#let Martha Wayne be feral

[noxcheshire]

I just think

It’d be really neat if Danny looked more like Martha Wayne than Thomas Wayne.

LIKE

I love the Danny Fenton looks like Thomas Wayne or Danny Fenton is Thomas Wayne reincarnated — but the BEAUTY of Martha??

Of Alfred interacting for under five minutes with Danny, dabbing his eyes and going, “That is indeed Martha,” I WANT IT. I want Martha who was spunky and sassy and wanted to do good for her town the same way Danny wants to do good for Amity Park.

I want Martha who loved to take Bruce and the family out to star gaze because her baby had never seen the stars before, and the way his eyes light up like a mini galaxy takes her breathe away the same way that Danny feels when he turns his head up to the sky yearning for something he knew loved but doesn’t know what.

I want Martha who would literally find trouble in a paper bag because she can’t help her curiosity the same way Danny can’t help tripping over his own ghostly tail and making a mess of things before he figures things out.

I want Martha who would fight men who thought they held power, going absolutely feral from stress the same way Danny does when he’s tired of not being able to do his homework or pick up a vacuum against the wall to clean because ghosts.

I want Martha who loved the pearl necklace that Bruce had picked out for her birthday, and Danny reaches towards his neck and startles when his fingers only touch skin when he is certain there was something supposed to be there. I want Danny whose eyes linger on whites and pearls when he passes by open window stores in the mall, fingers itching to flick a nail against the smooth surfaces.

I want Martha who died bleeding underneath the hand of a gun, hoping to everything above that her boy would be safe, and Danny whose body burns at merely looking at the makeshift guns his parents create in the lab, his heart pounding desperately with a yearning to save there was someone she wanted to save the ghosts.

[bruciemilf]

Gotham was like this when Thomas and Martha were alive

[ghost-bxrd]

Hear me out

Wayne Family court of owls

Going FERAL

Can you imagine!? Martha and Thomas Wayne were part of the Court, and obviously Bruce is as well! He’s basically known as the Prince of Gotham anyway. What they don’t know is that he’s always been in line for the position as Voice of the Court.

When the Waynes die, the Talon is sent out to dispose of their killer. Bruce gets closure when the Talon brings him Joe Chill’s head.

Bruce is raised with the near constant protection of the Court (they cannot allow the Wayne name to die out) and when Dick’s parents fall in the circus… Bruce still takes him in. Defying the Court’s excited whispers of the Gray Son joining the ranks as a future talon, letting them know in no uncertain terms that he is now Bruce’s ward and thus untouchable.

Bruce presents Dick with proof of Zuccos… “disappearance” as a welcome home gift and introduces him to the world of the Court. How to manipulate high society and pull string behind the scenes to make the Court stronger, and Gotham a better, safer place.

Bruce never becomes the Batman. But his code name, before and after becoming the Voice of the Court, is still Batman. And Dick’s code name is Robin, now likewise under the Talon’s (Cobb) protection, and a menace to the criminal underworld because he has a penchant for going out into the streets in person instead of acting from the shadows like Bruce. (Poor Talon‘s got his hands full keeping both those idiots alive now).

And then comes Jason, who’s a street kid, and everything the Court would turn their noses up at— but their Voice takes interest in this one, too. And oh do they know by now how this story goes. (Cobb does not despair. He’s TALON. He’s above such silly things as despair. But BOY does he wish he could file for a vacation right now.)

While Dick is the charming circus boy turned court darling turned Robin turned Gray Son of Gotham, Jason is the gutter trash turned son of a billionaire turned youngest acolyte turned Heart of the Court. (Cobb refuses to acknowledge that he might actually like this firecracker of a kid. Wayne can shove his smug little grin where the sun don’t shine-)

I should probably stop now 😭

[gffa]

ABSOLUTELY LOSING IT, nobody should EVER let Dick Grayson convince you that he's not just as feral as the rest of them!! Whacky Time Shenanigans bring Thomas and Martha Wayne into the present, but they don't trust that it's really them and not some clone or impersonator, so Damian takes it upon himself to go threaten to stab Thomas if he tries anything that will hurt his family, and eventually Alfred rats Damian out and Bruce is like "you threatened to do WHAT to my father??" and Dick's just like ":D :D :D YEAH GOOD JOB, KIDDO". Dick absolutely would have done the same thing at 13 years old, just with a smiley face, you can't change my mind. Absolutely and completely have done it on a beautiful morning, sunlight streaming in through the windows, and just. "😊 Try anything to my dad 😊 and I'll STAB YOU 😊 *threatening jabbing motions* 😊" with that perfect angelic baby face he had.

