#outside pov

[dcxdpdabbles]

DCxDP Fanfic Idea: Bruce Wayne's Little Accident

Bruce Wayne is an Omega, and like every Omega, he has a chance of being involved in an accident because of his carefree lifestyle. That accident came in the form of Daniel Wayne, who was born sometime after Wayne lost his second son, Jason Todd, but before taking in his third son, Timothy Drake.

Wayne refused to explain who Daniel's sire is, only claiming the Alpha wanted nothing to do with the pup. The public was in a frenzy for the months of Wayne's pregnancy, speculating with every Alpha that came anywhere near him.

There were four leading candidates: Wayne's old flame, Harvey Dent, who was recently getting actual treatment for Two-Face and spending time with Wayne as part of his recovery before relapsing and getting taken down by Batman again. The next was Selina Kyle, a frequent on-and-off again girlfriend of the billionaire, who was seen hanging around the man more than usual before the pregnancy was discovered.

Next was a woman few people knew: Talia al Ghul. Although she was a gorgeous Alpha and had more than enough funds to be considered elite, the lack of recognition her name carried made people doubt her chances. The very last candidate theory was kept mostly alive by how dubious and hilarious the public found the theory: A reporter from Metropolis named Clark Kent, who was the least Alpha man to ever actually be an Alpha, and had no funds that would make someone like Wayne look in his direction.

Wayne was a kind soul, slightly dumb, but no one could deny he chose the finer things in life. He gave a lot to charities and fought for equal rights, but he only rubbed elbows with those of his standing, and even then, the Omega was picky about which events to attend and who made it onto his guest lists. It was probably why so many tripped over themselves to impress the Omega, despite some people still grumbling that an Omega shouldn't be at the top like Wayne was.

That aside, it was never confirmed who Daniel's Alpha sire was, and one late morning, the boy was born, with only an omega father on his birth certificate. As time went on, Daniel's parentage faded into obscurity, while he grew under the watchful eye of his father and Omega brother, Richard Grayson, who was officially adopted upon the eldest retrun from Bludhaven sometime during Wayne's third trimester.

Speculation circulated that Wayne only did this to ensure that Grayson would inherit some of the family wealth, as previously, the entire fortune was meant to be Jason Todd's before his desmise That was likely due to Wayne's inability to adopt Grayson, as some laws made it harder to adopt Omega children, in an effort to protect them from those with less-than-kind intentions.

The best Wayne had been able to do was gain the boy through wardship, but now, as adults, Grayson and Wayne made quick work of the adoption through a notary. Following this, Wayne made it clear to every elite in the city that his son would not be participating in Match Balls, even though it was considered the normal way to gain connections with Omega children at the elite level.

A few turned their noses up, whispering that the Waynes felt themselves too good for tradition, but the majority applauded Wayne's decision to protect his son, even if the Omega in question was no longer a child. Wayne himself was controversial. On one hand, he proved that secondary genders had nothing to do with one's ability and importance, building himself up as the most powerful Omega in the city's, if not the country's, history, but on the other, his constant dismissal of traditional secondary gender roles made people seeth (they were ussually of the older generation as those in Wayne's and younger, thought it a great step in the right direction).

Daniel's first year of life was spent with those same people attempting to tear down Wayne, but pointing out the accident and saying this like "See? This is what happens when you let an Omega behave like an Alpha."

Wayne rebutted by posting a photo of his private water park with his baby floating inside an inflatable with the words "He's richer than you'll ever be, and he's not even potty trained."

Needless to say, by the time Daniel Wayne was a toddler, the media storm settled down, and he became another happy bundle of joy. By this point, Timothy Drake was well established as the third son, and things were looking up for the Omega Man and his family.

Then came Daniel's fifth birthday, and everything broke apart. Everyone knows that a child's fifth birthday is a very special occasion. It was the day that the child's secondary gender would be revealed, which was held during a grand party to celebrate.

Everyone was expecting Wayne to go above and beyond for his child, seeing as it was the first one he had who would be having a Reveal under his care. And Wayne did not disappoint.

