#Haly's Circus: All Grown Up | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

justmoreocs-writing · 1 year

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Crossovers

Florence Pennyworth, I’m thinking that it would be interesting to see her with Leanna ‘Leah’ Elfman. I don’t have much for her, but I think it would take a little while for the two of them to get along. Leah might sometimes worry Dick is replacing their friendship when he moves into Wayne Manor - not that he’d do it on purpose, but part of her would wonder about it. That being said, I think when Leah can get passed that - they probably have a conversation which makes her realise she was overreacting a little - they’d be OK. Maybe not the closest, but Leah would know something was up when Florence goes missing. She’s out of Gotham by then, but they’d probably text or send silly things to each other, and it’s not like Florence to miss that; so, when she does, Leah does what she can to try helping her friend.

Leonie Murphy and Mackenzie ‘Kenzie’ Merritt would be a reporting team not to be trifled with. Honestly, these two would go at every story they could, determined to quell their insatiable curiosity. Initially, both of them would try to keep things from the other - after all, Vic being Cyborg is a secret Kenzie is determined to keep for him - but eventually they’d be a team to rival even Lois Lane. Also, can we talk about them helping each other with things? Training montage and suit making for Leonie, and her being there for Kenzie when Jason dies and Vic can’t be around?

Tessie Vannelli, the Coles and Tae all grew up in Haly’s Circus with Dick. Viola spent a lot of time with the Vannelli’s after she and Kit arrived - and their lives were turned upside down with the death of their parents getting there - for the pure fact she’s a fire breather; though, she starts as a juggler and progresses there. Tae loves making costumes for her - she’s one of his favourites - and they’re pretty close because of it. All three of them are devastated when her life is turned upside down, and though they’re willing to be there for her, when she goes missing they’re desperate to find her. When it becomes clear it might be more than they can handle, the boys have to get Viola to stop. Even when Haly’s disbands, Viola refuses to give up; and when she hears rumours about Joker? She’s terrified, especially for her friend. So, when Dick returns with their old friend, and the truth of the rumours is revealed? Cue heartbreak but also the three of them trying to help her; Kit is the one who finds it all the hardest, just because that’s the sort of person he is, and Tae is honestly a little afraid of her. Overall though, Circus kids stick together, and they’ll do what they can to make things easier for their childhood friend. Also, I have a feeling Tessie would be shipping Kit and Tae alongside Viola.

Brandy Hayes with Elodie Klecko (a multiverse OC of mine); they’re both part of the Statesmen. I feel the two of them would be pretty good friends, and they’d try to look out for each other whenever possible - be it on missions or just in general life. I can imagine the mayhem they’d cause together, but also banding together when things are happening within the Statesmen.

Callie Raeken with Camila and Ryan McCall (Scott’s cousins). They wouldn’t really have known her before, and I can see Camila taring her with the same scepticism she shows everyone; Ryan would be far more sympathetic towards her, and constantly be trying to make sure she was OK; he’d do the same for Theo as well, but I have a feeling Callie might need that support a little more than her brother. I could totally see him having a crush on her at some point - if it’s reciprocated or not, I don’t know - but he’d always be telling her random facts to try helping. Eventually, Camila would probably realise that Callie wasn’t so bad, it would take a while for them to get there, but when they do she’s one of the most loyal friends a person can have.

Elvira Levitsky and Irisa Kuznetsov. Both of them are Healers - though Elvira’s Tailor skills as well would be something Ris would love to learn more about. Depending on how Elvira left the Little Palace would shift their relationship I think. Irisa left the Little Palace because she hated it there; she ran away, and if they were there together that might make things rocky for the two of them; on the other hand, it might also actually make them closer. Irisa needs someone who can help her figure out what she wants, because this is really the first time she’s done something for herself. The Crows would be a massive help, but if she had someone who understood her a little? That would help her immensely.

Hope Wood would adopt Phoenix Dumbledore on sight. I can totally see Hope sticking up for the girl, especially if she’s sorted into Hufflepuff because Hope misses Cedric. She’d totally be up for taking Phoenix under her wing if she needed the help, and would prank anyone who even tried getting on her nerves (think the twins protecting Harry during second year, and you’ve got how I could see it going). That being said - and I haven’t actually posted anything about them because they became a side characters in Hope’s story - but I have a couple of Beauxbatons OCs. I can’t remember names - they’re in a folder somewhere for old fanfiction planning - but one was a prankster girl who was constantly in trouble, and her best friend who was always trying to get her out of it. I can see him having a soft spot for Phoenix - at least one parent is a teacher - but his friend doesn’t really get along with her due to the connection with Fleur. However, both of them are willing to try helping the girl smile when she needs it, and I feel like at least one of them would occasionally ask Fleur about her when they go back to school.

If I’m sticking with the Nico universe, seeing Teagan O’Neal with A.J. and Teddy Kane would be a lot of fun, I think. I can see A.J. being protective of Nico with everything; especially because of how Teagan and Dick appear to be sometimes as well. I think Teddy would be a little intimidated by her, but would totally be up for helping her integrating a little more with the Titans. I have a whole heap of DC OCs that could also be interesting to explore, but I need to develop them a little more. But I love the idea Teagan and A.J. not exactly seeing eye-to-eye, but if Nico was ever in danger you can bet everything that they’d work together to protect him. No matter what.

Booker’s sibling. I have a really rough idea for another friend of the group, possibly a cheerleader but who doesn’t take things too seriously. They’d probably have issues with Terri in a way, but when things start getting real I can see them helping each other out, and finding a friendship there that they never saw coming (one day I’ll introduce these guys properly, but I hope this is okay for a rough idea at the moment).

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justmoreocs-edits · 4 months

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Haly's Circus: All Grown Up Story Introduction

Kit was slowly getting used to life as a civilian. He still missed the circus, still hated that while the rest of them were scrabbling to make ends meet, Dick Grayson was living a life of absolute luxury, but he tried not to let it get to him, to focus on good things. However, when Dick makes a reappearance in their lives, and his older sister isn’t able to say no to helping their old friend, Kit finds him dragged into an adventure that he begrudgingly has to admit isn’t as awful as he thought it might be.

Viola had never really meant to stick up for the little guy. She’d meant to try living a nice quiet life, to integrate herself into normal and mundane life rather than wishing it away. Wishing that she could simply find a new circus to travel with because Haly’s Circus had long since disbanded. But coming across injustice on her way home is something Viola can’t easily ignore. Something that sets her life on a trajectory she never would have imagined. Least of all when she finds herself reunited with one Dick Grayson.