[bluerosefox]

[2023 Prompt List 1][Previous] [2023 Prompt List 2][Previous] [2023 Prompt List 3][Here] |Ghost Marriage Allows More Than One! (A TimxBernardxDanny Vegas Marriage idea) (Tim wakes up to a chest that doesn’t belong to his boyfriend... and finds out he’s married to that stranger... and so is Bernard it seems... GHOST MARRIAGE IS A THING APPARENTLY!) |Of Tiny Tots, Mistaken Identities, and Reunions (Deaged Danielle (Ellie) and Dad!Danny and Twins Danny and Damian AU) |Test Tube Babies, Spleens, and Fruitloop Father?! NOPE. No thanks. (Reborn little Danny and Danielle (Danyal and Helen). RR and Ra’s are the donors. and returning a certain spleen) |Courting Chaos (to Balance) ( KlarionxDanny)( Klarion falls head over heels and decides to kidnap the only person he knows whose dating and how to woo people in the modern age for dating advice... Only he does it in front of the JL. Poor RR.) |Curiosity and Puzzle Boxes (Tiny Tim is curious when he’s left home alone and his parents send a rather interesting puzzle box from their dig. Danny wants to know whose suppose to be watching this kid when he’s summoned.) |Tim in Infinite Realms (Feeling like Alice tbh) (Tim lands in the Infinite Realms due to coughBartandKoncough a mission. He now has to find his way home) (read the reblogs for feral gremlin menace Tim, its great) |Summoning the Summoner (Long lost/or twins Danny and Damian)(Ghost King Danny is annoyed with being summoned, and when given the chance reverse it he takes the chance. He wasn’t expecting for the ‘summoner’ to have his face. Damian, as he was to be sacrificed by a cult, wasn’t expecting the all powerful ‘Ghost King’ to share his face either) |A Sibling Sacrifice (A Justice League meeting is interrupted and what is implied doesn’t sound good) [Ghost Prince Danny, Deaged Danielle] |The Drakes [Dead Tired] (Ra’s kidnaps the Bats, and their missing Red Robin’s hidden family for the last few years) [Ft. Toddler Ellie] |A Fair Warning (Joker was warned... He should had taken it seriously and let the Fenton girls go when he had a chance) |Rioting Jasmine Flowers and Dead Robins [Anger Management] [Warning mentions character deaths and other things][ Dark!Jazz and Crime Lord!Jason] |Danny “I know a Guy"™ (Danny works with the JL.... as an engineer that is, but he does become the ‘I know a Guy’ person everyone goes to when they need something impossible) |Mysterious Relations AU (Danielle sneaks into Wayne Manor after getting some odd looks from Gothamites and commenting on how she looks like Martha Wayne. She precedes to troll text Danny the Wayne painting not noticing the elder gentlemen behind her

[bafflecks]

okay i think i’ve seen batman v superman a hundred times now so here are some of my favourite things/quotes from it because that movie blows my mind and makes me go absolutely feral:

the way batman hangs there up in the corner of that old house in silence like some huge demon-bat

when senator finch says “take a bucket of piss and call it granny’s peach tea, i’m not gonna drink it” and then in the courtroom she sees the glass with the label ‘granny’s peach tea’ and we all just immediately Know™

literally every time senator finch and lex luthor interact with each other

lex pointing at the paradise lost painting and saying “that should be upside down; we know better now, don’t we? devils don’t come from hell beneath us, no, they come from the sky,” and at the end we see the painting upside down; because he obviously talks about clark, but the real devils (darkseid and steppenwolf) really do come from the skies — from the stars

the way the world engine’s sound can be heard throughout bruce’s (k)nightmares

robin’s costume in that glass cage, like some kind of morbid exhibition, always reminding bruce of his failure — and the wayne manor is basically exactly the same thing

just. lex’s whole speech in the library, when he’s like “books are knowledge and knowledge is power, and i am… no. um, no… what am i? what was i saying? the bittersweet pain among men is having knowledge with no power because… because that is [angrily] PARADOXICAL! , and, um… thank you for coming,” and then just walks off

night and day by richard cheese playing in the background while clark and bruce talk for the first time (not knowing who’s the other) — because they are, of course, the night and the day

when lex shakes clark’s hand and says, “ow! wow, that is a good grip! you should not pick a fight with this person,” like HELLO????? THATS LITERALLY— I— DHFJFKJRKRKF OMG

