Bruce: … Dick why don’t you go back to school? Is a volunteer position as a gymnastics teacher all you want in life
Dick who is getting his 3rd masters (this one’s in quantum physics bc he binged too many YouTube videos late at night and now has a hyper fixation) : hmm yeah I don’t know, I don’t think I sit well for tests
The pipeline from “I’m indifferent/slightly averse towards this popular ship” to “this ship shows up in every fucking unrelated fanwork and post and now I have a personal grudge against it because it’s so hard to avoid” is surprisingly short
Everybody just picks him up, like a couple of grapes
I love those incorrect Wayne family posts where a baby bat (usually dick) calls Bruce to be like … so the house is on fire….
But what’s infinitely funnier
Is the fact that
Dicks house blew up, the circus was burned down, everyone he so much as brushed shoulders with on the street was being gunned down, his last link to learning his language lost.
He then finds out all of this happened due to a traffic jam, watched a man die in front of him, had a panic attack on a rooftop, had…stuff that’s less than savory and I will not discuss done to him on said rooftop by a former FBI agent who was sisters with the district attorney.
And he still didnt call Bruce.
Dick Grayson would rather commit suicide via radioactive city than ask Bruce Wayne for a dime.
and the best part is when its not Dick its Tim
the boy who invented a fake uncle so CPS couldn't fuck with him and he didn't wanna ask Bruce to adopt him
Bruce adopted Dick so that Tims fanboy instincts (I got adopted by one direction au except its the last survivor of a niche acrobat troupe you were obsessed with as pre-teen) would override his repulsion at asking Bruce for help.
Like Tim calls Dick for help with casework and goes "only bruce is free... guess ill just die then lol"
and when Dick needs help... he calls superman (not bruce) or the titans (who hate bruce) or he also goes "well Ive had a good run let me see if I can mask this attempt on my life as a last bid at heroics"
Bruce would cry tears of pure joy if Dick or Tim called him for help with anything ever. (after testing to see if the weren't replaced by clones and also half expecting this to be a case of being trapped in a dreamworld)
like the rest of the kids also wouldn't call Bruce but these two are the ones who like bruce (mostly in Tims case.... Occasionally in Dicks but yeah)
there's Cass but she fought Wonder Woman and broke into stephs, babs, dicks and Bruces places for shits and giggles she's not asking anyone for shit.
The bat family is split between Dog people and cat people and I refuse to elaborate
That’s a lie I love elaborating
Bruce:…cat person for obvious reasons I mean come on he’s had a will they won’t they with Selina Kyle for like 50 years atp
Dick: Dog person listen Dick likes cats but Dick is the one who sits on concerning thin ledges and moves like he has no bones cats he and cats are too similar. + dogs are more excitable, energetic and affectionate and after dealing with Bruce Wayne for damn near 2 decades you become allergic to any form of open communication and one must try to acclimate (like that girl on TikTok with the carrot allergy)
Jason: wants to be a dog person Is a cat person. He was always a cat person and but he lies and says he used to like dogs until he got blown up (he will not elaborate on what a dog or cat preference has to do with this he just likes bringing it up) he can barley keep his team from being arrested he is not bringing a dog along with him anywhere. He also just…isn’t their biggest fan like he’ll warm up to 1 dog and love em but doesn’t mean he likes all dogs
Tim: dog person. They’re useful, friendly and cute (they can be used to track peoples scents and he’s a professional stalker)
Damian: Damian Georg is an outlier and should not be counted
Steph: Cats because she got bit by a guard dog as a kid and now is a little more weary. Also she likes to have a cat napping on her lap when she does any sort of work bc then she’s stuck there and has to do the work bc she can’t wake up the cat. Also if Steph had a pet it would be a cat who looks eerily similar to her and I will not elaborate (for real this time)
Duke: Dog person, he seems like the type of dude to have 5 identical looking dogs and take them out on walks sequentially so that everyone thinks he’s been walking the same dog for 5 hours. Idk Duke started a cult he likes chaos, cat people don’t put effort into making peoples lives hell bc they don’t put effort into anything (except revenge)
Brought to you by I’m homesick at Uni and I can’t bring my cats and dogs over bc my building doesn’t allow it.