It wasn’t that Tae had hated his life in the circus, because he really hadn’t, but he was finding it significantly easier to live in one place and not worry about the end performance every night. But he could see the toll it was taking on the Cole siblings, even if they were obviously trying to make the best of it. So, when adventure come knocking for them, Tae knows exactly what their decision will be. It’s just his own feelings about it all that he isn’t so sure on.

#Made By Me #Story Introduction #Titans OCs #Haly's Circus: All Grown Up #Christopher Cole #Viola Cole #Tae Lee #Kit Cole

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umbrellacam · 1 year

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Reading A Lonely Place of Dying is so interesting in so many ways, but the question I'm still rotating in my mind is about Dick, and specifically why he ends up smiling and soft-advocating for Tim to be Bruce's Robin, after he had his morality crisis over young heroes with Jason's death.

So when he finds out about Jason's death, Dick feels guilty over giving Jason his Robin costume and not being there when he died:

New Teen Titans #55

To the extent that, later in the same issue, he unilaterally fires 15-year-old Danny Chase from the Titans, over Donna and Kory's objections, citing what happened to Jason. He even expresses doubt over his own young age when he became Robin, wondering whether that was a mistake:

New Teen Titans #55

However, when Dick visits Bruce in Gotham to both express his condolences over Jason's death and also confront him over not telling Dick about it, he explicitly rejects Bruce's implication of blame:

New Teen Titans #55

And later, when the Gargoyle is mentally torturing him over his past failures to the Titans, to Bruce, and Jason, Dick breaks through his self-blame issues and firmly asserts that there was nothing he could have done to prevent Jason's death.

Secret Origins (Vol. 2) #3

But understanding his lack of blame logically isn't the same as being totally past it, as it's part of Dick's larger cycle of guilt, as he acknowledges to his therapist:

The New Titans #57

So how does Dick get from here, still wrestling with guilt and feeling ambivalent about the idea of young heroes as a whole, to the end of A Lonely Place of Dying, where he smiles and basically urges Bruce to give Tim a chance to become Robin?

Like, yes, Dick then spends the entirety of Batman: Year Three worried about Bruce's tenuous mental state after Jason's death, reaching out to him in the midst of Batman's reckless, violent spiral, trying to both express care and to call his mentor and hero back to his foundations of crime-fighting through careful detective work, not through brutality - and getting rejected by Bruce over and over. Even while being proud of Dick's methods and the hero he's grown into, Bruce just can't seem to pull himself out of his own morass of self-destruction. Dick eventually has to leave him to it, though he clearly hasn't stopped worrying about Bruce by the start of ALPoD.

Yes, Tim impresses Dick multiple times over the course of ALPoD. First at the circus with his reflexes and his quick thinking (apparently almost as much as he irritates and baffles Dick with his stubborn evasiveness and pushy presumption, lol this total gremlin). Then at Wayne Manor when Tim goes through his deduction of Batman's and Robin's identities, although this one is more an implication through Dick's decision to show Tim the Cave immediately afterward, and Alfred's words to Tim.

Batman #441

And yet Alfred's sentiment here is immediately contradicted when Tim insistently pushes the Robin costume at Dick, and Dick gets pissed off, saying that, "When Jason died, he took Robin with him. And no matter how much anybody may want it - you can't bring back the dead."

The New Titans #61

How does Dick go from this to accepting Tim as the new potential Robin all of two issues later!! This boy's emotions are so mixed up, lol.

I feel like while Dick is clearly angered by Tim's presumptions, kind of baffled and creeped-out by the sort of parasocial fixation Tim has on both Bruce/Batman and Dick/Robin, below the surface he's also genuinely absorbing Tim's driving love and care for them both. Like, he's way too ticked off to show it or even think of it consciously at the moment - and it's hard to process!! despite that day at Haly's Circus tying them together a decade ago, this kid is a rando, it's out of nowhere, it's wild to be confronted with!! - but on some level he has to be touched by Tim's care and passion for their legacy. He wouldn't make his heel-turn later and smile at Tim so approvingly otherwise.

Like, Dick wants Bruce to have a partner that cares for him that much, that forces him to care for himself in a way that he clearly hasn't been since Jason's death. And Dick is both afraid and aware that he can't fill that role anymore - that he can try to stand beside Batman as Nightwing and support him that way, but he can't stand behind Bruce in his protective shadow again, can't cramp himself back into Robin.

So even as Dick is making line-faces at this bizarre kid pushing himself at them, talking about Jason and Dick and Bruce and what Batman needs like he knows better than Dick, UGH… Dick is also considering… is maybe moved a bit by that star-bright conviction and overflowing love in the face of all the doubts that seem to plague both Bruce and Dick lately… is maybe hoping, seeing a possible light in the dark. Not on a conscious level, perhaps, but it's maybe churning below the surface with everything else Dick is thinking about.

Anyway, Dick still tracks Batman down and tries being a supportive partner as Nightwing, even going "I'm here. Always," when Batman finally brings himself to admit that he needs help. Only to IMMEDIATELY run face-first into Bruce's control issues and post-Jason-disregarding-orders trauma - "You're not with the Titans now. If you want to be with me, you follow my orders. Now do as I say." (The New Titans #61) Oof, instant I'm-NIGHTWING-not-ROBIN friction, but Dick swallows it for now.

Then Two-Face blows up a building on top of both of them, and Tim (and Alfred!) have to rescue them both. By the time that they've been dug out, Alfred and Dick are both praising Tim's potential to a very baffled and alarmed, verging on angry, Batman lol. Dick and Alfred then grin at each other while young Tim struggles against his intimidation and argues the tremendously (and understandably!) reluctant Batman to a standstill.

Batman #442

As they drive away afterward (Bruce, Dick and Tim in the Batmobile to track down Two-Face - using the tracker Tim planted on him, good job Timmy!! - and Alfred toward home in a separate car), we get the following thought-bubbles:

Bruce: Even if he's right, I don't want another partner. Dick: Bruce, for once, think with your heart, not with cold logic. Tim: He doesn't want me, but he hasn't said no. So just do your best… Alfred: …One way or another, the rest will take care of itself.

Batman #442

"Think with your heart, not with cold logic" - so does Dick's line here mean that this is what he himself is doing at this point? Setting aside his logic, his fears and reservations about young heroes, about Jason's death, about putting another young boy in the Robin costume - because Tim joining them, maybe becoming Bruce's new partner, feels right? Because everything that Tim has shown of himself so far means the kid deserves a chance, at least? Because Bruce's caution after Jason's death would mean that he'll make sure to 'do it right this time'? Because Tim's passion and conviction could be what Batman needs, and - maybe as much if not more than that - could be something that deserves to be nurtured into something great, despite Dick's own (and Bruce's) fears?

