Patch | She/Her | 22 | தமிழ் 🇮🇳🇺🇸 | I'm learning to draw so occasional fanart | Current Obsessions: One piece and Batfam
126 posts
Batman loves kids and is great with them
endless cycle of torment
guys. please
Ugh I love this every time I see it. Dick is looking at Red hood, at his brother alive and in front of him in the present, like he is all the light in the world(note the choice of lighting hitting that side of his face). Jason will never know though cause he won’t look back, he’s too focused on Robin and the red hood helmet, at what was and what has to be done. He does not dare look at what is at the moment because what if Dick is also looking at Robin, what if the brother he wanted back was not him any longer. So he will focus on the mission while Dick is left to despair over what could be.
"Do I look like him?"
Batman: I have decided I will reveal my identity to one person
Justice League: !!!!
Batman: *walks over to Green Arrow*
Green Arrow: Wait wha-
*Hot steamy make-out session right in front of the League. Jaws are dropped, Superman’s eyes are red, there’s tongue*
Green Arrow: … huh
Batman: *raises an eyebrow* Do you understand?
Green Arrow: *now completely aware that Batman is Bruce Wayne due to how many make-outs the two of them have had over the years* Surprisingly yes
Justice League: ?!?!?!
Batman: That’s all *sweeps out of the room with a dramatic flare of his cape*
Wip to this song
“My sweetheart’s piano is rat-filled and mine is infested with bugs”
I still seriously can’t draw hair so I would appreciate any advice or suggestions
Highly referencing panels below
Nightwing aerial silk routine to this song. Might add a part 2
Please comment even if its criticism. I need the motivation
Silhouettes for that Nightwing WIP works fairly universally as references. I’m hoping you can see the movement from one panel to the next clearly. Please give me feedback on that and how I can make it better.
“War and glory, reinvention, fusion, freedom, her attention”
Wip of Nightwing to this song. Done!
I’m trying to make it look like an aerial choreo that at least kinda makes sense… 4 more panels planned out kinda confused on how to end it
Can we talk about the implications here? The fact that Dick probably taught Bruce the specific kind of acrobatics necessary to do this kind of performance because that isn’t just coming from material arts training. The fact that Bruce just knows the trapeze routine Dick was doing already. The implication that they probably practice together often as a form of father son bonding just as Dick used to turn his birth parents.
Superman/Batman: World’s Finest (2022) Issue #6
What exactly do you mean by that Richard? 🤨🕵️
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest (2022) Issue #7
Saw this post and did a quick doodle so I remember to draw it later, but then decided this is peak actually. Lmk if anyone wants me to properly draw it
Whenever the Bats would complain about any of their tech malfunctioning, Bruce would definitely be the type of dad to go "Back in the days, I didn't even have that" (and of course he overdoes it) :
Dick : This grappling gun's jammed again !
Bruce : Be grateful. I used to scale buildings by hand with a hook and rope.
Dick : Yeah, yeah.
---
Tim : The encryption program is too slow to crack this file.
Bruce : I cracked codes with a pencil, paper, and a lot of staring.
Tim : [rolls his eyes]
---
Jason : The comms in my helmet cut out mid-fight. How am I supposed to fucking coordinate with the other dickwads ?!
Bruce : When I started, I had no comms. Hand signals and pigeons were my options.
Jason : ... Pigeons ?
Bruce : Yeah, now quit whining.
---
Damian : Father ! My sword tracker isn’t syncing properly !
Bruce : Know what I used to do when I lost track of my gear on the field ? I used this thing called "my eyes" to find it. Maybe try that.
---
Barbara : The Batcomputer is practically prehistoric at this point. Maybe it’s time to invest in an upgrade.
Bruce : Prehistoric ? I started with a notebook and an encyclopedia. Plus, I had to cross-reference everything manually. How’s that for prehistoric ?
Barbara : Sure, Grandpa.
---
Cass : My night vision is acting up. Can you fix it ?
Bruce : When I first started, I had to rely on the moonlight. You’ve got infrared, thermal imaging, and sonar. Don’t take it for granted.
Cass : ...
