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incorrectbatfam · 1 year

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Batfam’s Father’s Day plans

(also on Ao3)

"Morning, Bruce."

The way Stephanie says that instantly makes him look up. She traces her socked toe on the right angles of the tile, looking down.

"Morning, Steph." Bruce puts his coffee down. "Something wrong?"

"Huh?" She perks up in realization. "No, not at all. I actually just have something for you. I stopped by Walgreens on patrol last night 'cause I ran out of antiseptic, and I saw something that reminded me of you."

She hands him a dark blue greeting card with a cartoon fruit bat and Comic Sans text reading: You drive me batty, but I love you.

"Get it? 'Cause it's a bat, and you're the Batman." She scratches the back of her neck. "Not trying to make it weird or anything, you're just a cool mentor and whatnot. But also, it's nice to have someone who you can mess around with. My old man was always talking business even when he was at home—you kinda do that too, but in a good way 'cause anything's better than being a D-list villain, y'know. Plus, unlike him, you're working on striking a balance. Sometimes you even have a sense of humor." She chuckles awkwardly. "Anyway, I'm going on a jog. Text me if you need anything."

Before he processes her rambling, she grabs a granola bar and races out the door. He opens the card and out falls out a handful of purple confetti plus an ever-rare two-dollar bill. Smiling, he brushes the confetti up and puts it in his shirt pocket.

Bruce checks his watch. Everyone else is already out, except for Cass. She was out late last night on that Clayface mission, but even she should be up by this time. He fixes her a bowl of cereal with the package instructions and brings it upstairs.

"Cass?" He knocks. "Are you up yet? It's past 9:30."

He hears the duvet crunch like a candy wrapper as she shuffles around. A moment later, the door swings open as a messy-haired Cass yawns.

"I'll leave this up here for you," he says, putting the bowl on the dresser. "Any big plans today?"

She shakes her head. "Write reports. And relax."

"Well, you deserve a break. Great job on the stakeout, Princess." He plants a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Love," she says.

"Huh?"

"Favorite thing you do. Love."

He laughs softly. "I try. Now go get dressed."

The rest of the day goes by like any other. Despite it being Sunday, he still has a meeting scheduled with some Singaporean investors on their timezone. By eleven, he and some other executives are gathered around the long conference table as the video call drones on, and it's not until over an hour later that they're finally let out. Bruce loosens his tie and Tim does the same, sighing in relief and exhaustion.

Bruce asks, "Did you have lunch yet?"

"Oh, I forgot that's a thing," Tim says, stretching. "Hey, remember that ice cream place on 32nd?"

"You want ice cream for lunch?"

"I'd break your no killing rule for their M&M cookie sundae, okay?" he says. "Besides, remember when you took my friends and I there even though we massively bombed our first off-world fight? I might still be a massive perfectionist but that made me get a little more comfortable with failing. Anyway, I thought it'd be cool to stroll down memory lane—and have junk food as a meal without Alfred knowing. Unless you're busy, which I totally get."

"Not at all," Bruce replies, putting an arm around Tim's shoulders. "Duke and Damian will be at the arcade all day and I don't have any urgent side business."

And so, instead of calling Alfred for a ride, they journey through the Gotham subways with Tim's camera capturing the Grammy-worthy saga of a billionaire CEO battling a common turnstyle. They get a few side-glances in the sparse train car, but besides a teenager asking for Tim's autograph, the civilians leave them alone. Pretty soon, they're at a 1950s-themed ice cream parlor, where the waitress slides their orders down the long chromium bar.

"Why do they call it a banana split?" Bruce asks, grabbing the cocoa powder shaker.

Tim pauses mid-bite of his cookie. "...Because they split the banana in half?"

"Really?"

He moves the whipped cream aside to reveal the cut banana in Bruce's dish.

"How would it sound if I said I never noticed that?"

He smirks. "That's why I'm the brains of this operation."

