Life Cycle Of Our Sun, From Beginning To End~

Umm excuse me??? The symbolism? The art? Who gave you permission to make it that good??? I should charge you rent, that'll be in my mind for a looong while

my sister bullied me into posting this on the blog, here's my animatic for Hold Them Down from Epic the Musical

content warnings/spoilers below!!!

this song contains a bunch of fucked up dudes wanting to kill their rival's son and violate his wife, but I've drawn nothing explicit for it coz that's nasty brother!! regardless the lyrics are still pretty blaoouough so if its not your thing steer clear

Or both! It's in the works, but I'd love to read your take on it!

Ok, hear me out. An AU where Janet Drake is best friends with Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen.

They met in school, and she's a high society girl, not expected or allowed to be much more than a pretty face, but there's this trio of smart idiots (they did all sorts of stupid stuff at school, but they are overall very, very smart), and they're in all sorts of cool classes and extracurriculars, and she wants to learn

So, she snakes her way into the group with well-timed looks and blushes. They eventually include her in all their activities, and so she learns all sort of stuff that she usually wouldn't be allowed to learn, because they help her keep it in the down low. No, she's not taking classes with them, she's being a proper lady and cheering her smart friends on through the oh-so-hard classes.

At some point or another, they all develop a crush on her, fleeting as it may be (they're hormonal teens and they're required to flirt, it was bound to happen)

They flirt publicly, as it keeps the media from pressuring them into relationships— or so they thought. It backfires when they're adults, the media is demanding Janet settle down and stops leading all three of them on. But there would be a scandal if she picked any of them, so she picks Jack, someone who doesn't love her or she loves, but someone desperate enough to climb the social ladder to care if he loves his wife.

When he's not allowed to flirt anymore, that's where Bruce realizes that he actually liked her.

When Tim comes along, and Janet has to go on trips, she leaves him with her trusted friends. So, Tim learns a lot from his Uncle Lex, learns to shoot a bow from his Uncle Ollie, and loves staying with his Uncle Bruce and his children. He figures him out far too easily and does become Robin when Jason figures he's ready to pass on the mantle to his little brother (because they're brothers. Tim spends a lot of time in their house)

Bruce adores Tim, he really does. It just kinda hurts, that he's Janet's kid, but not his.

Eventually, Janet divorces Jack, and she gets to spend a lot more time in Gotham. But by now Tim is as much Bruce's as he is Janet's, so they co-parent the gremlin that is her son, which leads to a lot of time with Bruce.

Bruce treats her better than Jack ever did, and she trusts him far more. They have the memories of years together. Eventually, Bruce tells her the truth— that he never truly moved on from his best friend.

When they marry, sure it's a media circus, but also not a surprise.

She's also a good mom, to Tim as much as to Dick or Jason.

When Jason finds out Catherine is not his mom, sure he gets curious, but he has a mom already, he's happy. He does want to meet his bio mom, but he agrees to do so safely, not go alone. Fine, B, you can come with.

Joker never happens. Jason is disappointed when he finds his mom is not at all what he expected, and he has a much better one at home.

Eventually, when Damian comes into the picture, he's snappy with Janet. "you will never be my mother, you harlot!" but Janet simply puts a hand on his shoulder and speaks calmly, yet sharp as the blade he threatens her with

"You will not speak to me like that, boy. No, I am not your mother. But I am married to your father, and I hold the authority as such, so you will go up to your room, you will cool down, and you will never threaten or insult me again, or you will be grounded."

"You can't do that!"

"She can. She has my full permission to discipline my kids, Damian. In this house, she holds as much authority as I do." Bruce interjects

Damian, begrudgingly, learns to respect Janet, and eventually he does see her as a second mom

The amount of times Oliver or Lex visit the Wayne-Drake household is absurd, but sue them, they like their friends. This leads to a lot of chaos, because every time Oliver visits so does Roy, and Roy hangs out with Dick and Jason, while Damian sticks to glaring at everyone.

Meanwhile, they dote on Tim, because they sure as hell have a favourite nephew, and it's the one they watched grow inside the belly of one of their best friends, the one they all changed the diapers of, the one they've taught a lot of skills to, the one they helped raise in a way they never helped raise any of the other Wayne boys. They don't even try to hide their preference. Now, of course they like all their nephews, but it's always hilarious because when Tim is around his uncle Lex, he's ten times the evil mastermind he generally is, and Oliver encourages it, simply for the chaos, and so does Janet, while Bruce is downright terrified of the idea of Tim as a villain (everyone is)

update, apparently my heart stopped for about eight seconds. Looks like all those times I fainted were actually tiny little heart attacks.

