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#stephanie brown positive
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How far must one reach to say that Steph was wrong to beat up her ABUSIVE father because he was being beaten for 10 minutes and was defenseless boo fucking hoo the man did far worse to Steph I'm sure the asshole can handle getting his ass beat for 10 fucking minutes
Just say you hate women and fuck off
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mysterycitrus · 6 months
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favorite batfam members ranked?
it’s hard to quantify, so i made this chart
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(tim and jason moots ur the only ones i trust)
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sapphiretanto · 23 days
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Tim accidentally gets hit with some sort of magic spell during patrol and it severely alters his appearance/personality. The Batfam doesn’t take it well…
Zatanna: *reading from a book* “… warning signs: Severe alterations in appearance and personality. Such alterations can become permanent.”
Dick: *gasps* Permanent?! Those golden curls?
Stephanie: Those rosy cheeks?
Bruce: That smile?
Zatanna: “These terrifying changes are often a result of a troubled family life. Separations,…”
Bruce: Separations? You mean—
Cass: Jason!
Zatanna: Bingo! This kid knows that something’s not right around here! Unless Jason comes back, we’re talking dimples!
Bruce: NOT IN THIS HOUSE!
Zatanna: He could stay this way for years! Forever. He could become… *looks back at the book* a lawyer!
Bruce: *turning away angrily* I won’t listen!
Zatanna: An orthodontist!
Stephanie: *near tears* Zatanna, stop!
Zatanna: …President.
Cass: *closes her eyes in silent despair*
Alfred: *groaning and holding his head*
Dick: *clutching the railing* Please! I beg you, take me! *begins sobbing*
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aingeal98 · 4 months
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The decision to disobey Batman in order to save him is what made Tim Robin. The decision to disobey Batman in order to save him is what got Steph fired. It was never about whether the Robins were actually good enough to be out in the field, it's about whether they fed Bruce's ego enough in the aftermath. Tim saved his life but still groveled, Steph admitted she messed up but as well as having things stacked against her by reminding Bruce of Jason, she didn't grovel at the shrine of Batman's high judgment and authority enough for Bruce's satisfaction.
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oldmannapping · 2 months
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Ficlet: Bodyswap (Dick-Jason and Tim-Steph)
Based on my own prompt, which wouldn't leave my brain.
This is a body-swap fic with only the awkwardness. None of the bonding. Just the weird uncomfortable parts. Okay maybe a little of the bonding.
Excerpt:
Across the Cave, a furious voice echoed off stalagmites and startled several bats.
“Why are you so HORNY ALL THE TIME?!”
An indignant, and equally-bat-startling voice immediately responded.
“Why AREN’T you?!”
It seems there was an impasse.
It’s a tale as old as time. Batfamily meets warlock, warlock fumbles a spell, warlock disappears in a cloud of smoke, Batfamily realises they’re body-swapped…
You know. That old classic.
WARNINGS: Mentions of menstruation, mentions of sex drives and sexuality, swearing
Across the Cave, a furious voice echoed off stalagmites and startled several bats.
“Why are you so HORNY ALL THE TIME?!”
An indignant, and equally-bat-startling voice immediately responded.
“Why AREN’T you?!”
It seems there was an impasse.
It’s a tale as old as time. Batfamily meets warlock, warlock fumbles a spell, warlock disappears in a cloud of smoke, Batfamily realises they’re body-swapped…
You know. That old classic.
Dick and Jason were glaring at each other. Themselves. Each other, in each other’s bodies. You've got it, it's not your first rodeo right?
It’s been three days since the unfortunate warlock incident. As well as Jason and Dick, Tim and Stephanie have also been body-swapped in a move that seemed particularly designed by the spell/universe to cause maximum rage to Steph and mortification to Tim.
Jason and Dick have refused to allow the team to be locked down because Fuck Off, You Can’t Tell Me What To Do (Jason) and Bruce For The Good Of The Team We Need Some Space Because If We Murder Each Other It Will Be Bad For Morale (Dick).
