other family members. He feels like he needs to step in to save his darling from the others and their ulterior motives. He’s all his parental/older sibling figure needs, at least at that point. He may even try to runaway with them to keep them safe from the others. Hell, he may even get his mother involved if he was desperate enough, especially if he saw the Reader as a parental figure. Or maybe even another Justice League member to either adopt him and the Reader so that he could have that family experience he was promised with the Reader. Or he would be completely content just living the rest of his life just him and the Reader, platonically of course.

It would either take Bruce or Dick to have a talk with Damian to get him to come to some agreement to allow them to continue with what they’re doing in regards to the Reader. I think Dick would get away with manipulating Damian much better than Bruce could. I think Damian would have some opinions about his father especially throughout this whole situation. Especially since I see Damian being very observant of how Dick, Jason and Tim are behaving towards the Reader early on and picking up on the fuckery taking place, even going as far as telling Bruce about it under the belief his father would be on his side (not ever fathoming the idea of his father also doing similar things to the Reader without him ever knowing). As far as Damian knew his father was completely platonic towards the Reader, as a ‘father’ should be. Right? So understandably Damian feels not only betrayed but also disgusted when he finds out that his father was and still is taking part in, acting in a similarly depraved fashion as the others.

Eventually, I could see them coming together and being one big ‘happy’ family. But it sure as hell comes at a price. (Usually the Reader’s freedom and sense of self outside of the obsession they’ve been dragged into, to drown in alongside their yandere(s).)

[cosmicpoutine]

leaving a lil rant here :]

I love Tim and his ships sm. Me personally, I only really ship TimKon. Those two are perfect for eachother and have so much clear queer coding that it’s crazy, and they have dialogue that’s just. gay shaped.

I also get TimBart, I don’t ship it romantically but I get why people do!! Tim and Bart are close as well, and the balance they get between ‘depressed tired wet cat’ and ‘living breathing embodiment of adhd’ is great.

I also get TimBartKon, they’re a trio. They are always a trio, so many people like to bring up how TimKon has so much coding and one of the big examples they use is when Tim tried to clone Kon. You know who else he tried to clone? Bart.

The only Tim ship I don’t get is TimBern, or any ship involving those two. When Bernard first appears, he’s Tim’s bully. He actively makes fun of tim and puts him down and then that character is forgotten about until Tim comes out as bi, then they just rework his character and go “haha guys this is his boyfriend not bully ygs are crazy” and just forget about all the bad stuff Bernard did? Reworking a character is great and all but, it just feels a bit weird and out of place for me. There’s always going to be that certain toxicity for TimBern, at least for me.

homie... bully??? im flabbergasted- im speechless- im jason todd (dead)

okay, im gonna start off by saying you have all the right to not ship them, and im not here to defend timbern as a ship. im here to defend BERNARD DOWD.

first thing bernard does is give tim advice about teachers, and he clearly says they're gonna be good friends.

if bernard was a bully, tim wouldn't hang around him so much. besides, i hate it when people place tim as a helpless little boy who would get bullied. he has put himself in situations where he looks weak on purpose to keep his identity safe, but he's not a victim at all. tim is a social butterfly because he's really good at masking and reading people.

not to mention, both bernard and darla push tim a lot because they're trying to get him to open up and be closer to them, but he keeps pushing them away. tim is a professional liar.

and when tim has to quit robin and start hanging out with normal people, he invites bernard over.

and bernard is acting relatively normal, and he wants to play video games and talk about how hot tim's stepmom is.

bernard is a normal teenager who has no idea one of his friends is the hero he's so obsessed with. he even shows concern for robin dying and makes up an entire conspiracy theory about batman havin a robin orphanage. you can tell he's afraid of robin being gone for real because at this point they haven't seen robin in months bc tim retired.

i dont know what about all of these interactions gave you the vibe that he's a bully because all i see is a normal teenager teasing his friends and being jealous tim gets more bitches.

im not saying that bernard was never mean or weird around tim, but he definitely wasn't actively bullying tim.

bernard is obnoxious and cocky, yes. but thats just because they wrote him as a real person. he's the school's chameleon, maybe even a little bit of a loser, too. he knows everyone but keeps a safe distance so that he doesn't get pushed into a box. im not sure if, at this point, he was already in a cult or being indoctrinated, but when we see his parents and the dowd home in tim drake: robin that just doesn't look right.

also homie talk about "forgetting all the bad things bernard did" (which in my opinion is none but okay lets follow that logic) everyone forget about all the bad things batman did to tim, he was not a kind and loving mentor, he was cruel to both tim and steph. we forget that batman was kind of an asshole to damien in the beginning. all those things are forgotten for the sake of the batfam.

in conclusion: we're just so used to the idea that superheroes can only ever form strong friendship bonds by having near death experiences together that we forget that the secret identifies exist and that the people who know them by their legal name also means a lot to them. after all, these people are the reason why they're heroes.

[puppetmaster13u]

Oneshot Project: Which of these should I work on or would you wish for a WIP of? [If you wish to be tagged for a writing WIP reply/comment so, also feel free to send in asks if you want to know more about any of them]

Dragon Au Unreliable Narrators, curtesy of Tim, with semi-dark Batfam thanks to them well, not being human. Includes Jason getting dragged back home kicking and screaming and human Tim eventually also becoming dragon.

Living Armor Au Semi-modern fantasy Au thing, with the batfam being more than a little oblivious to the fact that their allies think they are people in armor, not supernatural creatures. This also leads to misunderstandings when Bruce mentions they're getting a new family member.

Merfolk Au Gotham's version of merfolk is like a specialized super predator. Or maybe that's just the Bats, because despite most of them being based off of not exactly aggressive or even large fish, they Can take off someone's hand. It also doesn't help that no one thinks to mention the fact that Gotham is the sea's Eldritch Dead Zone.

Griffon Au Mostly fluff and found family, and Bruce with his kids as young kids. Includes him desperately trying to convince them to do Anything other than vigilantism, Please, and them just laughing at him. Also includes Alfred in shorts during the winter because he's built different.

Kobold-Dog Au Batfam, but they're lizard dog people with apposable thumbs. Includes baby Damian and some inspiration from the kobold of german folklore as well.

Kitsune Au Magical batfamily who might just specialize in more illusionary magic? Yeah, and some of them even count as holy creatures. Also, as kitsune can act as mediums between the mortal and celestial? They might interact with a few ghosts. Also Sentient Gotham City.

[frownyalfred]

Hey howdy! I'm working on a project about superhero omegaverse statistics and wondering how you designate someone an alpha vs omega, etc. In your fics you have a wide range of characters' dynamics and interactions with their secondary genders. It is very cool!

Some prompts: How influenced are you by who you're planning to pair them with, vs their individual attributes? Would you say a character's visual appearance/suit affects how you perceive them? What is the defining trait you look to when figuring out whether someone will be an alpha? How does masculinity vs femininity play a role in your choices? What do you like best about the omegaverse?

Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts, but no pressure to reply if you don't want to! Ive attached two graphs here for some context: one looking at Bruce's categorization, and the other looking at the link between suit colours & masculinity & secondary genders.

What a fascinating project!! Thank you for asking me.

How influenced are you by who you're planning to pair them with, vs their individual attributes? Generally I choose the dynamic from attributes and write the pairings from there. The obvious exception is superbat, which is an interesting one for me. I love writing almost exclusive Omega!Bruce/Alpha!Clark but I actually read a ton of Alpha/Alpha superbat, as well as Omega!Clark.

For example, Lex in ASOH was always an omega in my mind, regardless of any plans to pair him off at a later date. I've found that both Clark and Bruce share attributes that make them both interesting and complicated alphas or omegas. A lot of them are tied up in their perceptions of themselves, as well as the public's perception of their identities/secret identities. I will say that Bruce's public Brucie persona and his Batman persona lend themselves very well to the duality of what the public assumes omegas are, versus what omegas want to be -- or can be. I also think his bonds with family/pack lose a bit of complexity when they're reduced to him being a possessive or strict alpha over a pack.

Would you say a character's visual appearance/suit affects how you perceive them? Sometimes! I think the tendency to slap an alpha label on all big, bulky guys is funny, because in ASOH I've been doing almost entirely the opposite -- all of the big bulky guys (except Clark) are omegas! I like flipping those long-standing fic tropes on their heads.

But yes, I am no exception to this trend either. I think the more interesting question is, is this trend exclusive to alpha/omega dynamics? Or do we also classify betas this way too? Dick is a beta in several batfam fics I've read -- is this just because he's a little smaller/slimmer than Jason, etc? Or is it because of characteristics he holds that we attribute to betas (calm, reassuring, playing peacekeeper, etc)?

What is the defining trait you look to when figuring out whether someone will be an alpha? I'm not sure there's just one. I think most characters can be written convincingly as different kinds of alphas. But generally, presence is one trait that comes to mind -- when they want to. if they want to -- are they able to take up a room with sheer aura alone? Do people look to them for advice and direction? Are they self-confident and strongly-motivated? Do you want to bop them on the head every now and then because they're being a little ridiculous?

How does masculinity vs femininity play a role in your choices? There's been a lot of dialogue in fandom and fanon about the feminization of certain characters in pairings because of/related to omegaverse. I try my best to challenge those longstanding trends or biases when I see them pop up in my work. One example of this is use of gender neutral words for omegas who are having pups -- I started using "carrier" instead of "mom/mama" because I think allowing male omegas to retain their masculinity in pregnancy is important (if desired). Otherwise we reduce child carrying to something inherently feminine, which, especially in the omegaverse, is simply untrue.

What do you like best about the omegaverse? It's a great way to challenge ideas about gender in new and interesting scenarios. With the inclusion of instincts and heats/ruts, there's also a lot of forced proximity and decisions made under shades of duress. There's a lot of space there to explore sexuality and the socialization of genders IRL and in universe. How much of what we do truly is instinctual or biological? How much of it is simply how we were raised/raise our own children? Is reproduction truly the end all be all of a person? What happens when we buck society's expectations and forge our own path forward? How can we better foster non-sexual relationships and bonds between family and friends?

[bruciemilf]

Hii!

I was wondering if you had any n.sfw type of headcanons for Harvey vs Two Face when they're being intimate? 🤭

Because of the Jason Dent AU fic, part of me thinks TwoFace might be a pillow princess for Matches 😅

I mean, I try to assume couples are versatile but was also curious if you felt either would be more or less likely to enjoy something over the other. Or if they'd be pretty much the same in their wants/desires. Hope this makes sense!

Really like your blog. Your post with Batfam Twitter about Harvey breaking out of Arkham to take Bruce out on dates is part of what got me into them 😍🥹

HOOOO. NSFW ahead!!! Minors don’t interact, please and thank you!!

—

I’m so goddam thirsty for this man. No, — it’s unhealthy. I’m like a feral Resident Evil nightmare that escaped confinement and I’m in need of emergency euthanasia.

In my heart I can’t imagine Harvey or TF bottoming. But it also really depends on!! I could maybe see Harvey, whimpering like a goddam mess, Bruce bounces on his dick like a fucking horny rabbit, and TF snarling, “Fuckin’ wimp.” (He loves it)

One thing’s for sure thought; These mfs are So Nasty.

Two-Face is big on degradation; Bruce’s pleasure is extremely important for him, and while he prioritizes his baby doll getting the best treatment possible, you can catch him shoving Batman on his knees anytime, anywhere.

“C’mon, sweet boy. Use that smart ass mouth for something useful. “

And Bruce can’t ever say no 😔 He has them memorized down to the veins

Also you bet Harvey’s hung as hell. 10 inches. Bruce has higher chances of ending up in the ER after fucking than fighting.

DADDY KINK DADDY KINK DADDY KINK DADDY KINK DADDY KINK DADDY KINK DADDY-

I just know for a fact Two-Face always has Bruce on his lap when he’s playing poker.

Either when Bruce is disguised, or just normal. Besides, Brucie Wayne is basically Harvey’s glorified blow up doll. So what if he’s around the room while talking essential business? So what if he’s witness to it?

Black Mask makes that comment exactly once and Harvey paints his brass knuckles red <333 “Tsk. Fucker got blood on my watch.”

God help you if Bruce wears red lipstick around this bastard. They’ll make out so messily. Everywhere. At any time. Cause Harvey’s not stopping until Bruce begs him to let him breathe.

SCAR WORSHIP.

MUTUAL

SCAR WORSHIP

Harvey will call Bruce princes while fucking him doggy style, his belt tightly snaked around his neck. He makes the prettiest noises, punched out moans and tiny little gasps. “Ah, heh— you came? Again? You’re making a mess, sweetheart.”

I genuinely do think rough sex is their go to, but like. Loving rough sex? Nevertheless, when one or both have an off day, when Gotham’s nightshade hand punches just a little too hard, they find sanctuary in each other’s softness.

Sometimes Bruce gets fucked with Harvey between his legs, spread like a last meal on his WE office, his smaller hands sinking in his man’s broad shoulders. And he’ll say nothing except his name, like a mantra.

“Harvey. I love you.”

“I know.”

“Bastard,” Bruce laughs rarely, and when he does, it feels like a prize, “Say it back. Both of you.”

“Tch. Brat. We love you. Happy?”

“Always.”

[disniq]

i havent read all of the comics post urban legends to gotham war with jason, but as far as i remember between them jason didn't really kill anyone? tfz is on my mind (he tried to kill 'bane' but didn't). i suppose he couldve been murdering off screen as well but i also have no idea if that's hinted at

anyway with tmwsl and the beast war stuff having him kill it means:

urban legends -> stops killing

gotham war -> is brainfuckedup by bruce. cant do shit

tmwsl -> joker unbrainfuckedups him, he proceeds to go ham and kill some goons/tries to kill the jokers

beast world -> still killing in larger amounts

so if bruce had left his ass alone would he still be in a holding pattern with the bats? way to fuck it bruce (though im happy. so.)

obviously the doyalist explanation is they probably realized jason was in a bit of a limbo atm and decided to shake it up again. but watsonian is soooo funny to me. good job b

Thank you for bearing with me anon, I'm finally free from work and mostly compos mentis at the moment, so!

