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aipens · 11 months

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Every Robin has a Batgirl.

It first started with Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. However briefly, Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown followed, as did Damien Wayne and Cassandra Cain.

But where does that leave the second Robin? He, too, deserves someone that gets him. Because, though he tries so hard to do well in school, none of his peers are anyone he can call his friends. He’s simply too different from them.

As exciting as this new life is, both as Jason and as Robin, it is also lonely.

So why not give him some reprieve?

Allow Batman to cross ways with a spunky, fiery brat. Someone that doesn’t cower before him, even as he looks down at her, menacing as ever. Maybe she was engaging in some petty crime, bumping into all sorts of Gothamites and clearing their pockets of anything of value without them noticing. It’s probably an entirely too common sight— for all the good Bruce Wayne tries to do for his city, not everyone gets enough.

But playing thief puts food on the table. The motions are smooth and practiced, like she’s been doing this for months, at least. Maybe she has.

Any other time, perhaps he might’ve been more strict. But the unfazed look in her eyes, even as the city’s Dark Knight himself corners her is telling enough of her character, and a man like him can see beyond the raggedy clothes and the grime on her cheek— if nothing else, there’s potential for growth and, in their field, that is everything.

Let the news be dumped on Jason. Let initial skepticism at the prospect of a partner evolve into cautious interest, then competitive enthusiasm. He’s always been an independent, headstrong guy. Why is there a need for another sidekick? Is this some half-assed attempt to replace him?

Or maybe, it is more of a challenge. A means to prove himself to Bruce, outperforming her and establishing himself as the better choice.

And, above all, let her match that energy. Allow that feeling of being undermined to make way for camaraderie. He, too, can recognize that if Grayson had a batgirl, it’s only right he gets one, too. Allow his forced partner to become his ally, even if reluctantly. And from there, let him earn a dear friend.

Let them grow together, as vigilantes and as people. Let them share their backgrounds, and bond over common experiences.

As he grows from an ever-happy boy to one far more critical of Batman and his methods, keep Batgirl as this constant source of lightheartedness to balance his own brooding nature. Let their banter and jokes help them both cope with the darkness of their work.

Let him have someone to reach out to about fears and vulnerabilities. Because, for as grateful as he is to Bruce, he is often the object of his grievances. In cases like those, her presence is always welcome. In turn, let him feel relied on when she returns the favor and seeks him out for comfort. He’s hardly anyone’s first choice, and he knows that much.

But also, let him realize some special sort of feelings may be starting to flourish. Let him grapple with whether or not it’s best to remain silent as the idea of a crush settles in. As he sorts himself out, let him question if saying anything will be worth it at all.

It’s innocent and has that juvenile quality to it. Let him become hyper-aware of her presence. Let the familiar closeness make him bashful, but not enough to deter him from looking for any and every opportunity to spend time with her. He’s not unlike a peacock, sometimes, showing off his feather to impress her. Grand movements during a fight during patrol together, followed by undertones of self-consciousness if she calls him out on being a show-off. Toning it up with the wit and the charm, and always checking to see if he’s at least earned a small laugh. Perhaps he’ll even try to play the act of the chivalrous gentleman… to an extent. Not pulling out a chair for her, or anything. That seems too obvious. More like prioritizing her safety, and readily offering support.

He tries hard to put himself in a favorable light. To someone like Batman or Alfred, the flashy behavior might be entirely too conspicuous. But indeed, he does well in showcasing himself and catching her eye. For as long as they’ve worked together, she’s known him to be rather fearless. (Although, when it comes to him, that’s pretty synonymous with reckless). He’s a reliable, quick thinker, and can be charismatic when he’s not being broody. Let her return those feelings.

And, lastly, let him resolve to be true to himself and tell her soon, but not soon enough.

Let him fall into the Joker’s grasp before he can try to do anything. Have him endure great suffering at the hands of his captor, and isolate him from the world. Let him grow frustrated at his situation, and have him long for home. Even as he lies beaten and broken, allow him some solace in his memories of before. He deserves that small comfort.

On her end, allow her to remain hopeful of finding him, no matter how long’s passed. And, even if her mentor has accepted Robin’s death, let her hold on to the possibility that that might not be the case. In consequence, however, let her grow resentful of Bruce and his apparent lack of compassion for his own son. Let Bruce shield her from the recordings of his Robin getting beaten down. He knows how much those two care for each other. Let him try to protect at least one of them.

Let her assume that the appearance of the small Tim Drake is Bruce’s quick acceptance of the absurd idea that Jason isn’t coming back to them— to her. Let her grow angry. Let her snap at Bruce for failing them both, and let their relationship forever remain severed.

Even as months pass, she will do her best to find him. But then again, if the world’s best detective failed, what can you expect this Batgirl to do?

Let the first real interaction in months between Batgirl and Batman to occur upon receiving news of Robin’s whereabouts. Let them both rush off to that damned warehouse, and let Jason’s final thought be that he hears a familiar call of his name as everything explodes around him.

Let Bruce return home, having lost two members of his family. One to death’s hands, and one to grief and anger. Let her run and vow to never return, blaming Batman for having failed them both, and let Batman be powerless before his own losses.

#such a sucker for this idea y'all don't even know #@ me in ALL the jason and batgirl content y'all see ever #jason todd x reader #red hood x reader #batboys x reader #bat boys x reader #canon rehash is where its AT okay #jason x reader #redhood x reader #?#dc x reader #dc x you #jason x you #jason todd x you #red hood x you #:shower thoughts #:jason todd

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fancyfade · 26 days

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if you had to describe babs, cass, dick and damian to people who knew nothing about them, what would you say?

hmmm you didn't put a word/sentence count limit that is gonna make this long :P

Babs: Babs establishes the legacy of Batgirl as an equal who works independently and does not receive training from Batman, but what is truly important about her character is the way she re-invents herself after being seriously injured in the Killing Joke. Babs becomes Oracle, the information nexus of the superhero world, and does far more than she ever could when she was able bodied. She's an incredibly important character for this, and DC universe feels her absence when she is changed to be able bodied. She clearly articulates the value of a disabled life. The way that she handles and deals with trauma (through a nexus of control) is fun to read about. She also deeply believes in second chances and wants to help other people recover from terrible situations like she was in.

One sentence summary for Babs: Batgirl becomes informational center of superhero world after disabling injury, starts her own superhero team, is awesome.

Cass: Cass is the Batgirl after Babs. She is a perfectionist. She's extremely compassionate, she's one of the best if not the best martial artists in the world, and she is (at least at first) suicidal. Her arc is important and about her dealing with the crushing guilt she feels about having killed someone at eight years of age after being raised in an isolated environment and taught only how to fight. She was treated as a weapon. We see how she reaches to understand people and fight for her own agency against those who have different visions for her. Like Babs, Cass believes in second chances, and when she can she will reach out and try to get people who are against her to change their ways (though she needs a reason to believe they will change - she's not gonna say "hey joker let's redeem you", but she will reach out to her assassin fanboys or to Alpha)

One sentence summary for Cass: Child raised as killer doesn't want to kill and feels so guilty about it she's suicidal, becomes a superhero and one of the world's premiere martial artists and wants to save everyone.

Dick: first robin, then nightwing, occassional batman. Dick is a perfectionist, though I'd argue not in the same vein cass is, because Dick (when confronted with extremely high expectations) will get mad if he feels they are unfair and Cass just tries to reach them (Dick does too, but he like. feels like he shouldn't have to). He's competent in a wide variety of subject areas (like many batfam members). He's generally nice and social, but in no way the paragon of goodness - he's just some guy. If anything I'd say his morals in general seem a bit looser than Bruce's (and Cass's), he's definitely willing to give up on some people as lost, and he is kind of bitchy -- sometimes in a fun way, sometimes just in an 'asshole you would see on the internet' way, often going for low blows. However he does always try.

One sentence summary for Dick: He's just some guy but he's very talented and has friends.

Damian: youngest robin. Like Cass, Damian was raised to fight, but that's where their similarities end. Damian was raised as the heir to Ra's al Ghul, the leader of a cult dedicated to preserving the earth (sometimes via greatly reducing the human population). He received training in many areas including fighting, sciences, arts -- like pretty much an everything prodigy. When he gets to the Batfam, he has pretty much the rockiest intro possible (tries to kill/seriously attacks depending on your reading of it the previous robin). What's important about Damian is that he's prickly on the outside, and he acts in a way that makes sense for how he was raised. He beat up Tim because that's how you handle having a rival in the League. He's generally outwardly rude and unimpressed with people at first, and people are at first outwardly rude and annoyed by him. He also has a very slow, gradual arc about unlearning assassin-stuff. However, despite his prickly exterior he is very compassionate and cares a lot about people. Post Robin: Son of Batman, Damian will try to empathize with and get villain kids to change their ways, and he views the villains he did kill as not fundamentally different from himself.

one sentence summary for damian: baby raised as assassin sasses batman while saving people, sometimes complaining about it.

#anon #ask #barbara gordon #dick grayson #cassandra cain #damian wayne #oracle #batgirl #nightwing #robin

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aliceramblesonnerdity · 2 months

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Reading Robins. I know it's not popular but I've been enjoying it so far.

I managed to ask Seeley about what inspired Anita during an AMA and he said he wanted to flip the script: everyone's told stories about the bad of being a Robin, nobody talks about the bad of not being a Robin and that's what she represents. It's meant to show being robin in a different light than we're used to.

An interesting page.

An interesting show that Anita has tucked herself inside the Batcave and has access to everyone's secrets. I do think that Damian here is doing sibling joking over threatening, this book has been really focused on the familiar bonds so...

I do appreciate how much Seeley is presenting Dick as the experienced, smart one. But also giving Steph experience and value on the team!

The silly tone of this book does wonders for it.

Of note here: they're technically here to save some villians that Anita kidnapped to use as live bait for the Robins. This leads to:

The most beautiful panel of Dick EVER. Plus seeing Tim removed from Bruce and being far more morally grey and ready to not save the bad guy. I do think this is pretty damn in character for the guy. I do appreciate Rivas delivering some amazing art on the second page, fucks expression capture the mood perfectly. However I really am interested in the point being dragged up here: Tim's argument of the rules of robin being defined by being Dick is really interesting.

Genuinely some of my favorite Tim in a while. He's not perfect, he's not the bestest boi of the batfam: he's hit headed, he thinks he's invincible and perfect, hell he thinks he can beat the rest of the Robins in a fight. He's the teenager here! Pure stupid testosterone teenager! Plus you see a hint of the fact that this guy is the only one who actually has privilege to throw around. This feels VERY rich white boy the way he's acting in a way that I think most people forget. Over all Seeley captures Tim in an aspect that I wish we saw more often.

Additionally, we see evil-Tim™ pop up from under the surface. It's no secret that in most futures Tim becomes an evil Batman who kills anything that gets in his way and I can't help but feel like Seeley is hinting at that future here.

It is important to note that this takes place AFTER Zdarsky's Urban Legends 1-6, which means Jason is actively currently trying to make amends with Bruce, and viceversa. A reminder to that Jason often is portrayed as the mirror to Batman, with Bruce often describing Jason pre-death as a happier, kinder version of himself. Even after, Jason tends to mirror Bruce a lot more than the rest of the fam bar Cass. I think there's something to be said there about how Tim made this big deal about Damian telling him he'll never be batman, saying he'll make sure the criminals die, and Jason being the one specifically to stop him.

Also AGAIN with Steph being shown to pull her weight on the team! Look guys! It's the bare minimum that we ask DC for!

I hit image limit, sadness. RB coming.