Bruce might have held out for longer but Alfred’s visiting family in England and without his arched brow of British judgement, Bruce tends to let his children pick whichever course of action seems like it will cause the least about of hassle to Bruce’s personal routine.
He didn’t love them in the Cave 24/7 either. He’s had to ship Cass and Damian off to one of his nicer safehouses because having to manage four moody, hormonal, body-swapped vigilantes was hard enough without the mental load of school pickups and packed lunches. He misses Alfred. He’s hiding in his office at the moment, getting more Wayne Enterprises work done than he has in years.
Jason and Dick, and Tim and Stephanie, have spent three days in each other’s bodies, absolutely not patrolling or going anywhere that they’re likely to be recognised, but exercising and getting coffee and generally behaving like prisoners on day release. Zatanna has assured them that these sorts of spells usually fizzle out after less than a month, so it’s just a waiting game.
Apparently, they are bored. Apparently, they’re getting on each other’s nerves again.
Jason, in Dick’s body, has just raked his hands through his hair and pulled it nearly hard enough to rip it out.
“Why are you so HORNY ALL THE TIME!?” he has bellowed.
Dick’s reaction is to pull Jason’s body to its full height in indignation. “Why AREN’T you?” he shouts back.
Jason is at the end of his rope. “Everyone you see!” he says, pointing a finger at Dick. “I was just going for a fucking RUN. I just wanted some exercise, because this fucking body can’t go three minutes without goddam MOVING. And it just wouldn’t SHUT UP.”
He’s so mad. He continues: “This fucking body checks out EVERYONE. You’re constantly just sizing people up and thinking about boning them. ALL THE FUCKING TIME.”
Dick is also mad. “That’s not true!” he rebuts. “I notice people! We’re trained to be observant! Yeah, one of the things I notice about them is attraction. That’s NORMAL. That’s what people DO. At least I’m not thinking about the best ways I could incapacitate some poor 15-year-old barista.”
Jason flares Dick’s nostrils. “I do NOT think about hurting kids.”
Dick scoffs. “No, you think about hurting EVERYONE. Everyone you see is a threat. How could I take this person down? Am I stronger than this person? Is that lady hiding a gun in that baby stroller? All day long! You think that’s normal? You think that’s better than noticing if someone’s attractive?”
“It’s more fucking useful, especially in our line of work. You think you’ll ever save the day with a heroic boner?”
“Oh my god stop talking about it!”
“I wish I could stop THINKING about it! I had to SHOWER in this goddam body. Do you know how hard it is to ignore someone else’s boner in your shower? I nearly punched myself in the dick, pun fucking intended.”
Dick makes Jason’s teeth grind. “Do NOT break my penis.”
Jason points at Dick again like he’s a giant disobedient dog. “I will get your FUCKING nipples pierced if this body has one more hard on. I’m not fucking around.”
Dick flails Jason’s huge arms. His fluid, lithe movements look very out of place on a muscle-bound heavyweight. Almost campy. “I have literally ZERO control over that right now. You realise that right? You realise you sound ridiculous.”
“You’re the one who conditioned your body to be like this. Make it stop!”
“I don’t know if you forgot about this part of puberty or if you were just too busy being angry and emo and FARTING to notice, but boners are a fact of life, suck it up.”
“Firstly, some of us actually eat vegetables - YOU need more fibre in your diet, Grayson, don’t get me started on that – and secondly, sorry I didn’t condition myself to repress freakish amounts of lust. I must have been too busy DYING and being RESURRECTED and BRAINWASHED BY THE LEAGUE OF ASSASSINS.”
“Oh my god WE GET IT, YOU DIED. You cannot use that to win every argument. Stop being so angry in my body, I can feel how gross and grouchy yours is all the time and I don’t want you infecting mine.”
“That’s funny, since I’m probably keeping your body the cleanest it’s been since you were fifteen, you horny maniac.”
