What is your favorite trope in the Bat Fam fandom that you enjoy reading about the most? (I know, this is a tough one to pick from, but feel free to include as many examples as you'd like. I was just curious.)
Oh this is a fun question because I’ve read so many!
I’ve got a tag that I very nearly exclusively require: ‘Good Parent Bruce Wayne’. I normally just exclude ‘Bad Parent Bruce Wayne’ because I’m okay with him trying but not being perfect. I’m just not a fan of that characterization (and yes, that means there’s a lot of canon I don’t like for that reason).
Otherwise! I read stuff for all of the fam! Here are some of my top tropes/tags:
- Tim Drake Joins The Batfam Early: this trope is always fun for me because by the time you get Tim, you also get to explore Dick & Jason’s relationship with each other, Bruce, & Tim. Not to mention most people then include a sequel where Damian comes in (and sometimes Cass & Steph show up too!!!). I pretty much think that you get the most character study & relationship building when you start here. Call me self indulgent but I can get impatient waiting for all of my favorites to get together.
- Platonic Soulmates: I love love love PLATONIC soulmates, it hits better than regular soulmates. There aren’t a lot of fics- I wonder if the trope is a newer one because I don’t remember it from my teen years. Just the eternity of having people that will always be on your side, and you have confirmation of it. It’s like Found Family on steroids. I guess partially because it takes the fear out of being vulnerable with people. Sure, they can still hurt you…but you were made to be the support for each other.
- Any Supernatural AU: I’ve read a lot of supernatural creatures AUs, even a Tim Drake is a Nightvale Cryptid fic or one where Dick & Tim are convinced Lazarus Pit Jason is Mothman. They introduce dynamics that are interesting to explore. For example: in “you are my sunshine” by AstraEllis, Damian is terrified of Tim because he’s a banshee like Ra’s, and Damian has been punished by a banshee’s scream before. That fear colors how Damian interacts with everyone but especially Tim and it’s not easy to purvey in any other scenario and it’s so interesting to consider.
- Time Travel Fix-Its: I’m a hater of Time Travel in general terms, it lends itself to too much thinking and time warps and it hurts my brain. BUT I’ve read a few phenomenal Time Travel (and sometimes dimensional travel) Fix It Fics- and they are so good. I guess my caveat has to be that the character doesn’t want to get back. Most of note have had something like “the world is ending and we can only go back and try to stop it”. I guess I stick to the ‘We Have Time’ series by Blueseabird2’s philosophy of “Fuck the Timeline.”
- Secret Identity Shenanigans: One of my all time favorite tropes is summed by with ‘Misleading Identity’. Whether that’s the whole “Secret Identity of superheroes” or “I’m hiding my identity because someone’s after me” I don’t care. If there chance for someone to be lying for their safety and there’s angst over trust- I’m THERE. Batfam has a goldmine of these fics between Tim figuring it out early, Justice League vs. Batman’s identity or his kids, or Jason Todd as Red Hood. There’s so much material and I’m a sucker for identity reveals.
If any of these tropes intrigue you, I have recommendations!