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deathxcko · 1 year

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it takes him a lot longer than it should. watching without seeing : the stiff arc of jason's entire body, a bowstring stretched back long to its limits just to be notched into place there. suspended. there's something too far away about him, like dick's watching him through a one - way mirror, and— he knows how jason is about shit like this, he does, but— “ hey. ” a single step closer, as if the mono - syllable's broken some spell, brows furrowed over searching eyes. hesitating. “ . . . c'mere, ” and he's wrapping careful arms around too - young shoulders. it's easy to forget, in their line of work ; old enough to watch your parents die, old enough to aspire to save them, anyone, everyone, for the rest of your life. jason's only grown since he met him, the goddamn beanstalk, but he's still— he'll always be little wing to dick. not that he'd ever say it out loud ; he wouldn't do that to him. often. “ fuck, you're tall, ” he mutters, as if to himself : an easy out, if one is necessary, but he doesn't let go. this got away from me even if it's vague as hell... for any of jason's verses you're feelin tbh <3

i liked a post because jason always needs hugs and vigilaent delivered !!

DICK'S GOTTEN MUCH BETTER AT THIS, JASON NOTES. They were never bad before, not by a long shot. Perhaps it was the scratchy memories that plagued his mind, old thoughts and opinions warped by the beatings his body had taken over the years, but hugs weren't frequent. Perhaps the experience of having a million fucking kids roll through the manor gave him the practice.

Jason's muscles pulled at his shoulders, arms hunched in slightly, unable to breathe quite right. The motions were familiar, years of trying to hide his chest - or fold into himself, blend into the background. Stress was a killer, and it showed in every wrinkle pressed into his skin, the aching of bones where injuries were healed years ago. He protested young, at the counter insistence of physical affection, and to a degree? It worked. Don't fucking touch me.

But so much had changed. And so many had caught onto the fact that physical contact was like an anchor. Pulling you and holding you to the ground. You're here, you're safe, you're valued. His mother's sweet forehead kisses, Bruce's hair ruffles, the fiery clap on his shoulder, warm hugs that made breathing easier, cheek kisses pressed into his skin: Shut up - you're not okay right now, let us help.

It was a battle, the younger tensing almost immediately when Dick pounced. The downside to Jason's emotionality being something that has become more common-knowledge, was that knowledge being used against him. His breath was shallow (breathe!), and Jason moved his focus onto the physical.

Dick's hair was an annoying shaggy length, as it flopped over his shoulder. Arms were steady, and pulled him down. The younger hadn't realized that his anxiety had him out on his feet. Her voice complaining about their height difference made Jason feel his body fold from tension completely. A chuckle left his lips, and slightly-shaky hands (when did they get like this?) wrapped back around his brother.

"Get a damn ladder if it bothers you that much." Thanks. It was clear Jason wasn't letting go anytime soon.

#(the crowd goes awww but the moment is ruined once jason feels better & then decides to stick a wet finger in dick's ear (like an asshole))#(BROTHER BEHAVIOR. ANY SERIOUS MOMENT MUST BE RUINED IMMEDIATELY AFTER)#&&; cause i burned every bridge i ever built. ( legacy )#&&; i want to stay in love with my sorrow. i want to let it go. ( v.main)

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outoftheframework · 4 years

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characterization cheat sheet: the batfamily boys

Hey everyone! I had the idea to compile a comprehensive list of different traits and attributes for each member of the batfamily based off of both canon and fanon interpretations. I think this could be useful for new members to the fandom, or those looking to write and/or draw for these characters. Remember that these will have a slight bias considering I, a fanon creator, am creating the lists. But I’ll try to make them as accurate as possible.

Appearances vary from artist to artist, so I’ll try to stray away from general details and add more little things you can consider in your art.

Bruce Wayne:

Age: 35-45

Appearance: Extremely physically fit, but signs of aging and prolonged exertion can slip through. Has a collection of scattered scars varying from fresh to fully healed. Strong, dark features. Conventionally attractive, but can easily switch to be foreboding/intimidating. Well kept in public appearances, but can look like death incarnate when in private.

Personality: Dual personas: “Bruce” (at home, but not as batman) and “Brucie” (public appearances like galas, news interviews). Bruce is stoic, well-read and educated, well-mannered, and occasionally can be witty and laid-back. Smirks rather than smiles. Brucie is loud, spontaneous, charming, and sometimes oblivious. He is the womanizer and scandal-maker. Often the actions of Brucie are motivated by Batman’s interests.

Speech: Bruce was mainly raised by as English butler, so his speech patterns are proper and smooth. Rarely uses speech fillers such as “uh” and “um,” except when interrupted while concentrating. Despite living in Gotham his entire life, he has not picked up the accent. His voice is newscaster American, almost impossible to pinpoint to a certain region. His speech as Brucie changes to relate more to the audience he is addressing. Speeches to Gotham high society will sound different than those aimed to the general public.

Additional Attributes: Bruce Wayne in all of his personalities is fiercely protective, and can easily slip into a deeper voice to intimidate. Bruce can be extremely empathetic and slightly impulsive when it comes to children who have lost their parents. As learned through his training to become Batman, Bruce is disciplined and can work for hours straight.

Dick Grayson:

Age: 23-29

Appearance: Dick Grayson mirrors a young Bruce Wayne despite their not being blood related. This could be a subconscious action by Dick to absorb traits of his father figure. His lean acrobatic body starts to set him apart from Bruce’s image. Dick manages to be well-built but still limber and flexible. His feet and hands are rough and calloused. His hair can get long but usually stays at a length in between Bruce’s and Tim’s. His eyes are bright blue without even a hint of green or brown.

Personality: In one comic I believe it was Superman who said that Dick Grayson is a universal constant, meaning that on every alternate earth or timeline, you can always rely on him to be good and pure. I think this really sums up who Dick should be. He is kind to a fault, and can sometimes be naive and not think things through. He loves to love, be that in his family, in his romantic relationships, in his friendships, and even in strangers. He is a chronic hero who only wants to see the world as a better place. But it’s important to note that Dick can get angry when pushed, and holds grudges.

Speech: Dick is an extremely interesting study in speech patterns. As a child he traveled with the circus, until he lived with clear-spoken Bruce Wayne and a proper English butler. So influences to his speech and accent come both internationally and locally to Gotham and Bludhaven. As a child living at Wayne Manor, Dick picks up a slight Gotham tinge to his accent with some British flourish in his vowel sounds. He regularly speaks in slang. As Nightwing he is able to suppress his unique speech to sound more evenly American.

Additional Attributes: Dick acts differently around each of his family members as to be what they need in a big brother. For example, he is more fatherly to Damian while to Tim he is more an equal. Dick can fidget and has less of an attention span than Bruce. He can use jokes as a coping mechanism.

Jason Todd:

Age: 22-26

Appearance: Hair is often long on top and shorter on the sides, sometimes with a white streak as a side effect from the Lazarus Pit. Tallest and heaviest of all the kids, very physically intimidating. Has a lot of scars and burns, and in some fan works he has a “Y” shaped scar the length of his chest from his autopsy. Never skips leg day. Green/blue eyes.

Personality: Jason goes through a lot of character development, but for this list I’m going off a timeline of post-Under the Red Hood, where Jason is on okay, yet still a little shaky, terms with the rest of the family. Jason has a hard time separating vigilante life and civilian life; his death as Robin ended his life as Jason Todd, blurring the lines between the two. Jason is legally dead, so he is basically building an identity back up. He holds some attributes from childhood: brave, impulsive, loud-mouthed, and street-smart. But his experiences post-Robin have made him a hardened loner. He lives modestly and with some semblance of order. He’s hard to foster a relationship with, but can be a passionate friend/family member when he opens up.

Speech: Jason probably has the least influence from Bruce and Alfred’s speech patterns, seeing as though he spent a lot more time with his biological family/on the streets than he did as a preteen in the manor. He is the definition of Gotham vernacular, with a rough edge. So much so that as a child, the high society gala attenders sometimes had a hard time understanding him. Often talks in curt, short sentences.

Additional Attributes: He has trouble expressing his emotions, more specifically anger and/or grief. Can both love or hate furiously. Inherently good, but sometimes does “bad” things. Protective over children, especially those living on the street. Very much a believer in “the ends justify the means.”

Tim Drake:

Age: 17-20

Appearance: Pale skin, dark hair. Sharp cheek bones and jawline, mostly from how skinny he is. His body isn’t technically “built” to be extremely athletic, but he’s forced a nice lean build from stringently working out. Easily loses and gains weight as a direct result of his work, causing fluctuations in his build. Five foot something, will eventually be out-grown by Damian. Long hair that can still be styled to look professional.

Personality: Tim Drake is very passionate in pretty much everything he sets his mind to. He feels as though he imposed himself onto Batman to become Robin, so he works twice as hard to prove his worth. He can be self conscious and deprecating. Tim as Robin or Red Robin is very different than civilian Tim; his hero personas can be bolder and more confident. Despite dropping out of high school, he values education.

Speech: Tim grew up rich, and his speech reflects an intelligence gained from private tutors. Despite this, he knows how to interact with those his age in using less formal language and slang. Often quotes books and movies. Can be awkward and stumble over his words when teased by his friends/family. He can manipulate people easily in business settings by talking fast and confidently while explaining complex topics.

Additional Attributes: Tim’s demeanor is directly tied to his varying levels of confidence and anxiety. Tim is has above-average intelligence and is diligent in detective work, but can still act like a teenager. He can be stubborn to extremes and will patiently play the long con. He does not cope well with loss.

Duke Thomas:

Age: 17-19

Appearance: Short dark hair, shaved on the sides and/or the back. Often wears the colors yellow and black. Around the same height as Tim, but a little taller. Stronger and heavier build more alike to Jason than Dick, but he’s still light on his feet. Expressive face that can give away his feelings easily. Still a bit of a baby face, but he’s still well-proportioned and conventionally handsome.

Personality: In my works, I’ve often described Duke as having a “sun-shiny” personality. He is one to not even think twice about putting others before himself. Duke uses his own personal experiences to guide him as a hero rather than suppress his emotions. Duke went from being an only child to having a large family, so he can sometimes feel overwhelmed. He is on friendly terms with every member of the batfamily, as well as many other heroes. Duke is self-sacrificial and is still learning how to effectively work as a detective.

Speech: Duke grew up in a middle class Gotham family, so his speech is influenced by his parents as well as his city environment. Duke has a mild Gotham accent and speaks a lot in modern slang. He hasn’t had much influence from Bruce and Alfred, considering he hasn’t lived with them for long. It’s possible that as he grows he will pick up some influences from Bruce and Tim’s way of speaking, but will most likely hold onto the accent of his childhood.

Additional Attributes: Duke is a metahuman vigilante in a city where Batman typically bans them, which causes a bit of an insecurity and a perfectionist drive. These are exasperated by the long line of history preceding him, as well as the fact that he involved himself in the Robin movement rather than being handpicked by Batman. He and Tim can relate in that way. Duke is an ardent student of Batman and is dedicated to the cause.

Damian Wayne:

Age: 10-14

Appearance: Looks similar to Bruce when he was the same age, yet stronger and with tanner skin. His hair is expertly cut and styled, but still age-appropriate. He is the shortest of the batkids, but still has a lot of time and potential to grow. He pretty much won the genetics lottery with Bruce and Talia as his biological parents, and is made for athletics. He has some scars that stand out with their pale coloring against his tan skin.