That is... Creepy

But good news, this is the only type out of five that has treatment. Not cure, but treatment. So. Uh. Good?

I'm so goddamn freaked out

after my Tim Edits Reality post, I haven't been able to stop thinking about Frankie (the dog) and though he remembers just editing her into his life, what he edits is more like the space-time continuum, so his parents remember getting her for him. And I haven't been able to stop thinking of like

Little kid Tim, trying to get his parents to stay longer: mom, I'm so lonely...!

Janet: oh sweetheart, I know. But we have work, you know that.

Tim: but I'm all alone in this big house... It's so lonely and scary...

Janet: you're right, Tim. I'm sorry about that, sweetheart. I'll see what I can do.

Tim thinks his mom is going to try and stay. That same night she arrives with a Border Collie puppy.

Janet: look, Tim. So you won't be so lonely while your father and I are away. You can train her, and you can play together. Just make sure you take care of you both and clean after her, ok?

Tim, torn between sad his mom isn't staying and happy he now has a puppy: ok, mama. Thank you.

Now I love Frankie, and I love giving the batfam an animal companion. So far, through my fics, it's as follows:

Lettuce the Crow for Jason (not yet written, but will be appearing soon) in "Tim's a weirdo, but he's our weird— Jason, what do you mean you have a child!?" (my Dragon!Tim and dad!Jay fic)

Promise the Kitten for Dick in Shadows of New Beginnings (my dad!Dick fic)

And I will be adding Frankie to my Howling at the River fic (secretly married musician!Tim)

Plus of course Alfred and Titus play a big role for Damian in Of Beliefs and Devotion (part of my dragon Tim au, but focused on witch worshipping Damian/magic Damian)

When I write my magic user Janet au, you best believe she'll have a familiar too, maybe an owl or even a small magical creature

that's it, thank you, I was ranting. It's 6am and I didn't sleep to write Howling at the River

Happy to provide links if you want, after I've slept

Hear me out.

Dick gets a lot of fanmail, some creepy, some ok. So getting letters sent to the manor addressed to him isn't unusual. He doesn't throw them away just like that, not until he has time to sort through them.

One night, he's at the manor, and just to procrastinate something else, he decides to sort through old letters he never opened.

He finds some from one of his exgirlfriends, his first one in fact!

He figures it can't hurt, no matter what sort of insults those include, he's too over her to find them anything but amusing.

But when he opens them, it's not "How dare you leave me, Dick Grayson!" like he was expecting. It's more along the lines of "Hey, I'm pregnant and it's yours"

Ultrasound included.

And see, the problem is, this isn't his most recent ex, this isn't a recent letter. This letter is six years old. And so is his daughter, apparently.

Dick handles it as well as he can. But the return address on the letters is outdated and he has no way of contacting them, and he already missed six years of her life, and he doesn't even know her name, only her initial, C. He's lost and scared.

And then he sees her.

A shadow, sitting on his bed, darker than the human mind can comprehend, darker than anything he's ever seen, and he's been to space. It's unnatural. But it's her. He knows it. Except she disappears when he addresses her. And that same night, he dreams of her. No, not dreams. It's not his subconscious. She's real, and she's there, and she tells him pretty much that she's lost hope on him.

"Sweet dreams, Deadbeat." 

And that's it. He wakes up with a start, rushes over to the rooftop in blüdhaven where the dream vision took place, hoping to see her. He doesn't.

Now, here's the facts:

He has a daughter

She's six years old

She's angry with him

She's a meta

Whatever powers she has, they're scary enough that if the government knows...

Her name starts with C.

Her last name may or may not be Jones, depending on whether she took her mother's last name or she has some stepdad to give her a different last name.

That's all he knows. He doesn't have much to work with. Ah, and by the way, he's 23, her mother is 27, they dated 7 years ago— you do the math.

A few days later, he sees a kid on patrol, and he knows it's her. Except he's not Dick Grayson right now, he's Nightwing, and Nightwing isn't her father, Dick Grayson is. But hey, maybe he can find out her name or her address.

He doesn't. She's not willing to give him a name. Stranger Danger, she calls. And apparently she doesn't go by her given name, and whatever name she now goes by doesn't even start with a C. And apparently they go by any pronouns and some gender-neutral name that they won't tell him, so for now he has to conform with calling them Nugget.

And that night, talking with Jason, he realizes there are some red flags that he's not willing to ignore

So now the facts are these:

He has a daughter kid

She's they're six years old

She's They're angry with him

She's They're a meta

Whatever powers she has they have, they're scary enough that if the government knows...