the whole “must there be a superman?” sequence: the quotes, especially “is it really surprising that the most powerful man in the world should be a figure of controversy?,” and “we have always created icons in our image; what we’ve done is we project ourselves onto him. the fact is, maybe he’s not some sort of devil or jesus character, maybe he’s just a guy trying to do the right thing,” and the images of clark refering to artworks, like jesus carrying the cross or atlas with the world on his shoulders

oh just the Symbolism™ through the whole movie oh my god, and the way it’s full of shots that are references to paintings

like: napoléon bonaparte by benjamin robert haydon

and the descent from the cross by peter paul rubens

and the archangel michael defeating satan by guido reni

and the lamentation of christ by jan lievens

and clark going up on the mountain and talking with his dead father vs bruce going into the old wayne manor and talking about his dead father in the very next scene

and the parallel between bruce letting wayne manor slowly crumbling to the ground and lex keeping everything the same in his dad’s old room

lex on the helipad with the little blue ball in his hand, which is the world; so he holds the world in his hand

the whole lex luthor speech on the helipad, especially: “i figured out way back: if god is all-powerful, he cannot be all-good. and if he’s all-good, then he cannot be all-powerful,” and “the greatest gladiator match in the history of the world: god versus man, day versus night, son of krypton versus bat of gotham,” and “close, but i am not talking about lois. no, every boy’s special lady is his mother,” and “there we go. there we go. and now god bends to my will”

clark as a saviour god vs the vengeful god of bruce in the storm:

just the fact that the name martha is the thing that finally stops bruce, as he realizes that clark has a mother, he’s as much of a son as bruce is, and being human isn’t just about being born here etc.

bruce saying “i’ll make you a promise: martha won’t die tonight,” not like that other martha on that other night — and he goes and saves this martha instead of the one he couldn’t........ idk it always makes me tear up

the whole warehouse fight obviously

lex saying “no man in the sky intervened when i was a boy to deliver me from daddy’s fist and abominations,” and then later clark, the man in the sky, intervenes when the fist of an abomination is about to hit him

that scene where doomsday is looking up at the sculpture, then down at the real superman, so we have this image of the symbol of the man, the reality of the man, and this monster between them; i can’t really explain what it is about this image but it hits me hard every time

the gunshots and falling shells at the beginning with bruce’s parents being murdered vs at the end during the funeral

‘if you seek his monument, look around you’

and i’m forgetting a lot of other scenes and things of course,,, i just love this movie very much

[primeemeraldheiress]

So, head-canon for who would win if all the Batboys were fighting over Female Jason?

Dick is Jay’s first crush. He doesn’t think anything about this thin little twig of a girl running around in his old suit at first. Not outside of being pissed at Bruce for giving away Robin, anyway. She’s just a girl. His little sister, maybe, in a way. 

But as she gets older, as she has real food -- good food -- for the first time in her life, as she starts to really bloom, he can’t help but take notice. She’s really pretty. Her hair starts to shine and her skin really glows with health. She just keeps getting prettier. 

Puberty is awkward for everyone involved. She gets soft.

She hates it. She’s not supposed to be soft. She’s Robin. 

But the fat she’s finally started to store on her body is there to protect her. Like it’s fucking supposed to. Her muscles aren’t any less dense, any less powerful for it. She’s just as strong, as her hips broaden and her breasts grow, and eyes start to linger just a little too long. 

But then she dies.

She comes out of the Pit half-mad and feral, a mess of instincts and rage and a mind so so open to poisonous words and twisted truths. 

Her training was all-inclusive. Talia would never let her out on the world without all of her weapons at her disposal -- that included knowledge of her body and charms.

Jay is Damian’s first crush. 

She was this unattainable beauty. He fell in love when saw her gut a man that dared to lay a hand on her without permission. This woman that would pat his head and kiss his hair and sing him to sleep when he had a nightmare, her perfume curling around him like a cloak. Who called him habibi and played with him when Mother wasn’t around. Who taught him to sneak to the kitchens and make cookies.

The only woman he measured against his mother and never found wanting.

The woman who disappeared when he was ten years old and he didn’t see again for two more years. 

He hid betrothal contracts, scratched out in his child’s hand, under his bed and hoped the maids didn’t betray him to his grandfather.

Robin was Tim’s first crush. Both of them.

He admired the first Robin’s grace and flexibility. His glee and quips in the face of danger. He admired the second Robin’s brutal practicality and efficiency. He watched her grow up alongside himself. He mourned her when she died.