For an entire year before the boy's Presentation Day, Wayne meticulously planned every little detail. He got permission from the city to close out the park, filling it to the brim with street vendors, performers, and decorations in the various colors of a reveal. Five different firework companies arrived, setting up a display to celebrate Daniel's presentation as soon as it was known, and everyone in the city was invited.

It got so big that the party had to be broken down into five locations. The elites and the Waynes would be celebrating at the manor, where the reveal would take place, while the people of the city could choose between the Robersin Park, two streets of Old Gotham, Gotham's amusement deck, and Gotham's harbor to celebrate.

A few of the older generation joked that it was like Gotham's aristocratic festivals, where Lords of the land would allow the common folk to celebrate as an extension of the nobles' own parties.

Wayne encouraged everyone to wear the color they believed Daniel would be. Like pink for girls and blue for boys during the birth gender reveal, a presentation reveal also has certain colors.

Lavender for omegas, Mint for betas, and cream for Alphas. Each firework show had the three colors on standby, for whatever the presentation was. The entire city was covered in the three colors up to then, and most workplaces closed early for the event.

Even the Waynes were in colored suits. Bruce Wayne was in a lavender suit, alongside his butler, but Dick Grayson was wearing cream, and Timothy was wearing mint. The Waynes all made jokes about it, based on a different memory with Daniel. People outside the Waynes' started jokingly placing bets, and that grew into a fairly large pot, where everyone was biting their nails waiting for the announcement.

Daniel spent his birthday running around with the kids, dressed in white, who he would change into different colored outfits the moment his presentation revealed. He had go-carts installed around the manor and spent most of his time flying around with a group of laughing children. He didn't seem to care much about his party, but it was blamed on his age.

The family butler had to chase him down to clean him up multiple times since Daniel seemed to enjoy rolling around the grass and letting the wind blow through his hair. Some of the elites thought it unsightly, but their children were ecstatic.

It was one of the first parties that didn't feel like a miniature gala but an actual party for their ages.

Then the Presentation began. As Daniel stood in the center of the circle, listening to Wayne read from the family presentation book, he remained still as water was poured over his head and down his neck. Everyone held their breath as they waited for the boy's body to naturally let out the Scent of his presentation, but when nothing happened, Wayne tried again.

Then again. And then he actually dunked the by into the family water stream, but still nothing.

People muttered, a wave of confusion fell through the entire city- Wayne had been streaming live, and people were gathered around TVs with their betting tickets at the ready. Wayne seemed conflicted, whispering with his two other sons, obviously as confused. Suddenly, the sky ripped open, and a floating man in purple emerged, carrying a time staff that glowed blue.

A proud smile on his face, as a pink-wrapped gift floated behind him.

Wayne let out a cry, pointing at the figure with outrage, "You! What are you doing here?!"

"I came for my son's presentation Day. I'm not sure why you insisted on throwing a party. Danny does not have a secondary gender."

"He's not supposed to have one until today," Wayne gritted through clenched teeth, "Which you would know if you ever bothered to come by after running out on me-"

"He's not a full human. And you know, I can not be in this plane of existence for long hours. Not that it means anything to you, but some of us exist in different timelines."

"How dare you-"

And that's the story of how Daniel Wayne became the first known born human- or half human half ghost??- that didn't have a secondary gender. He was also the child of the concept of time and the richest man in the country.

He didn't make a wee bit of sense.

[frownyalfred]

hide your secret identity: ❌

psych the cops arresting you out so badly they try to forget they ever met you: ✅

[satoshy12]

Amity Parker Don't understand other Hero cities.

And started a massive pilgrimage to Amity Park.

It all started when a few people from Amity Park went on a field trip to other hero cities and got very confused pretty fast. - What do you mean people die here so often in hero fights? - What do you mean by buildings getting destroyed and not fixed? (blob Ghost do that all the time, they seem to love it!) Are your hero not doing their job!!!?

At first, the people of Gotham, Metropolis, Coast City, Bludhaven, or Dakoto City were pissed, but after the people of Amity Park just said they should stay a few weeks in their city, they would notice it. After one week in the new city,  most people moved out of their city to Amity Park. While this city had once a week has a world-ending threat, that threat seems to just have fun with the child hero in a fight. And those people helped them. The Victims of Scarecrow actually got help from the Master of Fear Fright Knight, who fixed their minds.