Personality: Damian is slowly becoming less of a brat, to put it bluntly. He admires his family and tries to mimic them, but will never confess it. Damian is quick to judge and will voice his opinion no matter how scathing it may be, both as civilian and hero. Damian is slowly realizing he may not want the Batman mantle as quickly as he planned. Jon is a perfect foil to Damian, and often makes him a better person when they’re together.

Speech: His speech is proper and formal. Prefers formal titles: ex. “father” over “dad” and last names over first. Damian is at least bilingual (Arabic and English), and can switch between languages easily. Most of his speech patterns developed from his tutors in the League, and more recently, Alfred. Influences like Jon and Dick have introduced him to a more modern, laid-back way of speaking, which he sometimes utilizes when relaxed.

Additional Attributes: Damian has problems with authority, especially those that he doesn’t respect like his teachers at school. He can be arrogant and childish ever though he often acts like he knows everything. Damian is still a child and has much to learn from batman and family as well as unlearn from his time at the League. Dami was forged to be a ruthless warrior, but now has to find a balance between the hero Robin and the child Damian Wayne.

Hope this helps someone! Feel free to add on if you think I missed anything. Just please remember to be civil and respect different interpretations of these characters. Let me know if you want another one of these posts outlining the girls or other characters.

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jostenneil · 3 years

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Dick and Jason for the meme

from this ask meme

since these get to be so long i'm gna do dick on this one and send myself an ask with jason so that can be its own post. hope that's ok

i think more than anything the key to understanding dick is that he's more like bruce than he wants to admit. i don't think your goal with writing dick should be to make him as un-bruce-like as possible, bc dick is as much a product of being bruce's son and protege (if not more) as he is a product of being an acrobat or being the leader of the titans. a lot of his competency as a detective and combatant can certainly be owed to the things required of you as an acrobat, but i also think it's undeniable that a lot is owed to how bruce further nurtured those skills, and to a degree i believe that part of dick worked hard to be a good robin bc he wanted to be seen by bruce as a partner worth having. they're both people who value the structure and methodology of a job done well and when people fail to honor that structure you can tell it severely grates on them, and then ofc there is the matter of how they act in times of emotional distress, which, while their way of handling it is different, i think they're actually quite similar in how their grief and anger can be a bit intimidating to others bc there's a level of pressure they both put on themselves that no one else quite understands (except maybe kory and talia, imo)

THAT BEING SAID, i do think there are distinct, significant ways in which dick is different from bruce. namely, i think dick is a little more willing to take risks than bruce is (again, probably something you can assume stems from how he's learned to live and perform as an acrobat), but those risks are also aptly calculated. dick isn't reckless, he's just. . . very confident and very familiar with his own abilities and scope. i think he knows his body and his limits well and that to me is also fundamental to what makes him an effective leader, bc he's superb at analyzing people and formulating a plan of attack based off of what's available to him

sort of an extension of the above two points, but dick to me is scarily, frighteningly competent. moreso than bruce even. i think he does have the capacity to be as emotionally volatile and ugly as bruce in his lowest moments, but unlike bruce, that doesn't take as much of a toll on his work. for bruce, being in control emotionally is incredibly important to being effective on the job, and that's not to say it isn't important to dick, but i think dick is the kind of guy who can take all of that anger and grief and hurl it at you with deadly precision bc if anything the emotions sharpen his kill instinct even more. not to say that he has a kill instinct, but, yknow. he's damn good at his job and regardless of whatever fucked up stuff is going on in his life he's still going to be damn good at his job

i do think his heart is ultimately always going to be with the titans. like yes he would do anything for bruce if bruce asked him but even bruce knows how much of a home dick has in the titans and that's a large part of why he doesn't necessarily ask dick to come back, bc he respects that. i was talking about this earlier, but i often wonder, would dick have the relationships that he does with the robins and batgirls if he wasn't deliberately brought back into the batman line of comics by chuck dixon and writers thereafter? personally, i don't think he would. that's not to say i'm negating them now and i love his relationships with, say, tim and damian, but i think there should be a recognition that those are relationships that occurred bc editorial sort of mandated that he be brought back even tho realistically i don't think he'd ever have left the titans to begin with

sort of jumping off of that point, but i think dick is very much someone who's more comfortable working on a team or within a partnership. he can be plenty effective solo obv but i don't think he would care to operate solo if he didn't have to. i think he's content to lead a team and work with people to reach the best solution to a problem. and this is me really, really extrapolating things, but i also feel like part of it can stem from the fact that he operated for so long as part of a team with his parents, that it's almost a natural prerogative for him to operate within that sort of structure. i feel like it even helps contextualizes the way he reacts when bruce asks him to quit being robin and when kory tells him she has to marry someone else for duty. he doesn't want to be left behind and he doesn't want to go it alone if he doesn't have to

#dick grayson #dc #mine:meta #asks #this was one of the longest ones. oh my

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elareine · 3 years

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If you're still taking prompts maybe some JayDick but Catlad or Hemlock Jason? Robin or Nightwing is up to you. I just think it would be sweet. Merry Christmas btw

Thank you, and merry belated Christmas to you, too!

“Hey, mom. Hello, dad.”

Every year Dick makes this pilgrimage. As he always does, Bruce has offered to come with him; the idea feels wrong, though, so Dick is here alone.

Well. Not quite alone, he hopes.

“I didn’t bring you any flowers this time,” he continues, “I’m sorry. There was an incident with the car, and, yeah. You should’ve seen how Bruce swore. Really, sometimes I think he forgets that I’m there…”

He keeps talking like that—funny things, sad things, important things, all of them wrapped in codewords just in case someone is listening. And at the crunch of gravel behind him, he becomes aware that someone is.

Turning around, Dick sees a boy standing there. He’s probably two or three years younger than Dick, and he’s holding flowers.

“Hello,” Dick says, giving the word a questioning note.

“Hi.” The kid nods towards the gravestone. “I’m sorry about your parents.”

“Were you there?” Dick asks, a little exhausted. Sometimes it feels like his parents’ death belongs to everyone who watched, even everyone who had ever seen them perform, instead of the people who loved them.

But the boy shakes his head. “Nah. But I’ve seen you return to them, so they must’ve been good parents, right? Most people, they stop coming after a few years.”

“Yeah. Yeah, they were.” Dicks still confused, though, and it comes through in his voice.

The boy rubs the back of his neck, looking faintly embarrassed. “… they’re for you. I noticed you, uh, didn’t have any this time.”

He holds the flowers out for Dick. With their stems uneven and the leaves slightly dirty, they’re clearly wildflowers, a rarity in Gotham. Dick has no idea where the kid even found them.

He smiles at the younger boy and takes them. “Thank you. What’s your name?”

But the kid shakes his head and runs away. Dick looks after him, frowning. He wonders, just a little bit, what a child of that age was doing here. Then he shrugs it off—kids like hanging around graveyards.

The flowers look beautiful on the grave, like they belong there.

—

Dick doesn’t think about it again until the boy turns up again the year after.

His name is Jason.

They become friends or something like it. They meet in the park by the graveyard, and Jason doesn’t talk about his family, and Dick doesn’t talk about being Robin, but it feels like they know each other, nonetheless.

And then, one year, Jason doesn’t come.

Dick waits for him. He waits, and he talks to his parents, and he runs out of stories and sunlight before he stops waiting and goes searching.

Too few people know Jason even exists—existed. Dick wonders how that’s possible—how a boy so obviously bright can just vanish with barely a trace.

Finally, when he goes through police reports, he gets an inkling of what happened: An accident involving chemicals, two streets away from the graveyard. A tanker that flipped over and exploded, burning so hot they never identified all of the victims. There are no reports of a child being hit, but… it’s the best explanation he has.

Dick makes sure to pay the transport company’s offices a visit, and then another one to the chemical plant where they’d decided that the cost of safety was higher than the value of human life. And he builds a grave. Just a small memorial on the plot next to his parents’, the one he had originally reserved for himself.

They share their anniversaries, after all.

—

Every year, Dick brings flowers. No carefully crafted bouquets anymore; no, he keeps his eyes open for beauty by the wayside: the daffodil growing between curbs, the snowdrops on the lawn, the dandelions and daisies between the weeds.

He’s kinda surprised Poison Ivy hasn’t reprimanded him for his newfound habit yet. Sure, she seems busy with her new sidekick, and picking a few flowers is nothing next to large-scale environmental destruction, but she’s always liked picking on him for the smallest things as Robin before. Why would she stop now that he’s Nightwing?

“Maybe she understands grief,” he tells Jason’s gave. “It’s… looking for the flowers has opened my eyes, in a way. Thank you.” He swallows. “I still wish you hadn’t, though.”

—

Three years after Jason’s death, a stranger is standing by his grave.

No, not a stranger, Dick realizes when he steps closer and sees green skin. Hemlock—a menace to Bruce, a wildcard as far as Dick is concerned. Unlike his mentor, the guy seems to be just as concerned with human life as plant rights. They’ve been on the same side in fights just as often as on different ones.

“Uh. Hi,” is all Dick can think to say. After all, they’re not supposed to know each other in his Civilian identity.

Hemlock jumps. “You—“ he says, but he’s already turning away, and then he’s gone, running toward the exit. Dick stares after him. What on Earth brought that on? How strange.

When he turns back, he sees that his parents’ grave is covered in tiny, white flowers.

—

Today marks fifteen years since his parents fell to their deaths. Dick is an adult now, with his own life, his own family. And still, he tells them: “I miss you.” He doesn’t think that will ever stop, even if it’s an adult’s grief now, mourning the chance to ever get to know his parents as people, to have them in his life as the solid wall of support he’s always known them at, but in the background.

With Jason, it’s a bit different. The wound still feels so fresh, and Dick can feel the tears well up in his eyes when he tells the second grave: “Miss you, especially.”

For some reason, mourning Jason has just been so—so—difficult. That’s it. As if he’s not really gone.

“Don’t think I’ll ever stop blaming myself for that,” he adds softly.

“You don’t need to,” someone says.

Dick startles. What the fuck?

Hemlock steps out of the shadows behind the graves. This time, though, he’s not wearing a mask. This time, Dick can see his face, and—

“…Jason?”

“Yeah.” The younger boy—man—gives a little wave. “Surprise, I guess.”

“But—“Dick realizes with terrible clarity what must’ve happened. The accident, the chemicals—and Jason clutching the flowers.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

Jason’s jaw shifts forward mulishly, and oh, that’s a much more familiar expression. “I’m telling you so you can stop with that shit. I’m a freak; that’s all there is to it. It’s fine.”

You’re not a freak, is Dick’s first instinct, but he has been around metas enough by now to know that that won’t help. Besides, Jason is still talking.

“I’m sorry, I never wanted to pull you into this world. You can do better than this. I just wanted to let you know that you can—you can stop with all this and go on with your life as normal.”

…Dick can’t help it; he has to laugh. It’s more relief than amusement, but this is also pretty funny.

“Jason. We literally took down a drug ring together last week,” he chuckles. “I’m not—I’m not exactly normal, either.”

Understanding dawns on Jason’s face. “Nightwing?” After a moment, he shakes his head. “You’re still human, though. Not… this.” He stretches out his vines behind if as if wanting to prove his point. “That shit is ugly.”

There is no hesitation. Dick reaches out his hand, smiling encouragingly when Jason hesitates. “Your vines are a part of you, Jason,” he says, and oh, how good it feels to say that name again and not be addressing a grave. “How could I ever think they’re ugly?”

Slowly, carefully, a vine reaches back, curling around his hand when Dick doesn’t flinch.

Between them, a beautiful flower grows.

(I’m taking prompts until the end of the year.)

