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Latest Posts by donkoogrr - Page 4
If you're looking for stories about adults acting responsibly and with measured calm to world-ending events and who will somehow stop the children who want to fight crime... You should probably go write that book. There's definitely an audience for it.
The rest of us are here to read stories about child heroes facing seemingly insurmountable odds and winning, even if at great cost. We're here for the drama and the crash outs and the moments of peace and the friendships forged from circumstances that none of us will likely ever understand.
They're all stories. Each character is important and exists and it's the way they are so that the story gets told. Each character is moldable and can be changed completely depending on the storyteller, because the story is the important part.
The Batman (2022)
Psychoanalyzation of Batman and the Riddler
This movie is about the corrupt officials running the crime ridden city of Gotham. Batman is trying to uncover it all, as the Riddler brings everything into public attention. He wants to show the truth of the lying, murder, and corruption that is behind public officials in their city. He wants them to pay for their sins, as he says. Batman wants to protect the city from crime, be a figure to scare it away–he stands for justice. They both want to stand for justice, unmasking the truth, and bringing vengeance–something good. They do this through secret identities, personas, scare tactics, violence, and in the riddlers case murder. In that way, Batman and the riddler both represent something so similar yet slightly different.
Bruce Wayne – a millionaire's son, parents murdered on the street, and from a young age was forced to take on the responsibility of being a Wayne. Carrying a family legacy, being part of the big public eye, businesses, etc. When he took on the role of being Batman, it was a subconscious comfort for him. Something more therapeutic than realized. It became his main identity, his life. “Two years of nights have turned me into a nocturnal animal,” he says.
Bruce Wayne is secluded, wasn’t seen often. Growing up in such a dark place, no father, no mother, no support other than money–you’re bound to be this depressive figure. It’s an interesting depiction of depression, the loss of motivation to work, to follow those forced schedules that only drain you. Like Alfred tells him, “you have to keep up appearances, you’re still a Wayne.” Depression isn’t noticed in someone like this. Growing up with so much fear, in a city like this, he developed a complex. This conversation he has with Alfred, about the Wayne family legacy and what he’s doing; “I don’t care about that. Any of that,” he says.
“You don’t care about your family’s legacy?”
“What I'm doing is my family's legacy. If I can't change things here, if I can't have an effect, then I don’t care what happens to me.” He’s enraptured in his life as Batman, but he believes it’s what is needed. His family were public officials, trying to change the city for the better–that’s what he wants as well. It’s a cycle; Losing his parents at a young age → becoming an orphan, not having a healthy childhood with key protections → learning to fight fear on his own → protecting other people from danger to feel complete → still afraid, but subconsciously unaware and trying to fight it with public vigilance and inflicting fear. “Fear is a tool.”
The riddler has a better read on Batman then is really noted by Batman’s actual character. Perhaps he did know these things, just suppressed it, or perhaps it was all subconscious. Both the Riddler and Batman grew up as orphans. The difference is one was poor, and one was very privileged. The similarities they carried sparked the Riddlers' interest in him. He said that he was inspired by Batman; “you showed me all it takes is fear and a little focused violence–you inspired me.” Batman tries to avoid the realization his actions of trying to make things better inspired terrorism and the birth of a criminal who destroyed the city, it angers him. But eventually, he realizes what he needed to do differently. It only took the near death of a father-figure, falling in love then losing that love, a demolished city, and a few crazy criminals to make him say, “vengeance won’t change the past.”
Unlike Batman, the Riddler is actually aware of the similarities in their psyche, and believes they are almost the same. “Your mask is amazing. I wish you could of seen me in mine. Ain’t it funny? All everyone wants to do is unmask you, but they’re missing the point. You and I both know I’m looking at the real you right now.” He believes that he can read him, connect to them on a level of their actions and trauma. He sees the similarity between them. Batman, on the other hand, refuses to see it that way. He recognizes that yes, they were both orphans, both grew up in a melancholic, crime ridden city, and developed trauma because they were never properly taken care of. Alongside that, the truth of his fathers death being revealed is also making him come to his own reality. But if he has to face that reality, that everything he has devoted his life, his coping to for the past 2 years was pretty much a huge infringement, he has to reevaluate everything he was afraid of.
Edward Nashton, the Riddler, is a character shaped by systemic neglect and the corruption of Gotham City. Unlike Batman, whose trauma stems from the privileged position of a very wealthy orphan, the riddler represents the unseen stuffing masses of people of Gotham. He verbalates this anger and disparity with his very emotionally charged monologues:
“Do you know what being an orphan is? It's thirty kids to a room, twelve year olds and already a drophead, numbing the pain. You wake up screaming with rats chewing your fingers, and every winter one of the babies dies because it's so cold. But, oh no! Let's talk about the billionaire with the lying, dead daddy because at least money makes it go down easy, doesn't it? Bruce Wayne.”
The Riddler discreetly confronts the hypocrisy of Gotham's social and societal hierarchy. His hatred towards Bruce Wayne is just personal jealousy—it's ideological. He sees Bruce Wanye as a symbol of the privileged elite who willingly remain ignorant to the suffering of those less fortunate than others. Unlike Batman, the Riddler has no moral code to limit his actions. His belief in vengeance is absolute which leads him to enact what he sees as justice through sadistic and almost theatrical murders. The quote, “It can be cruel, poetic, or blind. But when it is denied, it's your violence you may find.” really encapsulates his perspective that justice is an obligation and when it's absent, chaos and discretion are the only recourse.