Her name starts with C. They have some gender-neutral name they go by that started as a nickname

Her Their last name may or may not be Jones, depending on whether she took her mother's last name or she has some stepdad to give her a different last name.

They don't give a shit about gender or pronouns

There's a big chance that they're being abused in some way, shape or form.

They feel safer in the rooftops past midnight than tucked into their warm bed and that certainly says something

He needs to get them away from their mother, because that woman is not a good person, regardless of whether or not she abuses their kid (he was 14 when they met and she started getting ideas of dating her into his head, she was 18. No good person does that)

The fic exists btw, and that is just the beginning. Features the next:

Best friends Dick and Jason

Good Batfam all around

Emotionally mature Batfam (they went to therapy)

Damian emotional growth

Tim and Damian friendship

Damian and Nugget's friendship/sibling-hood

Good dad Dick Grayson

Agender kid

Meta kid

Hurt/comfort

Chronic pain Dick and kid

Mobility aid user kid and possibly Dick and their journey embracing it

Grandpa Bruce

Damian learning to be a kid (with emotions!)

A Trans character. (Nugget said Dysphoria? Double it and give it to the next person. The next person may or may not be Damian, undecided)

WARNINGS:

Excessive Drinking

Implied/referenced child abuse

Discussion of Gro0ming

Implied/referenced Self-harm/su1cide (one singular scene, as an assumption, not anything happening)

Implied/referenced terminal illness (Please do not read if this is triggering, I beg. NOTHING ends up happening, but it'll be discussed. THERE IS NO ILLNESS, but there is something similar)

Temporal main character death (maybe, probably, at least referenced)

Minor violence

HAPPY ENDING!!! I am unable to write a sad ending so rest assured, this is a COMFORT story, not angst.

Name: Shadows of New Beginnings By yours truly: WhiteRider on Ao3 Link

Here's the summary:

Inside the envelope is indeed an ultrasound photo. The date matches, it seems legit and the timeline matches, the development is right for a four month fetus too. His hands shake as he stares at it. No... ——— He checks the dates written in the back of the pictures. April 3rd. His beautiful daughter was born on April third. She's six years old. ——— "I'll find you, my beautiful daughter. I'll be the father you deserve, I promise." He whispers, tears soaking his pillow. "I promise." ——— "Sweet dreams, Deadbeat." ——— "I love you!" he screams, as loud as he can, praying she'll hear, she'll know. Then his breath feels like it's choking him, and all he can do is whisper "Please... come back."

—————

When Dick decides to sort through old mail, he finds unopened letters from an ex. From these letters, he finds out that he has a six year old daughter. Now he has to find her, make up for the years he missed, and make sure she's safe and home. Easier said than done, when his little girl is as fierce as him, and furious about his absence.

thank you, please comment, love y'all

Ever think about how Bruce's (official) children embody a vital part of Batman but like, squared?

Nightwing: hope

Red Hood: anger/vengeance

Red Robin: intelligence

Robin (Damian): Discipline

Black Bat: Redemption

That's all I wanted to say, thanks

Hallucinating while doing homework fucking sucks. That's it, that's all I wanted to say.

Following the Mini of Ithaca thing.

But before that, warnings: hunting, blood, blood drinking (lmk if I missed any)

An elaboration on the hunting thing I mentioned.

We've established she's Artemis' friend and student. So, she holds immense respect for the lives she hunts. Her arrows fly true and sharp, they don't give the prey a moment of pain. It's an instant, merciful death. And she doesn't scare the animal beforehand. No, the animals' last moments are peaceful. And afterwards, she kneels beside it, touches her forehead to its and thanks it for the sacrifice as she closes its eyes. If it has to be trapped, her dogs corral it quickly. It's sharp, quick. Honorable. She doesn't let it suffer.

This contrasts with how Telemachus and Odysseus hunt, which is more strategic. They were mentored by Athena, they set traps and are strategic about it. The animal feels fear as it falls into the trap, and they have no post-hunting ritual— it's just a meal for them, a sacrifice that had to be done. She finds their method dishonorable, barbaric and cruel, not so much because of the traps or the lack of ritual, she understands that, but because they tend to watch even after it falls into their trap, prolonging their fear and suffering instead of ending it quickly.

Another difference is that she pays attention to her prey. No mothers, no babies. She hunts those who had lived enough and didn't have anyone depending on them.

After Odysseus comes back and they bond a little, once there's no awkwardness anymore, they go on a hunting trip, the three of them, while Penelope stays in the palace making sure everything stays running as it should. Or rather, they join Mini in one of her regular hunting trips.