#elareine writes #jason todd #dick grayson #jaydick #scheduled post

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bigskydreaming · 3 years

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what are dick's love languages?

Y'know, I do think a lot of the usual suspects do apply here, like he is a tactile person, he does like verbal affirmation of feelings, both giving and receiving.....but one that I see as fairly unique to him, is like, I think trust is one of his love languages in a way that's a little tricky to explain but makes total sense in my head, lol.

I THINK I've written a whole post about that already, it was one where we were talking about Dick having/needing flaws and I was going on about how narrative flaws don't have to be inherently negative, they just need to sow conflict, and one of the examples I raised was that I feel like trust is one of Dick's love languages, and so back in the early years with Bruce, the fact that Bruce seemed to trust Dick so completely, not just in the usual senses but also trust IN Dick to be capable of the things Dick did as Robin, much like his parents had put their faith in him from a very young age, that he was capable of doing all the things he ultimately came to be capable of on the trapeze....like I think that sort of total and complete trust goes hand in hand for Dick, because for as long as he can remember, that and unconditional love were a packaged deal. He never had one without the other, so they were kinda one and the same.

And initially with Bruce, this just got reinforced albeit without either of them realizing it, because Bruce might not have been quick to say I love you or hug Dick, but he demonstrated the same total faith in Dick and what he was capable of that Dick had received from his parents, BUT very rarely anyone else in life, like a marked difference from the way people outside of his two family units treated him. And for a long time, this WORKED for them, but the problem in never realizing what trust meant to each of them and how it could be so similar but yet so different, like.....the problem was, as long as Dick HAD that kinda unconditional faith in him that Bruce showed early on, he didn't NEED the verbal or physical affirmations of affection as much. He had this at least, and it said 'I love you and trust you' in a language Dick unconsciously understood.' But then seemingly take that trust AWAY, such as when Bruce fired him and seemingly had no faith in Dick's skills or competence after years of putting total trust in them, like....even though the issue was never that Bruce stopped loving OR trusting Dick, WITHOUT the verbal and physical cues as to how Bruce felt about Dick, and without the reassurance of longer lasting ties than just his original wardship, suddenly to Dick it might have looked like Bruce literally just DIDN'T care anymore, that for whatever reason, he'd lost Bruce's faith in him, and his love at the same time.

And meanwhile from Bruce's side of things, the issue was always just his fear of losing Dick and letting his own trauma and issues get the best of him and come between them.....BUT in addition, like, assuming trust works as one of Dick's love languages, then for years it'd been quietly existing as a stand-in for all the other more usual displays of affection. But if Bruce didn't realize the significance of Dick knowing that he had someone's total trust or at least faith IN him, not necessarily like that he was right about everything, it isn't like an oh I think this kid never makes a mistake thing, its more a I fully believe that you're capable of overcoming this issue before you and every other one after it kinda thing....

Like, if Bruce never had reason to fully grasp just how much the trust inherent in their partnership as Batman and Robin like, made UP for the lack of other plainly evident displays of how he felt, so that Dick didn't need those things from him that much as long as he had THIS, instead.....

Then of course he'd by extension, just, totally miss that a huge part of the divide between him and Dick was that WITHOUT Bruce knowing to make up for the lack of plainly evident trust between them and compensate for the shake-up there with OTHER kinds of reassurance as to how he felt about him, Dick wasn't JUST reacting to the idea that Bruce no longer trusted his capabilities as Robin and then Nightwing. That it actually went much deeper for him, in ways Dick probably himself has never fully verbalized. That it shook the very foundations of their relationship, and Dick’s confidence that they even HAD one, because the entire relationship had pretty much from the start been ROOTED in that foundational bedrock that was Bruce’s seemingly complete and total faith in Dick and what he was capable of, so reminiscent of what he’d had with his parents, and the first hint he’d had of anything LIKE that with anyone since them, or even the first spark of hope that he ever COULD have something similar to that again. And which again, he DID for a time have.....and he never truly lost it, its just having not prioritized growing other support pillars for their relationship that didn’t revolve around the Batman and Robin partnership, too much of their relationship had rested on that partnership’s existence, had basically NEEDED it, to shore up the gaps in other aspects of their relationship.

And I argue that you can see other instances of this pattern with other characters as well. Like, in complete reversal of Bruce not realizing the disconnect between he and Dick because of their differing love languages, it could easily be posited that this was a problem with Dick and Tim after the Robin thing as well. Because see, if Dick was trying to learn from Bruce's mistakes specifically, to project himself into Tim's shoes and use what Dick knew from his OWN past experiences....Dick would have run into the exact same problem as Bruce, just from the opposite angle. Because see, for as long as Dick has known Tim, he's made supreme efforts to show Tim that he sees him and appreciates him OUTSIDE of Robin just as much as in the mask. He's always made a point to hammer home that his brotherhood with Tim may have originated with Robin, but it was never conditional on it, and in contrast to how reserved Bruce often is with him, Dick made SURE to express his affection for Tim in all kinds of plainly evident ways, for as long as he'd known him.

So then, see, if Dick on some instinctive level pairs unconditional love and trust on equal footing, like he never really has one without the other because all the people he loves are people he trusts with his life, literally, and vice versa.....by the same token that had him once upon a time fear that Bruce no longer loved him, because it seemed Bruce no longer trusted Dick, and in Dick's eyes you couldn't truly have one without the other......THEN the reverse of that, in order to try and make sure that his siblings always KNOW that Dick loves and values them.....Dick tried to always make sure that was a priority.....BUT neglected to consider that love/trust aren't as innately interchangeable for other people as it is for him.

So on a gut level, it might have never really even OCCURRED to him that Tim might see that as Dick no longer trusting in his overall capabilities (even if Dick didn't believe him about Bruce, believing IN someone doesn't actually mean you have to think they're right about every single thought or idea they have, and just because Dick had doubts about that doesn't mean those ever translated for HIM as doubts IN Tim, the person, the brother, what he was capable of, his overall capabilities and competence and heroism).

But like, you see what I mean? Bruce underestimated the impact that seemingly no longer having Bruce's full trust would have on Dick, and not knowing to buttress that shift in their dynamic with compensating displays of his feelings in other love languages that Dick recognized.....he also made Dick doubt he still loved him.

In contrast, and likely in his very attempt TO avoid repeating the same mistake, as HE saw it from HIS eyes....Dick always made sure to express his love for Tim at every possible opportunity.....and so BECAUSE he was so consistent in expressing his feelings there, HE failed to buttress the shift in his dynamic with TIM, and didn't prioritize showing Tim he still trusted him and had faith in him in other ways....because by virtue of how closely Dick links love and trust, it would totally make sense in his mind that well, how could Tim NOT think Dick still has total faith in him, when he had all this evidence that Dick loved and valued him REGARDLESS of Robin and always had? Why would not being Robin take away that trust, when Dick had always made sure to reinforce his faith in Robin with verbal affirmations of loving his little brother?

But like, even though I think his first parents were always affectionate with Dick in a variety of ways, I do think it all goes back to that root, like, FAITH that you have to show in a kid, make a kid BELIEVES he has, on every single level.....in order to learn to do the things Dick did from a very early age. Flying was a family thing, only family could do it, and thus flying, and all the trust that went into making it possible, into helping each other achieve it as a GROUP.....like, it all added up to love, in Dick's experience. There'd never been any NEED for him TO separate the one from the other and mark a distinction. And even when he ended up in Gotham, he and Bruce had issues connecting at first, with them only really gelling once Dick became Robin....at which point, this is when Dick probably started to BELIEVE he could trust this man when he said he cared about him....because he wouldn't be so willing to put his full faith in Dick and what he was capable of, when everyone else Dick encountered had nothing but doubts to show him.....like, in Dick's eyes, Bruce couldn't possibly put the trust he had in their partnership of Batman and Robin if he DIDN'T care, right? Because that's a family thing. That's what that level of intimate trust and faith in each other MEANS, to Dick.

And then when that seemingly went away, Dick floundered, because it ALL seemingly went away at once....you take away the one, you can't possibly still keep the other, that's not how it works. Which is why its so important to him to always make sure everyone else in his family knows just how he feels about them, with words and actions, because that way the heartache he'd felt when he was younger and doubting his place in Bruce's heart would never repeat with them, hopefully....because as long as Dick was showing them his affection at every opportunity, how could they doubt his total trust in them, his family, at the same time?

Anyway, like I said, I definitely think I wrote a whole post about it before so I'm gonna go and try and find that instead of getting into all that here for a second time. Because that's definitely not what I already did. Nope, this was just me making a quick summary of my thoughts on this matter as a placeholder while I went hunting around for that other post that I can reblog so that I don't have to expound on this idea in depth a second time. Since that would be silly of me. So I obviously did not do that. Yeah. So.....anyway.....

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incoherentbabblings · 3 years

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Hi!

I love your content, your love for TimSteph, and I was actually going to ask what you love so much about them. I, for extra credit for English, decided to write an analysis of Stephanie (and why I love her so much), but I just got into comics, and cannot really put my feelings for her in words ... which is odd, considering how much I love her and writing. Also, I was going to do a section on why TimSteph is narrative genius, and I needed help elaborating on that too.

Could you help me out, please? Thanks!

(I feel the need to mention that I have read quite a lot of comics with Stephanie in them, though not all. I'm not much of a comic book fan, but I'm really interested in the Batfamily!)

I'll be very happy to write out bullet points that you could talk about, and feel free to go through my ask and I'll babble/TimSteph meta tags for anything that you think may be worth discussing in your own words - there's like four or so years of stuff there to spark your brain.

HOWEVER!!!! Keep in mind though that much of what I have written is half based on textual evidence and half me just writing what I like/wish would crop up in canon.

For example, yes I like to draw comparisons between Tim being cold and Steph being warm, moon and sun and so on, but there's genuinely nothing in text to hint as this being an actual character trait or symbolism. If anything Tim's stated to be warm several times, more than Steph.

So, and I am sorry to be so blunt, but if I take your request in bad faith for a moment, don't use either directly or indirectly what I've written for your work. Especially without actually going and reading the arcs I talk about. A lot of the time it doesn't hold up under genuine textual scrutiny, and we want to be good academics here! There's Death of the Author and then there's me making crap up because I want to include it in a fanfic. Not the same thing! My blog is called IncoherentBabblings for a reason after all!

I will therefore say this: If you want to write about Steph as a character, I would use the below video as a point of reference. Using the below, you can then go into why she resonates with you the way she does, or why her relationship with Tim is so interesting to you.

youtube

If I were you: focus on her dynamic character development: cynical to idealistic. And use three points in her publication history to do this: her introduction in Detective Comics, War Games, and Batgirl. I am sorry to recommend War Games as something to read but it is important to her character. Use the Stephanie Brown Wiki to help!

That lends itself to a biography of her character, a look at her motivations and values, her role within the batfam, and so on. You can also use this to make comparisons with her peers, specifically Tim moving in the exact opposite direction development wise; Babs and Cass in their approaches to Batgirl; and the other Robins through her similar character progression as Dick, which in turn allows her to be a good mentor to Damian, and finally how her character arc runs perpendicular to Jason's. Does that make sense?

Anyway, let's get going! If I were to write an academic piece on Stephanie, these are the main points I would work through. In other words, this is what I would do. You probably will not need nor want to go into this level of depth, and you will want to make it much more personal about why she resonates with you, which may be different to why I love her. So don't worry about touching base with all of them. This is like... 10,000 word essay level stuff. And don't get overwhelmed. I've taken your request far too seriously is all.

Again, I can't write it for you! You gotta do the reading and writing I'm afraid.