“There’s a difference between feeling attraction and acting on it! It’s NORMAL to notice people in a sexual way! Don’t shame me!”
“Stop saying ‘attraction’, this is not attraction, this is Ivy-level mind-fogging crotch-throbbing run-ruining-“
“Just because all YOU think about is violence and murder, don’t get mad at me for having a sex drive!”
“I’m not mad at you for having a sex drive! I’m mad at you for making ME have your sex drive!”
“I didn’t cast this spell!”
“I know!”
“There’s nothing wrong with being sexual and expressing it with whoever I want, as long as they’re consenting!”
“I know! I support you! I couldn’t give a fuck who you bone and I don’t want to think about it, but I support it!”
“Good!”
“Good!”
Steph and Tim are standing a few feet away, watching hypnotically. Steph uses Tim’s bony elbow to nudge him in her ribs. She whispers something to him and he snorts a laugh, then freezes.
“Um,” he says in Steph’s voice, expression tight. “I think you might need to teach me how to use a tampon. Or, uh. Sanitary pad. Whichever you’re most comfortable with. Or. Um. Maybe your body just peed? Many women develop incontinence after childbirth, so it’s fine, I just. Uh. I just want to know what I’m dealing with here.”
Steph gapes at him. “Jesus fucking Christ.” She grabs her phone and swears when the fingerprint ID doesn’t work. Jabbing in her PIN, she swipes to her period tracker app. “Fuck. Un-fucking-believable.”
Ten minutes later, Steph and Tim emerge from the Cave’s bathrooms with grim expressions, not meeting each other’s eyes.
Tim, valiantly trying to remain scientific, offers, “I didn’t know it smelled different than normal blood.”
Steph digs Tim’s nails into his palms. “Stop talking.”
Tim cannot stop talking. “I just mean. I’ve been around a lot of blood, but never, you know. That kind of blood. And I never thought about how, in its basic composition, it’s not just blood, it’s also endometrial cells and cervical lining so of course it would be different.”
“Stop. Talking.”
Tim is a nervous talker. “And also, good idea on using the gloves and applicator. That way I didn’t have to touch any, um, you know, touch your, touch you when I was doing the. Yeah. Not that it would be gross or bad to touch you, I mean. You’re very. Great. And women are. So brave. Every month. But it’s just. You know. It’s not. I mean you consented, but in this situation, is it really consent, since this whole thing is kind of coercive, since you don’t REALLY have control over your-“
“SHUT UP!”
Dick and Jason raise their heads like meerkats from where they’ve ended up facing off with their phones, stubbornly shout-reading each other google search results for “normal male sex drive” and “how do I know if I’m asexual”.
“Everything okay over there?” asks Dick, Jason’s deeper voice carrying easily across the Cave.
“Fine!” say Steph and Tim in tandem.
“Totally natural and normal!” adds Tim helpfully. “We’re totally comfortable. We’re blossoming. We’re very healthy.”
Steph groans. “I cannot believe I used to date you.”
Part Two
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starrycomics · 5 months
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Batgirl (2000) #27
Sometimes ‘healing your inner child’ means completely annihilating a fellow teenage vigilante at rooftop rag
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gaybruciesupremacy · 3 months
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Imagining the day to day life of the batfam is so fun to me. Like imagine it's your turn to patrol and when you get down to the cave to suit up, you see the last ppl from patrol laying on the ground in their suits, dirty and exhausted, and too tired to move. And like you just walk over them knowing you'll be in their positions in a few hours and the cool granite of the floor is comfortable-- you know from experience. This must be such a common occurrence and everybody DEFINITELY has embarrassing pictures of each member passed out on the cave floor sleeping like dead men to use as blackmail material later
Alfred has a broom he uses specially to swat at whoever decided to use the floor as an impromptu bed😭😭
Imagining batman and robin coming back from a pretty hectic patrol and just deciding fuck it and sleeping on the ground and cuddling gives me so much life. Like that Kevlar cape is either the most uncomfortable blanket in the world or the most comforting insulated weighted blanket ever and I like to believe the latter.