Bruce : ... Fine, I’ll fix it.
---
In the group chat.
Tim : Just survived another sermon about the olden days and gratitude. I swear, I’ve got a migraine.
Steph : Yikes. What was it about this time ?
Jason : Let me guess. How he had to hack into systems using a pocket calculator and sheer willpower ?
Tim : Close. It was how he used to decode encrypted files by hand and climb five stories to cut the power while it rained.
Steph : Classic. Did he end with the “you don’t know how easy you have it” speech ?
Tim : Oh, absolutely. With a bonus lecture about how he built the Batcomputer.
Jason : Next time, just tell him you don’t care.
Tim : And risk another hour ? No thanks.
Lois: Listen Clark, I know for a fact some of the things you own can't come from a reporter's salary
Clark (didn't know how expensive some of the gifts he received were) : Well-
Lois: And I've noticed you get requested for Wayne interviews more often than you should and always right as Mr. Wayne goes on vacation
Clark (thought their excuse of "interviewing Bruce" when they had an off-world mission was genius) : Um-
Lois: Look I don't mind if you're his sugar baby or whatever. You do what you gotta do and if our home appliances conveniently get replaced right as they start showing wear and tear that'll be that
Clark (has regularly broken those appliances by mistake using his powers and replaced them with his JL collateral property damage allowance) : I'm not-
Lois: You're not disappearing to go spend time with Mr. Wayne? Or the money and gifts don't come from him?
Clark (remembering what will happen if he lets Batman's identity slip) : No, I am... And they do... You're right...
Nah bc why would Lois say that
Batman (2016) #16
Duke and Jason Being Hood Kids - Part 10
Dick is dreaming. He has to be dreaming. The scene in front of him is a nightmare, but the operative verb is ‘dreaming’ and oh my fucking God.
“My brother, Roy?” He knows he’s shrieking at octaves that probably trigger dogs, but he can’t help it. “My baby brother!”
Jason throws a t-shirt at him. A shirt that he should be wearing, because who gave him permission to be half naked with anyone, much less with Roy Harper?
“You don’t know how to knock?” The younger man’s pissed, but Dick’s so far beyond caring. “Ring a doorbell? Send a text? Jesus, Dick, what if I’d been—“
“Naked?” Dick is pulling at his hair and gesturing wildly, completely ignoring the bleeding wound on his arm that led him to break into his brother’s apartment in the first place. “Or—don’t you fucking move, Roy!”
The disheveled redhead freezes. His hair’s a mess, he’s got a bruise—oh God, a hickey—blooming on his neck, and he’s holding his unzipped pants up with one hand while reaching for the front door with the other.
In retrospect, Dick absolutely could’ve knocked. Or rung the doorbell. Or texted, even. Hell, a quick ‘bullet grazed my arm on patrol, need a stitch or two and a bandaid’ wouldn’t have hurt. In fact, it likely would’ve saved him from tumbling through Jason’s living room window to find his brother pinned to the wall, held up by his thighs with legs wrapped around Roy’s waist, one hand buried in red hair and the other dipping into the other man’s—
Oh my God, Jason’s having sex. The thought rings in his head like a church bell on Sunday morning. My little brother’s been deflowered.
“How long has this been going on?” Dick’s switched to his Nightwing’s Asking The Fucking Questions Now, Asshole voice. “Who—“
Roy steps between Jason and Dick. “Dickie, that’s not—“
“How long have you been defiling my baby brother?”
“Defiling? Jesus, we’re consenting adults!”
“And we’ve been dating for over a year,” Jason interjects. “No defiling…Well, there’s been defiling, but it’s been mutual.”
Dick feels his soul leave his body momentarily. It comes back, but it’s forever scarred by this knowledge now.
“Did anyone else…” His voice is hoarse from all the shrieking. He’s barely holding it together and wants to do some more screaming very soon. “Who knows?”
Jason sighs in exasperation and grabs the shirt he threw Dick’s way. He puts it on and grabs the first aid kit by the coffee table before pushing his older brother onto the couch.