Because Dick has to be wrestling with and at least quelling (if not fully letting go of) his fears about the risks to young heroes in these issues, it doesn't make sense for him to be okay with Tim as Robin otherwise. And it can't all be about what use Tim could be to Bruce - the leash he could put on Batman's out of control behavior. That's far too selfish and manipulative as a sole motive for Dick Grayson; especially after Jason, he wouldn't encourage a kid to jump into the meat-grinder of vigilantism solely to save Bruce or preserve the legacy of Batman & Robin.

I feel like Dick has to also be seeing something in Tim here, his potential, his determination, the good that he can and wants desperately to do, that Dick has to respect, has to think deserves a shot. When Alfred goes, "The boy should be a politician!" and Dick replies, "He'd do more good with Bruce," (Batman #442; panels above), it does feel like he's thinking of the difference Tim himself could make in the world. Dick has to be remembering why he himself could not be put off from the vigilante life when he was even younger than Tim, why Jason also went out there and did his best every night. To help people, in a way that mattered.

Anyway, Tim also puts in a good showing when they confront Two-Face, despite giving Bruce a near heart-attack over this strange unfamiliar boy wearing his son's uniform when Tim briefly appears to have been crushed - only for him to have saved himself and warned Batman and Nightwing of danger through his quick thinking.

Afterward, Alfred and Dick both advocate for Tim, so Dick is clearly pulling for Tim to be given a chance. Dick's smile here, my heart.

Batman #442

I still wish they'd been a little more explicit with the turn of Dick's mindset here, but at the same time I guess it's pretty effective as show-not-tell!

All in all, I feel like ALPoD was very effective storytelling, well done Marv, hugely enjoyable read, and I can't wait to read more.

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flashfuture · 3 months

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The Original Introduction of Jason Todd as Robin

Not a lot of people are probably all that familiar beyond a passing note that Jason Todd existed Before Crisis on Infinite Earth. He did not first come onto the scene with a tire iron to Batman's gut.

But instead in 1983 with Batman #357

(Detective Comics #525)

The Todd family was a trapeze act that named themselves after the Grayson family in Haly's Circus after John and Mary fell to their death and Dick Grayson was taken in by Bruce Wayne. I'm sure that was rather a shock for Dick.

(Detective Comics #525)

Robin then asks Jason's parents for help capturing Killer Croc and promises they won't regret it

(Detective Comics #526)

Anyways Killer Croc feeds Jason's parents to crocodiles

(Batman #359)

Okay to be fair to Dick he thought asking civilians to investigate Killer Croc was a really bad idea but Bruce flipped the fuck out on him and they went through with it

(Detective #526)

Meanwhile, Jason while being given refuge at the Wayne Manor while his parents get munched on snoops around and figures out Bruce Wayne is Batman. Also adorable is Bruce kept a chest filled with the costumes Dick had grown out of over the years

(Detective Comics #526)

So Jason goes out on an adventure to find his parents and finds Batman wrestling Killer Croc. Also Joker is here.

(Detective Comic #526)

Jason learns from Batgirl who is also here that Killer Croc killed his parents. And freaks the fuck out. Dick comforts Jason and Babs goes to rescue Talia and Catwoman. Because they were also here the whole time but in an unimportant to Jason capacity

(Detective Comic #526)

18 year old Dick Grayson then turns to Bruce and insists he wants to adopt Jason Todd. Bruce pats his son on the shoulder thinking what I can only imagine is some form of 'nice try college drop out I'll handle it myself'

(Detective Comics #526)

And Despite his adoption suggestion, Dick seems pretty pleased that Jason will be taken under Bruce's wing instead

And I just want to add the trapeze kid repeat doesn't actually feel as forced as some people make it out to be. Naturally, Haly's Circus would move to replace their most famous act with the same thing. A family of trapeze artists. (Scratch that I thought it was still Haly's Circus because Dick knew the clown in this circus from his circus but it's a different circus. I digress though) Jason's parents died in a different way that is actually unique to the Batman mythos. Jason's orphanage was explicitly the fault of Dick and Bruce though they don't really tap into that as much as they should. If this had stayed canon I Know that would have been a massive talking point. Dick considered taking on the responsibility but let Bruce step in without a fuss like I know this could have been so good.

[Next Up: Earth One Jason Becoming Robin]

#dc comics #batman 1940 #detective comics #bruce wayne #batman #dick grayson #robin #jason todd #bronze age #earth one #long post

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wormsin · 1 year

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Dickie and his shadow

"Kids know things that grown-ups don't, things that are so true it burns, but the grown-ups never really listen. They only pretend to listen."

Bruce and Dickie meet as kids at Haly's Circus, but really they've known each other their whole lives.

---------

@brudick-week 2023, Day 1 Soulmates | Wedding & Marriage | Aftercare G. major character death. Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dick is 6 and Bruce is 10 when they meet, Kid Dick Grayson, Kid Bruce Wayne, Canon-Typical Violence, major character death is not Bruce or Dicke

It's not Dickie's first performance on the trapeze, but this one is special.

He's six years old, and this is the first season where he is performing alongside his parents at the tippy top of the tent. Before that he did acrobatics on the ground, or up on poles carried by Raúl over his head, because he was too little to perform in the Flying Grayson's act. Now he's big enough, and he loves flying up high and hardly gets scared at all.

He loves performing. By the time they give the audience a bow he is filled with bright, tingly feelings that make him feel so big and happy. This time, there's another feeling too, even bigger and brighter. A new feeling that's really familiar, like something from a dream or another world.

"You did so good, Dickie!" Maman exclaims, kissing him on the cheeks.

Dat picks him up and gives him a big squeeze. "My little showman!" He holds Dickie as he climbs down the tall platform.

The music is still going as everyone gathers for the finale, and Dickie babbles excitedly to his parents. They're not really listening, not until it's time to exit the ring and Dickie plants his feet in the ground and resists when his daj tugs his hand. "I've got to tell you something!" he says. "It's important."

"Ok, love." She crouches down, finally paying attention to him. "What is it?"

"There's someone special in the audience!" Dickie exclaims in his high, young voice with his big, excited smile.

"Really? Who is it?"

Dickie pouts and thinks about it. "Maybe a king, or a princess?" He doesn't know who the special person is, only that they're here, and the circus has performed for very important people before.

"I didn't know there were kings and princesses in Gotham," his papa says, using his play voice.

"I have to go meet them," Dickie explains. "It's very important. They're like my shadow, I think. Yes! Yes, it's my shadow! C'mon, I gotta find it!" He starts towards the bleachers, vibrating with excitement, but Maman catches him and starts corralling him to the stage exit.

"We have to go backstage, Dickie."

"No! Maman!"

"Little Robin, remember how we go outside after the show to meet the fans? We can look for your shadow then. That's probably where it went."