Since she disagrees with their method, they divided. She hunted with her dogs, and Telemachus and Odysseus hunted their way, together.

She hunted a boar, a limp to his step, covered in scars and a graying coat. It had likely been thrown out of his pack, and it had lived enough.

She made it quick, swift. It felt no fear, no pain. She knelt before it and closed his eyes. It looked peaceful, like she'd hunted it in it's sleep.

"Thank you for the life you led and the life you give. It will not go to waste. May your strength give back to the Earth."

She tied it up carefully and her dogs helped her tug it to camp, their tails wagging happily as they tugged on the rope.

She frowned at the sheer amount of traps her brother and father had set and made sure her dogs avoided them. She heard the panicked, pained cries of an animal and rushed forth, her dogs leaving the boar to follow her quicker.

She saw a doe trapped in one of their traps, rope burns and shallow cuts on her skin as she desperately tried to escape. Her brother and father approached calmly, slowly, no rush to end her pain.

But beyond that, she noticed, she had young. She could see it in her belly, she had recently given birth. If they killed her, her fawns would not make it, and it would be in vain.

She fired a warning arrow at her father's feet to stop him from shooting and instead she stepped in to calm the doe down and free her. She apologized on her family's behalf and ensured she was once again calm. Being blessed and befriended by Artemis, her presence is peaceful for the wild. She cleaned the cuts and kissed the doe's forehead, respect and reverence clear, before she let her run free.

She was disgusted by the disregard of her family for the lives of their prey. They saw themselves above them simply because they are humans. She understood that the prey, too, are lives.

After the doe runs, she turns to the prey they already killed. Fear in their bodies, pain in their wide eyes. Meanwhile, her prey, both the boar and any other, looked simply asleep, only one stain of blood in each. Only one wound, while theirs had rope burns or even wounds in the legs to be immobilized.

I'd like to point out that Odysseus met Athena by killing her magic boar for the thrill of it, and he was rewarded by her for it, because that was it's purpose. Cool and all, it wasn't a clean hunt but he was a kid so ok, and the point of the boar was testing their strategy and mind. But the point remains, he enjoys hunting, enjoys the thrill of it. Mini likes hunting because it's a beautiful cycle of giving and taking.

Now, Telemachus looked at her prey— the boar, hares and birds alike— and the peace in their bodies. They looked simply asleep. And he watched as she prepared them when they got home, carefully cleaning their pelts and leather for clothing, preparing the meat, what she couldn't cook was given to her dogs, and the blood was gathered. Her dogs fasted on what she couldn't use, part of why they might just be the healthiest dogs in Ithaca. The bones served either as enrichment for her dogs, or to carve tools or even toys for children to play with. What couldn't be used or consumed was given back to nature. Telemachus found it fascinating. She wasted nothing.

He had noticed before that she always smelled of blood, but hadn't understood why until he saw her prepare her prey herself, no regards for keeping the blood off her hands at all. She let the blood drip and gather in a large clay bowl, and when it stopped dripping, he watched her take a few sips of it before setting the bowl down for her dogs to lap up the rest.

"It's no different from Black Soup." she explained

"Which is boiled beforehand"

"So long as it's cleanly collected it's fine. They gave their lives for our nourishment, the least we can do is take as much advantage of their strength as we can."

Which, now I'm thinking would make a hell of an intimidation tactic.

She's nineteen, so I imagine suitors are starting to pursue her from other kingdoms.

A prince arrives to Ithaca, and no one likes him. He's rude and treats her like she's inferior, condescension in his every action. He insults Ithaca and its people, especially it's women, including the Queen and Princess. He constantly talks about how "when she marries him, he'll teach her to be a proper lady" because she's too wild and "doesn't respect her superiors" (men). He talks about what a great bride and mother she'll be once she's "corrected". He doesn't shut up about how improper it is that she hunts and she should leave it to the men, and how she'll learn to sit still by his side.

Odysseus is constantly having to be held back from killing him, because it'd end in war and there's been enough of that. And he knows it, so he's not too afraid to be killed. Telemachus inconveniences him as much as he can and sticks by his sister's side.

Everyone tried to scare him off for days, Odysseus tells the most bloody, gory of his stories from the twenty years away, hoping to scare him. But he's persistent. So she decided to take it upon herself. After a few days of putting up with him, she went hunting, all normal. Then during dinner she poured the raw blood straight from the bowl to her goblet and took a sip, humming contently.