He lived with her shadow while he trained to take over the mantle. The cloud that her death called over the manor and over Bruce. A part of him, a small part, started to resent it. No matter how much he tried not to. He saw how much her death hurt Bruce, hurt Alfred, hurt Dick. He hated it. 

When she came back, all that rage and pain directed at him and Bruce, he floundered. He didn’t understand it. Didn’t see it. But he had to. He had to fix things. Had to fix all of it. Bring things back together for all of them. Stop the cycle of pain. 

It hurt to see things from her point of view but he tried and in the end, it was worth it.

Tim was the one to bridge the gap -- to bring Jay and Bruce together again and kick start their resolution.

Things... get better. 

Slowly.

She laughed, and it lit up the room. She glowered and it sent a shiver down his spine. 

Tim noticed Dick watching, too. How both of their eyes would track her across the room as her hips sway.

But god she’s grown up. 

Then... Damian arrived.

The first thing Jay did was sweep him into her arms between her breasts and kiss his head. 

“I have missed you, habibi!”

The kid smirked.

A twelve-year-old should not be able to lust.

But the way the kid’s eyes followed her like Dick’s like Tim’s there’s no other possibility. 

It was war.

Gifts began to fall into Jay’s lap. Invitations to her favorite events tumbled from Tim and Dick’s lips. Damian attached himself to her side anytime they were under the same roof. She’d never been so spoiled. 

Or so oblivious.

She didn’t show any of them favor. She treated them all the same. Loved spending time with them and would tell them how much she enjoys her family bonding time.

Dick worked to step up his game, sweeping her off to London and Shakespeare at the Globe. Tim took her to Phantom of the Opera. Damian painted her a portrait of the family.

All of them were devastated when she came down to breakfast wearing one of Bruce’s shirts, the high collar doing little to cover a love bite, and Martha Wayne’s pearls draped lovingly around her throat.

[incorrectbatclan]

Hiiiiii I'm new!!!!! Could you please explain who's who? Who's in the Bat Family, and their backstories please?! ❤️❤️

For this I’ve only done Bruce’s actual like genuinely adopted family (and Alfred) because it was getting really long!! Let me know If you want to hear about the rest and I’ll either make another post or reblog this one and add onto it. I tried my best lol!!

Alfred Pennyworth - Bruce’s batler and kind-of-dad rolled into one, tired, old man who just wants his family to be safe. The best baker, cook and costume creator of the group, absolutely no one can touch him or I Will Cry. Used to be in Her Majesty’s Secret Service before moving to America, so he can kick some ass - I’ve heard different code names for him, the most popular being Agent A or Penny-One, both very good at keeping secret identities secret. 👨‍🦳 /10

Bruce Wayne - This one should be obvs, he’s Batsy. Son of Martha and Thomas Wayne, he was orphaned when they were shot in an alley on their way home one night. He’s also a multi-billionaire due to his company Wayne industries, which you never hear anything about bc all he does is run around dressed in his fursona costume and punch people. Emotionally constipated, but he does love his kids a lot, even if he doesn’t show it. He’s 80 years old this year (2019), what an old man. Get some therapy. Around 40-45? 🦇/10

Dick Grayson - The original Boy Wonder/Robin. An absolutely feral child, and a slightly calmer adult. Was probably responsible for Batcomputer, Batmobile, Batarang, and many others due to his Holy Puns Batman! Born and raised in a circus as a trapeze artist/acrobat until his parents fell and died at any age between 8-12; it changes regularly. After this, he was taken in by Bruce and destroyed every chandelier he had by swinging off of it. When he’d outgrown Robin, he became Nightwing, a name he got from the Kryptonian legend and moved to Bludhaven (Gotham’s little sister city). He’s known as the funny one in the family, but in any other group, he’s the serious one so take that as u will lol. He’s the Robin you’ll see in pretty much any show about DC that has sidekicks in. Has a temper, don’t let fanon fool u. Was also Batman when Bruce died for a little bit before he was found again. Also “””””died”””””” for a bit, worked as a secret agent, back now. Absolutely amazing appalling sense in fashion. Around 24-27? 🕺/10

Cassandra Cain- Daughter of two of the best assassins in the world, and was raised to be a human weapon until she ran after her first assassination at age 8 and lived on the streets until 17 where she became one of Oracle’s agents, and later Bruce took her in and adopted her too. Due to her father’s training, she’s unable to speak with words well, and instead can read peoples body language and movement, often uses sign language to speak instead if the writer’s not a coward. She’s highly skilled in many different ways and is also my fucking child, I love her a lot. She went by Batgirl for a bit, before going by the code name Black Bat. Sometimes Orphan is used but I’m not sure why or in what comics. The cool one. She’s around Jason’s age, maybe younger, probably older. 🥰/10