Despite their big ideological differences, the Riddler and Batman share a lot of disturbing similarities: they are both productions of Gothams’ corruption, both operate in the shadows, and both seek to expose the city's darkest and most corrupt secrets. The Riddler takes Batman's methods to an extreme, demonstrating how close the line between villain and hero can be. One of the most chilling moments in the film is when the Riddler expresses admiration for Batman, claiming he was inspired by him: “You showed me what was possible. You showed me all it takes is fear and a little focused violence. You inspired me!” This statement forces Batman to confront the possible consequences of his actions. His presence in Gotham, meant to be a force of good and a beacon of hope, has bred figures such as the Riddler, who takes his ideology and distorts it into something more sinister.
While Batman is known to only work alone, he does surround himself with allies but he keeps them at arm's length, while the Riddler is defined by his isolation. He is a man who has spent his whole life feeling invisible, his pain is ignored by the very system he tries to dismantle. His belief in his cause is so strong that he assumes Batman will join him in his big plan and mission, further emphasizing his detachment of reality and his furtherment into delusion. In his final monologue he says: “Oh, if only you knew how long I've been waiting for this day, for this moment. I've been inisale my whole life. I guess I Won't be anymore, will I? They remember me now. They'll remember both of us.” This moment really cements the Riddler as a tragic figure. His entire life has been consumed by the needs for recognition, and in his mind, his grand plan has finally achieved that. He doesn't want to be remembered—he wants to be understood.
The Riddler serves as a reminder of gothams failures. Where Batman chooses to fight against corruption while adhering to a strict moral code, the Riddler embraces the city's darkness. He forces both Batman and the audience to confront the uncomfortable truths about systemic inequality. In the end, the Riddler stands alone, not because of his lack of purpose, but because his means of achieving justice are too extreme even for Gothams dark savior.
By the end of the movie Batman won the battle, but the Riddlers message still stands—justice in Gotham is not just about vengeance; it's about understanding who is allowed to suffer and why
Notes - This is our first essay we have written together!! Half was written by me (scout) and half was written by maddie. We love watching these movies and digging deeper into the characters and plot. If you have any recommendations—please share! - S+M
People who say Bernard is boring are admitting to skill issues. Like, you really can't think up anything about him? This guy? This little whacko is dull to you? He is so chock-full of potential. He has years of potential angst or hilarity we haven't seen. He's a great reminder that Gotham is full of people as "boring" as anyone else in the real world.
He's just. He's a guy. He's a guy in love.
Just things
Headcannon that Jason got the headstone from his grave and put it above his bed because it says 'Here lies Jason Todd' (he broke off the good soldier bit ofc) and thinks it's the funniest thing ever, some of the family, of course, are horrified.
Dick, at Jason's before they go out on patrol: Hey Jaybird, make sure to bring a spare respir--WHAT THE HELL?!?
Dick, looking frantically between Jason and the headstone: this is clearly a threat. Somebody knows your identity. I swear to GOD when I find who did this--
Jason, looking up from his phone comepletely unbothered: oh yeah, about that
--------
Bonus:
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Tim, climbing through Jasons bedroom window: Hey, its me, dont shoot. Do you have a first aid kit here right?
Jason, getting up from where he was reading in bed: ugh yeah sure, one sec
Jason, proceeds to grab a sticky note saying 'DOES NOT' and jabs it onto the headstone so it reads 'Here DOES NOT lie Jason Todd':
Tim:
Tim: okay that's funny
I spoke to a guy at a convention who had written a Batman comic for DC. Genuinely don't remember who or which. But he said that he didn't have to do any reading for backstory or anything. Writers aren't expected to match the character progression of the other writers.
As long as the story can sell and fit in with the other planned projects, writers have a great deal of control over characterization.
I cry everyday because WFA doesn't give us any Bernard despite the WFA comic audience probably being more receptive of him. The current plot in it frustrated me so much cause like why do we get scenes in Tim's apartment and Bernard never shows up?! It could've been hilarious with Tim trying to hide Damis pets from Bear! And then Bear could've been like Tim's apartment version of Alfred and made everyone cookies! What are the WFA writers doing?!?!
They SISTER CODED Steph and Cass, they are actually having CASS consider KILLING, I honestly don't want them touching TimBern with a fifty foot POLL because they'd somehow brother code, friend code, and kill them both.
Like, I loved the first two seasons of the comic, but now they're attempting to UNDERSTAND CHARACTERS THEY NEVER COULD UNDERSTAND TO BEGIN WITH!? But I also hear you because HOW do you exclude Bernard from EVERY MEDIA!!!??? I wish season three was like the first two seasons and I wish we got a lot more TimBern, I wish Bernard was at least mentioned, but alas DC comics are to afraid now to be what comics are, PROPAGANDA AGAINST SOCIETIES EXPECTATIONS AND THE GOVERNMENT! Which is really sad, because I feel like comic book writers from the 60 maybe 70-ish to 90's would've loved having more freedom to make female characters and queer representation.
I'm no history buff, but I know comics have always been woke and now it's like they're borderline afraid to be??? Tim and Bernard deserve more and better, I hate that it's seen as forced or boring and not compatible because Tim Drake: Robin was cancelled, nobody ever really gave it a chance it feels like. Cass and Steph should've kissed by now, I'm sick of this forced sister relationship the writers are trying to push on them. I'm sick of Bruce being abusive or a sweet Dad, like the writers nor fandom can comprehend what a complex character is anymore. Also, Kory and Dick should've been married, and I'm tired of pretending like they shouldn't be.
When I say if I had the motivation to binge read hundreds of comics and write a fic that completely rewrote Batman from start to finish I mean I wish I had the free time because I WOULD BECAUSE UGH I LOVE THE CHARACTER'S AND STORY BUT THE WRITERS CAN LITERALLY EAT BRICKS!!!