"Oh, how rude of me. Would you like some?" she grinned, lips stained red "I do love the taste of fresh blood" she hummed "And so do my dogs. Isn't that right, my darlings?" she threw them each a large piece of meat, bone still with it, and they tear it apart wildly, the crunch of the bone echoing in the silent dining room, an unspoken threat, a show that their jaws were strong enough to snap bone and tear through flesh easily.

By that point, only Telemachus was aware of her blood drinking habit, but Odysseus and Penelope also want the prince OUT so even though they're mildly disturbed, they play along like it's the most normal thing.

Telemachus, eager to see the prince go, and having witnessed his sister drinking blood before and had time to come to terms with it, amps it up by asking if she could serve him some as well and sipping calmly.

The foreign prince remained, though hesitant. He's decided to marry Alkmene. So Odysseus, who is willing to do anything short of starting a war to get this man away from his daughter, and Penelope, a Spartan first and foremost, figure, you know what? Fuck it, let's traumatize him. It can't be that bad.

So they try to remain unbothered as they fill their goblets as well and drink, a contented smile on their faces even as the smell of fresh blood being so intense overwhelms Odysseus (imagine his trauma, poor man)

The prince fled, muttering something about urgent business in his kingdom. Not wanting to make himself seem cowardly, he twists the stories.

He spread rumors of Ithaca and its royal family.

He said that the reason she hides her right eye must be because it's the eye of a demon.

He retells Odysseus' stories, how he grinned as he spoke of fighting Gods and slaughtering sirens, of eating their tails.

How the whole family drunk raw blood like the finest of wine.

How her dogs must be hellhounds, the size and strength of them not limiting their speed and agility.

How their muzzles and paws were stained red with blood like the Princess' hands and lips, and how the three of them (the princess and her hounds) always reeked of blood and death.

How the Princess must have some sort of supernatural senses because she sees things she shouldn't be able to.

And I mean, he's not wrong about the fact that they are no normal pups. As previously stated, they were gifted to her by Artemis herself, imbued with magic. They're bigger, stronger, faster than most dogs, yes, but they're not hellhounds. And the last point is actually just because again, they serve as her eyes, and they constantly guard her back, so if you attempt to sneak up on her, she'll see you through their eyes, but no one knows this fully.

Other kingdoms eat up the stories about Ithaca's monstrous royal family. "Wild monsters, all of them" they whisper, "They have no hearts, I tell you".

Ithaca knows better. Ithaca adores their royal family. The King who went to hell and back to come home. The Queen who reigned on her own for twenty years, no man by her side.

Their beloved half-masked princess who carves toys for the children of the kingdom, the huntress whose game feeds anyone who goes hungry, whose prey's leathers and pelts dress those who most need it instead of hoarding them for herself. The archer who is only rivaled by their beloved king.

Their Prince who knows the servants and maids by name and who is often the one who hand out his sister's gifts to the people. Who sits with the children of tired mothers and plays with them with his sister's handmade toys so the mothers can rest, because he knows how tiring it was for his mother to raise them.

The Prince and Princess, who the people know if hunger or winter strikes, they can knock on the palace doors and they'll personally see to it that their children are fed and warm.

The princess' dogs, who look intimidating but don't lash out even when kids tug at their fur. Who wag their tails softly and lay down when a kid approaches their mistress. They are no hellhounds.

There's no rumor that could be spread that would make Ithaca turn on their rulers.

The gods are amused by this whole shitshow. Mini is Artemis' friend, and therefore favored by her and Apollo. Her brother and father favored by Athena. Odysseus is Hermes' great-grandson. Poseidon is terrified of her father, yet he was the one to take her eye. The gods think this is all hilarious.

Speaking of Apollo, like I said, he favors Mini too, because hey, if his twin is her friend...

He didn't mean to. Truly. Gods, he didn't even like her at first— she doesn't have one speck of musical talent and it took her months to even manage to string a bow, and a year at the least to fire an arrow more than five feet away. She was BAD at it.

He first met her when Poseidon took her eye, and Artemis called on him to heal her. He couldn't, it was beyond even his power. A wound inflicted by one of the main three. He managed to heal her enough so that she'd keep her eye and her eyelid wouldn't be torn into damn strips, but that's it. He couldn't restore her vision or rid her of the recurring pain.

He saw how much it affected his sister though. He watched Artemis remain by her side as she was unconscious on the coast. Apollo took on a mortal appearance and warned the Prince that his sister had decided to spend a few days away.

Apollo too remained by her side, not for her but for Artemis. He played music by her side and the warmth he exuded seemed to relax her unconscious body.

