𝑫𝑶𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑬𝑹 & 𝑷𝑶𝑹𝑻𝑹𝑨𝒀𝑨𝑳 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑬𝑺 , dick grayson according to bram.
Concerning My Influences & Portrayal:
Dick Grayson has a long history as a character. And while I'm certainly going to endeavour to read as much of it as I can, there will be things I'll either miss or just have no interest in interacting with or reading again. I will be drawing on the stuff I do like and stitching everything together to suit how I view and write Dick. Below you'll find a comprehensive list of the runs and issues that best encompass how I see him as a character, and you'll also find some non-comic book media I use as inspiration for the themes and genres I'll be exploring in my portrayal. (Please note that this is a work in progress and will be constantly changing as I continue to read and develop my understanding of Dick's character.) You'll also find a list of my canon divergences and a detailed dossier/character sheet.
Please consider the following comics and Batman-centric media to be heavy inspiration for this blog's version of Gotham, the wider circle of characters in Dick's life, and Dick's characterisation and background (I should also note here that I do not endorse nor agree with any of the right-wing, bigoted or otherwise problematic behaviours exhibited by the likes of Dixon or Grayson. I'm simply following their characterisations and the events that take place in their time writing for Nightwing): Batman (1940, this covers issues #192, #202, #203, #227, #229-231, #234-236, #239, #240-242, #244, #245, #248, #250, #252, #254, #259, #333, #337-339 and #341-343.) Detective Comics (1937, this covers issues, #390-391, #394, #395, #398-403, #445, #447, #450, #451 and #481-485.) The New Teen Titans (1980, 1984, 1988.) Teen Titans (2003.) Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (1988.) Batman: The Long Halloween & Dark Victory (1996-99.) Nightwing (1996, this covers the entirety of the run, sans some of the more problematic elements.) Batman & Robin (2009.) Batman: The Black Mirror (2014.) Nightwing (2016, this only covers the recent Dan Watters stuff and very select elements and events from Taylor's stuff, as I find Taylor's writing to lack any sort of substance. Not to mention he totally misunderstands Dick Grayson's character. In my opinion. So you'll find very little influence taken from his run here.) Gotham Knights (2022.)
And some pieces of non-Batman media that have influenced my reading of Dick are as follows: [I'll add these here as and when I have a more comprehensive list.]
MORE CANON DIVERGENCES WILL BE ADDED HERE AT A LATER DATE. (The messy sparknotes version goes as follows: I don't acknowledge Battle for the Cowl, Bruce leaves Dick in charge of the mantle explicitly. Dick doesn't have a half-sister here. They've got enough siblings as it is, he doesn't need bio siblings cropping up left and right. Alfred is also alive. That man's gonna outlive the entire family.
We're not acknowledging any storyline in which Dick is a cheater here, they might be terrible at maintaining relationships because of poor communication skills, because of trust issues, his general secretive and withdrawn nature, his control issues, and so on, and so on, but he's loyal to the very end. Devotion means the world to Dick. He's loyal to the people he's loved even beyond the end of the relationship, in one way or the other. Once he's loved you, he'll love you forever (depending on circumstances of course.) And to follow on from that, we're not subscribed to the belief that Dick's some sort of womaniser or serial dater. He's cheeky, yes. He's a flirt, yes. He's friendly, yes. He's a hopeless romantic, yes. He's sex positive, yes. He's fairly experienced in terms of sex and dating, yes. This doesn't mean he's a womaniser or someone who sleeps around willy nilly. This characterisation feeds into the whole oversexualisation of Romani people thing and I don't fuck with that. It's gross. This also leads me neatly into: I do write Dick as a survivor of sexual assault. This will be done with dignity and respect, and has been largely informed by my own personal experiences. Dick is a character I share a lot of commonality with in this regard and for that reason I feel strongly about digging into the effect this has had on him and his interpersonal relationships since his assault.
I should also note here that while Dick is deeply angry at the injustices they witness, above all else, he is deeply empathetic. He cares about people, he cares about community, he cares about friendships and family. He is a creature of hope and optimism, even if his knee-jerk reaction is to respond with cynicism, anger, or suspicion. Dick is kind and hopeful and optimistic by choice, not by nature.
I also don't acknowledge Dick ever having been a police officer or a detective for the police at any point. I don't think it fits his character and I think it was an attempt at some comic book copaganda. So we're pretending that never happened. Instead, I write him as having done a stint as a Private Investigator and as a volunteer EMT for the Fire Department in Blüdhaven. It better suits how I see his character. It also properly allows him the time to be Nightwing without too many people getting suspicious. It also keeps him in close proximity to law enforcement and lawyers without having to be a cop. You understand.)
FULL NAME : Richard (meaning 'strong in rule') John (meaning 'god is gracious') Grayson (meaning 'son of the steward.')
NICKNAME(S) : Dick, Dickie, Dickiebird, D, Little Robin, Rob, Boy Wonder, Birdie, Bird Brain.
KNOWN ALIASES : Nightwing. Batman (formerly.) Robin (formerly.)
AGE : 25-35. Though, it should be noted that I'm open to writing Dick at any age, really. So long as it makes sense for the plot and the thread at hand, of course.
ZODIAC : Scorpio Sun, Virgo Moon, Virgo Rising.
DATE OF BIRTH : 11th November 1990.
GENDER : Non-binary, leans more into being male presenting.
PRONOUNS : He/Him & They/Them.
ORIENTATION : Bisexual / Biromantic.