...But I still wrote 1,500 words anyway. Gosh darnnit.

Steph’s Character Development

Always keep three points in her character history in mind – her aged 14/15 in her introductory arc in Detective Comics, her aged 16 in War Games, and her aged 18/19 in her Batgirl run.

How does she change? How does she grow as a character? What events caused these changes? Compare that angry 14-year-old trying to choke her father, to the 19-year-old crying happily on the roof. A lot happened between those two points! Outline the main plot beats.

Steph's Role as a Batfam Character:

Protagonist or Antagonist: Supporting Protagonist

Static or Dynamic: Dynamic (think of her character development - angry to alturistic; she softens in her life outlook and in the way she treats others as the years go by)

Minor or Major: Minor and we all mourn that fact :(

Foil or Symbolic: A foil to Tim Drake (and to a lesser extent the other Robins, specifically Jason Todd)

Importance of the character/Position in Society: Fourth Robin, third Batgirl, own superhero. Tim's girlfriend, Cassandra's best friend, one of many of Bruce's 'children'. Initially introduced just as a one-off character for a small arc in Detective Comics, brought back with the intention of being a supporting character to Tim Drake, and eventual love interest. Eventually gained enough popularity on her own terms to support her own solo comic, but has since returned to a supporting role. The character she supports, at the end of the day, is Bruce Wayne.

Motivation

What influences their decisions?: Stephanie's dynamic characterisation comes in here. Compare her motivations during her introductory arc, versus why she does what she does in War Games, versus why she dresses up at Batgirl - Stopping her father, getting Batman's approval, need for redemption.

What do they value?: Values emotional openness, vulnerability, second/third/fourth chances.

Goals/Hopes/Dreams: No long term goals/hopes/dreams in the domestic sense... Continue to be vigilante. Be respected by her peers. Continue to improve self worth through deeds. Graduate college?

What are their views: Views the justice system and police as corrupt, but still trusts in the inherent goodness of people. Focus is usually on the individual, rather than societal or structural.

Actions

Behaviour, Attitudes, Impact on Story and other Characters, Internal Struggle (Wants versus Needs): This is why I think you are best to look at three points in her story - Intro Arc, War Games, Batgirl. Focus on her Wants versus Needs - Steph's take a very long time to align, but they finally do in Batgirl.

Character development is usually driven by the conflict between what a character wants. The plot forces them normally to confront the fact that what they want is not gonna work out, and what they needed instead takes priority.

Everything usually goes tits up for Steph when she is in the driver's seat of the narrative because what she wants from a situation is rarely what she actually needs to happen. See every time she seeks Bruce's approval. She wants it. She absolutely does not need it. And only as Batgirl do we get that acknowledgement, which coincides with her being at the healthiest point in her life emotionally. Look at what she wants as Spoiler during her introductory arc, as Robin/Spoiler during War Games, and then as Batgirl. Why is she so unhappy in the former two? Why have her wants finally aligned with her needs with her time as Batgirl?

Character Traits

Personality: Cynical but perky. Sardonic but sincere. Think about how she changes over the time. This can be attributed to her different writers, but - for example - is there a universe reason for why Batgirl Stephanie is so much more socially awkward than Spoiler Stephanie?

Strengths & Weaknesses: Link these two together because Steph is a very good example where her strengths as a character can simultaneously be a weakness. Her determination can lead to her making ill conceived decisions. Her empathy can lead to her putting her trust in the wrong people. Her forgiving nature can lead to her being taken advantage of. Her temper, whilst landing her in hot water, can also just as often get her out of it.

Relationships

How do they interact with others: Focus on which characters pop up in all three arcs – Steph and her parents; Steph and Bruce; Steph and Tim. I am chucking Cass out the window here, sorry Cass, but if you’re focusing on these three arcs, Cass doesn’t really fit in.

How others view them: Conditional love/affection from her father and Bruce. Unconditional love/affection from Tim and her mother (though both are not without serious pitfalls).

How they view others: Stephanie has explicitly never loved her father. She has also never explicitly hated him either. What does that say about her? Look at her changing closeness with her mother. What changed between them, and again, what does that say about Stephanie? Crystal got sober, supported Stephanie through her pregnancy, Arthur was removed from their lives, Stephanie makes a conscious effort to be closer to her after returning ‘from the dead’, though continues to lie consistently to her. Stephanie admires Bruce, whilst also right from the get go insisting she does not answer to him. She never quite lets go of wanting that approval.

How does society view them: Her outsider role within the Batfam. She never quite belongs, and at points her closest relationships are actively discouraged from seeing her. Which Tim specifically never entertains. This outsider nature bites literally everyone in the butt during War Games. Her outsider status is still in place by the time Batgirl concludes, due to its largely self-contained nature as a book, but this is less being an outsider more having earned to right to operate independently. Trust has been given and earned.

Dialogue

What does she say and how: A teenage girl in New Jersey from a working class background has a very distinct voice. She does not mince words, nor does she hide what she is feeling. If she is happy, she will say so. If she is annoyed, she will say so. What she won’t do is ask for help when she needs it, due to her background formulating a need for her ‘to do things on her own’.

Think of famous/important Steph quotes from the three arcs I keep talking about – the excuse me if I don’t jump when you bark, the I really was part of the legend, the only variable you can control is yourself. These show how Steph views others and herself.

When I was writing I Would Have Loved You, I literally made a spreadsheet where I have picked out what I think are pertinent quotes from every New 52 issue featuring Tim or Steph along with a synopsis that explained what they were up to/what the main theme of the issue was. Not saying you should do the same because I’m just that goddamn anal when it comes to this sort of stuff, but the point is – look for quotes by/about Steph which highlight the above things we’ve talked about. You have thirty years to go through!

Author Intention

What purpose does this character serve?: A character that young female readers could get attached to – the every girl/girl next door archetype or a character that young boys could have a crush on – the kind of girl who’s into the same sort of stuff as you, I think Chuck Dixon once said of her, from her initial appearance. Fodder for Bruce and Tim’s man pain in War Games. Batgirl it’s a combination of filling the void for a female lead solo character in the batbooks, but also tonally taking on a much lighter and self-contained book that new readers could jump into very easily, directly compared to the more lore heavy Batman, Detective Comics, and Red Robin books.

What is the author trying to communicate: Steph’s character shows that determination can only get a person so far, a support system and doing things for the right reasons (again remember that want versus need argument) is the only way a person will genuinely succeed.

What is her main theme?: Balancing cynicism and idealism – doing acts for the right reasons, and discovering what these reasons actually are.

...

Is this even usable for anyone but myself? Possibly not!

Still... Go write! And good luck!

#ask and i'll babble #stephanie brown #tim drake #timsteph #dc #anon i am sorry if i misconstrued your intentions #but i hope if nothing else this helps you verbalise why you like steph and timsteph by extension #good luck for your writing!

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catxsnow · 4 years

Text

PROTECT YOU D.W.

Request: Could I request something with angst and fluff for Damian Wayne please? One where there's a mission that he isn't involved in because he's injured but his s/o is on it but then he freaks out when her coms are off bcs reader might have been injured or dead but when they all get back to the cave s/o is fine. Thanks!

Warning: angst, fluff, Older!Damian

A/N: I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of writing for Damian

GIF not mine

Word Count: 2.5k

Damian hated being left out of a mission. No matter how damaged he was, there was always still argument that he could pull his weight on the team. The time that he had a concussion he had convinced Bruce to still let him go out, and another time when he had a sprained wrist. Damian always found a way to make sure that he was still going out as Robin, especially when you were going with them as well.

You and Damian had been dating just under two years. He arrived at the manor just about a year after you did. It took a while for him to warm up to you, to anyone there, but you seemed to be the easiest to get along with. Damian found himself allured by you. Your skills were comparable to his and when you had put him on his ass in a matter of minutes, he had some respect for you as well.

The more you trained together, the more he was impressed by you. It didn't help that the longer you spent time together, the more you realized that you had grown immense feelings for him. Feelings that were too stubborn to go away or be ignored. It was why, when Damian had won a spar against you, arms pinned to the mat and hovering above him, you had acted on impulse and kissed him.

He was shocked at first, unsure of where this had come from. It didn't take long for his grip on you to loosen, leaving you just enough wiggle room to flip your positions. Damian wasn't sure if he was more surprised by the fact that you had kissed him or that you had used it again him to win your spar.

Either way, it had led to more kisses, more time together, and a relationship that Bruce was weary about. Damian had already acted so high and mighty when he was fighting as Robin, he couldn't imagine what he was going to be like when the two of you fought together. And he was right to be worried.

Damian became protective of you. He wouldn't let you leave on a mission, or even patrol, without him. He would be the one to constantly have your back because there was no one he trusted more to keep you safe than himself. Damian had fallen in love with you and he couldn't bare the thought of losing you to anything.

It was why Damian had once again tried to convince his father that he was healthy enough to go on a mission. His arm was in a cast, but that didn't stop him from wanting to go along side you against a dangerous mission. It was the first time that you were going without him since you had been dating and he was terrified.

It lead to comments about keeping you safe, being there to protect you, and how useless his brothers were. You couldn't stand by and watch any longer as Damian continued to be spoiled with getting what he wanted. This behavior that he had - about only him being able to keep you safe - it drove you crazy.

"Damian Wayne!" You bellowed. Your voice echoed through the walls of the cave and had caused everyone to freeze in their spots. Damian was yelling at his father to let him go with them as well. He desperately wanted to be there for you, there was just something in his gut telling him that you weren't going to be safe that night.

Damian stopped arguing with Bruce and winced. He slowly turned to face you with his mouth still agape. You stood there with your suit on and hands on your hips, nothing but disappointment fell in your eyes.

Dick looked wearily between Tim and you, unsure of what was about to go down. It wasn't very often that you had yelled at him, much less using his whole name. The tension in the batcave grew as you continued to say nothing until it got unbearable.

"I am a grown adult, I can take care of myself without you being there all the time!" You finally snapped. "I'm tired of you acting like I'm less of a valued member of this team. You go around making it seem like I can't take care of myself! It's degrading. I don't need you to protect me, I never needed you to protect me."

"Beloved, that's not-"

"Save it, Damian," you cut him off, pulling the cowl above your head. He watched silently as you got on top of you bike, revving it up to leave. "Listen to your father, stay here."

Even when you and Damian went on missions together, before leaving the cave, you had always told each other you loved them. There was always the chance that something would go wrong and that someone wouldn't make it back. It wasn't a risk that you were willing to take about missing a final 'I love you'.

However, as you sped out of the cave without another word, Damian had the words hanging off the tip of his tongue. His head hung low as the rest of his family looked at him. They had all known that he was protective of you and that sometimes he did push the limits to keep you safe.

He had never known that you felt that strongly about this. Damian groaned in frustration at your fight, he hated arguing with you, especially right before a mission. You were more reckless when you were angry, and this time he wasn't there for you. No one was there for you, this mission had you going solo.

Bruce looked down to his son, unsure of what to say to him to make things better. He simply squeezed his shoulder before jumping into the batmobile. Tim got in beside him and Dick on his motorcycle.

"Damian," Dick called out to him as the other two left. "They're going to be fine out there, okay? (Y/N) is strong. They aren't angry with you, trust me."

"Better catch up, Grayson."

Damian was freaking out.

His father had announced half way through the mission that your comms had been turned off. He wasn't sure if you had done this yourself or something worse. Either way, if it wasn't for Alfred nearly tying him down to the chair, he would have been off searching the city for you. Damian was terrified about what was going on with you.

