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cursedkeyboard · 4 months

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Babies shouldn't grow up ☆ Jason Todd & GN!Reader (PT.4)

What does Jason do as he raises his kid lovingly like he wished he'd been raised? Try his best and fail spectacularly to keep his nosy family away, of course. [PART ONE ♤ PART TWO ♤ PART THREE ♤ PART FOUR ♤ PART FIVE ♤ PART SIX]

Pairings: Platonic Jason Todd & Child GN!Reader / Batfamily & Jason Todd

After about a year and quite a few months, maybe around the second christmas Jason spent with you, Jason became antsy

The problem wasn't with you two, no

You were his angel and almost never caused him any trouble, even if he'd always call you brat and squirt

The problem was Bruce and Dick and his entire nosy ass family trying to find out why hadn't he come home for christmas a second year in a row

Not only that, he also had cut back on many other activities he'd usually do with friends or his family

Like taking over patrol shifts for others, hanging out with Roy, visiting the manor to see Ace and Alfred, and gossiping with Babs

C'mon, you know he's totally the type to think his kid is so much better than everyone

You're his damn best friend, his confidant, the person he trusts most in the world and would die for in a blink

So Jason wouldn't even notice he was neglecting every other person in his life until they started blowing up his phone and trying to break into his apartment

Like the fucking demon brat did

Damian tried, at three in the morning, with his katana and everything

His excuse? He was tired of everyone talking about why Jason was growing distant and decided to solve the mystery by infringing his privacy

Jason's excuse to grabbing him by the collar and throwing him out of he window before he could take another step inside? You had classes that day

And children are supposed to sleep a lot to grow

He thought that'd be the end of it, after properly threatening every single one of them into staying the fuck away from his home

but then again, Jason should've never put faith in people who are nosy for a living

So he started having to hide you during the day when the two of you hung out

Jason took you to Bat Burger after a rough day at school? Dick conventionally shows up minutes later! And you hide under the table

Jason and you were taking a morning walk to start the day? Surprise! Cass is suddenly coming your way. And you're jumping into a bush (he helped you take the twigs out of your hair later but laughed the entire time)

You finally convinced Jason to watch the latest superhero movie that just came out? Ho, boy! Look, Duke just so happened to also have been wanting to see it! Aaand you have to pee real bad

For you it's like a game, never let the Waynes catch you

The rewards are many; head pats, Jason's laughter, a hardcover book that you had been eyeing

The consequences of failing...?

That was the scary part for Jason

He'd spend nights thinking about it after tucking you in bed

Would they take you away? Would they think he's abusing you? Would they be disappointed in him for thinking he could be anything else but a disappointment?

Irrational and emotional, those thoughts were, but you were the life of Jason's life

Fuck, you're the one person he hadn't let down yet

The one person he didn't disappoint or hurt

You thrived every day, growing up and putting on weight, learning more every moment because you had a thirst for knowledge just like him

God, every time you looked at him like he was your whole world

Like he was your damn hero

It gave his life a little more meaning

He wanted to keep you safe, watch you grow into a beautiful person, better than he could ever hope to be

But he also wanted you to stay being his

His kid

Not taken away by protective services or recruited into Bruce's little army of children

So imagine how his stomach dropped when during one fateful night, as he helped you with your haircare routine

–Jason sitting on the couch and you between his legs on the floor, your back to him–

his door opened up, was picked open, and a good portion of his family (Dick, Damian, Stepth, and Bruce) waltzed in like they fucking owned the place

There was no way to hide, both of you caught off guard

"Jason! Games' over, buddy, we're here now–"

"Is– Is that a child?"

"What the fuck."

Jason was torn between taking them on on a 4v1 or pulling you in his arms and jumping out of the window

You chose for him, quickly climbing on the couch and hiding away under his arm, almost completely covered by his bulky form

You're not a coward but you're also not good with people like you are with Jason

You also don't exactly like the big bat after everything he did to your da–

To Jason

"Tell me you didn't kidnap a child, Jay."

"No, Steph, I didn't fucking kidnap anyone–"

"Is this why you didn't let me in? I expected better from you, Todd."

"You fucking brat– Can you just leave–"

"No, no, hang on, am I an uncle? Oh, my god, am I? Holy shit, I am!"

"You're not a fucking uncl–"

"Jason, explain."

And oh, how that terrified Jason

He hated the way Bruce was staring at you, like you were a puzzle, something he needed to figure out before he could ultimately collect

It almost made Jason snarl like a wounded dog

You were his kid, god damn it, and Jason would be damned if he let Bruce take you

So he swallowed his fear and clenched his trembling hands and made everyone sit down before he explained

He asked you if you wanted to go to your room, just in case you didn't feel comfortable around them, but you shook your head

"I don't wanna leave you alone."

"...Okay, okay, squirt, what you say goes."

None of them missed the way Jason easily wrapped his arm around you, tucking you close, and how you hid you face partially in his shoulder, glancing at them with one eye

And so, he began telling his tale

Interrupted only a few times because Dick couldn't shut the fuck up to save his life and Damian thinks being insufferable is a good personality trait, Jason finally let the cat out of the bag after about two years of keeping it hidden

"Why didn't you come to us? We could've helped."

"Helped? Bruce, look at the demon spawn, he sleeps with a knife under his pillow and he's, what? Thirteen? This kid here sleeps with a Garfield plushy, like children should."

At that, you slapped his shoulder (it still didn't hurt) and all Jason did was chuckle and kiss your forehead

It was jarring for all of them to see such a soft version of their most volatile family member

In fact, they could now see how the entire apartment had changed

No longer was it a... mojo dojo casa house of sorts, but a cozy and welcoming environment

Shit, the fridge even had cute magnets on it to hold all of your drawings

Frames with pictures of you two were placed everywhere, along with your awards from school and his own additions like a couple of plants and vinyls on the walls

It stung a little to know he'd kept a whole child away from them for so long, to know he didn't trust them enough

It especially hurt Bruce, since technically this was his first grandchild

All in all, everyone eventually fell silent, one fuming, some curious, and others brooding

Until you broke it by finally speaking, tilting your head until you were looking directly into Batman's glowing eyes

"I don't care if you're Batman or Bruce Wayne, if you hurt Jason again, I'll kill you myself."

To say Jason was proud was putting it mildly

He was so ecstatic he could make that day a national holiday

Jason ignored the rest of his family freaking out about how you knew Batman's identity and hugged you close, squeezing you gently

"Fucking love you, kiddo."

To be continued...

#jason todd #red hood #red hood x you #platonic jason todd x reader #jason todd x gender neutral reader #jason todd x y/n #red hood x gender neutral reader #red hood x reader #red hood x gn!reader #jason todd x gn!reader #platonic red hood x reader #platonic #batman #bruce wayne #dick grayson #damian wayne #batfamily x reader #platonic batfamily x reader

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spectr3inl0ve · 3 months

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craddle robber!bruce when your parents knew you date him they thought he's just another older white guy that'll take advantage of you but you're actually love everything about him (even if you're the same age as his adopted siblings) (especially cassandra as i am also asian i probably befriend my same age future daughter-in-law)

FORREAL LIKE THE PARENTS SUSPECTING THAT CRADLE ROBBER!BRUCE WAYNE IS GONNA TAKE ADVANTAGE??? But they don't realise how much he truly cares about and loves reader until they see it for themselves jdjrkeifj!!! and the thing abt cass AAAAH yesyes I think in general reader would try to have a good relationship w bruces army of children. since cass is more of a quiet person (from what I've seen so far I could be wrong 🤷‍♀️) ur relationship w her would be more of a presence thing ykwim???? like u guys could just be sitting on the couch together, saying only a few words while doing ur own thing and it'd count as quality time

#°○☆spectr3inl0ve #cradle robber!bruce wayne #monty loves dc #bruce wayne imagine #bruce wayne headcanon #bruce wayne x reader #cassandra cain #bruce wayne #cassandra cain x reader #dick grayson x reader #jason todd x reader #batman x reader #bruce wayne smut #bruce wayne x y/n

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mortsfeministaganedas · 7 months

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You cannot tell me it’s not traditional to celebrate almost every holiday in the Wayne household, one minute they’re doing one holiday and the next another, the manor is hectic with everything going on and at this point every single person is used to it (except maybe Bruce, because he’s Bruce and he has an army of children with all different backgrounds and never knows what’s next at first)

#the batfamily #alfred pennyworth #bruce wayne #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #stephanie brown #cassandra cain #duke thomas #damian wayne #barbara gordon #batcow #alfred the cat

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atlas-likes-writing · 4 months

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TW: Gore, death, viruses, blood, depictions of violence.

Red Hood that comes back to Gotham at the same time he does in canon, but not in the way you'd expect.

Everyone knows the Lazarus Pit changes you, for better or for worse. For Jason, it was so, so much worse.

Imagine the moment he steps out of the Lazarus Pit, with Ra's Al Ghul smirking at the idea that he may, finally, defeat The Dark Knight once and for all.

But that smirk is wiped off his face the minute he sees what he has created.