When she awoke, her first reaction was to push him away, much to his amusement. Or, well, attempt to push him. She wasn't conscious enough to realize who he was, she only saw a man sitting on her bed and shrieked and pushed him away, slurring words of "who the hell—", "get away" and then called for Artemis.

After that, he visited her. He and his sister taught her to use the bow with the other hand, since Poseidon took her dominant eye. He felt guilty for being unable to restore her sight, and frankly a bit curious about her.

And by the time she learned, he'd grown fond of her. She had guts, he'd give her that. Treated him like an equal. If he was particularly annoying, she whacked him across the head with her bow, much to his amusement.

As they grew more comfortable with each other, she grew bolder. If he mocked her aim, she'd fire an arrow at his head, knowing even if it hit (it wouldn't, he'd dodge or catch it), it wouldn't harm him.

Eventually, he started just hanging around her when he was bored. He'd play music while she carved, and every few minutes he'd look up, expecting praise, because "Excuse me, I'm the God of Music, be glad I'm allowing you to listen to it." If she didn't praise him or acknowledge him, he'd stop and steal her carving or her blade.

"Fine, yes, your music is beautiful. Now give me that!"

"Thank you, dear mortal. Was that so hard?"

"Gods, you're like a stray cat that just showed up one day and refuses to leave."

And Apollo committed to the bit, so now when she didn't acknowledge him soon enough or give him enough attention, he knocked her wooden figurines off their shelf, one by one, until she looked up and gave him the attention he wanted, which often meant maintaining a conversation or attentively listening to his music and praising it correctly. Generic compliments ("Very beautiful, Apollo") would get things knocked over until she did it right ("I liked the part where...", "It made me feel...")

That, or sometimes he just enjoyed pushing her buttons.

"No—... Apollo, NO. Leave that alone, you glorified housecat. No. No, leave it. Leave it. Gods above, you're annoying."

However, he was actually mindful of those figurines she cherished most. He noticed the care she handled them with, and the looks she sent that told him anything but those. And he left those alone.

And then he started seeking not only attention, but affection.

It started with the damn headscratch.

She was used to giving Telemachus headscratches from time to time, especially when she wanted him to relax. So really, it wasn't even intentional.

Apollo was bothering her, he was bored, and she was tired. He was being too hyper when she was tired, and when that happened with Telemachus, head scratches put him to sleep easy enough. So she didn't think about it when she reached up to his golden hair and scratched it gently.

Apollo froze, his mind went blank. Artemis had always been more of a tough love kind of sister, she showed her love through arm punches or affectionate bullying, and he had had that kind of dynamic with Mini too.

He had never received head scratches. And by the gods, he loved them. He relaxed into her hand, lowering his head to make it easier. He closed his eyes, stopped talking and hoped she'd continue.

She did, even as she nodded off, her fingers continuing the motion. Apollo laid her on her bed and knelt by it, resting his head on the bed and letting her continue to scratch his head as she slept.

She woke up to soft, melodic snoring. When she opened her eye, she saw Apollo asleep beside her bed, his head in his arms, resting on the bed, and her hand on his hair. She smiled and continued to give him gentle head scratches. She fell back asleep, and this time when she woke up, he was gone.

The next time she saw Apollo, he was particularly unruly. He knocked everything he could out of their spots, snatched whatever was on her hands the moment she picked it up, and was overall a menace.

He'd stand up, make a mess, and sit next to her for a few seconds before starting again.

She tried striking up conversation, but he'd only reply with an annoyed "hmph!". He didn't play music for her to listen to, either.

And then she reached up and scratched his head. And he finally, finally, calmed down.

"Is that all you wanted, Apollo? Head scratches?"

"Hmph."

"Yeah ok. You don't need to be so annoying to be petted, you can ask."

"I'm a God. I don't ask for something like head scratches."

"Ok, well, then how about next time you just lean in?"

Apollo didn't reply, but he leaned closer.

There was still a lot of playful bullying involved in their dynamics. She still hit him, still whacked him across the head with her bow or her hand, she even bit him when he annoyed her. At some point she started stealing his stuff just like he snatched hers. His lyre, his bow, his arrows— sometimes she just took them, and he let her.

But sometimes he'd just lean in for headpats. It evolved into him resting his head on her lap.

And that evolved into him sitting on her lap like a too-big dog that was convinced he fit.

"Get off me, you annoying lapdog."

"Nope."

"You're heavy!"

"Pets."

"No, move!"

"Pets!"

"You're squishing me, Apollo"

"Pets!"

"Fine!"

Now, of course he was mindful not to lean all his weight on her, but he did put enough of it that she couldn't move him.