My initial instinct when I got this ask was to disagree, because I didn't read Jason's behaviour in the last issue of MWSL as any more or less violent than he was in the earlier issues, I don't think he ever actually killed anybody in that run (though do correct me if I'm wrong on that), and I'm extremely reluctant to take the Beast World characterisation into account because it's a, uh... reductive view of Jason, at best.

But.

BUT!

As I was turning this over in my head, I realised why it was pinging at my brain.

It's because this exact thing *has happened*, back in RHatOs Rebirth.

Pre-rhato 25 my beloathed, Jason had been consistently using less-lethal methods in exchange for Bruce's implicit approval and regular interaction with the batfam. He specifically says this on panel in The Trial of Batwoman, this is a choice he chooses to make against his own beliefs;

Detective Comics #975

This holds until six months later, when Jason shoots Penguin. And then Bruce famously snaps and beats the everloving shit out of him in a brutal and notably one-sided fight.

After which, Jason changes up his outfit, swaps the guns for a crowbar and a katana, and becomes significantly more lethal again.

RHatO (2016) #25, RHatO (2016) #26

And when I thought about it, well. I think you could argue that each of Jason's more lethal spells are proceeded by an altercation with Bruce.

Brothers in Blood, where Jason plays a murderous, knife-wielding Nightwing to annoy Dick, is the first Jason story after the infamous Under the Hood showdown wherein Bruce chooses to cut Jason's throat instead of... doing literally anything else instead.

Batman: Under the Red Hood, Nightwing (1996) #118

And after working relatively civilly with others throughout Countdown, Jason goes full murder gunbats in Battle for the Cowl after Bruce's delightful little "you're broken and you'll never be fixed" hologram speech.

Battle for the Cowl #3 , Battle for the Cowl #1

Now, I absolutely do not want to come across like I'm saying Bruce is responsible for all Jason's more extreme actions at all, because I'm not about that lack of agency shizzle at all. Obviously Jason was already very much down to kill prior to his final confrontation with Bruce in UtRH, and I think he does genuinely believe some people deserve to die.

But I think this pattern of Jason reacting to Bruce's outright and often violent rejections by escalating the very behaviour that has Bruce repeatedly rejecting him is super interesting as a facet of their continuous cycle of abuse.

So regardless of Beast World, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Jason does lilt more lethal for a hot minute before he inevitably makes consessions to get back into Batman's good books.

[shamelesstragedyenjoyer]

Now I'm curious, how would you rank the batfam based on how you'd get along irl??

In a scenario where I know their secret identities, and there’s a professional, almost co-workers-like dynamic, I think it'd varie greatly from one wherein which vigilante roles are completely absent. Among those I'd resonate with most (in the event I was born in their world) are Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas, and Jason Todd. It's mainly due to shared backgrounds and similar upbringings, I think. Conversely, interactions with Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne might be more difficult for me. Strained, even, due to differences in ethical frameworks, perspectives, class understanding and overall core values. So there's two ratings; one where I'm in their AU and one where they're in mine.

Alfred Pennyworth: 4/10 - He might perceive some of my approaches as unorthodox, but I believe he would grasp the reasoning behind them. Our interactions would be limited primarily to joint missions. We wouldn't be close. | 6/10 In my world about 60% of elderly people seem drawn to recounting their youth to me, perhaps due to my perceived trustworthiness, and I like to think he'd be part of that demographic.

Bruce Wayne: 2/10 - Disagreements on methodology would likely hinder rapport, especially given my skepticism toward billionaires, which might result in minimal interactions outside of vigilante duties. | 1/10. I'd see him as a man-whore.

Dick Grayson: 3/10 - Our interactions would likely be brief and casual, without the potential for friendship. His typical millennial demeanor might clash with my sense of humor. But he reminds me of my older sister, so I can't rate him lower than a 2. The age gap might lead him to treat me like a younger sibling, which I'd find condescending. Certainly not someone I would befriend. | 2/10 My personal envy would breed hostility, resulting in a reciprocal cycle of unkindness between us.

Jason Todd: 8/10 - Especially in a context where we were familiar with each other before his whole "being-adopted-by-Batman" thing. He'd likely resonate with my approach to tasks and comprehend the motivations driving my actions. We're not THAT far apart in age so he'd get my humor, I think. | 4/10 In my world however, because I'd be nervous and there would be a lack of common ground between us without vigilantism.

Cassandra Cain: 2/10 - It would unsettle me to realize she can discern my emotions merely by observing me. While I'm generally transparent, this level of insight would make me uneasy, prompting me to steer clear of her. | 7/10 She shares some personality traits of one of my closest friends. Given my penchant for chatter and her inclination to listen, we'd likely complement each other well and have a harmonious friendship.

Tim Drake: 1/10- He wouldn't understand why I dislike him. And I wouldn't have an explanation. | 0/10. Earth isn't big enough for the both of us (completely one sided beef).

Stephanie Brown: 6/10 - She'd get how I roll, but Tim might have complained to her about me not being nice, so she'd be protective of him. | 10/10 We'd be the kind of girls who were super close in middle school, maybe even a bit too much. We'd drift apart in high school or college but still think about each other now and then, though not enough to reach out and become friends again.

Damian Wayne: 1/10 - Likely would perceive me negatively, interactions would be minimal. | 0/10 I just don't see us getting along.

Duke Thomas: 9/10 - He'd totally get my approach and might even be up for joining in (Bruce would see me as a bad influence). We'd both be game for pursuing each other's not-so-great ideas. Would have tons of fun but also engage in meaningful discussions about race, religion, politics, economics, society, art and allat. | 7/10 I can’t see myself being 100% comfortable around a man despite that, so that's how far it'll get, sue me !

Barbara Gordon: 4/10 - Like Dick, she'd likely see me as a kid, which would irk me because I'd want to be seen as an equal. However, since she's a woman, it'd feels a tad less patronizing and more maternal, so she gets one extra point in my book. | 6/10 She's that nice employee at the bookstore who takes my search for a specific book I don’t remember the name of super seriously. But we would not be friends.

To @voiddaisy who asked me a similar question, this is for you too ! Thanks for the ask !