It's morose. It's ugly. It's grotesque. The skin on his body hangs off the bone and makes a disgusting squelch whenever his feet hits the ground. His arms are drawn upwards towards Ra's, his iris' non-existent and his mouth agape. He staggers towards the Demon's Head, hands grasping at nothing as he stumbles his way towards him.

Ra's Al Ghul has made a zombie. A disgusting, hideous zombie.

It's then when he gets a sick and twisted idea. He traps the undead Jason, and carts him away in a wooden box with "Gotham City" on the label. He's dropped in front of Wayne Tower, and the box he's kept in is opened. He's unleashed, and Jason Todd's reign of terror begins.

Though what Ra's didn't account for, is the zombie's intelligence.

He goes about it systematically. Secretly. Going for little-known thugs and criminals in dark alleyways first, before moving on to drunk party-goers and drugged out civilians that happened to stumble across him in the dead of night. Soon enough, he has an army. An army of unsightly and repulsive walking corpses.

When he's ready, he strikes in the middle of the day. He targets hospitals, shopping centers, and high-rise offices. Within 30 minutes, half of Gotham is overrun by the walking dead.

The Batfamily are on red alert. Nightwing is pulled from Blüdhaven and Bruce finally allows Alfred his time to shine with his vast variety of firearms. Superman. Starfire. Raven. Martian Manhunter. Everyone from the elite meta groups across America are called in to deal with this potentially world-ending threat.

It's only until Tim Drake gets bitten when they realise that this is a real danger.

First it's Tim. Then it's Flash. He got bit while leading zombies into a trap set by the Teen Titans.

Now there's a meta-user out there. An undead corpse is running around at the speed of sound, biting, scratching, and killing every living thing around it.

You know what they say, right? When one goes, the rest is soon to follow.

Next it's Green Lantern. Then it's Aquaman. Then it's Beast Boy. Then, somehow, it's fucking Superman, who got bit by one of his best friends, Wonderwoman.

Soon after that, they all go.

That's right. Earth's mightiest defenders are ripping people to shreds. Tearing innocents clean in half from the top of their heads to the bottom of their torso. It's horrific and is classified as an international emergency.

The entire world goes to shit, until Batman finds Patient Zero. He's locked the rest of his children in quarantined cells, their blood and saliva drips down the glass doors and soulless eyes stare at him as he strides past.

He jumps into the Batmobile and shoots out of the cave, mowing down the undead as he goes with regret in his eyes. Through all that lust for death and murderous gleams in the eyes, they're still human. Humans who are sick and need to be treated. Now, with most of the world's strongest fighters succumbing to this virus, he must be the one to stop it.

He discovers Patient Zero in a warehouse near the docks of Gotham. He enters, batarangs in hand and ready to be thrown at anything that moves. He sees a throne at the other end of the room where a figure sits. He creeps up to it, and realises it's made of human bones, much to his horror. As he gets closer, he makes out the face of the person who started it all.

His son. Jason Todd. The one who got away.

His batarangs clatter on the ground.

His dead son turns to him, face knarled and ruined, and his mouth opens. A horrid sound leaves his throat.

He's speaking, but he sounds like he's screaming.

"Look what you've done, father. This is your fault."

Reblogs appreciated!!

Masterlist

#atlas drabbles #dc comics #batfamily #gotham #batman #dc #red hood #jason todd #bruce wayne #zombie #zombie apocalypse #zombie apocolypse au

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raeuberprinzessin · 2 years

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Another Parent-Children-Akuma

The Justice League was never really happy with the decision to not get involved with the situation in Paris, but since all of them were either aliens or metahumans or at least extremely well trained one-person-armies, who might actually defeat the heroes if they were ever akumatized, they agreed that trusting the chosen heroes was the best they could do. And then there were also Aquaman and Wonder Woman, as well as the Atlanteans and the Amazons, who warned them from getting involved in Miraculous matters. The only thing they agreed to do was to keep villains and other power hungry parties from pursuing the magical jewelry.

But there was one person who didn't get the memo. Well, he did, he was there, when they made the decision and he was against it. Batman just didn't really care to follow the League's course of action, if he felt he knew better. And he usually knew better, he had been right to follow his instinct more than once. And this is how Bruce "Only-I-decide-which-kids-to-throw-into-fights-to-save-the-word" Wayne ended up here, on a roof next to a surprised spotted heroine.

He had secretly traveled to Paris using a new fake identity. He didn't make as much progress as he wanted during the first few days, so when there was an akuma he didn't go straight to the akuma shelter but stuck around. The akumatized person seemed to be a child who didn't want their parents to leave them alone at the kindergarten, therefore they sent parents to their children.

When he got hit, Bruce expected to land next to any of his many children. Instead he found himself on the edge of a roof in the same city, he could see the Eiffel Tower. He was so surprised and confused, he would have fallen if a small hand hadn't grabbed his arm and hauled him back onto stable ground, just to tumble down next to him.

The only thing he could think as he locked eyes with the unfamiliar heroine was: Shitshitshitshit!

Ladybug placed him back down on the street and rambled the directions to the nearest akuma shelter before she gave him one last wide eyed glance and joined her partner in the fight.

Now he would have to find out who Ladybug was! And when he did, League be damned, he would make sure she and her partner got any help they needed, whether they wanted it or not!

#maribat #maribat marinette dupain cheng #maribat bruce wayne #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #bio!dad au #bio dad bruce wayne

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cardcaptorsakura96 · 21 days

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We're All In This Together-Chapter 4

Fandom: Supergirl, Batman, Superman, The Flash

Characters: Kara Danvers, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Barry Allen, Barbara Gordon, Leonard Snart, Mxyzptlk, John Stewart, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen

Summary: Kara, Clark, and Barry are taken off guard by a request by the imp Mxyzptlk: watch over and protect the children of their alternate selves from a different Earth. Will our heroes rise to the occasion?

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Mxy suddenly appeared in the middle of a den. He winced because everything was in shades of green from the walls to the furniture. The only thing that wasn’t green was white the door to enter and exit the room.

Mxy sighed and muttered, “Probably white so that a sane person knows how to leave the room without knocking themselves out. I know the Lanterns like green, but this is too much.”

Mxy shook his head while looking around until he found his targets. As he looked around, his face fell as he saw three sad children sitting on the couch with John in front of them talking.

Mxy sighed and muttered, “At least they are not crying full-fledged tears.”

Mxy shook his head as he walked towards the group. About two years ago, both John and Mxy had a sinking suspicion that this wouldn’t likely be their permanent home. The Green Lanterns weren’t making any ground with Superman and his clones. As much as they wanted to be in denial about that, John and Mxy agree that the kids need to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. That also meant figuring out a way to let them know the gravity of the situation without permanently scarring them for life. Since they turned three, they decided to keep the concept for them simple. They told them they were caretakers for them until they found them permanent homes with a parent(s). They told the children multiple times over the years so that they would not be blindsided. However, he should have known that they would be upset regardless. This was the only home they had ever known, and they were suddenly being taken away from it.

Mxy gave a soft smile as he knelt so he was at eye level with the children and asked, “Why do my favorite people in the world have such sad looks on their faces?”

Alura looked up with big round eyes and huge pout. Mxy would almost chuckle if it wasn’t such a serious situation.

It’s uncanny how she has Kara’s infamous pout down.

Alura said as her voice wavered, “It isn’t fair Uncle Mxy. We don’t want to leave.”

Jonathan looked up with teary eyes and said, “We would miss you guys too much.”

Mxy nearly winced at that statement.

He tried to force a smile and said, “We have had this conversation before that this was a place temporary for you guys until we find you a new home.”

Alura’s pout became more pronounced. Mxy was nearly startled. He didn’t she could get her pout to look so big.

“But we like it here better,” whined Alura.

Jonathan sniffled while wiping his eyes with his sleeves and asked, “Is it because I accidentally bumped into the vase and it fell? I said I was sorry. I tried to fix it but it kept falling apart.”

John kneeled down in front of Johnathan and gently grabbed his hand while rubbing smooth circles around it. He used his other hand to lift Jonathan’s face so they were staring eye to eye with each other.

John gave a soft smile and said, “You guys never did anything wrong. It isn’t safe for you to stay here. I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to you guys.”

Alura whimpered and said, “But the Green Lanterns are the greatest army ever.”

“Ultraman is coming,” said Nora softly.

Mxy and John looked at Nora startled. They have tried to keep the devastation caused by Superman (or Ultraman as he began to call himself this year) from them, but looking back Mxy realized that may have been unrealistic. There were other Green Lanterns and staff that the kids ran into throughout the day. He shouldn’t be surprised that the kids may have picked up on a few things.

Jonathan frowned and said, “Ultraman isn’t real. That is just a story to scare children.”

Nora turned to Johnathan terrified and said a little louder, “It is true. I heard some of the other Green Lanterns talking about it. Ultraman destroyed 30 of the Green Lantern’s rings.”

Alura looked up startled and said, “That can’t be true. The Green Lantern rings are supposed to be powerful.”

John sighed while rubbing the back of his head and said, “What Nora said is true. We are struggling to prevent Ultraman from reaching Oa. That is why we want to get you guys to a safe place.