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How.... how are you gonna HC Bruce Fucking Wayne as a killer..... that's not an exploration of his character... that's just your OC my guy.... this is what I can't stand about HC and fanon. You're just making OCs!!! OCs are fine, just fucking admit to it. If you don't like the actual characterization of a character, you don't need to change everything about them and then claim you love them. Just find a character you do like?? Or find a media that you actually appreciate??
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cluescorner · 2 months
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I gave myself a writing challenge and I am fascinated by it
So basically I put the robins in a randomizer to give them a new order/role (because I just...kinda wanted to see what would happen + I like role-reversal AUs) and got results that are giving me a fucking brain blast.
Stephanie, the first sidekick who defines the role
Tim, the sidekick who dies and comes back wrong
Dick, the sidekick who saves Batman from himself
Damian, the sidekick who was never supposed to be a sidekick but would go on to prove everyone wrong
Jason, the youngest sidekick who is still the Kid Wonder
...So this is fucking wild. I've got some ideas and several of these fit perfectly (Dick's role is pretty similar to his one in canon), but some of these are fucking INCREDIBLE to explore (Steph being the first Robin is something I never even considered but tbh I kinda love it).
I probably won't write a fic or anything because tbh I don't like publishing my writing that much, but I might expand this into a full AU and post about it. I might randomize other stuff too (ie, stuff that I cannot change vs stuff that I cannot keep the same) but this fucking rules as a starting point.
#uhhh what am I calling this??#randomizedrobinsau#stephanie brown#oh my god I am so excited to figure out how tf to write this.#because she's my favorite of these characters and having HER be the first sidekick + the one who has a mentor/older sister relationship#with the others?? kickass. though I'll probably keep her and Tim's relationship as 'dating-then-exes' because I think it's funny#and then SHE can be the Robin who Tim got fixated on + figured out her identity?? holy fuck and then the angst of Tim later dying#Tim Drake#tbh I kinda wish he'd gotten a different position because 'sidekick who dies' Tim has kinda been done a lot with the standard#reverse robin aus. But it'll still be fun to write. Definitely going the Joker Junior route with this because Batman Beyond kicks ass#Dick Grayson#He'll honestly probably be the easiest. Like...his role has not changed much outside of being younger/not the one who defines this#But I still think it'll be good to see how well I know Dick beyond his eldest brother thing (which is my best way of relating to him)#Damian al ghul#damian wayne#oh this is gonna kick ass#Bruce does not want his son to be a sidekick but Damian just kinda forces his way into that role#and everybody doubts him because of his history with the league but he later proves himself more than capable#to the point that he can set out mostly on his own and still thrive#Jason Todd#Jason being the baby of the family is also something I have never thought about but holy shit it could kick ass#I really hope that I don't roll 'Jason must die' or 'Robin 5 must die' on the randomizer. I just kinda want Jason to live this time#But unfortunately I double-screwed him because he's on the 'must happen' wheel twice now. I did not think these prompts through#TBH I am so happy that none of them rolled their OG roles. because that would have been so fucking boring
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mzminola · 3 months
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If we find some other way for War Games to kick off (or just...not have that arc, idk), I think my ideal end for the Robin!Steph arc would be for her, not to fuck up and get fired, but decide, on her own, that she prefers being Spoiler.
What she wanted was training, respect, and (ugh, DC, why?) to get back at Tim for the misconception that he cheated on her. The first two don't require being Robin (Bruce gave her a smidge during the Brentwood arc) and the third can be resolved through communication, or if we really want some interesting character growth, Steph confronting her own vindictiveness, wrestling with whether she cares more about Getting Revenge or Helping People.