Dickie frowns, but his daj has a good point so he allows her to lead him out of the ring. He has to find his shadow but can already tell that his parents and the other adults won't get it. Kids know things that grown-ups don't, things that are so true it burns, but the grown-ups never really listen. They only pretend to listen. It's not their fault, so Dickie tries not to be mad at them—the adults grew up and forgot about kid things like shadows and fairies and the secret language of animals.

Outside, the night is cool and the circus is filled with colorful lights. Dickie bounces around his parents, vibrating with energy and climbing his papa like a tree, trying both to be good and look for his shadow. The crowd is moving and there’s a line to come meet them for an autograph or even a picture, some people in Gotham have cameras, little ones that fit in one hand. Dickie and his parents pose in their matching costumes and thank everyone for coming to the show.

And then—and then—

The important feeling swells in his stomach, bright and crackling like fireworks, and Dickie sees his shadow. It's the first time he's seen him outside of dreams or imagination. The shadow is a boy in line with his parents, dressed fancy, with dark hair just like Dickie because they match. Dickie lets out a happy cry and dashes forward, careening around people, and sees the boy’s eyes go wide right before Dickie leaps into his arms. His shadow catches him.

“It’s you!” Dickie says, arms around the boy’s waist. “I knew you were here, I just knew it! I felt you in the crowd.” He smiles so big his cheeks hurt and looks up at the taller boy’s face, which he could look at forever because it makes him feel so good, and he is so pretty. “I love you! You’re taller than me. And you have blue eyes, because we match, see?”

“I—hi,” the boy says, smiling down at him. His smile is smaller but that’s okay.

“I missed you,” Dickie says. “I didn’t know it was you, but I missed you. I was waiting for you.”

“Who’s your friend, Dickie?” his papa asks.

Dickie looks back at him, still clinging to the boy. The parents are all around, watching them. “He’s the important person. He’s my shadow,” Dickie explains. Then he looks back at the boy, and laughs. “I don’t know your name!”

“It’s Bruce.”

“Bruce. Bruce! I’m Richard John Grayson, but everyone calls me Dickie. I have other names too.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Bruce says. His face is a little pink. “I… you were very impressive, up there.”

Dickie is too excited to really notice that their parents are talking and also meeting each other. “You saw my flips?”

“I did,” Bruce says. He’s still got his arms around Dickie and it’s so nice.

“I can walk on my hands and juggle too,” Dickie says. “I’m working on the double flip now. Do you want to see Zitka? I can show you the other animals and where we keep our costumes. I can give a tour!”

Bruce looks at his parents. “Can we stay longer?”

His parents share an adult look, and then Bruce’s mom says, “As long as it’s not an imposition for the Graysons.”

“Not at all,” Dickie’s daj answered. “Lead the way, Dickie.”

≡≡≡

Dickie gives Bruce a tour of the circus, talking animatedly the whole time and telling Bruce everything that came to mind. Bruce is quiet and doesn’t talk as much, but that's okay because he still looks at Dickie and holds his hand and listens. Bruce is older, he's 10, he doesn’t have a favorite color, he lives in a big house, and he knows all the same facts about elephants that Dickie does. He really likes Zitka, and she likes him too, sniffing his clothes and hair, her tail swishing happily. Dickie shows him some tricks and points out the circus members they passed.

He has so much to show Bruce about the circus and to tell him and ask him, but then Bruce’s parents say it's time to go and his parents say it's time to get ready for bed. Dickie’s heart skips painfully at the thought of letting go of Bruce’s hand, and he stares up at him with wide, pleading eyes. “Are you going to come tomorrow?” Dickie asks in a small voice. “I still have to show you the flip.”

“I… I’m not sure,” Bruce says. “I’d like to.”

Dickie wraps his arms around him and buries his face in Bruce’s chest. “Please come back. I want to be friends.” Those words aren’t big enough for what Dickie feels, but he isn’t sure what to say. “You’re part of me, I don’t want to miss you again.” Just the thought nearly makes him cry.

“I’ll come back, Dickie,” Bruce says, quietly, like a secret. “I want to be friends too.” [read the full fic on AO3]

#brudickweek2023 #brudick #my fics #bruce wayne #dick grayson #look its cute nothing to worry about it'll just be fluffy i swear #;)

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four-color-words · 1 year

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Y'know, if they wanted to give Dick a long-lost sister with a bunch of baggage to angst about, how goddamn easy would it have been to give Haly a daughter about Dick's age, who would have grown up in the circus alongside him, learning to take over her father's place as ringmaster? One who was hurt when he decided to stay with Mr. Wayne, who saw it as him leaving their family for another one, one with more money and resources. Jumping ship and abandoning them

Traveling circuses aren't as much of a thing in the modern age as they once were, so I can see her fretting about how to keep Haly's Circus alive and thriving, trying to care for this big weird family that she loves with all her heart, and eventually she has no choice but to grit her teeth and make a call. Haly's Circus has one last hope.

The return of the Flying Graysons

#the whole thing with Melinda Zucco is complicated and weird #just give him a sister in the circus #someone has to inherit that place after all

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ao3feed-brucedick · 10 months

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Dickie and his shadow

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

by wormsin

"Kids know things that grown-ups don't, things that are so true it burns, but the grown-ups never really listen. They only pretend to listen."

Bruce and Dickie meet as kids at Haly's Circus, but really they've known each other their whole lives.

---

BruDick Week 2023, Day1 Soulmates | Wedding & Marriage | Aftercare

Words: 4099, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death

Categories: M/M

Characters: John Grayson, Mary Grayson, Thomas Wayne, Martha Wayne

Relationships: Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dick is 6 and Bruce is 10 when they meet, Kid Dick Grayson, Kid Bruce Wayne, Canon-Typical Violence, major character death is not Bruce or Dicke

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

#ao3feed #BruceDick #BruDick #Bruce Wayne #Dick Grayson #fanfic #IFTTT

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ao3feed-brucewayne · 7 months