Alura and Johnathan looked up at John terrified. Nora looked down while wringing her hands.

John scooped all of the kids in for a hug. The kids all embraced him tightly.

John said softly, “I don’t want you guys to worry. The rest of the Lanterns and I will be holding him and his army off while Mxy gets you to a safe location.”

“Will you come back for us when this is over?” mumbled Alura with tears streaming down her face.

John tried to keep a passive face but was struggling.

“No, my dear, you are going to your permanent home now.”

Mxy gave a soft smile and asked, “Do you guys remember that I told you that I was looking for a mommy and daddy to take care of you guys? You were all excited about having parents.”

“But that means losing you guys too,” said Nora softly while wringing her hands.

“We don’t want to go if it means not seeing you guys again,” wailed Jonathan.

John hugged them tighter and said, “I don’t want you guys to go either, but my priority is to keep you guys safe.”

Mxy embraced them all as well and said, “I know you guys won’t be able to see John again, but I will still be around with weekly check-ins.”

All three kids looked up at him surprised.

Mxy smirked and said, “You guys aren’t getting rid of me that easily.”

The children looked away sheepishly.

After a couple of minutes, Nora looked up thoughtfully and said, “Are the new parents nice?”

Mxy smiled and said, “They are the best. They are very kind and noble. And guess what?”

All the kids look up at him curiously.

“What?” asked Alura scratching her head.

Mxy leaned in lowered and whispered, “They are all superheroes.”

“Really?” squealed all three kids.

Mxy smiled and said, “Yes, they are their universe’s greatest defenders, and they are looking forward to meeting you all.”

“What kind of heroes are they?” asked Nora quizzically.

“Remember the stuffed animals that I gave you guys earlier?” asked Mxy.

The kids nodded.

“They are modeled after The Flash, Superman, and Supergirl,” said Mxy.

All of the kids looked at each other in awe.

Read the rest on AO3

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aboutzatanna · 2 years

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Meet Zachary Zatara! Zatanna’s Cousin

I’ve covered Zatanna’s mother, father and now to complete my series of posts on the pairing, lets look at Zachary Zatara.

Zachary is a magician just like Zatanna, making her one of the few female heroes with a male side kick. He was also a member of the Teen Titans during Geoff Johns run which the YJ show draws heavily from.

I’ve included a recommended reading guide for him at the very end of the post including some lesser known, obscure stories so do check that out if you’re interested in wanting to read more about him.

The inspiration for Zachary goes back to writer Mark Waid and artist Alex Ross Kingdom Come OGN. KC was seminal back in the day and had a huge influence on the DCU both positive and negative.

A big part of KC were the children of various superheroes and super villains whom Superman, freshly out of retirement, recruits into his new super powered army in order to fix a world ravaged by out of control anti heroes like Magog.

One of them was John Zatara, the son of Zatanna and Constantine (the latter of whom was walled off from the rest of the DCU at the time). It’s not known what happened to Zatanna and Constantine in the KC timeline, Zatara being their kid was only revealed in the back of the Absolute edition of Kingdom Come.

Zatara barely had a speaking role in the OGN, here is a couple of scenes where he shows up in:

He also showed up as a supporting character in ‘Kingdom Come: The Offspring’ one shot by Mark Waid and Frank Quietly which focused on Plastic Man’s son Earnie a.k..a ‘Offspring’ where it was mentioned that he was dating Avia, the daughter of Scott Free and Big Barda.

Also note that all of his dialogue was written backwards throughout the whole comic even during normal every day conversations:

He also appeared as a background character in The Kingdom Special as one of the many heroes trying to protect Superman and Wonder Woman’s kid from Magog.

Given these minor appearances it’s really hard to get a feel of Zatara’s personality here. One gets the impression that Avia is the assertive one in their relationship whilst Zatara is the passive one. And...this is just my speculation here, but I think KC Zatara might be autistic or at least, on the spectrum.

After KC’s monumental success, DC began incorporating elements from KC into it’s main universe, and just to give you an idea of how immense and influential KC is and continues to be:

(feel free to skip past these bullet points if you’re not interested in KC’s influence)

- Maxine Hunkel, Magog, Jai and Iris West first appeared in KC then later in the main DCU.

-The concept of a Blue Beetle who wore mecha armor ended up becoming Jaime Reyes.

-It also popularized the idea of Bruce and Talia having a son. The idea originated from ‘Son of the Demon’ where we first see their infant child given up for adoption. Then in KC we see him grown up and named ‘Ibn Al Xuffasch’ and later incorporated into the comics in the form of Damian Wayne. Xuffasch also had a romance with Nightstar (Dick and Kory’s kid) much to Dick’s chagrin.

-Alan Scott’s GL armor was introduced in KC that later appeared in the main universe.

-WW’s golden eagle armor which has appeared in both the main universe and in WW84, her being the one Trinity member being willing to kill in the series which also directly paved the way for Rucka’s Sacrifice arc in which she killed Maxwell Lord. Granted she killed once during Perez’s run but the context of how it happened in Sacrifice directly pertains to KC. This lead to the false perception of Diana being a blood thirsty warrior and her thus her characterization in early Nu52 era.

-KC Superman even showed up in the main universe and even talking to Diana about how the main universe was turning similar to his.

-The concept of Diana being exiled from Themyscira. In KC universe she was exiled because of her failure to change Man’s World. In JLU, 2017 Wonder Woman and Bloodlines DTV movie, her being exiled would be incorporated into her origin story instead (not for the better, if you ask me). In the Golden Age, Post Crisis and Rebirth versions, she left voluntarily with the blessings of her mother and sisters and was later able to reunite with them.

-Even the core concept of the Infinite Crisis event of older heroes trying to impose a nostalgic outdated view of heroism on a world they deemed too dark and cynical was clearly inspired by KC.

-JLU’s Cadmus arc and the paranoia about Superman turning the JL into a super powered army, the fight with Captain Marvel on the show, things turning out for the worst despite Superman’s best intentions and Batman disproving of Superman sentencing criminals to the Phantom Zone felt like they were directly drawn from KC.

-CW’s version of Crisis on Infinite Earths where Brandon Routh’s Superman had a costume similar to KC Superman and even has elements of his backstory like Lois, Perry and his co workers being killed by a gas attack from the Joker.

-Even CBR exists because of KC since the site started off as a fansite for Kingdom Come before turning into a forum and later a comic book news site. So yeah, good and bad influences on the DCU all round.

1/3 Zachary Meets Infinity Inc & Black Adam

Anyway, back to Zachary Zatara, he first debuted in Teen Titans Vol 3 #34 and was created by Geoff Johns and Tony Daniels. Although his first published appearance was in Teen Titans, his first chronological appearance would have been in 52; a weekly series which covered the gap year in which Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman were inactive and other heroes were filling in for them.

Zachary showed up in 52 #21 as part of the Teen Titans team investigating the new Infinity Inc (a group of kids given super powers by Luthor).

Note that’s not Big Barda. That’s Little Barda. A New God who takes after Barda and clearly based off of Avia.

Zach gets off on the wrong foot with one of the Infinity Inc members:

Later, in the issue, one of the Infinity Inc members was killed in battle (thanks to Luthor’s machinations) and Zach and Little Barda are seen at the funeral:

Note that Zach is associated with Raven.

Later in 52 #32 Zachary is among the crowds of young heroes gathered to fight Black Adam (he’s right next to the Superboy statues palm):

Among them is also a young, costumed Eddie Bloomberg aka Kid Devil whom we will see will be an important character for Zachary:

In World War III #3 we get a small glimpse of Zachary fighting Black Adam as well as Raven reacting to him getting hurt (these two always had a connection):

And finally in the 52 #50 we see Zachary working with Zatanna and several other mages attempting to stop the rampaging Black Adam with the help of Billy Batson:

Zatanna and Zachary don’t share any dialogue with each other in the issue but it’s cool to see them working together as well as seeing Zatanna and Billy effectively leading the magical side of the DCU and I love that it’s Billy who figured out how to defeat Black Adam.

2/3 Zachary & Eddie + The Teen Titans

Zachary would make single panel appearances in Teen Titans #34-38, they were from bits and pieces from Cyborg’s recordings from when he was in a coma. The ‘present’ day of these issues were set the year after the events of 52 Zach complains about Raven’s powers affecting him and we also get hints of his personality:

So Raven has gone missing and in between fighting super villains, the Titans go on search for her which leads them to meet Zachary.

Zachary finally gets the spotlight in Teen Titans #39 in which we are also introduced to his assistant, Bunny and he and the Titans don’t really get along:

We also learn from Cyborg that his powers were only awakened recently after the events of Days of Vengeance (long story short; Spectre went crazy, Nabu died, magic died and was reborn):

Zachary is kind of snobbish, arrogant and rude but they are also a way for him to hide his insecurities and fears.

As you can see he also has history with Kid Devil/Eddie Bloomberg and we finally learn about their history and Zachary’s role in Eddie’s transformation from the kid in the suit you saw in 52 to the humanoid devil in present day in Teen Titans #42.