[ivy-and-ivory]

I absolutely adore your Batman and Jason Todd fics!!! I was wondering if you had any fic recs? ♥️

Thank you Anon!! I’m so glad you enjoy my writing :D

There’s so much incredible Jason & Bruce fic out there and I’m more than happy to share some recs! I’m unfortunately not the best about remembering to keep track of fics I enjoy, so this is by no means a definitive/comprehensive list of my favorites, but I scrolled through my bookmarks and found a few fics that will hopefully satisfy your Jason & Bruce cravings :)

Stargazer by LemonadeGarden @lemonadegarden (47,656 words, Multi-chap, Complete)

Author’s Summary:

“Jason Todd is seriously injured during patrol one night, and is forced to stay at the manor to recuperate until his injuries are healed. To pass the time, he makes a list of things he never got to do before he died. Except there's one small problem: most of them involve Bruce, and Jason doesn't really think Bruce cares all that much about him anymore. This is a story about how wrong he is, but I made it sad anyway.”

Truly what can I even say about this fic. This is the story that made me fall in love with Jason Todd, and Bruce & Jason reconciliation fics, and Bruce & Jason destination/road trip fics, and basically everything I care most about in this fandom. I’d been a Superbat fan for a while before I started getting into the Batfam side of things, and around the time I read this I was only just starting to read stories about the Robins. This was the gateway fic. This was the one that caught me and made it stick. Formative, definitive, one of my all time faves.

this kind of weather by r_astra @heyy-its-skip (46,456 words, Multi-chap, WIP)

Author’s Summary:

“Jason’s at school when his mom dies, and that’s the only reason any of it happens. If he’d been home, if he’d been with her, he would’ve been in the wind before anyone else even knew. Even if they looked, no one ever would’ve found him. He’d have taken to the sewers if that’s what it took, man-eating crocodile guy and all.”

Ohhhhh this fic. Bio-parent Bruce AUs don’t always do it for me, but the fics that get it right get it RIGHT, and this is one of them. Possibly my favorite Jason joins the batfam late fic ever. I’m obsessed with the Jason characterization in this one. Like actually obsessed. Like he is rotating in my brain like a rotisserie chicken at all times constantly 24/7 obsessed. Cannot recommend enough.

Growing Like A Breeze by whaleofatime @cetaceans-pls (6,114 words, Oneshot, Complete)

Author’s Summary:

“April 27th isn't anyone's favourite date, but it's somehow worse than usual today when Bruce gets his car stolen. It's nice of Red Hood to come to his rescue. Nicer even that Jason keeps him company afterwards.”

If you’ve read my fics I think it should be a given that any Jason & Bruce fic tagged “Inexplicable Road Trip” is absolutely going to do it for me. But god, Bruce’s psyche in this one. The man has twisted himself up in more tangles than the Gordian knot. Really fantastic exploration of Bruce & Jason’s relationship and trying to move forward past the destructiveness of grief and blame. I will be thinking about the bumper stickers on Bruce's Hyundai Elantra forever.

through space and time by sparkycap @sparkysomething (6,334 words, Oneshot, Complete)

Author's Summary:

"When an Outlaws mission gets Jason sent back twelve years in the past, he finds himself in a familiar position: stealing something stupid and getting caught by a Batman who wants to give him a second chance. It’s a refreshing change from how encounters with his present-day Batman usually go."

I am a simple woman. Give me a fic where Bruce interacts with Jason without really knowing the significance of who he's interacting with and I will go feral, every time. Absolutely brutal interaction between a well-meaning Bruce and a hurting Jason in this one. Don't want to spoil anything, but there's one line of dialogue in particular that just. Ugh. Fuck me all the way up.

Clearly Calm and Keeping Terrorized by Batbirdies @batbirdies (258,290 words, Multi-Chap, Complete)

Author's Summary:

"Jason made a deal with Bruce, no killing, and there would be no more conflict between them. At least on patrol. Jason reasoned it would be easier to accomplish his goals without constantly fighting Batman along the way. It didn’t change anything, not really. Not until he found an old gift he never knew about and Bruce asked him to dogsit Titus while he and Damian were out of town. Not until the Lazarus Pit started bothering him again. AKA: My take on a Jason rejoins the family fic."

I am once again reccing a Bruce & Jason reconciliation fic (are you perhaps noticing a trend?) This one will break your heart and put it back together again. It's part of a series but can stand alone (though I've read the two works that precede it and highly recommend them as well). 250k+ words about a father and son and the rest of their family trying to figure out how to heal. Genuinely there is so much love in this fic. And trauma! Can't forget the trauma. But also so much love.

Code of Silence by JHSC @jhscdood (9,376 words, Multi-Chap, Complete)

Author's Summary:

"Willis Todd doesn’t die in prison. That doesn’t change much, until it does."

This one is less Jason & Bruce-centric than the others on this list (though Bruce still features, especially in the other works in the series) but it absolutely fits the bill for Jason & his dad content so I'm reccing it anyway. This fic utterly transformed the way I view Willis Todd. Incredibly thoughtful, emotional exploration of trauma and recovery and trying to heal. The whole series is gold.

Good Intentions and the Highest Hopes by rotasha (16,863 words, Multi-Chap, Complete)

Author's Summary:

"Bruce offers each of his children the chance to go on vacation with him, and they get to choose the destination. Jason chooses the one place he thinks Bruce will enjoy the least, out of spite. That’s how the two of them end up going to Disney World."

Another one that perfectly checks all my favorite Bruce & Jason fic boxes. Reconciliation fic? Check. Set in highly specific non-Gotham destination? Check. Bruce not quite knowing how to connect to Jason but trying his best anyway and Jason finally deciding to let him? Check, check, check. Jason's kind of an asshole in this one; I adore him eternally. And I love Bruce so so much in this.

There are so many more I could add but I'm going to leave it at that for now! Hope some of these are new to you & that you enjoy them! And thanks again for reading my work :D

[glow-worms-are-believers]

Pride and Prejudice AU Anger Management (dp x dc)

Guess who just finished reading+watching Pride and Prejudice? And guess who’s now obsessed with making an Anger Management AU based on it? It’s me babyyyy (btw it's sorta more of a fusion than a proper AU I think?)

Casting: Jason as Elizabeth, his siblings as the bennet sisters. Alfred is mr bennet, Bruce is mrs. Bennet except they’re not silly they’re instead paranoid and emotionnaly stunted.

Jazz as Darcy, Danny as Georgiana. 

Kon as Bingley (with Tim being Jane looool)

Vlad is lady catherine and dani is cousin anne.

Wickham is both the Al Ghul (Talia and Ra's) they pretended to be nice to the Fenton before trying to enslave/exorcice Danny.

Plot (which is basically just P&P but like slightly modified so it works):

Jazz & Danny got spit out the pits. The Al Ghuls pretended to be kind and honorable and stuff, and Jazz was just so happy the dimension they ended up in had some nice (though weird and formal) people. Then, she ends up finding Danny tied up and Ra’s talking about what an interesting specimen he is, and how he’ll help them figure out how to be immortal and all that. Jazz goes full-on Beserk mode and destroys the base + burying pits.