Number 1 rule in Amity Park - Don't feed the tiny cryptid Fenton after 10 p.m.; the last time we had winter in the summer was because of that. - Yes, they are fangs, and they are real. Don't try to let yourself be bitten. When he slept, the last one almost lost their hand. + The other Hero in their cities didn't take long to notice it, that they have significantly fewer people living in their cities. Like most of their cities, they lost 30–50% of their civilians! And no one seems to want to tell them where they are, as more civilians are leaving!

[hairmetal666]

Wayne's used to worrying about Eddie. He should be; he's been doing it since the kid was twelve. First it was Eddie's silence, his permanent frown, the way the bones stood out too prominent on his small wrists. Then it was the kids at school, taunting him and calling him names, the fights and calls from the principal's office. Next came the late nights, the drinking, the dealing, failing his senior year twice. But all of those times, every single one, Wayne had known what to do. Maybe it wasn't perfect, maybe it took a little time, but he'd always figured out exactly what his boy needed.

And now--now Wayne doesn't know if he can help; knows it's not in his power to fix it. 

So, he sits for the second week in a row, watching his nephew--his whole heart--sitting in front of the window, looking out at the forest, nursing the same cup of coffee that he poured six hours ago, and wonders how in the world he can help.

They're cleaning up from dinner, Eddie quiet at his side, when he says, "Gonna need some help with the mugs tomorrow."

After moving to Oregon once Eddie graduated and he retired, he found an affinity for pottery. Never woulda thought it, but he loves it and tourists love his booth at the farmers market.

He can't think of a better way to get his nephew out of the house, but wonders if he doesn't know his boy as well as he thinks after a decade in Los Angeles, that Eddie'll refuse. He just nods, though, goes back to drying the plate in his hands.

And next morning, right at 6:45, Eddie is in the living room in black jeans that are so worn they're nearly grey in places, and the threadbare Metallica tee Wayne thrifted for him nearly a decade back. It's a win. Small, yes--Eddie doesn't even complain once about the country-western station Wayne plays in the truck--but still a step forward.

Wayne wastes no time parking and handing Eddie a box of carefully packed merchandise. He leads the way, trusts that Eddie is right on his heels until he hears Jim Hopper's voice say, "You better keep an eye on those mugs, son. Your uncle will tan your hide."

He turns to see Hopper balancing one end of Eddie's box, Eddie's cheeks flushed pink. "Sorry, I--uh, I've got it now." Hopper lets go and for the briefest instant Eddie's eyes dart to the side and the pink in his cheeks grows deeper.

Wayne tracks the path Eddie's eyes took and finds--he swallows back a chuckle--Steve Harrington just setting one of his Adirondack chairs into place, his t-shirt lifted to show of a stretch of stomach.

Well. Eddie did always like the pretty ones.

They setup the booth in companionable silence, and Hopper pops back over for a proper introduction. Before he departs again, he says to Eddie, "I got some kids who really love that dnd game and your show. They're going to be crazy to meet you. That okay?"

And Eddie, he's a good boy, he smiles and nods but as soon as Hopper is out of earshot, Wayne's saying, "Hop's kids and their friends are big fans and I know you're heartsore about the cancellation, but you better be polite."

Eddie glares. "What do you think, old man, that I'll be mean to children?"

"Well, with how you've been moping around the cabin these last few weeks, hard to know."

He scoffs. "Yeah, well. Netflix putting your hit show on indefinite hiatus without warning or explanation will do that to a guy."

Wayne knows there's nothing he can say to soften this hurt, so he gives Eddie's shoulder a tight squeeze. "I'm proud of you no matter what, son."

His nephew nods, eyes down, but Wayne doesn't miss the small, pleased, lift at the corner of his lips.

The morning passes smoothly and Wayne pretends he doesn't notice every time he finds Eddie's gaze straying to Steve's booth.

The kids come by around noon, Dustin Henderson breaking away from the pack to shriek, "You're Eddie Munson!"

Eddie smiles, stands. "That I am, young adventurer." He bows low, exaggerated and the kids giggle. "Pray tell, what are your names?"