"Indeed you are." Bruce ruffles his hair. "Though this head of yours could use some shampoo."

"Will saying I love you get me a free pass out of it?"

"No." He laughs. "But I love you too, son."

Alfred catches on to their little dessert escapade and picks them up from the parlor, though not without commenting on the strawberry stain on Bruce's jacket. As Tim plugs his music into the car, Bruce takes the time to listen to the voicemails he got during their lunch break.

"Hiya Bruce," Clark's voice plays. "I hope today's going swell for you. I just want you to know that I'm glad I can call you my pard'ner." Bruce snickers at the country twang.

Next is Diana. "Bruce, I apologize if I must keep this brief since I have a curator's convention today. However, I wish to tell you that you are an invaluable teammate and even more remarkable friend."

"Hey Batman, I gave you a shoutout to the Central City press for your help taking down Weather Wizard," Barry says. "Also, thanks for letting me borrow your communicator. I can always count on you to be overprepared. Have a good one!"

"Bats, tell your kid to quit taking my yogurt from the fridge." Ah, good old Hal. "Also, today's all about guys like you, so... yeah. I admit, you could be worse."

Finally, there's one from Zatanna. "Afternoon, Bruce! I'd tell you in person if I wasn't caught up in Kahndaq, but I hope today is extra special for you. I know how much the birds mean to you, and I know they're gonna treat you well."

(There's also one from Ollie, but he's just asking if he can use the communicator after Barry. In the background, Dinah is is clearly ordering food.)

After dropping Tim and Alfred home and switching to a more discreet vehicle, Bruce makes his way to pick two of his other kids up from the arcade.

"Did you guys have fun?" Bruce asks as they climb in.

"We decimated every game," Damian says, "and won you the finest specimen as a trophy."

He plops a five-foot Snorlax into the front seat and buckles the seatbelt.

"This is for me?" Bruce asks.

"Tt, who else would it be for?"

"I didn't win as many tickets," Duke says, "but I also got you a spider ring and a Chinese finger trap." He puts them in the cupholder.

"Why are you giving me all your prizes?"

"Again, who else would we give them to?" Damian asks.

Duke says, "I think what he means is that you do a lot for us, so this is a thanks from us."

As silly as it might seem, Bruce is genuinely touched.

Pre-patrol dinner is a quiet affair, with Kate stopping by because she apparently forgot to go grocery shopping. She takes a fingerling potato off his plate.

"Um, you're welcome?" he says.

"Bruce, we're family. It's what we do." She takes a bite.

He takes a piece of asparagus from her. "I wish all of us were here, though. Too bad Dick and Jason have that Penguin stakeout. Hopefully they're being safe."

"Even if things go wrong, they were taught by the best. You should trust them more." Selina gets up and places a peck on his cheek before going to get a drink.

"I do," he mumbles into his meal. "It's the world I don't trust."

As he puts on his cowl, he asks Barbara for an update on the evening. So far, Duke is handling a carjacking, the girls are preoccupied with a strip mall hostage situation, Damian is patrolling Metropolis with Jon, and Kate is kicking off her shift with a car chase against Two-Face. Tim and Selina are staying back to catch up on some overdue reports, but other than that, the cave is quiet.

"Before you go," Barbara says, "my dad was cleaning out the attic and found something you might like."

From her bag, she pulls out a blue mug that says: World's Okayest Dad.

"My brother got it for him a long time ago, but... you know. It's all yours now, if you want it."

He takes it, running his thumb along the words.

"It suits you," she says before turning back to relay something to Stephanie.

The route laid out for him tonight gives him the perfect opportunity to swing by and check on two of his boys. He lands on the rooftop silently, where Nightwing and Red Hood have already set up camp. Evidently, they don't notice him as they keep going with their conversation.

"Did you get dropped on your head as a baby?" Jason asks. "Sour cream and Greek yogurt are not the same thing."

"They totally are, change my mind." Dick glances through his binoculars. "No sign of Cobblepot yet."