“Duke,” he answers. He pops the kit open and retrieves a set of gloves to check the wound on Dick’s arm. “He’s the only one I told. Tim knows I’m dating someone, but he doesn’t know who. Pretty sure Bruce knows via osmosis or some shit, because he’s Bruce.”
Dick’s not sure if it’s blood loss or shock, or maybe a combination of both, but he’s suddenly reeling and lightheaded.
“Duke?” Jason’s cleaned the wound already. He’s threading a needle for stitches now. “You told Duke? Why not me? Why didn’t Duke tell me?”
Roy, who’s keeping a safe distance from the brothers across the room, snorts incredulously. “Gee, I wonder why. Couldn’t be because you might overreact.”
Dick glares at his friend—possibly murder victim by the end of the night, but he hasn’t decided yet—while Jason completes the first stitch. “I just walked in on you trying to—“
“Engage in perfectly consensual adult activities?” Jason tugs at the thread with more force than is necessary and is satisfied when Dick winces in pain. “In the privacy of my own home? I’m 22, asshole. I can’t get dicked down in peace?”
Soul leaving body again. Might not come back this time.
Jason finishes a third stitch and nods, satisfied that the wound is closed. “And Duke knows that snitches get stitches. He wouldn’t blab without good reason.”
“True that.”
Dick almost jumps out of his skin when Duke, who absolutely wasn’t here a second ago, joins the conversation.
“Chill out, Big Bird,” the teen laughs as he tosses a backpack onto the couch. “Roy texted. Apparently you saw something you weren’t supposed to see and need a ride home. Civvies in the bag, change and we’ll go.”
Dick feels like he’s losing his mind. “You knew! You never said anything!”
Duke shrugs. “First rule of surviving in Gotham, my dude—snitches get stitches. Not my business, not my news. But also, fuck I look like outing people?”
Jason fist-bumps their younger brother and smirks. This is unacceptable. A travesty. A hate crime. Not actually a crime, but it feels like one and Dick hates it.
“You don’t know it now but there’s still more to lose”
Wip. Please interact and give me suggestions so I have the motivation to finish this
Anyone like me who missed the movie soul cause it went straight to streaming during the pandemic, please take a moment to watch it because it's a master piece.
The art style is a beautiful mix of hyper realistic rendering and cartoon caricature and the intentionality of when it leans more into either style says a story of its own. The first things I noticed were the musical instruments rendered in way more detail than necessary, the pictures in his class of real people and not caricatures.
Then it was the perspective shots of 22 experiencing life, where the art was again, all hyper realism. The overwhelming nature of nyc to the beautiful moment of them feeling the spark of life. And in those moments despite the realism, it was not new york I saw. I blinked and I was transported to all the moments in my own life that paralleled that moment and I remembered the cold breeze on my skin, the smell of rain on cement, the context of my memories that made me feel that spark of life.
And when Joe laid out the trinkets they had gathered as proof of living that day and started playing the piano, as he went through his own memories, his proof of living his whole life, I sobbed. Once again, with every blink I saw my own life and every memory and emotion proof that I have lived. The score he played truly felt like it represented the feeling of being alive. Being alive through all the pain and joy and excitement and despair, a feeling so human.
What's insane about this is that I'm not from NYC, I don't take the subway to work, I have nothing to do with music or jazz. None of those moments or memories are directly relatable to my life. And yet I feel it represented my life.
The movie itself was a piece of art of course but watching it, the emotions it invoked in me felt like a separate multimodal artistic experience. One so deeply personal, I cannot express it to you in words.
Please go watch it for yourselves. If you watched it when you were younger and are now a full adult, please watch it again.