Actually, that could tie back into her intro and subsequent early appearances pretty well? She became Spoiler to get back at her dad, but later shows up solving crimes in the suburbs pointing out that the Bats tend to focus on the main island city. She also wants to impress her crush, but moves away from that impetus over time. So deciding, "I built Spoiler into something more than revenge, and I want to keep building Spoiler, not get mired back in revenge as Robin," would be some growth.
So yeah, wrap up with Robin!Steph arc by her showing up at the Batcave in her Spoiler suit, mirroring how she first showed up in her handmade Robin suit, and tell Bruce she wants to split time patrolling the suburbs like she used to, and patrolling the city with him for more training. That being Robin was an honor, but she's Spoiler, and she's proud to be Spoiler.
This could be a kick in the pants for Bruce; by reclaiming Spoiler and laying down new terms of partnership, letting go of her grudge against Tim, she's acting more mature than Bruce (who it's implied made her Robin in an attempt to lure Tim back). Maybe this sparks him to reassess how he's handling the Jack situation and Tim's absence, reaching out in their civilian lives or otherwise doing something direct to maintain that important relationship.
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punkeropercyjackson · 1 month
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Collection of autistic flags i requested from @thegenderchannel !!In order:Nerd autism,chaos autism,goth autism and pastel autism!I am literally autistic and so is the creator so these were made purely for fun and i don't care about allistics or autistics who speak over other ones' experiences on it,it ain't that deep and these terms were coined with the approval of my many autistic friends and not meant as serious labels
I'm going to tag characters that inspired these so people who will like these can find them and if that annoys you,i don't care about that either
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cephalog0d · 8 months
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Tell me again how *Jason* was the angry, violent Robin.
(This is in no way a knock on Steph, to be clear, I adore her (obviously). But Fanon Jason bears a striking resemblance to Canon Steph sometimes, just saying.)
(Sources: Detective Comics (1937) #796 and Batgirl (2000) #53)
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dceuheadcanons · 8 months
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Things mentally "Wrong"™️ with the current main batfamily members
Bruce - Autism, OSDD-1B, BPD, NPD, AVPD, C-PTSD, MDD, and OCD. Suffers from heavy suicidal ideation, self-harms, and has addictions to things too, but he's very good at hiding his issues.
Dick - Autism, ADHD, BPD, PTSD, MDD. Also HPD let's be honest here. He's very prone to allowing people to manipulate him, he NEEDS the attention.
Jason - Autism, NPD with BPD traits, C-PTSD. Self-harmed as a child (cuts), and still does as an adult (burns).
Tim - Autism, ADHD, BPD and HPD. He's practically the HPD poster boy guys come on. Girls that get it, get it. Girls that don't, don't.
Cass - Autism, AVPD with heavy ASPD traits.
Steph - ADHD, autism and HPD.
Damian - He's literally like 10-15 in my version of things so he can't actually be diagnosed with personality disorders yet. But he's autistic as FUCK. When he grows up he probably has AVPD and NPD though.
Duke - AVPD probably. Also autism obviously.
Alfred - Autism. He's an autism dad quite literally. I love him.
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jasontoddssuper · 11 months
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My most recent post of this brotp(s)but with ✨Undertale music✨
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whalehouse1 · 1 year
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Steph gets annoyed at Tim. She looks up Ariana’s address and number and tells her what’s going on. They show up as a couple at a gala, absolutely decked out thanks to Selina “borrowing” Brucie’s credit card. Tim is unable to form coherent sentences throughout the night.
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oldmannapping · 2 months
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Fic: Bodyswap (Part 2)
Part One
Based on my own prompt about wanting a body-swap fic that dealt with the gross embarrassing parts.
This has expanded into something more than I intended, but I can't stop writing.
It's a Dick-Jason, Tim-Steph bodyswap. There is literally no plot. They're body-swapped and trying to deal with it, that's it. No pairings, past Steph/Tim.
It's crack treated like crack. It's two parts for now but I might add more. Warnings for language, discussions of menstruation, discussions of sexuality.