Vlad and Dani end up there too a little later, but she doesn’t tell them the specifics just not to interact with the League of Assassins. Danny is hurt and Jazz is still a bit feral. They end up in Kansas where the Kents offer them a place to stay for a while. So they do stay, and Superman+family end up being really nice people. She doesn’t tell them about the Ra’s, just that the trip between dimension was rough. She also says nothing about Danny’s power and keeps that secret because he’s still hurt and she doesn’t want anyone trying to take advantage of him.

Magic users recognize her as Queen Regent of the Infinite Realms and like everyone who’s met her agrees she’s a fair and kind ruler, so they respect her a lot. So Captain Marvel, Zatanna and Wonder Woman (after they mention Pandora) all vouch for the Fentons and they’re generally just considered really powerful and benevolent.

Anyways danny is severely injured (plus his powers are really reduced) and Jazz is so stressed about it not to mention the queen regent thing (she has paperwork and correspondence with Frostbite, Pandora and Clockwork for all kind of stuff to do, including making sure there is no war after the future King was kidnapped by humans wanting to experiment on him again!!!) plus making a good impression on the league. So she comes off as a little bit stand-offish especially to the heroes she doesn’t know super well. She’s been burnt by the Al Ghul and is just so busy and stressed she has little energy for socialization. She accidentally snubs Dick which everyone in the batfam takes as an insult plus a lot of the younger generation heroes do too. General consensus is that she’s a bit stuck-up and only makes an effort for the big names (Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel). 

Jazz makes a comment about Jason after Kon teases her about him (like “I know his type, pretty bad boy with a list of issues a mile long, not to mention how shit at emotions the bats apparently are”) and he overhears and is like not like I would want to end up with such an arrogant snob no matter how handsome she looks.

So anyways, they end up going on a few missions together and Jazz gets to see that Jason is actually a really good person who does his best and wants to help everyone so bad. Also, he’s so good with kids and Jazz is 100% sure Danny would love him despite him hating most of her previous boyfriends.

Meanwhile, Jason sees how she keeps taking down the villains faster than him and even takes on some of his that he was handling thank you very much, and assumes she’s being condescending instead of trying to be helpful. 

She also talks about school that she’s started and how much she enjoys it because she heard he likes to read but he takes it at a dig at how he never completed his formal education which is a sore spot. She also sometimes completely disregard his suggestion when they go after supernaturals which fair but like super rude?! But it’s just Jazz being used to being in charge and having to wrangle a bunch of go in first, think of a plan later type of people.

(Talia has come by and fed the batfam an edited story of what happened with the pits, which makes Jazz look really shady.)

Danny sees Jazz is completely crushing on this dude and after hearing her talk about him for so long, he’s on board with Jason and also curious to get to know him. Danny tells her to go for it and ask him out. Meanwhile, they each agree to tell Vlad nothing, because he might not be as crazy as he used to be, but he’s still a complete ass.

So at some point, after a mission, she takes Jason aside and asks him out, while insulting his family accidentally (like makes a joke about reserving an extra table for his brothers to spy on them). She means it as a gentle tease, but Jason takes it as a giant insult, since it’s also super true so instead of just saying no, he goes for the snark.

“Thanks and all but I dont date future villains.”

Jazz is fucking insulted. “Ok wow. From what I heard everyone in your family has at least one alternate version of themselves whos a villain, so keep talking shit?!”

“Not even trying to hide your contempt for us now are you?”

“I don’t have contempt for you guys.”

“No? You told Kon he shouldn’t date Tim!”

“That is NOT true! I said to take it slowly while he deals with his identity issues as a clone first to make sure he doesn’t jump into something new while he’s not ready!”

“Yeah, sure. I’m sure it’s got nothing to do with how 'shit at emotions' my family is.”

“Well, it doesn’t help that you’re all emotionally stunted, no!”

“That’s your excuse for Tim, sure. But what about that nice little tale Talia told us?”

“Talia Al Ghul?”

“Yeah. Now why would a hero like yourself cause the complete collapse of a secret organization they should have no knowledge of considering they had arrived in the dimension less than a week ago? I mean, I know they’re assassins and all, but I thought you guys had landed in Smallville, Kansas. That’s a long way to go if you really didn’t have designs on the fucking pits. Did you or did you not burry the pits where no-one except someone who can go invisible and doesn’t need to breathe could access it?”

“I did.”

“And you want to tell me you’re not a villain? You may have everyone else fooled, but I know what you are.”

“Fine,” she says. “If that’s what you want to think. Sorry you had to endure my presence for so long.”

She leaves him a note still, because she knows at least some of the batfam have had contact with the pits. She knows he’s a good person and actually really trustworthy plus how much he cares about children, so she trusts him with Danny’s secret. She explains how Talia and Ra’s have plans with the pits and liminals, and to look out for himself. She tells him to verify with Zantanna if he wants because she’s the one who helped put up the wards to hide Danny’s presence while he recuperates.

Jason is like, ok so maybe she’s not a future villain. So he feels a little bad about his outburst plus dumb about trusting Talia about anything, she’s a liar that is well-known. But he still stands by turning Jazz down coz she is genuinely sort of a snob a lot of times.

After that they go on a few missions together and Jazz acts much better, she actually listens to his feedback even if most of the time she doesn’t need to when it’s supernatural beings. She also seems way less wound-up and doesn’t say a word about how emotionally constipated the bats are, which she used to do way more often. She’s being polite, kind and open to suggestion and Jason is like so maybe I judged a bit fast. He also starts to see how many responsibilities she actually shoulders (Queen Regent, her brother, Justice League stuff) and he’s a little humbled by how well she does it. At some point he meets a Realm Ghost who talks about what a great Queen she is and all that she’s done for them and Jason starts feeling some feelings.

They meet up again for a low-level mission with a supes, it’s like undercover/surveillance about white collar crimes or something, and the vibe between Jazz and Jason is super good until he gets a call. 

Damian/Cass end up captured on a mission by the Al Ghuls to experiment on. All the batfam is losing their minds and Jazz is like this is my fault they know about ectoplasm at all, because she trusted them and talked to much while Jason is like no I’m the one who should’ve told them. 

Jazz goes and rescue the batkid. In exchange she offers one vial of pure ectoplasm (ecto dejecto) which she was saving for emergency in case she gets injured. She tells the Al Ghuls this is worth all the test subjects “from which you’ll try and extract it and it probably won’t work. So do your crazy experiment on that and leave liminals alone.”

So yeah the designated batkid is rescued (tho they don’t realize by who cause they’re unconscious) and Jazz asks Superman to take the credit for it. Jason learns it was Jazz and feels so guilty and grateful. He bakes/cooks something and goes to thank her. He meets Danny who is super excited to meet him and doesn’t know about the messy rejection coz Jazz didn’t tell him because she thought she might have deserved it a little bit. 

So Jason sees how sweet Jazz is with Danny and how much more relaxed she is at home and he’s like ok, so maybe, maybeee I have a feeling about this. Meanwhile, Jazz is still completely gone on him (the man can cook!) and Danny approves. Jazz doesn’t really have the heart to tell him it’s not happening.