A moment goes by as Jason not-so-covertly steals some of his brother's patrol snacks.

"So how'd family therapy go yesterday?" Jason asks. "Did the old bat finally show an emotion?"

"It was pretty insightful, at least on my part." Dick lowers his binoculars. "I think I realized where Bruce's persistence comes from. It's annoying as hell, but I think that's how he maintains hope. And who knows, maybe it's his love language."

Jason scoffs.

"I'm serious," he says. "I know none of us are stellar at this family thing, but we care about each other. You can't deny that. We just gotta... refine how we express it."

"Count me out."

"Jaybird."

"Codenames, Dickhead."

Dick snickers. "You love us, admit it. All of us."

Jason mutters a string of curses under his breath before saying, "If you tell him, I'm filling your mattress with sour cream."

Bruce smiles and leaps to the next building.

At the end of the night, Bruce finds Alfred brewing tea in the kitchen and takes the kettle from him.

"I got this," he says. "Why don't you go relax in the living room? I think they added your favorite detective movie to Netflix."

"This is a pleasant surprise." Alfred raises an eyebrow. "What brought it on?"

"It's Father's Day, of course," he replies, pouring the cups of tea. "You know you've always been a second dad to me."

"You made that clear with last year's breakfast surprise," Alfred says. "Care to join me?"

"Always," Bruce says. "By the way, do the kids seem different to you today?"

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ggomos-maribat · 10 months

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5 | in which Marinette Dupain-Cheng is behind schedule

Part 5 of No Mr. Wayne You Can't Adopt Me! | Masterlist

Marinette's schedule had become a mess.

She went to the grocery store to do some late night shopping, but when she got to the fresh produce section, the place had fallen victim to a robbery. So there she was, cart positioned in front of her, leaning against the crates after the customers were all told to get down. She tapped on her knees restlessly—Gotham's vigilantes hadn't arrived yet.

If the robber is intercepted in forty minutes, I'll have fifteen minutes to finish shopping and fifteen more to fall in line and pay. Her face twisted into a frown. That's too much time off from work and sleep.

Marinette yawned and peeked through the aisles where the goons were yelling at the poor cashiers. Does it count as work time if I help the vigilante side of my boss? She wondered tiredly. She'd promised not to get too involved when such things happened (she had a cover to keep after all), but the interruption had become an annoyance.

Fine, if they're not here yet after ten minutes, I'm kicking those asses myself, she decided. She opted to scan her surroundings instead to save some time looking for items.

Finally, the sound of grappling guns whizzed in the air, followed by capes swishing. The Bats wasted no time introducing their fists to the criminals. Marinette rolled her eyes. Seriously, how'd they get the idea to rob a grocery store? It's too big of a space for a small group of robbers—anyone can run out and get some help—ooh, wait, is that half-priced lettuce?

Unfortunately for her, the vigilantes seemed to be taking a longer time rounding up all the robbers. She really really wanted to get the lettuce and go back to her apartment. A few more minutes passed and she made up her mind to transfer her items to a basket and crawl through the floor to continue shopping. If I can get to the self-checkout line, maybe I can still follow my schedule, thought Marinette.

She made her way between shelves, grabbing what she needed while laying low without a care in the world about the grunts and punches and kicks she was hearing. She got her precious lettuce, moved on to the frozen section for a while, and then back to the main aisles to fetch the seasonings she needed. Whenever she got a glimpse of Batman, she ducked out of he way, knowing that he'll fuss over her the next day if he found out that she was in the middle of the robbery.

Alas, she forgot to also pay attention to the other Bats. While she was on her knees, ground pepper in one hand, she looked up to see Robin who was staring at her in shock.

She stared back with a straight face.

"What are you doing? " Robin finally spoke.

"Shopping," she said, putting the pepper shaker in her basket.

"What—how—why now? "

Marinette settled for no more than one word. "Capitalism."