So, Eddie is a huge of Blue Devil aka Dan Cassidy and idolizes him much to the latter’s chagrin , this leads to him wanting to get powers just like BD. One day he gets a strange mystical candle from a stranger which he takes to Zachary for consultation:

So despite Zach’s warning, Eddie goes through with the deal and to no one’s surprise, his trust in Blue Devil is in fact broken, when Eddie learns that Blue Devil was indirectly responsible for his Aunt’s death. (Long story short: Neron promised him a way to return to being BD if Daniel blew up a power plant, the latter did but the feed back ended up killing Eddie’s aunt who was miles away. Dan Cassidy kept it a secret until Eddie confronted him about it).

So yeah, Eddie is pretty much damned now but Zach tries to console him the best way he can, in Teen Titans #56:

This era of Teen Titans was heavily dependent on making the Titans into a Junior Justice League. Along with Zachary, this run also introduced Miss Martian and reinvented Superboy/Connor from a fun loving Booster Gold style glory hound to the angsty black t-shirt wearing Superboy we know today and Cassie Sandsmark from the tomboyish fangirl to the cheerleader archetype. Instead of a stand alone squad the Titans were now tutored by older heroes, at least initially. Suffice to say, this run had a huge influence on the Young Justice show.

As for the run itself, I wasn’t a fan of how Robin, Wonder Girl and the Wonder Twins were written. Especially under Sean McKeever post Infinite Crisis (though tbf he faced a lot of editorial hurdles) but the Eddie/Zachary stuff was a highlight for me personally.

Side note, Teen Titans #52 also gave us a peek at a possible future version of Zachary, you can tell he is evil because he has a goatee:

Zach also showed up in Tim Drake’s Robin series (Robin vol 2 #166) to help him out with some bad guys:

There are so many dark haired caucasian costumed guys around, especially in Gotham that even the villains get confused.

There are some interesting parallels between Zachary and Donna Troy. They’re both the side kicks of female heroes, both of them debuted in a title that didn’t star said female hero and they operated independently for a while before actually getting to interacting with their female mentor.

Despite Zachary being a ‘part time’ Titan, he would show up in the 6 issue Terror Titans mini in which the Titans took on Clock King who was running a meta human fight ring. Zachary and the Titans were captured and mind controlled to participate in the tournament and somehow Zach lost to Terra in a straight up fight:

(I call bull shit, maybe he threw the fight)

Also Zach being emotional about Kid Devil is what got him caught in the first place:

Meanwhile, in the main Teen Titans Eddie has managed to beat his curse and returned to normal human form.

Then in the follow up in Teen Titans #69, he harshly turned down Wonder Girl’s offer for Zach and other teens held prisoner by the Clock King to train with the Titans.

His next appearance in the Titans would be part of a back up title called Coven of Three which ran from Teen Titans #84-87. The series starred Zachary Zatara, Traci 13 and Black Alice in which the Demon’s Three trapped them in a world that brought their deepest desires to life. All of it as part of a gambit to escape their imprisonment and threaten the world again.

The series begins by showing Zach in the least flattering light as possible:

Then drops this reveal on us when Zach’s dream world is shown:

Yes, he had a girlfriend with unborn twins who died untimely deaths. How old is this kid anyway? Was it a teen pregnancy? Does Zatanna know? This is one of the many plot threads that could have been addressed in the Zatanna ongoing were it not for it’s untimely cancellation and the 52 reboot.

Traci 13′s dream is a world where she is worshiped as a Goddess and Black Alice’s dream was a world where her parents were alive and they had a normal family unit. Of the three, she was the most reluctant to give up her wish. It made things more complicated because undoing the spell required the consent of all three individuals. Zachary and Traci have relatively normal, stable lives to return to, Alice doesn’t.

We also got this interesting scene showing the difference between a book worm mage and someone who has natural abilities but never studied actual theory:

Zach also brings up Eddie again and he gets a moment with Kate (his dead gf) before helping Traci undo the spell:

The three managed to undo the spell and even agree to become teammates:

But there is a twist at the end where we learn that oops, even though they ‘won’, it was all still a ruse on the Demon’s parts as they’re still playing right into the demon’s hands:

The ending also flips our view of the character. Zachary, whom in the beginning was kind of a jerk, ends up with the most sympathetic motivation of wanting to use magic to bring back his dead girlfriend and unborn child. Black Alice ends up more or less at the same spot she started in. Meanwhile, it looks like Traci 13 is on the path of actually bringing her dreams of being a goddess to reality as she keeps one of the magical items used to trap the Demons Three for herself.

On the YJ cartoon, I wasn’t a fan of Mary being the corrupted one for various reasons. But given Traci’s characterization here, I would have rather she had been the one corrupted by power.

It’s a neat twist and I’m disappointed that there hasn’t been any follow up to it. Especially the part about Zach’s dead girlfriend. Zatanna and Diana need to have a talk about their respective side kicks going through all sorts of trauma in stories without either of them getting involved.

NGL, I still find weird that the Young Justice show, which draws heavily from Geoff Johns era of Titans decided to deage Zatanna and put her on Dick’s team instead of using Zachary, who was already associated with the Titans. Plus it’s rare for a female hero to have a male side kick. But then, if Zatanna was with the adults on YJ, we’ll probably see even less of her.

2/3 Zachary & Superman: World of New Krypton Era

Sometime after his first appearance in Teen Titans, Zachary later showed up in Superman #680 in which Superman fought the mythological Atlas and was getting his ass beat. Supes realized that he needed help so he went to a magic show Zatanna was meant to headline but instead met Zachary there and the two got off to a rough start:

I’ve mentioned this story in another post but lets cut to the chase; Supes is a little abrasive here but lets cut him some slack, the Man of Steel was forced to leave his dog to fight his battles for him.

After getting a super charge from Zachary, Supes managed to beat Atlas but he wanted everyone to credit Krypto instead.

Zachary would have a minor role during the ‘World of New Krypton’ era of Superman comics. This was imo, the most interesting era of Superman comics which was kicked off when Superman rescued the shrunken bottled city of Kandor and restored it to full size on.......earth. So now the inhabitants on earth are neighbors with a thousands of Kryptonians and not all of them are as nice as Superman.

This event was like a tide for the Superman books and supporting cast, I can’t think of another era (besides maybe Death of Superman) that elevated supporting characters like Supergirl, Guardian, Dr Light/Kimiyo Hoshi, Captain Atom while also reviving Silver Age characters like Mon-El, Flamebird and Nightwing/Chris Kent (hey, remember him? he was the proto Jon Kent).

Zachary and Zatanna appeared in Action Comics #873 along with the ‘Sentinel of Magic’ where they cast a spell to ward off a group of hostile Kryptonians and we also get a peek of Zatanna mentoring Zachary:

The Zatara’s and the Marvel Family should team up more, imo. Plus it’s cool to see them doing combos and this is a great follow up from their appearance in 52. Their team work is better here and they’re doing combos now.

In Superman #690, Zachary is meeting one of his stage hands who has something important to tell him when they are suddenly interrupted by Parasite:

Mark Merlin is an old Golden Age character, the writer, James Robinson (who also wrote Starman) is a huge fan of Golden Age characters.

I’m normally not a fan of jerkass protagonists but Zachary is a little different. His arrogance and aloofness serves as a mask to hide his insecurities and cowardiance. Plus you know Zee would whoop his ass if he really crossed the line.

In a sudden twist though, we learn in Superman #692 that the man Zachary was talking to was not Mark Merlin, but Mirabai; a sorceress who agreed to become an ally for General Sam Lane in his anti-Kryptonian war in exchange for him loaning her a brainwashed Captain Atom so she can rule her realm (called the Sorcerers World) with an iron fist.

Zachary appeared in the Captain Atom back up series in Action Comics that ran from Action Comics #879-889. Zachary appeared in #887-889 as an unwitting slave to MIrabai. He doesn’t really get to do much here, the story is centered on Captain Atom who has managed to break out of the Mirabai’s mind control and joined the rebels to help them over throw Mirabai.

He succeeds only to find out that one of his ally’s was actually the wizard Mordru (I’ve mentioned him before in relation to Dr Fate) in disguise who quickly banished Zachary back to the mortal world:

But he is friendly with Captain Atom, telling him that the latter could come back to his realm at any time.

This issue also came with preview pages for Zatanna’s solo series by Paul Dini and Stephane Roux which is where we meet Zachary next:

Side note: Mirabai would make a good foe for Zachary and by extension Zatanna (’nobody enslaves my cousin!’).

3/3 Zachary & Zatanna

Finally, when Zatanna’s own ongoing was launched in 2010, we finally got to see what their relationship was like.

Zachary showed up in Zatanna #04-06 written by Paul Dini and we finally get a little backstory on them including this flashback showing a teenage Zatanna teaching a young Zachary:

Zatanna promises to show up for Zachary’ next show but fails because an evil casino owner who made a deal with a literal demon hypnotizes her to marry him so he can sell her soul in exchange for immortality.