Jason Todd - The second Robin, now Red Hood. Died angry, came back wrathful. Jason was living in Crime Alley, one of the dingiest places in Gotham, which is where he saw the Batmobile one day, and just decided to rob the wheels. Right there and then. Not only that but when Bruce caught him doing it, he started smacking him with a tire iron. He’s the passionate one, to say the least. Anyway, Bruce saw this kid robbing him and he was like ‘I have to have him’. So he did. For about 3 years maybe, then he died. Bc, he ran off, and the Joker killed him in a warehouse oop-. Anyway, he came back maybe a few years later to find another Robin in his place, and the clown who killed him still kicking, so he went on a murderous rampage, taking the mantle of Red Hood until he calmed down a bit. Now he’s like that angry brother u only see on holidays because Alfred makes him. Under all that anger he’s a sweetheart though, and I’m pretty sure he loves Classical Lit. Sometimes runs around with a group called the Outlaws, members changing regularly, but you have to be a redhead. Bizarro is the exception bc u can’t say no to him. Around 21? 😠/10

Tim Drake- Tim was the son of Bruce’s next-door neighbours, Jake and Janet Drake, often depicted as assholes, bc they literally just leave their kid to go do whatever they want ig????? Anyway, Timmy was like super smart, and when he was young, managed to figure out who Batman and Robin were bc he stalked them and took pictures of them every night. Sneaky. Then Jason died, Bats was like all sad and shit and wasn’t coping well so Tim just knocked on his door and was like ‘Yeah okay make me Robin’, and after maybe the 10th attempt, Bruce did. Anyway, his parents died somehow (the ‘how’ varies) and Bruce was like, yeah okay I’ll have another one. Tim’s a master hacker and he’s all-around baby, mainly bc he doesn’t fucking sleep. Was Dick’s first Robin when he was Batman, before Damian came along and got Robin instead, so he named himself Red Robin because he’s creative and petty like that. Not that I wouldn’t be tbf. Went off to find Bruce when he “died” bc he didn’t believe he was dead, and he wasn’t so like? Anyway, he changed his name to Drake recently, which is stupid so just ignore that. Needs to stop drinking coffee. Around 17? 🐉/10

Damian Wayne-Such a precious little shit. Blood son of Bruce Wayne and the assassin, Talia Ah Ghul, daughter of one of Bruce’s frenemies. He was trained all the way through his childhood to be the perfect sidekick for Bruce, so some of the things he was taught fucked him up a wee bit, but he’s slowly learning that not everything has to be difficult and he is allowed to have fun sometimes. In his eyes for a while, he was Bruce’s only son, because he was the only blood related one. Soon got told to shut up and shown that that wasn’t true. Now secretly loves his family but would die before admitting it. A baby. Became Dick’s Robin after Tim and they ended up being really close and I love them a lot. Absolutely adores animals, and adopts every animal he sees. Just like his father does with kids. Around 13.  🐈/10

The others are Kate Kane, Duke Thomas, Stephanie Brown, Barbara Gordon, Jim Gordon and Selina Kyle. A villains list would be quite fun actually too!

Second Post! - Rest of the vigilantes

[bruciemilf]

Hi, I am simply thinking about what the unhinged Elder Waynes would do if they were still alive when the Clown killed Jason

(I mean thinking about them as grandparent menaces in general is INCREDIBLE

Martha and Cass at a vanity as Martha does her makeup and puts her in family heirloom jewelry? Thomas and Alfred lowkey kidnapping unhinged stalker baby Tim? Thomas painting a pregnant Steph's toenails? Martha becoming Duke's feral PTA mom? Thomas "Dick can do a little homicide, as a treat" Wayne? etc etc???)

They have the patience and the resources to wait out Joker being an ambassador or can get him someplace that even as ambassador he shouldn't be.

Martha and Alfred helping Harley get away from Joker (Thomas is so proud his baby girl is a doctor *SNIFF*)

Also Thomas and Martha being involved with protests all the time and getting arrested all. The. Time. Alfred doesn't come with because someone has to be ready to bail them out along with everyone else who got arrested

Anyway. Thomas Wayne kneecapping the Clown for Jason. That's all.

I genuinely believe Thomas would’ve folded Joker like a wet napkin and send that bitch to hell crawling. Protective Batfamily is one of my all timefavorite tropes!!!