All the while, because of Jazz’s connection to the pits the batfam are super suspicious of her and keep making digs at her. Jason feels terrible about it (since she literally saved the batkid) but Jazz just takes it and answers back politely, cause she likes Jason still and doesn’t want to antagonize his family.

Meanwhile, Kon and Tim started dating and the whole batfam are like ‘finally!’ Kon defends Jazz anytime one of the batfam says something about her and they think he’s a little naive but they like him so they stop when he’s there.

Vlad ambushes Jason at some point and tells him he’s not allowed to date Jazz. And Jason is just like “fuck you I do what I want”. He eventually admits to Vlad he isn’t dating her, but when Vlad asks him promise he never will, Jason says “I’m not promising that, she and I can do what we want.” 

At some point Jason and Jazz meet together by coincidence, and it’s a little awkward. Jazz has not been able to forget about him, she just likes him a lot so she goes, “I heard Vlad came by.”

“Yeah, what a weirdo.”

“Yeah, Sorry about him.”

“Hey you have to deal with my crazy family, it’s only fair.”

They laugh

“Sorry if this makes you unfomfortable, say the word and I’ll never mention it again, but I can’t help but ask. I still like you a lot and I wanted to know, could you maybe might have changed your mind about a date?”

“Yes. Uh, I mean for the date, yes I’d like to go on one.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I, actually, Um. I like you a lot too?”

So they end up dating and they actually like each other a whole lot. Danny is over the moon, as is Dani. Vlad still thinks Jason isn’t good enough for Jazz. The whole batfam is like wtf, I thought you hated her. Dick is the first to be like gotta make an effort for Little Wing’s girlfriend and ends up thinking she’s actually pretty cool. The rest are slower to follow, and Bruce is snail-pace. Alfred just likes that Jason is happy so he’s all for it.

[butcherlarry]

Weekly Fic Recs 32

It's a three day weekend for me! Yippee!! That means more time for reading fics (and playing Baldur's Gate 3, heehee).

As Long As It's You by Mawiiish - Superbat, complete. Bruce gets hit by a spell meant for Clark and all his scars open up. Much hurt/comfort (MY BELOVED) ensues.

Oh Man Oh My Oh Me by whaleofatime - Batfam, complete. Bruce goes on an undercover mission and runs into Bruce Wayne (?????). Batman (Dick) shows up too. Shenanigans ensue.

it's all relative fiction, anyway by a_alene - Batman and Superman, complete. Takes place in the MAWS verse. An imagining of when those two meet in the show. The interaction between Clark, Lois, and Jimmy is FANTASTIC.

An Honest Conversation by frozenpotions - Superbat, wip. Friends to Lovers for Bruce and Clark. Unfortunately, they are both idiots (especially Bruce).

Everything Will Be Just Fine by lonelynpc - Battinson batfam, wip. More of Goth Dad Bruce. The lastest chapter is Bruce dealing with people guessing his secret identity and his contingency plan for it, heehee.

i got a strange vision of your reckless love by costasiellak - Superbat, complete. Morning after a hook up. Clark wants to make Bruce some coffee (and be more than a hook up).

A Chips And Dip Kind Of Night by whaleofatime - Batfam, complete. Bruce goes undercover as a late night clerk at a 7/11 and Dick shows up to buy snacks. Shenanigans ensue.

I'd Learn To Float by Meduseld - Superbat, complete. Clark starts out as a gossip columnist and reports on Bruce during Dick's adoption.

Clarion by oxymoronic - Superbat, complete. DCEU version of the Hush storyline.

Shut Up and Dance with Me by Meduseld - JL has a party. Bruce is terrible at parties. Luckily, Clark (and a cute dog) is there to make it better.

This Is Not My Beautiful Wife by Meduseld - Superbat, complete. Bruce and Clark get stuck in a suburbia simulation. Shenanigans ensue.

Patchwork Pod by Ktkat9 - Superbat, wip. More mer Bruce! Jason is back! But oh no, what about Timmy??

[ecoamerica]

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[bigskydreaming]

Speaking of topics I feel are under-explored (he says, as he careens wildly into the blog after a week without speaking of any topics whatsoever) I feel like there’s a LOT that can be done with the juxtaposition of the individual Batfam members’ infamous trust issues & secrecy....and the fact that even when they don’t get along, the Batfam members are so inextricably connected that to reveal one’s identity means basically revealing everyone else’s too.

Obviously ‘giving away the family secret’ is a trope that effects most of the DC franchises that involve secret identities.....its not like Superman can reveal he’s Clark Kent without people drawing the connection to the rest of the Superfam, same with the Flash characters, etc, etc.

BUT.

Combine this with how DC adds Batfam members to basically any franchise they can think of, in an effort to capitalize on the high profile nature of those characters & their connections.....and just how damn MANY Batfam characters there are with secret identities compared to a lot of other franchises, and how between them they span most teams and organizations in the DC universe.....

Few other superhero families have AS MUCH of an issue with this as the Batfam does, basically.

BUT.

Now, for added seasoning, throw in the Batfam-specific factor that MANY OF THEM VERY FAMOUSLY DO NOT GET ALONG FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF CANON.

And this suddenly becomes a much more intricate situation for the Batfam members. Or at least has the potential to be.

Because like, for the most part? The other superhero families are usually more....on the same page, in most respects. Like if one of the Superfam feels they have to reveal their identity to someone or wants to trust a friend with it, the rest of the Superfam is likely to just nod and go with it.

The same can, uh, very much NOT be said for the Batfam.

So I just think it can be very interesting to delve into how various Batfam characters feel about just HOW intertwined their identities are. Their attitudes towards specific instances where one of their relatives tells someone new who they are, when this family is full of people with GINORMOUS trust issues - and who often don’t even trust each other, at least not with things that potentially make them emotionally vulnerable.

How they feel about their relatives giving away the family secret to someone they don’t know. Situations where Bruce is like umm Dick does your therapist really NEED to know our secret identities and Dick’s like well yes Bruce, on account of therapy is super not useful when you’re LYING to your therapist about most of your life. 

How does Jason (especially in eras where he’s known to be legally alive again) feel about Bruce revealing the family secret to various JLA teammates that Jason would never in a million years willingly trust with his own identity? 

Is Cass ever resentful about being bone-deep CERTAIN she can trust someone with her identity, and wants to, and feeling that she has to factor in how this will affect her various siblings, even if she doesn’t particularly LIKE one of them, like Jason? And vice versa?

Do Dick and Tim feel Bruce is a hypocrite when he just unapologetically announces someone new has been brought in on the secret, as though its a done deal and he never even thought twice about it, when they’ve struggled with WANTING to tell people the family secret only to hold back and watch their relationships with a friend or new connection suffer, because they feel Bruce would never approve of them telling this person?