Zachary is at first, pissed when Zatanna doesn’t show up...

but ends up helping her escape from the evil casino owner while also bickering like siblings:

The issue walks a fine line between not rendering Zatanna a damsel in distress, giving her agency in saving herself while also allowing Zachary to contribute to the story.

At the end, she finally does manage to make it to one of his performances:

He showed up next in Zatanna #14 written by Adam Beechen which starts out with Zatanna chewing him out for screwing up a joint performance:

Zach, predictably doesn’t listen and ends up getting into trouble which his cousin had to bail him out of:

Part of what makes the Zatanna/Zachary dynamic so fun is that both Zatanna and her father are often portrayed as heroic and selfless (even if they have some morally gray moments at times) but Zach is more self absorbed and arrogant which forces Zatanna to be more up front in dealing with her side kick. It also gives Zach a character arc; his hubris is a cover for his cowrdiance and insecruities thus his story arc is one about overcoming them to become a better person.

They also worked together during the Reign In Hell event which is set sometime before Zatanna’s series, I’m posting this here because I found Zach’s impudence here to be hilarious:

You know you done fucked up when even Jason Blood is horrified.

Post Nu52, Zachary disappeared but he did show up in Raven: Daughter of Darkenss, a 12 issue limited series by Marv Wolfman as part of the Nightforce:

I haven’t read it yet and it’s the kind of thing that deserves it’s own separate post anyway.

Finally, in 2021, a Suicide Squad book was among the titles in DC’s Round Roubin (basically, vote for whichever title you want to read the most otherwise it won’t see the light of day) with Zachary on the roster. The title never made it past the rounds and was never published but we did get some preview pages, Zach screwed up royally and has to work with the Squad to make up for it:

Thank god this was never published, all I can imagine is Zatanna downing a whole bottle of alcohol and screaming after hearing this.

That’s about it for his major appearances to this date. Now for some FAQ’s before wrapping this up and also check out the Recommended Reading List at the very bottom:

Who Are His Parents?

Zachary’s parents have never appeared on panel and has never been mentioned. Sure, in Earth-22 Kingdom Come universe, ‘John Zatara’ is the son of Zatanna and John Constantine but as you can see there are differences between ‘John Zatara’ and the ‘Zachary Zatara’ here.

Zatanna having an adult son either in the Pre Nu52 universe or the Rebirth timeline doesn’t make much sense timeline wise unless you go down the path of convoluted retcons involving aged up magical babies and false memories ala Pre Crisis Dinah Laurel Lance. You also have to consider the flashbacks showing teen Zatanna training kid Zachary, how they interact like cousins/siblings instead of mother/son and they refer to each other as cousins even when they are by themselves. .

That said, there is no indication in Giovanni’s backstory of him having any siblings either but not enough to completely rule out the possibility either. It’s possible that he had an estranged brother or Giovanni himself became distant from his own family or he had an uncle and Zachary is his cousin first removed.

Also, this is just my opinion, but I can’t really see Zatanna as a mom. Even with characters like I like seeing her dating (whether it’s Blue Devil, Joshua, Batman, sometimes Dick Grayson). I can see Wonder Woman, Mera, Big Barda and Catwoman being mothers but never got that vibe from Zee. Sure she’s great with kids but I never got the ‘mom’ vibe from her character. She always struck me as a Helen Mirren type who would remain childless but fulfilled even into her old age.

I have a few guesses as to who his parents could be in the pre Nu52 timeline:

-Fulcanelli. A minor character that appeared in Fate #10 (click here for more). Zatanna initially introduces him as a friend of her fathers. He’s an alchemist who is burdened with the cost of magic. At the climax of the issue, right before he is turned into a gold statue, Zatanna calls him uncle while in turn he calls her niece. Whether it was just an affectionate term, like she thought of him as an uncle despite not being related or if they were actually blood related was never clarified. Plus Zatanna has referred to people she isn’t blood related to as uncles or aunts, like the time she called Rose Psychic her Aunt during Reign In Hell.

But suppose Fulcanelli and Zatara’s were blood related, Zachary’s father being an alchemist could explain why his power doesn’t work on anything organic.

-Giovanni himself.

Which would make Zatanna and Zachary into siblings as well which also fits their banter in the comic books. My theory in this case is that they share the same father but different mothers. Giovanni has been associated with multiple women, both romantically and non romantically; Madame Xanadu, Charity from Starman and Tigress. He was smitten by Madame Xanadu and outright said he wanted to make babies with her but the latter turned him down since she was aware of his future. Their relationship never moved beyond friends with benefits but it would be interesting if she ever did take up on his offer after Sindella’s first death.

The other option would be Tigress; the classic enemy-to-lovers trope. Tigress was a thief and a normal human who was Zatara’s main nemesis and sometimes-ally during the Golden Age. There are no stories where their relationship turned romantic but imagine if it did at some point but for whatever reason it didn’t work out, they divorced and Tigress had custody of Zachary. The flashback of teen Zatanna training a young Zachary could have taken place during brief visitations. It also fits Zachary’s stated origin that his powers were only awakened after the events of Days of Vengeance, especially if one or both of his parents are human. It also explains Zatanna telling Flash that she doesn’t have a family in JLA: Crisis of Conscience, technically she wasn’t lying as this scenario involves Tigress separating herself from the Zataras. But then Zach got his powers and started following in his father’s footsteps and the two started to bond again. It also contextualizes Zachary’s ego; he is trying to reject his mother’s villainous roots and trying to embrace his father’s heroic side.

Still, this is just what my speculation.

Who knows what Johns, Robinson and Dini had actually planned though. Maybe they were intending for him to be Zatanna and Constantine’s son and had a convoluted explanation involving wizards and genies and time travel involved.

Is Zachary Queer?

Zach has never been confirmed to be queer but I noticed that he does have a queer fanbase and his close friendship with Kid Devil aka Eddie Bloomberg can be interpreted as such. They just have that vibe to them. He also does have a relationship with Bunny, his stage assistant but that could just mean he is either bi sexual or polysexual. Folks are free to interpret him however they like.

I’m supportive of the head canon that Zachary is queer and him being in a relationship with Eddie totally works.

I hope Zachary returns one day. He would be perfect for JLD and I love his dynamic with Zee and an appearance there is long over due.

Litnu txen emit!

Recommended Reading

-52: #21, #50 (also World War III #3)

-Teen Titans Vol 3: #34-38, #39, #42, #52, #69 (after Terror Titans)

-Terror Titans #1-6

-Robin Vol 2 #166

-Teen Titans #83-87. Coven of Three back up with Zachary, Traci 13 and Black Alice.

-Superman #680, #683 (which is followed up in Action Comics #873), #687

-Superman #690 followed by #692 and the rest of the story is picked up in Action Comics #887-889 Captain Atom back up.

-Zatanna #4-6 and #14.

-Raven: Daughter of Darkness #1-12

If there is anything you would like me to add or remove, let me know.

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thescarletbat · 11 months

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Widow’s Dance

The abductions were too precise and clean. Whoever took the ballet dancers was a global network. “They’re coordinating these abductions at the same time in different countries. Bruce, I think we’re looking at a trafficking ring.” Kate said as she sat across the large ornate desk.

Bruce looked over the file of one of the kids, teen and child abductions was the worst type of crime. He’d broken up enough trafficking rings over his 30 years as Batman, to spare little mercy on those cases.

What Kate was describing was sophisticated and not run by his black-book of names he’d monitored over the decades. This wasn’t something to charge into.

After she finished, he was silent. Bruce tapped his glass desk top, gazing behind her at the fish tank filled with exotics from different regions. His sons’ murders could be related to this, but, he wasn’t going to jump on that conclusion. There were numerous people who wanted his family dead; the reasons varied, but, being a vigilante was the primary one.

“You’re right to be concerned. For now we need to investigate locally until we can determine what we’re dealing with.” Kate’s glare was expected. He got that look from Dick a lot when he wanted to pummel first and question later. That tactic had its place and time, this, wasn’t that time.

“They don’t stay in one location for long. They’re abducting these kids while they’re competing in different countries.” She said. It wasn’t just ballet dancers, ice skaters, gymnasts and martial artists were being abducting too.

Bruce didn’t budge, he was “retired.” Kate didn’t blame him for leaving the suit behind, but, that didn’t mean he couldn’t still help people. Since Dick and Jason’s murder, he put all his energy in his business. He closed himself to the world and to his family.

His choice to recon locally was not without merit, but, he wasn’t seeing the big picture. Bruce wasn’t seeing how fast these traffickers were moving.

With Batman retired, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd dead, Batwoman was now Gotham’s-- perhaps the nation’s last Dark Knight.

While Damian was Bruce’s eager heir, Kate firmly believed the child had many years to grow into the role of Gotham’s Caped Crusader. You didn’t weaponize children. Children weren’t soldiers and they should never be soldiers. That was something she and Bruce often debated. It was a futile argument, the man was set in his ways. Frankly, she was little better.

After leaving Wayne manor, Kate drove back across town to her estate. Waiting for the light to change, she weighed her options. She couldn’t do this alone. The network was too complex for a one man army. As the light flashed green, she changed course; an impulse that ignited as her tesla turned left.