Also, Thomas referring to Harley as his baby girl :(( that’s so real. No thoughts, only Thomas beating himself up for not being there (death will do that to a guy) for her, and Harley fearing she’s too inadequate for love.

If the lowest form of life doesn’t find her worthy, what’s the point?

“Oh, honey. You’re too good for that guy. For anyone . And I’m so sorry he convinced you of the opposite,” just cradling her against his chest, the smears of ice cream on her mouth forgotten,

“Let me tell you. When i walk you down the aisle to Pammy, you know what she’s gonna think? ‘The funniest, prettiest, smartest, craziest woman in the world is gonna be mine forever. How lucky am I?’”

And Martha comforts Bruce when he has yet another argument with Jason, over something tiny, but everything tiny is everything sharp for them, — and she tells him,

“I miss your little tantrums so much,” she sighs, petting his hair, not as curly as hers but just as soft, “You used to stomp your little foot and yank on your daddy’s hand. If that didn’t work, you’d run to your papa and screamed until we started laughing. You’re lucky, you know.”

[jupitermelichios]

You ever just think about the ‘gutter feast’ bonecharm you can get that lets you heal by eating white rats? Like, really think about the fact that Corvo Attano, Royal Protector, father of a future Empress, is 100% willing to eat raw live rats. That’s a thing he’s okay with.

And I have so many questions. Has he done it before? Is eating live rats somehow culturally more okay for residents of Dunwall than for us? Does he like the taste? Because the game is pretty generous with health potions, he really has no need to be wandering around chomping on live rats unless you’re playing him in the most aggressive possible style, but he’s perfectly willing to do it and doesn’t even seem to mind.

I think this, more than anything, is why I was disappointed when he could talk in Dishonored 2, because the mute, largely amoral man who happily chomps down on live rats was clearly absolutely fucking feral, and then they gave him a voice and it turns out he’s just a concerned single dad who wants a cup of tea and a nap.

(Also, Harvey Smith, if you’re reading this please tell me absolutely everything about Jessamine Kaldwin because the fact that she fell for this feral bastard combined with the fact that Sokolov straigh up says she’s nuts, the Outsider is clearly invested in her for some reason and the fact that she made her illegitimate daughter her heir despite the Abbey itching for reasons to rise up against her, suggests she’s approaching Martha Wayne levels of ‘we’re never going to acknowledge it but this woman was a lunatic who only got away with being unhinged because of her wealth and power’.)

[gffa]

I AM GOING SO FERAL OVER THE CHARACTER ARCS IN URBAN LEGENDS BECAUSE I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. There are two stories that are written by different authors and complement each other in ways that hit for me JUST RIGHT because it ends up showing such an interesting portrayal of how complicated relationships aren't a single straightforward line in how they act towards each other. In "A Carol of Bats", Bruce is being grim and sullen, so Tim tries to get Dick to deal with him, but Dick says he can't, he's done that over and over, it never lasts, and ultimately he started sacrificing his own future to keep Bruce from being consumed by his past, that Tim needs to be careful with this, too. But then we see Dick went ahead and called Bruce anyway, he stepped back in when he was needed, and we see Bruce stepping back from the ledge, hugging a scared, hungry man from the mob, organizing a dinner for those who are starving--but more than that he also tells Tim (who gets him a present to try to make him happy), that he's already happen, that Tim being his son makes him happy, period. Then a different arc starts up and it's such an emotional follow-up, where "The Murder Club" has Thomas and Martha Wayne coming forward in time, disapproving of what's become of their son, and Dick stomping all over the sacred ground of Bruce's feelings about his parents, to say that they'll come around, once they understand what Bruce has done for all of them, what he's done for Dick specifically. And Bruce agrees! Even having just been emotionally sucker punched by his parents, he's come far enough that a three-minute speech by Dick Grayson where he refuses to not be important to Bruce, that's enough to have him step back from the ledge. It's almost easy in comparison to previous times! Because Bruce has been working on it! The whole arc is about Bruce having a chance to literally return to the past, to live a life with his parents, to be able to choose his parents over everything he's built--and he chooses the present. He chooses his sons and father figure, he chooses Alfred, Dick, and Damian.