The boy cleared his throat, seemingly still puzzled by her actions. "Have you seen other robbers holding customers hostage around here?"

She distractedly pointed to the next aisle over and he took off.

***

Marinette thought she got the stabby Robin off her back, but he came up to her while she was in self-checkout after the robbers were all rounded and tied up.

"What are you doing?" The vigilante asked. "We need your statement first before you leave, miss."

When Marinette looked up, she saw a number of other patrons continuing their business . . . plus Batman speaking with the commissioner. Seriously, he couldn't have asked anyone else?

"What you did was dangerous. You could've been seen by them," Robin scolded.

"I was in a hurry. There was half priced lettuce." Marinette began to shove all the goods into multiple bags as fast as she could.

"You could've waited—"

"No, I couldn't." With a nod, Marinette took all the heavy bags into her arms and ran out of the store as fast as she could.

***

The company didn't require her to work late at night, obviously, but it became a habit for Marinette just like when she sketched before bed. It helped her set things in order for the next day and go over the details she needed to prepare. WE was by no means the perfect corporation and Bruce wasn't the perfect boss, but Marinette was content with her job, especially since it paid well.

She tucked her legs up her chair, reading the files under the yellow light. Yes, WE had its own faults—there were still supervisors from the Marketing Department who'd send interns on coffee runs instead of giving them actual work, and a few execs seemed keen on pocketing money for themselves. Though if she could pick out those issues one by one and bring them up to Bruce, it would be a good change in the workplace.

Meanwhile, as the girl focused on her work, a few vigilantes hung out outside of her window.

"Tt. Father, are you overworking Marinette?"

"What?"

"I found her in the store shopping while the robbers were still active." Robin crossed his arms. "When I asked she only said 'capitalism'."

". . . What?"

***

One office day, Tim decided to stretch and take a walk outside his office for a break. He wandered into the copy room, where he saw Marinette waiting by the printer. He was a little sleepy by that time, but managed to greet her with a quick 'hello' which she reciprocated, followed by: "Do you need anything, Mr. Drake?"

He yawned. "No thanks."

He'd say he needed coffee but he knew Bruce banned him from consuming any more for the week.

After the copy room, he then went to the break room where he found Marinette again. This time, she handed him a cup of what looked like decaf, freshly prepared. "Uh." He squinted at her. "Weren't you just . . ."

"Hmm?"

"You were just . . ." He pointed towards the direction he came from. "Nevermind."

Maybe he was starting to hallucinate.

Not wanting to decline the drink, he took a seat and began taking small sips. He idly watched Marinette heat up pastries for snacks, probably for Bruce. A few minutes ticked by and he excused himself to go to the toilet.

. . . Where he saw Marinette coming out of the ladies' room.

"Weren't—" he sputtered. "You—you were just in the break room! I left you there!"

Marinette's smile appeared forced, but concerned. "No, I wasn't . . .?"

"You were!"

". . . Perhaps you should get some sleep, Mr. Drake," Marinette advised.

"No, I swear! You were there!"

She gave yet another worried smile and went off towards the elevator. Tim shook his head as he went to the bathroom. Had he lost his mind after all? He finished his business quickly and hurried back to his office to gather his thoughts.

But as he passed by Bruce's office he caught someone going out the door.

Someone by the name of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

"Didn't you go downstairs?!" He exclaimed, wide-eyed. This particular Marinette seemed surprised by his outburst.

"Sorry?"

"You went to the elevator!"

"No, I was here." She raised an eyebrow. "In Mr. Wayne's office."

He grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her. " What are you?!"

He was sure he saw her disappear through the sliding doors. He was certain it was her who was in the break room, and outside the bathroom, and inside the copy room. He didn't stop mumbling nonsense until a curse-spouting, stressed Tamara Fox dragged him away from the confused Marinette.

What the poor Tim Drake didn't know unfortunately, was that Marinette strived to meet deadlines every day. And when schedules were tight, she simply couldn't do all her tasks by herself.