Does Duke second-guess how strong his ties are to the Batfam as a whole, especially members he’s barely ever had opportunity to interact with, and so worry how they feel about the Family New Guy coming INTO the family secret with a lot of close friends already in on HIS secret identity, and thus affording him a close circle of friends he never even has to struggle with whether or not he has the right to tell them, the way most of the other Batkids have struggled with telling their various friend groups? How DOES Tim feel about the fact that Bruce made him keep his identity secret from even his Young Justice teammates for YEARS while Duke gets his close friends grandfathered into the family secret from day one?

Do any of them ever like, feel that one of the others has told someone new just to spite them in some way? Do any of them ever think that they could get through to one of their enemies who’s trying to turn over a new leaf by showing they trust them....but then hold back because they don’t think its fair to ask the rest of their family to trust said enemy with their identities too? Does Jason ever drop into the middle of one of Dick’s fights just to be like “Okay don’t read anything into this because I’m still currently Not Speaking To You because of Reasons, but uh, what’s this I’m hearing about DAMIAN spilling the family secret to one of his classmates and should we be reading Implications into that?” 

(I strongly headcanon that Jason, even when he’s estranged from various family members, is like, an incurable gossip who’s like NOT THAT I EVEN LIKE THESE PEOPLE but I am INVESTED in knowing the juicy details of their private lives for reasons completely unrelated to things like ‘giving a shit about them.’)

BUT I DIGRESS.

Anyway, I’m just saying like. The conundrum of having a secret identity with HUGE stakes attached to the reveal of said identity....when one is part of a huge, sprawling and highly dysfunctional family where ‘they can’t get along even with a gun to their head’ is a thing that literally happens all the time in canon.

[sadlybeans]

ok but i’ve been literally obsessed with batfam content lately and i need to write out some headcanons that i came up with about thirty seconds ago.

this is why, here you have…

✨The Batkids & how they ask for things/money✨ (feat. Superboys 1 & 2)

Dick: has never liked asking Bruce for anything, but specially now that he’s an independent adult. If there’s something he needs help with and cannot afford on his salary he’ll take out loans and have Bruce co-sign them.

Barbara: she’ll just hack into Bruce’s bank accounts to wire herself money.

Jason: won’t accept a single cent out of Bruce’s pocket, even after their relationship starts improving. But he’s the Red Hood so he does have more than enough to splurge.

Tim: now here’s when it gets fun. Tim doesn’t have shame on using Bruce’s money, but he’ll always ask for permission anyways. The thing is, he also has a shit ton of money that he inherited from the Drakes, and his siblings take full advantage of this. Rather than ask Bruce, they will pester Tim instead (yes, Dick and Jason too).

Steph: while she isn’t an official batkid, she still counts in spirit. She never asks, she takes Bruce’s cards without asking and he pretends to reprimand her when she comes to give them back.

Cass: she’ll just ask Bruce directly for anything and everything.

Duke: he’s much more reserved and will only ask for things he really needs. He does steal Tim’s cards sometimes, though.

Kon: Bruce used to offer to buy him things, but he stopped because he’s very amused at his methods of getting money. If Kon wants to get anything, from a cup of starbucks he actually won’t drink to a yacht for absolutely no reason, he’ll steal from Lex. He’s too fast to be caught on camera so Lex doesn’t have evidence, and whenever Lex himself isn’t around he’ll just walk in the door and all of his employees pretend they never saw him.

Damian: he doesn’t really get embarrassed so he just asks Bruce. It’s his right as his son, after all. However, when he knows his father is unlikely to buy him what he wants, he’ll ask Tim for it. It’s one of the few polite interactions between them.

Jon: he never asks for anything because he’s too polite, even though he’s very clearly a favourite of Bruce’s friend’s kids. Once he starts getting comfy he does start grabbing Damian’s stuff without asking, but he’s still too intimidated to do that to anyone else.

[kittyilana046]

THE DC UNIVERSE MASTERLIST - BATFAMILY EDITION

TTHE BATFAMILY MASTERLIST

Started: 12/18/2020

Last Updated: 12/29/2022

This master list is a collection of analysis essays, headcanons, and comic book panels posted by my favorite bloggers. I did not write any of the posts linked below, and I do not own any pictures used. All credit goes to the original artists and bloggers who created this content. 

I created this master list intending to archive my favorite posts. I am sharing it because I believe this list is a perfect jumping-off point for new fans who want a comprehensive guide to understanding these characters.

I encourage you to interact with original bloggers and also comic canon. 

Please send me an ask or DM if you want to talk about comic books.

Thank you 

~ Haleigh 

Links

DC UNIVERSE MASTERLIST

META / ESSAYS

Batman (Bruce Wayne)

Bruce Wayne outside of Batman

Bruce firing Dick vs. Dick firing Tim

Bruce Wayne’s childhood + a short analysis his relationship with Alfred Pennyworth

Do Bruce and Selina truly love each other?

Does Bruce love Damian?

Did Bruce love Jason?

Is Bruce a good dad?

Is Bruce nice?

Jason was Bruce’s beloved son and DC’s writers are doing shit.

Tips for writing Bruce Wayne

Batgirl (Barbra Gordon)

Thoughts on Barbra’s independence and how it affects her relationship with Dick

Batgirl/Black Bat/Orphan (Casandra Cain)

Does Casandra know ASL?

How does Casandra process anger?

Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)

Helena’s relationship with Tim Drake

Nightwing (Dick Grayson)

Dick Grayson’s moral compass + how Bruce’s expectations shaped him

Dick Grayson’s strengths and weaknesses  

Dick Grayson’s guilt complex

Dick Grayson and Temper

Dick Grayson and fashion trends

Dick, you’re so spoiled (Discussing and his relationship with money)

Do Dick and Jason get along in comics?

DICK I’LL BE THERE FOR YOU GRAYSON

DICK GRAYSON AND ALFRED PENNYWORTH’S RELATIONSHIP META

Do Dick Grayson and Roy Harper have commitment issues?

Does Dick Grayson wear a metaphorical mask like Bruce Wayne does? 

Objectification or Empowerment: how writers express Dick Grayson’s sexuality

Superman and Dick Grayson’s first meeting

What is Dick Grayson’s ethnicity?

Robin (Damian Wayne)

Do you guys ever think about how much of a crappy life Damian has been having since Rebirth? Because I do.

Is Damian sexist?

Proof Damian has a heart p1

Things I Wish Writers Would Explore More with Damian

Red Hood (Jason Todd)

Jason’s time as Robin

Jason Todd’s less known skills appreciation

Jay and Dick are musicians? What do they play?

Jason Todd and the Ladies: Post-Resurrection

Recontextualizing the death of Filipe Garzonas

The Jason Todd Book Club (books that Jason has mentioned in canon)

What kind of father was Willis Todd?

Where did Jason get his Respect Women Juice?

Red Robin (Tim Drake)

Does Tim Drake conically suffer from depression?  

How did Tim Drake’s trauma affect him?

Is Tim Drake insecure?

Is Tim Drake sexist?

I wanna talk about Janet Drake

Tim Drake’s childhood

The beginning of Tim Drake’s career as Robin

Was Tim Drake born a genius?