NATIONALITY : American.
ETHNICITY : Mixed. (Romani, Scottish, French, and Indian.)
BIRTHPLACE : Paris, France.
CURRENT HOME : Blüdhaven, New Jersey, United States. Also has an apartment under his name in Gotham City, as well as access to various safehouses shared by Batman and the rest of the birds and bats that make up his family. He also has access to any Titans facilities that are knocking around. Basically, Dick always has somewhere to rest his head, no matter where in the States he happens to be.
OCCUPATION : Vigilante. Gymnastics Instructor and Personal Trainer (currently.) Has had a multitude of other jobs before, including but not limited to: a private investigator, a volunteer EMT for the Blüdhaven Fire Department (which he still does whenever he can), a bartender, a barista, a bouncer, and so on, and so on.
EDUCATION : He was homeschooled by both of his parents while they travelled with Haly's Circus, often using their rehearsal time as a way of helping Dick remember the things he'd learned. After they died, and when he was living under the care of Bruce Wayne, Dick received the best education one could find for a child in Gotham City. Despite his restlessness, Dick both excelled and enjoyed his time in school. Dick holds two degrees, one of which is a Bachelor's degree where majored in both Psychology and Criminology, and the other is a Master's Degree in Forensics.
LANGUAGES SPOKEN : English, French, Angloromani, Carny, Mandarin, Spanish, ASL, BSL (fluent.) Arabic, Ukrainian, Russian, Portuguese, Korean (conversational, still learning.)
HEIGHT & WEIGHT : 5’10” (177cm.) 180lbs (81kg.)
BUILD : Dick is built the same way one would an Olympic-level gymnast to be built; broad shouldered, well-muscled, yet graceful and poised in the way they hold themselves and move through the world. Somehow, Dick manages to make that poise and grace look effortless and carefree. One might, if they're paying close enough attention, note the way that he tends to make himself seem clumsy and thoughtless. I will also note here that Dick has legs most athletes would dream of having, a narrow waist and appears to be fairly unassuming.
HAIR : Annoyingly, Dick's hair seems to always be on the right side of dishevelled. It's thick, wavy, and glossy to the touch. There's a floppiness to their hair that often means it's falling across his forehead or getting in his eyes. One might say it has an almost feather-like fluffiness to it. Dick keeps it in a longer, shaggier hairstyle similar to the one Dexter Soy usually draws them with, examples of which can be found here and here. One might also notice that there's an almost bluish quality to the black of Dick's hair.
EYES : A rich, bright shade of forget-me-not blue with flecks of brown near his pupils. Dick's eyes, and indeed his eyebrows, are easily the most expressive part of his face. I should also note here that Dick sometimes wears a black kohl around his eyes, some days he'll do so subtly, other days it'll be glaringly obvious.
SCARS : Dick has a gallery of scars from all his years being a hero and a vigilante. Most of which you'll find on his arms, shoulders, legs and torso. I will figure out more specific scars as I delve deeper into my canon for Dick, this will be updated!
SKIN : A rich brown with warm and reddish undertones. Dick doesn't have any moles or freckles to speak of, though he does have a little birthmark on his left hip that's in a rough triangular shape. Dick's skin is impeccably soft to the touch, save for the tops of his palms, his knuckles, and the pads of his fingers. One will also find that his feet are calloused from years of training in both acrobatics and gymnastics.
TATTOOS & PIERCINGS : Dick has both of his ears pierced with simple golden hoops in the lobes. He did have a tongue piercing from the age of 17, and kept that in until he was about 24/25.
FASHION : Leather jackets, woolly jumpers, baggy jeans, button down shirts, athleisure wear, beat up Reebok trainers, comfortable hoodies, Converse trainers, Doc Martens he's had since he was sixteen, wristwatches in silver and with leather straps, graphic tees, crop tops, simple pendants on chains, plain gold chains, flared trousers, sweater vests, well-tailored suits, duffle coats, smart dress-shoes, black leather boots in a variety of styles. Find examples of Dick's style here.
CHARACTER TRAITS : Charismatic, Altruistic, Reckless, Facetious, Controlling, Overly-critical (usually of himself, but this can and has bled into how he treats those around him), Jealous, Idealistic, Fearless, Intelligent, Resourceful, Kind, Observant, Temperamental, Secretive, Adventurous, Romantic, Protective, Genuine, Erratic, Melodramatic, Withdrawn, Funny, Open-minded, Energetic, Courageous, Reliable, Stubborn, Competitive, Easy-going.
MBTI : ENFJ-A (the protagonist.)
TAROT CARD : The Fool.
D&D CLASS : Rogue (Swashbuckler.) Bard (College of Swords.)
MORAL ALIGNMENT : Chaotic Good.
MENTAL ILLNESSES : Depression, AuDHD, PTSD, Survivor's Guilt.
SYMPTOMS : Coming soon!
DIRECT FAMILY : John Grayson (father, deceased.) Mary Grayson (mother, deceased.)
ADOPTED FAMILY : Bruce Wayne (adoptive father), Jason Todd (adoptive younger brother), Cassandra Cain (adoptive younger sister), Tim Drake (adoptive younger brother), Duke Thomas (adoptive younger brother), Damian Wayne (adoptive younger brother.) Honourable mention goes to Alfred Pennyworth for being another father figure to him.
SIGNIFICANT OTHER : Verse dependent.
CHILDREN : Verse dependent.
PETS : Haley (a three-legged pitbull puppy, female. Also known as Bitewing.)