This went several directions, my bad, I'm just so pressed lately about these issues DC has and the lack of TimBern in my life U_U
I remember seeing a post a while ago which message was basically that you should force yourself to like female characters even when they're written to be mid or even just poorly because it's part of unlearning sexism or something, like you need to "learn to like them", and man, I really don't like this stance at all, because what it basically says is that you should lower your standards when it comes to female characters. But there are absolutely amazingly written female characters that you don't need to "force" yourself to like because you just do naturally, because they're just written right, and it doesn't require "work" and "convincing yourself to care" or anything like that. It is absolutely possible to write them, and I'm justified in wanting more of them instead of "forcing myself to like" poorly written characters whose authors couldn't even force themselves to care about them on the first place. It feels backwards to me that many people expect otherwise and call it misogyny when viewer isn't willing to do the writer's work in places where writer didn't do theirs. I do appreciate it and think it's really cool when people take poorly written characters and remake/expand on them within a narrative to be actually interesting and multidimensional, it is really cool that people do that, but also you can't expect that every person who interacts with original media will do the same kind of mental gymnastics and additional work and accuse them of terrible misogyny when they're interpreting the characters the way they were presented to them in original material as is.
Comic book history is so much fun and such a fascinating way to measure the changes in society. In fact, it can be super interesting to measure any society by what censorship laws are in place at any point in time!
I'm not sure about OG Joker being gay, but I do know that sexual deviancy was not allowed to be shown, and since we queers are deviant by default, we weren't exactly in the spotlight.
If you're up for a good read, cbldf.org has a great article from 2012 by Joe Sergio. "Tales from the Code: How Much Did Things Change After the Enactment of the Comics Code of 1954?"
And Academia.edu is a fantastic resource for even more reading!
Me, skimming pages of Batman year one and two, with Jaybin: . . . The f#&% you mean Batman has killed before in self defense? •-•
WHAT!!!??? BATMAN HAS KILLED PEOPLE!?!?!? ._.
This... This messed with my character analysis so much.
WHAT. DO. YOU. MEAN?!
"I'm glad they're dead!" Careful, Jason, the writers took that singular comment and haven't let it go since.
Also, just shout out to Jaybin for being all cute and >:/ and :D
If I had any sort of animation ability, I'd redraw this as the Bats doing casual training. Just look at these athletes, they are so amazing! I can't be the only person trying to figure out who would be who, either!
I might have entered a murder pact with a 14-year girl old last night to kill her 12-year old sister, but honestly, this is the third time she's used Fireball in an enclosed area with the entire party in range.
Yoooo! Yes!
When Batman was a wee little character, just a concept still being fleshed out by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Batman killed people.
Like, with guns, even.
One of the early comics has him straight up acknowledging that he's about to kill innocent madmen who were experimented on at Arkham and turned into monsters, but he had to stop them from killing other innocent people.
Early comics were wild and I am out here so excited to talk about history and the moral panic of the 50s and how legally you couldn't publish a comic that made a criminal sympathetic!
I've got. So many essays. About the Comics Code Authority and its effect on media and culture.
Me, skimming pages of Batman year one and two, with Jaybin: . . . The f#&% you mean Batman has killed before in self defense? •-•
WHAT!!!??? BATMAN HAS KILLED PEOPLE!?!?!? ._.
This... This messed with my character analysis so much.
WHAT. DO. YOU. MEAN?!
"I'm glad they're dead!" Careful, Jason, the writers took that singular comment and haven't let it go since.
Also, just shout out to Jaybin for being all cute and >:/ and :D
Fucking LOVING this energy, yes, thank you, this is a great take on a classic trope!
Jason would be so frustrated. He's kept his secret identity, but at what cost? I can only imagine the ribbing he'd get from his team once they find out, let alone the other Bats.
Now I'm thinking of the next inevitable invasion where all hands are on deck and half the League is wondering why Jason is still dressed as the Red Hood and the other half is wondering if the Bats don't know that that's Jason.
My favorite fic trope is the "JLA meets the batfam because they arrested Jason as he was undercover and now the family is coming to pick him up" one, but imagine. Jason gets arrested by the JLA while undercover, and is brought in for questioning, but before any of the batfam members even notice that he is gone, Green Arrow walks into the interrogation room.
"It's okay, Superman, you can let him go."
"Green Arrow, Red Hood is a wanted criminal on the JLA:s most wanted list-"
"What? No, no he isn't, that's just Jason."
Superman stares. Jason stares too.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, that's just Jason, my son-in-law. You can let him go."
"...your son-in-law is the Red Hood?"
"No? Jason's not the Red Hood, he is just dressed as the Red Hood. He's in a mercenary group with my son, he does that. It's pretty easy to dress up as someone who doesn't show their face for a job. Jason's no Red Hood, let me tell you that. Or I guess I don't have to tell you that, since you've already arrested him."
Jason's not really sure if he wants to murder Oliver or not.
Superman stares. Oliver raises a brow.
"So? Can I have him back, please, we have a family dinner today and we're already a bit late."
"...sure."
Jason gets let out. Oliver throws an arm around his shoulders as they walk towards the zeta tubes.
"I hate you, Queen."
"You're welcome, kiddo."
JLA does leave Jason alone after that, though, because every time they see him outside of Gotham, they just go "oh that's just Jason dressed up as the Red Hood again, move on" and Jason doesn't know if he should be annoyed or not. It does make his work easier, but at the same time, it somehow feels like an insult.
New potential vigilante just dropped.
Wdym they don't invent new birds whenever Batman gets a new kid? How else do you explain so many birds?