Was Tim Drake the CEO of Wayne Enterprises? What was his job at W.E.? Did he like it?

Your Tim Drake coffee headcanon is whack

Spoiler (Stephanie Brown)

How did the batfam react to Stephanie’s death?

What is the canon surrounding Stephanie’s economic status?

The Signal (Duke Thomas)

Duke is not a boring character – Here are some of his achievements

Duke thomas isn’t the sane one! A guide by pepper

Who is Duke Thomas?

MORE INFO HERE!

CANON VS. FANON

Batfamily canon things that we should not let fall into obscurity

Characterization cheat sheet: the batfamily boys

The Batkids views on money

What are in your opinion the biggest difference between the comic and the fanon versions of the other Batfamily members?

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

The history of the “Robin” title

The ages of the Batfamily kids according to Secret Files timelines

What are the Batkids legal names/adoption status?

HEADCANON

How would the Batfamily comfort someone who's sad? 

Is Dick Grayson demisexual?

Is Dick Grayson a romantic?

Dick Grayson and Kids

Would Bruce Wayne be a good boyfriend?

What would Bruce be like if his parents never died?

What should happen after the Ric Grayson arc ends?

What hogwarts house would jason todd be in?

Where would you sort the Batfamily?

THE ROBIN'S RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER

All Robins are great and they all bring something to the table

Advice on how to write Damian and Tim brother dynamic

Damian & Dick: analyzing their relationship

Another analysis of Dick and Damian’s relationship

Do you think Dick and Damian have a brotherly relationship?

The Batboys calling each other brother

Where does the “little wing” nickname come from?

COMIC PANELS

Batman (Bruce Wayne) 

Batman #42 by Tom King and Mikel Janin (Bruce and Selina get captured)

Batman being a Batdad to his Batprincess

Banana Muffin is Superman and Batman’s safeword

Batman & Robin Eternal #22 (Bruce being kind to Damian)

Detective Comics (2016-) #1017

Gotham Knights #11 (“I am a model of mental health”)

How Bruce deals with trauma

Injustice 2 #51 -”Have you tried turning it on an off again?”

“My favorite superhero is Superman” “…He’s my favorite, too”

Robin (Damian Wayne)

Deathstroke #5 - “Mirrors” (2016) (Damian taunting Deathstroke)

Damian talks a lot in front of his favorite people

Injustice 2 #8 (Proof Damian has a heart p2)

Robin Son of Batman 011 (Damian being done with Bruce and Talia)

The Shadow/Batman #3 (Ra's al Ghul threatening Damian)

Super-Sons My Best Friend

Nightwing (Dick Grayson)

Everyone loves Dick Grayson

Dick beating up Bruce compilation

Dick is that type of brother…

Dick you whore

Dick imitating a crowbar

Unpublished pages of Nightwing #30

Red Hood (Jason Todd)

Batman: Urban Legends - “Cheer II” (2021)

Detective Comics (2016) #976 (Jason standing up to the Batfamily)

Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 - “More Time” (2020)

Red Hood and The Outlaws (2016) #52

Red Robin (Tim Drake)

Tim and Dick talking: A Compilation

[koraesrambles]

Reasons I'm enjoying gotham war: a thought exercise.

I wanted to do a deeper analysis but am sitting in a restaurant waiting for my family to get here so might as well dive into it and I can do a more scholarly deep dive later.

I want to talk about Gotham Wars, why I'm liking it, what I think about it, and what I think they're doing well. I'm new to comics (tell me, at what point does your brain start to explode when you try to read the entire DC batfam canon in 2 months. Asking for a friend) but I'm not new to storytelling, so here we go!

K, so im a huge angst fan. It's a disease, not everyone is here for the angst but I most certainly am. The batfamily is so incredibly messed up, which is just right up my alley. I love WFA but let's be real, if they're not crying I'm not as invested. So this run where they are absolutely beating the shit out of my favorite character (Jason Todd)? Mwah. Beautiful. 10/10 will read 100 times.

I read stories for the connections between the characters, not so much the plot. Which is a personal preference thing. So the obvious plot holes and issues with the various characters points of view just don't really bother me. I can suspend my disbelief to think that heroes are running around in spandex beating people up, I can suspend it to think catwoman training an army of thieves to eat (I mean steal from) the rich is a viable idea. I don't care about the logistics, I care about how those things effect the characters.

And MAN do they effect the characters. Honestly I've loved Selina throughout this run. She could get a post all on her own. I love that she's refused to slander Bruce, I love how protective she is over her kids (step kids? Exs kids?) And I love every single interaction she's had with Jason. Honestly the moment that hit me hardest with her was when she's looking for Jason and thinks that if she loses him Bruce will never forgive her.

Obviously, Jason is a worthwhile human that has value outside of Bruce, but I think it really gives us a glimpse into Selina's mind right now. She loves Jason, she's grateful for his support and cares for him, but at the end of the day, he's the love of her life's baby boy, and it is that identifier that will pop up during times of stress.

I LOVE everything about Jason's involvement with this. I like that the tie ins are showing how he disagrees and the main storyline has him already convinced. I love that it explores both sides of his character, I love how it shows how important he is. And he is SO. IMPORTANT.

Bruce has obviously lost his ever loving mind (rip) and vacillates wildly between thinking his children were a mistake and wanting to protect them from everything. Up to this point, though plenty of the bat kids are sympathetic toward Selina, they aren't actively helping her, except of course for our boy Jason Todd.

Jason is actively working against Bruce (shocking right?) And I LOVE that Jason even tells Bruce that it's not just to spite him (though I'm sure that's a plus) it's because he believes in what Selina is doing. And Bruce cannot handle it.

Like I said before, Jason is Bruce's baby boy. The one he can't lose again. The one he needs to protect. But also he has to stop him from murdering people. And above ALL ELSE he cannot stand to see Jason in cahoots with someone else. Bruce doesn't share well under normal circumstances, let alone when he has totally lost his mind.

This vacillation has a lot of people irritated because they think that Bruce is being written inconsistently. I disagree, I think my man has lost his ever loving mind and he wants to both protect his children and STOP them. Him telling Jason he loves him not once, but TWICE within the span of a few panels while simultaneously ruining his life and leaving him completely defenseless is just... dude. My man. My psycho baby. Stop that.

Jason has always been fiercely independent and now that independence has been stripped from him. He literally can't protect himself. He's going to need to rely on other people to help him and heaven knows he doesn't have a good track record of people helping him out when he needs them.

Luckily, Dick knows about the drugging now and is super pissed off (GOOD!) Cannot wait to see where that goes next.

So tldr: why am I enjoying gotham wars? Mostly because so far everyone is obsessed with Jason Todd, which is highly relatable. Also because these relationships are being torn to shreds and looked at from a very interesting lens. Bruce is gone gone gone. Cannot wait to see his horror when he realizes what he's done.

[ecoamerica]

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