(I could go on about how perfect jazz is as a metaphor for life but I'm not the most qualified for that. If anyone is, please do talk about it)
people who act like batman isn't "judge jury and executioner" because he doesn't kill people are like. genuinely so funny to me because. they're very obviously thinking of "executioner" as like. the stereotypical guy with axe who chops people heads off, and not, yknow, the literal definition of the idiom itself, which is about someone who has the ability to judge and then subsequently punish someone unilaterally. which is quite literally what batman does.
he has the ability to decide what is a "crime" to him, he is the one who decides whether people are guilty of those crimes, and he is the one who executes their punishment. the severity of the punishment doesn't matter - he is unaccountable to anyone else, and indeed is allowed to commit as many crimes as needed to reach his arbitrary ideal of "justice."
the ideal of batman is this: a man who is so fundamentally changed by an act of senseless violence that he takes it upon himself to fight back against the rot and corruption in the world. he does this not through political activism, not through ridding himself of his wealth in favor of a greater good, not through community outreach, but through an individualistic fantasy of being a hero.
and you'll say: charlie, but he does do that !!! he donates his money all the time, he funds social programs, hospitals, orphanages, gets people jobs -
and i will say this: so why don't things get better?
because here's the base of it. gotham, at its core, can't get better. no matter what bruce wayne does, there will always be more crime, more villains, more death, more people for batman to beat up in back alleys. because that's what sells.
reoffending rates don't matter in gotham, prison reform doesn't matter in gotham, what actually causes crime doesn't matter in gotham because that doesn't sell books.
and so here it is; dc has unintentionally created a world where batman can't win, but can't be wrong, and where thousands of nameless, faceless, only-created-to-die civilians must be pushed into the meat grinder that is gotham, to fuel bruce wayne's angst and vindicate his constant, tireless, noble fight against the forces of evil.
and then: a new robin, who is poor and who's parents are dead or gone because of this cycle; who is happy go-lucky and hated by editors and fans for being robin, for not being dick grayson, for being poor.
and this robin is written, unintentionally or not, to be angry at the ways in which batman's (the narrative's) idea of justice is detached from its victims. bruce seems perfectly fine to allow countless unnamed women to be at risk from garzonas in his home country, yet robin is the one who is portrayed as irrational and violent.
this robin is not detached from gotham in the way bruce wayne is: this robin is a product of gotham.
(and here's the thing. you can't punch aids. you can't fight a disease with colorful fights and nifty gadgets. and how would robin dying from aids add to batman's story; it would call into question the systemic changes that haven't been made in gotham. how does a child get aids, in batman's city?)
so robin dies, and then bruce (the narrative) spends the next couple of decades blaming it on him. it is jason's fault; he was reckless, he just ran in, he thought it was all a game. if only bruce had seen what was coming, if only he could have known that jason wasn't rich enough or smart enough or liked enough to be robin.
batman gets a little more violent, a little more self destructive. he hurts people more and almost (!!) kills a couple guys. this is bad because it's self destructive and "not who he is." it is not bad because batman should not be able to just beat people up when he's angry.
and then he gets a shiny new robin - who is all the things jason "wasn't": rich and smart and rational and he doesn't put who batman is into question. batman and robin are partners, and jason is a grave and a cautionary tale, and (crucially here) never right.
the joker kills thousands and it doesn't matter because they were written to be killed.
batman beats up thousands and it doesn't matter because they were written to be criminals.
and then jason comes back, and nothing has changed. there is a batman and a (shiny! rich!) robin and the joker kills thousands. (because it sells)
and jason is angry - he has been left unavenged - his death has meant nothing, just as willis' had, just as catherine's had, just as gloria's had, just as -
thousands. ten of thousands. hundreds of thousands. written to be killed.
but one of them gets to come back.
and he is angry - not only at the joker, but at bruce (the narrative) - because why is the joker still alive (when thousands-)
here is the thing - jason todd is right. not because the death penalty is good, not because criminals deserve to die, not because of everything he says -
but because of what he calls into question. why is the joker alive?
because he sells books.
and dc has written a masterful character, through no fault of their own, because jason knows what is wrong, and he knows who is at fault - batman. (the narrative)
so the argument that bruce can't kill because he's not judge jury and executioner; the argument that jason is a cop or that jason is insane or that jason is in the wrong here; they hold no weight.
batman can't kill the joker because the joker sells comic books.
and jason can't kill the joker because the joker sells comic books.
so he will beg and plead and grovel - he will betray everything that is himself, he will forsake his family and his city and kill himself - just so that bruce (the narrative) will let the joker die.
he was condemned to death by an audience, and after he came back he has spent his whole life looking us in the eyes and screaming, asking, pleading; why is the joker still alive?
why are thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands (the number doesn't matter, see, because they're just a number. not people. not real.) why are we expendable for his story? why did i have to die just for nothing to change?
and the answer is money. and the answer is the batman can never be wrong. and the answer is shitty writing. and the answer is -
nothing jason can ever change.
which is the worst of it all. he is a victim with no power, and no one else in the world can see it. he is raging and crying and screaming at his father and his writers and you - and it doesn't matter. jason doesn't matter. and he knows it.