So, occasionally, the assistant would pull off a little Hermione Granger and employ the help of a certain time-traveling Miraculous to be in several places at once.

#maribat fic #maribat fanfic #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #maribat #dc x miraculous #NMWYCAM #PA!Marinette

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aloysiavirgata · 3 months

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M&S revival, Canoe camping clouds

The sky is a swirl of orange and purple, like the orchids and trumpet vines that harrowing long-ago night in the Apalachicola Forest. The air has the same cloying honeysuckle-and-jasmine lushness. The same sparking, ball-lightning kinetic energy.

She wonders, as she always does, what would have happened if she’d called his bluff and gotten naked. Maybe it wouldn’t have all been such a gigantic goddamned deal. Maybe they’d have a teenaged boy at home throwing a cheap beer kind of party while they have this little getaway. Maybe there would have been no Antarctica and no funeral and no tender, leaking breasts. Maybe her mother would still call every Sunday.

She likes to worry this little ache from time to time, like a sore tooth, to see if it still hurts. It always, comfortingly, does. She is still alive. She is still human. Hurting feels so much like life.

Mulder’s got his hot-professor glasses on, pointing up at a vast, fuchsia cloud. “Nessie,” he says, with a kind of smug authority. He throws another lump of moldy bread towards the evil goose by their canoe. It honks in triumph; pecks and honks.

“I can’t believe I’m negotiating with terrorists,” he laments.

Scully glares at the goose as it pecks and nibbles. She scrunches her nose. “Vibrio cholerae,” she says. “Sans flagella.”

Mulder groans. “You’re so predictable.”

Scully sniffs, prim. “I’ve been called worse by better.”

“Oh? Waterston call you his hot little blue-stocking in the sack, Dana?” He feeds the goose again.

She’d never been called worse by better. There is no better. She knows that now, high-breasted and narrow-waisted at 52. She knows that now, with Mulder and his obnoxious body beside her. She knows that now, with with her sterile, clipped little bob.

“Mmm,” she says, non-committal. The sun dies a bit more.

Mulder, in his strange omniscience, smiles. “Sell your house and marry me,” he says. Then, “Batman holding a pepper shaker.”

Behind them, the tent rustles in the sweet winds of late June. The clouds drift like drowsy sheep. Night comes down.

“Batman holding a pepper shaker,” Scully murmurs.

She reaches for his hand as the gloaming comes, as the stars shine and shine and shine.

#xf fanfic #xfiles fanfic #msr #prompt #my fic #inbox #revival

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projectbatman193 · 2 years

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Don't think you can see, but I got a tie on batman collors heheh

#project batman #batman #bruce wayne #martial arts #training #exercise #fitness #work out #kung fu #tie #black and yellow #black and gold #me #fitlife #fitblr #superhero fitblr #batman shaker #shaker bottle #fancy me

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lesbianrobin · 7 months

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rating stobin halloween costume options that u guys submitted!

doc brown (robin) and marty mcfly (steve): 7/10 using back to the future for them is very fun but it's a bit expected... a bit normie.... also steve would just look like himself i think like it would just look like robin was an old guy and steve didn't wear a costume.

kurt russell (steve) and the thing (robin): 9/10 the thought of robin constructing some horrific sfx costume to be the thing is fucking incredible and i think steve would enjoy being sexy kurt russell. also he would definitely tell people he was kurt russell and if they said you mean rj macready? he'd be like who?

snoopy (steve) and woodstock (robin): 5/10 ok i know i KNOW it's cute in theory but think about it in practice. how would they actually do these costumes. we know they're diy'ing this. i fear this would just be like t-shirts with some marker on them and perhaps scary-looking face paint. maybe it could be cute but idk i don't have faith in them </3

bert and ernie: 10/10 this would be absolutely iconic and i think they would slay. no notes.

cagney and lacey: 6/10 i must admit this one was my idea. i think it's not recognizable enough and they'd be explaining it all night but i just love the thought of them having such a dykey couple costume.