He knew that this feeling in his gut should have been something he worried about more. Damian should have known that you shouldn't have gone out on your own, he knew that something bad was going to happen. Bruce had full faith that you were fine, he wasn't worried about your comms being off - which had only frustrated Damian even more.

They should be out searching the city for you to see what happened, not come back to the cave where nothing was being done. The mission had been successful, there was no need for worry about where you were. You were the farthest part from the city, it made sense that you would arrive last.

Yet, even Dick was starting to get a little nervous about your whereabouts. It wasn't common for you to turn your comms off, at least not for this long. Whatever happened to you out there, it had to have been for good reason. There was no point in poking the fire with Damian and getting him more worried about you.

It was different for Dick to see Damian so worried about someone. Of course he worried about the rest of his family, but nothing like he worried about you. In Damian's nineteen short years of life, he never expected to love someone so much. It was an unbreakable love between the two of you, no matter how much you argued.

"Where are they!" Damian yelled. He wanted to take his father's vehicle and race out in the streets to find you. He would have too if he wasn't constantly held back.

"(Y/N) said that they were fine right when the mission was over," Tim tried to reassure his brother. "There's nothing to worry about, Damian."

"Bullshit, Drake," Damian snapped. He paused his pacing to glare at his brother. "(Y/N) never does this. Something must be wrong." It was true, you never turned off your comms unless you were meant to go dark. Damian only hoped that you were doing this because you were mad at him still, not because you were injured.

The only thing he hated seeing more than you getting hurt, was you being mad at him. Whenever the two of your fought, there was always a very short period of time before one of you apologized. Damian prayed that this wasn't going to be escalated. He didn't know that you felt so strongly about this, otherwise he would have been less over protecting of you.

The echo of your bike bounced off the walls of the cave. Damian eagerly perked up from his place to wait your arrival. He had no idea what kind of shape you were going to be in when you finally got here, he was worried about you. Damian stood just beside the place you parked your motorcycle with an anxious look.

The second you put the kickstand down and removed your helmet, Damian had thrown himself in your arms. He pulled away from you only to to place his lips on yours. All the concern and anxiety he was feeling melted away with your touch. It was always you that was able to calm him down.

"I was so worried about you, beloved," Damian admitted to you. His eyebrows furrowed as he noticed the small cut along your cheek and the frown on your face. The pad of his thumb gently wiped below your wound. It was then that he noticed the blood dripping down your neck as well. "What happened?"

"Nothing that I couldn't handle on my own," you assured. The tightness in your voice caught him off guard - you were still mad at him. That was confirmed as you pushed past him and everyone else waiting for you. Just as you were about to leave the cave, it was Bruce that stopped you.

"Why were your comms off," he asked. Damian wasn't the only one worried about you. Not to mention that turning them off could have endangered the whole mission - lucky for you, it hadn't. Without another word, you ripped off your cowl and tossed and threw it backwards for him to catch.

The earpiece in your cowl had been damaged. Lucky for you, the bullet shot in your direction had just grazed your suit, not your head. The cowl seemed to satisfy Bruce's question enough, he didn't say anything else as you left to your room.

"I think you messed up," Dick pointed out the obvious. Damian shot a deathly glare at him and stormed out of the cave as well. At that moment, he didn't care if you were mad at him, he was just glad that you were alive.

He hovered by your door for a moment, debating whether or not to knock or just walk in. As he heard the shower going, he decided to just wait on your bed (shared bed at that point, Damian rarely slept in his own anymore). For once, the room seemed foreign to him, like he shouldn't be in there without you.

This fear that resided within him wasn't fear that he normally had when you went on missions, this was a fear that you had finally had enough of him. This kind of fear overpowered every other emotion trying to break through. It left him unable to sit still and cowering from his own thoughts.

The second that he heard the shower turn off, Damian felt as if his heart was going to burst through his chest. His leg bounced up and down as he waited for you to walk out.

"Damian," you spoke as you opened the door. A towel was wrapped around you and water droplets fell from your hair. You knew that he was waiting in your room for you, and yet the surprise of seeing him so nervous shocked you.

"Beloved, please," Damian stood up to meet you. "I'm sorry that I made you fell this way. I know that you're capable of taking care of yourself, I know you don't need me to protect you."

You said nothing as you continued to pull out a pair of pajamas. Damian sighed at your silence. He hastily grabbed both your hands and forced you to face him. The fear in his eyes took you back. Damian didn't show fear, he always exuded confidence. Seeing him like this, you knew that he was being truthful.

"I love you, (Y/N)," Damian told you. "I only argued to go on these missions because... because I'm petrified that one day something is going to go wrong and that I'm not going to be able to say goodbye, or you to I. If I'm ever going to die out there, I want to make sure that your face is the last I see."

Your bottom lip wobbled as he spoke. You tore your hands out of his so you could pull him into a hug. Tears spilled down your cheeks - you couldn't bare the thought of losing Damian. "I love you, Damian. So, much. I'm sorry that I was angry with you, I know you just want what's best."

Damian shook his head - you were right to be angry, he just wished that he had known about it sooner. Your hands rest at the back of his neck as you pulled him in for a heart-warming kiss.

"Stay with me tonight?" You asked, playing with the few baby hairs at the back of his neck. Your touch sent a chill up his spine. The lingering water on your skin left you cold and you craved the warmth that Damian always had radiating off of him.

"Of course."

"You might not always be able to protect me out on the streets, but you always keep me safe from the nightmares that haunt me."

At the end of the day, that was the protection that you needed the most. You didn't need him to hover over you like a child when you were protecting Gotham. You needed him to remind you that your nightmares weren't real, that they were nothing but a figment of your imagination. Damian was real, and he knew how to keep you safe.

You would always need Damian, even if it wasn't in the way that he imagined.

#damian wayne #damian wayne imagine #damian wayne oneshot #damian wayne x reader #older!damian #dc imagine #dc one shot #dc #fluff #angst #batfam #batfam imagine #robin imagine #robin

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nightwings-bussy · 3 years

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guess who's still on their bullshit? it's me. it's always me. i'm going to talk about why dickkorybabs is a fantastic ship and you should ship it, let's just go character by character

dick. dickie boy. sweet richard john grayson. you're so queer and they just don't know what to do with you, do they. you're so queer that your serial monogamy in every comic since the 90's literally comes off not as "playboy" behavior but as honest to god suspicious, like the writers understand that if they leave you single for so much as a panel or two, it'll become way too obvious how gay you are. but no matter who they shack you up with, who your gf of the week is (and im sure they're lovely but let's be real... they're a placeholder) none of them compare to your Two Great Character Defining Loves. but also no one can fuckin agree on which of those Loves is supposed to be your one and only and as such neither can you - not because you don't love them both profoundly, but because you DO, often at the same time. that's poly as fuck baby. that's just fine.

because barbara and kori are both spectacular, but they each speak to something very different in dick: babs speaks to dick's foundation, to long held, precious bonds, to his loyalty to the family, to his place as the Prodigal Son, detective, prom king, goofball. babs is designed as dick's perfect counterbalance, the first girl he ever crushed on, the one who's known him almost a little too well for a little too long.

kory, on the other hand, speaks to dick's growth, his ascension as a leader, his independence, the formation of a new, strong identity that's all his own. kory has been a part of so many conversations for dick about who he's trying to become. babs and dick carry a lot of the same baggage - they've endured many of the same unkindnesses, survived under the same man's immense expectations and pressure, and that gives them a lot of common ground. in contrast, kory's never lived under batman's thumb, and dick has to fight off a lot of his more bruce-like impulses around her; kory helps dick embrace the emotional core of himself that bruce never could. she celebrates his openness, his softness, his emotional and physical neediness in a way he always thought he had to keep hidden. kory and babs have different access points to dick's heart, his vulnerability. and at his best, dick is an amazing partner to them both: dedicated and charming, deeply affectionate, funny and excited about them, trusting, respectful, in awe of them, confident in them, protective but not overbearing, a strong advocate and partner who's deeply and tirelessly interested in them.

but dick has a dark side that all his friends and lovers eventually see, and it manifests strongly with both of them. with babs, dick's biggest struggle seems to be his ability to trust her with his whole self, to be kind and fair to her in his darker moments, and (debatably) to be loyal when the chips are down. with kory, it's a constant struggle with his baggage; his difficulty expressing himself or be emotionally vulnerable after a childhood spent with a guy who rarely does either, his difficulty trusting anyone as much as he trusts his family, his conflicting cultural values around relationships and violence. without growth on his part, all of these issues represent a big hurdle to any real attempt at long-term relationships with either of them.

but triangles are the most stable shape for a reason.

let's cover this quickly, because i truly feel this is the easiest part to wrap your head around: there is absolutely no way, in the hands of a writer who knows anything, that kory and babs are not attracted to each other. it's simply impossible. babs is 100% kory's type (proud, stubborn, brilliant, competent, red head, warrior), and meanwhile babs is a lesbian with a singular exception. name me one lesbian who wouldn't be all over starfire given the opportunity. you can't. we don't exist.

also, on a personality level, kory and babs are just SO complimentary - kory's smart and strong and resourceful, and so is babs. babs is snarky and brave and domineering, and so is kory. babs has known the bitter pain of loneliness and isolation from ones family by a situation largely beyond your control. so has kory. kory has known the struggle of creating a new family and trying over and over to explain yourself to people who may not understand or accept you. so has babs. you could circle again and again why they're so good for each other, but you could also sum it up with the fact that they both deeply love the same man, and they could easily love one another just as deeply.

and then you start to realize how many problems it solves. queer dick? he's here baby. kory opens him right up - issues with being vulnerable? dealt with. issues trusting babs with his true self? kory says honesty only in this household. issues with loyalty? welcome to normalized polyamory, says our tamaranean princess. is he being a cunt to babs when he gets grumpy? now she has an advocate, bc kory never lets dick get away with that shit.

and with kory it's the exact same. dick struggles to be emotionally available bc of his weirdo dad? yeah, that's okay - babs speaks dick-ese. dick can't trust anyone the way he trusts family? babs is here to back kory up and make sure dick understands she IS family. dick has issues working through his conflicting cultural values with kory? well babs is a damn professional at overseeing Dialogues(TM), let her at him.

and on top of all that it's FUCKING CUTE. lose the jealousy subplots and the cheating subplots and just let kory and babs fall in love already - give dick the femdom supremacy lifestyle he so desperately craves. like it's just amazing how rarely i see this pairing when it's this gd good like WHERE are my dickkorybabs fic recs. where are they

#dickkory #dickbabs #dickkorybabs #meta

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red-hood-redemption · 3 years

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SO I know I’m like, super late to the party, but I finally got my hands on Robin 2021 and there is literally no one for me to talk to about it so now I’m just screaming my thoughts into the void ✌

First off, before i even bought the first two issues, I read through a lot of other people’s opinions on it to kinda get an idea of where it was going characterization-wise for Damian, and because of all the mixed reactions, I figured I should just read it myself and find out. Now I am the FURTHEST thing from a comic book authority, so like, this is truly just an opinion piece but if it convinces anyone to give the run a chance, then yay!!! Honestly, I’m really glad I gave it a shot because I’m genuinely hooked! I’m actually excited about this series (and it scares me lol)!!!