EXCERPT:
“This isn’t just PMS,” Tim continues blithely. “This is definitely something more.”
Bruce and Dick take sizeable steps backwards. Jason cackles.
Steph flares Tim’s nostrils and opens her mouth. Far too late, Tim realises that he’s in danger.
“Timothy.” Somehow, she makes Tim’s voice growl almost as low as Batman’s. “PMS is not JUST anything. When women say that they are tired. Sad. Having cravings. Not themselves. We are not just making excuses to lie in bed and let the patriarchy win.”
Oh no, she said “patriarchy”. Tim’s fucked.
Bruce rubs his forehead, eyes pinched closed. He’s only been in the Cave for six minutes and he’s already regretting every life choice that led to this moment.
“So you can read each other’s minds?” he clarifies, still not opening his eyes.
“No,” Jason snaps derisively.
“Not really,” says Dick dick-lomatically. (Duke used that word ONE TIME and no one has ever let it go.) “It’s more like… familiar thought patterns? I’m still me, with my memories and thoughts, but I’ve got Jason’s… knee jerk reactions. His instincts. It’s hard to describe.”
“I haven’t noticed anything like that,” says Tim, peering at the older men with curiosity. “I haven’t run too many experiments yet though. I’m planning all sorts of cognitive testing and brain scans but I’ve been really foggy-headed and haven’t been able to put it together like I normally would.”
He frowns. “Now that I think about it, maybe that’s a symptom in itself. Could it be that the spell actively smothers attempts to break it? I was writing a program to analyse the results of some basic nerve conduction studies yesterday and I got so tired I had to have a nap. When I woke up, I was ravenous and completely forgot about the studies. This is fascinating. Bruce, is there any precedent for spells that are self-protecting like that? This could be something we should consult Zatanna about, or maybe even Constantine…”
“Yo, Boy Genius,” interrupts Steph, clicking Tim’s fingers in front of her own face. “That wasn’t the spell. Brain fog, fatigue, increased appetite? Congratulations, you’ve just discovered PMS.”
Tim is aghast. Jason has barked a surprised laugh and Dick and Bruce seem baffled.
“That, that can’t be right,” Tim insists. “You don’t understand Steph, I was operating WAY below my usual capacity. This wasn’t just a little brain fog. I was having a hard time with codes that I’d normally be able to do in my sleep. I forgot the word for “synthesise”. I took a two-hour nap then ate half a rotisserie chicken. I threw my keyboard across the room and then cried when it broke.”
“That was my chicken,” says Dick in a small, sad voice. Jason’s body needs a LOT of protein.
“This isn’t just PMS,” Tim continues blithely. “This is definitely something more.”
Bruce and Dick take sizeable steps backwards. Jason cackles.
Steph flares Tim’s nostrils and opens her mouth. Far too late, Tim realises that he’s in danger.
“Timothy.” Somehow, she makes Tim’s voice growl almost as low as Batman’s. “PMS is not JUST anything. When women say that they are tired. Sad. Having cravings. Not themselves. We are not just making excuses to lie in bed and let the patriarchy win.”
Oh no, she said “patriarchy”. Tim’s fucked.
Steph’s not done. “We are not weak. We are not hysterical, moody hypochondriacs with wandering wombs. We are experiencing the VERY REAL mental and physical and emotional effects of our bodies preparing to have a BABY and then overhauling itself by EJECTING AN ENTIRE BABY HOUSE out of our vaginas.”
She’s still not done. Tim’s trying not to breathe in case that makes her angrier.
“I’ve gone on patrol with a heat pack strapped under my costume. I’ve sat exams on days when I can’t remember which bus I usually take. I’ve cried in the bathroom at work and wiped my eyes, reapplied my mascara, and gone back out there because I’m a fucking woman and that’s what we’re doing every single freaking day while you assholes are telling us that we’re biologically designed to earn 35% less than you.”