The chatter is fast and easy, Eddie the happiest he's been in weeks, and Wayne relaxes back in his chair, lets out a long, slow breath of relief at the breaking storm. He stretches back in his chair, eyes catching on Steve Harrington across the way. Steve who is watching Eddie and the kids with an expression Wayne can only think of as fond.

Wayne isn't one to play matchmaker, but--he thinks, just maybe, just this once he could nudge.

It happens late in the afternoon, when business has well-slowed, Eddie asking, "Um--that guy over there, who is--what's his deal?"

Wayne thinks he manages to keep all traces of amusement from his face and voice as he answers, "Who? Ohh, Steve Harrington. He's the guidance counselor down at the middle school. Does a bit of carpentry in his free time. Best friends with the woman who owns that little bookstore."

He watches as Eddie processes, as his eyes widen, probably in remembrance of the pride flags and Protect Trans Kids shirts, how the woman in question wore a lesbian flag pin on her apron. "Guidance counselor?" He says eventually. "Kind of a drag."

"You would think, but the kids love him. The ones you met earlier today? He babysat them for years; imprinted on him, Jim and I say."

"Hmm," is the only response he gets, Eddie's attention back on the man in question.

---

The day after the market, Wayne walks into the living room to find Eddie's laptop tucked into the cushions of the window seat. He hasn't seen the thing since Eddie came home, never used to see him without it, and this--well.

He says, "need to run into town for a few things. You up for a trip? You might could stop at that bookstore."

Eddie nods, takes a sip of his coffee--he's actually drinking it-- says, "Yeah. Yeah, I think that'd be cool."

The store isn't busy when they arrive, and Wayne drifts towards the magazines to leave Eddie to his own devices.

Wayne loses himself to quiet browsing, wanting to give Eddie space, to maybe chat with Robin Buckley, strike up the beginnings of a friendship. Enough time passes, though, that Wayne is wondering where his boisterous, noticeable nephew could've disappeared to so silently.

He winds around a shelf and sees Eddie and Steve Harrington in deep conversation. He can't hear it, not really, but they're standing close, with pink in their cheeks. As he watches, Steve says something that makes Eddie laugh and pull a few strands of hair over his mouth.

They're almost inseparable after that. Eddie, Steve, Robin, and all those kids. They play dnd, have movie nights, spend hours at the diner. And Eddie, he's writing, sketching, gets down Wayne's acoustic guitar and plays around for a while.

When he asks how things are with "that Harrington boy," Eddie flushes red and says, "none of your business, old man" before giving Wayne a quick, affectionate squeeze. 

---

Two and a half months after Eddie came to stay, Wayne's walking back from the river, the sky the light navy of new dusk. His fishing rod is draped over one shoulder, tackle box held easily in his fist, the walk home pleasant, a perfect end to a good day.

The light from the front porch seeps through the trees, and he's thinking about a cold beer, a warm pizza, if Eddie's found his way home yet, when figures standing on the porch stop him in his tracks.

It takes a second, longer, for his eyes to adjust from the dark of the woods, and the glow of the bulb, but then he sees--

Eddie and Steve locked in a fierce embrace, desperate and very much private.

He turns right back towards the river, doesn't mind giving the boys some time.

He waits a good half hour, just enjoying the forest, before heading back. Steve's car is gone, the porch vacant, but the cabin is lit up, bright and warm and inviting.

Wayne steps inside, and his nephew is there, laptop open, but he isn't working, just smiling to himself, chin resting on his fist.

"Okay?" Wayne asks.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Eddie's smile doesn't fall from his face.

He doesn't want to interfere, ask too much, not when he's sure things are still young. Instead, he asks, "What'd you say to ordering a pizza?"

And Eddie, heedless of Wayne's question, says,"you know. I've been thinking about maybe staying here for a little longer."

And Wayne, his smile grows, and he claps a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "You're welcome here for as long as you want. Already consider it your home anyway."

[heated-rivalry-fic-recs]

Hello. I want to ask if you have Outsider’s POV fan fictions? thank you

Yesss!

I really like how this turned out because this list has a bunch of fics that I have been waiting to recommend. Most of the fics on this list are from authors I have already mentioned on this blog. I don’t know how I ended up with so many outsider pov fics in my tbr, but I am happy that it ended up that way.