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Runaway and Circus Boy

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/xsGHZou by slasherzslut Bruce Wayne. The name sounds familiar, but Jason figures it's just because he's the playboy billionaire talked about on every news station. Bruce Wayne is The Batman. And now, Jason is Robin, and Bruce Wayne's adopted son. (The first Robin, Jason learns, is a boy named Dick Grayson, and Jason can't shake the feeling that the name Grayson sounds familiar, too.) ..... "You're the one who left, dude. Not my fault you're a runaway." "Runaway?" 'Discowing' looks at Jason like he's grown two heads. And suddenly Jason can hear the slight accent in the others voice, and he knows he's heard it somewhere before, just like the last name Grayson, and- "Fucking Circus Boy?" ..... Or, Jason Todd through the years, and the Circus Boy he keeps running into. Words: 1712, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: Gen, M/M Characters: Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd's Parents, Dick Grayson's Parents, Willis Todd, Catherine Todd, Sheila Haywood, John Grayson, Mary Grayson, Joker (DCU) Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Jason Todd Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hispanic Jason Todd, Romani Dick Grayson, Haly's Circus (DCU), Growing Up, Swearing, Jason Todd Swears, Jason Todd is Robin, Dick Grayson is Robin, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Jason Todd-centric, Pre-Jason Todd's Death, Jason Todd's Death, Post-Jason Todd's Death, Anniversary of Jason Todd's Death, Birthday, Birthday Presents, Birthday Cake, Bad Parent Willis Todd, Bad Parent Sheila Haywood, Dead John Grayson and Mary Grayson, Retelling, Sad Ending, Angst, Sexuality Crisis, Epiphanies, Crushes, First Crush, Teen Crush, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Jason Todd Speaks Spanish, Dick Grayson Speaks Romani, Queer Jason Todd, Gay Jason Todd, Queer Themes, Pseudo-Incest, Canonical Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/xsGHZou

#IFTTT #bruce wayne #batman #the caped crusader #the dark knight #dcu #ao3 #ao3feed

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ao3feed-jaydick · 7 months

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Runaway and Circus Boy

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/50865682 by slasherzslut Bruce Wayne. The name sounds familiar, but Jason figures it's just because he's the playboy billionaire talked about on every news station. Bruce Wayne is The Batman. And now, Jason is Robin, and Bruce Wayne's adopted son. (The first Robin, Jason learns, is a boy named Dick Grayson, and Jason can't shake the feeling that the name Grayson sounds familiar, too.) ..... "You're the one who left, dude. Not my fault you're a runaway." "Runaway?" 'Discowing' looks at Jason like he's grown two heads. And suddenly Jason can hear the slight accent in the others voice, and he knows he's heard it somewhere before, just like the last name Grayson, and- "Fucking Circus Boy?" ..... Or, Jason Todd through the years, and the Circus Boy he keeps running into. Words: 1712, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: Gen, M/M Characters: Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd's Parents, Dick Grayson's Parents, Willis Todd, Catherine Todd, Sheila Haywood, John Grayson, Mary Grayson, Joker (DCU) Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Jason Todd Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hispanic Jason Todd, Romani Dick Grayson, Haly's Circus (DCU), Growing Up, Swearing, Jason Todd Swears, Jason Todd is Robin, Dick Grayson is Robin, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Jason Todd-centric, Pre-Jason Todd's Death, Jason Todd's Death, Post-Jason Todd's Death, Anniversary of Jason Todd's Death, Birthday, Birthday Presents, Birthday Cake, Bad Parent Willis Todd, Bad Parent Sheila Haywood, Dead John Grayson and Mary Grayson, Retelling, Sad Ending, Angst, Sexuality Crisis, Epiphanies, Crushes, First Crush, Teen Crush, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Jason Todd Speaks Spanish, Dick Grayson Speaks Romani, Queer Jason Todd, Gay Jason Todd, Queer Themes, Pseudo-Incest, Canonical Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/50865682

#IFTTT #AO3feed #Jaydick #DC

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swanimagines · 3 years

Note

Hi, I would like to request a headcanon for fem!reader being Dick Grayson's best friend and is dating Donna Troy (Titans), please.

A/N: I hope you like it Kit!

BEING DICK GRAYSON'S BEST FRIEND AND DATING DONNA TROY:

- You and Dick go way back.

- You both were performers at Haly's Circus when you were kids.

- But when his parents died, he got taken away and later you heard that he had been adopted.

- You had no idea to who though.

- When you reached 18 years, you left the circus to find your own life.

- You ended up being a barista at a cafe.

- You met Donna on your first shift and quickly learned that she's coming there almost every day.

- You ended up chatting a lot, your boss had to remind you that you're at work at times.

- One day, she left you a note with her phone number.

- And of course you called her (you totally weren't freaking out before calling ahem ahem)

- You had your date at a restaurant which wasn't too fancy, but a cute and romantic place anyway.

- It quickly resulted in dating.

- One day Donna bumped to an old friend while you had grabbed some coffee when she was walking you to work.

- You recognized him right away. He had grown up, but you'd recognize him anywhere.

"Dick?!" - You

"Y/N?" - Dick

*you rush in for a crushing hug*

"Wait, you two know each other?" - Donna

- You explain everything to Donna and she's amazed and grinning widely.

"Well, what are the odds." - Donna

- Dick is really happy to see you're okay and you have a lot of catching up to do. You learn that he was adopted to Bruce Wayne and you tell him how your parents are doing.

- And now, besides you and Donna having dates, you could also build up your friendship with Dick again and went to drinks with him quite often.

- You got it to its former glory if not even greater in just a few meetings. It almost felt like time hadn't passed at all.

- You also go to drinks together, the three of you.

- You never get bored with the two of them, and you know you're very lucky to have them in your life.

Titans tags: @captainshazamerica @simsrecs @winterxisxcomingx @bookfrog242 @katherinepetrovawife // send me an ask if you wanna be added for my content for this fandom!

#titans #titans imagine #dick grayson #donna troy x reader #donna troy #donna troy imagine #reader insert #my works #imagine #imagines #female reader #headcanons

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odos-bucket · 3 years

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Bruce Being Super Protective of His Kids in Their Out-Of-Costume Lives Pt. 1

The thing about Dick is that he has a way of making people feel comfortable around him. It probably comes from being a performer, certainly comes in handy when he becomes a vigilante, and later an older brother. He puts people at ease. It’s a skill that he can manipulate to his advantage, but not necessarily something that he needs to put effort into; it’s kind of automatic. People have a tendency to talk and act around Dick as if they’ve known him their whole life. Which can come in handy, sure, especially as he gets older and fine tunes it along with his other abilities.

But he doesn’t receive the same automatic comfort from others that he gives off. And especially as a small child, strangers talking to him, coming into his personal space, or touching him without permission can be overwhelming, and disconcerting.

At Haly’s it had been something he’d kind of dealt with, but usually only within the deceptively controlled environment of pre or post show adrenaline, and always as a single member of a large company of performers. He was honestly barely consciously aware of it back then.

For the most part it doesn’t even really bother him. Dick likes people. He likes interacting with circus patrons, and later with fellow guests at the events that he and Bruce attend. He likes attention, likes it when people want to watch him do a cartwheel (even if he feels like they’re way too easily impressed).

Dick doesn’t understand what’s happening when he feels himself suddenly start to shut down towards the beginning of a charity gala for the Gotham hospital. He likes people. He likes parties. He’s never been bothered by crowds. He should be fine.