bonnie and clyde: 7/10 once again i fear this might not be super recognizable but it is a fun idea and they'd look so hot.

ripley and the alien: 9/10 i worry about how they're gonna pull off the alien but i like to imagine that steve is wearing the panties + tank top combo and that is worth enough for me to set aside practicality.

the blues brothers: 9/10 they would look so sexy and have so much fun in their little matching suits <3

batman (robin) and robin (steve): 10/10 this would be so fucking cute and i Know they would spend the entire night waiting for somebody to say robin's name so they could both go "yes?" at the same time and then giggle like little children.

hammer and sickle: 7/10 idk how they would do this one but i thought of it weeks ago and haven't stopped laughing at my own idea since.

merry and pippin: 9/10 because when i got the ask suggesting this costume i almost cried bc it is just so precious to imagine HOWEVER if they went to a halloween party barefoot i'd have to kill myself.

shaggy and fred: 8/10 very cute but i feel like they need a scooby...

twins from the parent trap (1961): 9/10 this one is so funny to me like it's such a funny reference to make and it also implies that either they get wigs or they get the same haircut which is just an incredible visual.

princess leia (steve) and han solo (robin): 7/10 ok listen. listen hear me out. i love the gender fuckery we know this BUT i truly believe that steve would refuse to do a star wars costume if he couldn't be han solo. like i just don't think he would do it. however if she could convince him then robin would absolutely eat! it would be so sexy she would be absolutely crushing it with the ladies.

miracle max and valerie: 7/10 ok listen i support this one but it's just not my favorite. like it's funny it's unique it's original but i think steve wants to be sexy on halloween and i also suspect they would have to explain this one a lot.

salt and pepper shakers: 8/10 it's giving blues clues and i love it. very much classic couples costume but the classics are classics for a reason!

wesley (steve) and inigo montoya (robin): 10/10 hot. imagine robin doing the little monologue. steve wearing the mask. them fencing with like toy lightsabers or something. this one fucking rules.

ok that's it thank you for attending my presentation <3 love u all xoxo bye

#em talks #stranger things #steve harrington #robin buckley #genuinely platonic soulmates

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scleracentipede · 1 year

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working on making a scarecrow shaker keychain and here’s the process so far!

(Image Description: A cartoon style drawing of scarecrow from the Batman comics with a scythe. They wear a large hat and poncho with a lot of long black hair around them. They have a leg brace, noose, and gas mask on . From their hat hangs a little poppet of Batman made of the same material as their poncho.)

#artists on tumblr #digital art #scarecrow #dr jonathan crane #jonathan crane #batman #dc comics #fear state #arkham knight #arkham scarecrow #fear state scarecrow #salecrow #commissions open #queer artist #trans artist #disabled artist #sceleraverse

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askbloatedbellyblog · 2 months

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What about Gallagher's placement? C'mon he is a barman, is in touch with fizzy drinks all the time, he must have won and participated in a lot of burping contests haha

I will say that I'm not caught up with the latest patch or pulled for him yet, so this is also a bit of conjecture and going off the wiki.

First off, I will say I don't trust anything going on in Penacony at all. Not that I think you should blame me. When everything is based on dreams, illusions, The Gilded Age, the mob, Batman and more there's a lot that makes it seem like no one is as they seem or if they even exist.

With Gallagher and his history, hell I'm not even sure if he's alive or possibly one of the original settlers of Penacony (therefore old). It does seem that he's made an identify for himself. Plus he's both a cop/detective and a bartender. I'm not sure what the need is for both in Penacony.

I'm also VERY sus on what SoulGlad is to begin with as I think it's the cause of the mass sleep/dream and necessary for everyone to have the same dream and the real Penacony is possibly still the prison.

But let me tell you something stupid.