Tim opens Steph’s mouth and all the other men in the room know that whatever he's about to say is going to be a mistake. “I don’t think women should earn less than men,” is what he lands on.
Bruce decides to speak up before Steph can reply. He's very brave. “So we can reasonably assume that the spell isn’t actively trying to prevent anyone from breaking it,” he says, clearing his throat. “And it doesn’t transfer thoughts and memories, but engrained thought patterns and autonomous reactions.”
Dick is very happy to be back on topic. “Yeah, basically.”
“What are some examples?” asks Bruce, walking to the Batcomputer and pulling up a spreadsheet.
Jason and Dick glower at each other silently, not wanting a rehash of their previous argument. This whole situation was dignity-shattering enough.
Dick coughs. “Jason and I have noticed,” he says carefully, “that we have each other’s automatic reflexes to situations. I’ve noticed that my aggression levels are up. I’m always wanting to scan the room for a threat. Jason’s noticed similar things about my body’s reactions.” He hopes that’s enough detail.
Bruce hums thoughtfully. “I don’t think it’s just your bodies,” he muses, typing rapidly. “It could be your brains – your actual, physical brains, not your consciousness or whatever’s been transferred by the spell. Brains like patterns and routines. It makes them effective. It seems that while your consciousnesses have been transplanted, the structure of each of your brains has remained unchanged.”
“Has anyone studied this before?” asks Tim, pulling up his phone and tapping away. “It makes sense but I’ve never heard of body-swapping having this particular wrinkle before.”
“It sounds like your bodies’ hormone levels remained the same too,” says Bruce awkwardly, glancing at Tim-in-Steph’s-body’s abdomen with faint alarm. “Of course, we’ll need to run further tests but that shouldn’t be too difficult since we’ve already been taking daily bloods…” He hums again and opens several more browsers, muttering to himself.
-_-
“TESTING!” booms Bruce’s voice suddenly, two hours later. He looks around. He is alone in the Cave. He presses the intercom. “Alfred, could you gather the kids and tell them- Dammit!” He misses Alfred so much. Bruce sighs and dials Dick’s phone, calling his children back to the Cave.
Once they’re assembled, he starts again.
“TESTING.”
They’re standing in a circle on the mats. Jason’s pointedly holding his phone where Dick can see the screen as he scrolls through nipple piercing and tattoo websites. Dick is trying to focus politely on Bruce. Tim and Steph are glowering grumpily next to each other.
Bruce ignores their moods. He claps his hands. He’s excited for testing. Testing is one of his favourite parts of weird magic times.
“Dick!” he says, pointing. “Unlock Jason’s phone.”
Rolling his eyes, Jason locks his phone and hands it off to Dick. Dick starts to hold it up to his/Jason’s face when Bruce says, “No, with the PIN. Don’t think about it, just see if you can do it with muscle memory.”
Dick looks back to the phone and stares for a beat. Then, his thumbs move rapidly to swipe through a nine-digit code. The phone unlocks.
“Motherfucker,” Jason swears, grabbing his phone back.
“You didn’t know the code before now?” confirms Bruce. Dick shakes his head. “What is it?”
Dick frowns, then shrugs. “I have no idea. My thumbs just-“ He mimes typing on a phone. “It was too quick for me to catch all the numbers.”
“Fascinating.” Bruce is so excited to add to his spreadsheet. He pulls something out of his pocket and throws it to Steph.
She catches it automatically. “Okay? We know we all have good reflexes?”
“You caught it with your left hand,” points out Bruce. “Even though that meant you had to reach across your body. Even though you, Stephanie, are right-handed, this body is not. This body’s brain and mind are still wired to have Tim’s reflexes even if you’re the one in conscious control.”
The four affected youths eye each other warily.
Bruce pulls out a folder. “I’ve printed some pictures to show you. I want you to give me your automatic reactions to these images, don’t overthink it.”