Dude has a death wish
Every time I see someone complain about Red Robin's design, specifically his cowl, and that it's ugly and makes him look old...
Honey, This bitch has no spleen? He is planning ahead for his sick days when one of the other bats has to dress up as him. The cowl will be useful. And it's probably got at least a little protection and padding, which is a good thing.
I want y'all to remember how goofy Bruce looked in Nightwing's uniform when he pulled body-double duty for Dick. The dude was noble, but he was not serving Nightwing.
(Plus, can Bernard can wear it and they can have a sex scandal to distract people at any point in time)
Screaming, cackling, joyous!
There's just something enthralling about these two. Especially Tim serving his malicious compliance response to the "Where were you?". It's peak. He loves his family, he doesn't like when they pry into his business, they have all had many conversations about hiding injuries. Now Tim selectively over shares and it's a power trip.
And just. Yes. Tim's laughing hysterically over his boyfriend accidentally shooting him during their kinky sexy times. That is the most true and appropriate response. I kept imagining them on that "Sex Sent Me to the ER" show, retelling this story and breaking down into giggles again.
...Tim is trans masc by default in my head so when Bernard said he'd get him pregnant... I'm just saying, Tim's dealt with a lot of time travel bs. His birth control could fail. He and Steph could have a very funny role reversal, going to the same Lamaze class she took, deciding that the Dead Robins Club is so last year - the Oops Baby Club is now the fun place to be.
I beg you for more Tim and Bernard being chaotic freaks
*Falls down twenty flights of stairs before pushing myself up* This could mean several things, and I will do each one! >:D
Suggestive content below, minors DNI or whatever.
—
Tim, sick, lying in bed: I'm gonna die.
Bernard, sitting next to him, checking his temperature: No, you're not.
Tim: Bet.
Bernard: Please, don't prove me wrong on this one.
Tim: Uuuuuugh...
Bernard: At least you look sexy when you're sick.
Tim: Do I not always look sexy?
Bernard: Oh, you definitely do, always, look sexy. But, I mean like this, your cheeks and thighs all flushed, and all sweaty and helpless and weak in bed...
Tim: Don't get any ideas.
Bernard: To late, I already have several.
Tim: . . . Are you supposed to have sex, when sick?
Bernard: Is that gonna stop us.
Tim: Hmm.. Nope.
—
(inspired by a short story @donkoogrr made for me :3 )
Jason, picking his phone up at two in the morning: Who the fuck is this?
Bernard: Uh, me, so, like, y'know how I asked to borrow a gun for things you did not wanna know about?
Jason: . . . What did you do?
Tim, laughing hysterically in the background:
Bernard: I shot Tim.
Jason: you diD WHAT!?
Bernard: I DIDN'T KNOW THE SAFETY WAS OFF!
Jason: YOU SHOT MY LITTLE BROTHER!? ACCIDENTALLY!?
Tim: IT WAS HOT!
Bernard: He's a bit hysterical?
Jason: Oh my GOD, WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME!?
Bernard: I SHOULDN'T LEGALLY HAVE A GUN AND ALSO THIS WOULD BE SO HARD TO EXPLAIN TO A 911 OPERATOR!
Tim, laughing harder in the background:
Bernard: I have a compression bandage on him..?
Jason: . . . I am on my way, but I swear if he dies from this I'm gonna throw him in a Lazarus pit only to give him an honorable death.
Jason: Oh, also, I'm telling Dick face about this.
Bernard: . . . F#&$.
Tim: Think we can finish up before he gets here and I bleed out?
Bernard, throwing a pillow at him: TIM!
Tim: I've been shot way worse!
—
Ransom girl, flirting with Tim at a gala despite being told several times he has a boyfriend:
Bernard, walking right up to Tim: It's done.
Tim, playing along: It's done?
Bernard: Yup. She's dead.
Tim: Good, good.
Random girl, watching with great confusion and slight fear as Bernard and Tim share a sweet kiss and walk away together:
*The rumors that the Wayne's are some sort of crime family don't get better after this...*
—
Bruce, after calling for an emergency meeting after a massive rogue breakout: I know this is last minute, but— where's Red Robin?
Tim, riding in on his bike:
Jason: Where the f#&$ were you?
Tim, looking around: Are there children present?
Dick: ??? No, Dami is still changing—
Tim: Good, I want you all to know I'm only half coherent, my brain is still fuzzy, and I'm still recovering from being choked out, carved up, humiliated, and defiled in the best ways possible, and I swear one of you better die to make up for what I'm missing out on tonight.
Dick:
Jason:
Bruce:
Tim: None of you wanna see what I look like under this costume right now.
Damian, walking in: Have I missed something? Oh, Timothy, you are here, finally. What took so long?
Tim: Sorry, was hanging out with Bear, y'know how clingy he is.
Damian: Tt, don't forget about your promise to take me to the zoo this weekend.
Tim: Wouldn't dare.
Dick: My baby brother...
—
Stephanie: . . . So, you and Tim are into some freaky stuff?
Bernard: We did not use olive oil, wooden spoon, or the kitchen for their intended purposes last night.
Stephanie: To scared to ask, but also me and Cass have been thinking of experimenting. Any tips?
Bernard: Several.
—
Bernard: You're mad at Bruce again?
Tim: Yeah, but it isn't that big a d—
Bernard, pulling his phone out: Say less.
Bernard, posting anonymously that he'd be getting Red Robin pregnant, one way or another:
Tim: Now what's that gonna do?
Bernard: Give Bruce a heart attack.
Tim: . . . What?