He also started to just drape himself over her back sometimes, playing the lyre while she works on her carvings.

Artemis teased her twin about having gotten himself adopted by a human, and he replied that Mini was her human first.

Regardless, Mini seemed to have gotten herself two God friends that loved to bully her, but hey, she gave as good as she got.

Adding to this, Oliver taught Tim to use a bow when he was tiny, think Merida of Brave? Kinda like that. Little baby was small and Ollie got him a tiny bow and taught him, so that was actually his first weapon. So, despite leaving the bow skills mainly in Star City and using more bo staff as Robin or Red Robin, his best weapon is in fact the bow, because he's got more experience with it (Bruce refused to teach him or acknowledge their vigilante personas until he was confronted directly) and is actually as or more skilled than Roy, seeing as he's had his whole life of experience, but he only uses the bow as a hobby, he enjoys it, but doesn't use it as primary weapon. That said, his upper body strength is insane, he does have an archer build.

Now, if he did stalk the bats, I don't think he'd do it without something to defend himself with, so he took a bow and some arrows. This happens only during the few nights he was left with a nanny he could fool, because Janet did not leave him alone and her friends weren't always available. It's mainly school nights, where he couldn't get to and from another city so easily and Bruce wasn't able to take him in (bc of patrol mainly). This is before either he found out their identities, or he got the guts to confront B.

So this kid ran around with a bow and a quiver, and when he ran into trouble and the bats couldn't help without him compromising his position (especially after he figures it out, he's not willing to be seen because he WILL be recognized), he shoots the threat. Now, this boy spends a LOT of time with Lex, and while Lex refrains from sharing his most evil plans with the kid (or Janet will stop trusting him with the kid, he doesn't want that, he loves his nephew), he does challenge morality. As a result, Tim has no qualms about killing.

So before Tim joined the Batfam, the Bats occasionally found arrows on corpses. Batman interrogates Green Arrow, because an arrow or two are very evidently his or at least his style (Tim did not mean to shoot those, he uses more generic arrows, but sometimes he's in a rush and they mix), and Ollie absolutely knows the moment he sees the arrows that it's Tim. He's no snitch, though, and Tim is not associated with Green Arrow, so "No, Batman, what would I be doing all the way over there? I have my own city". This starts before Roy joins him. Tim is far too young, and Oliver will have a talk with him, but hey, at least he's safe. He'll also train the kid harder, just in case.

Tim does try to aim for injuring and not killing upon Oliver's request, "try" being the key word. He still does kill, but not as much. He only really kills if he finds it necessary (if he's heavily outnumbered, for example)

Tim Drake is not a vigilante before Robin. He's a kid that defends himself with arrows. That's it. It's not his job (yet) to interfere with crimes, he only does it when it's too bad to stand by and watch. Only to keep his uncle Ollie happy, he whistles a warning before shooting, a chance for the criminals to stop and walk away. If they take it and stop, he doesn't shoot. If they keep going, he shoots. Again, he tries not to kill, only because Ollie will know and be disappointed. So word spreads quickly, that if you hear a particular tune whistled, you better stop and run.

Instances of him shooting are rare and far between, and those of him killing with the arrows even more so. Batman kinda stops looking for the shooter, because 1 he has no lead, and 2 he has much more pressing matters and worse criminals.

There's a window of time before Jason passes down Robin but after Tim confronts them about their identities, where they train him but naively believe he's going back to bed like a normal kid.

During this period, this is a kid with a bow and arrows, and training to be sneaky and stay in the shadows. He follows the Bats, like he's always done, with a black hoodie, cargo pants and combat boots. Occasionally, he still shoots, and hides in the shadows immediately after and changes position.

The Sparrow Ghost (named by those who heard the eerie whistle, a play on the bird vigilante theme and the arrows) becomes a myth amongst criminals. Some believe it, some do not. You cannot see the archer (hence, Ghost)

Once, Batman, Nightwing and Robin were outnumbered. A trap. Smart, well-executed, and coincidentally well-timed. Robin is injured, Nightwing has a bad case of the flu, Batman is a concerned parent. None is at 100%. But they did not take into consideration the kid watching from the rooftops.

A whistle echoes. Some goons drop their weapons. Some do not.

Thwump

An arrow flies, piercing the shoulder of the guy holding Robin.

Thwump

Another pierces the hand of the goon pointing a gun to Nightwing.

Now without his boys in immediate danger, Batman can act. The Sparrow Ghost turned the tides, the bats did the rest easily. Tim remains hidden, just in case they need him again. They don't.