I'm gonna separate my thoughts into two sections: characters, and story, mainly for my own ease, but also if anyone cares more about one thing or the other it's easier to distinguish. But, the line is a little blurry so if I end up getting a little too much into the characterization in the story section, just bear with me lmao. OH and I'm going to try and keep this as un-spoilery as possible but we'll just have to see. SOOOOOOOO

Characters

I think it goes without saying that Melnikov's art is absolutely gorgeous, and really does show how much Damian has grown up. It makes me want to sob its so beautiful, everyone is so pretty, even the guy that looks like a washed up, high as fuck Tony Stark lmao. But moving on to the actual characters,

Rose Wilson

I honestly don't know too much about Rose, I haven't read enough about her to say anything about her characterization and how it compares to her other appearances, or whether or not she is OOC, but so far, I'm enjoying her taking up the "big sis" role, like, immediately lmao.

I don't know how much I trust her yet, but I definitely get the vibe that even if she does betray Dami in any way, she's probably gonna stick her neck out for Dami again and he's probably gonna do the same.

I'm really intrigued about her motivations for being here. Obviously, Respawn has something to do with it, but I want to know what's up with that. I've seen a lot of theories and I'm so excited. Also side note, that Black Swan chick is hot, and I can't wait to see more of her in action!!!

I feel like Ravager knows a WHOLE lot more than Dami does about the interesting things going on on the island, mainly because she's been doing a lot more sitting and waiting than he has as of yet, but I'm hoping to see more of the two of them doing detective-y sleuthing together. We love a mysteryyyy

Flatline

Okay but real talk, why does she look like a character straight out of Monster High

Honestly tho, I dig it. It's cute! She's cute! She isn't annoying (yet) but I don't know if I care too much about her other than she would make a cute friend for Dami.

I think the problem with DC is that they know people LOVE Harley Quinn and they try so hard to make characters just like her but it always falls short, so honestly I am a little wary of her character development in this run, but I'm willing to give her a shot since her little coffin purse on the cover of the second issue is so damn cute. I'm a slut for character design, okay?

Oh speaking of Flatline and Dami, I don't ship it and I don't want them to force a romantic relationship into Damian's "coming of age"/"soul-searching" moment okay? Because that's what this run is about, at least to me! More on that in the story section!

They're literally 13/14 years old. That's 8th-9th grade, babes lets think about that for a minute

Also let's stop the whole "lets introduce a female character just to make her a love interest!" bullshit okay?

Basically, Flatline is interesting, or at least has the potential to be, but I don't want to get my hopes up because DC is notorious for disservicing their female characters 😕

I think the mixed reaction to her is valid, I don't think she's had much time to make a solid impression yet, so I guess you'd have to read it for yourself. Personally, I don't understand why people immediately hate her, especially because she's like, 14, and what kid that age isn't annoying? like at least a little bit lmao! But, yeah. I don't trust her either but literally everyone on this island is sketchy at least and a murderer at best, so hey 🤷‍♀️

Damian

His new outfit lmaoooo at first I was like "WHaT is this child wearing? You'd think Dick would have rubbed off on him and taught him what good taste looks like" but then I saw the later outfit, with the gold patterning and those sleeeevessssss ugh and I take it all back. A Fashion Icon TM. Truly stunning. A sight to behold. So proud, look at him go 😪

I think there's a lot of different opinions on Damian's characterization in this run, and I can definitely see where its coming from, but I disagree with the notion that Damian has been done dirty and reverted to a blood-thirsty, feral child. And I have a LOT of opinions on the whole "feral" thing regarding Damian period (but that's for another time).

I don't think of Dami's rampage as a regression for his character. He's letting of emotions right then and I think its very similar to him venting. Its just not verbal, its physical and he knows he's not going to have to grapple with the consequences of his actions on the first kill. He knows he's technically not doing anything wrong.

He is clearly upset at Bruce and his failure to protect Alfred, and while Dami and Bruce are really often described as being very similar personality-wise, they are still distinctly different individuals who came to their current moral codes in vastly different ways. Bruce came to his "no killing" rule on his own; he made that decision for himself. It wasn't taught to him, it was a moment-of-truth kind of situation. Damian, on the other hand is in a vastly different situation.

Dami is, I think, at the beginning of the climb to his own moment-of-truth. He is in his rebellious phase like Dick, where he's gone off to spread his wings. It's not his conscious intention (at least that's not the vibe I got from reading the first two issues), but its directly underlying his "mission".

Damian is growing out of the expectations of his parents and into his own person. We all know he's been thrown from one moral code to another, both drastically different from each other. I don't think its a regression for him to lose his way a little, because realistically, he's going to have to in order to find it, specifically a moral compass that he forged on his own. He's just what? 14? Like hell a kid his age wants to listen to any form of authority. He's as stubborn as it comes. Damian needs to come to his decision regarding the path he takes in life on his own. It can't be made for him. He's seen and lived both sides of the coin, and I don't think he should be forced just yet to choose a side or pave a middle ground, but I do think that he should get the opportunity to see and experience all the gray areas on his own.

I think I'll transition from characterization to story here, because let's face it, this story is about Damian dealing with his confused emotions right now, in the wake of losing Alfred, a man that kind of acted like a grounding presence, a voice of reason, or a moral compass for him (and honestly Bruce and the rest of the bat crew if we're honest).

Story

So there's a lottttt going on in the story that is really enticing and exciting, and I'm really interested to see how it all plays out.

All the rules to the tournament are so, sketchy? Like they don't sound like they are meant to be sketchy, its basic safety and guidelines or whatever but with all the glowy green shit and the stakes of the tournament? Yeah, you can bet your ass its the "no fighting at night" and other shit is gonna be broken, and that's likely when the fun begins *insert evil laughter*😈

I was slightly put off by the whole "let me teach you to have fun" thing with Rose, because it's not like Dick, Steph, Jon, and like the Titans haven't done that with him too, but eh, not something I'm too concerned about. It's definitely just a segway to get us introduced to more characters that might become Damian's friends which will be interesting considering what Mother Soul said about fraternizing.

And that's another thing! I want Damian to make some friends! I know he already has some, but here's the thing: I think he's already been struggling with belonging, and he's definitely been feeling the disconnect between his life and other kids', whether they're supers/vigilantes or not. I think it'd be nice to see Dami have the experience of meeting people who he at first thinks are just like him!! and then realizing that maybe he doesn't really fit in here either, and that it's okay to feel like you don't belong, as isolating as it may feel at times. It just means you have a set of values. I want him to realize that its not always a bad thing, and you learn more about yourself and your own heart this way.

And from there,,, lets talk about the thing that stuck out to me the most in these two issues! GUILT!! It's mentioned SOO many times already, and I think its going to be a really fun, heartbreaking, and interesting aspect to explore about Damian. Is it guilt about his actions? Leaving behind family? Not being able to save Alfred? Not being a perfect example of Robin? He may call himself Robin but he doesn't sport the OG look or symbol like before. I love that his guilt takes on the form of Alfred though, or at least his conscious. I think it'd be really interesting to see this conscious disappear when Dami strays too far from his center, and when he finds it again, it reappears.

I really think that seeing Damian's actions in this run as a failure of character development is an unfair assessment, though. You can't do everything right in order to grow! You have to screw up, lose your way, experiment with life to find your fit, right?

Something tells me he doesn’t care for the tournament itself, but the end result, and the people behind it and more about WHY it was hidden from him. I mean he finds out the tournament TRULY begins once everyone has died once and tHEN he kill everyone? Felt to me less like a “killing spree” as everyone put it to a calculated decision to get the tournament going. He literally cuts Mother Soul off in the middle of her speaking to start fighting at the beginning

Anyway, just my thoughts lol. I do have some issues with the past two issues, and I might make a separate post about that, but honestly not enough for me to dislike Robin 2021 so far. I mean, besides the very obvious white-washing in the second issue, because DC can absolutely do better. And they should. It’s like they thought we wouldn’t notice???? But besides that, story and characterization-wise I’m looking forward to more. Here’s to hoping it stays that way, just with a better colorist!

#dc comics #robin 2021 #damian wayne #robin

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withinycu-arch · 3 years

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Headcanon Prompts | Always Accepting

@virarosea What are Bruce's individual relationships with his kids like? How does he perceive each of them? How do they perceive him in return?

I’m glad you asked because I wanted to talk about this given how important his children are to him.

Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson- Richard is the first of Bruce’s adopted children and on one hand there’s a super strong bond because of that. They both went through similar traumas and helped each other grow as people. But as Bruce’s eldest I think unfortunately that also meant Bruce made a lot of mistakes. I think he was harder on him that he should have been when it came to his training and could be extremely hurtful with how cold he could come across at times. So that’s definitely strained their relationship when Richard got older (not even getting into the fact the two have very different wiring in general) but I do headcanon that Bruce addressed his mistakes after Jason died and held himself accountable to how he’s hurt him which helped their relationship a great deal moving forward.

And Bruce just is??? Super proud of Richard???? He’s so impressed with how outgoing he is and how easily he makes friends not to mention for making his own life for himself in Blüdhaven and what he’s accomplished there. Also while I do headcanon Bruce wanting ‘The Bat’ to die with him I think if he had to pass it off to one of his children Richard would be the one because he believes Richard is the only one who could survive and not be broken by that persona.

Jason Todd- While Bruce had learned a great deal with how to parent after Richard that doesn’t mean he was totally prepared for Jason. Richard was rambunctious but also fundamentally a very sweet kid whereas Jason had a lot of troubles that Bruce wasn’t necessarily equipped to handle. And he definitely let his worry about where Jason’s more troubling behavior might lead dictate how he handled him which isn’t great.

That said his loss was devastating for Bruce. So much so I don’t think he intended to adopt again or have another kid. And then to see what Jason became is absolutely heartbreaking especially given Jason’s attitude towards killing. That line is so important for Bruce and not crossing it really defines his morality and sense of self and I think he feels by crossing it Jason is diminishing himself. But even having crossed that line Bruce’s door and arms are always open for him. He also keeps almost obsessive tabs on him since he’s come back and panicked if he loses track of him if even for a few days because he cannot and will not lose him again.

Tim Drake- One of the things I find so interesting about Tim is that with Jason and Richard obviously Bruce’s taking them in comes from this very emotional place. Whereas Tim approached and appealed to Bruce from a more cerebral angle ‘you need a robin’ basically. So I think in some ways Bruce almost interacts with him more as an equal than he does with his two eldest children.

Tim also strikes me as the son who’s most like Bruce in terms of how his mind works so I think he’s also Bruce’s easiest at least for Bruce. He’s constantly impressed by how intelligent Tim is and has no worries about the type of person he may or may not turn out to be. Imao he really should tho.

Cassandra Cain- Okay so while Tim may be similar to Bruce in terms of wiring I think Cassandra is the child Bruce feels closest too. Because she gets what Bruce is about and what The Bat means symbolically and to Bruce personally. So I see Bruce as putting a lot of trust in her and confiding with her in a way he might not with his other kids.

Though that said he’s also extremely protective of her as his only daughter and given her background.

Damian Wang- Let’s start at the beginning, Bruce never expected or planned to have biological children if only because his relationships can be so messy. Talia is also one of the first loves of Bruce’s adult life (the way my headcanon is structured anyway) and I think even though he left her when he left the LoA he still carried a bit of a torch for her for a long time afterwards. But Damian’s very existence feels like a betrayal to Bruce. For one she didn’t tell him about their son until he was at least ten. And second she trained him to be an assassin which goes directly in the face of everything Bruce believes in from a moral standpoint.

Given all that I think Bruce has much stronger emotional reactions to Damian and his antics than are necessarily appropriate. Also not to mention his fear Damian will end up like Jason. So he has very little trust in Damian and keeps him on a much, much shorter leash than he did his other kids but also tries to encourage his love of animals to teach him empathy and to care for other living things.