Comphet? Personal growth? Writers being scared of gay conflict? Ig we'll never know
every time i read a scene w/ ariana and tim in it im like dang ariana you deserve a way better boyfriend
Imo this is good writing of a flawed older sibling trying not to repeat his father's mistakes but making new ones. We see that Robins value the solidarity between robins in the form of treating each other like equals and keeping each other informed. Because they all have a deep need for personal freedom and are all control freaks to some extent. Bruce's only action to show he cared or in their eyes to punish them for a "miss", was to take away their means to "fix that miss", leading to them freaking out over a loss of control.
It's giving a child the respect and autonomy they want vs doing what is necessary for them even if they can't see it. And the biggest problem with these two options is that neither involve the adult following the rules they set. Batman will not stay back from vigilantism for the injuries a Robin would be benched for and so any rules set are inherently seen as demeaning and proof of a lack of trust in the Robin.
So I know that there's a lot of temptation to compare Bruce as Batman to Dick or Damian, and Dick as Batman to Damian, often with a "oh well obviously Bruce was meaner/Dick was nicer", but I do think they have a neat contrast that fandom often overlooks (as well as some parallels).
Robin: Year One #3
Batmatn #408
Batman and Robin #6
Dick and Bruce both will deal with whatever current threat exists, before fully helping wounded Robin, getting a verbal "I'm fine" confirmation. They clearly do care about Robin. But they also have an obligation to protect people Bruce tries to physically stop joker. Jason's not fighting Dick, but he is trying to talk him down and talk him into getting help, like he did in Battle for the Cowl. The characters also generally avoid a wounded Robin -- it's just easier to see for Bruce, because Leslie calls Bruce out on it "you're leaving (to go deal with this?)" whereas no one questions Dick leaving Damian once he's got medical care and doing his own mission to revive zombie bruce. I imagine this is partially from guilt (we do see Bruce blaming himself for Dick's close call, and Dick framing Damian as his responsibility in Battle for the Cowl) and also possible due to the whole 'batman has a job, robin's physically OK now so time to help protect people' thing.
A strong difference is after the character's get injured and treated. Bruce becomes overprotective, and continues being emotionally distant, which understandably upsets Dick. He is so overprotective he benches Dick each time he is wounded seriously, and that creates friction between them.
Robin: Year One
Batman #408
Contrast this to Dick's general lack of protectiveness. Nothing changes when Damian gets wounded as Robin. Which works well (emotionally) for Damian and it works for the conventions of the genre.
Dick is generally not portrayed as very emotionally overprotective when Damian is injured, and when Damian is captured, he often expresses more verbal concern for the people who captured Damian than Damian himself.
Batman and Robin #9 - Damian, with a new metal spine, got thrown off a building by the zombie batman dick accidentally revived.
Batman and Robin #13
Detective comics annual #11
I should note: I think it would be uncharitable to assume that Dick expressing more verbal concern that Damian will hurt the supervillains who have him kidnapped means Dick doesn't care about Damian. We see in Batman and Robin some of Dick being worried when Damian is shot, and we see Dick telling Azrael they need to find a quicker way to get to Damian when Azrael is talking about how to find the guys who took him. And also, you know. I just don't think Dick would care more about the supervillains that Damian. But Damian is regarded as a tough kid, he'll be fine no matter what, and he represents a threat to other people (interestingly, something I've seen fans accuse... Bruce of doing to damian? Even though Bruce was much more protective and wasn't worried about Damian killing Nobody when Damian was going with Nobody, or Damian killing the Saturn Club guys when Damian let himself by kidnapped by the Saturn club guys to find civilians to rescue)
But I am analyzing here the actions he does and the words that he says, and what the writer dedicates panel time to. I think it's interesting that Bruce and Dick's similarities with regards to Robin getting injured involve emotionally removing themselves from the situation and focusing on cases, and then their differences are in the follow up. Dick often maintains a status quo, which is satisfying to the Robin character (he does not feel like he's being fired or judged) and fits with the conventions of the genre. Bruce often becomes overprotective to a degree where the Robin character feels estranged from him, and is excluded, resulting in alienation from robin and coming across as the "bad guy".