This, this right here, is stupid. SoulGlad is a carbonated soda, so not only is that soda going to spill and overflow that shaker, he's now made the drink flat. Plus it's dependent on his mood for the new flavor of the drink and with things all not what they seem with him, I'm not sure it's going to be a good taste. Now maybe this is different in Penacony because it's also a dream so anything that is eaten I'm not sure actually happens anyway and even one of the SoulGlad's flavors is only available in the dream.

So that being said, going to burps with him, I still think he's decent at them because yes he still drinks soda even when attacking and he 100% comes off as a sad drunk cop with a dark past so I'm sure that he has let some good burps fly. He probably even does do some contests with his other cops (which are probably much closer to Pinkteron's or mob enforcers than anything) and would still end up being the best belchers there.

However, if you're talking about his job and being in touch with the fizz, I'm not sure he's good at his job. He makes the fizz flat, as a bartender, he's more there to serve drinks and listen to others and stop others from arguing than participating.

So I still think he's a good burper with nice deep brassy belches and capable of them. But I also think he deserves some demerits because he does not know how to handle a soda.

#burp canon #burp kink #Gallagher #honkai star rail #didn't really go into belly kink on this one #since it's hard to say with his vibe #he could shave too and look better #but I do not forgive him ruining the carbination #If it was alcohol I would understand #but they specifically say that its soda #and it's soulglad #are they headed to the prohibition when they find out SoulGlad is evil?#or is it more like Reefer Madness #SoulGlad Giddiness #tag rant #I have theories on things guys.

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lazaruspiss · 10 months

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So, about Dick and Jason…

(for anon <3)

“Jason & Dick’s dynamic—specifically 1) how different they are yet their differences complement each other, and 2) how they have the potentials to be unhealthy attached with each other with push and pull, YET also the potentials to be each other’s solace, possibly even the only one who can be the other’s solace, as they actually understand to the root the baggages that they both carry (e.g the Bruce baggage) and can help the other work through or even overcome it.”

I um. I had fun. Somewhere around the 5th paragraph I started to wonder if I was getting carried away, and then I blinked and it doubled in length. I had many words in this little brain o mine.

Well, they are different for sure, and one of those differences is whether or not they’d actually think that themselves. Dick tends to see Jason as being down right unknowable, someone he tries to understand but can never quite keep up with. Jason thinks they’re all too similar, that they’ve both been deeply betrayed by Bruce as well as the system, and doesn’t seem to realize that Dick doesn’t feel the same. The crux of their conflicts is a complete gap in what they know about each other. The nature of which neither of them are really that self aware of.

Dick knows that Jason feels wronged. That he was failed both as Robin and as Jason Todd. What Dick doesn’t seem to understand is that it wasn’t his fault. That when Jason talks about being let down he is almost always talking about Bruce, and if not him, then the system itself. In some ways Dick’s misunderstanding of that is simply a result of the sense of self loathing that he’s developed over the years. And another part of it stems from Dick’s instinct to see himself as an extension of Bruce. Bruce’s failures are his failures, and his failures are a burden to Bruce. In a lot of ways Dick’s personal journey of separating himself from both Bruce and Batman was completely upended after Blockbuster and the bombing of Blüdhaven. With his personal life upended it’s not surprising that he’d fall back into old habits. Batman and Robin are each other’s responsibilities. They’re partners until the day they die. So much of Dick’s world had revolved around Bruce that asking him to separate himself from Bruce, even just conceptually, starts to feel more akin to asking him to cut off a limb.

Jason doesn’t understand the extent of all that. There’s no way for him to know that, especially since the biggest issues Dick has are ones that he’s not even aware of himself. This tends to, somewhat understandably, make Jason feel impatient with Dick. He genuinely doesn’t seem to understand why he and Dick can’t agree on anything. He knows Bruce is the biggest wedge between them, but doesn’t understand why Dick can’t let go of Bruce. If anything he sees Dick as another brainwashed victim of Bruce and his mission. Jason is also a poet. In the sense that his preferred ways of communicating are counter intuitive and often exasperate the problem rather than solving it in any way. Which doesn’t make repairing the already tedious gap between them any easier.