Newsflash, he's been learning the whole time by unitedrepublicoffandom

Teen and Up Audiences - Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov - Completed

What if Shane started learning Russian from the very beginning? 5 times Shane’s knowledge of Russian was subtle, and 1 time that it was very, very obvious. (Outsiders POV)

Not only is this a 5+1 fic, but it also includes multiple povs. I also recommend checking out the sequel to this because I really enjoyed it.

The (fake) fake marriage by frizzyanya

Teen and Up Audiences - Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov - Completed

Everyone knows Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander are getting a fake marriage so that Ilya Rozanov can get a Canadian Permanent Resident Card. Everyone knows that except the immigration officers on the case, who know a slightly different story...

I have been waiting for an ask like this to share this one. It is on the shorter end, and it works so well for this ask. The use of ocs makes this fic a true outsider pov and it gives the reader an interesting perspective on the characters.

The author is on tumblr @frizzyanya so go support them!

Turtleneck by transshanehollander (cyrusbreeze)

Teen and Up Audiences - Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov - Completed

Ilya Rozanov doesn’t wear a neck guard. Until he does. Or How a Raiders equipment manager figured out Ilya Rozanov was in love with Shane Hollander.

This is another short one! I love reading anything from this author, so I was excited to find a work of theirs that was an outsider pov. This author knows their hockey, so this fic is a bit more hockey-focused.

🌸 Jane & Lily 💐 by rubygoby

Teen and Up Audiences - Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Hayden: Sooooo who do you think came up with Jane and Lily? I bet it’s Shane Cliff: oh roz for sure Svetlana: I also think it’s Ilya! Cliff: SEE??? sveta agrees with me Hayden: No way dude Cliff: ok lets make a real bet loser gotta buy 10 rounds of drinks Hayden: Deal --- Cliff: do u think they still save each other as jane n lily? fuck i wish roz is still here so i can look Hayden: Oh I see Shane’s screen all the time He doesn’t even bother to lock his phone Cliff: well then go look at it

Or: Cliff, Hayden and Svetlana make a group chat to gossip about Montreal Jane and Boston Lily. Naturally, Ilya finds out.

I like a good texting fic, and I found it to be a nice change of pace from the others in this list.

An Evening at Monks by Climbergirlio

Teen and Up Audiences - Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Spoilers for the book The Long Game

"Yes, yes, was very brave. Only important thing Scott Hunter has ever done. Do not know why you need to bring this up every time,” Ilya grumbles.  “But when did you first kiss?” Luca asks. “Ah, my sweet innocent rookie. I love that you think this is all we did,” Ilya tells him. Shane hides his face in Ilya’s shoulder. “Your guess was close, Haasy. Shane and I, we met in hotel gym after draft. I gave him some of my water, because I am nice person and he did not bring any. Was very sexually charged.” “Ilya!” Shane complains, voice muffled by the fact that he’s still hiding in said man’s shoulder.  “What? Is true. But anyway, we first kissed,” Ilya emphasizes the word so that it’s very clear that was not all they did, “summer before our rookie season, after commercial shoot.” For a moment, there’s silence as everyone does the math and lets that sink in. Then: “2010?!?!?” How the Centaurs find out Shane and Ilya's relationship start date.

This one is from the point of view of Zane. I am so excited to recommend this fic because I feel like there are a lot of people in my inbox who are asking for fics really similar to this one. Unfortunately, it has never answered an ask perfectly, but I think that many people will enjoy this.

[ma-tsu-the-male-goddess]

Started thinking about a Hollanov that didn’t have to be so scared about everything, so when they finally get themselves together & make it official, they just don’t bother hiding it anymore.

Preconceived notions are gonna be pulling a lot of weight so no one realizes right off the bat, but like, at some point, obvious is obvious, no???

This is probably going to be a series of unconnected one-shots as several will directly contradict each other, but I already have about a dozen half written out.

AO3 Link - A Drunk Hug from Behind by SunYiJie

Series Link - Fuck it we Puck - Hollanov Outside POV

Part 1: Drunk hug from behind - Scott POV

Everybody knows about the Rozanov-Hollander rivalry. It’s pretty damn clear the two star centers hate each other. Being pitted and compared to someone like that for almost a decade probably really builds up a lot of resentment.