But the ladies who are crowding and cooing over him are making him feel trapped. And the band that’s fighting with each of the dozens of different conversations that are taking place in the room for every individual’s full attention is giving him a headache. The lights are so much dimmer than the big top’s, but somehow still way too bright. He keeps finding himself needing to rub at his eyes.

Dick tries to politely extricate himself from the women he’s been talking with, but they seem reluctant to let him go. He’s “such a charming young man,” after all. And it isn’t often that the socialites of Gotham are “graced with the company of a performer of his caliber.”

Dick smiles, and tries not to flinch away from a woman who pats his cheek. He’s not sure why the contact bothers him, normally it wouldn’t. But he’s not himself right now. Maybe it’s because of how hot it is. He’s not feeling right in his skin, all sticky, and prickly.

He doesn’t realize how dazed he’s become, until the sound of someone saying his name is shaking him out of it. No one’s actually said his name in a while, mostly it’s been variations on “honey” or “dear”. Sometimes they’ll call him Richard, hardly ever Dick though. But Bruce is calling him Dick as he approaches through the moderate crowd, and that gets his attention right away.

The ladies have the good sense to at least shift out of the way, and soon Bruce is kneeling down in front of him.

“Hey, chum,” he says softly. “You’re looking a little wobbly there. You doing okay?”

Dick doesn’t know why, but when he opens his mouth to answer something between a whine and a sob comes out. Confused and embarrassed (and exhausted, although he doesn’t quite know to identify that one) he pitches forward on rarely unstable feet, and smashes his face into Bruce’s shoulder.

He’s caught in an instant, and lifted up into steady arms, a hand coming to rest at the back of his head.

“Hey, shh. . . it’s all right.”

Bruce’s voice seems to fade, blending in and out of the rest of the muttering conversation that they’re surrounded by. Dick’s not bothering to hang on for any of the specifics of what he’s saying. Something about “being able to tell when a child is exhausted,” and “not treating my son like a performing seal.” If Dick had been more alert he may have thought to wonder ‘since when does Bruce have a son?’ but as it is he’s barely aware enough to pick up on the poorly concealed anger in his voice.

A moment later he can feel himself being carried.

“‘M tired,” he mumbles.

“I know, sweetheart,” is the last thing he hears before passing out.

---

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Dick says later, after they’re back at home.

Bruce frowns, and pauses his gentle stroking of Dick’s hair.

“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” he says, more carefully than Dick is able to pick up on.

Dick scrunches his nose, and flings his arms into the air, before flopping them back to the couch.

“Why did I get all weird tonight?!” He demands.

“If I had to guess,” Bruce says slowly. “I’d say you were tired, and maybe a little overwhelmed.”

Dick makes an annoyed noise, that morphs into a wide yawn.

“I should have noticed,” Bruce continues. “We shouldn’t have gone-“

“No,” Dick interrupts. “But that wasn’t my regular me! I don’t get overwhelmed!”

“Everybody gets overwhelmed. And you’ve had a long week, lots of late nights, that math test on Wednesday-“

“Do you?” Dick interrupts again, saving Bruce from needing to continue to prove that he’s tuned into what’s going on in his life (something which Dick is becoming increasingly aware of Bruce feeling the need to do).

“Do I what?”

“Get overwhelmed.”

Bruce considers the question with a deliberately thoughtful expression.

“I’m very good at hiding it when it happens,” he finally says.

“Oh. . . okay.”

“Dick, you know there’s nothing wrong with feeling overwhelmed.”

“Then why’d you bother to get so good at hiding it when it happens to you?” Dick asks without missing a beat.

Bruce doesn’t have an answer for that. Years later he’ll find himself wondering why he didn’t take the time to make it clear to Dick that hiding his emotions like that isn’t something he ever expects of him. He’ll catalogue it as one of his many failures as a parent. In the moment he just holds himself awkwardly under the child’s expectant, if slightly bleary-eyed, gaze.

“Sometimes you have to do things to keep in control of a situation,” he finally says.

Dick turns big eyes up at him.

“I want to get better at it.”

You don’t need to, is what Bruce should say.

“You’re already pretty good at it,” is what he does say.

Dick makes a contemplative face.

“You weren’t the problem tonight,” Bruce continues. “Those grown-ups should have been able to tell that you were tired, and left you alone.”

“. . . You’re mad at them,” Dick realizes.

“Yes,” Bruce admits readily.

“Oh, okay. I thought that maybe. . .” Dick trails off into another yawn.

Bruce frowns down at him.

“I didn’t want you to be annoyed at me,” Dick says sleepily, adjusting himself so that he’s leaning more fully against Bruce’s side.

“Why would I be annoyed with you?”

“I’dunno,” he half says, half hums.

Bruce’s frown deepens.

“Do you worry about that a lot?” He asks quietly.

He feels the responding shrug more than he sees it.

Dick mumbles something about not wanting anyone to be disappointed.

“You’re not responsible for keeping other people happy,” Bruce tells him.

Several seconds pass with no response. Bruce is about to ask for confirmation that Dick realizes this, when a soft snore informs him that the time for discussion has passed. Instead, he goes back to running his fingers through his ward’s hair, and begins a mental list of people not to let near his child.

#batfam #batfamily #bruce wayne #dick grayson #batman and robin #batman #robin #dc #dcu #my writing

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justmoreocs-writing · 4 months

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Haly's Circus: All Grown Up Story Introduction

#Made By Me #Story Introduction #Titans OCs #Haly's Circus: All Grown Up #Christopher Cole #Viola Cole #Tae Lee #Kit Cole

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justmoreocs-edits · 10 months

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Perspective Character Introduction: Tae Lee

Name: Tae Sa Lee

Nickname(s): Carter

Birthday: 17th of June

Age: 23 years old

Height: 181cm / 5’10’’

Dominant Hand: Right

Occupation: Apprentice Architect

Species: Human

Faceclaim is John Harlan Kim

Character Tag

Story Tag

#Made By Me #Perspective Character Introduction #Titans OCs #Haly's Circus: All Grown Up #Tae Lee

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river-bottom-nightmare · 4 years

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Dick Grayson had charisma pouring out of his skin and a smile that could melt the coldest hearts and an air of buoyancy lighter than a balloon that he presented to the world, to his family, to himself, that he often forgets. It was the little things that remind him.