“Set route for JJ’s work. Kate said to her car’s navigation. It had been three years and a broken nose since she and Jessica Jones talked-- well-- in a personal capacity. As Batwoman, they crossed paths a lot. Jessica was none the wiser and it was for the best.

Bruce and the Bats weren’t on the best terms with the Avengers. Bruce and Tony had their pissing contest as tech rivals; as heroes they weren’t any better. The rest of them had issue with one avengers’ politics or another. She and Jessica had cases that put them at odds, but, they also shared similar methodologies in solving them. That was what made them a good team. She respected a person who challenged her, kept her on her toes and made her ask the terrifying questions. Questions that most dare not ask. Jessica wasn’t afraid to do that.

She needed that now. If she was going to take this case to the Avengers, she needed Jessica at her side too.

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butlermate · 8 months

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Is that [Sean Pertwee]? No, that’s [Alfred Pennyworth], AKA [N.A.]! [He] appears to be [59]. [He] has the abilities of [army training and general weapons mastery] which makes them a powerful [civilian].

Partly because I wanted to join the cool Batfam gang, and also because I love Alfred, and need an outlet for my Britishness, I have decided to pick up everyone's favourite butler. I will warn you from the outset that my knowledge of comic lore is next to none, so I am relying on everyone to fill me on stuff I need to know. My inspiration is drawn 90% from Gotham, and 10% from the Nolan movies, because who doesn't love Michael Caine? With that being said, here is Alfred's backstory, edited a little from Gotham to make it gel with wider Batman lore:

Alfred was born in Whitechapel, London. This was the London of Edward Heath, with civil unrest and strikes occurring regularly. The Pennyworth family always struggled to make ends meet. Everyone did, in those days. It was a hard life -- a tough one -- and Alfred learned that early.

As a boy, he attended grey-brick comp school. He left as soon as he could, and enlisted in the SAS at 18.

Life in the army was brutal. But it was the making of Alfred Pennyworth. He learned how to follow orders, how to be a good soldier, how to fire a gun, how to take a beating, and how to give as good as you got. As a member of 23 Special Air Service Regiment, he undertook secret missions for Her Majesty's government. Dark stuff. Stuff that would make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Stuff that would give your nightmare's nightmares.

He stuck it out for several years, but he knew he couldn't stick it out forever. It would be the bloody death of him. So, he left the army. But you might be able to take a bloke out of the SAS, but you can't get rid of his memories. Alfred was a wreck after he left the service. He got blackout drunk most nights, just to forget the horrors he'd seen, and when he wasn't doing that, he was picking fights with the toughest guys he could find, just to do something.

One night, he woke up in an alley covered in blood. No sodding idea how it got there. So, he went to the closest nick to turn himself in. That was where he met Thomas Wayne, the man who would set him straight and turn his life around. Thomas asked him why he was there, and Alfred replied, "stuff that I was too frightened to even think about." Rather than leave him sitting in the police station, as any sane person would, Thomas asked him to get a drink with him. Who was Alfred to turn down an offer like that? So, he didn't go to jail that night. Instead, he went to a bar with Thomas Wayne.

To cut a long story short, Thomas offered Alfred a job. Alfred's never worked out why. Maybe Thomas knew he needed a butler with something about him, working in Gotham City. Maybe he took pity on him. Whatever the reason, Alfred saw this for the good opportunity it was, and he took it. What was left for him in his home city? The army had done sod all to help him after he'd left. His parents were both dead. So, he moved to America.

He's worked for the Wayne family ever since then. It's done him good. He stood by Thomas and Martha Wayne as they tried to make Gotham a better place. He helped raised Bruce when his parents were away. In a lot of ways, he was the boy's role model. He taught him how to fight, how to defend himself, and how to strategise.

Now, Bruce is Batman and Alfred is a guardian to the children Bruce picks up from the streets. He loves them as if they're his own sons. He keeps an eye over all the antics Bruce gets up to, and offers advice where he can, whether it's taken or not.

#gothamsintro #ooc.#alcohol tw #blood tw #fighting tw

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booksandmore · 2 years

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Me, watching Thor lead an army of children into a battle, watch a person he loves die in his arms, and adopt a kid in a single movie: he's becoming bruce wayne

#thor love and thunder #thor mcu #bruce wayne

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incorrectbatfam · 3 years

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Stepmom!Selina?

She sees what she's getting into from a mile away, but she welcomes it because Bruce's kids are a part of him, and she loves all of Bruce.

The kids all see it coming too, and while some (Damian) take longer to warm up to her, she's welcomed into the fold with open arms.

Selina's got a heart as big as her partner and while she's not always perfect, you can see how much she cares.

As a former foster child herself, Selina understands Duke's unique experiences and traumas from the foster care system, so whenever he needs to talk, she's the first one he goes to. Sometimes he doesn't want to (or need to) talk, so they'll watch boxing matches or she'll teach him little bits of Mandarin. If the kitchen isn't busy, they'll try their hand at new TikTok recipes, and film themselves either succeeding or debunking the original poster.

Being raised in isolation to be a human weapon meant Cass missed out on a lot of the things daughters typically learn as children/teens. The evening of Cass's first gala, she didn't know the first thing about doing her own hair and makeup. She's braved assassin armies, but her self-made disaster of bobby pins and eyeshadow nearly drives her to tears. Selina swoops in, wipes Cass's face with gentle reassurances, and walks her through step-by-step.

Selina considers it a privilege to have watched Dick grow from the spunky little Robin to the man he is today. Even though he's taller than her, she still ruffled his hair when he does a good job. She also keeps the first ever birthday card he gave her, which includes a pop-up bat signal and scented stickers, and remembers all of his favorite radio stations. Also, when Bruce does something, Dick goes tattling to Selina.

For a while, Carrie mooched off of her siblings' Netflix profiles, but everyone got tired of her messing up their algorithm and she was forced to make her own. She soon realized how much freedom she had because no one could see what she was watching. Selina caught on to the power trip and started researching and watching snippets whenever a new show comes out. That's how she stopped a bunch of preteen girls from watching Squid Game.

Tim often gets overlooked as not just the middle child, but the child who appears put-together and regularly takes on adult responsibilities. Selina, however, remembers that he's still a teenager. She regularly checks in and gradually teaches him that it's okay to let go and act his age. Selina encourages him to call his Young Justice friends outside of missions and take small acts of rebellion against Bruce. When Tim and his boyfriend snuck out to a famous lover's lookout, Selina gave them the car keys and covered for them.

She noticed that Jason really enjoys hanging out with Harley Quinn, bonding over not just Joker trauma but other shared interests like music taste. After Harley turns to the antihero side, Selina discusses with Bruce and they start inviting Aunt Harley and Aunt Ivy to dinner. The first time they do that, Harley is so excited that she baked a three-layer cake just for Jason. Literally, in strawberry frosting, it said, "THIS CAKE IS FOR JASON ONLY." Finding someone that Jason can relate to remains one of Selina's proudest accomplishments.

She's trying her best, but she makes mistakes too. For instance, although Wayne Manor has plenty of kitchen space, Selina does her cooking at Harley and Ivy's because Ivy can offer her fresh plant-based ingredients that suited Damian's needs. When Alfred's not available, she sends Damian to school with healthy, flavorful vegan lunches shaped into Cheese Viking characters. One time, she was tasked with bringing brownies to a PTA meeting. Incidentally, Harley was simultaneously baking a... different kind of brownie for a block party (you can see where this is heading). When an angry superintendent demanded to know who was responsible, Selina wisely kept her mouth shut and thankfully, so did Damian.

Cullen loves concerts, but he's a huge introvert who gets anxiety when he's left alone in a crowd. Selina becomes his concert buddy, and she'll go as all-out as he does. Sometimes that's showing up to a garage band dressed-down in hoodies and sunglasses. Other times it's painting their faces and looking like they just came out of a Hot Topic blowout sale. She even listens to the discography beforehand so she can blend in. Selina learns a lot about Cullen through this, because nothing says more about a person than the music they listen to.

Harper, though looking rough around the edges, turns into a giddy little kid at interactive science museums. During one of these trips, Harper got distracted by the giant Newton's Cradle so she didn't notice a fourth grade field trip sweeping up Selina. When they reunited at the gift shop, a chaperone had given Selina a school t-shirt and she was put in charge of grading ten kids' assignments. Harper laughed so hard that she spewed lemonade on the museum owner. Neither of them will let the other live that day down.

Selina and Barbara openly talk about guy stuff, and Selina is more than happy to offer advice in times of need. They're both pretty liberal talking about that stuff, and one time they did a tier ranking of all the Gotham Rogues based on how effective their gimmick is (Joker was the only S-tier). They then proceeded to get into a debate on whether or not Man-Bat and Killer Croc should qualify for the list, which led to them staring each other down at dinner while the other family members sat around them confused.