Though fucked up upbringing aside Damian is still fundamentally a child so I don’t think he really understands why Bruce treats him the way he does especially when compared to Tim and Richard especially. Not to mention his values are radically different given how he was raised in the LoA which puts them at odds more often than not. Though that said I think Bruce will try and explain to Damian when he’s older what it means to not kill, why it’s so important to him and how it came to be important to him. Damian has so much potential and a very good heart underneath everything and Bruce will happily spend everyday of the rest of his life helping him realize that potential.

#virarosea #batcanon;#prayers #i know there are other bat children #but these are the main five i have headcanons about #long post cw #child death cw

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chronicbatfictioner · 3 years

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Exchanges & Compromises - Chapter 14

The ride to the Wayne Manor the other day was uneventful. That is unless one counted the times where Damian had peeked at Tim's tablet and saw the financial report, and suggested that Tim let the Algol Enterprises acquire Drake Industries.

"No thanks, I'd rather have full control of it," Tim said.

"It will be more beneficial for a good size of masses if you have larger capital." Damian reasoned.

Tim glared at him. "But then I won't have full control, will I? So no. I'll keep your offer in mind, but not now, thanks," he replied.

"Am I the only one feeling strangely inadequate here?" Dick quipped. "I mean, we have two minors discussing business, and we, two adult men, looked on not even understanding what they're talking about."

Jason had to stifle a laugh at that.

"Do not worry, Grayson. Once I get into the WE books, Jason or I shall explain to you the intricacies of running a multi-national and multi-faceted business." Damian remarked. Jason bit the inside of his lower lip at Dick's nearly imperceptible eye-roll.

Dick glared at Jason with a betrayed look, "You understood what they were talking about??" he demanded.

Jason shrugged slowly, "I'm his legal guardian, dude. I didn't get hired just because I looked pretty!"

"While I am certain Drake would not mind to hire you just to look pretty, Grayson, I do not understand why you must insist on presenting yourself as a dumb oaf..." Damian commented.

"That's part of his charm," Tim replied, snickering. "That, and his ass. For the record, I didn't hire him for his brain."

"I'm a security guard at the Drake Industries' owner's home," Dick replied haughtily.

"Technically, he's the receptionist of my apartment building. But everybody else thought of him as my bodyguard because he's ripped." Tim explained.

"Ripped?"

"Muscled," Jason explained. Damian was not one for slang just yet. "Most people who got hired as security guards would be fat ex-cops or really skinny juvenile halls graduates, yeah? Does it still work that way here?"

"Unfortunately. That's why most people thought he's like, an 'ex-special forces' security guard for me to keep me from getting kidnapped like my parents." Tim elaborated.

"That would've been a hoot." Dick quipped. "Even without me present, I'd really like to see people trying to kidnap you."

Tim threw him a feigned-hurt look. "How cruel. I've been nothing but facetious and kind to all. Why would they want to kidnap me?" he deadpanned. "Plus, they'll have their respective faces shredded to bits by Mama. Right, ma?" Tim added, calling out to the front of the limo.

Catwoman - without her costume, turned out to be a woman named Selina Kyle - was driving them there, clad in an official suit and jacket and hat of a limo driver. How and why Jason did not know. But given the fact that Tim's parents were kidnapped while in a private jet, he reckoned that Tim would have had rather more rigorous security set up for himself. While Jason was yet to be sure what kind of relationship Tim has with Catwoman - similar costume notwithstanding; he was quite certain that said relationship would have been pretty close and public.

"Nobody gets to mess with my kitten and get away with nary a scar," she replied through the opened divider. "Now, we're half a mile out, because you pretentious rich folks have to make things difficult and far, far away from anything logical. You boys better are on your best behavior, yeah?" she added, referring to the fact that although they had come from Drake House right next door, 'next door' consisted of a few miles of long and winding road between each properties' gates.

She sounded like a mother preparing her sons to meet the Sunday school teacher, and something ached in Jason's heart. A flashback of his own mother, came to fore - Catherine Todd. She might have died succumbing to her own heroin addiction, but she was not a bad mother to start with. She tried to raise him with good values - values often mocked by their own neighborhood. Good manners that didn't matter much around the block, at least until Talia found him and brought Jason to her home. Also, the unshakable faith that there were still good people in the world, and there were people trying to make it better for them.

He wondered how is it that Tim could be so lucky with having two 'mother' figures like Catwoman and Oracle, complete with a biological mother who nearly had it all - especially when it comes to funds. He briefly wondered what it would have been like if his mother was rich.

Then he looked at Damian, sitting up straight in his seat, pretending not to notice the gates opening in front of them. He inhaled slowly, realizing that if his mother had been rich or had lived, things would have been much different - and much worse - for Damian. He mentally braced himself, running all of Tim's schemes briefly through his mind, until the car stopped in front of the Wayne Manor's front door.

The door was opened by a butler, a tall old man with a pencil-thin mustache and grey hair. For an untrained eye, Dick seemed to be the only one out of place, as he looked around and gawked over the extensive driveway and majestic fountain, the regal oak door, and the as-regal butler right in front of it.

For Jason, he knew that Dick was scoping the area, remembering the layout and/or cross-checking it with images that Tim had shown them.

"We are here to see Mr. Bruce Wayne," Tim introduced, formally handing a business card to the valet.

"The formality is quite unnecessary, Master Drake," the butler replied. Jason thought he could see a hint of amusement in the butler's otherwise stoic expression. "I know who you are quite well."

"Ah, but this is not just for me, Alfred," Tim replied, smiling. "The card is his," he presented Damian. "the other two are his minders. I'm just here to introduce them." While Damian, Jason, and Tim knew that to enter a 'high society' family home one cannot simply just walk in through the gates; Barbara was a little surprised at this, and Dick had snickered unabashedly.

'Alfred' accepted the card and read it, and now Jason was sure that there was a slight uptick on the man's eyebrows. "Mr. Damian Al Ghul. I see. Kindly enter, gentlemen, I shall consult the Waynes." Alfred intoned, stepping aside to allow them in.

They were ushered to the foyer, and left to wait there as the butler went to fetch whichever Wayne might be at home. So far, so good; Jason thought. Tim already ascertained that Bruce, the walking-disaster who was said to have broken his leg a few days ago while playing polo, would be home. So would Bane. Dr. and Mrs. Wayne were in the Alps, somewhere. As a common societal norm, Alfred should call for the master of the house - and that should be Bruce Wayne.

It took a few minutes, but Bruce Wayne came hobbling down on a cane - followed by Bane.

"Bruce," Tim greeted him because of course, Tim would be on a first-name basis with him; that 'high-society' boy.

"Tim Drake, in the flesh. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Bruce Wayne chirped, shaking Tim's hand as if it was a pump-handle. Tim's face didn't even change, but Jason could see a scowl beginning to form on Damian's face.

"Well, I reckon this should be a blood-family issue. They came to me because, as you might have heard, I have had some dealings with Algol Enterprises." Tim said. "There has been a tragedy, apparently."

"Oh yes, I've heard. Ra's and Talia... who would have expected them to be in such tragedy... I am sorry for your loss, son," Bruce leaned a little toward Damian with an expression of most-sincerity. Yet Jason observed the scowl on Bane's face, followed by Tim's stealthy, nearly imperceptible eye-roll.

"My thanks for your condolence, and am as sorry for your loss, father." Damian retorted, cutting straight to the case.

Jason would swear that he could hear a single surprised chirp of a bird somewhere in the vast area of the manor in the silence that followed. Broken only by a guttural roar.

#Tim Drake #Jason Todd #Dick Grayson #Damian Al-Ghul #Selina Kyle #Alfred Pennyworth #Bruce Wayne #Bane #JayTim #batless!au

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catalystofchange · 3 years

Note

A - Ships that you currently like a lot.

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

Slade Wilson and Dick Grayson (OTP? Yes).

I know it's controversial, but hear me out. The dynamic between Dick and Slade is unique, because Slade and Dick both truly see and understand each other in a way no one else does (or cares to do). The respect is sincere, and while they often find themselves on opposite sides, they display a genuine affection and concern for each other in spite of Slade's insistence that it's just business. These two truly care for each other in very quiet, unobtrusive ways, and I love that subtly. I also love the... dark aspects of the ship, but that's a story for another time. Slade needs someone he can take care of who is strong and competent enough to withstand how Slade is, and Dick needs someone who will stand unwavering in his support and belief in him. Both of those things are highly valued by each of them, and it's something they bring to each other. I just. I LOVE THEM.

(On an unrelated note, I didn't start out feeling this strongly about the ship. It wasn't until I found a partner who actually seemed to understand the characters more deeply. The lack of fulfillment before almost ruined the ship for me, but I'm so glad I've found what I was always missing before. This ship has sailed to the top of my list now because of this person. Thank you, @mutantxagenda!)

Jason Todd and Roy Harper (OTP? Yes).

This ship is controversial for a lot of reasons. I know there are a lot of people out there who get deeply frustrated and offended that DC "took away" Dick's friend and gave him to Jason. I think this is ridiculous. Dick has 8793402087259 friends, and he would be ecstatic to know that Jason found a friend in Roy. He couldn't think of a *better* friend for Jason to have. There's no need to be offended on his behalf. Dick is not offended. He is an adult, and is perfectly capable of sharing friends. Not only that, but he's seen how Roy and Jason are together. They each bring out a softness and a gentle humor that they lacked growing up. Both Roy and Jason were (in some ways) rejected by their father figures. They never felt like they measured up to Dick Grayson. Roy saw himself as a failed sidekick and Jason saw himself as a failed Robin. I think (aside from me just not being the biggest fan of Batcest), I prefer them because they can both relate to each other without adding to the problem. They aren't jealous of each other. Roy doesn't demand a lot from Jason and often teaches him to relax, have fun, and live a little. I like to think he makes him laugh at least once a week. That's more than worth it to him.

However, there was a part of Roy that always wanted to bring Jason back to his family. He didn't like how far he was sliding down into more and more questionable activity, because it meant it would be harder for him to go back. He tried to act as a conscience of sorts - at least, until Jason took off. There is part of him that still blames himself for that and always will. It's just in his nature.

Jason Todd and Dick Grayson (OTP? No. Platonic OTP).

This is the one ship that made it on the list that ISN'T romantic. I want to say that I don't really care if other people ship the Batfam together, but I personally do not feel comfortable shipping it unless the characters in question are in an AU and have no relation.

But there's no doubt I love Jason and Dick's relationship. Jason is blunt with Dick and is able to redirect his thoughts (similar to how Slade is able to do with Dick). They are both grounding forces - and, in Jason's case, possess a deeper understanding of what's going on. They are the only two Robins who experienced Bruce Wayne prior to Jason Todd's untimely death. They understand more than any of the other siblings what it was like to be raised in a household like that, and they can deeply sympathize with each other for that reason. The difference is in the opposite ways they chose to handle it. Dick turned the anger inward and carried responsibility on his own shoulders, but Jason externalized and projected his anger on others. It made Jason look like the bad kid and Dick like the good kid, which had become a source of contention over the years, and it wasn't even true.

Dick carries an immense amount of guilt for what happened to Jason and would spend every second of his life trying to make it up to him. Part of him is always concerned it's too late to turn things around, even though he has seen changes in the recent months. For the first time, he felt like he has an actual brother. The relationship between them utterly breaks my heart (in a good way), and the depth this player and I have managed to reach with these characters continues to astound me. I've never found that in anyone I've ever written with. That's at least 90% why it's made the list. :) *coughcough* and in case anyone hasn’t guessed, that’s the same player already mentioned.

#personal #ugh #i love them #i feel so lucky to explore these things and complicated ships

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