*Cue that night, Bruce begging Babs to tell him what rogue and or magic user is threatening to get his son pregnant and w h y ? ! *
Babs: Harley Quinn says she'd help plan the baby shower, Poison Ivy asked if they're doing a a gender reveal because she has ideas that were safe for the environment, Cat woman commented that she wanted to be the godmother and is currently fighting Spoiler through text for rights..? Nightwing has stated he's castrating anon, and Red Hood told them to watch out for Batman, he's always looking for new Robin's.
Bruce: I am so confused...
—
Tim, gesturing wildly to an entire wall full of case files and "evidence" while being sleep deprived: I'm connecting the pieces.
Bernard: Love dove, the pieces are not connecting.
Tim: They're connecting...
Bernard: What are you trying to solve exactly?
Tim, blinking slowly: I forgot after my eighteenth cup of coffee, but I'm close!
Bernard: Uh huh... Ready for bed?
Tim, whispering as he sticks a sticky note with a poor drawing of a chicken to the wall: Death before dishonor...
—
Tim: . . . Hey, bear?
Bernard, half awake: Mm?
Tim: I want grilled steak.
Bernard: . . . It's three in the morning, Timboo.
Tim: I know...
Bernard:
Tim:
Bernard, groaning as he gets up:
Tim: I love you.
Bernard: I love you more and this is proof.
—
Bernard: Uh... Tim?
Tim, setting down the twelfth cake: You said to pick up a cake.
Bernard: Yes. A cake. You bought twenty cakes!
Tim: I didn't know what flavor you wanted tonight!
Bernard: So you buy all of them?!
Tim: Except carrot cake! Because you don't like carrot cake.
Bernard: We have... So much cake.
Tim: I also bought brownies—
Bernard: Timothy!?
Tim: They're red velvet..?
—
Bernard: I am staring respectfully.
Tim, changing into his Red Robin uniform: You are not.
Bernard, looking him up and down slowly: So respectfully.
—
High school Bernard: I wear sunglasses so nobody knows where I'm looking.
Darla: . . . Bernard—
Tim, not paying attention as Bernard stares at his biceps:
Bernard: Shh...
Darla: This is not heterosexual behavior.
Bernard: No clue what you're talking about. Hey, Tim?
Tim: Yes, Stephanie is a real person.
Bernard: No, no, not about that.
Tim: No, I don't wanna hear the entire lore of Undertale again. And no, I don't care about your d#&$ size, no, you can't know mine either.
Bernard: . . . I'm gonna kick your a#$.
Tim: I welcome you to try, b#&$%.
Bernard, leaning in: I would have you pinned in seconds.
Tim, dropping his phone onto his desk now: Only if I let you.
Bernard: Would you?
Tim: Would I?
Darla: JUST F#&$ ALREADY!
—
Wanted to write out something not-so-heavy, so I'm gonna borrow @arandomao3user's freaky Tim and Bernard pair.
Kink and Bondage go hand-in-hand, but there's a constant problem in the TimBern household. And it's all Tim's fault. He's a fucking escape artist. He keeps getting out of the ropes, the cuffs, the zip ties, the soft restraints, the chains, the really fancy bondage knots that took forever to actually get him into, the specialty restraints, the straitjacket from that one undercover op that went really weird...
It was cute at first when he could play-tackle Tim back to the bed (or floor or table or counter or chair or deck) for a different sort of game, but at this point it's become a problem for the both of them.
Because Tim genuinely can't stop escaping, even when he's into being tied up. Bernard, with equal amounts of frustration and affection, calls it Tim's Robin Reflex. He does it by habit, by accident, and while asleep, on one memorable occasion. Tim's always very sorry, of course, and he is trying so hard to be good for Bernard. It's just that they haven't found that sweet spot yet, that mystery thing that can keep Tim relatively helpless and at Bernard's mercy, but won't trigger the not-fun sort of sense memories that come with years of vigilante work.
So, at a loss and desperate for ideas, Bernard calls his bff.
Jason, actively falling asleep after patrol: "You want advice... On tying up Timmers? Like, shibari 'n whatever? Fucking. Didn't need this in my life, Burn Notice."
Bernard, entirely too awake: "C'mon, Jason; you're one of the most creative people I know and I'm out of ideas. You used to fight all the time! And you have major connections, my man, my buddy, my bestie. Don't you have any alien tech or magical stuff that might work?"
Jason, so tired: "I can ask around later, you freaky...I don't know. I never tied Tim up when we were fighting; I shot him in the thigh once and that slowed him down."
Hearing nothing but dial-tone, Jason sets his phone aside and promptly falls asleep
Three minutes later, Jason sits up in a cold sweat and scrambles for his phone to text Bernard.
J: DO NOT SHOOT TIM
J: BERN. FUCKING ANSWER ME.
J: ISTG IF ONE OF YOU FUCKERS IS SHOT WHEN I GET OVER THERE I WILL GET YOUR HORNY ASSES NEUTERED
With all my Batman et al. posts, I'd like to make a statement about real life vigilante justice.
Gonna cut it for heavy topics. I'm rambling again, but this is something I still have trouble finding the right words to explain.
I greatly admire Batman's no-killing rule because it speaks to what he knows about himself and also that he recognizes the power of a symbol.
If Batman can non-lethally take down criminals, even a corrupt police force will be expected to follow suit.
Vigilante justice inspires copycats. We're seeing it live now, with that guy who shot a Walgreens employee to "protest big pharmacy".
And that's the shit Batman's trying to prevent. The impotent copycats who want the attention without putting in tactical effort. The people who will take and twist a rule until it lets them do what they want to do.