After being offered Robin, Tim doesn't really stick to his bow and arrows. It's not the Bat way. Sparrow Ghost disappears— Mostly. Occasionally, when he shouldn't be patrolling (school nights, for example) but he's restless, he still takes his bow and quiver, puts on his hoodie, a mask now that he has one, and goes out.

Ok, hear me out. An AU where Janet Drake is best friends with Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen.

They met in school, and she's a high society girl, not expected or allowed to be much more than a pretty face, but there's this trio of smart idiots (they did all sorts of stupid stuff at school, but they are overall very, very smart), and they're in all sorts of cool classes and extracurriculars, and she wants to learn

So, she snakes her way into the group with well-timed looks and blushes. They eventually include her in all their activities, and so she learns all sort of stuff that she usually wouldn't be allowed to learn, because they help her keep it in the down low. No, she's not taking classes with them, she's being a proper lady and cheering her smart friends on through the oh-so-hard classes.

At some point or another, they all develop a crush on her, fleeting as it may be (they're hormonal teens and they're required to flirt, it was bound to happen)

They flirt publicly, as it keeps the media from pressuring them into relationships— or so they thought. It backfires when they're adults, the media is demanding Janet settle down and stops leading all three of them on. But there would be a scandal if she picked any of them, so she picks Jack, someone who doesn't love her or she loves, but someone desperate enough to climb the social ladder to care if he loves his wife.

When he's not allowed to flirt anymore, that's where Bruce realizes that he actually liked her.

When Tim comes along, and Janet has to go on trips, she leaves him with her trusted friends. So, Tim learns a lot from his Uncle Lex, learns to shoot a bow from his Uncle Ollie, and loves staying with his Uncle Bruce and his children. He figures him out far too easily and does become Robin when Jason figures he's ready to pass on the mantle to his little brother (because they're brothers. Tim spends a lot of time in their house)

Bruce adores Tim, he really does. It just kinda hurts, that he's Janet's kid, but not his.

Eventually, Janet divorces Jack, and she gets to spend a lot more time in Gotham. But by now Tim is as much Bruce's as he is Janet's, so they co-parent the gremlin that is her son, which leads to a lot of time with Bruce.

Bruce treats her better than Jack ever did, and she trusts him far more. They have the memories of years together. Eventually, Bruce tells her the truth— that he never truly moved on from his best friend.

When they marry, sure it's a media circus, but also not a surprise.

She's also a good mom, to Tim as much as to Dick or Jason.

When Jason finds out Catherine is not his mom, sure he gets curious, but he has a mom already, he's happy. He does want to meet his bio mom, but he agrees to do so safely, not go alone. Fine, B, you can come with.

Joker never happens. Jason is disappointed when he finds his mom is not at all what he expected, and he has a much better one at home.

Eventually, when Damian comes into the picture, he's snappy with Janet. "you will never be my mother, you harlot!" but Janet simply puts a hand on his shoulder and speaks calmly, yet sharp as the blade he threatens her with

"You will not speak to me like that, boy. No, I am not your mother. But I am married to your father, and I hold the authority as such, so you will go up to your room, you will cool down, and you will never threaten or insult me again, or you will be grounded."

"You can't do that!"

"She can. She has my full permission to discipline my kids, Damian. In this house, she holds as much authority as I do." Bruce interjects

Damian, begrudgingly, learns to respect Janet, and eventually he does see her as a second mom

The amount of times Oliver or Lex visit the Wayne-Drake household is absurd, but sue them, they like their friends. This leads to a lot of chaos, because every time Oliver visits so does Roy, and Roy hangs out with Dick and Jason, while Damian sticks to glaring at everyone.

Meanwhile, they dote on Tim, because they sure as hell have a favourite nephew, and it's the one they watched grow inside the belly of one of their best friends, the one they all changed the diapers of, the one they've taught a lot of skills to, the one they helped raise in a way they never helped raise any of the other Wayne boys. They don't even try to hide their preference. Now, of course they like all their nephews, but it's always hilarious because when Tim is around his uncle Lex, he's ten times the evil mastermind he generally is, and Oliver encourages it, simply for the chaos, and so does Janet, while Bruce is downright terrified of the idea of Tim as a villain (everyone is)

‏Dear friend,

‏I’m AbdAlhadi from Gaza. My family and I have lost everything—our home, work, and security. We now live in a tent, struggling daily.

‏Please share our story. Your voice could connect us to those who can help.

‏Thank you,

🍉AbdAlhadi

If anyone can help, please do. This is not a war, it's a genocide. Cease fire and free Palestine 🍉