Steph's school offered a Mother's Day breakfast. Although Crystal Brown was doing her best and wanted to make it, she was scheduled a double-shift that the breakfast fell right in the middle of. Selina reached out to Crystal and with permission, went in her place. Afraid that Steph would publicly reject her, Selina sat in the parking lot for ten minutes as Bruce amped her up over the phone. Steph, thinking that no one would no up, was ecstatic and said that she couldn't have thought of anyone better. They enjoyed stacking up waffles and making the girls who bully Steph envious.

Long before she and Bruce got married, Selina made it clear that she would not be relegated to the gender-typical role of a homemaker, and Bruce happily concurred because it's 2021. They knew that to give Alfred a break, they'd have to take on some chores themselves. Instead of dividing up a boring old chore chart, they find ways to make cleaning fun and collaborative. They'll dance around the halls in mop slippers, play "guess the stain", and race their roombas. The kids see this and start modeling the behavior in their own ways—Dick swings from high places to dust them, Damian trains his pets to pick up garbage, and Cass and Duke compete to see who can clean the most bathtubs.

Some parts of the Manor are due for redecorating, so Selina and Alfred make a day trip out of interior design sketches, flipping through furniture catalogues, and looking at paint swatches. It sounds boring at first, but the menial tasks meant they had plenty of time for conversation, and she finally understood why everyone respects him. They also made room in the afternoon for a stroll through the park and afternoon tea, where he told her and her only the secret to a perfect scone.

The other Justice League partners welcome her into the group too. Whenever Selina's in Metropolis, she joins Lois and Ma and Pa for Sunday brunch where they share what their kids have been up to. Iris shows her life hacks to cooking large batches of food in a short time. Selina and Dinah discover an online store dedicated to selling vigilante gear and go on a Cyber Monday spree for their whole families. Steve Trevor, Diana's partner, teaches Selina how to fly with the invisible jet so she can surprise Bruce with the batplane.

After overcoming their initial conflicts, Selina and Talia hold a high amount of respect for each other. Talia sees Selina as not just a capable combatant, but a worthy partner to her former beloved and stepmother to her son. Selina, after spending all that time with the kids, understands the motherly love that Talia holds for Damian and makes it abundantly clear that she would never try to replace Talia in the boy's life. Regardless, looking after all those kids is hard, so they are very much open to the idea of co-parenting.

(Selina doesn't know it, but all this makes Bruce fall in love with her all over again.)

#ask #anonymous #selina kyle #catwoman #gotham city sirens #gotham rogues #batfamily #batfam #batkids #batsibings #batclan #batman family #dc comics #headcanon #tw food mention #tw mental health mention #tw drug mention

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current-interest-writings · 3 years

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Bruce Wayne and his Army of Children

Batsibling fic

Bruce Wayne has many children and they all have their own personalities.

Dick the oldest of them was cherry compared to the others.

Jason while brooding does love all of his siblings.

Y/n the middle child Cherry and brooding.

Tim never sleeps, good with tech, smart.

Damien has his good and bad moments.

Duke is sweet still dealing with things.

Cass is quiet but the sweetest kid.

All of them has one thing in common:

1. Piss of their dad or Alfred and you’re in trouble

2. Injure or hurt the middle child YOU DIE

Bruce never understood how that became the rules but it is.

But he thinks about it with fondness.

Especially when his children scared Superman!!

It was a JL meeting and Bruce had decided to bring you. When you had walked in you where feeling in a bad mood and Superman had rubbed you the wrong way.

Bruce can’t remember what he said. But you had just given him a stick eye and said:

“Not all of us can be aliens, wrapped in their baby blankets”

But Bruce could tell you were in a bad mood.

What Bruce didn’t see was after you sent your siblings a text in the group chat:

“Superman is a asshole”

And instead of responding.

The tower was seemingly overrun with bats.

ANGRY BATS!!

All of the children glaring at Superman.

“You are a dead man walking supes”

——————————————————————

Bruce laughed remembering how your brothers and sister had used a light amount of kryptonite and beat the crap out of Clark.

With the final warning

“Dont piss off the bats”

#batfam x reader #batman x reader #batsiblings #batmom #batboys #batman #batgirl #batfam x batsis #batfam

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lady-literature · 4 years

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Accidental Crime Boss Marinette

Okay so,, I have this AU in my head, right? (not surprised) and I’m lacking any real direction for it (still not surprised) but it basically goes like this:

Marinette moves to Gotham.

She’s drawn there for whatever reason and the kwami are saying something about balance and being a Guardian and her sacred duty and something but Marinette isn’t really listening. She’s too busy trying to find a shop front where she can open a bakery without having to worry about getting mugged every time she steps outside.

Chloé comes with her, obviously, because they’re friends and Chloé has a business degree she puts to good use actually running Mari’s bakery and online boutique while Mari gets to bake and fuck around basically. Adrien, Luka and Kagami are not there, but that’s mostly because they travel too much to settle down and keeping an empty apartment in Gotham is just asking for trouble.

Kagami is a world-renowned fencer and Luka travels the world for his music company. Not touring, but soaking up cultures and ways of life so he can make soundtracks to movies and tv shows. Providing the background and life to a film is more his style than touring the world ala his father, Jagged Stone.

Adrien is having the time of his life being Kagami’s trophy husband. He has no pressing responsibilities he doesn’t take on for himself and he gets to fuck with the world’s elite with little to no consequences. He spends most of his days donating far too much money to charities and orphanages and then causing minor scandals that land him on the cover of magazines.

He has much the same kind of ‘dumbass with a heart of gold’ persona to the media as Bruce Wayne does, only without the playboy bits.

(There is a wall in the back of the bakery, where Chloé and Mari carefully cut out and frame every headline and ridiculous picture Adrien has. He is very much delighted when he learns about his ‘wall of fame’.)

Anyway, Marinette finds herself with a bakery not overly far from crime alley, much to Chloé’s chagrin.

(“What do you mean it ‘just felt right’?! I swear to kwami, DC, you’re going to get us robbed and sold into slavery.”)

They do not get sold into salvery.

In fact, despite their less than stellar choice of locale, they do pretty well for themselves. The only problems they have (according to Chloé) is the army of children Marinette accidentally attracted.

When asked, Marinette tells everyone that it was an accident. Meanwhile, Chloé, standing behind her, will shake her head and insist there was literally never any other option for them the moment that first kid came in looking to nab some cash and a few pastries.

Mari lives by the phrases, ‘kindness breeds more kindness’ and ‘do unto others’ and all that other nice person shit. Chloé just lets Mari pseudo-adopt her strays and makes sure that they don’t steal anything too important in the time it takes her to gain their loyalty.

The kwami stay staunchly out of any arguments involving the kids (and eventually the homeless all along their street and every working girl in a five-block radius). They do so with a special brand of amusement that never means good things for either of them. (After all, the last time the kwami looked that amused, they moved to Gotham.)

The first kid is named Serrure, as Marinette comes to learn over the next month after he returns again and again, getting closer and closer like a feral cat. Other kids come during that time, all of them too small and too thin and too guarded for Mari's tastes. She wants to wrap them all up and tuck them into bed but she can’t. She has to be patient, has to be gentle. These kids are just as likely to bite her hand as they are to accept help.

Serrure becomes an almost permanent fixture at the bakery after that first month. Mari’s not quite sure what she did to get through to him, but she did, she supposes. He can’t be much older than eleven and looks nine, but after getting settled, she and Chloé discover this little slip of a boy is just as mischievous as Trixx and has all the dramatics of their favorite black cat.

The kwami, when talking about him, only refer to Serrure as Loki, even after Marinette scolds them for it. She eventually gives up trying to correct them, it’s not like Serrure talks to them anyway(yet)((that she knows of)).

There’s an apartment above the bakery, which is where Chloé and Mari and all her strays that grow to trust her enough live. It’s three bedrooms, and at first, Mari just buys as many bunk beds as she can fit into the spare room and calls it a day. The kids feel safe in her home, which isn’t too surprising. Everyone thinks the bakery feels safe, feels like home or comfort or whatever else eases their minds.

And Marinette should hopes so. She certainly put enough time and effort and magic and energy into the wards around this place for that to happen. To protect her and the children and all her strays that no one else will help.

But, she eventually amasses too many kids to fit into the one room. Chloé throws a fit about having to share with Mari again—“I had enough of that in university thank you very much”—but she relinquishes easily enough.

Mari buys more bunk beds, and Serrure has taken to sneaking into her room to curl up in her bed anyway, and sometimes the smaller kids who have nightmares will come in and pile on as well.

(There are only a few that Chloé will allow to do the same with her. It is considered a high honor and breeds a playful kind of jealousy that Chloé finds amusing. Mari scolds her for pitting the kids against each other.)

That only lasts them another two months.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Chloé tells her one day before the kids wake up. Mari is at the stove, cooking and baking for a small army while Chloé balances the books. “There’s not enough room for us all, DC, and the only reason someone hasn’t come barrelling down on us about the abundance of children is by the grace of your absurd amount of luck.”

“Well I can’t just kick them out, Queenie! What do you want from me?”

“Either we need to buy more real estate in this city—which I’d rather not do—or you open up the grimoire and start building pocket dimensions. I know you can. I’ve read the chapter.”