Scott knows this.

He is absolutely sure that Rozanov and Hollanov hate each other. He’s also absolutely sure that anyone with a brain hates Rozanov just a little bit on principle -

(Bears notwithstanding, Boston people are a little odd)

- so he’s not really sure how he got dragged into a conversation with a couple of vets that Rozanov has seemingly taken over just to trash talk Good Boy Canadian Shane Hollander.

He’s moved on from generally calling him boring and unfunny and is now picking apart Hollander’s latest game with Boston, piece by piece. He’s gotten a little heated as he talked, arms waving, and it’s actually impressive how detailed his breakdown is, given Rozanov had been in the game himself & managed 2 goals and an assist.

But seriously, it’s a really good thing they hate each other, or else this kind of obsessive behavior would probably start an off-color rumor or two.

Scott takes big sip of his whiskey and sighs. This after party sucks. Carter catches his eye from across their sad little hockey player circle and raises an eyebrow, tilting his head towards Rozanov.

Scott shakes his head and shrugs minutely: he really didn’t know what was up with the kid tonight. He just wanted to go home to Kip.

Both him and Carter startle out of their silent conversation when large, muscled arms suddenly wrap around Rozanov’s shoulders and clamp onto the opposite biceps, halting his expressive hand motions. He stumbles forward half a step but doesn’t even pause in his tirade. He just reaches up & grabs onto the suited-up forearms. The man’s head is hidden behind Rozanov’s head, as he’s obviously just shoved his skull into his upper back.

“- such a shame he never learned how to skate properly. He might have actually scored in the last period if he hadn’t tripped over his skate and face planted on the ice.” The rest of the circle is frozen with silent bafflement; no one responds when he pauses his chirping to grin meanly.

Scott watches as Rozanov’s fingers go white with blood loss, clearly tightening his grip on the guy’s arms to the point of pain and squeezing until the mystery man lets out a pathetic whine from behind him.

“Isn’t that right, Hollander? You forget where your feet go just in time to let me win?” Rozanov softens his hold as a very tipsy Shane Hollander(?!) raises his head and plops his flushed, pouting face into the dip of his rival’s(??) shoulder. He digs his chin into the muscle harshly as he responds. Rozanov winces, but his smile doesn’t shrink an inch.

“You threw your teammate’s broken stick literally right in front of me. You should have been sent to the fucking box.” Hollander sounds grumpy, sure, but not as furious as he really, really should be.

Scott empathizes deeply with the choked noises that the Tampa Bay vet beside him is making. He wonders if this is some weird nightmare. Did he even make it to the awards night? Or is he still passed out on the plane?

What happened to these two rivals who Very Obviously Hate each other???

Scott watches numbly as Rozanov bursts out laughing at Hollander’s drunk response, and fucking coos at him. He spins around in Hollander’s hold and helps drag him side by side over to one of the tables, completely ignoring everyone else he’s been ranting to for the last half hour.

They all watch as the two of them stumble away.

“…Is that… new?” Somebody asks. Scott can’t turn to see who it is; he’s stuck staring at the two hockey powerhouses giggling together from their seats as they lean forward and bump foreheads.

“…Yes,” Scott finally answers when it doesn’t seem like anyone else will. “That’s new.”

Scott throws back the rest of his drink and snags Carter on the way to the bar.

He needs something a whole Hell of a lot stronger than whiskey to process whatever this is.

[elephino-but-i-need-a-name]

Totally random thought on the Batfam

Ok, so in this AU the justice league formed. They don’t know Batman’s identity or about any of the batfamily. Maybe they know about Robin, but aren’t sure it’s all been the same kid. (Shenanigans)

By the time the League forms Bruce is in his late 40s and has 7 kids that the league knows nothing about. The rest of the league? They are in their late 20s. The league has been around a few years and Bruce has been working on building protocol and teamwork. They are … not enthused.

Anyways, something happens. A rift in the universe or whatnot. Two groups of hero’s fall through/-are taken. To add to it, this other space has nullified meta abilities. The only people who can still do their thing are unpowered or the Green Lanterns. It was a call in all help situation, so even Vigilantes and Hero’s they don’t normally work with have been called in. So ALL if the Batfamily is there (Robin is with Batman) but no one knows they are connected.