And he acknowledges the burden that his trauma and poor mental health have put on them, Dick especially (though, Tim and Damian are part of this as well, and Jason had his whole arc earlier in the series):

AND I'M JUST??? LOSING MY MIND OVER THIS CHARACTER ARC?? I have no idea how intentional it was or if it was just two writers who actually get the characters, but that it's not a smooth path to navigate dealing with a man like Bruce, that there's always forward steps and backward steps, that there'll be progress and there'll be backsliding (because THAT'S HOW SHITTY MENTAL HEALTH WORKS, that's how emotionally complicated relationships work!), but they all get up and keep trying to do better for each other and themselves. That these two stories show an arc of Bruce slowly learning to handle his breakdowns better. That he lets them in faster, he reaches out himself faster, he holds onto them faster. It's not about turning their backs on Bruce, it's about saying that they can't make him be happy at the expense of their own lives, but then we see him literally turn away from the past for them, of course they're right there, they love him, they want to be here, they show up when he's willing to meet them halfway--and Bruce does. Because that's who the character is at heart, someone who is traumatized to hell and back, that trauma is often violent and ugly, but he keeps getting up and trying again for those he loves, for those he needs to be better for. That means sometimes he missteps. He'll misstep again in the future. People will have to take a step back from him in the future. But they'll all dust themselves off and try again because he genuine makes an effort for them, not just to save their lives, but to be emotionally available even when it's hard fucking work and he can't punch his way out of it. Bruce Wayne is a character that is at his most resonant for me when sometimes he's a shitty dad who then has to work to be better, that if he never mistepped, his character wouldn't have nearly the depth he does. This Bruce Wayne means the world to me because it's so hard to do this kind of work, so much harder than punching things, and yet he keeps doing it, even when it hurts, because his family deserves him to really try for them. And he does! He'll be an asshole again in the future, but when I say "Bruce Wayne is a good dad", it's because of this, because even in the middle of that 530 different flavors of fucked up trauma brain he has, he still says his kids' emotional boundaries and overall wellbeing and happiness matters.

[superbataddicted]

Writer's Month 2019

Day 3 Prompt: Coffee Shop AU

Fandom: Superbat, Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Superman/Batman

Writer: batzmaru65

(Summary: An AU similar to a parallel universe take. Bruce is a detective in this story, not a vigilante or a billionaire. Clark is still Superman and a reporter. There is slight change in the spelling of Clark and Bruce's surname.)

Bruce stumbled into the coffee shop, hair dishevelled, tie askew and suit crumpled. He dragged himself towards the counter where a female barista stood smiling, not at all shocked at the sight of him.

“The usual, Mr Weyne?” The middle-aged lady asked, already starting preparations to make Bruce’s double espresso, extra strong, no milk and just a dash of sugar.

 Bruce did not even have the energy to give a reply. He merely nodded and leaned against the counter, head propped on a fist, sucking in the aroma of brewing coffee as if his life depended on it. But it was not enough to stave off his exhaustion and a huge yawn broke out, bringing tears to his eyes.

“You’re gonna kill yourself one day at the rate you’re going,” the dark-haired woman admonished as she poured Bruce’s order into a takeaway cup and closed the lid.

Bruce smiled wanly and reached out to take the proffered cup.

“Just a little while more, Martha,” he muttered, stifling another yawn, “We’ve finally found something and it’s all going to end soon.”

“That’s good to hear and all the best, Mr Wyene.”

Bruce nodded again and after slipping some bills onto the counter, he dragged himself out of the shop, all attention fixed on the coffee. Distracted and eager to have his caffeine fix, Bruce did not watch where he was going. A careless step, a trip over a flowerpot and Bruce was falling forward, gravity pulling him down a flight of steps. His heart lurched and he gasped, arms flailing, trying to stop the inevitable. The cup tumbled out of his grasp, lid falling off and dark liquid splashed out, sparkling in the sunlight. The ground rushed up and Bruce squeezed his eyes shut, body tensed in anticipation of the pain that would come.

However, instead of hard concrete smashing against his face and body, Bruce fell against warmth and soft strength. An arm had gone round his waist, fingers gripping his hips, holding him steady. It took a moment for Bruce to realise that the anticipated pain was not forthcoming. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a pair of brilliant blue peeping out from behind a long fringe.

“Are you alright?” the stranger frowned in concern and leaned in closer. Bruce flushed at how intimate their posture was and he scrambled out of the grasp of the taller man.

“Yes I...ah...thanks.”

Averting his gaze from that pair of attractive blue eyes, Bruce froze at the sight of a press pass hanging around the stranger’s neck.

Clarke Kent. Daily Globe.

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Bruce glared at the reporter but the ferocity of his glare was without much impact. With his puffy eyes and dark circles, he came across as sleepy rather than angry.

“I’m not falling for your trick and stay away from me and my team!”