The to kill or not to kill debate is also no small part of what’s keeping them at odds with each other. Dick needs to believe in a kinder way. He’s already hanging on by too thin of a thread to give that up. It would be tough enough even if it was just a matter of him thinking killing is always and inherently wrong, but it’s also a deeply personal matter for him. He can’t go back to the time where he felt himself cave on that. He never really healed that ache, and given just how deep it is I’m not sure it’s even possible. What happened with Blockbuster left him shaken in a way that is not easily steadied. And Jason is a continuous tremor. An unapologetic shaker. In his eyes it’s the only way to really change things. He’s often right, but it’s less than helpful when it comes to trying to connect with Dick. The way Jason pushes him is an attempt at challenging Dick to be better in Jason’s eyes, but to Dick it’s just salt on the already painful wounds.

All that to say that these kids have some communication issues. A bit more than some, really. Two passing trains, neither going where they really need to go.

The closure they both need is practically one in the same, and does come back down to where they stand with Bruce. Jason needs – and wants – Bruce to acknowledge him as a victim both to the Joker and to Bruce’s own negligence. But Dick is a bit trickier. What Dick wants is to be acknowledged as an equal to Bruce. What Dick needs is for Bruce to acknowledge the harm he’s both done in the past and the harm he continues to inflict on Dick in the present, and for Bruce to either change for real and for good or for Bruce to leave his life entirely.

Jason had always questioned Bruce’s methods, and dying was undeniable proof that Bruce was doing it (“it” being both fatherhood and justice) wrong. Jason knows what his needs are. Jason has so much self awareness over Dick that it makes stories about the two of them jarring. When Dick reflects on his relationship with Bruce he almost always takes on some of the blame. Dick never asks for apologies. He reaches out to Bruce first. He either frames it as “I said some things that went too far” or “We both said things we regret” when those sentiments are often unjustified. There are times where I struggle to even find what it is that Dick said to Bruce that he feels so guilty about, because Dick would rather spend his life apologizing than give up his relationship with Bruce. Jason knows Dick can’t let go of Bruce but he also knows that Dick needs to cut him off more than anybody.

Dick is ultimately the one who needs to be pulled out of the gutter in order for there to be any real mending between the two of them. That means Jason would need to rework how he approaches Dick. Jason has the spirit and a lot of the right ideas! But he can’t get anywhere with Dick if he doesn’t adjust his pace.

(A bit of a weird aside here, but they remind me of a poem I wrote as a kid. I don’t remember the actual content of it, but it was a story about a spring and a glass as a metaphor for relationships. The gist of it being: if all you do is push on the spring it will just bounce back in the end, and then all you have have is broken glass. The spring being your struggling loved one, the glass being the relationship, you get the idea.)

The tough part is the Dick does still need to be challenged on his beliefs in order to grow! So there’s this tricky balance that needs to be struck between calling out his warped mindset around Bruce while not pushing him so far that he shuts Jason out entirely. Jason is, however, still human. No one has infinite patience, and helping pull Dick from the Bruce shaped hole he’s dug his heels into is no easy feat. I think it’s possible, but very very difficult. But if they did get to a point where Dick had finally separated from Bruce and recognized how Bruce had done wrong by him then the rest would almost be laughably simple. Justifying and legitimizing Dick’s pain justifies and legitimizes Jason’s too. Dick already knows that Jason has been hurting, but I think the self reflection of his own relationship with Bruce would really help Dick when it comes to understanding why Jason is as hurt as he is. It would make Jason's issues with Bruce feel real in a way that Dick hasn't always let himself acknowledge.

They can get there. Eventually.

#dick grayson #jason todd #they are WEIRD and SILLY and i got in such a groove with this one #does this mean i have to make a 'my metas' tag. i probably should.#my meta #i did NOT think it would get this long

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