Baby pictures of the now adult cats enjoy
Dick gets equally excited helping Superman with any hero and helping Gotham take down mind controlled Batman
And
He equally dreads working with Bruce on a case in Gotham and getting punched in the face by mind controlled Superman
Bruce is 100% the favorite tho he’s like a lil loser cat whose a gremlin and ruins everything u own and or will own or make but he’s my babbyyyy guys
Question?
We talk about how Tim, Jason and Damian’s parents raised them pre Bruce but why don’t we talk about Dick Graysons.
Bc even before all of the court of the owls shit the way that man was raised was wild.
So remember Dick was a member and active participant of a circus as a child. A trapeze act without a net who was expected to pull his weight since he could walk.
That means that despite what everyone thinks John and Mary Grayson absolutely could not afford to gentle parent their child.
At all.
Dick had to know how dangerous his life was forever. He has to be perfect because if he fails him or his parents die. They die with a mistake. Don’t stretch your hand out far enough and someone falls.
And despite the fact that the Romani aspect of his character was born out of a writers need for fetish content. I still find it interesting to explore.
And since I am European! Halys circus truther
It gets more interesting because the anti-Romani sentiment in Europe is vile, obvious and violent. (And I say this as a poc who grew up outside of Europe and moved here for college. Like you’d never imagine the type of shit they say about a group of people with no shame before turning around and commenting about how crazy it is that poc are treated poorly in the rest of the world.) Now imagine your child is working a dangerous gig while being part of a hated minority and you have to go and advertise your whole families location because you are the centerpiece of a show.
Yall think Mary and John Grayson didn’t teach their kid to lie? To fit in with any group humanly possible.
You think Mary and John didn’t teach dick to switch from, mama to mom to Daj. To switch accents and tones and languages since before he could walk on his hands?
You think that this kid who grew up traveling everywhere wouldn’t know how to integrate himself so fully into the society he’s in that he’s invisible as an outsider?
When Dick talks to Bruce in Juvie right before hes taken in as a ward he has an American accent. A Gotham accent and not the ones the other kids has no Dick has a Bristol accent. When he first meets Alfred he has a charming softly British accent, the kind that isn’t immediately noticeable unless you share the accent. The softening of the vowels and heavy central consonants. Think kids who went to British schools abroad and learned English from people with British accents.
Bruce notices this but doesn’t think much of it I mean kids can adapt to their environments startlingly quick maybe the kid just kinda picks up accents.
But then Dick becomes robin and he’s horrifically good at it from the get go.
Which sends alarm bells in Alfred’s head because he raised Bruce at that age. He taught Bruce to defend himself at that age. Bruce wouldn’t be about to do 1/10 of what this kid can do.
No eight year old should be able to throw items with that sort of precision even a child as good at gymnastics as dick. No child should be that comfortable with a knife in his hand.
And of course dick always had an excuse, he grew up around fire breathers and knife throwers of course he’s good.
And Bruce notices when Dick goes out as Robin and begins to help people because for the first few months, he never speaks first.
He’ll save someone and when they thank him, he’ll reply in their exact accent.
The crime alley rougher tones
The high class smarmy Bristol accent
The open vowel Jersey accent
When he meets Superman there’s the barest edges of midwestern twang in his every word.
And it’s just unnerving
He flickers between cultures like their clothes in his wardrobe, accents like they’re a new set of perfectly fit shoes.
He’s just good at it.
And it’s a game to him.
He sees how close he can get to your accent without coming off as suspicious.
By the time he’s being doing the Robin shtick for a while and knows the areas he just immediately switches to the most common accent there even if there aren’t any people around.
His facial expressions and hand gestures change as well.
It adds to the myth of the Batman because the gcpd for a long while believes any Robin reportings to be a myth because one minute someone is reporting a Jersey accent the next genial Californian, or a tv safe reporter tone, one minute the kid is conversing in perfect Russian the next he’s speaking Spanish like he grew up in Mexico.
When he wants to get away with a mistake his voice switches to one indistinguishable from a scared child, with a mild stutter, overgramarization and the scared world slurring children do that makes your heart soft
When he wants people to listen to him his he’s eloquent and enunciating perfectly. He sounds far older than his years.
And everyone thinks they’re hearing the real Dick Grayson speak and it makes their hearts happy because look at how he puts on a show for everyone but trusts me enough to talk without lying.
Without ever realizing that they’re one of the people watching the show.
