I Wrote It Thinking It Was Bad But Now Like 700 People Are Following So I Guess Its Not??? Nice That

I have this angsty headcanon that, when on the streets, Jason was like the communal dad. At twelve years old he was this mentor/parental figure to about half the younger street kids. Sure, some of the teens did this too—they would watch out for the little ones, bring them food or money when they ahd extra, stuff like that. But somehow this twelve year old kid ended up being better at it than them. He knew pretty much every younger street kid in the alley by name, he made a point to (gruffly) tell the newer kids how to survive, what shelters were to be trusted (none), stuff like that. When a younger kid wanted something as simple as someone to guard them while they slept at night, a hug, a lookout during a pickpocketing, anything, he was the go-to guy. He knew pretty much everyone. He knew who to trust, who needed what, who had what. He knew who was in what gang, which Bad Guy™️ was planning something which night.

he denied it, of course. He was NOT a parental figure. Hell, he was barely a teenager! But the moment Jamie (a newer street kid) needed a sandwich or El (9 years old) needed a hug, he was there to give it. Didn’t matter if he had to pick pockets all day to get that sandwich, or if hugging the little girl reminded him so much of his mom that he got teary. He did it anyway, because that’s who he always was—someone who took care of others.

Everyone on the street knew—if you needed something, you asked Todd. Whether that be a hug, protection, guidance, just a dry place to sleep. He fights scrappy, but he’ll protect you from pretty much anything if you’re young enough. If you go looking for handouts you don’t actually need (if you’re part of a gang picking on the younger kids) you’d better hope he left his tire iron at his newest hideout, becuase you don’t want that shit bashing your knee in.

So anyway. When Bruce decides to take in this street kid, Jason accepts. Not becuase he really trusts the guy, but because he’s filthy rich. That’s useful.

So I've had this thought for a while. If anyone's seen the Suicide Squad movie, there was a scene with The Joker and Harley Quinn where he exclaimed how he was an "idea".

And I can't help but think of Batman being the same. An "idea," a myth. A method of suppressing the crimes that have haunted Gotham for years. I thought of Bruce not seeing himself as a person, merely an idea utilised for "the mission."

And how this is pretty angsty for the younger bats. Age consumes everyone if accidents don't. And I can't help but imagine the kids just watching as the man that built their world, that nurtured them the only way he knew best in a world he considered surviving another day as a luxury. They'd watch him push himself to the limit, surpass it, and make new limits just to surpass them again. They'd watch, knowing he could never stop. How he grows older, white hair overtaking the black, crows feet at the edge of his eyes. And he still wears the cowl every night and breaks his limits again and again and again.

It's terrifying. Being in the sidelines of that. Knowing you'd either die trying to live up to that or live the rest of your life like a ghost once you do. And they hate it. How much Batman has shaped Gotham, how his shadow has spread so far and wide they'll never escape it. And they hate it more when they can't even seem to make themselves truly leave. Yeah they'll spend time away, years even, but they'll always come back one way or another.

And every time they do, they know they'll come back to a consumed creature more than they'll come back to their father. I just love to think they can never truly leave because they are the humanity Bruce has lost to the cowl. They come back because they're the human part of him, battered and bruised but with beating hearts more alive than he could ever dream of being again. How he used the meagre humanity he had left to raise these children before it died when they grew independent and left.

Or maybe I'm just obsessed with the trope of Bruce losing himself to the cowl. Idk. I have a test, and I'm sleep deprived.

uhhhhhhhh smth smth gay gay title

i have not slept and it's like 2AM and im now feeling tired but i locked tf in to draw this i just HAD to finish before bed i will be more coherent tomorrow anyways. gay superbat. have

"He slipped"

Batman (1940) issue 424

ooh interesting idea

I need more people to acknowledge that bruce is not gonna be a great parent, but i'll be damned if he doesn't try

His parents are dead, and as far as I've seen, the only real, not-explicitly-toxic relationship he has is with Alfred, his butler

and remember that, at least for a long while, as much as Alfred cared, he still drew a very clear (sometimes limiting) line between them as butler-and-master

so no Bruce does not know what he is doing with any of his relationships, familial or romantical

and no he probably will never really learn

he's going to make absoulutely horrible, relationship-ending choices, but can you truly look me in the eye and say that any batman does not truly love and value every single relationship he is in (asides from when dc butchers everyone's personalities)

so I need to see more fics like this,

a bruce who tries and fails,

who does not know how to deal with any of this,

and so hides behind a mask or a doof smile, uses his persona to try to deal with it, to try to cope

a broken batman who doesn't know what's wrong with him but desperately wants to fix it, only, if only, just to maintain whatever semblance of love he gets from his friends, his kids

maybe that's why he has so many, desperately searching for any warmth in the innocent's child eyes

fanfic writers where you at?

Yesss I love those two <3 I’m really looking forward to getting to the point in childhood homes where I can focus on them

thank you for spreading the good word of tim and babs friendship. i love tims dynamic with cass and especially steph but my eyes have never been opened to tim and babs. this is beautiful

YYYEEEESSSSS YOU GET IT SOMEBODY FINALLY GETS ME. I MAY BE THE ONLY ONE FIGHTING OUT HERE

THE POTENTIAL. SO MUCH POTENTIAL. DC GIVE ME THE FUCKING PEN LET ME IN THE ROOM

they're both tech savvy! both headstrong and logical! babs chose to become oracle after facing such a trauma. tim chose to be robin because he couldn't let batman and gotham be. they both chose their roles! he's devastatingly little brother to her. big sister babs to him! it makes! so much! sense!!!!!!!

DC doesn't get it like i get it. they spawned their interactions like out of nowhere basically and then proceeded to never let them be close like how i see it. tim and babs... ohhh tim and babs my favourites

alfred gave them the sheets

Oh no my heart 💔💔💔

Magic is a fickle thing, so when the things go down the hill for the Batfamily, and they accidentally (temporarily) regain a copy of little Jason in his Robin era, they both delighted and confused.

Naturally, no one really minds getting Jaybin for a day - Bruce, Alfred, Dick and Barbara all circle around the lost child, talking, offering anything and everything, hugging and kissing his freckled cheeks. Those family members who didn't know him before are no less enamoured. He is polite, nothing like a brash boy they always imagined him to be. He listens to Tim curiously, legs tucked under his chin, happily calls Cass and Steph his big sisters, helps Damian with taking care of animals, and endlessly giggles at Duke's jokes.

Everything is so... nice. What they are worried about, is their Jason's reaction. For the most of it, they expect him to be mad. Offended. Maybe frustrated.

When Jason stumbles inside the Batcave, freezing on the doorstep at the sight of himself, much younger and bubblier, everyone is silent. Dick coughs awkwardly, almost imagining what could happen, and tries to soften a blow:

"Little Wing--"

But there is no need for that. Not really.

Because their Jason stares at little Robin with delight. In awe, even. His whole face softens, and he slowly steps closer, reaching out for a kid.

"Hey, kiddo."

The sheer vulnerability in his voice, confuses others even more.

Jason stares at a kid as if he sees something so dear and lost, and it is strangely baffling. His smiles grow wider when the Second Robin shyly waves at him.

"Come here," Jason encourages him. Once the kid climbs in his arms, he whispers in the crown of his head: "Welcome home, little hero."

And suddenly, it all makes sense.

Because, of course, Jason loves and loved this child.

After all, it is the same one, who he spent protecting from the evil tongues of his own family for years.

You’re welcome

You need to draw and make art or else all the images will stay in your head and you'll get sick