Red Hood has rules. Red Hood kills pedophiles and people who hurt children. I can guarantee that someone in his territory is going to take that rule and use it as an excuse to shoot up a gay club. I can see his words being quoted by the person who murders an abortionist.
One man's idea of a child groomer is another man's trans child.
"We're protecting our women!" Is why Emmett Till was murdered so horrifically. The Antilynching Act that was named for him was only signed into law in 2022.
So. No killing. Because Batman knows he's not a mentally healthy person. He's come face-to-face with evil versions of himself who killed. He is allowed to safeword out of killing people. He's an intelligent person who can see what history has already taught us.
And because he doesn't kill, people are safer with him. If your loved one is having a mental health crisis, you want Batman to show up, not the cops. If you're a person of color doing pretty much anything, you would probably prefer pointy ears over "protect and serve".
Real life vigilante justice? It most often targets people who are already some sort of vulnerable minority. I just. I think it's important to acknowledge this.
This would be tough to see, because on one hand, yes, if Tim as a familiar presence calms Damian from his immediate state of fear/aggression, then that is good and preferable to safety holds and restraints.
What's bad about it is using another child as a pacifier and putting that responsibility on them when there are adults around who should have some training in traumatized kids. They live. In Gotham. It's been years, it should be in the teacher's handbooks by now.
So, maybe this could work for the first incident, but if it continued, then it's not fair or right to turn Tim into a teenage parent whose education, hobbies, and friends are being interrupted by (and the implication that they're seen as less important than) his brother's episodes.
There's a difference between looking out for your kid brother at school and being their sole support unit. It would not be a healthy environment for either boy.
If it were to get written, I could suspend disbelief for light-hearted fluff or reluctant brotherhood, but I'd really like to see it done by someone with a good grasp of real life CPP and New Jersey school policies. I'd really want to sink my teeth into the complexity of social work and student accommodations for a student in both Tim (two-school-shootings-and-counting!) and Damian's (Tiger Mom Assassin) situations.
do you guys think considering the relatively small age gap between Damian and Tim (depending on the author) that they would have been in school together? because coming from a youngest sibling who went to school with older siblings, that would be really interesting to look into.
i’m imagining Tim getting pulled out of class because Damian’s thrown a tantrum and refuses to listen to any of the teachers and they need his brother to convince him to calm down, and it actually working because Tim is the only person Damian is familiar with and so will ever listen to. Damian having no interest in making friends with civilians so he ends up sat on the end of Tim’s lunch table while Tim eats with his friends. Tim getting bullies in Damian’s class to back off, and Damian scuffing his foot on the tiles of the school halls as he waits for Tim to get out of detention so they can walk home together like usual.
considering how strained their relationship was when Damian first arrived in Gotham, putting him in an environment five days a week where suddenly Tim is his only true familiar ally and he has no choice but to accept being on friendlier terms would be really fucking interesting. suddenly Tim is his protector, and although he refuses to let that effect their home dynamic, he does have to accept that at school at least, he needs Tim to be his older brother.
Okay, getting my Asexual-spectrum Batman brainrot in some sort of order, everything is subject to being updated.
This turned out long and rambling, just the way I like it.
My main inspiration for this is a scene from the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, where Bruce and Alfred are discussing how to reintroduce Bruce into Gotham society. It's been awhile since I saw the film but I'm pretty sure Bruce looks at Alfred and is like, "So, what do young billionaires do that would explain vigilante injuries?" And then the scene cuts to Bruce and two foreign models swimming in a fountain at a fancy restaurant. And I'm like.
Fucking. Alfred. Suggested the himbo thing? Was this a passive-aggressive punishment for fucking off for years that went on for too long?
(I love my main man Mr. Pennyworth, I will meme that he's a saint. In reality, I think he's part of the reason the Robins keep having a terrible time passing on the mantle. I can address my grievances in another post tho.)
So I'm there, thinking about Batman and Bruce and growing up in private schools. I'm in the process of unlearning some damaging information that I was taught as "truth" from my own school days. I'm thinking of Butler Alfred, and his position as caretaker, and how he was raised, and what he would think is appropriate counsel.
When Bruce is hitting puberty and writing love poems to the tune of BeeGees songs to girls in class, how would Alfred handle that? He'd surely have a perfunctory talk with his charge about respecting women, how to be a proper gentleman, safe sex, warnings about people who are out for Bruce's heart as a way to get to his status and fortune.
But would Alfred even think to cover queerness? He surely knows of it, but he's from a generation and culture that is known for stoicism and silence. The generation where one might know a pair of "confirmed bachelors" or "spinster sisters", but one does not mention it in polite company. Perhaps he would decide to have that talk if it ever seems to be necessary.
But would Bruce ever think to ask about why he isn't as interested in sex as seemingly all the people around him? Why wouldn't he chalk that up to his massive trauma and call himself mature for it? And a number of girls would love that maturity, that Ice Prince gentility, that challenge. So he'd learn how to be charming, how to flirt. It's applied psychology to Bruce, it's masking, it's learning how to act like a "normal" human.
It's easy for me to see him continue that trend in his adult life. He is romantic and he isn't sex-repulsed; he matches the flirtation energy of someone and if they both want to have sex, they do. It's kind of fun for him, too, to learn someone's body and use his to make them feel so good.
It's just that, sex is just a mutual workout? And he legitimately enjoys doing other things together equally or more, like actual workouts or sparring or casework. Bruce will initiate sex if he picks up his partner's cues, but by the time he's comfortable enough with them to relax... He's just not in clue-finding mode. So partners become understandably annoyed. Upset. They feel like they're the ones putting in all the effort to keep the relationship alive and Bruce doesn't have the knowledge or words to explain his position.
