TALIA AL GHUL FANFIC RECS!!
i haven't seen anyone make a post like this so here we go. The purpose of this post is to allow batman fans who mostly rely on fanon (i know that's a lot of y'all) and comic fans intrigued by her character to engage with her in a way that comes from a place of love and not orientalist stereotypes or maliciousness.
Reminder: Talia is a deeply complex character both in canon and fanon not because the writers write her that way but there's a lack of effort by DC to actually address that complexity. One writer will write her like the antichrist and another will portray her as a morally grey figure. Another thing to be noted is that none of these fics will have Grant Morrison or Tom king's characterization of her. Anyways enjoy!!
PART 2 can be found here
Deluge in the wasteland silverspidertm2 Brutalia/ rated M {Maybe she'd been wrong. Maybe she was hiding from the wrong person. It couldn't hurt just to see him one more time before... Bruce/Talia. Post-'Son of the Demon' AU.} Classic brutalia fic takes place after SOD.
Don't take the money (dustorange) Brutalia, rated T {“You weren’t there,” Talia tries. “That’s the problem,” Bruce says. “That’s the problem.” Bruce, and Talia, and Harvey through the years} Set in BTAS universe the author lowkey ate linking up bruharveytalia relationship. The writing is simply BEAUTIFUL.
you're my baby (say it to me) (TheJediAreGay) Talia focused, background brutalia. Rated gen {Her hands ball up into tight fists at her sides. She curses Bruce for doing this to her. She curses herself for letting him} amazing fic that focuses on talia's journey of giving birth and then giving damian up for adoption as she originally did in SOD.
fly apart & reunite (deaddennis) Talia focus endgame brutalia, rated T { Her world is too full to admit another. Her father is too all consuming. Her Beloved too distant and yet ever present in her thoughts. And yet – the fact remains and she cannot quite ignore it: she has a son. // In which Talia al Ghul makes a choice. Featuring: Damian Wayne, Damian Wayne's clones, Talia breaking into the insurance industry, and a bewildered Batfam} Talia is such a multilayered character so it's extremely fun to see the way writers interpret her character and then construct it that way. this is definitely one of my favs and i love how she never gives an outward fuck about bruce bcs he lowkey deserves that sometimes.
LOST & FOUND ( lazarus (zabiume)) Talia & Jason focused, Rated Gen. {Ma'am," says Nick, her doorman, sounding hesitant. "I know it's not my place, but he looks—erratic. He's been shivering and talking to himself for the last five minutes. Are you sure I should let him in?" Talia leans closer to the speaker. "Is he armed?" "Not as far as I can tell." Talia considers that for a moment. It is a very short moment. "Send him up," she decides. After struggling with the effects of his failsafe, Jason decides to seek refuge with Talia in Metropolis}. An introspective talia fic about her life after the lexcorp era observed from the eyes of one jason todd.
Speak Her Name Over Me (novashyperion) Brutalia, Rated T {Bruce can't stop thinking about Talia and what they could still be}
o, my envy of the moon (brucestalia) Brutalia, rated T {sprawling sands, an unfinished portrait of yearning and farewell} set in the dark knights of steel elseworlds comic. very beautiful.
Where All Things Are Silent (sepia_stained_sun) Talia & Damian, rated Gen {The smog of Gotham obscures the night sky, and the den of the beast is palatial. He gains new wings. He puts on a mask, and he gets to leave himself behind to be someone entirely different. Or, like a vine drinking up sunlight, Damian is raised on stories}
Mind games (batwayneman) rated T {Bruce and Talia are bad at communicating, and Damian is good at getting out of trouble} it's not brutalia but it's also not anti brutalia but a secret third thing..
these tangled threads, this outstretched hand (wildsofmarch) Dick & Talia, rated Gen Dick stared. There was a sign affixed to the inside of the bathroom door. "GET HELP. If you are a victim of human trafficking, call this number 1-888-3737-888 Text Help to 233733 (BeFree www.TraffickingResourceCenter.org" Set during the renegade era in new 52.
love overgrown (maangoes) co parenting brutalia {"You’ve gotten old. And slow.” Talia holds the dress up to her figure, considering the way it would fall against her hips. “I heard you come in.” “Maybe I wanted you to,” he growls, in that ridiculous voice of his. a peek into an AU where talia leaves the league for good & lives in gotham to co-parent damian}
The Way My Mother Didn't Raise Me (fadesfanfic) Talia & Damian/ Rated Gen. {Talia al Ghul, who believes she left the world of her father and the League of Shadows behind, discovers that her father has been raising her son she believed died in infancy as an assassin. Damian al Ghul, who has never met his parents before, is baffled when he finds his mother is nothing like he expected her to be} SO SO GOOD!!
of the wounded songs (mokurowo) A classic talia version character study/ rated Gen { Her father wipes at her tears, his touch soft and glancing “Talia,” he says, his voice stern, “You knew I would say no. Why would you ask this of me? Why would you ask when you know it would only force me to bring you pain?” Then seeing her tears come faster, he adds, gently, “I never wish to bring you pain.”}
hanging on in quiet desperation is the english way (SENJUSIDE) brutalia AU JUST READ IT. { Batman will take everything away from her—her family, her mate, her home. He will possess her body, he will be her husband, but… If Bruce—Bruce will be her mate. A little thing she’ll be able to hold to herself, even if in absolute secret. A thing that Batman won’t take away from her, even after she bares her throat for him to sink his fangs in and take. There’s this one thing Talia will do for herself, before she bares her throat to Batman and lets him take her away.}
EXTRA RECS!! aka talia isn't here but she haunts the narrative because bruce & damian love her 💟
IF EVERYTHING IS TEMPORARY (I WILL BEAR THE UNBEARABLE). (orpheusaki) rated gen {Father. Do not panic. I have everything under control." Bruce immediately begins to panic, because Damian should know his father would never panic, so whatever has happened, whatever Damian claims he has under control, is undoubtedly going to make Bruce panic. Like right now. He's panicking. But just as Bruce pushes himself to sit up on the bed, with great difficulty due to the bandages across his stomach, eyes darting over Damian to find any injuries —Thomas Wayne, age thirty, walks through his bedroom door (Or; a ten step guide of things not to do when you're sent to the past, by Bruce Wayne.) when i'm in a "missing talia al ghul" competition and my opponent is Bruce wayne 💔
all-american-boy (satorussuguru) damian wayne focused/ rated Gen {Damian, are they making ‘your mom’ jokes?” “I feel bad for Wayne. If some whore dumped her creepy kid onto me I'd just leave the country.” “Yes,” Damian says. “They are.”} trigger warning for racist bullying against damian.
Unbequeathed (Bricksheep) damian wayne focused/rated gen {Damian is reborn in a world where his father stayed in the League of Assassins instead of returning to Gotham} exactly what it says! Talia is here but this is an elseworlds fic very much focused on damian and his perspective but he loves his mama even with all her faults here and bruce is so INTENSE with talia it's very fun to read.
That's all for now in my opinion talia is a very interesting character to play with because the possibilities with her are endless but even then it's rare to find fan content that allows her to exist away from the character assassination in the comics so i appreciate everyone who see's her as a multifaceted female character. I'll add more when i find them!