So now we have 3 ongoing issues. Group one, Spoiler, Green Lantern (Hal), and Flash who has been separated from group two. Group two is Red Hood, Superman and Green Arrow. the rest of the JL back on the watchtower. They are trying to figure out a plan, but y’know that training they didn’t do is kind of hampering that. And most of them can’t do much since entering the rift nullifies their powers.

Batman takes one look at this nonsense and starts making calls. But the directions he gives completely confuses the remaining JL.

He sends Red Robin to the computer lab to work with Oracle on technology to stabilize the tear and try to establish communications. Night wing is sent to ready a rescue team with Orphan and Robin. Signal is sent to coordinate from the Watchtower with Agent A and Oracle.

Meanwhile on the death trap, first thing Red Hood and Spoiler do is start recon and leaving marks shaped like a bird/bat. Then when the hear sounds (echoes?) they realize other people are near. But don’t know who. Spoiler puts her fingers to her mouth in a piercing whistle pattern. (Birdie in Morse code).

In the other group, Red Hood takes his helmet off and Whistles back the same pattern. Then grabs his group and starts dragging them toward the sound.

They find each other and the groups Merge. To the shock of the other 4 Red Hood and Spoiler immediately begin coordinated efforts. They ask what they have in their belts, whip out extra local coms so everyone can stay connected. They also coordinate on if either of them have a beacon? Turns out between the two of them yes they can set up a Beacon?

Then they begin a search pattern and the marking again, this time adding smaller sub markings. They explain to a baffles Hal, Flash, Green Arrow and Superman that the marking tell “the others” where they are heading and how many people are with them.

There are fights, and to the shock of the others neither Spoiler or Red Hood seem in any way affected by the meta nullification. That’s when the two of them are like “Nah, we have no powers. This is just a Tuesday to us.” So Superman and Flash wind up being mostly jostled to the back. Something neither of them are used to.

Eventually the rescue party arrives, and they evacuate almost all of them. GL and Spoiler don’t get out for -*reasons*.

They go on the run, in what is clearly a pre determined pattern. And the markings keep going up. He is still very confused.

Back on the Watchtower, Batman is slowly becoming more and more stressed. Not that anyone other than his kids can see it. They all at some point have conversations with him where they comfort each other. Which to the JL just looks like Batman working comfortably with people for the first time ever.

Finally they manage to punch through and Batman pulls first GL . Then Spoiler, she was being pulled back, so Batman literally grabs her around the waist and throw a both of them backward to safety.

They land and stay sprawled for several minutes. Again JL is mystified. Batman doesn’t stay down. And nobody in the JL would be comfortable literally sprawled on his chest.

As they are standing GL burst out, wanting to know how they hell they knew to find each other? Spoiler has been confident they NEEDED to follow protocol to make sure they could be found.

Spoiler looks a him like he’s crazy, but tells him it’s standard protocol when separated to follow established plans and leave directional markings. (This is what the league has been “training” on when this disaster started).

There is so much good opportunity for outsider POV, and the Bats being damn good at what they do. Plus the whole reveal that they have no powers and clearly all know each other. And the even better reveal that they are all Batman’s associates. I love having them be able to read his reactions and know when he’s terrified someone will be left behind, or relieved they are home.

Even more I love the idea of continuing events of them in missions or watchtower and they tease Batman. Or catch the dry jokes that go right over everyone else’s head. Eventually it comes out that they are his kids. Which is another whammy - because they thought Batman was in his 20s like them. And we get the Batman and co have been doing this since the JL were literally children.

Allll my favorite tropes!

[queer-benoit-blanc]

New hire in oncology at Princeton Plainsboro, going through orientation: So, in that situation, I'd go and find Dr Wilson?

Veteran employee: Yes. First try his office. If he's not there, try diagnostics.

New hire: Diagnostics?

Veteran employee: If he's not there, ask one of the diagnostics doctors where Dr House is, and go to him.

New hire: Why would Dr Wilson be in diagnostics or with Dr House? What's that got to do with oncology?

Veteran employee, realising they've become desensitised to the Hilson nonsense and that the outside world is not like this: Oh god you don't know yet.