So yeah, there are jokes about Batman being easy, jokes about his history of romantic relationships with rogues, civilians, and heroes alike. He's just doing what he thought was normal. Flirting back, following the other person's lead, matching the energy. It frustrates him when he thinks about it, because it's just another way he's Different and Broken and Missing Something that the rest of the world seems to understand on a basic level.
(To be firm: Bruce Does Not Match the energy of everyone who flirts with him. He is an adult and has his own tastes. He's got Polite Flirting, Interested Flirting, and Gray Rocking down pat.)
I had years of pre-Internet existence. I had a soul and sense of self by the time the first bulky box of a home computer was installed in my Dad's office so he could have very important access to very important medical journals that were now on these websites! He didn't need to order them special anymore!
It's just wild to sit back now and look at my tiny insignificant personal timeline and see how the same place that helped my father deduce drug interactions is all these years later helping me deduce that I'm a monster-fucker.
wyd in this situation
YES, PERFECTION!
Because damn I have this headcanon about Bruce's being panromantic ace that I'm going to have to write up someday.
And ofc he would speak up to protect one of his kids from the things he's not willing to protect himself from, that's just his default setting. Tim being caught between laughing at the concern and probably a little touched at the concern is also so cute.
And then you bless me with Jason being a little shit out of left field. 100%, no one knew he was in the house. He breaks in at random, calls it haunting.
Yeah, I'm sorry, I think we're friends now
Hot Take: Bruce doesn't support freakyTimBer not because he doesn't like Bernard. It's because Bruce has to pretend to be the freak in all of his civilian relationships to explain away his scars, so he keeps accidentally making his partners think he's into that and then he's too awkward to correct them, and he's worried that Tim's doing the same thing.
This is genius, I love it!!! My original thought process was Bruce just couldn't fathom his babies ever having sex like?? No?? His kids!? Never U_U
But I absolutely adore this so much. You have no idea.
Pre identity reveal shenanigans (aka, before Bernard tells Tim he knows and also Tim is a goof)
—
Bruce, looking at the bruises and obvious bite makes and cuts along Tim's visible neck and arms: . . . So, where'd the, um, new... bruises come from..?
Tim, not even looking up from his laptop: Bernard. Bruce, I told you this already. Don't question any injury I don't put in my reports.
Bruce:
Bruce: You know, if you ever feel... Pressured into things—
Tim, slowly looking up:
Bruce: I understand keeping our identities secret is important more than any one, you know this, but you shouldn't make sacrifices to this degree to keep it in tact—
Tim, moving a hand over his mouth to stop from either laughing or crying, he isn't sure:
Bruce: It's important to... Enjoy yourself with your relationship safely, and consensually. If you feel like you have to do or comply with certain things for Bernard to keep your identity safe... Why are you laughing?
Tim, trying not to laugh: Bruce, I promise, anything Bernard does to me I give full permission to. Enthusiastically, in fact.
Bruce: . . . What?
Jason, from another room, who read 50 Shades Of Gray once when he was fourteen: YOUR SON IS A FREAK WHO BEGS ON HIS HANDS AND KNEES FOR HIS BOYFRIEND TO CHOKE HIM OUT, YOU IDIOT!
Tim: HOW'D YOU KNOW THAT!?
Jason, popping his head in: WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU ACTUALLY DO THAT!? I DIDN'T KNOW S#&$ BUT NOW I DO WHAT THE F$&%, TIMOTHY!?
Tim: STAY OUT OF MY SEX LIFE!
Jason: I WISH I DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD A SEX LIFE!
Tim: I HOPE THE JOKER BLOWS YOU UP AGAIN!
Jason: I HOPE I'M CREMATED THIS TIME!
Bruce:
Bruce: what
—
I just watched a few episodes of Tasting History with my Dad. One of them was about breakfast in Jane Austin's time and all the cultural information surrounding that day and age was super interesting!
So now I'd like everyone to imagine Bernard having a "Cooking from the Books!" Viewtube channel with Jason (potentially still dressed as the Red Hood depending on how silly you are). Bernard will cheerfully be explaining what recipe he's going to make, what ingredients he's going to use and substitute, all that good stuff. Jason/Hood is going to be next to him, vibrating with Special Interest Excitement, ready to slam a pile of research books and looseleaf paper onto the counter so he can back up his historic and bat-level research binge.
Bonus points if this is somehow post Duffle Bag and pre Identity Reveal.
Casual life update: My grandparents, lovely retired farm folk, in their 90s, very religious. They say the rosary every night and each day at breakfast they pray for one of their children in particular, and that child's children, and those children's children. They're bad with pronouns but they don't deadname me. They sponsor a college scholarship. In a town with no real grocery store and a dwindling population, they made sure people could come to them for fresh eggs and vegetables even when they couldn't pay cash.
They have recently stolen their neighbor's cat.
I don't know how to look up the actual Tumblr thread so here's a Reddit screenshot of a Tumblr post. I am so down to see some cryptid batfam, I love seeing those chaotic worlds
BATFAMDON, I NEED ASSISTANCE
Firstly, I’m calling you the BatFamdom now
Secondly, I’m BOORRREEDD and wanna draw some furrified bat people sooo uhhh send me sum memes, art bases or random shit, either through reblogs or my inbox :3 TY <333
I don't understand why fanon always has Jason so upset about his Memorial in the Cave. That shit is Metal. That shit is DOPE. I'd want to have that in a public goddamn park to shame Gothamites into making better decisions.
"You let it get this bad," the ghost of a child would cry out soundlessly, "You were content to change nothing and I died. Kids like me die or worse every day here and it's always someone else's problem."