Like the way he had bruises peppering every part of his body. One would think that he gets them all from the mask, from running around the Haven and Gotham with a skintight suit and two sparky sticks. But Dick’s good, he’s real good, he generally flips out of the way of most punches, and if he does get hit, you know it’s a real serious one. For another thing, the bruises are in odd places. His family sees him wince in pain and expect to see a discoloured mark on his forearm he used to block a hit. Or they see him flinch when he sits down and expect a bruise blossoming on his gut. But instead, purple bursts into color and spreads under the skin of his shins, along an arc on his back, behind his neck. Because these bruises are from practice, from repeatedly landing on his shins on the lyra, arching back on the hoop on his back, and hanging from his neck. The lyra is a beautiful instrument, but the metal is harsh and unforgiving. There are raw red marks on his ankles from the foot locks and holds he practices on the silk. And it’s almost every other day a callous on his hand splits from the trapeze.

Like the way his toes naturally gravitate towards a point. It had been drilled into his head while he was still with Haly’s circus, while he was still under his parents’ protective arch, while he could still turn the performance mindset off. Pointed toes make for strong feet, long lines, and turns your body into a work of art. It was a mantra that rang in his head, one that he lived by vigilantly if he ever wanted to become as graceful and beautiful as his parents. Later on, the mantra changed, though it still rang in his head daily. Pointed toes make for stronger backflips-into-kicks, pointed toes help you vault over a criminal’s head, pointed toes give you the momentum you need to escape Riddler’s traps, Ivy’s snares, Joker’s plots. It’s become a second nature to him. Whether he’s barefoot and sitting on a barstool at the Manor’s breakfast bar, whether he’s wearing his high quality leather dress shoes at a charity event, whether he’s wearing his tactical boots with his Nightwing suit, his toes unconsciously twitch into that pointed position. Dick doesn’t even notice he’s doing it. Which is why he’s always surprised when he takes his shoes off at the end of the day and sits on his bed, pulling his socks off his feet to reveal chipped and broken fingernails, dried blood on his toes, broken blood vessels turning purple. He stares for a couple minutes, flexing his feet flat and wincing at the unfamiliar sensation, before moving to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit.

Like the way he visits an equipment store every two weeks like clockwork to buy some new wrist braces for work. His hands are almost constantly wrapped in tape, no matter what he’s doing at the time. When he’s working on the force, his colleagues shake their heads at how he always has a wrist injury, the wrist braces are a testament to that. Amy starts keeping an extra set in her desk. When he’s in relaxed civvies and hanging out with friends, fingerless gloves are strapped around his hands, the kind that provide extra joint support. It adds to his “cool guy” rep, and he doesn’t do much to disprove the theory. When he’s at the Manor, or Titans Tower, or relaxed with another masked friend, his wrists are taped up, secure and tight. Wrapping the tape around his hands has become second nature, and others are a little disbelieving and a little in awe at the innately graceful way he winds it through his fingers and around his wrist, a ribbon being manipulated at the hands of an expert. Once, when they were just starting out as Batman and Robin, when they had first reached a shaky truce of mutual respect, Damian had asked Dick why he always had some sort of wrist support on. Dick smiled ruefully, unwrapped his wrists, and held them out, the reddish-purple blossoming under the light. His fighting style takes a toll, Dick explains. He flings himself off buildings without a grappling hook and quadruple-somersaults into a hang and springs off a handstand into a right hook and balances himself on his hands as he contorts his body into impossible positions. All that damage is taken out on his wrists, and it’s something he’s grown used to.

Dick Grayson has called himself a Titan for years, different definitions but the same meaning overall. There’s a pedestal in the hero community, higher than even Superman can fly, and no one knows whether Dick was placed on it or if he climbed up there on his own accord, but he’s not coming down anytime soon. He moves with a grace unnatural enough to be captivating but beautiful enough to be comforting. His smirk is forever young, his eyes are light and free, his grip strong and supporting, his laugh warm as to light a sun inside everyone he meets.

It’s easy for people to forget that Dick Grayson is human, and it’s even easier for Dick himself to forget he’s human. It’s the little things that remind him.

#dick grayson #nightwing #dc #dick grayson headcanon #dick grayson ficlet #dick grayson drabble #nightwing headcanon #nightwing ficlet #nightwing drabble #dc headcanon #dc drabble #dc ficlet #scribbles from the swamp

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bluegarners · 3 years

Text

Dick realizes he’s forgetting his childhood.

~oOo~

It hits him one day. It hits him hard.

In reality, it must have been a gradual thing. An overtime thing. A steady decline thing that he just didn’t notice, like rain on eroding rocks. Chipping, chipping, chipping away and weathering it down into pebbles.

But when he stops to actually look around, takes a moment to really think, it hits Dick hard. The wind knocked out of him, train plowing into him, upper cut to the jaw, mind reeling hard.

He can’t remember what his mom’s voice sounded like.

He remembers the old song she used to hum to him, can still dredge up the melody if he really tries, but he can’t remember what she sounded like. He’s almost sure she had a beautiful voice. Almost sure it was breathy and lower in pitch because she was a proud woman that used her voice for authority and rule. Sometimes, if he sits down and thinks exceptionally hard, he thinks even his father might’ve sung with her too.

Oh. Another thing.

He can’t remember the name of the cologne his father used.

It was something spicy, Dick’s sure. Something spicy that smelled like a mix of all the worlds best fireplaces and cinnamon sticks. It was warm, Dick’s positive of it, but sometimes he catches a whiff of vanilla and his mind goes back to his father on Sunday evenings when they didn’t have a performance, so maybe the cologne wasn’t spicy and Dick is just forgetting and remembering it all wrong.

That’s terrifying. How can he forget something as unique and special as his own mother’s voice or his father’s scent? What kind of son forgets something so pertinent to their parents?

He’s read articles about trauma messing with memories. Something about stress hormones going into overdrive, infecting and plaguing the fear factor and hippocampus that the brain just doesn’t recall anything. But he’s also read articles that say trauma enhances memory, that the adrenaline is just so prolific that it literally encodes the events permanently into the hippocampus rather than erase.

He’s even read articles that victims of childhood trauma lose their innocent past completely in a blink. That they may even believe the events never happened and it was all just a dream.

But Dick knows he had parents. He knows that his father was a happy man, outgoing to the fullest and in love with life. He knows his mother made delicious pancakes straight out of the box and that she always used real maple syrup instead of Log Cabin. He knows that they were all very close and his parents never made him feel ashamed for being clingy or wanting to sleep in their bed after a nightmare or seeking comfort after yet another failed trick or flip.

Dick knows. He remembers.

But sometimes the details get fuzzy. Was his baby blanket, the one he knows his long dead nana stitched for him, blue or gray? Were there two rooms or just a bed and a couch in their tiny trailer? Did Pop Haly boom or rumble with laughter? He knows these things happened. How else would he even know he had a blanket or a trailer or the comfort of loud laughter during even louder performances?