I find it very interesting that Dick avoids repeating mistakes of the past that Bruce made (becoming overprotective of Robin to an alienating degree and firing him) by doing things that would be read as callous or uncaring to the reader if he wasn't Dick, I guess.
P.S. I know some people say this is why they regard Morrison's Dick as OOC, but I didn't have any place to fit that acknowledgement in the above paragraphs, but I think it's important to note that this was not just Morrison's Dick. In general Dick as Batman era was way different than Nightwing Rebirth era Dick or even post 2011 Dick.
Help! How do I get the back of Nightwing’s head to look like he’s leaning his head forward? Anything I do just makes his head look smaller 😭😭
Wip for an edit I have in my mind to this song
Happy Hare, where have you buried all your children? Tell me so I say
You can't keep them all safe. They will die and be afraid.
Mother, tell me so I say
I love this because while we see Bruce hug his gf or kids quite a bit, that's always in a delicate way. To comfort them in an all encompassing soft hug.
This is clearly for himself. To ground himself with a bone crushingly tight hug that most people would find uncomfortable. To be enveloped in someone's embrace. To be held for once. To be able to fully stop supporting yourself and know you won't fall. To feel safe.
a moment of (weakness) comfort
Tim: what's the meanest thing you've ever done?
Jason: i know you expect me to say trying to beat you to death that one time, but in the league i once told Damian that Talia was lying about his heritage to manipulate Batman and his actual father was Lex Luthor. so that.
Tim: ?!
Jason: yeah i faked a DNA test to prove it and he believed me for like 4 months.
Tim: holy shit
Jason: to be honest the meanest part was probably putting hair removal cream in his shampoo and convincing him he was going bald due to genetics. he was nine.
Tim: you are my hero. hear me say these words. I. Love. You.
Jason: i know buddy. i know.
Saw this comment on a post about Superman. Felt the need to share the pain.
I read somewhere that its common in Arab culture to refer to someone close to you as your organs, implying you can’t live without them. Like how in english someone would say “my heart” (qalbi), in Arabic someone would also use “my liver” (kabidi) “my lungs” (riati). Notably, “my blood” is “Dami” which is funny bc it’s Damian’s shortened nickname.
Damian’s brothers have been using the nickname for years with or without knowing. I propose that as Damian gets closer to them, and Tim in particular, he responds in kind.
He starts to refer to Tim as “tuhali.”
…it means “my spleen.”
(Edit: this has now been confirmed by several Arabic speakers! Except the pronunciation of Dami (as in my blood) and Dami (shortened) are different which is sad. But my spleen idea works! So I’m happy!)
where is that video thats like "working class characters written by middle class writers" or something. that's what a good 60% of yall sound like when you talk about jason
Roy: Jason and I have decided that god forbid should anything horrible happen to us, we would like Dick to be Lian's legal guardian.
Jason: Roy!
Roy: It's the right decision Jaybird.
Dick: That is great news! Lian! When something horrible happens you're gonna be all mine!
Jason: It really is an if situation...
Dick: *Already picking up Lian* All mine!
Bruce: I don't mean to ruin this really beautiful moment but, was I even considered for this?
Barbara (over comms): B?
Bruce: I mean I am the parent of 6 healthy well-adjusted children who-
Barbara: Bruce you gotta go down to the police station. Damian just vandalized the school.
Bruce: ...
Bruce: This is not over
Dick: *Has been spinning around the house with Lian in his arms this whole time* Let's go see your new room Babywing!
Jason: Not her name...