And "A Good Soldier"? Fuck yeah. I was raised Christian, that army-of-god cult mentality isn't easy to shake off. If I were twelve and someone offered to teach me how to investigate crime and train me to be strong enough to dig it out by the root I would also sign the fuck up.
Sometimes I really love being an old fuck and remembering when Tim Drake was just a clever kid who was part of a loving middle class family living in a brownstone in Gotham City. The parents were gone often, but that's why he was in boarding schools. He only followed Batman around to take pictures when the guy was crashing out and Tim needed proof to bring to Dick.
The fanon zeitgeist has mushed him around a bit and now he's seen as an abused little stalker who lived alone in a mansion because his parents are so neglectful.
And you know what? You do you, boos. Your writing and art and everything mean something to you. You go ahead and use this little guy to work through whatever it is that you're struggling with in life. Make him hurt so the hugs feel better. Combine your special interests and make that au that only three people will understand.
Happy Trans Day of Visibility!
FtM here, transitioning as an older person. You young people on here, I'm so proud of you. Jealous, too, but mostly proud.
You're growing up in a frightening time where the loudest people in the room seem to be the ones that want to hurt you the most. I need you all to know that they're speaking so loudly because they're too afraid to hear anyone else.
Things aren't how they used to be and that is wonderful. There are more resources and communities than ever before. There is measurable progress being made even when it seems like things are backsliding. We're still fighting. Us older folk have a responsibility to do that, y'know.
Take care of yourselves today. Drink some water, go outside. I bought myself flowers. I'm going to a rally tonight. Light a candle for your siblings who can't be out yet. Light some incense for the siblings who didn't make it. Promise yourself another year, for you are so loved.
Such a good take, I love how Bernard can be used to address the standard difficulties of life. He's a complimentary character to Tim, who will look at all his hero shit and be like "but that's the real trauma", and Bernard will be like, "Babe, no. That is additional trauma. That is the Trauma à la mode."
Adding my headcanons:
Bernard is absolutely the type of conspiracy theorist who does psych profiles for funzies. He's worked on himself enough to know that Tim needs his own set of self-help books. He's going to be supportive as heck, but he's also not going to let himself become Tim's sole point of mental stability.
Basically, Bernard is pulling a Tim, on Tim, and Tim recognizes it, and is even more touched because he knows how much you gotta love someone to go that far.
Headcanon: TimBer Parents' Parallels
Tim: His parents loved him, but their actions (constantly leaving him alone) created emotional distance, making it sometimes feel as if they didn’t.
Bernard: His parents didn’t love him, but their actions (wanting him to come back home and pretend to be a family) made it seem like they did - until he learned to see right through them.
Tim: Learned to cope by being a "perfect, angelic son" so as not to let his parents worry about him. This allows them to go gallivanting without any guilt, while he learns to shove aside his trauma as if it means nothing.
Bernard: Learned to cope by NOT following his parents’ expectations of a perfect son. Instead, he became the sort of individual (his high school persona, bathroom jokes made loudly in a public place) who agitates them and forces them to acknowledge his presence, even if the attention is negative.
Where that leaves them both:
Tim: Struggles with the idea of "loving someone despite the distance." He sometimes falls into habits of loving someone to a choking degree (stalking them, trying to remove them from the vigilant world, withholding information of his emotions/superhero identity to maintain a tenuous balance) or puts up more distance when he feels the relationship can’t be fixed (quitting his Robin career, pushing Stephanie away harshly, running away from Young Justice/Gotham).
Bernard: Doesn’t believe love is something you should just expect from someone else, because obligations of love (like in a family) just leave everyone hurt. Instead, he freely loves other people without caring if it's returned (he still wants a relationship with his parents despite their regret for his birth, admits to "Robin" his romantic feelings towards Tim without ANY assurance that he would be accepted). However, at the same time, he doesn’t do so blindly or without recognizing that sometimes you have to keep a distance for the sake of your own wellbeing (never contacted his parents during that year apart despite that it hurt him, refusing to move back home no matter how much he really wants to unless some changes are made).
I feel like these are the sort of issues that they can really only talk about to one another, common bad childhood/messy homelife scenarios that have nothing to do with vigilantes or supervillains. Just the dichotomy of bad parenting and how a child copes as best they can, even though it leaves a lot of deep scars.
At least, that’s my opinion on all this.
I am 100% convinced that Talia al Ghul and Dick Grayson don't get along because when she was dating Bruce she absolutely would make comments about how they'd be a happy family once they had a real kid together. Always when Bruce was just out of earshot, little biting criticisms about Dick being lazy, or unintelligent, or demanding. I think when Bruce was around she would bring up topics like boarding schools or press Dick on his future plans in a way that implied that he'd be on his own once he aged out of the wardship.
All that probably contributed to Bruce and Dick's crash out later in life, too. I believe Talia didn't want to be a stepmom, but wanted Bruce, so did her best to separate him from his son.
A lot of people like to say Talia is a good mom to Jason and I don't see it??? She had him trafficked across the world and manipulated him? She knowingly put him under the authority of people he'd then kill because they were doing some fucked up shit? Sure, she had some pretty advice for a few pages, but keep in mind that Jason basically has "susceptible to motherly influence" stamped on his forehead. At the very most, she is affectionate towards Jason. He's a well-trained pet.
Talia al Ghul loves one kid and one kid only: Damian. That's it. Even then, it's a fucked up sort of love for the fucked up sort of life she was born into. She doesn't have it in her to allow for any more vulnerability than him and Bruce. She's a complex, fascinating character. An excellent look into the psyche of the loving abuser. I want to read psychology journals based on her.