But for all his remembrance, for all his recollection, he doesn’t know if it’s real. If what he thinks are memories are but fond daydreams substituted for the blank spaces. He doesn’t have many pictures, but he’s got so many posters from Haly’s Circus. Enough so that his father’s face will never be confused with some stranger’s on the street. Dick has stared at all the bright colors for hours on end, and he knows exactly what shade of green his mother’s eyes were. He could pick out their colors in a forest and still know it wouldn’t be as close to what his mother’s eyes were like.

He knows faces. He remembers faces. He doesn’t remember who they were though. Who these people were and what they sounded and smelled like. What stories they shared. What family lineage they held.

He doesn’t remember what routine they were doing that night. He thinks it was a daring one, one they hadn’t done many times before hand because they wanted to make a good impression in Gotham. They were only going to be there for a month, Dick remembers that, but he can’t remember why it was so important to impress.

He was up next. His father had just flung his mother into the air, twirling and falling, and then his father had caught her by the ankles and they were swinging through the air as if they had grown wings and learnt how to fly.

He was up next. Only nine. Nervous but excited. There were so many people in the crowd, but he can only picture a massive blob. Bright lights. His mother’s face. Green eyes. His father’s strong shoulders. Cinnamon carrying in the wind.

He was up next. He would leap out, flip twice, and somersault his way into his mother’s awaiting grasp. Then, they would float and trade off holds with one another and Dick would be the one holding his mother’s ankles and he would be upside down as well and then-

He was up next. He was up next and he could see his mother’s bright smile beaming towards him, his father’s reassuring grip on the bar steady, and Dick was tensing to make the leap and then-

The line snapped.

Dick thinks his mother might’ve called out to him as they plummeted. Maybe a cry for help. A startled yell. A gasp. A shriek. Terror.

Dick likes to think he remembered her calling out his name.

He doesn’t know if what he does remember is true or not; if his parents’ bodies actually crumpled like wet paper or if they snapped like dry wood. He remembers their descent, but maybe not, because Graysons were known for flying but his parents fell like they had weights tied to their legs. Sound escaped him, smell too, and maybe that’s his problem. Maybe he just can’t remember important senses like sound and scent, but he does remember the way the sawdust turned black.

They had all worn their favorite leotards that night. Red, green, yellow, bright and happy. He doesn’t remember why it was so important to impress Gotham. It just stained their uniforms anyway. Stained their livelihood.

He doesn’t remember how long he stayed up there, gazing down down down at his parents. Broken and bloody. There was white mixed in with the red, and a little bit of purple here and there, bright splotches of blue and pink, and it’s funny that he remembers all that because their leotards only had three colors.

He blanks on the rest. Just knows that Danny Poteet shoved his face into his shoulder as the crowd disappeared, the mass of blobs and blurry faces fading. Mister Poteet was a nice man. He can’t remember what Poteet did, what his act was in the circus, but he’s pretty sure he had a long beard. Was that important? Was that even his name? Dick doesn’t remember.

And it angers him to no end that he can remember the organs that split their way through his parents leos, can probably name them now that he’s older, but not what his mother said to him as she fell. Not what his dad smelled like. Not what Danny Poteet mumbled to him as red and blue lights filled the tent.

He’s forgetting. Did he ever remember?

He wants to tell stories of his childhood. So badly wants to regale his brothers of his days in the circus. He can tell them all the working secrets of how twenty clowns fit inside a car meant for a baby. How fire breathers drank oil without it ever touching their tongues. How the strong man was actually just a pillow lifter with down in his suit. How strong and fast and beautiful the Flying Graysons were on the trapeze.

He can tell all those things because they were simple and everyday and honestly common knowledge (which also scares Dick because what if he only “remembers” these things because he looked them up one day and just pretended that he always knew it because that’s how he grew up, that is how he lived, but what if he’s wrong-). More than anything though, Dick wants to tell them about his parents.

About Mary and John Grayson and how they were the kindest and most amazing people Dick ever knew. But he can’t. Not without lying, and his parents hated liars (he hopes they did, please, he hopes he remembers at least one truthful thing that he hasn’t made up).

So when Tim looks at him like he’s lost his mind when he says, “I think my dad smelled spicy,” or when Jason laughs at him when Dick tries to tell him about this baby elephant that might’ve existed at some point or when Damian only sighs when he tries to recall a story with so many holes and fragments that it’s just incomprehensible, Dick feels like crying.

How can someone just forget a lifetime of memories? How can he just lose the only connections he has to his parents like it’s nothing?

Posters only go so far. Faded and hazy dreams of a melody that won’t leave his throat only do so much. Wisps of vanilla and burnt wood only taper the feelings of loss ever so slightly.

It’s not enough. It’s not enough.

He’s forgotten. He’s forgotten.

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foxesandmagic · 2 years

Text

WIP Title Game

I was tagged by the wonderful @lamborghiniboyo, thank you.

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have wips.

I'm very bad at actually writing so I don't have any proper WIPs right now. However, I'm going to write all the titles of stories I have drabble posters for (Under the cut because there’s a lot of them):

A Few More Hours A Matter of Blood; Ace of Spades; Age of Ragnarok; Birds of a Feather; Boldness Be My Friend; Collumbus House; Countdowns; Crime, Friendship and Other Things; Death Becomes You; Deja Vu; Elements, Brains and Fangs; Flirting With the Devil; Ghostly Encounters; Gilded Cage; Haly's Circus: All Grown Up; Honour Rites; Kindred; Kit Kats, Eggs and Tequila; Lights, Camera, Scream; Listen to Your Hart; Maze Moments; More Than Machines; Nightmare Chasers; Not All Shadowhunters; Not Just Another Weasley; Of Hunters and Old Magic; Phoenix; Pitch and Toss; Prestige; Rising Light; Scared of the Dark; Serious Mischief and Mystery Solving; Sidekicks and Criminals; Software Instability; Stories From the Past; Stories of Hope; The Butler and the Duke; The Cure Series; The Curses; The Ghost of You; The Making of a Hero; The Mystery of Saint Michael's; The Piccola Rossa Series; The Secret of Torna; The Silhouette of a Bird; The St. Claire Mysteries; The Voyageur Moteplass; Unexpected Partners; Unlikely Allies; Up in Smoke; Up in the Clouds; Verstehen; What We Saw in the Darkness; Yay For Surivours.

...

Tag List (if you want to be added, or removed, from this or any other list just let me know): @ocfairygodmother, @randomfandomingwrites, @fiercefray, @randomestfandoms-ocs, @heresthefanfiction, @kendelias, @heirsoflilith, @missemmalie, @noratilney, @hiddenqveendom, @fanficanatic-tw, @ocmerunaway.

#Tag Games 2022

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