He goes through both benign and personal pictures. It turns out that seeing Dick’s favourite food makes Jason’s mouth water. Seeing Steph’s old childhood toy gives Tim, in her body, a jolt of nostalgic nausea even though he’s never seen the tatty bear before. (“How do you even have a picture of Mr Huggins?” asks Steph. “Creeper.”) Seeing a playground makes Tim’s body anxious and Jason’s body prickle with protective anticipation.
They all thoroughly agree that Bruce is weird for making them do all of this and then immediately disband to run secret individual experiments on their own.
-_-
“This body!” snaps Jason. “This body is so NEEDY!”
Dick groans. “What now?”
Jason paces restlessly. “First it needs to move all the damn time. I always thought you were fidgeting and doing handstands off tables and shit to be annoying, but you really can’t help it.”
Dick shrugs. “It’s been kinda weird to be in your body and not feel like that. I keep thinking I’m forgetting something but it’s just that I haven’t moved in a while and usually that’s a problem. No wonder you don’t mind long stakeouts.”
“No wonder you hate them,” Jason agrees. “It’s not even that this time. It’s this weird, like, almost itching. Like a shortness of breath. You’re not allergic to anything are you?”
He stalks over to his own body and frowns up at his own face. “Huh,” he says. “You’re not afraid of me. Zero fear response. You’re an idiot.”
Dick rolls Jason’s eyes. “Yeah yeah, you’ve very scary and edgy. Such an ambiguous anti-hero. Dear me, I hope he doesn’t snap one day. Etcetera.”
Jason shoulder-checks him (ineffectively) and storms over to where Tim and Steph are sending each other triggering images over text to see who will break first. Steph’s just sent Tim a picture of a happy family on vacation with the caption “not u lol” when Jason reaches them.
They stare at Jason blankly as he gets up in their personal space. They’re used to Dick being close to them so it doesn’t feel weird, but they know it’s JASON, so it IS weird. Jason grabs Steph-as-Tim’s arm and holds it for a moment. He grunts and releases it. He turns to Tim-in-Steph, an odd look on his face. He reaches for Tim’s arm but the movement seems to get away from him and he ends up grabbing Tim around the shoulders with one arm, holding him in close.
“What are you doing?” yelps Tim, struggling briefly.
“I have no idea,” says Jason, who seems equally baffled but isn’t letting go.
“Holy moly,” says Steph. “You two are tragic. Dick’s body needs a HUG, morons.”
Jason and Tim freeze. They simultaneously realise that this isn’t a strange new grappling move. This is a hug. Oh no they’re hugging. They don’t hug. They’re not huggers.
Dick snickers, coming over to view the scene. “I could have told you that,” he informs Jason.
“It’s not allergies?” says Jason, shuffling around to look at Dick without letting go of Tim. “Your body wanted a HUG? What are you, a toddler?”
“Hugs aren’t childish,” scolds Steph mildly, taking photos on her phone even though they will never capture the true awkwardness of a Tim-and-Jason hug. “Heaps of people need touch to feel good. Hugs, cuddles, patting a pet, whatever. Dick’s a hugger, you already knew that.”
“I knew he liked hugging, I didn’t know he needed it to live,” bites Jason, trying to appear nonchalant and cool while embracing Tim to his chest like a doll. “Why is this body hugging you? Steph, I mean. Why not just go for the closest person?”
Steph and Dick roll their eyes. “Jason, when was the last time you and I hugged?” Dick asks. Jason glowers.
Steph nods. “Dick and I hug all the time, dude. You two aren’t cuddly. That’s cool. Whatever. Tim lets me use him as a pillow at movie night so I’m happy. Dick’s body probably feels more comfortable with mine than the others here.”
“Plus, girls are so nice for hugs,” Dick adds. “So nice and soft. So snuggly and safe.”
That does it. Tim and Jason break apart and swiftly put eight feet of space between them. The incident is swiftly added to the Never To Be Spoken About Again list, which is growing longer by the day.
-_-
The end? To be continued? Who even knows.
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