I need someone to wrap Donna Troy in a blanket and surround her with everyone that loves her and allow her to fit into her skin and find a sense of peace in knowing who she is <3
I also think she gets to punch Bruce Wayne in the face
oh look both of my writing styles in one post
On the one hand, I want to write complex, richly crafted characters and explore their psyches and what makes them tick.
On the other hand, I want giant set piece encounters where two people whack at each other with swords five hundred feet in the air, and just when it looks like one of them has won, the other guy pulls out an even bigger sword.
Dick ‘has been a barista like 90 times over 50 years of comics Grayson’ can absolutely prepare whatever drink you want him too. He can also guess/ judge what your go to order is.
With the bats
He can guess what WILL be there favorite even if they’ve never tried it before
——————
Bruce on 13 mins of sleep fucking exhausted but even Alfred isn’t giving him shit bc they HAVE TO crack this case: hrn
Dick plopping a take away coffee cup in front of him: DRINK
Bruce goes through a quick is this my son or a shapeshifter, mind control, demon situation before deciding fuck it we ball and taking a sip: this… tastes different
Dick: yeah
Bruce ‘actual freak who grumbles when coffee isn’t bitter enough’ Wayne: this is good
Dick: yeah it’s a red eye
Bruce: hrn
Dick: yeah no problem B
——————
Jay (just got done fighting aliens and needs to get back to whatever he was doing before) : get me a Drink as black as my soul
Dick: sure
Dick brings back the drink from the kitchen
Dick: strawberry iced matcha with oat milk right here for you
Jay: what the fuck Goldie
Dick: I saw you sobbing at the notebook a week ago don’t play tough with me and don’t fucking lie we both know you like tea more.
Jay sputtering: Don’t PLAY TOUGH? BROTHER I PUT A BUNCH OF HEADS A BAG AND MADE THE UNDERWORLD INTO MY BITCH
Dick: yes yes Jay now go drink your tea and run along
(It is the best fucking thing he’s ever tried, bought a matcha making kit as soon as he got him, has denied it ever since but Dick doesn’t buy it and keeps making him the drink)
—————-
Tim:
Dick:
Tim:
Dick:
Tim:
Dick: you’re a heathen
Tim: proudly
Dick: fine take the monster and go OH MY GOD
————————
Steph wincing at the taste of a latte: there’s something seriously wrong with this place, no matter how much sugar I add it’s just bitter
Dick: yeah Steph it’s bc they burn the beans to get more use of em
Dick: you could add all the cream and milk you want it’s not gonna do shit
Steph: ugh this is the only coffee spot on my campus in so screwed
Dick pulling out a takeaway coffee cup: don’t worry I brought you some from home
Steph: Jesus fuck this is delicious
Dick: upside down sweet almond latte with caramel and double espresso
Steph: should’ve married into the family with Tim god damn
Dick: Cass is still an option
Steph: what
Dick: what
——————————-
Dick:
Duke:
Dick:
Duke:
Dick: you’re one of Tim’s heathens aren’t you
Duke: just because I like energy drinks more doesn’t mean I don’t LIKE coffee
Dick grumbling: should’ve left you with the cops
Duke: what was that? I didn’t hear you
Dick thrusting the coffee cup at him: just take it, end my suffering
Duke: oh damn that’s good… what is it
Dick:…. It’s Vietnamese style coffee
Duke: fuck I might I have to switch, Jesus that’s good
Dick vaguely smug: another victory
—————
Dick: hey Cass
Cass: busy… like you should be
Dick: yeah, yeah I have like 6 mins of free time left before I have to meet up with Robin (Tim) for an op
Dick: anyway i made you strawberry hot chocolate
Cass: this isn’t coffee
Dick: it has 180 milligrams of caffeine
Cass: how?
Dick: don’t ask difficult questions
Dick: where the hell did she go?
Dick: is this how everyone else feels about us?
——————
Damian: I want coffee
Dick: you’re an infant, no
Damian: IM 15 GRAYSON
Dick: a certifiable baby
Damian: I hate you
Dick: you would hate me more if you stunted your growth and ended up Tim sized
Tim: HEY!
Damian: this is true… apologies Richard
we do a little silly
I write bad Dick Grayson and TMA fanfiction on ao3 follow me @imtired_likerllytiredI literally keep creating and deleting accounts on this hellsite lurker since age 8
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