Bruce growled before he turned and darted away, berating himself as he made his escape. He had let his guard down, had not checked whether there was a tail when he snuck out. He wished the press would stop hounding him and his team of investigators. They had been hot on their heels ever since they were appointed as the independent committee to look into the Lex’s Charity scandal – a scam that had stretched across America and several countries overseas. The number of front companies and shell corporations, not to mention the complex paper trail to move and hide the embezzlement were so cleverly thought out. Bruce and his team had a hard time cracking the case, misled by false trails which ended up in dead ends. It was frustrating as hell but last night, they had finally found a clue to unravelling the entire mess. Elated, Bruce wanted to reward himself with his favourite drink so tired was he of the awful-tasting coffee the police headquarters had been serving. And look at the trouble it had almost caused him.

Bruce waved a hand in greeting to the few investigators still awake. The rest of his team had fallen into an exhausted slumber, slumped over their desks or curled up on the floor. They had not slept much and neither had they gone home much either. Pressurized by the higher-ups who wanted the case solved as fast as possible, none of them had wanted to waste their time on trivialities.

Opening the door to his tiny cluttered office. Bruce slumped into his chair with a tired sigh, only to jerk up in shock at the sight of his double espresso sitting quietly on his desk pad, steam curling from the cup which was missing its lid.

Didn’t I spill it just now?

Question marks ran circles round his head and his eyes darted wildly around to find no one in the room. Lurching out of his seat, he wrenched the door open, the blinds rattling in protest against the glass.

“Hey, Alfred,” he called to his assistant, still immaculately dressed unlike the rest of them, “Did anyone come in just now?”

“Not that I know of, sir,” Alfred replied with an arch of an eyebrow.

“You’re sure? That a tall, blue eyes, long fringe reporter guy didn’t drop by?”

Alfred stopped his typing and gave Bruce a pointed stare.

“I have 20/20 vision, sir.”

“Oh, okay...okay then.”

Bruce retreated back into his office and rushed to the window, checking it. It was still locked and even if it was not, it would be impossible for anyone to enter anyway. His office was on the 11th floor and there were no ledges or protruding edges near the window. Lips pursed, Bruce flopped back into his chair, legs up on his desk and crossed. He stared thoughtfully at the cup of coffee.

The only culprit he could think of was Clarke Kent from the Daily Globe. But if it was really him, how did he pull it off then? A flash of memory brought the coffee shop incident to mind. Bruce was certain that he was about to hit the ground and then Mr Kent was suddenly there holding him tight.

Who or what are you?

Bruce wondered and then grinned fierce and feral. A mystery to solve. Just what Bruce loved most and why he ended up in this job. Mr Clarke Kent had better watch out for Bruce was going to get to the bottom of the truth no matter what. That was why he was called the “Hound”.

-

If Bruce had opened his window and looked up at the sky with a pair of powerful binoculars, he would have seen an interesting sight. A man was floating way up high, red cape fluttering, arms crossed over his chest where a S-like symbol marked his suit. Clarke was smiling, a mischievous grin, as he watched Bruce’s reaction.

Mr Bruce Weyne had intrigued him for a long while, even though the detective had no inkling of his existence. In this day and age where corruption abounds and money makes the world goes round, crime was the norm and the oppressed was left to rot. Clarke had been fighting a losing battle to address this injustice despite his superpowers. He had been on a lookout for some help. Someone or a few someones who could take on the system and continue the fight from within. His own investigations had led him to Bruce, descended from a long lineage of crimefighters from the grand old days of sheriffs to his late father’s career as a judge. His mother was a political activist and both of them had died in a shootout when he was eight, courtesy of the mafia.

Because of the tragedy, Bruce had grown up with the determination to undo the wrongs happening in his city. However, his recent investigations into the Lex’s Charity scam was leading him towards the same fate as his parents. As the saying goes, Bruce had opened up a can of worms and the current mafia bass, Jack Napier, was aiming to make an example of him, as bloody and cruel as possible, That was why Clarke had been watching over him and he had surged forward, panic constricting his heart when he saw Bruce fall. He had not intended to reveal himself in this manner but since the dice had been cast, he might as well make full use of the situation. Hence, the mystery of a steaming cup of coffee in his office which no one had entered. He knew that that would get Bruce hooked and hot on his trail.

Clarke grinned at the thought of Bruce coming after him just like the nickname his colleagues had fondly christened him with. At last, he need not watch him from afar. He could finally get close and build a relationship that, fingers crossed, would go beyond mere friendship. Clarke liked what he had seen of Bruce and he was not one to deny his feelings. It was nice holding him in his arms just now and Clarke wished for more intimacy between them.