Marinette looks at her. “That is such a bad idea.”

They do the idea.

And then Mari adds about a thousand more wards to the bakery, carved into the wood and counter and anything that’s a permanent fixture. Doorways become particularly ward heavy, what with them being the entrances and exits to the hidden realms and children’s’ rooms.

The apartment above the bakery isn’t quite infinite but it gets pretty damn close some days.

This also means, of course, that all the kids definitely know about magic now. Some of them—Serrure—have known about it for a while she knows, but it’s different now. The kwami followed her around most of the time and she doesn’t keep them trapped in the Miracle Box like Fu did, but now that the kids know, they don’t bother staying hidden.

The children, at least, love them and the kwami adore them with all the ferocity a god can give. After Chloé gets over her ‘ew children’ phase, she throws herself into their education (on top of actually running the businesses Mari keeps, mind you). She has the help of the kwami, who act as personal tutors to the children, and it’s not long before the kids start to joke about her being the Principal.

(Some tried to call her Warden, but that joke didn’t last long.)

Marinette has also been telling the kids bedtime stories ever since this started. Old stories of the Guardian and Chosens who fought back the darkness, she shares all she knows of the Orders history with these kids and it’s not until Wayzz points it out to her does she realize what she’s doing.

“Ladybugs are known for renewal. It is no surprise that you are rebuilding what was lost.”

Rebuilding the Order using children was certainly not her intention but, well. She supposes there’s no place safer for her kids than what is shaping up to be the new Miracle Temple. It’s the only haven where they can learn to harness their Gifts and powers, it’s the only place where they can be surrounded by others like them without being thrust into superhero-dom.

Context: about a month into this whole circus, Marinette had realized there was a significant—almost all of them really—amount of metas and Gifted in her little hoard of strays. Which is… odd. Especially with how few metas there are in Gotham.

She had asked the kwami about it, and they have that amused look again. “You are their guardian.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re their guardian. True, you are the Guardian of us, of the ancient ways, but you are a guardian at your soul too. You protect what is yours, and they are yours whether you realise it or not. The children can sense that, so they flock to you.”

And, huh. She supposes that makes sense but that’s also really kind of strange and weird and she doesn't want to think about that anymore actually.

So things are… fine, Marinette supposes. The bakery is doing well, and she has about two dozen-plus helpers running around underfoot to help tend to the customers or run to the store or help in the back with the baking. And every kid of hers has new clothes, their street things thrown out for being too ragged and replaced with something fresh made by Marinette’s own hands.

She embroiders little fairy wings into the clothes normally, because that’s what her cloaked wards look like most times and the kids like it and its technically the logo for the bakery and there’s a million reasons she does it.

It is, perhaps, her first mistake.

(“It was certainly not your first,” Chloé will snark one dayin the future.)

Because now Marinette has an army of magical children learning to wield their powers and not fear them and they’re all wearing what can be considered her insignia and uh oh, it looks a lot like Mari is some sort of up and coming mob boss who uses kids and prostitutes and the homeless as runners. People on the street start calling her the Pixie, start referring to Chloé—her second in all things just as Chat had been her equal—as Wasp, as Yellowjacket, as the Unseelie.

(They cannot seem to pick a name for her, but Pixie is all but engraved in stone. Mari is not sure who coined it, and she doesn't think she wants to know.)

The first time the whole situation is brought to her attention, she punches the idiot who dared even imply such a thing so hard she knocks him out.

Because look. The kids are hers right? And she watches out for the people near her, makes sure the working girls are treated as well as they can be and offers the homeless extra food and a dry place to wait out the storm. She offers her hand and gives them all a place to rest, to eat, to exist without expectations or consequences.

She does that because she’s kind, because it hurts her to see people in need, to see them suffer, not because she’s hoping to gain something from it.

The fact that most of them repay her in gossip or information or bend her ear about the newest goings on in the corrupt elite or filthy underworld is strange, yes, but it’s nice to know what’s going on in the city, she supposes. And one time, Kathy, who works on the corner of Brookes and Gilmore, warned her of a drug raid that saved her an unnecessary trip to the police station so it’s not like it doesn't have it’s uses.

But mostly, Mari doesn't really think about all the information that’s unintentionally or otherwise passed onto her. She remembers it all, because it’s rude not to listen when people talk to her, but nothing comes of normally.

Not until Serrure—now twelve and well versed in the magic of illusions and glamors and knows almost as much about this city as her or the Bats—bursts into the bakery one day and grabs Mari away from the front counter right in the middle of a customer ordering. She should, perhaps, be a little angry at that but Tony, one of the older boys and just shy of sixteen, steps into her place almost immediately, so.

And then Serrure speaks and everything is pushed aside in favour of the next words to fall from his lips.

“Someone took Sophie,” he says and she nearly sees red.

After Serrure, Sophie has been here the longest. She is the youngest of them all, only seven, but oh so clever and kind and while she looks nothing like her, everyone calls her Mini-Mari. If Serrure is her beloved first son, Sophie is her treasured daughter.

She’s out the door in the next moment, storming her way to their base. She has Sophie and a handful of extra kids back by sunset, a little frightened, but no worse for wear. She doesn’t make a big deal out of it, besides making sure that the idiots who dared cross her never do so again, but word gets out.

Soon, her kids and teens and adults begin giving her more than just information, they begin giving her problems. Ones she’s meant to fix because she’s Pixie. She’s safety, she’s protection, she’s the one the people start to turn to for help.

And enter stage left, one Jason Todd who’s all snark and charm and smiles wrapped up in a nice leather bow and tall enough that Mari likely could climb him like a tree. If that was something she wanted, she guesses.

(She wants. She just won’t admit.)

He becomes a regular at the bakery and befriends most of her kids.

Mari’s wary when he first takes an interest in them. They’ve been hurt and a lot of them are still adjusting to being safe and it doesn't matter that this man is hot enough to burn, if he steps even a toe out of line with her kids she’ll make him wish he was never even born.

But, she stops worrying eventually. The kwami like him well enough, but seem to think something’s odd about him—but its Gotham, who isn’t strange?—and both Serrure and Sophie take to him like ducks to water and they’re both good judges of character.

There’s a certain intuition they both have that reminds Marinette just a bit too much about herself and pure magic. Not for the first time does she wonder if they got such strong magic from their parents or if it cropped up in them randomly, fostered by fortune and chance and the magic that’s so deeply seeped into the bones of her bakery it’ll be here long after she’s gone.

And, okay, so she was a little right to be wary because Jason was mostly there to investigate her. Far too many people respect her and are loyal to her and she has a veritable orphanage in her pocket and also Harley and Ivy like her and it just- it doesn’t look good right?

But Jason’s a good detective and it doesn't take him long at all to see that Mari is just as sweet and kind and loving as she appears to be. Not long after that, Red Hood declares Pixie and all of hers, under his protection. She, of course, is more than capable of taking care of her and hers, and the underworld knows this, has seen it, but he does it anyway.

The news, of course, gets back to Mari and she is… confused. Why would the Red Hood do something like that? She’s heard talk of him being sweet on kids, but to claim her? They’ve never even met.

Bonus points for Jason being there when she’s told about it. He kind of raises his eyebrow at her because, huh, that was fast, and then spends the next few minutes talking up the Red Hood to her much to her utter bafflement.

He actually keeps doing that too, talking up the Red Hood. Mari thinks he has a crush on the man for the longest time because of it. Until he reveals he is Red Hood, then she just wants to punch his stupidly handsome face for being such an idiot.

Shit happens from there and things go down and the two spend a couple of months dancing around each other and intentionally and unintentionally ruling the criminal underworld and at one point Marinette definitely punches Bruce and Batman in the face—separately, much to Jason’s unending joy—and she also definitely adopts Duke/Signal as well because that poor boy needs to know he’s not alone.

And it’s just them being domestic and badass and lowkey raising an army of children and falling in love while the kwami and the kids and Chloé are all in the background just yelling at them to get together already!

Which, they do. Eventually. After all the secrets come out and Jason knows about the magic and Order and meets Mari’s other friends, ie Kagami, Luka and Adrien who are all intimidating for wildly different reasons. And Mari finds out that Jason died and came back (which earns him the nickname firebird btw) and that he was a Robin once upon a time but is now Red Hood and oh my kwami it all makes sense now.

Jason confesses like three times via classic Victorian romance novel quotes because he’s a fucking literature nerd but it’s not until he basically spells it out for Mari does she really understand. it’s all very sweet and heartwarming and then the pair duck into one of the empty pocket dimensions they have lying around and aren’t seen for three days.

(No one really goes to look for them tbh)

Chloé definitely teases them about early honeymoons and things but besides the two being even more ridiculously lovey-dovey than usual, life goes back to normal. Or as normal as it gets for them.

And they all live happily ever after the end.

#maribat #jasonette #my typewriter #batfam #crime boss mari #miraculous ladybug #dc #mlb x dc #i was possessed by the need to write this all down #i have so many random ass moments from this au #just scenes taht barely fit together #zero coherency #let me know if yall want that ig #?

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